Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Monday, 14 June 2010
Underarm antiperspirants/deodorants and breast cancer
Clinical studies dating back decades report a disproportionately high number of female breast cancers originating in the upper outer quadrant of the breast, and although this is attributed to a greater amount of epithelial tissue in that region, it is also the area to which underarm cosmetic products are applied. Early studies reported 31% of cancers in the upper outer quadrant, but later studies in the 1990s report up to 61%. The annually recorded quadrant incidence of breast cancer in Britain documents a rise in England and Wales from 47.9% in the upper outer quadrant in 1979 to 53.3% in 2000, and in Scotland a rise from 38.3% in the upper outer quadrant in 1980 to 54.7% in 2001. Any increase in the disproportionality of breast cancer in the upper outer quadrant would be inconsistent with an explanation relating to the greater amount of target epithelial tissue in that region but does parallel the increasing use of cosmetics in the underarm area.
How could a link exist mechanistically between underarm cosmetics and breast cancer?
An extensive number of cosmetic products are applied topically on and around the human breast on a daily basis, often multiple times a day, including not only underarm antiperspirant/deodorant products but also body lotions, body sprays, moisturising creams, breast firming/enhancing creams and suncare products. These products are not rinsed off but left on the skin, allowing for continuous dermal exposure, absorption and deposition into underlying tissues, which may be further increased by abrasions in the skin created by shaving. The extent to which chemicals absorbed by this route escape metabolism remains unknown, but they would certainly escape the systemic metabolism to which orally derived chemicals would be subjected.
With current cultural pressures, these products are used with increasing frequency and quantity, and by ever younger children including babies, and the effects of long-term low-dose exposure to these mixtures of multiple chemicals are unknown. The diversity in usage of these cosmetics and the range of different products available provides ample possibility for cancer to arise through issues of quantity used, through pattern of usage or through individual susceptibility to specific product formulations.
Underarm cosmetics contain a variety of chemicals added for different functional reasons, many of which individually already have a known toxicity profile. If any of these chemicals play a role in breast cancer development, however, then the challenge is to identify the specific chemical culprits and their mode of action in breast epithelial cells.
Any carcinogenic action by the constituent chemicals may involve an ability to interact with DNA, resulting in genotoxic activity or an ability to interfere with oestrogen action.
The role of oestrogen in the development and progression of breast cancer is well established but the ability of a cocktail of environmental oestrogen-mimicking chemicals to also drive the development and growth of breast cancers is worthy of serious consideration, especially in relation to those chemicals known to be detectable as present in the human breast. Some studies have investigated whether environmental oestrogens entering the human breast through diet (for example, organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls in animal fat, phytoestrogens or herbicides through fruit and vegetables) or through the domestic environment (for example, bisphenol A/phthalates in plastics, alkyl phenols in detergents, polybrominated diphenylethers in soft furnishings) may be linked to the development of breast cancer, and topical application of cosmetic chemicals with oestrogenic properties provides another exposure route.
Only two epidemiological studies have attempted to address directly the issue of underarm cosmetic use and breast cancer. Mirick and colleagues reported there to be no difference in current use of antiperspirant/deodorant products between breast cancer patients and nonaffected matched controls. By contrast, McGrath reported within a population of breast cancer patients that those who used more antiperspirant products were diagnosed with breast cancer at an earlier age. The first study is limited by the reliance on self-reported information, by the lack of a nonuser.
How could a link exist mechanistically between underarm cosmetics and breast cancer?
An extensive number of cosmetic products are applied topically on and around the human breast on a daily basis, often multiple times a day, including not only underarm antiperspirant/deodorant products but also body lotions, body sprays, moisturising creams, breast firming/enhancing creams and suncare products. These products are not rinsed off but left on the skin, allowing for continuous dermal exposure, absorption and deposition into underlying tissues, which may be further increased by abrasions in the skin created by shaving. The extent to which chemicals absorbed by this route escape metabolism remains unknown, but they would certainly escape the systemic metabolism to which orally derived chemicals would be subjected.
