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to your Address Book or Safe List. Learn how here. | March 27, 2011 | |  |  | Do You Need This New Breast Test... Or Could It Do More Harm Than Good? | | | Delicious "Wonder Drug" for High Blood Pressure Praised by Harvard Researchers | | | How Veggie Lovers Dress Up a Salad | | | Blast Away High Cholesterol. Lose 67 Points in Just 28 Days | | | Suffering from Psoriasis? Beer May Be to Blame | | | |  |  | |  | |
 | | Do You Need This New Breast Test... Or Could It Do More Harm Than Good? When a friend told me that she was scheduled for a test called breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI), I was concerned. I had recently read in the journal Radiology that the lifetime risk of dying from radiation-induced cancer associated with getting BSGI just one time is equal to the risk of getting mammograms every year from age 40 to 80. What’s more, while mammography increases a woman’s risk only for cancer of the breast, BSGI also increases her risk for cancer of the uterus, ovaries, intestines, colon, kidneys and bladder. With so many risks, why would anyone be getting this test? I contacted radiologist Rachel F. Brem, MD, director of the Breast Imaging and Intervention Center at The George Washington University Medical Center, to ask if the potential dangers of BSGI overshadowed its benefits. "The answer is no," she told me. "While BSGI should not be used for routine screening for everyone, it is a lifesaver for certain women -- because it spots cancers that mammograms miss. For high-risk patients, the opportunity to detect early, curable breast cancer is so advantageous that it far outweighs the risks from BSGI." While the risks certainly should not be ignored, the study statistics ought to be considered in context. Consider this: Digital mammography carries an average lifetime risk of inducing 1.3 fatal breast cancers per 100,000 women who are age 40 at the time of exposure. The risk from one BSGI exam is about 20 to 30 times greater -- about 30 per 100,000, or roughly 0.03%. How BSGI works: A small amount of a radioactive compound called a radiotracer is injected into your arm and absorbed by your cells, which then give off radiation in the form of gamma rays. Due to their increased rate of metabolic activity, cancerous cells absorb more radiotracer than normal cells do. Breast images are taken with a special camera that detects the gamma rays. (The camera itself does not put out radiation.) When the images are displayed on a computer monitor, cancer cells appear as visible "hot spots." BSGI does not require breast compression. Typically four to eight images are taken during the 30-to-45-minute procedure. Your doctor may recommend getting BSGI if you have... An "equivocal mammogram" (in which results are inconclusive and merit clarification). BSGI not only detects cancers that mammograms miss, it also is more accurate than mammography or MRI in ascertaining that a suspicious area is, in fact, free of cancer -- and thus it reduces the number of unnecessary breast biopsies. This is significant because currently, in about 80% of breast biopsies, results are negative. Women who have breasts that are dense (meaning that they contain more glandular or connective tissue than fatty tissue) especially benefit in this regard because they often have equivocal mammograms. Dr. Brem explained, "Cancerous tissue and dense areas both appear white on a mammogram, so identifying cancer is like trying to pick out a particular cloud in a cloud-filled sky. That’s why mammography detects only about one-third of cancers in dense breasts. But BSGI accuracy is not affected by breast density -- so that is a distinct advantage." A recent breast cancer diagnosis. In more than 10% of newly diagnosed patients, BSGI detects second, unsuspected areas of cancer -- which, of course, impacts the treatment plan. BSGI also helps determine whether tumors are responding to chemotherapy, allowing doctors to customize treatment. A strong family history of breast cancer -- meaning that multiple family members have had breast cancer, particularly if it was premenopausal or in both breasts... or if your father had breast cancer... or if genetic testing has revealed that you carry a breast cancer gene. A history of Hodgkin disease for which you received radiation during adolescence -- because this treatment significantly increases the risk for breast cancer. Good news: The amount of radiation used for BSGI is continually being reduced in an effort to find the lowest possible effective dose. "The dose we use today is much lower than the dose used just one year ago," Dr. Brem noted. So while the statistics cited in the Radiology study mentioned earlier should not be disregarded, the actual risks associated with getting BSGI today are significantly lower than when the study data was collected. Source: Rachel F. Brem, MD, is a professor of radiology and director of the Breast Imaging and Intervention Center at The George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC. She has published many articles on breast imaging in various journals and has won numerous awards, including the Editor’s Recognition Award from Journal of Women’s Imaging.
