This is good news, but let’s look at why it happened.
Breast cancer rates dropped with the decreased use of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
And the decreased use of HRT came after the 2002 publishing of the Women’s Health Initiative’s report, which linked the use of HRT to increased breast cancer.
Since that time, evidence substantiating the concerns expressed in the 2002 report have been pouring in.
A recent study out of the University of California at San Francisco, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, is the first to show a direct link between reduced hormone therapy and declines in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) as well as invasive breast cancer.
DCIS is the earliest stage of breast cancer, during which abnormal cells grow in the breast’s milk ducts.
Karla Kerlikowske, MD led a team of researchers who reviewed more than two million routine screening mammography examinations performed between 1997 and 2006 on nearly 700,000 women between the ages of 40 and 79.
Women 50-69 years old were the group with the highest percentages of hormone use and they showed the largest drop in invasive breast cancer and DCIS when they stopped using the hormones after 2002 en masse.
The investigators also uncovered evidence that supports an indirect link between hormones and the promotion of tumor growth. More research is needed in this area.
While the use of certain types of hormone replacement therapy decreased significantly after 2002 when experts suggested that the risks of estrogen plus progestin therapy outweighed its benefits, what about the current use of bioidentical hormones as an alternate form of HRT?
Be on the lookout for a future blog about bioidentical hormones, as they appears to be the newest versions of HRT now being prescribed.
HRT is one of the topics that will be discussed in NICABM’s upcoming Women’s Health Teleseminar Series.
Each webinar we interview an expert in the field of Women’s Health and extracting the most important information that health and mental health practitioners need to know.
Men’s and women’s health aren’t the same and some of the differences may surprise you.
Have you prescribed HRT in your practice? Please leave a comment below.
With respect to the saefty of eating foods from a microwave; the main issue relates to the containers used to heat the food in and not the microwave radiation, which cannot be absorbed into food as all it does is to cause water molecules to vibrate and heat. Some plastics, for instance, are more prone to the effect of “migration”. whereby some additives used in plastics are more likely to migrate to foods more than others. The main concern in the past has been in connection with plasticisers which are used to improve the flexibility of some packaging materials. As the tendency for plasticisers to migrate increases at higher temperatures, only those plastics specifically designed for oven use are suitable for cooking.To reduce any possible risk one should;* Use only microwave-safe utensils.* While some packaging films may be labelled ‘microwave-safe’ care should be taken to avoid direct contact with the food when using them to cover containers or to reheat dinners on plates.* As migration is more likely to occur into hot fatty foods, glass containers are a suitable choice for heating these products.As yet there are no standards for claims such as “microwave safe”; if you are in doubt as to the saefty of such materials contact the manufacturer or use a ceramic/glass alternative.Further, there are also many reports that indicate the loss of vitamins and certain goodness from foods that are microwaved, but the fact is that the nutritional value of food cooked in microwave is as nutritious as food prepared using conventional convection cooking methods. In fact as far as the loss of vitamins is concerned microwave cooking is preferable to boiling so as to minimise possible leaching of vitamins into the cooking water. So if anything, microwave cooking enhances mineral retention in vegetables. Further, the quality of protein, in foods cooked in a microwave is higher than those foods cooked conventionally, as far less oxidation occurs in meat cooked in a microwave. Similarly, reheating food quickly in a microwave retains more nutrients than holding food hot for long periods such as cooking and keeping food warm continually over a flame.If you would like to read some more information on the subject the following link that has been prepared in conjunction with the CSIRO, would be a good source.-
I found Panic Away to be very helpful.. . When you start reading through Panic Away, you?ll learn about the One Move technique, which is a method you can employ to control and, with practice, eliminate panic attacks from your life. The basic idea of it is that you should stop resisting the panic attack symptoms and allow yourself to feel frightened and anxious. Most of the time resisting a panic attack just makes it worse.. . The book breaks the One Move down into a step-by-step routine that is easy to follow. It is a recommended that you practice this before you feel a panic attack coming on. Practice makes perfect and if you have practiced the One Move a few times, you?ll be more prepared to deal with a panic attack when you start to feel anxiety creeping in.. . Since panic attacks can be very unique from one person to another, the Panic Away book also covers how to apply the One Move to other scenarios in a much broader context, so, even if the source of your anxiety isn?t directly covered, you?ll be given instructions on how to address it.. . When you buy Panic Away, you are also given the e-mail address of Barry Joe McDonagh, the creator of Panic Away, so if you find yourself getting stuck anywhere along the way, you can always reach out and get personal help from him. I found the book itself to be very clear, and I never needed the coaching, but it?s good to know that it?s there to make sure you can get the most out of the program.
This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your wonderful post. Also, I have shared your website in my social networks!
Thank you for sharing this important message, Ruth. As a breast cancer survivor and advocate, I have devoted my career to the eradication of the disease. I have developed a peer support breast cancer program that has resulted in a new, comprehensive pathway of care for patients and improved quality of work life for health care providers. While breast cancer took away my ability to have children (with chemo-induced menopause at the age of 33), as co-founder of the Breast Cancer Research Stamp, I consider myself to be extraordinarily blessed to have played a role in the creation of a novel and effective way to support innovative, responsible biomedical research in the fight against breast cancer.
