WHAT DIFFERENT STOMACH AND CHEST PAINS MEAN

The abdomen contains so many different organs that isolating stomach discomfort can be difficult. A helpful guide, especially when you are talking to your doctor, is to pinpoint the pain in quadrants or sections. If your pain is:

•  Anywhere in the chest, behind the breastbone or in the throat, it could be simple indigestion, cramp caused by shallow breathing, hiatus hernia, heartburn or reflex oesophagitis.
• Inflammation and pain in the breastbone and upper abdomen, it could be a viral infection, which can cause inflammation and pain in a condition known as Bornholm disease. Like other viral infections, it will clear up with rest, relaxation, plenty of fluid, nourishing soups, extra Vitamin C and so on.
• In the chest, it should be taken seriously, as it could be angina or the early signs of a heart attack-especially if accompanied by pain in the arms.
• Behind the shoulder blades, it could mean gallbladder trouble. If it strikes in the upper right quadrant, consider gastro-enteritis, gastritis, gallstones, ulcer or hiatus hernia.
  
• In the upper left or lower left quadrant, it may be diverticular disease, constipation, ulcerative colitis or irritable bowel syndrome. The pain of hiatus hernia may also radiate to the lower left or right side under the rib cage.
  
• In the lower right area of the abdomen, sharp pain could mean appendicitis whilst groaning discomfort could be Crohns disease or ulcerative colitis.
  
• In the lower back or lower abdomen, it may indicate kidney problems, cystitis, diverticulitis, pelvic inflammatory disease or period pains.
• The pressure of trapped wind, it can be excruciating and deceiving. Not only does the discomfort move around, it can also be an amazing mimic, aping the pain of gallstones, appendicitis and a heart attack all within the space of an hour or two.

GUT WRENCHES

Avoid these troublesome foods:

Wheat based foods such as

• wheat bran, breakfast cereals, bread, crackers, biscuits, cakes, pastries and pies.                   
• Cows milk                                           
• Yeast                                   
• Spicy foods such as chillies and curries                   
  
• Corn(maize) and corn products like corn syrup
• Rice syrup
• Anything that contains modified starch, often used as a fat-replacing bulking agent  
  
• Sugar and sugary foods
• Artificial additives, especially colourings and sweeteners, sorbitol and aspartame are particularly problematic, so do check labels
• Very hot or very cold foods
• Oranges and orange juice
• Beef and pork (lean lamb is usually well tolerated)
• Tea and coffee, both of which tend to dry out the protective mucous lining of the gut
  

The following foods are good for the gut:

• Linseeds
• All kinds of fresh fruit-aim for two to three pieces daily between meals
• All varieties of dried fruit
• All varieties of fresh vegetables and beans
• Fresh garlic (or a garlic capsule with your main meal)
• Organic potatoes in their jackets
• Vegetable soups and juices: fresh carrot juice is particularly recommended
• Cereal foods (other than wheat)
• Psyllium husks
  
• Water, four to eight glasses a day (preferably filtered)
• Live bio-yogurt, eat a small carton-size daily, preferably an hour before bedtime
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Blackstrap molasses
• Manuka honey
• Aloe Vera juice

REDUCE THE RISK OF RECURRENCE OF HELIOBACTER PYLORI

You can reduce the risk of Heliobacter Pylori returning by following these simple steps:                                           

• Be scrupulous about hygiene. Inadequate hand washing, careless food storage and preparation, and faecal contamination are believed to be the three main routes which allow H Pylori to enter the body.               
• Be extra vigilant in your hygiene when travelling away from home.           
• Don’t allow animals to lick your face.                           
• Supplements used in the treatment of parasites – garlic, grapefruit seed extract and Artemesia annua (used only with practitioner supervision) – may be invaluable at keeping H Pylori at bay.                       
• Clean your teeth at least twice daily, disinfect your toothbrush at least once a week and see your dentist twice a year. Dental plaque can “store” this bacteria.
• Filter your water-and change your filter cartridge regularly.                   
• Don’t use anyone else’s unwashed glass, cup or eating utensils.               
• Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before use
• Increase the quality of alkaline-forming vegetable foods, which helps to reduce gastric acidity.                        
• Increase the amount of fibre in your diet. Apart from vegetables, fruits, pulses and grains, include a tablespoon of crushed linseeds or psyillium powder daily.                                           
• 20ml (4 teaspoons) of aloe vera juice taken 20 minutes before meals can ease ulcer symptoms. However, take care to choose only the organic, cold-pressed juice. Your local health food shop should have supplies.
  
