An excerpt from comments by the American Botanical Council:

"On April 18, both the American Botanical Council (ABC) and the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) issued statements referring to various limitations, concerns, and criticisms of the National Toxicology Report. Both organizations had filed public comments in early 2012 with the National Toxicology Program (NTP) elaborating concerns in the draft report that had been issued for public comment. 

Of particular interest is the fact that even by the NTP’s own language in the report, the results of the report are not to be interpreted as being related to human health. According to the authors, `The actual determination of risk to humans from chemicals found to be carcinogenic in laboratory animals requires a wider analysis that extends beyond the purview of these studies.'

ABC emphasized that the Shanghai Chinese ginkgo extract used in the two-year NTP study was not consistent with clinically tested ginkgo extracts or those standards for ginkgo extract that have been published in official compendial standards, such as national pharmacopeias. AHPA also noted that the Chinese extract was not consistent with those sold in the US market.

According to ABC’s Blumenthal, `Coverage of this subject in the New York Times will presumably result in more media outlets’ picking up this story and spreading to consumers and health professionals, creating what are probably unwarranted concerns about the long-term safety of appropriately manufactured ginkgo extracts.'

In addition, added Blumenthal, the Times’ statement that `Studies have never found any solid evidence that ginkgo [provides any benefit to ‘boost memory’ and ‘prevent dementia’]' is misleading. Blumenthal noted, as he had discussed with the reporter, that there is an impressive body of clinical evidence that the use of the leading German ginkgo extract does provide cognitive benefits to persons with mild dementia, among other noted benefits for patients with age-related cognitive impairment, including increases in quality of life."

But last month, scientists released the first government toxicology study of ginkgo biloba, which found that the extract — one of the top-selling herbal supplements in the country — caused cancer in lab animals, including an excessive number of liver and thyroid cancers, as well as nasal tumors.

Read the story at nytimes.com

October is the optimal time to get a flu shot because it confers immunity (which can take a week or two after the shot) well before the flu sets in. However, in this year when flu is at epidemic levels, January is not too late as the flu season often does not start in earnest until late December or early January, and typically runs until March. The only caveat is that if you have been in close contact with someone who has the flu, or if you are feeling sick in any way--cold, sinus congestion, stomach bug, fever--you should not get a shot at that time as it could put an added stress on your immune system and could make you sicker. 

A model of the H3N2 virus, which contains strains of viruses that originate in birds, pigs and people.

A word on the effectiveness of the flu shot. Last week the CDC announced that the estimated vaccine effectiveness is 62% for the 2012-2013 vaccine based on a survey of 1,155 adults and children enrolled in a monitoring program from December 2 to January 2. That means those who got vaccinated were about 60 percent less likely to get the flu, according to CDC director, Tom Frieden. Historically, flu shot effectiveness ranges from 50%-70% (last years' shot was closer to 50%) so this year's shot offers a reasonable level of protection. But this is a big advantage compared to 0% without a vaccine.

While most of us think sunscreen prevents cancer, it technically prevents sunburn, which is not the only cause of sun-related skin cancer.

Sunscreen use has sky-rocketed since the 1970s--when baby oil and foil-wrapped album covers created legions of dangerously tan American teens--but as sunscreen use has increased so has the rate of incidence of the most deadly skin cancer, melanoma. And even the most common type, squamous cell skin cancer, is on the rise--representing one third of all new cancers diagnosed in the U.S.

In a review of evidence, acccording to consumer watchdog Environmental Working Group (EWG), the FDA said that the available clinical studies “do not demonstrate that even [broad spectrum products with SPF greater than 15] alone reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging.”   The agency also said that it is “not aware of any studies examining the effect of sunscreen use on the development of melanoma.”  hmmmm.... this does not jibe with consumer perceptions.

Here, read about the EWG's list of good and bad sunscreens, including more on a common ingredient that may promote breast cancer.

Are you getting the SPF that's on the label? It's all in how you apply. Click here to find out how.

Click here for a look at the EWG's top rated sunscreens, and help us find the most elegant brands.

High doses of the herb American ginseng(Panax quinquefolius) over two months reduced cancer-related fatigue in patients more effectively than a placebo, a Mayo Clinic-led study found. Sixty percent of patients studied had breast cancer. The findings are being presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting.

Researchers studied 340 patients who had completed cancer treatment or were being treated for cancer at one of 40 community medical centers. Each day, participants received a placebo or 2,000 milligrams of ginseng administered in capsules containing pure, ground American ginseng root.

"Off-the-shelf ginseng is sometimes processed using ethanol, which can give it estrogen-like properties that may be harmful to breast cancer patients," says researcher Debra Barton, Ph.D., of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center.

