Smoking & Cervical Cancer

Source: Physician's First Watch 21 Nov 2006
Smoking May Increase HPV-Associated Cervical Cancer Risk

Smoking may dramatically increase the risk conferred by HPV-16 for developing cervical cancer in situ (CIS)according to a Swedish study published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.

Using the Swedish cancer registry and archival pap smears, researchers identified 375 women diagnosed with CIS and match them with similar number of controls. For both cases and controls, the study included only those women whose first smear during the 25-year study period was cytologically normal.

Women who were HPV-16 positive and smoked at the same time of their first smear had an adjusted odds ratio for CIS of 14.4 compared to HPV-16 negative smokers. Among non-smokers, the adjusted odds ration was 5.6, comparing HPV-16 potitive to HPV-16 negative women.

"Our study revealed evidence suggestive of synergism between cigarette smoking (particularly duration of smoking) and HPV-16 in CIS development, which occurs many years before diagnosis of the offending lesion," the authors conclude.

Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention article (Free abstract, full text requires subscription)

Hormones & Antibiotics in Meat

Nowadays, hormone and antibiotics in meat is a legitimate concern. Hormone residues in food can increase the risk of breast cancer and other reproductive system cancers among women and may promote development of prostate cancer in men.

In the U.S. hormones are still used as growth promoters in cattle and sheep. It is estimated that two-thirds of the cattle raised in the U.S. are given hormones (usually testosterone or estrogens) to boost growth.

The USDA does allow farmers to use antibiotics to prevent or treat diseases in all farmed animals, although the drugs must be withheld for a period of time prior to slaughter so that any residues fall below federal limits. The use of antibiotics as we all know contributes to the escalating problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Sleep & Cancer

Source: Los Angeles Times October 27, 2006

Adequate sleep is essential for good health. A good night's sleep is every bit as important to good health and long life as a nutritious diet and regular exercise.

In April, the Institute of Medicine issued a report confirming links between sleep deprivation and an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack and stroke. Some scientists are exploring possible connections between inadequate sleep and a decline in immune function.

According to Richard G. Stevens, cancer researcher at the University of Connecticut Health Centre, some cancers might be rooted in sleep deprivation – or to too many hours of exposure to artificial light. His work is based on the theory (Artificial Light and Breast Cancer) that the increase in breast cancer in industrialized countries is linked to the disruption of hormone cycles.

The Cancer Prevention Study II of the American Cancer Society followed more than a million participants for six years. The best survival was found among those who slept about seven hours a night.

Light suppresses production of the hormone melatonin, which allows levels of estrogen to rise. And, when lights are on long after dark, it confuses women's circadian clocks, the roughly 24-hour internal rhythm that keeps hormones and organs on their daily schedule.

Oral Contraceptiives Linked to Breast Cancer Risk

Meta-Analysis Confirms Association of Oral Contraceptives with Breast Cancer Risk

Source: Physician's First Watch for October 31, 2006
David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, Editor-in-Chief

Use of oral contraceptives (OCs) is associated with an increased risk for breast cancer in prememopausal women - especially in women who use OCs before their full-term pregnancy - according to a meta-analysis in the current Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Researchers analyzed data from 34 case-control studies. Overall, use of OCs was associated witha small but significant increase in the risk for developing premenopausal breast cancer. The association was stronger for those who used OCs before their first-term pregnancy than for those who used OCs after this point.

As for how clinicians should counsel patients, an editorial argues: "First, OCs are extremely effective in preventing pregnancy when used correctly. Secon, although OCs appear to be carcinogens, the relative risk is small, and the absolute risk . . . is very small." He concludes tha "all risks and benefits of OC use must be considered, not just the risk of breast cancer."

For free PDF download, click links below:
Mayo Clinic Proceedings article
Mayo Clinic Proceedings editorial

Artificial Light & Breast Cancer

There is accumulating evidence for a correlation between light at night and breast cancer. Although it is not yet proven, a study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in 2001 found that women in Seattle who work the graveyard shift face up to 60 percent increased risk of breast cancer. Other studies have shown a similar pattern. And the risk of breast cancer is up to five times higher in industrialized nations (where exposure to nighttime illumination is more common) than it is in undeveloped countries. About half of those breast cancers cannot be accounted for by conventional risk factors.

Back in 1987, a researcher named Richard Stevens, then at Pacific Northwest Laboratories in Richland, Washington, hypothesized that even brief exposure to nighttime illumination suppressed the pineal gland's production of melatonin, a neurotransmitter with strong anti-cancer properties.