With current cultural pressures, these products are used with increasing frequency and quantity, and by ever younger children including babies, and the effects of long-term low-dose exposure to these mixtures of multiple chemicals are unknown. The diversity in usage of these cosmetics and the range of different products available provides ample possibility for cancer to arise through issues of quantity used, through pattern of usage or through individual susceptibility to specific product formulations.
Underarm cosmetics contain a variety of chemicals added for different functional reasons, many of which individually already have a known toxicity profile. If any of these chemicals play a role in breast cancer development, however, then the challenge is to identify the specific chemical culprits and their mode of action in breast epithelial cells.
Any carcinogenic action by the constituent chemicals may involve an ability to interact with DNA, resulting in genotoxic activity or an ability to interfere with oestrogen action.
The role of oestrogen in the development and progression of breast cancer is well established but the ability of a cocktail of environmental oestrogen-mimicking chemicals to also drive the development and growth of breast cancers is worthy of serious consideration, especially in relation to those chemicals known to be detectable as present in the human breast. Some studies have investigated whether environmental oestrogens entering the human breast through diet (for example, organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls in animal fat, phytoestrogens or herbicides through fruit and vegetables) or through the domestic environment (for example, bisphenol A/phthalates in plastics, alkyl phenols in detergents, polybrominated diphenylethers in soft furnishings) may be linked to the development of breast cancer, and topical application of cosmetic chemicals with oestrogenic properties provides another exposure route.
Only two epidemiological studies have attempted to address directly the issue of underarm cosmetic use and breast cancer. Mirick and colleagues reported there to be no difference in current use of antiperspirant/deodorant products between breast cancer patients and nonaffected matched controls. By contrast, McGrath reported within a population of breast cancer patients that those who used more antiperspirant products were diagnosed with breast cancer at an earlier age. The first study is limited by the reliance on self-reported information, by the lack of a nonuser.
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
Excessive Sweating Causes & Cures: Stop Excessive Sweating Now!
Are you plagued by too much sweat? You aren't alone. About 3% of the entire population suffers from this condition, medically known as hyperhydrosis. What are the causes of excessive sweating, and how can you stop it? This article will offer a few solutions for you to try, and help you understand the causes. You can stop excessive sweating - and it really isn't that hard!
Profuse sweating is not only annoying, it robs you of your self esteem. You may have tried every antiperspirant known to man, to no avail. You may wear extra t-shirts under your clothing in an effort to absorb the excess perspiration. No matter what you do, it doesn't seem to work. You find yourself avoiding intimate relationships - and you certainly aren't going to raise your arm in public! What can you do? Here are a few of the causes and remedies that help stop excessive sweating:
* Drink more water. When your body starts running low, it heats up resulting in - you guessed it - more sweat.
* Get in shape. Yes, exercising will make you sweat more while you are actually doing the physical activity, but once you get into better shape you will find that your body sweats less.
* Cut down on stimulants such as caffeine and tobacco, and try to avoid most spicy foods. Anything that stimulates your nervous system will make you sweat even more!
* If you are really desperate and have the money, try botox injections. This works for some people, but it can be costly.
* Calm your nerves! Most people who suffer from hyperhidrosis actually have a nervous system that is more stimulated than others. By reducing nervousness and anxiety, you can reduce the perspiration as well.
Profuse sweating is not only annoying, it robs you of your self esteem. You may have tried every antiperspirant known to man, to no avail. You may wear extra t-shirts under your clothing in an effort to absorb the excess perspiration. No matter what you do, it doesn't seem to work. You find yourself avoiding intimate relationships - and you certainly aren't going to raise your arm in public! What can you do? Here are a few of the causes and remedies that help stop excessive sweating:
* Drink more water. When your body starts running low, it heats up resulting in - you guessed it - more sweat.
* Get in shape. Yes, exercising will make you sweat more while you are actually doing the physical activity, but once you get into better shape you will find that your body sweats less.
* Cut down on stimulants such as caffeine and tobacco, and try to avoid most spicy foods. Anything that stimulates your nervous system will make you sweat even more!
* If you are really desperate and have the money, try botox injections. This works for some people, but it can be costly.
* Calm your nerves! Most people who suffer from hyperhidrosis actually have a nervous system that is more stimulated than others. By reducing nervousness and anxiety, you can reduce the perspiration as well.
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