At four weeks, the pure ginseng provided only a slight improvement in fatigue symptoms. However, at eight weeks, ginseng offered cancer patients significant improvement in general exhaustion — feelings of being "pooped," "worn out," "fatigued," "sluggish," "run-down," or "tired" — compared to the placebo group.

"After eight weeks, we saw a 20-point improvement in fatigue in cancer patients, measured on a 100-point, standardized fatigue scale," Dr. Barton says. The herb had no apparent side effects, she says.

Ginseng has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine as a natural energy booster. Until this study, its effects had not been tested extensively against the debilitating fatigue that occurs in up to 90 percent of cancer patients. Fatigue in cancer patients has been linked to an increase in the immune system's inflammatory cytokines as well as poorly regulated levels of the stress-hormone cortisol. Ginseng's active ingredients, called ginsenosides, have been shown in animal studies to reduce cytokines related to inflammation and help regulate cortisol levels.

Dr. Barton's next study will look closely at ginseng's effects on the specific biomarkers for fatigue. "Cancer is a prolonged chronic stress experience and the effects can last 10 years beyond diagnosis and treatment," she says. "If we can help the body be better modulated throughout treatment with the use of ginseng, we may be able to prevent severe long-term fatigue."

Family history of chronic disease including heart attack, cancer, diabetes, auto-immune diseases, osteoporosis, prostate problems and high blood pressure.

History of smoking, alcoholism or drug use (even if recovered.)  For example, past cocaine use can pre-dispose a person to cardiovscular disease; while past (even one-time) heroine use can pre-dispose a person to hepatiis C.

Overweight; also associated with cardiovascular and cancer risk.

Insomnia or sleep apnea; increasingly associated with cardiovascular disease and overall early death.

Elevated exposure to toxins; for example, lifetime city dwellers exposed daily to pollution are at a greater risk for cardiovascular disease and other inflammatory conditions.

High stress exposure: poorly managed stress--whether from a job, rocky marriage, financial trouble or extended care of a sick loved one--can increase risk for disease.

 

Intrauterine devices, under-the-skin implants and Depo-Provera injections — the long-acting reversible contraceptives — are much more effective in preventing pregnancy than the transdermal patch, the vaginal ring or the birth control pill, a new study reports.

Researchers provided 7,486 volunteers with the contraceptive of their choice, then followed them for up to three years. (Women using condoms, diaphragms and natural family planning were not included in the analysis.) There were 334 unintended pregnancies.

Failure rates for pills, patches and rings were more than 9 percent by the end of the study, compared with less than 1 percent for the long-acting reversible methods. The study appeared in the May 24 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

Read more about the IUD and birth control study.

For some women, mascara just doesn't cut it anymore. Women are using eyelash enhancers to create thicker, more dramatic-looking lashes. Latisse, approved to treat people with inadequate lashes, is being used mostly by women with normal eyelashes, physicians say.

Dozens of over-the-counter products are marketed with claims of enhancing eyelash prominence, but only Latisse has regulatory approval based on strong scientific evidence to say it grows lashes.

Eyelashes can become come sparser with age, chemotherapy, genetics or other medical conditions, dermatologists say. The condition of having inadequate eyelashes is called hypotrichosis. Eyelashes protect the eyes from dust and dirt, with 100 to 150 lashes on the upper lid alone. The average person has lashes about nine millimeters long—of which seven millimeters extends beyond the skin, according to scientific literature.

Eyelash enhancers have a range of ingredients that includes "peptides" and nutrients for the lashes. They are typically applied once a day—often at bedtime—at the base of the top eyelash using an applicator. A product will transfer to the bottom lash when you blink, some companies sa

Latisse, sold by Allergan Inc., Irvine, Calif., is the only product approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat hypotrichosis. Latisse, which hit the U.S. market in 2009, is identical to Allergan's glaucoma drug Lumigan, an eyedrop that was discovered to grow eyelashes. However, most Latisse users are women with normal lashes who want a cosmetic boost, physicians say.

Latisse is relatively safe to use, doctors say, though some think their patients are overdoing it. "I've seen women who can't wear sunglasses without their eyelashes brushing the lenses," says Richard Glogau, a clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California in San Francisco and a paid consultant for Allergan.

Latisse makes lashes longer and thicker by prolonging their one-to-two-month growth phase, the time in which they are actively growing, likely by several weeks, says Frederick Beddingfield, Allergan's vice president of clinical development. Lashes also become darker, which is believed due to stimulation of an enzyme that boosts production of hair pigments, says Dr. Beddingfield.

