Hormone Therapy Carcinogenic

Last year federal health officials halted a large study of hormone
replacement therapy because the pills used, a combination of estrogen
and progestin, were causing more harm than good.

In December of 2002, estrogen replacement therapy joined the official
U.S. government list of cancer-causing agents, along with wood dust and
ultraviolet light. The report, part of the National Toxicology Program's
biennial review of cancer-causing agents, represents a substantial
upgrade of the dangers posed by estrogen.
The full report can be found on the Internet at http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov

Too Many Risks?

According to an editorial in the New York Times on March 19, 2003,
women taking hormone replacement therapy have a greater risk of breast
cancer, heart attacks, strokes and blood clots than other women, and
the damage is not offsetby a small beneficial effect in reducing the
risk of colon cancer and hip fractures. Even so, many women have been
reluctant to abandon the hormone therapy because it makes them feel
better, more energetic, mentally sharper and more sexually responsive.
Or so they have thought.

Placebo Effect?

Results of a study just released by The New England Journal of Medicine
show that the pills had no significant effect on the quality of life
of a large group of postmenopausal women. Women who took the pills did
not feel any healthier or more vital than comparable women who took
placebos, nor did they have more sexual pleasure. Compared with those
in the placebo group, their minds were no clearer, their memories no
better, and their mental health no different. The pills did have marginal
effects on sleep disturbances, physical functioning and pain,but these
were not clinically significant and disappeared after a year or so of use.

Why Take the Risk???

The Mayo Clinic estimates that 75% of menstruating women
have some sort of PMS symptoms.

Nearly 40 million women, more than 1/3 of the female
population in the United States, are experiencing or have
been through menopause. Another 20 million women will reach
menopausal age over the next decade.

Virtually, there is no wife, daughter, sister or friend
who is not affected.

If you, your mother, sister, daughter, wife, or friend
are suffering from PMS or menopausal symptoms,
you need to email me for more information!

One of our FAVORITE topics,
not to mention favorite foods-
CHOCOLATE!

And what, you may be saying, does chocolate have to do with health?
Well, hold on tight, something good that is good for you, too???
Like many of you, my favorite thing is chocolate, any kind of chocolate-
but dark chocolate is the best! Quite literally, actually…

In fact, while I wouldn't call chocolate a health food, it is a source
of polyphenols, the same type of antioxidants found in red wine. And
just 1 oz of a very special chocolate packs more than twice the healthy
antioxidant punch of red wine or other dark chocolates. Also, the fat
in chocolate is stearic acid, which doesn't affect cholesterol levels.

Studies Prove It!
Various studies have shown that people with high blood levels of
flavonoids have lower risk of heart disease, lung cancer, prostate
cancer, asthma, and type 2 diabetes. My absolute favorite, Dove Dark,
made by Mars, Inc., contains Cocoapro cocoa, a proprietary, specially
processed cocoa that contains superhigh levels of flavanols--so high
that Dove Dark is actually used in medical research. Here are the good
things research shows that Cocoapro cocoa can do:

Acts as an antioxidant.
Researchers at the University of California, Davis compared the effects
of 1 1/3 oz of high-flavanol Dove Dark chocolate with the same amount
of low-flavanol dark chocolate on 10 healthy people. They found that
only the Dove Dark had heart-healthy benefits: It reduced LDL oxidation
and boosted antioxidant levels and HDL concentrations in the blood.

Other studies have shown that the higher the Cocoapro "dose," the higher
the levels of antioxidants in the blood and the less LDL oxidation.

Keeps blood platelets from clumping together.
In the test tube, Cocoapro cocoa reduces blood clotting; it may also
stabilize arterial plaque, making it less likely to travel and cause
a stroke or heart attack. This effect is similar to that of aspirin.

Increases blood vessel flexibility.
Unlike aspirin, some of the procyanidins in Cocoapro trigger the produc-
tion of nitric oxide, which helps keep arteries flexible and increases
bloodflow. This connection has potential implications for blood pressure
control.

So go ahead and treat yourself!
While over-indulgence in some luscious dark chocolate, like anything
else, is not the best thing to do, small amounts can be very beneficial!