A new imaging technique called Breast Enhanced Scintigraphy Testing has provided the first visual evidence that routine supplementation with soy isoflavones can reduce the size of pre-malignant breast lesions in women at increased risk of breast cancer.
Frustrated with conventional hormone therapies and fearing potential side effects like breast and ovarian cancer, massive numbers of menopausal women are turning to natural alternatives like soy isoflavones, Black Cohosh, and Red Cover. Susan Love, MD, and Deborah Moskowitz, ND, share their views.
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked with everything from psoriasis and osteoporosis to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and autoimmune diseases. But the relationships may not be as simple as we’d like to believe. Neither is the relationship between sun exposure and vitamin D production in the skin.
Coenzyme Q10 is best known for its heart protective effects. But this compound is also a strong antioxidant, which can be absorbed through the skin, where it can reduce carcinogenic UV-mediated dermal damage.
Under a federal mandate, the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy was charged with the task of setting a national agenda for holistic health care. In a series of public meetings, Commission members had the opportunity to gather input from the general public. Freedom of choice in health care was the core theme emerging from the New York City meeting.
Cardiologist Steven Horowitz believes that medicine has largely ignored the substantial science linking increased dairy consumption and cardiovascular disease. On a population basis, cardiovascular risk is lowest in countries that consume the least amount of dairy. Dr. Horowitz challenges the prevailing view that milk and milk products are essentially healthy foods.
A wealth of studies in recent years have underscored the health threats posed by vitamin D deficiency. But considerable debate has raged over which form of the vitamin is the best for supplementation. Many clinicians believe that vitamin D3, derived from fish and other animal sources, is more potent than D2, the “vegetarian” form. But new data suggest that may not be true.
In 1996, Washington became the first state to mandate that health care insurers cover services provided by naturopaths and other alternative health care professionals. The so-called “Every Category of Provider,” mandate was controversial when passed, and five years later, the arguments for and against the law continue.
Epidemiological data suggests that moderate alcohol consumption, particularly red wine, can reduce risk of heart disease, leading some doctors to recommend wine drinking as a preventive measure. But some experts caution that there are no controlled clinical trials to confirm wine’s alleged heart benefits.
Copper seldom gets the attention lavished on other minerals like calcium and magnesium, but it is an essential factor for myelination of nerves, activation of immune system cells, synthesis of collagen and formation of hemoglobin. Copper deficiency, which is very common, may underlie anemia, osteoporosis, heart disease, and it may even mimic multiple sclerosis. Drugs that suppress stomach acid, as well as zinc and vitamin C supplements, contribute to copper deficiency.
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