And on that note, I am very pleased to report that there is good news on the breast cancer research front out of Washington D.C.!
United States Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) together with a bipartisan coalition of 25 Senators introduced legislation last month to extend the sale of the Breast Cancer Research Stamp for four additional years.
The National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense have received approximately $50.4 million and $21.6 million respectively thus far putting these research funds to good use by funding innovative advances in breast cancer research.
Congressman Joe Baca (D-Rialto) introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives last month as well — The Breast Cancer Research Stamp Authorization Act of 2011 — to permit the sale of the highly successful Breast Cancer Research Stamp for four additional years beyond the current expiration date of December 31, 2011.
Please visit the Breast Cancer Research Stamp Group page that I run on Facebook for additional information and ways to help secure this vital legislation to keep the historical stamp designed to save lives on the market beyond the end of this year.
For full text of Senator Feinstein’s press release about the – the Breast Cancer Research Stamp re-authorization
As our legislative efforts progress, I will be updating a list of co-sponsors in the House and Senate as well as a list of members that we need contact in order to gain their support of coming on board as co-sponsors of the legislation in both the House and Senate.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Please Help Stamp Out Breast Cancer & Save Lives!
The Breast Cancer Research Stamp is the first postage stamp of its kind in United States history dedicated to raising funds for a special cause.
This historic stamp designed to save lives was first issued 12 years ago. Since the stamp was first issued through November 2010, the United States Postal Service has sold more than 903 million stamps, raising approximately $72 million thus far for breast cancer research.
The stamp currently costs 55-cents and is deemed valid as a 44-cent first-class stamp.
The additional 11-cents charged for each stamp is directed to research programs at the National Institutes for Health, which receives 70% of the net proceeds, and the Department of Defense breast cancer research programs, which receive the remaining 30% of the net proceeds.
Please join this group and participate in our current efforts to secure federal legislation to keep the Breast Cancer Research Stamp on the market beyond the end of this year and encourage others to do the same.
“To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.”
~ Albert Einstein
In follow-up to your article and report on the decline of breast cancer rates, the following statistic is from a dear colleague of mine, Ann Geiger, PhD who is one of the best and brightest epidemiologists in the United States:
Five year breast cancer survival has improved from 75% in 1975-77 to 89.9% in 1999-2006. This is due to improvements in detection, treatment and survivorship care/behaviors that have arisen from research investments.
There is still much work to be done on the breast cancer research front:
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women (excluding skin cancer).
More than 2.5 million women are living with breast cancer in the U.S. today. Latest estimates vary a bit, but fall within the range of 2.6 to 2.7 million women with a history of breast cancer. These are living women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer at some point from 1974 to 2006 (most recent available data).
Over 200,000 women have been diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States in each of the past few years, and will be diagnosed in the coming year.
Though much less common, 1,970 men were diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States last year.
Sources:
Ann Geiger, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Public Health Science
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Altekruse SF, Kosary CL, Krapcho M, Neyman N, Aminou R, Waldron W, Ruhl J, Howlader N, Tatalovich Z, Cho H, Mariotto A, Eisner MP, Lewis DR, Cronin K, Chen
HS, Feuer EJ, Stinchcomb DG, Edwards BK (eds). SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2007, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD based on November 2009 SEER data submission, posted to the SEER web site, 2010.
American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures 2010
Please visit the website below to view a video that covers the unveiling of the Breast Cancer Research Stamp at a special White House ceremony hosted by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. I was honored to be a guest speaker on this very special day.
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton’s remarks at the unveiling of the Breast Cancer Research Stamp July 29, 1998
FUND THE FIGHT. FIND A CURE.
One person at a time, one stamp at a time and pennies at a time, we have collectively raised over $70 million thus far to stamp out breast cancer; and the awareness raised as a result of our collective efforts… in purchasing and promoting the Breast Cancer Research Stamp continues to be priceless.
Breast Cancer Research Stamps can be purchased at your local post office
and by calling the U.S. Postal Service toll-free at 1-800-STAMP 24.
I have 2 friends, one under 50 and the other over 50, who have breast cancer who have never taken/used HRT. We have been meeting once a week along with several other friends to support our friends with breast cancer. We do a short meditation and then a very gentle chair yoga I learned from the wonderful yogies at the Trauma Center in Boston. The energy from the group, I trust, is healing. And the women tell me it’s helpful.
This is good news, but I was diagnosed with breast cancer this year and I have never taken hormones. Perhaps you will discuss how to survive cancer treatment.
I am exceedingly interested in any documentation of how bioidentical hormones influence the growth of breast cancer cells, or not. There is one hormone, made in bioidentical form, that is actually supposed to be preventive for breast cancer, and that is Estriol, which is produced during pregnancy. What is the latest on this? Doctors have differing opinions and so I wonder what research has shown…if there is any. It is not a new field, but one that is getting much more attention with women seeking alternatives to synthetic HRT. Thanks for addressing these issues in this blog.