• Follow a course on probiotics at least once a year after and always after antibiotics.                                            Get tested for H Pylori if you have a family history of ulcers.            
• If you have already received antibiotic treatment for H Pylori but your ulcer or gastritis has come back again, ask for repeat tests to be carried out. Relapse rates may be higher if the wrong (or the wrong combination of) antibiotics were used and did not completely eradicate the bacteria. Dr Marshall found that one kind of antibiotic in isolation was not sufficient to deal with the infection.
  

GRAPEFRUIT JUICE IS THE WRONG KIND OF FLUID FOR KIDNEY STONES

Although patients with kidney stones are urged to consume large amounts of fluids, some drinks can actually increase the risk of stones forming.                                                                                                                                      
Grapefruit juice, for instance, increases the chance of stones forming by 44%. A daily dose of eight oz (240ml) of wine, however, reduces the risk by 59%-decaffeinated coffee and tea by 9%. Caffeinated coffee was slightly better, lowering the risk by 10%.

The results were based on a study of 81,093 women aged between 40 and 65 who had no history of kidney stones.

SMOKERS’ CHILDREN AT GREATER RISK IN OPERATIONS

Children who live with a smoker are more likely to suffer complications if they undergo general anaesthesia.

Complications-such as lack of oxygen in the blood and spasms as the anaesthetic was administered-occurred in 42% of children with the highest concentrations of cotinine in the urine. Continine is a by-product of nicotine.

WOMAN CLAIMS TUMOUR CAUSED BY MOBILE PHONE

The first British injuries case alleging that a brain tumour was caused by mobile phone use is going ahead on the back of a new large-scale study that has linked the phones to health worries.                                                                          
A 27-year-old businesswoman is suing a mobile phone manufacturer, alleging that her brain tumour was caused by radiation from her mobile phone. The case was announced just days after the release of preliminary results from the largest ever study of 11,000 analogue and digital mobile phone users. Swedish scientist Dr Hassan Mild and his team at the National Institute of Working Life in Umea found, among other effects, a three-to six-fold increase in headaches and fatigue, and a 12-to-48-fold increase in sensations of heating in those using either type of mobile phone for over an hour compared to those who used their phones for less than two minutes.                                       

TEN DRUGS TO AVOID WHENEVER POSSIBLE

1.  PROZAC, This wonder drug whose side effects are now being uncovered. Aside from all the known side effects, including insomnia, anxiety, anorexia and weight loss, Prozac has been known to affect nearly every system of the body. Most recently, it has been linked with sexual dysfunction and also long-term dependence.
2. PIROXICAM (FELDENE), Numerous deaths have been linked to this non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which causes some 110 known side effects, including stomach and intestinal bleeding or perforation, depression and hair loss.                                     
3. PREDISOLONE or routines use of steroids other than the short term for life-threatening conditions. Even inhaled or rub-on steroids cause the side effects associated with their oral cousins: thin skinning, growth retardation or osteoporosis, buffalo hump and dementia.              
   
4. DEXFENFLURAMINE. This dieting magic bullet makes you nine times more likely to develop pulmonary hypertension and also causes depression, insomnia and nervousness. In lab tests, it caused brain damage.     
   
