Guest guest Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 " HSI - Jenny Thompson " <hsiresearch HSI e-Alert - Silence...Not Golden Mon, 21 Nov 2005 07:00:00 -0500 HSI e-Alert - Silence...Not Golden Health Sciences Institute e-Alert **************************************************** November 21, 2005 Dear Reader, When is silence not golden? When it's a killer. Several types of cancer are considered " silent killers. " Colon, bowel, lung, stomach, rectal, liver and pancreatic cancers are often in advanced stages by the time their symptoms finally develop into red flags. In the group of silent killers, ovarian cancer is one of the quietest and most insidious. The American Cancer Society predicts that this disease will claim more than 16,000 deaths this year, while well over 22,000 new cases will be diagnosed. This mortality rate has remained fairly consistent for the past half century. Needless to say, the need for preventive measures against ovarian cancer can't be overestimated. ----------- Research two-step ----------- Most studies conclude with a notation that further research is needed to confirm the findings. So it was refreshing to come across a new epidemiological study (one that examines health events among a population) immediately followed up with a laboratory study. Further research is still needed, but the first two steps have already been taken. Researchers at Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) started out by questioning more than 1,200 subjects about their intake of herbal supplements. The cohort of subjects was evenly divided between women with ovarian cancer, and women without the disease. The data showed that the herbals these women used most often were ginkgo biloba, ginseng, echinacea, St. John's Wort, and chondroitin. When researchers compared the use of each supplement individually against cases of ovarian cancer, an interesting pattern emerged: Women who used ginkgo were much more likely to be in the healthy group. In fact, it appeared that when ginkgo was used for six months or longer, ovarian cancer risk dropped by as much as 60 percent. Research results like this are promising, but a single study might only reveal a coincidence. So the BWH team went to the lab to test their results. In a presentation for the American Association for Cancer Research's 4th annual Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research last month, Bin Ye, M.D., and Daniel Cramer, M.D., of BWH showed that a small amount of ginkgolide (the biologically active component of ginkgo biloba) stopped the growth of ovarian cancer cells. In an American Association for Cancer Research news release, Dr. Ye said that it was " most likely " that ginkgolides have anti-inflammation and anti-angiogenesis properties that are effective against this cancer. (Angiogenesis is the development of new blood vessels, which help cancer tumors thrive.) ----------- Ginkgo nitty gritty ----------- Ginkgo biloba has is well known as a potential memory enhancer and an aid for cognitive function that might even be effective in treating the early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. If you're thinking of supplementing with ginkgo, keep in mind that many herbalists and medical professionals who use alternative treatments believe the recommended daily dosage of 120 mg of ginkgo biloba is too low, and that the dosage should be 240 mg or more per day. The optimal dosage for any individual should be determined by weighing other health factors, other supplements or drugs being used, and only after consulting a doctor or medical professional. Also note that ginkgo may prompt gastrointestinal bleeding. Apparently this bleeding is slight, and usually happens when ginkgo is taken with other agents that are also known to prompt such bleeding, like aspirin or the anticoagulant drug warfarin. So for most people, bleeding shouldn't be a problem. However, there are other ginkgo side effects, including headaches and skin irritations. The culprit in these cases is ginkgolic acid, a toxic compound. It's generally accepted that five ppm (parts per million) is a safe maximum level for this acid. But some supplement manufacturers don't list ginkgolic acid on their labels, so be sure to read content labels carefully. ----------- Ovarian cancer fighters ----------- For more information about ovarian cancer, you can check these e-Alerts: * " Phyto to the Rescue " (9/15/03) - How diet affects ovarian cancer risk * " Rocket Food " (12/14/04) - How a common nutrient may lower ovarian cancer risk, while a component of milk products may increase risk * " Reading the Code " (5/13/04) - How genetic factors may increase ovarian cancer risk You can find these and other e-Alerts in the e-Alert archives at hsibaltimore.com. **************************************************** ....and another thing There will be no Plan B. Not without a prescription, anyway. Last week we got an unusual peek into the inner workings of the FDA. And what we saw isn't what you'd call " by the book. " This peek was provided by a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which found some eye-opening irregularities in the FDA rejection of over-the-counter (OTC) status for an emergency contraceptive pill called Plan B. Similar to RU-486 and commonly referred to as " the morning-after pill, " pregnancy is generally avoided when Plan B is taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. This drug has been available in the U.S. with a prescription since 1999. In December 2003, an FDA advisory committee voted 23 to 4 to recommend the change in availability. But according to the GAO report, two top officials at the FDA told staff members that the application would be rejected before the completion of a scientific review of the application. The report described this sort of involvement by top officials as " very, very rare, " and characterized the choice to ignore both the advisory committee recommendation and the scientific review as " unprecedented. " Over the past decade, the FDA has reviewed 23 applications to change a drug's availability from prescription to OTC. The FDA decided against the advisory committee's recommendation only once: in the case of Plan B. I'm not going to debate whether or not such a pill should be available OTC. I'll leave that to TV pundits and politicians to scream over. But this situation goes far beyond the pro-life vs. pro-choice issue. It exposes an extraordinary willingness on the part of FDA officials to tamper with a drug's approval process. If political pressures trump science, do friendships within the drug industry trump science? Do drug company contributions to political campaigns trump science? And, as always, it leads us back to the question of who and what the FDA is really trying to protect. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson **************************************************** Sources: " Ginkgo Biloba and Ginkgolides as Potential Agents for Ovarian Cancer Prevention " Abstract #3654, Presented 10/31/05, American Association for Cancer Research's 4th annual Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, aacr.org " Ginkgo Biloba, Ginkgolides May Help Prevent Ovarian Cancer " News Release from the American Association for Cancer Research, 11/1/05, foodconsumer.org " Report Details F.D.A. Rejection of Next-Day Pill " Gardiner Harris, The New York Times, 11/15/05, nytimes.com ***************** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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