Comment from Cancer Answers: Get at least half to an hour of full sun each day. At night, sleep in a room that is as dark as possible. In this modern world, it may not be possoble to follow the sleep/wake cycles of our ancestors and the sun. But as one try their best to follow the cycle of the sun, the better he or she will be.

Can Salt Kill?

Too much salt is known to contribute to hypertension, which is a factor in half the deaths in the U.S. each year. One of four Americans suffers from some form of high blood pressure, though many do not know it. The so-called silent killer, it often remains symptom-less and undetected for years until it leads to a disabling or deadly heart attack or stroke.

For more, read this article in the Times.

Breast Cancer Survivors: At Increased Suicide Risk?

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)
American Society of Clinical Oncology

Breast cancer survivors are 37% more likely to commit suicide than other women, and the elevated risk persists for at least 25 years after diagnosis, according to a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute for October 4, 2006.

Their study involved an analysis of data for 723,810 breast cancer survivors who were diagnosed between 1953 and 2001. During follow-up through 2002, 836 subjects committed suicide. After 25 or more years, breast cancer survivors still had a 35% increased risk of suicide.

Reduce Sedentary Behaviour

Physical exercise is an integral part of staying healthy. More and more research findings are pointing to sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical activity, and being overweight as a risk factor in cancer besides diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Below are a few suggestions or ways you can become physically more active, to reduce sedentary behaviour:

• Use stairs instead of an elevator or escalator.
• If possible, walk or bicycle to your destination.
• Exercise with your colleagues, family, or friends.
• Take a 10-15 minutes exercise break at work (instead of drinking coffee) to stretch or take a quick walk around the premise.
• Park your car a little further away from your destination. A good chance to do some walking.
• Sign up for a dancing class. Go dancing with your spouse or friends. Line dancing is very popular nowadays.
• Plan active vacations rather than only driving trips.
• Join a sports team.
• Use a stationery bicycle while watching TV.
• Plan your exercise routine. Gradually increase the days per week and mintues per session.

Music Therapy : 3 Case Studies

Dr. Roger Wicke (Ph.D) of Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute, US once wrote: ". . . classical music is one of the few things that contains no lies because it contains no words. It is pure frequency that speaks directly to the heart. As such, it has the potential to be truly revolutionary."

Below are some case reports by Dr. Wicke regarding examples of music and its effects on the health of his patients.

Case A: A person with ALS (Lou Gehrig's) disease comes to me for help.
In addition to the usual routine of herbal formulas, diet changes, and review of environmental health issues (i.e., high electromagnetic field exposure, believed by some researchers to be a relevant factor in ALS, heavy metal toxicity), I happen to put Bach's Cello Suite #1 on the stereo while I mix up herbs, and within several minutes, muscle fasciculations were diminished by 70%. Client normally does not listen to classical music, but expresses great liking for this piece.

Case B: Person with chronic Heart Blood Stagnation plus Liver Qi Stagnation (TCM diagnosis), otherwise relatively healthy and active.
Over many years I need to give repeated formulas for this condition. Without these formulas, person eventually succumbs to sharp chest pains induced by emotional upsets and, interestingly, the sound of choral music.
One day something this person says suggests a childhood trauma of some type, and I suggest a music listening session: String Quartet #8 by Shostakovich, which he composed in the aftermath of the Stalinist purges as a form of personal catharsis. The music climaxes with discordant wrath and violence, ending in deep sadness. While listening, client has flashbacks of an incident during WWII in which friends were murdered by German soldiers, which memory had been suppressed and forgotten until that moment.
Turns out a local priest was a collaborator with the Germans, thus the aversion and fear induced by hearing sacred-type choral music. After that session, client has no longer needed to use Blood-invigorating formulas, and no longer would the sound of choral music induce chest tightness and pain, in fact, after that enjoys Bach choral music immensely. (I'd classify the Shostakovich String Quartet #8 as a piece that strongly dredges Liver Qi, especially when associated with suppressed rage.)

Case C: Small child has difficulty concentrating at school, especially with math.
In such cases I rarely use herbal formulas, instead usually do complete diet overhaul and educate parents in relationship between so-called ADHD and dietary poisons like aspartame, MSG, sugar, etc. In this case all this helps significantly with moods and personality, but learning difficulty still remains. I suggest eliminating all rock music and substituting with Bach and Mozart when child is at home, especially played quietly as background music while studying. Parents, being rock fans, are resistant, but also concerned, so I show them research on the subject. After changing the diet and the music at home, child quickly discovers that math is enjoyable.

---Roger Wicke PhD---
Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute
website: http://www.rmhiherbal.org/
email: http://www.rmhiherbal.org/contact/