5. NIFEDIPINE and other calcium-channel blockers. New revelations about this class of drug show they increase the risk of cancer, heart attacks, stomach bleeding and suicide. Dangerous for diabetics.                
6. LARIUM. At least 300 Britons are claiming severe, long-term effects from this supposed malaria preventative, including hallucinations, anxiety attacks seizures and severe mood-swings.                            
7. SEPTRIN. This hybrid antibacterial drug, used to treat everything from traveller’s diarrhoea to HIV infection, even in children, is extremely toxic. American regulatory agencies warn it can cause the potentially fatal skin disease Steven-Johnson syndrome, which also causes death of liver tissue and lowering of blood cell count. The drug, given for HIV-positive AIDS patients, causes symptoms uncannily like those supposedly associated with advanced AIDS.                           
   
8. SODIUM VALPROATE. Also known as valporoic acid, this anti-epilepsy drug has a host of side effects including the capacity to cause potentially fatal liver failure in some patients.                                
9. RITALIN. This drug of choice for children with Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Syndrome (ADHS), the latest name for the hyperactive child, can cause seizures in susceptible children, suppress height and weight, cause nervousness and insomnia, anorexia, nausea, heart-palpitations and, involuntary movements. It can also lead to dependence.                                  
   
10. MINOCYCLINE. This first-line treatment for severe acne has been linked with serious adverse reactions, including liver failure, tooth discoloration, autoimmune hepatitis and lupus.
    

10 SITUATIONS WHERE YOU DON’T USUALLY NEED A MEDICAL DOCTOR

1. BACKACHE. Research demonstrates that for most cases of lower back pain, chiropractic treatment or osteopathy works far better than any medicine has to offer. 
2. EAR ACHE. In most cases, time, mullein oil, a woolly hat, a hot water bottle or hopi candle ear treatment is far better than antibiotics in curing earache, according to numerous studies.                                         
3. FEVER. Fever is your body’s extremely clever method of killing foreign bugs of all kinds and shouldn’t be suppressed. Rather than worrying about the exact degrees, it’s more important to determine whether the problem is serious, eg. meningitis. Fevers for ordinary viral and bacterial infections wont exceed 105 degrees, which isn’t dangerous.         
   
4. INFECTION. For common or garden infections, first try working with a herbalist, who will prescribe Echinacea or berberis, rather than antibiotics.                                     
5. JUST IN CASE CHECKUPS, particularly if you are over 50. If you have nothing blatantly wrong with you, going to a doctor won’t necessarily protect you.  
6. MENOPAUSE. Unless you are among the very small percentage of women who don’t respond to other measures, holistic measures (diet, homeopathy, and herbs) will help you through the change in a safer way than any doctor.                                     
   
7. CHRONIC BUT NOT LIFE-THREATENING DISEASES. Eczema, psoriasis, non-life-threatening asthma all respond better to alternative measures than drugs, which only suppress symptoms.                 
   
8. SLIMMING. All a doctor usually has to offer are drugs, and numerous slimming drugs have been found to be life threatening. Allergies are one of the major causes of overweight, as are calorie-poor slimming diets.       
   
9. COLDS AND FLU. Unless you are elderly and your immune system is compromised in some way, there is nothing a doctor can give you or your child that will improve a cold or flu. Bed-rest, plenty of fluids, lemon and honey drinks and homeopathy help; antibiotics cannot.              
   
10. ACNE. Again, all your doctor has is drugs with horrendous side effects to offer you. Try diet and allergy treatment first.
    

DOUBT CAST ON ASPIRIN CANCER CLAIMS   

An aspirin a day may not, after all, be the great cancer preventative suggested by several studies. A new research paper has found that aspirin does not offer any protection against colorectal cancer which goes against earlier findings which suggest it can reduce the risk by up to 50%. 

Recent research found there was no difference in the number of cases of colorectal cancer between those taking 325mg aspirin on alternating days and those who took it infrequently. In all, 341 cases of cancer were diagnosed in  all groups.

It had been thought that aspirin and other non-steroidal and anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) suppressed the development of cancer cells by inhibiting and enzyme that makes resistant tumour cells.
“ Clinicians should be cautioned about using salicylates or other NSAIDs for the primary prevention of colorectal cancer,” the research tem from the Physicians’ Health Study concludes.

