New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations Spark Controversy
Chinese Medicine: An Alternative for Heartburn/Acid Reflux

Recent studies
Winterizing Your Skin
Is Your Brain Impaired by Taking Statin Drugs?
Oral Health & Heart Disease
The Value of Probiotics in Reducing Colds & Influenza Symptoms in Children

New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations Spark Controversy

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women, excluding skin cancer, and only second to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death. Your risk increases with age. The ten-year risk for breast cancer is one in 69 for women at age 40, one in 42 at age 50 and one in 29 at age 60.

After seven years of advocating annual mammography as part of breast cancer screening, the US Preventive Services Task Force in November 2009 made a new set of recommendations for breast cancer screening:
• No routine screening mammography before 50 years of age.
• Women between 50-74 years screen every two years.
• Stop screening at age 75.

There is insufficient evidence to assess the benefits and harm of screening mammography for women age 75 and older.

What are some of the findings?
• The strongest evidence for the greatest benefit from screening is for women between ages 60-69 years.
• Evidence suggests that teaching breast self examination (BSE) does not reduce breast cancer mortality.
• The evidence for the benefit of digital mammography and MRI of the breast as a substitute for mammography is lacking.

What is the downside of screening?
The downside of screening for breast cancer includes false positives resulting in unnecessary additional imaging and biopsies in women without cancer, psychological stress, unnecessary additional radiation, over-diagnosis and unnecessary earlier treatment. For example, if an early-stage invasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is found in an older woman and treated, the woman is likely to die from something else before breast cancer would be detected.

Dr. Otis Brawley, the chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, told the New York Times in an Oct, 2009 article, “I am admitting that American medicine has over-promised when it comes to screening. The advantages to screening have been exaggerated.”

Some cancers are not dangerous and may even go away on their own. Obviously, the slogan “mammography saves lives” stands in stark contrast to mammography facts.

How can you make sense of the new guidelines?
All screening tests have their limitations, including the PSA for prostate cancer in men and the Pap smear in women. They are more likely to pick up cases when the prevalence is high; hence, annual screening in women ages 60-69 makes sense.

Screening is NOT prevention. Most people misunderstand screening for prevention. Once they get their mammograms, they feel they are taking care of themselves.

What should you do?
First, understand you are a unique individual with your own risk factors and bio-chemical individuality. Next, partner with a healthcare practitioner who can work with you holistically. On your own, embark on lifestyle choices that can bring you greater benefits for your well-being than just complying to screening tests: quit smoking, get proper nutrition, reduce serious stress, do regular exercise.

My approach has always been that each one of you is unique in your genes, your risk factors and your environmental stresses. Your biochemical individuality is our focus. The screening guidelines are just guidelines; one size does not fit all. (top)

Chinese Medicine: An Alternative for Heartburn/Acid Reflux, Eric Grose, L.Ac.

I often see patients suffering from acid reflux who are looking for alternative options or whose medications have not satisfactorily helped them. They complain of symptoms such as burning in the throat, chest or upper abdomen; a sour or bitter taste in the mouth; fullness in the chest; coughing; hoarseness; difficulty swallowing; and belching.

From a western perspective, acid reflux can be caused by the failure of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to open and close, allowing the back flow of acid up to the esophagus. Hypochlorhydria, where there is insufficient acid produced in the stomach to digest food and activate digestive enzymes, is another known cause. Since the food is not being digested well, it sits in the stomach and causes reflux-like symptoms. Additionally, acid reflux can be associated with a hiatal hernia, but often the cause is unknown.

Treatment is usually done with medications such as antacids and proton pump inhibitors. Antacids increase the pH, helping to decrease the acidity in the stomach. Proton pump inhibitors (e.g., Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid) stop acid from being produced. Many find the drugs quite helpful, but the drugs can have a down side. Because stomach acid has several necessary functions such as aiding in food digestion and acting as a bacterial barrier, low stomach acid can lead to unwanted bacterial growth, an increase in infections, nutritional deficiencies because of malabsorption of food, and stomach cramps.

