Bone is a matrix that contains not just bone-building minerals but also collagen, which is the protein that makes our bones strong and malleable. If bone health were attainable with a simple calcium supplement, we would be seeing a reduction in the rates of osteoporosis as women are taking calcium supplements in record numbers. But osteoporosis rates remain high.

There is clearly more to strong bones than just calcium. Vitamin D3, for example, is essential to calcium absorption; unfortunately, research has shown that many people are deficient in this nutrient, particularly at northern latitudes and during the darker months of winter. Vitamin K2, meanwhile, guides calcium into bones and locks it in. Without enough vitamin K2, calcium can lodge in places that it is not supposed to, such as in the breasts, arteries and kidneys (kidney stones). Calcification causes hardening of the arteries and contributes to high blood pressure and calcium deposits in the breasts.

Vitamin K2 MK-7 and Bone Health
The “K” in vitamin K comes from the word koagulation. Vitamin K1 is a blood clotter and acts very differently than vitamin K2. Calcium in the bones and arteries is regulated by vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 is associated with osteoblasts. Osteoblasts are cells that build bone and produce a protein called osteocalcin. Osteocalcin incorporates calcium into the bones. Without vitamin K2, osteocalcin cannot be produced in the body and proteins can’t hold onto calcium without enough vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 redirects calcium into bones.

Choosing the Right Type of Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 (menaquinone MK-7) from the Japanese food natto is the best form of vitamin K2. Half of the vitamin K that our body absorbs is from green leafy vegetables. Unfortunately, most foods thought to be rich in vitamin K have less vitamin K than previously thought. Most multivitamins don’t even contain vitamin K and those that do don’t have enough. To prevent and treat osteoporosis, supplement with Vitamin K2 MK-7.

Vitamin D3 for Strong Bones
Another important bone vitamin is Vitamin D. Vitamin D is formed in the body by the sun’s rays on the skin, which then makes vitamin D3. As we age, our bodies are less efficient at making vitamin D, so you must take a vitamin D supplement. Like vitamin K2-MK7, vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption.

A deficiency in vitamin D leads to decreased calcium absorption and increased excretion of calcium via the kidneys, promoting osteoporosis and other conditions such as osteoarthritis, muscle cramps and twitching, backache and tooth decay. It is important to choose the most active and powerful form of vitamin D, which is vitamin D3.

Vitamin D3 Better than D2
A December 2010 study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reported that the two major forms of vitamin D, D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol), are not absorbed by the body in the same way. In 33 healthy adults taking 50,000 IU of either vitamin D2 or D3 weekly for 12 weeks, blood vitamin D levels increased significantly more in the D3 group than in the D2 group.

Collagen Bone Support Yet another important component for your bones is collagen. Over one-quarter of all the protein in the body is made up of collagen. Collagen makes your bones, nails, teeth and hair strong. Collagen connective tissues run throughout the body and provide structure for your skeleton, tendons, cartilage and muscles, all of which support your internal organs and protect your softer tissues.

Silicon is a trace mineral required by the body to make collagen. Specifically, silicon is converted into silicic acid that the body requires to manufacture collagen and elastin. Unfortunately, silicon from food and herbs is poorly absorbed, resulting in a lack of the building blocks required to make collagen. Silicic acid in supplement form, on the other hand, is used directly by the body to make collagen. Silicic acid is a fabulous bone booster. Receding gums are an early indicator of osteoporosis, and dentists have reported that supplementing with silicic acid stops receding gums.

Your Best Bone-Boosting Supplement Program
To build strong bones, combine an excellent calcium and magnesium supplement that contains the right forms of calcium such as aspartate, glycinate or citrate along with vitamin D3, vitamin K2 MK-7 and the collagen-builder silicic acid.

Answer: My post was based on the April 2011 research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) that linked cardiovascular events (think heart attack or stroke) increased in older women who took calcium supplements.

Calcium is suggested for post-menopausal women in order to maintain or build bone strength. Recently, researchers looked at data from 16,718 women who were not taking calcium supplements at the start of the famous Women’s Health Initiative trial. They poured over the data and found that women who were already taking calcium and vitamin D supplements at the start of the trial did not have any greater risk of heart attack. In contrast, the women who began taking calcium and vitamin d supplements during the trial, had an increased risk of heart attack. The scientists suspect the trouble occurs because of the abrupt change in blood calcium levels, rather than total intake of calcium. That said, high blood levels of calcium have been linked to hardening of the arteries (calcification), which may partially explain their findings.

Data from 13 different trials (including 29,000 people), consistently points to increased risk of heart attack and stroke, uncannily associated with calcium supplements (with or without vitamin D). This is a hot topic, and some physicians feel strongly that calcium is the master mineral of bone health. I think we need a good study to determine what is going on. For sure, the calcium you get from food sources is highly bioavailable, and hasn’t been shown to cause calcification. The BMJ study refers to supplements and it begs the question, as to what kind of calcium supplements are to blame? Are certain forms better than others? This was not teased out.

For the time being, if you are at risk for cardiovascular complications, or stroke, my suggestion is that you avoid calcium supplements. Get your calcium from food because it is highly bio-available; food-derived calcium improves estrogen balance which protects bone mass. Eat lots of leafy greens, Swiss Chard, kale, kelp, spinach, lettuce and broccoli. Tahini’s good too. I’m not a huge fan of dairy, but this is certainly another option. Don’t forget the obvious, weight-bearing exercise, which will reduce your risk of osteoporosis. If you happen to take a bisphosphonate bone-building medication (Boniva, Actonel or Fosamax), it can reduce levels of calcium so your doctor may suggest this mineral for you, in order to restore levels to normal. Calcium is to be appreciated not feared, but take it only if you are deficient. Refer to my Drug Mugger book to see if you take a medicine that depletes it.

Did You Know?

People with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance are prone to developing osteoporosis because they have trouble absorbing calcium from food.

Not All Magnesium Is Created Equal
Magnesium glycinate is the best type of magnesium to supplement with because it is the only magnesium to cross the blood brain barrier, helping those with migraines, ADHD, depression and anxiety. Magnesium glycinate is bound to the amino acid glycine, which allows it to enter cells easily. This form of magnesium will not cause explosive diarrhea when taken in effective doses of 500 milligrams or more. Stress and excess caffeine consumption can increase the need for magnesium. Women on the birth control pill or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) also need more magnesium as these drugs deplete the body of magnesium. Hence, the reason why women on the Pill are at higher risk of blood clots and stroke. Long-term use of diuretics can remove magnesium from the body, creating deficiency too.

