January 2010 Archives
Approval by Health-on-the-Net Foundation
The mission of the Health On the Net Foundation is to improve the quality and reliability of the medical Internet by accrediting websites with its HONcode stamp of approval. In my book Mourning Has Broken: Reflections on Surviving Cancer, I recommend that people who seek medical advice online look for the HONcode logo on a website to assure reliability of its content. I wouldn’t want people to be mislead by quackery, that is, information with no proven medical basis. My website (www.janhasak.com) is now HONcode certified, and thus complies with all the principles of the Health On the Net Foundation.
Thank you for your continued support of my cause to advocate for cancer and lymphedema patients.
All the best,
Jan
Clarification to Study of Weightlifting for Lymphedema Patients
Here’s the latest from the National Lymphedema Network (NLN) regarding the PAL study by Dr. Kathryn Schmitz and colleagues, Weight Lifting in Women with Breast-Cancer-Related Lymphedema, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on August 13, 2009. When the article first appeared the media overreacted, making several inaccurate and misleading statements about the research. The NLN and many of its affiliated clinics received phone calls from patients and professsionals expressing frustrating about the inaccurate reporting and requesting clarification of the study results and what these mean for individuals living with or at risk for lymphedema.
The NLN Medical Advisory Committee contacted Dr. Schmitz, who agreed to clear up misconceptions about what the PAL trial did and did not show, and to emphasize the continued need to follow risk reduction guidelines. (See the NLN Position Papers on Risk Reduction and Exercise.)
We hope that Dr. Schmitz’s response (Weight Lifting and Lymphedema: Clearing Up Misconceptions) will help clarify the study results for lymphedema survivors and people at risk for lymphedema. The Executive Director of the NLN recommends that lymphedema therapists apply the protocols for the PAL intervention to their practices.
Jan
Pomegranate panacea?
An article appearing early in 2010 reports a study researching whether pomegranates or pomegranate juice may help to prevent and slow the growth of breast cancer.
Specifically, the scientists found that a group of phytochemicals called ellagitannins in pomegranates inhibited the growth of estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer cells in laboratory tests. Researchers say these phytochemicals work by inhibiting aromatase, a key enzyme used by the body to make estrogen. Clinical trials are needed to determine if these results at a cellular level will translate into efficacy in humans.
“More research on the individual components and the combination of chemicals is needed to understand the potential risks and benefits of using pomegranate juice or isolated compounds for a health benefit or for cancer prevention,” says Powel Brown, MD, PhD, chairman of the clinical cancer prevention department at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Until then, researchers advise that people consider eating more pomegranates to protect against breast cancer. Maybe I’ll begin partaking of this interesting fruit, if I can find out how to eat it without making a mess. Otherwise, I’ll stick to drinking the juice.
The article can be found at http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20100105/pomegranates-may-stall-breast-cancer?ecd=wnl_brc_010510
Bon appetit,
Jan