For those looking for another option, Chinese medicine and acupuncture can be of help. In acupuncture, the practitioner’s aim is to change the flow of the body’s energy, and to restore organs, such as the liver, gallbladder, kidneys, and stomach to their normal function. It is the view of Chinese medicine that a variety of reasons and several malfunctioning organs can cause different types of acid reflux.

A Chinese medicine practitioner has to first determine from the patient’s symptoms and pulse, the reason for those symptoms and then design an acupuncture treatment accordingly. In the case of acid reflux, getting a series of treatments (10-15 treatments in one course) can improve the function of the LES, small and large intestines; decrease inflammation of the esophagus; normalize stomach acidity levels; and strengthen overall digestive function. For those looking for herbal medicine, the Chinese medicine practitioner may prescribe some herbs to help speed the healing process. The herbs can be used as an adjunct or a standalone treatment.

Additionally, some lifestyle and dietary changes are key to a healthy digestive tract. Changing eating habits, although simple, can be quite effective:

With some diet changes and a course of acupuncture treatments, you can easily get your acid reflux under control. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the office at 713-660-6620. (top)

Winterizing Your Skin
The additional stress during the holiday season and the weather impact your skin health. Careless food choices, lack of sleep, the cold weather and the damaging effects of heaters all affect the skin. So we find circles under the eyes, and a tendency toward dry and easily irritated, sensitive, or even sagging skin.

Hyaluronic acid, which is a naturally occurring moisturizing substance within the body, performs several functions to keep your skin healthy. They include attracting water to the dermis to keep it hydrated, promoting elasticity and preventing wrinkling. You can apply hyaluronic acid topically to the skin to slow down wrinkling and to reduce dryness and wrinkling.

Comment: Don’t forget that proper nutritional support with vitamins , minerals and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) are important, too. (top)

Is Your Brain Impaired by Taking Statin Drugs?
Numerous ads and medical advice have convinced us to take statins to reduce our risk for cardiovascular disease. There are many side effects to doing this, from liver problems to muscle pain, arrhythmias and eye problems. Recent research has added another scary finding that statins may bring the cholesterol to too low of a level, robbing your brain of its memory and cognitive power. The brain needs cholesterol to make neurotransmitters which affect your thinking and memory.

Comment: Is there anyone who would rather have a healthy heart but feel demented? If cholesterol is lowered to such a level that brain function and hormone production are impaired, Tthe risks may outweigh the benefits. Join us for the noon seminar “Cholesterol: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” January 27 to learn how to lower your “bad” cholesterol without having to resort to statin drugs first. (top)

Oral Health & Heart Disease
Gum disease affects one in seven adults ages 35 to 44 and one in four adults ages 65 and up. Poor oral health is an independent risk factor for heart disease; specifically, chronic periodontitis is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). A study shows that periodontal disease was present in 84% of patients with CAD and only in 23% of those without CAD. It is also associated with hypertension and risk for a heart attack. Oral infections likely expose the cardiovascular system to their pathogenic oral bacteria and increase levels of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein and fibrinogen. The oral bacteria Streptococcus mutans found in dental plaque can be found in cardiovascular tissues. It has also been shown that treating periodontal problems can lower serum lipid levels in those patients with hyperlipidemia.

Comment: Besides regular check-ups with your dentist, the use of xylitol as a sugar substitute can improve oral health and decrease dental cavities. Also hyaluronic acid has been shown to support gum health.(top)

The Value of Probiotics in Reducing Colds & Influenza Symptoms in Children
A double blind placebo-controlled study was carried out on 326 children between the ages of three and five using two probiotics, Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Bifidobacterium, daily for six months. The data showed that the probiotics were safe, and there was a reduction in the incidence of fever, runny nose, coughing, use of antibiotics and school absenteeism during the six-month study period.

Comment: It appears that the role of probiotics is not just regional in the gastrointestinal tract, but systemic, modulating the immune system, 50% of which is in the gut, the center of our immunity. You can now understand why I always include probiotics in your children’s supplementation. Choosing the right high quality probiotic, not yogurt, is key to supplementation.(top)