Magnesium for a Healthy Heart
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death and magnesium deficiency is a major contributing factor. Magnesium glycinate improves the heart’s oxygen supply, prevents blood clots, relaxes the smooth muscles of the arteries and slows the blockage of blood vessels.

Magnesium Lowers Blood Pressure
When the blood vessels are constricted due to magnesium deficiency, the heart is forced to work harder to pump blood throughout the body, resulting in high blood pressure. Magnesium has been shown to reduce high blood pressure by relaxing the blood vessels. In a recent Japanese study, those with the highest blood pressure who took magnesium glycinate had the largest drop in blood pressure.

Women with high blood pressure need magnesium because blood-pressure-lowering medications often do not work as well for women as they do for men. Many men experience erectile dysfunction as a side effect of their blood pressure medication. With this in mind, both sexes will appreciate magnesium’s ability to keep naturally normalize blood pressure normal naturally.

Magnesium Normalizes Irregular Heart Beat
The mineral’s relaxing effect also makes it valuable in treating irregular heart beat—even in life-threatening situations. One study examining magnesium treatment immediately after heart attack found it slashed the death rate by 75 percent and resulted in fewer complications.

Magnesium, the Muscle Mineral
Every muscle in the body needs magnesium. Muscle cramping, pain, twitching, tics, restless leg syndrome, night muscle spasms are the body’s way of telling you that you need magnesium. Those suffering with fibromyalgia need magnesium glycinate in doses of at least 500 to 800 mg per day along with malic acid in a dose of 1500 mg per day. Nothing works better to reduce the pain of fibromyalgia than magnesium glycinate and malic acid. If you exercise, you will appreciate magnesium’s ability to improve muscle recovery and eliminate muscle pain and fatigue.

Magnesium for Headaches and Migraines
A study of 81 patients experiencing migraines four times a month found that when magnesium glycinate was given daily for 12 weeks, the frequency of migraine attack was reduced dramatically compared to placebo.

Osteoporosis and Magnesium
Magnesium is even more important to bone health than calcium as magnesium regulates the hormones that affect mineral metabolism in bone by improving the action of the cells that build bone and reducing the action of cells that break down bone. Magnesium ensures calcium stays in your bones where it should be instead of creating calcifications throughout the body.

Add a magnesium glycinate supplement to your water bottle in the morning and drink it throughout the day. Take extra magnesium glycinate at bedtime for deep restful sleep. Magnesium is so important to the health of so many systems in the body that we should be supplementing with magnesium glycinate every day.

Doing nothing is not an option, as neglecting your bones can lead to health consequences down the road, namely osteoporosis, a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue. It leads to bone fragility and an increased susceptibility to fractures. The hip, spine, and wrist are the main targets, though any bone is at risk. The scary part is you cannot feel your bones getting weaker; many don’t know they have osteoporosis until they break a bone.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, the disease is a major public health threat for an estimated 44 million Americans or 55 percent of the people 50 years and older. In the U.S. today, 10 million are estimated to already have the disease and almost 34 million more are estimated to have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis.

Aside from lifestyle and dietary adjustments—more weightbearing and muscle-strengthening exercises, less (or no) drinking alcohol or smoking—getting the right amounts of calcium is crucial, including vitamins such as D and now newly recognized vitamin K2. This needs to be done as early as possible. Bone building peaks in the late twenties, so the more you have in your younger years, the more you have to lose.

Recent studies have shown that vitamin K is essential to putting calcium in bone tissue. Populations that consume larger amounts of vitamin K have fewer fractures, and stronger, healthier bones. But as the “Calcium Paradox” reveals getting enough calcium is only half the battle. It needs to stay away from the heart.

Vitamin K has found the loophole in the paradox
Calcium can accumulate in your arteries, leading to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, and setting us up for possibly a heart attack or stroke. Previously believed to be an unavoidable result of aging, the medical community now recognizes that arterial calcification is actively regulated by a vitamin K-dependent protein called Matrix Gla Protein (MGP). Vitamin K is required to activate MGP. Without adequate amounts of vitamin K, MGP can’t function to keep calcium away from the heart’s arteries and soft tissues. It is now known that a type of vitamin K, vitamin K2, is what’s required by the body to help inhibit arterial calcification. In other words, with vitamin K2, you can have your cake and eat it, too.

As big a problem as osteoporosis is, it pales in comparison to cardiovascular disease (CVD), caused most often by atherosclerosis. In 2005, the American Heart Association estimated that over 80 million people in the United States have one or more forms of CVD.

Special K vs. Not-So Special K
Vitamin K actually refers to a group of fat-soluble vitamins, all of which are similar in structure. They share a “quinone” ring, but vitamin K2 has more carbon bonds (or “side chains”) off of the main ring, making it more effective in performing essential functions within the body.

So, the longer the chain of menaquinones in vitamin K2, the more useful it is. That means the vitamin will spend more time in the blood (so it’s available for all tissues) and be better absorbed, meaning the body will need smaller doses of vitamin K to fulfill its needs.

Presently there are three forms of K vitamins available in dietary supplements: synthetic vitamin K1, synthetic vitamin K2 as menaquinone-4 (MK-4), and natural vitamin K2 as menaquinone-7 (MK-7). The last is the most bioavailable, bioactive, and longest lasting form of vitamin K. Scientific research and clinical trials have demonstrated K2 is much more effective than K1 in preventing bone loss, and only K2 has been linked to the prevention of calcification. From the two available forms of vitamin K2, only MK-7 is effective at doses that do not exceed the present recommendations for daily vitamin K intake. The presently used Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for K vitamins is 90 mcg for women, and 120 mcg for men.

Though vitamin K1 is available in leafy, green vegetables, it’s very poorly absorbed. Only about 10 percent of K1 obtained from food reaches the circulatory system, but it’s quickly excreted and may not reach the heart or the bones. Most of it gets used by the liver for coagulation, one of the body’s most vital processes. For many years it was thought vitamin K function was exclusively related to blood coagulation, but beginning in the mid-1980s, the emphasis shifted toward bone health. Now, a clear picture of how vitamin K supports bone health has developed.