Results are visible after as little as two months of use, peaking after four months, Allergan says. You must continue to use it, or your lashes go back to normal in a few weeks or months, the company says. Latisse costs $90 to $120 for a month's supply and isn't usually covered by insurance. Latisse is undergoing tests for eyebrow growth too, and some doctors are already prescribing it for that purpose.

In an Allergan-funded 278-person, four-month trial, Latisse increased the average length of eyelashes by 1.4 millimeters, compared with about a 10th of a millimeter for a placebo, the company said. In the study, published earlier this year in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 78% of patients on Latisse saw an increase of at least one point on the four-point scale designed by Allergan to measure the prominence of eyelashes. That's compared with 18% of those on a placebo. Latisse made lashes thicker and darker based on computer photo analysis results, according to the study. To be in the study, patients had to score 1 or 2 on the scale, or minimal-to-moderate lash prominence, before treatment.

EnvyDerm Cosmetics Co., Dana Point, Calif., says on its website that its EnvyDerm Eyelash Enhancement & Conditioning Nighttime Serum "increases the length and density of lashes." The product, which contains Sympeptide 226, costs $100 for a vial that lasts up to six months. The company—which cites the Symrise test as proof of efficacy—also sells peptide-containing mascara and eyeliner.

According to Athena Cosmetics Inc. in Ventura, Calif.'s website, a clinical study found its RevitaLash Advanced product "improved appearance" of eyelashes. The company didn't respond to requests for a copy of the study or a list of ingredients. A six-month supply costs $150.

Eyelash enhancers can be sold as over-the-counter cosmetics, but companies that claim their products grow lashes could face scrutiny. In general, an eyelash-growth claim "would indicate an intent to affect the structure or function of the body, and thus, cause the product to be a drug," which would require FDA approval, says Shelly Burgess, a spokeswoman. Whether a eyelash product's enhancement claims would require approval, would be determined on a case-by-case basis, she adds.

Because they haven't been through rigorous trials, the adverse effects of using over-the-counter lash enhancers aren't known, dermatologists say. The products, which generally have reusable applicators, would likely pose similar infection risks to mascara, which can sometimes cause eye infections, says Tina S. Alster, a Washington, D.C., dermatologist. Companies say they haven't had any reports of eye infections. Ms. Marini says Marini Lash is made with preservatives to prevent bacteria growth.

Latisse uses sterile wands for each application, but carries other risks, including eye redness and itchiness, and skin darkening, which goes away after the product is no longer used. Latisse could potentially cause hair growth if it drips on the face or darken eye color, but eye-color changes weren't seen in Latisse clinical trials, Allergan says.

read the story at wsj.com

Now a fascinating body of research supports a largely unrecognized culprit: the aging of the eye.

The gradual yellowing of the lens and the narrowing of the pupil that occur with age disturb the body’s circadian rhythm, contributing to a range of health problems, these studies suggest. As the eyes age, less and less sunlight gets through the lens to reach key cells in the retina that regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, its internal clock.

“We believe the effect is huge and that it’s just beginning to be recognized as a problem,” said Dr. Patricia Turner, an ophthalmologist in Leawood, Kan., who with her husband, Dr. Martin Mainster, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Kansas Medical School, has written extensively about the effects of the aging eye on health.

Circadian rhythms are the cyclical hormonal and physiological processes that rally the body in the morning to tackle the day’s demands and slow it down at night, allowing the body to rest and repair. This internal clock relies on light to function properly, and studies have found that people whose circadian rhythms are out of sync, like shift workers, are at greater risk for a number of ailments, including insomnia, heart disease and cancer.

“Evolution has built this beautiful timekeeping mechanism, but the clock is not absolutely perfect and needs to be nudged every day,” said Dr. David Berson, whose lab at Brown University studies how the eye communicates with the brain.

So-called photoreceptive cells in the retina absorb sunlight and transmit messages to a part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (S.C.N.), which governs the internal clock. The S.C.N. adjusts the body to the environment by initiating the release of the hormone melatonin in the evening and cortisol in the morning.

Melatonin is thought to have many health-promoting functions, and studies have shown that people with low melatonin secretion, a marker for a dysfunctional S.C.N., have a higher incidence of many illnesses, including cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

It was not until 2002 that the eye’s role in synchronizing the circadian rhythm became clear. It was always believed that the well-known rods and cones, which provide conscious vision, were the eye’s only photoreceptors. But Dr. Berson’s team discovered that cells in the inner retina, called retinal ganglion cells, also had photoreceptors and that these cells communicated more directly with the brain.

Read the story in The New York Times