Cancer

More and more American adults use herbal supplements and other forms of alternative medicine and it is not surprising that teens do the same, but not to improve their health but to damage it. "In our study of young people with eating disorders, we found that these teenagers are turning to herbal remedies for both weight loss and other reasons," he told Reuters Health Debra Katzman of the University of Toronto.



Katzman and colleagues presented their research findings at the annual meeting of the Society for Adolescent Medicine in San Diego earlier this month. The study included 47 patients from 10 to 17 years, mainly women, who have been diagnosed with eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia. Overall, 37% of youth reported using herbal remedies and 35% said using them to induce vomiting or decreased appetite.

However, despite the widespread use of herbal products, 41% of participants said he knew "absolutely nothing" about herbal remedies.Moreover, only 24% said they had discussed the ingestion of these products with their physicians. "This is a very important public health concern" said Katzman.

"These medications are associated with health risks, some may be serious. Children and their parents must know, "he added. Katzman described a study published last year in a prestigious medical journal on the use and health risks of ephedra. Ephedra, also known as ma huang, is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat problems of the upper respiratory tract, but also a common ingredient in herbal remedies that are advertised for weight loss.

Soy may potentiate the effects of the drug against breast cancer, tamoxifen, researchers reported in Illinois. In a study of female rats that were in contact with a chemical that causes breast cancer, the animals that took a combination of soy tamoxifen seemed to developed fewer breast tumors than rodents taking soy or tamoxifen alone. Compared with rats that received no treatment, those that took tamoxifen had 29% fewer breast tumors, while soy alone reduced tumors by 37%.

But a combination of soy and tamoxifen led to a 62% reduction in the number of tumors, researchers reported last month at the annual meeting of the Association of Cancer Research United States in New Orleans, Louisiana.

"Although we know whether these results apply to women who, due to environmental factors or genetic predisposition, are at high risk of developing breast cancer, our study indicates that a test is warranted in humans," he said in a statement University Press lead study author Andreas Constantinou, University of Illinois at Chicago. Constantinou's team is now trying to figure out how soy promotes the effects of tamoxifen, either through phytoestrogens or other substances in soy.

They are large amounts of phytoestrogens, or estrogens that occur naturally, not only soybeans but in cereals, alfalfa sprouts and other plants. Some research indicates that phytoestrogens may have health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease, but the evidence is inconclusive. Tamoxifen was first used to treat breast cancer, but the drug is now approved for prevention of breast cancer in some women at high risk. Drug maker AstraZeneca markets the drug as Nolvadex. In conclusion, soy is a breast cancer natural treatment. Large amounts of fruits and vegetables represent another breast cancer natural treatment.