VITAMIN C AND E COMBINATION ACTS AS A SUNSCREEN

Regular intake of vitamins C and E may protect against sunburn, researchers have discovered. They found that a daily regimen of 2g of vitamin C and 1000 IU’s of vitamin E reduces sunburn reaction in humans. Interestingly, neither supplement on its own gave any protection against UV radiation, so the shielding effect only works when they are taken in combination.

CROHN’S DISEASE

Crohn’s disease patients can enjoy longer periods of remission if they take fish oil supplements, researchers have discovered. Patients given 2.7g of fish oil a day suffered fewer relapses than those given placebos.

THE 10 USELESS MEDICAL TESTS

1. BLOOD PRESSURE. Even when the reading is accurate it can only provide a snapshot of blood pressure. Blood pressure can vary from arm to arm and by as much as 30mm Hg over the course of the day.                           
2. PAP SMEAR. Notorious for a high rate of false-positive and false-negative results. A positive result is more likely to lead to aggressive preventative measures such as cone biopsy, even though watchful waiting has been shown to be just as effective. Nearly half of all mildly abnormal cervical smears revert to normal within two years.       
   
3. ANGIOGRAPHY. A x-ray test using a contrast dye design to examine your arteries. Results are often misinterpreted and half of those referred for surgery, in one study, did not need it. These dyes used have also been associated with adverse effects, including amphylactic shock.
   
4. MAMMOGRAMS.  Mammograms use x-rays to detect breast cancer, & may actually cause the condition it is supposed to detect. There is no benefit to regular mammograms for women under 50 and the benefit for those over 50 is marginal. Only 1 in 14 women with a positive mammogram will have breast cancer.     
5. CAT  SCANS. Computed axial tomography can offer up to 20 times more detail than an ordinary x-ray but at a cost since you will also be getting a much higher dose of radiation. While it may give doctors more information, CAT scans can’t reduce illness, shorten hospital stays or prevent death. They are only as accurate as the person reading the picture. For example, in one study, a third of children with hernias were misdiagnosed as normal.      
6. MRI  SCANS. Magnetic resonance imaging is used mainly to veiw the nervous system and spinal cord. No one knows the possible side effects of subjecting the body to a magnetic force some 50,000 times stronger than that of the earth. A likely avenue of enquiry is cancer development and immune system dysfunction. MRI’s can cause serious burns and infertility in men. Often they can only confirm a suspected diagnosis, so risks may outweigh the benefits considerably.                    
   
7. AFP. Used to detect abnormal levels of alpha-fetoprotein, high levels of which can indicate a risk of Down’s Syndrome. Out of every 2000 women tested, 100 will have an abnormal reading but only 1 or 2 will actually have an affected foetus. Equally the test can miss up to 40% of spina bifida cases, 10% of ancencephaly and 80% of Down’s Syndrome.              
   
8. ULTRASOUND. As a diagnostic tool it is used primarily on pregnant women to ascertain the health of the foetus. Ultrasound has been repeatedly shown to make absolutely no difference to the outcome of a normal pregnancy. More recently it was concluded that ultrasound raises levels of anxiety in mothers, and sometimes doctors, without providing beneficial information.                                  
   
9. THE ‘OSCOPY.  Tests which inject or penetrate the body. These include endoscopy or laparascopy to inspect the appropriate body cavity: stomach, lungs, colon or womb. The bad news is that 1 in 2000 patients’ dies from endoscopy, usually from heart or respiratory problems. If you don’t die you are likely to end up with an infection as hospital hygiene is poor and machines are not often cleaned thoroughly between uses.          
   
10. LAB TESTS. Most of us have had the experience of sending off samples of urine or blood for testing. Surprising, then, that a quarter of all lab tests produces incorrect results. Such tests rarely influence diagnosis; nearly three quarters of diagnoses are made on the basis of medical history or physical examination.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

The cause of MS is still a mystery. Many viruses have been strongly suspected, particularly the measles virus. If this proves right, it may have significant implications for vaccines.