Vitamin K and Building Bone
The skeleton is rebuilt every seven years in a process called remodeling. This process is regulated by osteoblasts, cells that build up the skeleton, and osteoclasts, cells that break down the skeleton. As long as the bone-building activity of osteoblasts (absorption) exceeds the destructive action of osteoclasts (resorption), the process of maintaining healthy bone is kept under control.

Osteoblasts produce a vitamin K-dependent protein called osteocalcin, which helps pull calcium from the blood and bind it in the bone matrix as mineral content. Its function is to make the skeleton resistant and less susceptible to fracture. Because osteocalcin needs vitamin K to function, long-term K-deficiency will lead to significantly reduced density and quality of bone. The breakdown-happy osteoclasts will remove more bone tissue than the bone-forming osteoblasts can form, resulting in a slow but sure loss of bone tissue. The bones then become thin and fragile and easily susceptible to fracture.

Several studies have shown a correlation between vitamin K and bone health. A groundbreaking study in Japan showing the correlation between eating natto—a traditional Japanese dish ripe with natural vitamin K—and osteoporosis suggested that higher MK-7 levels from natto consumption can contribute to bone health. Increased intake of MK-7 from natto resulted in better levels of activated osteocalcin and a reduced risk fracture. These results were confirmed in a 2006 study that concluded consuming natto may help prevent the development of osteoporosis. This three-year study conducted on 944 women (aged 20–79) linked intake of MK-7 to the inhibition of bone mineral density loss.

This year, a study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology showed that while calcium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin D were slightly indicated as important to bone health, consumption of natural vitamin K2 (again, from natto) was strongly associated with lowering the risk of hip fracture, indicating an important role of MK-7 in the prevention of bone disorders.

Vitamin K has also been shown to build bone during the crucial childhood years. Another study examining kids over a two-year period in 2008, this one appearing in British Journal of Nutrition, concluded that higher levels of vitamin K were found to be strongly associated with better mass, geometry, and mineral content of bone. Findings from previous studies have also indicated that additional K vitamins intake might improve bone geometry and positively influence the gain in bone mass. That contributing effect has been recently reported by O’Connor, et al, who, while conducting a study in a cohort of 223 healthy girls (11–12 years), found better K vitamins status related to higher bone mineral density. Thus, consuming more K vitamins leads to stronger, healthier bones.

The Heart of the Matter
Earlier in this article, we referenced the Calcium Paradox, which vitamin K bypassed by providing calcium to the body while helping to keep it away from the heart, staving off atherosclerosis. Two major studies out of the Netherlands showing added benefits of vitamin K2 may lead to a “Dutch corollary.”

Findings of The Rotterdam Study (2004) proved that high dietary intake of vitamin K2—but not K1—has a strong protective effect on heart health. Research conducted on a group of 4,807 elderly men and women indicated that eating large quantities of natural vitamin K2 (at least 32 mcg per day) reduced the risk of both arterial calcification and cardiovascular mortality by as much as 50 percent—with absolutely no undesirable side effects.

In the second study, published this year, Dutch researchers investigated the association of intake of vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 (including its subtypes MK4–MK10) with coronary calcification in a cross-sectional study among 564 postmenopausal women. The study found that “high dietary menaquinone [vitamin K2] intake, but probably not phylloquinone [vitamin K1], is associated with reduced coronary calcification. Adequate menaquinone intakes could therefore be important to prevent cardiovascular disease.”

It has been shown that in cases of CVD, people with diseased aortas showed lack of both K vitamins. However, research has found a high level of vitamin K2 in healthy aortas, but a barely detectable amount of vitamin K1. It suggests the vessel wall has a preference for vitamin K2 uptake, and K2 is the major K vitamin involved in the proper function of the cardiovascular system.

Despite its bevy of healthful benefits, the majority of adults and children are vitamin K deficient. The dietary intake of vitamin K in children has actually declined gradually in recent years. Meat and eggs have small amounts of natural vitamin K2, and the best source, natto, a traditional Japanese dish made of fermented soybeans, has an intense odor and a taste described as “controversial.”

Supplementation is actually the best bet. One ingredient that is now available as an extract of natto providing natural vitamin K2 as the longer chain menaquinone-7 (MK-7) form of vitamin K called MenaQ7™ Natural Vitamin K2. Numerous studies have shown the benefits of MenaQ7. According to a 2007 study published in Blood, there was “a major difference” between MenaQ7 and vitamin K1, namely “the very long half-life time of MK-7, resulting in much more stable serum levels, and accumulation of MK-7 to higher levels (7- to 8-fold) during prolonged intake.” Again, MK-7 is the most bioactive, bioavailable and longest lasting form of vitamin K.

A study pending publication with MenaQ7 in kids showed scientifically proven changes in osteocalcin, strongly suggesting that a 45 mg of MenaQ7 providing 45 mcg of Mk-7 reaches the bone and is able to affect the metabolic activity of osteoblasts—the bone-forming cells. This is further proof that natural vitamin K2 may provide the answer to the Calcium Paradox, helping to keep calcium in the bones where it is needed, and out of the arteries where it is not wanted. Additional information is available at www. vitamink2.org.

Fortunately, minerals from the rocky reaches of the Sierra Nevada mountains provide an excellent way to dampen the fires of inflammation, wherever they occur in the body. SierraSil® is a blend of over 65 naturally-occurring minerals that have been shown, in both in vitro and human studies, to “shut off the genetic switch to inflammation.”

What Is It About Minerals?
When we discuss chronic inflammation, we seldom mention minerals, but these essential nutrients play a vital role in bone and joint integrity, and they confer powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. The research community is just now delving into the world of minerals and beginning to understand their diverse and complex roles in the human body. They participate in the structural integrity of the body and catalyze enzymatic reactions. They help regulate the pH of the body.

One of the most important tasks of minerals, particularly the unique blend of minerals in SierraSil, is that they help regulate the genetic expression of inflammation. To understand how this works, Sierra Mountain Minerals embarked on a series of human studies to assess both the safety and efficacy of SierraSil. One hundred twenty study participants were asked to answer the following question: Is SierraSil safe, and is SierraSil effective in reducing osteoarthritis symptoms?