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 | | Delicious "Wonder Drug" for High Blood Pressure Praised by Harvard Researchers According to recent estimates, nearly one in three American adults has high blood pressure. But for the Kuna Indians living on a group of islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama, hypertension doesn’t even exist. In fact, after age 60, the average blood pressure for Kuna Indian islanders is a perfect 110/70. So what makes these folks practically "immune" to hypertension -- and lets them enjoy much lower death rates from heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and cancer? Harvard researchers were stunned to discover it’s because they drink about five cups of cocoa each day. That’s right, cocoa! | |
Learn more...  | |  | | |
 | | How Veggie Lovers Dress Up a Salad Like many people who adore salad, I am delighted with a recent article in Archives of Neurology reporting that people who regularly consume salad dressing (among other foods) appear to have a reduced risk for Alzheimer’s disease. This finding may be due in part to the healthful monounsaturated fats and antioxidants in olive oil, a key ingredient in many dressings. Some commercial dressings can be high in unhealthful saturated fats, salt and/or sugar, however. So I asked best-selling cookbook author Mollie Katzen to suggest a nutrient-packed way to dress up salad. She shared a recipe for a truly unique dressing made with fresh vegetables rather than just the usual liquids. In addition to the brain-boosting olive oil, it provides cancer-fighting flavonoids (from spinach)... eye-protecting lutein (from avocado)... and heart-healthy potassium (from buttermilk). What you need... 1 cup packed, fresh baby spinach leaves (cleaned, dried and stemmed)
½ small zucchini, cut into chunks
½ ripe avocado, cut into chunks
10 fresh basil leaves
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar (or to taste)
½ teaspoon minced or crushed garlic
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley
¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh chives, dill, cilantro and/or other herbs, to taste What to do... Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and whip until smooth. Pour desired amount over salad, toss and serve. Store unused dressing in the refrigerator for up to three days. Source: Mollie Katzen is the author or coauthor of 11 books, including the best-selling Moosewood Cookbook and The Enchanted Broccoli Forest (both from Ten Speed). She is a long-standing culinary advisor to Harvard University Hospitality and Dining Services, as well as a member of the Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Roundtable.
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| | | Suffering from Psoriasis? Beer May Be to Blame Remember the TV commercial about "the heartbreak of psoriasis"? It’s no joke -- this common autoimmune disorder involves repeated flare-ups during which patches of skin become sore, itchy, scaly, discolored and/or inflamed. Now new research sheds light on a surprising risk factor for psoriasis -- beer. Recent finding: Women who drank five or more full-calorie beers per week, on average, were about twice as likely to be diagnosed with psoriasis during the 14-year study as women who did not consume any type of alcohol. Drinking light (low-calorie) beer, wine and/or hard liquor did not increase psoriasis risk. Theory: Beer usually is made with barley, a grain that contains the protein gluten -- and previous research has shown a link between psoriasis and gluten sensitivity. Light beer is made with less grain than regular beer, which may make it less likely to trigger psoriasis. Wine and liquor do not contain gluten. Bottom line: Further research is needed -- but in the meantime, if you have a personal or family history of psoriasis, it may be wise to avoid full-calorie beer... and gluten. Source: Abrar A. Qureshi, MD, MPH, is an assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and leader of a study of 82,869 women.
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 |  |  Tamara Eberlein, the editor of HealthyWoman from Bottom Line, has been a health journalist for nearly three decades. An award-winning author or coauthor of four books, she is committed to helping other women in midlife and beyond live healthy, fulfilling lives. Her latest book is the updated, third edition of When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads (HarperCollins). She is also the "chief health adviser" to her husband of 25 years, college-age twins and teenaged son. |  | | Bottom Line Publications | 281 Tresser Boulevard, 8th Floor | Stamford, CT 06901
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