A strong link has been made between MS and dietary fats, particularly from cow’s milk. One study showed that inland rural communities in Norway, which consume high quantities of cow’s milk, had a significantly higher incidence of MS than those nearer the coast, with a higher consumption of freshwater fish.

The incidence in Japan is also surprisingly low, where fish and foods with an abundance of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and omega-3 oils are widely consumed. Omega-3 oils are known to be essential for the formation of healthy myelin, which are damaged with MS. A survey of 134 people with MS over a course of 34 years showed that such a low-fat diet leads to significantly less deterioration and lower death rates from the disease.   

Intestinal biopsies in MS sufferers have revealed small intestinal abnormalities, or “porus” gut, associated with an increased gut permeability and food allergies. So it’s also important to eliminate foods you are allergic to from the diet.                                                              
Cocoa products, normal tea, cola and coffee may cause an MS-related reaction. There is a striking correlation between high cocoa consumption and high MS incidence; whenever cocoa is introduced to an area, MS cases rise sharply. MS patients should also eliminate caffeine and tannin.   

Glutathione-peroxidase (GSHPx) activity in the red and white blood cells should be checked in a laboratory. This determines the body’s  detoxification pathway. If it is low, taking selenium and vitamins C and E may increase it.                                               
In Tibetan herbal medicine, padma 28, a formulation, containing 28 different herbs, has been scientifically shown to work. In a year-long study of 100 MS patients, 44% of those given Padma 28 reported an improvement in their general condition, increase in muscle strength, anal and bladder control and eyesight. Although this formulation is not commercially available in the UK or US, a practitioner of Tibetan medicine would probably be able to get it made up.                                                   
Two extracts of ginko biloba-ginkolide B and some of the ginkoflavonglycosides- have been shown to counteract the inflammatory processes of MS. In one study, 8 of 10 patients treated with ginkgolide B during a relapse improved their neurological score less than a week after the start of treatment. That improvement was sustained in 5 patients but faded in 3. 3 of 10 patients reported mild, transient side effects under the treatment.                                                                  
In my own practice, for some 22 years I have prescribed three homeopathic medications and diet, with good success in long-term remission, even after paralysis or other neurological symptoms have set in:
Buthus australis 10DH: 26 drops midday on alternate days; Thallium metallicum 10DH: 13 drops morning and evening, each day. In the diet, eliminate hydrogenerated oils, shortening and margarine and reduce saturated fat to eat less than 5g per day. Consume at least 50g of PUFA daily, and eat fish at least every second day. All cow’s milk products should be eliminated completely from the diet and never re-introduced.  

Besides allergies, anyone with MS should be tested for toxicity from mercury in amalgam fillings. Low levels of B Vitamins, particularly B12 and folic acid, are also a common cause.

CROHN'S DISEASE 

(and many other intestinal illnesses that can be mistaken for it)

Inflammatory bowel syndrome affects hundreds of thousands of people around the world each year. It is, according to conventional medicine, incurable and its cause unknown.  

Generally speaking, IBS is thought to be autoimmune in nature, causing the immune system to attack and inflame the body’s own tissues. 

In a retrospective study of death certificates in Rochester, New York from January 1973 to December 1989, Crohn’s was the direct cause of death in 25% of cases.  

If someone in your family is a sufferer, you are anywhere from 3.5 to 10 times more likely than the general population to contract the disease yourself.
                                                          
IS IT IBS?
Inflammatory bowel syndrome mimics many other similar diseases and disease processes. Before entering into a course of powerful drugs which may cause further distressing symptoms, patients may want to rule out the following similar problems.

• Intestinal tuberculosis-caused by bacterial disease. Symptoms are almost indistinguishable from IBS, but treatment is very different.
• Endometriosis of the bowel-pieces of the endometrium (womb lining) can attach themselves to the intestine and cause many similar problems to Crohn’s.
• Divertculitis-an inflammation of one or more of the diverticula (pouches) in the wall of the large intestine
• Lymphoma-cancer in the lymph nodes can result in liver enlargement. Gastrointestinal and bone problems can result.
• Some drugs can cause IBS. For instance, NSAIDs cause ileal and colonic inflammation, sulphasalazine can cause symptoms which mimic Crohn’s. Gold salts used to treat rheumatoid arthritis have also been associated with Crohn-like symptoms.
• Food allergy-dairy, yeast and wheat can cause all cause varying degrees of bowel inflammation.
  