The treatment protocol lasted for eight weeks, and at the conclusion of the trial, researchers and patients found that every marker of arthritis (pain, stiffness and function) was greatly improved. Equally important, SierraSil was completely safe.

SierraSil has been used clinically to relieve the pain of injury, fibromyalgia, colitis, and many other sources of pain. Benefits generally appear within seven to ten days, and without side effects. The recommended dose is three capsules each morning on an empty stomach.

One medical doctor in Canada is testing C-reactive protein levels (a marker for inflammation) in his pain patients who have been using SierraSil for several years, and finds that their inflammatory markers are low, a sign that the inflammation, wherever it has lodged in the body, is abating.

What else can women (and men) do to improve joint and bone health? Remove inflammatory foods like red meat, sugar, alcohol, and grains from the diet. Red meat contains a fatty acid called arachidonic acid, a precursor to pro-inflammatory hormones called eicosanoids. Grains, sugar and alcohol are highly acidic foods; low pH levels are associated with inflammation. Grains, particularly wheat and corn, are problematic in terms of allergies, an inflammatory process.

An anti-inflammatory diet provides seven to eight servings of fresh vegetables per day, plenty of oils like fish, flax and olive oil, and good sources of protein like organic poultry, wild-raised seafood and lamb (preferably organic).

Lifestyle factors can be either pro- or anti-inflammatory as well. Get plenty of sleep; it is during the dark hours of the night that the body repairs itself and the bones are built. Stress can heighten inflammation. Women often juggle two full-time jobs: employment outside the home and the care of the home and family. Since they seldom take time to rest and recover, the continual stress can cause pain.

Restoring the integrity of the bones and resolving joint inflammation starts with diet and lifestyle, but well-chosen supplements are a vital part of the diet. Since both osteoporosis and arthritis share a common link in inflammation, as well as the other “illnesses of inflammation,” it makes sense to supplement with an anti-inflammatory mineral blend like SierraSil.

Mark Miller, Ph.D., and Professor of Cardiovascular Sciences and Pediatrics at Albany Medical College (NY), supervised the study and was instrumental in the in-depth analysis of its data. “SierraSil,” said Miller, “may offer exciting new approaches to limiting the joint destruction and lack of mobility associated with arthritis.”

The SierraSil product for this study was provided by Sierra Mountain Minerals, Inc. Michael Bentley, the company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, is more than pleased with this latest testament to the effectiveness of SierraSil.

“We know from past trials, patient testimonials and reports from physicians that SierraSil improves joint mobility and flexibility,”* said Bentley. “Now, we see how important it can be as a support to those suffering from the pain of osteoarthritis.”*

An emerging supplement in the battle against inflammation, SierraSil is found only in the high Sierra Mountains.

The human body can make many vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids and their derivative molecules, but it cannot make a single mineral. Due to mineral depletion in soil, some doctors say people cannot rely on getting all of these necessary nutrients from food. Also, when minerals are not consumed in adequate amounts, the body will resort to stealing minerals from its fluids, soft tissues and bones.

That’s why many health professionals advise people to use supplements rich in macro and trace minerals. SierraSil is considered an excellent mineral supplement because it is comprised of numerous naturally occurring macro- and trace minerals including calcium, potassium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, selenium, vanadium, chromium, boron and molybdenum in a form that possesses unusual health-promoting properties.

SierraSil helped pro golfer Ken Venturi. A former US Open Champion and 1964 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, Venturi gave up playing golf due to hand injuries. Finally, after a distinguished 35-year career of broadcasting as CBS Golf Analyst, Ken is playing golf again—thanks to SierraSil. Venturi says, “I believe in this product so very much that I’m willing to endorse it. It can help you, because it helped me. And what it’s done for me most of all, it’s given me back the game of golf, which I love so much. Without it I wouldn’t be able to hit golf balls.”

Is Ken alone in his discovery? Absolutely not! Al Stonehouse, Senior Men’s Captain at Kelowna Golf and Country Club read about Ken’s success with SierraSil and gave it a try. “I have achieved remarkable success with SierraSil,” Stonehouse said. “Normally I am very reluctant to try any form of drug or supplement but after reading about the success achieved by Ken Venturi, I decided to give it a try. Within days I noticed improved flexibility with my golf swing, increased driving distance and reduced carpal-tunnel pain in my hands. It’s great to be able to play three to four rounds a week and not have to go through the pain and suffering that I had been accustomed to for the past few years. I’m hitting the ball further than ever! I have had no hesitation in recommending SierraSil to my golfing friends. Thanks for making golf the pleasurable experience it should be.”

SierraSil is completely natural and vegetarian. It contains no glucosamine or chondroitin and exhibits beneficial properties even in small amounts. Only two to three grams a day are needed. Unlike other well-known joint support supplements, like glucosamine and chondroitin, which reportedly take up to three months to work, many SierraSil users are reporting noticeable benefits in less than two weeks.*

The past Vioxx recall led a number of health care professionals and consumers to take a closer look at natural approaches to joint health. Even the Arthritis Foundation, which only twelve years ago discouraged the use of supplements, is now encouraging its members to explore exercise, a healthy diet and dietary supplements. “Dietary supplements present a safe and effective long-term option, and consumers have a wide range of options when deciding which approach is right for them,” said James LaValle, R.Ph., N.D., an expert on naturopathic medicine. “The Vioxx recall should serve as a wake-up call. The truth of the matter is that in some cases there are serious side effects with prescription drugs,” Dr. LaValle said. “The good news is that there are safe and effective dietary supplements that are a better first choice for improving joint health.”

For more information please visit www.SierraSil.com.

The complete clinical trial report is available at the Journal of Inflammation's website:
www.journal-inflammation.com/content/2/1/11/abstract.

Unfortunately, the prevailing belief that nature somehow created a design flaw in women’s reproductive systems, making them particularly susceptible to many physical and reproductive problems, has persisted for the past 2500 years.

You might think that we are now living in more enlightened times, especially when it comes to understanding and treating women’s hormonal health. That is truly debatable.

