| ||||
| ||||
Good Morning All, Thought the following information may be of some use. Pls take heed on this one. file:///C|/windows/temp/nscomm40/tmp/tmp4/edt1.htm God Bless You All, marty auslanderTitle: Alternative Medicine What's Hot
| Alternative
Medicine.com |
#1 Breast Cancer Tamoxifen Drug Increases Risk of Uterine Cancer,Hot Flashes, and Blood Clots
Tamoxifen, the drug name for a synthetic estrogen compound that blocks natural estrogen from binding with receptor sites in breast tissue, has recently been recommended as a prevention measure for women in the high risk area for breast cancer. But research indicates that it is also potentially dangerous and may cause uterine cancer.
A just-completed nine-year study in Sweden found that Tamoxifen increases the possibility of developing uterine cancer by more than five times. Twenty-three of the 1,372 patients in the study developed uterine cancer when taking the drug, compared with only 4 who took a placebo instead. Another study conducted by a health institute produced similar results after 6.8 years of follow-up research.
Roughly one million American breast-cancer patients are being treated with Tamoxifen. It is now recommended for all pre-menopausal women with hormone-positive cancers; for most postmenopausal women with breast cancer; and a growing number of women with hormone-negative cancers.
Tamoxifen was originally hailed as a breakthrough drug because by blocking estrogen, it kept breast receptors free from an unwanted build-up of this hormone. Estrogen has been linked to many types of female cancers. But many alternative practitioners have found that an excess of estrogen in relationship to progesterone (another female hormone) is partly responsible for the onset of breast and uterine cancer.
Three years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) formally designated Tamoxifen a carcinogen. In response to WHO’s announcement, the National Cancer Institute and Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, which makes the drug, aggressively lobbied State of California regulators to keep them from adding Tamoxifen to their list of carcinogens, according to Science News, a mainstream publication. That was seen by man as open evidence of a government agency, chartered to find a cure for cancer, flagrantly colluding with a drug company to keep a known carcinogen on the market and prevent the public from learning of its dangers.
During the menstruation cycle, estrogen causes uterine cells to reproduce rapidly. Progesterone, at a specific intervals of the cycle, regulates estrogen’s effects and causes the uterine lining to mature for a potential fetus. But as women age, many experience an estrogen dominance as progesterone levels decline. Without progesterone’s moderating influence, estrogen causes unabated cell proliferation in the uterus and breasts, which contributes to the high incidence of these cancers in pre- and postmenopausal women.
Estrogen’s natural balancing hormone–progesterone– is a more effective cancer-fighting compound than synthetic estrogen blockers. In his book, What Doctors May Not Tell You About Menopause, John R. Lee. M.D., cites a 1995 study that examined the use of topical progesterone to control the growth of breast cells in premenopausal women scheduled for breast surgery. The women who used progesterone cream had dramatically reduced cell proliferation compared to the women who used the placebo or estrogen creams.
Dr. Lee recommends a saliva or urine test to determine if progesterone supplementation would be beneficial. He also recommends herbs and foods that contain phytoestrogens (plant hormones similar to estrogen) that block the adverse effects of the body’s estrogen. Soybeans, for example, are rich in phytoestrogens as are the traditional "female" herbs dong quai, licorice, and wild yam. But, Dr. Lee warns, these herbs should be taken in moderation under the supervision of a health-care professional and should not be taken by pregnant women.
|