IBS-THE EMOTIONAL CONNECTION

The role of emotional and psychological development in IBS has become increasingly relegated to the role of symptom rather than cause. Many sufferers and practitioners are reluctant to raise the issue since there is a feeling that looking for psychological factors as a possible cause is somehow placing the blame squarely on the victim. Yet we know that there is a complex relationship between emotional and physical symptoms which remains frustrating to both patient and practitioner.

Neuropsychiatric complications are evident in at least a third of Crohn’s sufferers, and more than half of these are thought to be the direct result of the disease. These can include headache, depression and eye problems. Some Crohn’s sufferers are given tranquillizers as a matter of course, the use of which brings their own unwanted side effects. Though few conventional practitioners are equipped to work in this way, talking cures and effective stress management could be a more effective way of dealing with the emotional fallout of IBS.

TREATMENTS FOR INFLAMMATORY BOWEL SYNDROME

• Change your diet.

A wide range of nutritional disturbances have been recognised in Crohn’s. Specifically, IBS sufferers can benefit from a diet high in fibre and low in sugar. Avoid polyunsaturated fatty acids, and food with the amino acids glutamine and argenine.

• Nutritional supplements.

Fish oil capsules have been shown, in a small placebo-controlled, double-blind study, to reduce the rate of relapse. Taking folic acid may also help. Extra Vitamin E can help reduce symptoms too. Those with chronic gastrointestinal disorders may also be deficient in vitamin K. and Zinc. Iron and calcium levels may also be low.

• Taking probiotics.

Replacing the gut’s friendly bacteria can also help boost the immune system function. Patients may experience what is known as the Herxheimer reaction-a temporary allergic response resulting from the death of large amounts of pathological organisms when taking these. This, while uncomfortable, is a sign that your body is beginning to recover.

• Herbs

Several herbs have been shown to help soothe gastrointestinal tract disorders. Of these, goldenseal, rich in berberine, can help destroy bacteria in the bioflora.  Licorice root contains several elements which can help heal ulceration. Papaya leaf also has an anti-ulcer action.

•  Rule out food sensitivities

Dairy and yeast products are the most common allergens. Enzyme potentiated desenitization-where the patient is given minute doses of what he or he is allergic to in order to desensitize them-has also proved to be more effective than placebo, providing better long-term prognosis for Crohn’s patients.

•  Lifestyle changes

Stopping smoking and coming off the contraceptive pill may also help since both aggravate the tendency of the blood vessels to block.

• … and a herbal solution

For restless legs we always recommend first the herbal preperation Rutivite  (£2.99 for 66 tablets, Power health, Poklington, York YO4 2NR, 01759302734). Rutivite is made from dried leaf and flower of buckwheat, which contains rutin-known to strengthen tiny blood vessels and improve circulation.

SCLERODERMA

Q An acquaintance of mine has scleroderma. What are the latest research findings for this? Is there any hope for a cure? It is a horrible disease. M.G, Merstam, Surrey.

A Scleroderma, which means “hard” skin, is an autoimmune disease in which the skin becomes fibrotic, swollen, thickened and hardened and ultimately scarred due to rampant overproduction of the protein collagen. Initially, the tightened skin may occur rapidly, create a burning sensation due to the increase in pressure in the skin and rubbing against the muscles and tendons below it. Characteristically, thick waxy patches come and go and, if large enough, restrict movement. This fibrosis, which follows the chronic inflammation of the skin in scleroderma, may also effect and ultimately damage arteries, joints and internal organs like the lungs, the heart muscle, the esophagus and the kidneys.
The concern is especially for lung tissue inflammation, which often necessitates immediate treatment with drugs. Anyone suffering this disease often has a mask-like appearance.  