The introduction of the Pill in 1960s issued in a new world of possibilities in the treatment of women’s hormonal issues. Inexpensive synthetic hormones became all the rage. Six years later, in 1966, the menopausal woman became the next marketing opportunity for the hormone industry, with the promotion of estrogen replacement therapy for all menopausal women. As with the Pill, no long-term studies were ever conducted on the safety of these hormones. Ten years later, it was discovered that not only were the young women Pill takers being diagnosed with strokes and blood clots and even dying, but the women taking estrogen therapy had an 800 percent increase in uterine cancer…and they were also dying.

The blame in both situations was clearly laid at the feet of high levels of the hormone estrogen.

Nevertheless, the enthusiastic marketing of hormones for a plethora of women’s health issues continued unabated. The Pill (now manufactured at a lower, but no less dangerous dose) in its many versions has widened its territory. Not only was it prescribed for birth control but also as a therapeutic treatment for such imbalances as heavy periods, lack of periods, painful periods, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, and even perimenopause. Young girls at the tender age of 13 are encouraged to use it for controlling acne.

Hormone replacement therapy was also heralded as a major medical advance for menopausal women. Whether it was for hot flashes, osteoporosis prevention, heart protection, or cognitive improvement, the untapped potential of the baby boomer generation provided a lucrative market for the hormone makers.

The Hippocratic attitude that women’s hormonal systems were far too unpredictable and dysfunctional to be left alone made hormones an indispensable treatment for medical doctors. For the past 40 years, women of all ages throughout the developed world have been told that they must rely on some form of hormonal regulation by using synthetic hormones.

Far from the wonder drug image portrayed by glamorous advertising campaigns, synthetic hormones have a very dark and dangerous side to them. Things began to unravel in 2002 when the Women’s Health Initiative, the largest study ever conducted on the effects of HRT, aborted its study three years early due to the documented increased risk of breast cancer, strokes and blood clots in the study participants.

In 2003, the National Cancer Institute found a substantially increased risk of several types of cancer among combined Oral Contraceptive users, citing a “significant increase” of the risk of breast cancer, as well as an increase in the risk of cervical and liver cancers.

The following year, the National Institute of Health, announced in its 10th Report on Carcinogens that all steroid estrogens found in oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy are known human carcinogens.

Furthermore, the Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a division of the World Health Organization ( WHO), declared the little publicized classification of combined estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives as carcinogenic in 2005. The IARC placed the contraceptives into their Group 1 classification, the highest classification of carcinogenicity, one used only “when there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans.” It declared that increased incidence of liver, breast and cervical cancers were associated with oral contraceptive use.

It would be assumed that such dire warnings from highly regarded health agencies would cause the medical community to rethink the guidelines for prescribing the Pill and issue warnings about its established dangers to the health and well-being of women.

Wishful thinking!

In reality, however, there was a concerted effort by doctors and pharmaceutical companies to expand the Pill’s domain. In keeping with the 2500-year-old trend that a woman’s body is inherently disease prone, a new theory emerged that attempted to convince women that their menstrual cycles were a design flaw of nature (and a dangerous one at that) that should be done away with.

The solution to the “problem” of menstruation was the prescribing of the continuous low dose Pill. Once again, without any research behind this theory, oral contraceptives are now marketed to young women specifically for period suppression. Some versions induce a bleed every 3 months. Other forms of contraceptives are implants that will completely suppress menstrual cycles for three years.

Five hormone manufacturers intend to release their version of contraceptive hormones in 2006 as part of the growing period suppression market.

What are the risks to women who begin using oral contraceptives in early adolescence? In 1996, the prestigious British medical journal The Lancet demonstrated that use of the pill starting in adolescence increased risks of breast cancer by 60 percent.

The effect of early and continuous contraceptive use is contributing to a devastating trend—the growing incidence of breast cancer in young women in their 20s and 30s. A decade ago, this was a very rare event. Presently, one out of every 250-breast cancer diagnoses are in women under the age of 40. When breast cancer is diagnosed in young women, they tend to have a more aggressive form of cancer and a worse prognosis.

While both medical doctors and drug companies’ wax almost lyrical about the tremendous benefits of period suppression as preventative health for all women, the real danger of a potentially aggressive and lethal form of breast cancer that looms before a generation of unsuspecting women is terrifying.

It is truly immoral to encourage the use of known carcinogenic drugs on a vulnerable population of women—for that matter, on any population of women. It is particularly heinous when a woman’s menstrual cycle, a physiological process intrinsic to a woman’s physical, emotional and spiritual health is relegated to a disease state requiring toxic drugs for its elimination.

How many times must history be repeated before we will learn? When it comes to the use of synthetic hormones, the evidence is overwhelming—they cause Breast Cancer.

Here is a riddle to ponder. What is it about the word “Carcinogen” that you don’t understand?

Dr. Sherrill Sellman’s latest book is titled What Women MUST Know to Protect Their Daughters from Breast Cancer. Her mission is to lift the veil on the many causes that contribute to the growing incidence of breast cancer in young women. The purpose of this book is to avert an emerging health crisis. It is an eye-opening and empowering road map for protecting our daughters from serious hormonal imbalances including breast cancer. But most importantly, it is an invaluable handbook for solutions.

Dr. Sellman can be contacted at golight@earthlink.net or at http://www.whatwomenmustknow.com.

The word menopause originates from the Greek words “meno” (month) and “pauses” meaning (pause). The earliest references to menopause appear in ancient Greek and Jewish Talmudic texts. Although it is historically and culturally considered a natural rite of passage, in the late nineteenth century Western medicine recharacterized various menopausal symptoms as medical conditions requiring intervention and treatment. As a result of these diverging views, today there is much confusion about whether menopause is a natural phase in a woman’s life, a condition that needs medical assistance due to hormone deficiencies, or a physical change that affects psychological stability.

The actual combination of menopausal symptoms typically varies among women, and may include any of the following: fatigue, depression, hot flashes, weight gain, night sweats, anxiety, crying, heart palpitations, loss of memory, mood shifts, insomnia, dizziness, headaches, incontinence, thinning hair and skin, aches and pains, bone density loss, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and angina.

Current medical treatments for such symptoms include hormone replacement therapies that substitute progestin and estrogen, prescription antidepressants to lift moods, calcium supplements to reduce the negative effect of low bone density levels, and herbal treatments. However, research has shown that healthy women undergoing hormone replacement therapies for an extended period of time may be at increased risk of cancer, stroke, blood clots and heart disease. Antidepressant medications have a host of potentially dangerous side effects. Herbal treatments may be helpful, but not consistently so for each woman’s unique set of symptoms, and added calcium only deals with possible bone loss.

Menopause symptoms in women cannot be minimized, as many women suffer deeply during this time. However, as discussed below, women in certain non-western cultures do not appear to experience many of the above symptoms, so the question arises: what creates the variety of symptoms of menopause in each woman. One potential answer is intriguing, since it may very well enable a woman to alleviate some or many of her menopausal symptoms through the power of her own mind.

Mind/Body Science and Menopause

The field of psychoneuroimmunology, a subdiscipline of psychosomatic medicine, studies the interactions between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the body. Psychoneuroimmunology examines precisely how the mind influences physical processes, which can progress into symptoms of ill health.

Today, people are aware that having joyful thoughts create euphoric chemicals in one’s body, while having fearful thoughts triggers the release of various stress chemicals. In fact, stress and negative emotional states are reflected in measurable elevations of specific hormonal and chemical substances such as cortisol, oxytocin and vasopressin, which then affect other hormonal levels and immunological reactions in the body. On the other hand, positive emotional states produce serotonin and growth-related hormones, which lead to a sense of well-being and wholeness.

Eidetic Imagery Methods and Menopause:

Dr. Akhter Ahsen has discovered a root cause of menopause symptoms, why they manifest uniquely in each woman, and the methodology to overcome them. His work is at the cutting edge of the scientific study of psychosomatic healing. He is best known in contemporary psychology for his pioneering work in the scientific and clinical study of mental imagery in general and the Eidetic image in particular. Eidetic images are holographic images of our life experiences stored in our brains. They can be seen in the mind’s eye with clarity and detail.

Dr. Ahsen found symptoms of an illness originate in stored images of injurious life events that evoke negative states of insecurity, loss, stress, anger or fear, which, in turn, release symptom-creating chemicals and hormones in the body. By accessing the images at the root of one’s symptoms, the negative biochemical and hormonal cascade can be alleviated. Dr. Ahsen also found within each person is a storehouse of positive images created by affirmative life events as well as by a genetic blueprint of one’s wholeness. These constructive images are the bipolar opposite of the negative ones created by one’s history. Once they are accessed through Eidetic Imagery they may be used for healing.

Cultural Expectations and Menopause:

In his book, “Menstruation and Menopause: Imagery Therapeutics in Social Context,” Dr. Ahsen discusses his findings that a woman’s menopausal symptoms are not only found in her history but also directly related to her attitude towards aging. For example via Eidetic Imagery a client I worked with realized that throughout her formative years she had been constantly praised by her adoring father for her natural beauty while at the same time her dad praised the woman’s studious sister as “his smart one.”

Over time the attractive daughter’s sense of self worth became subconsciously equated with her natural good looks, and not by her accomplishments. Years later, as this woman entered menopause, she experienced changes in her appearance typically associated with aging. Those changes were devastating and she soon experienced a host of unwelcome menopausal symptoms. We discovered she’d always felt someday her value as a woman would be over when she was no longer beautiful. These were not overt, rational thoughts, but rather they existed subliminally in her psyche. Nevertheless, she was in despair due to her belief that she’d lost the sole basis for her self worth.

The connection between one’s expectations and symptoms are important in understanding what happens during menopause. What we expect has a lot to do with the outcome. A woman’s negative expectations regarding aging increase as she enters menopause. Most women experience a loss of power as their looks begin to fade. In addition, during this time a woman may become concerned about her future health, her economic prospects, her children’s future, and her relationships with her aging parents or spouse.

In addition to these concerns, Western women are bombarded daily by the culture’s unrelenting messages, which values youth and beauty above all else. One can’t read a magazine, watch a television program or a movie without being confronted with images of beautiful young women with perfect figures and flawless, unwrinkled skin.

The beauty industry spends billions each year to convince women to purchase products and services (makeup, diets, exercise, plastic surgery, etc.) to appear young and attractive. A menopausal woman whose waist thickens despite dieting or whose eyelids droop or neck wrinkles despite the most expensive beauty products or exercise regimen runs the risk of no longer feeling desirable — and believing it. There is no way to escape this cultural assault no matter how emancipated or intelligent a woman may be. Ironically, telling a woman she looks younger than her age is a high compliment; implicit in the compliment is the notion that someday (soon, perhaps?) she won’t be able to believe it. Therefore, most menopausal women experience a range of depressing expectations regarding aging which trigger physiological symptoms, even though the physical and biological changes during menopause are natural.

Dr. Ahsen has found that the negative feelings and symptoms experienced by Western women during menopause does not occur or is greatly diminished in more primal cultures, where aging is esteemed. For example, in Canada after menopause women of the Cree tribe are honored and entitled to exercise Shamanic and healing powers. For the Kung women in Botswana menopause is a time of sexual liberation. In parts of Micronesia, a woman may become a healer after menopause and practice sorcery and magic. Menopausal symptoms do not exist in these cultures as the expectations of aging are positive. In addition, Dr. Ahsen quotes research by Dr. Miriam Stoppard (Menopause, 1994 published by Dorling Kindersley, UK) where, “In a study of 500 Indian women none of them mentioned hot flashes or other signs and symptoms of menopausal distress. If hot flashes are culturally induced, it is an extraordinary and sad reflection of the influence of culture on women.”

Regarding this phenomenon, Dr Ahsen states, “We find hypnosis and social control operating at various levels, generating unwelcome anticipations and expectancies that affect menopausal structures, as evidenced in the cross-cultural studies. Such anticipations generate symptoms specific to each culture. If hot flashes, for example, were indeed based solely on loss of estrogen and were truly a biological by-product of the “disease” called menopause, then why would the same physiological consequences not be universal? When the expectation of growing older is positive in a culture, the physiological/psychological symptoms seem less or are just not there.”