Scleroderma strikes three times as many woman as men, usually between 30 and 60. It’s also relatively common, affecting 100,000 people in the US alone.     

Scleroderma may also be accompanied by vascular symptoms called Reynaud’s syndrome, where blood flow to the extremities is turned on then off, the extremities turn white and then purple blue or red, and the sufferer experiences tingling, burning and pain. It may also affect blood vessels around the nerves around the esophagus, causing problems swallowing food. The repeated stop-start aspect of blood flow produces toxic by products of oxygen, which ultimately damage tissue.

Phytoestrogens protect against breast cancer
Research from Australia shows that diet can play a crucial role in lowering women’s risk of developing breast cancer. The two-year case-controlled study of women aged 30-84 in perth, Australia, showed that those who have a high intake of phytoestrogens-plant estrogen-have a significantly lowered risk of contracting breast cancer. 

This is particularly true of  those with a high intake of the isoflavonic phytoestrogen-found in soya products and lignan phytoestrogens-found in whole grains, berries, other fruit and vegetables and flax seed.  

Studies into the protective effects of phytoestrogens are still scarce, but it is known that Asian populations that consume large amounts of phytoestrogens derived from a soy-rich diet, have lower frequency of breast and prostate cancer than we do in the west.

These findings suggest the need for further research into effective ways of preventing breast cancer.                            

INFERTILITY

In about half of all infertility cases, there is a contributing male factor. Yet fertility drugs to induce ovulation are often given to women when the cause of infertility is unknown and regardless of whether or not they have ovulation problems.                                                     
Ovulation is induced to increase the chances of success in assisted conception therapy, which includes in vitro fertilization (IVF), when an egg is surgically removed from an ovary, fertilized outside the body and then placed in the uterus; gamate intra-fallopian transfer (GIFT), when the eggs are placed with sperm in the fallopian transfer (ZIFT), when the eggs are removed from the ovaries, fertilized outside and placed in tubes.   

‘A number of women undergoing IVF treatment have developed breast cancer.’

The link between fertility drugs and ovarian cancer is in keeping with the two main theories regarding the possible causes of ovarian cancer. The first is that the surface of the ovaries is damaged each time the woman ovulates, and that this may eventually trigger the cancer. Therefore, by increasing ovulation, fertility drugs are increasing a woman’s risk of developing cancer. The American study also revealed that women who ovulate less often- through having a number of pregnancies and breast feeding their children, for example – are at less risk of ovarian cancer.  

The second theory is that exposure to high levels of pituary gonadotropins (which clomiphene stimulates the release of) increases the risk of ovarian cancer. 

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women, and because it is not usually discovered until it is at an advanced state , most women die from it.  It is also most common in women who have never had children. So we may only just be starting to see ovarian cancers caused by fertility drugs by women taking it in the sixties. As more and more women receive treatment for infertility, we may therefore see an increasing number of cases of ovarian over the ensuing decades.

One study found that women taking Clomiphene ran an increased risk of ovarian tumours, whether or not they had ovarian abnormalities.  

Having a baby without drugs.

Whether or not you and your partner are having trouble conceiving, it’s wise to attempt to sort out any problems six months to a year prior to conception in order to maximise your chances of having a healthy baby. The foresight non-drug approach has been successful with many couples, even those in their 40’s:

• Seek out a doctor with a good deal of experience  with preconception nutrition, who can take a detailed history of both you and take a number of blood, urine and sweat tests to access your nutritional status. Low magnesium is often associated with repeated miscarriage in women, and low zinc with low sperm counts in men.
• Test should examine levels of all vitamins and minerals, particularly zinc, red cell magnesium, copper, essential fatty acids and toxic metals like lead. You should also check pancreatic enzyme functioning, thyroid functioning and rubella immunity and red and white blood cells.
• Sort out any allergies, malabsorption properties, hypoglycemia or possible candida albicans overgrowth.
• Have the man undergo a genito-urinary examination.
  

 

Information compiled by Merlee Harris, RCT, ARCH, SRN