Eidetic Healing Steps in Menopause:

The healing of menopausal symptoms utilizing Eidetic Imagery are outlined below:

1. Assemble the subject’s unique menopausal symptoms.
2. Discover any behaviors and emotional issues affecting her at this time.
3. See how she was affected by her mother’s image upon her own feminine identity.
4. Treat past issues concerning her feminine self, such as traumas around developing breasts, menstruation, having children, etc.
5. Assemble future concerns.
6. Administer the following image entitled “Woman On Horseback.”

Woman on Horseback

This image takes the woman out of our modern time to an ancient tribal time where she can discover the gifts of her essence. It shifts her self-perception of aging and loss to one which values her authentic power, strength and feminine wisdom which, can only come with age. In this manner her value does not lie in her looks but is deeply rooted in her feminine understanding. Dr. Ahsen states, “Under the ritualistic layer of every culture lies the primary layer (of images) containing the holographic effects of all Nature myths tucked away from cultural pressure.”

• See you are leaving your present home and you are on horseback.
• See that you are going to an ancient tribal time.
• See that you are going to teach the young girls in the tribe your wisdom.
• They are in their huts and they are shy.
• You call to them to come out.
• You go from house to house to gather young girls to go with you on horseback.
• You go from house to house, you gather more young girls and you become an army of free spirits.
• They like you, and you admire their youth and beauty.
• See that you are teaching them about the world.
• See that the teaching is of essence, not of any one particular subject or its details. The essence of the teaching lives in you.

Here is what one woman said during this exercise:

“I am teaching them about self capability, confidence, assuredness, self knowledge, forgiveness and self acceptance. I feel this is why I was put on this earth. This is what I want to do for my girls and for my nieces too. They really get it. They get it at all different levels, but they are all getting it. It is what their mothers do not tell them. They should not depend on anyone else. I am full, wise and see my value.”

The above image is a part of a longer version of the “Woman on Horseback” image developed by Dr. Ahsen.

You can find Dr. Ahsen’s book, Menstruation and Menopause: Imagery Theraputics in Social Context, published by Brandon House. To order the book either call 914.476.5796 or e-mail LJDag@aol.com att: Irene.

Jacqueline Lapa Sussman is a leading author, psychotherapist and lecturer on Eidetic Image Psychology. Contact her at Jackielsus@aol.com or www.jacquelinesussman.com.

Tomatoes, as well as natural tomato extracts like Lyc-O-Mato®, the subject of well-publicized research,¹ contain a variety of health benefiting phytonutrients: lycopene and beta carotene, as well as antioxidant tocopherols (vitamin E), phytosterols and the less well-known carotenoids, phytoene and phytofluene. Studies have shown that these natural substances decrease the proliferation of human cancer cells and support cardiovascular health. Recent data suggest that they may even be important in maintaining bone health.²

Oxidative stress occurs when our cells are bombarded with free radicals, by the sun and other environmental factors. When free radicals occur in excess, they damage the structure and function of our cells. The resulting oxidative stress leads to degenerative conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help offset this damage because of the antioxidant carotenoids, which act as free radical quenchers.

The combination of lycopene, phytoene and phytofluene present in tomatoes has specifically been shown to decrease cancer risk. The human body does not produce lycopene on its own; women should be conscious of eating a lycopene and phytonutrient-rich diet, or taking an all-natural tomato extract supplement. Here are some reasons why.

Heart disease is a major women’s health threat
According to the American Heart Association cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women in the United States today, killing more than all forms of cancer, accidents, pneumonia and diabetes combined.³ Risk factors for heart disease include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and a family history of heart disease.

High cholesterol is defined as high bad cholesterol (LDL > 120) or low good cholesterol (HDL > 40). Treatment includes recommendations for diet and lifestyle changes and often prescription medications, which can have dangerous, occasionally deadly side effects. Many women, unprepared for the unexpected challenges inherent in making lifestyle changes and concerned with the effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs, are perplexed as to how best to approach their cholesterol problem.

Cholesterol is harmful because LDL cholesterol gets oxidized, which makes it sticky. It is then able to adhere to injuries in the artery wall and unless HDL cholesterol comes in and takes it away, it builds up, causing partial or total blockage of blood flow. Dr. Michael Aviram, head of the Lipid Research Laboratory at the Technion Institute of Technology Faculty of Medicine and Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel, has been researching the effects of a natural tomato extract on LDL. Dr. Aviram found that Lyc-O-Mato, a naturally produced tomato complex extract, renders LDL cholesterol 90 percent more resistant to oxidation. Protecting LDL from oxidation reduces the likelihood it will adhere to artery walls and block blood flow.

High blood pressure contributes to 75 percent of all strokes and heart attacks. High blood pressure does not give symptoms—32 percent of people with hypertension are unaware they have it. According to new research, the millions of American women suffering from high blood pressure may also benefit from Lyc-O-Mato. Esther Paran, M.D., found evidence that Lyc-O-Mato tomato complex may help lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients.⁴ Dr. Paran found systolic blood pressure was lowered an average of 9mmHG. Diastolic blood pressure was lowered an average of 4.5mmHG. These results are comparable to the level to which blood pressure is lowered through prescription drug intervention. Beneficial effects on blood lipids, lipoproteins and oxidative stress markers were also noted in the study. Supplementing your diet with tomato products or Lyc-O-Mato is an important step towards achieving total heart health, particularly after menopause, when women’s cardiovascular disease risk approaches that of men’s.

Protect against skin cancer from the inside out
Skin cancer has become the most common type of cancer in the United States. Approximately one million new cases will be diagnosed this year, while thousands of deaths will be attributed to malignant melanoma. By your 65th birthday, you have a nearly one in two chance of having skin cancer at least once.

In addition to avoiding the sun and using sunscreen, studies indicate that antioxidant-rich foods such as tomatoes and oranges, can help protect skin against sun damage. Recent data shows that UV radiation penetrates deep into the skin, generating free radicals and negatively impacting the immune system. Left alone, these free radicals disrupt the normal cell functioning and impair the body’s immune response, ultimately leading to skin cancer. Antioxidants help offset this damage, protecting and enhancing the immune response in the body.⁵ The combination of antioxidant carotenoids in tomatoes is particularly well adapted to this task. Current research is directed toward elucidating this protective effect.

The ingredients in tomatoes may help protect against other forms of cancer
Dr. Edward Giovannucci, from Harvard Medical School, recently reviewed 72 epidemiological studies,⁶ and found that 52 of those studies pointed to the role of tomatoes and tomato products in reducing the risk of a variety of cancers. This is especially important news for women because lycopene, combined with phytoene and phytofluene, has been shown to interfere with breast and endometrial cancer cell growth, help prevent tumors and reduce the progression of new ones and is associated with a reduced risk of ovarian cancer. The beneficial effects of tomatoes and natural tomato complex becomes even more relevant for women when the topic is breast cancer, the leading cancer in women.

Drs. J. Levy and Y. Sharoni of the faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University and Soroka Medical Center in Israel, have focused their breast and endometrial cancer cell research on the synergistic relationship existing between the various vital tomato phytonutrients.⁷ Their results have moved us closer to understanding the importance of the whole tomato extract in the prevention of cancer. They found that when human breast cancer cells in vitro were incubated with low concentrations of the lycopene preparation plus a low concentration of phytoene/phytofluene as opposed to lycopene alone, there was a dramatic decrease in breast cancer cell proliferation.

This research shows the importance of synergy in the role of all tomato phytonutrients in fighting breast cancer. It is not just the lycopene or any other single tomato phytochemical that delivers the health benefits but rather, it is the complex interaction of the tomato phytonutrients that holds the promise of new advances and approaches to prevention and treatment of breast cancer. Further supporting data comes from Swedish researchers who also found a correlation between blood levels of lycopene combined with other plasma-carotenoids and the reduced risk of developing breast cancer. This association seemed particularly strong in postmenopausal women.⁸

Ovarian cancer is one of the most deadly of the women’s cancers, because unfortunately we cannot detect ovarian cancer until the disease has progressed to advanced stages. Treatment of ovarian cancer has not been successful so most scientists continue to work on improved screening techniques. Others are focusing on prevention. In a study published by the International Journal of Cancer, researchers found that lycopene intake has been significantly and inversely associated with the risk of ovarian cancer, predominantly in pre-menopausal women.⁹

Consumption of fruits, vegetables and food items high in carotene and lycopene reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. Foods most strongly related to that decreased risk are raw carrots and tomato sauce. Likewise, Canadian researchers studying the dietary habits of women diagnosed with endometrial cancer found that the dietary intake of most major nutrients were not related to the risk of the disease except for the intake of lycopene-rich foods such as tomatoes, which proffered some decrease in the risk of endometrial cancer.¹⁰

Keep your bones healthy
Preliminary results of some new studies show that lycopene, in combination with low concentrations of the active metabolite of vitamin D, induce the synthesis of well established markers for bone formation. These results suggest that carotenoids, such as those found in tomato extract, may also be associated with improved bone health and are therefore an important component in the diet of menopausal women.¹¹ Ongoing data will be important in determining the precise function of carotenoids in maintaining bone density and preventing osteoporosis.

Conclusion
The studies in this article show that women in particular benefit from the consumption of lycopene and other tomato phytonutrients: phytoene, phytofluene, tocopherols and phytosterols. The synergistic effects of these tomato components help prevent the oxidative stress and damage that leads to heart disease, hypertension, various cancers and osteoporosis.

Oil facilitates the body’s absorption of lycopene in prepared foods. Not only is it important to look at the lycopene content but what other tomato nutrients are present. Processed tomato products, and those containing oil, are better than raw products or fruits. If you cannot get six or seven servings of tomato-based products in your weekly diet, you should be taking an all natural lycopene extract such as Lyc-O-Mato, which is the only all-natural lycopene complex that delivers lycopene in the tomato’s own oil, complete with natural vitamin E and other phytonutrients.

Cathleen London, M.D., is a board-certified family practice physician whose holistic approach to health care integrates a combination of Western allopathic medicine, diet and lifestyle modification and alternative medicine. She is an assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and a clinical instructor at Boston University School of Medicine. She has a private practice in Brookline, Massachusetts. www.drchaya.com

References:

1. Kucuk, O. “Phase II Randomized Clinical Trial of Lycopene Supplementation Before Radical Prostatectomy,” Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, (August 2001).
2. Fuhrman, B., Ben-Yaish, L., Attias, J., Hayek, T. and Aviram, M. “Tomato lycopene and ß-carotene inhibit low density lipoprotein oxidation and this effect depends on the lipoprotein vitamin E content,” Nutr. Metab. Cardiovasc. Dis. Vol. 7, pp. 433–43 (1997).
3. 2003 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update, American Heart Association.
4. Engelhard, Y., Paran, E. “The Antihypertensive Effect of Natural Antioxidants from Tomato Extract in Grade 1 Hypertensive Patients,” American Journal of Hypertension, (May 2001).
5. Stahl, W., Heinrich, U., Wiseman, S., Eichler, O., Sies, H. and Tronnier, H. “Dietary tomato paste protects against ultraviolet light-induced erythema in humans.” Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 131, pp. 1449–51 (2001).
6. Giovannucci, E. “Tomatoes, Tomato-Based Products, Lycopene, and Cancer.” Review of Epidemiologic Literature. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 91, No. 4, (Feb. 17, 1999).
7. Levy, J., Sharoni, Y. Unpublished data, the faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University and Soroka Medical Center, Israel, (2001).
8. Hulten, K., Van Kappel, A.L., Winkvis, A., Kaaks, R., Hallmans, G., Lenner, P. and Riboli, E. “Carotenoids, alpha-tocopherols and retinol in plasma and breast cancer risk in northern Sweden,” Cancer Causes Control, Vol. 12, pp. 529–37 (2001).
9. Cramer, D.W., Kuper, H., Harlow, B.L., Titus-Ernstoff, L. “Carotenoids, antioxidants and ovarian cancer risk in pre- and postmenopausal women,” International Journal of Cancer, Vol. 94(1) pp. 128–34, (Oct. 1, 2001).
10. Jain, M.G., Rohan, T.E., Howe, G.R. and Miller, A.B. “A cohort study of nutritional factors and endometrial cancer,” European Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 16, pp. 899–905 (2000).
11. Levy, J., Sharoni, Y. Ramban Medical Center, Israel. Preliminary results unpublished.