PUTTING OUR MONEY WHERE OUR MOUTH IS

"I'd been better off if I'd been an alcoholic or a coke addict." These were the words of Julie, a recent participant at our 7 day residential stop smoking program.

Julie wasn't criticizing the program. She had been successful: she was smoke free; the worst of the withdrawals were behind her; and she had new perspectives and strategies that would keep her successful at home.

Her complaint was directed at the lack of financial help from employers and insurance companies when it comes to one of America's most addictive drugs, nicotine.

Have you noticed the double standard? We as a nation praise preventive medicine, but will not often "put our money where our mouth is"?

Don't misunderstand me, I don't believe that everyone or even most everyone needs a residential stop-smoking program to gain the victory over nicotine addiction. However, if someone needs that level of help--why don't employers and insurance companies offer it --and foot the bill? When 400,000 Americans die each year from the results of cigarette smoking, can't they invest less than $1000 for an intensive program that may make a tremendous difference?

I'm glad for my affiliation with Living Springs and the opportunity to help people with lifestyle-related problems in a residential setting. Whether or not insurance companies or employers help pay for our programs, we plan to continue to help individuals accomplish their goals, whether they be stopping smoking, losing weight, controlling stress, or achieving other lifestyle-related goals. However, it would sure be an encouragement to thousands of Americans to hear that "the system" really wants to help them keep well, not merely treat disease.

SECTION II

"HOUSEKEEPING"

Well, we're still calling ourselves a weekly publication--but here's another issue falling into that biweekly mode of distribution.

The time and costs are, of course, decreased with the twice-per-month format. Although I feel like I have more vitality than most, I still have the same 24 hours per day that each of you have. And like the situation of financing at Living Springs, we don't have people falling all over themselves to help sponsor this newsletter. So time and expense are practical considerations.

Furthermore, no doubt many of you pay for each piece of e-mail you receive and biweekly issues may actually be more attractive.

Feel free to communicate your sentiments to me. In any event, any bimonthly issues will contain substantially more material than the weekly transmissions.

A minimum of twice per quarter we publish a list of sponsors. We appreciate all those who help us to distribute this newsletter free of charge.

Living Springs Lifestyle Center (phone: 1-800-SAY-WELL). Located less than one hour from Manhattan, Living Springs offers residential preventive medicine programs such as weight control, smoking cessation, cholesterol and blood pressure reduction, etc. The facility includes spa services, vegan diet, health lectures, exercise sessions, cooking classes, and more.

WellnessWise Radio Program. (E-mail address: docderose@aol.com). Daily (Monday through Friday) 90 second preventive medicine broadcasts come with a 30 second commercial slot for local or national sponsors. Sponsorship opportunities are available in many US & Canadian locations for this syndicated broadcast. Audio tapes are also available.

SECTION III

LUNG CANCER AND HEREDITY

Could your genes help protect you from lung cancer? I'm Dr. David DeRose--We'll find out in a moment on WellnessWise.

To determine the role of genetics in lung cancer, researchers at the National Cancer Institute used The National Academy of Sciences Twin Registry. This data bank contains over 15,000 pairs of male twins who were born before 1927 and served in World War II.

The investigators identified over 600 pairs of twins where at least one of them had developed lung cancer. They then looked at the type of twin relationship. If there was a genetic factor that increased lung cancer risk, they expected to find that identical twins of cancer victims would have a greater risk of also developing lung cancer compared to fraternal twins. The reason for this is that identical twins have an identical genetic make-up, while fraternal twins share only about half of the same genes.

The study found that identical twins *did not* die of lung cancer any more often than fraternal twins. But they did find that those who were smokers had nearly 20 times the risk of lung cancer compared to nonsmokers.

The study emphasizes that in men over 50, lung cancers are generally caused by smoking and not by some genetic weakness or a genetic weakness plus smoking.

Furthermore, smokers should not feel they are protected from lung cancer just because none of their close relatives who smoked never got the disease.

For WellnessWise, I'm Dr. David DeRose.

Can a glass of wine help you prevent a heart attack? I'm Dr. David DeRose. we'll find out in a moment on WellnessWise.

Although the French apparently consume as much fat and have similar blood cholesterol levels as Americans, they experience 40% fewer heart disease deaths.

Some attribute this paradox to frequent red wine consumption. Indeed wine contains a host of heart protective compounds. Some of those chemicals are antioxidants and can prevent the formation of toxic agents like oxidized LDL. Oxidized LDL appears to damage blood vessels and thus hasten hardening of the arteries. Flavonoids, one antioxidant class found in wine , also appear to prevent blood clot formation.

However, the heart helpful compounds in wine are also found in grapes and grape juice. In fact, the content of these chemicals actually decreases as wine ages. Grapes don't have a monopoly on these compounds either; similar antioxidants are found in many fruits and vegetables.

Don't forget that the French have significantly increased risks of stomach and esophagus cancers, as well as liver disease deaths. Risk for each of those conditions is increased by liberal alcohol consumption.

The message I take away from the French experience is: there are other natural options for lowering heart disease risk that do not carry the potential risks that alcohol can bring. Why not simply eat more fruits and vegetables?

For WellnessWise, I'm Dr. David DeRose.

How safe are oral contraceptives? I'm Doctor David DeRose. Contraception and cancer-- in a moment on WellnessWise.

In 1992, National Cancer Institute researchers found a strong association with oral contraceptive use in women who had died of liver cancer. Women who used oral contraceptives the longest tended to have the greatest risk. After 10 years of use, women increased their risk of liver cancer 7 times. Furthermore the younger a woman was when she started using the pill, the greater her risk tended to be. Six previous studies had reported a similar relationship.

The leading cause of liver cancer, however, is not oral contraceptives. It is previous hepatitis infection. Hepatitis also has a relationship with sexual practices: some types can be sexually transmitted.

Because data was collected about the women after they had died from liver cancer, this National Cancer Institute study did not have reliable information on hepatitis status. Consequently, we don't know whether the women in the study who used the pill were more likely to have hepatitis or other conditions that jeopardized their liver. If such were the case, it could explain the findings.

All the answers are not in---and liver cancer is not that common in America. However, this research again highlights the fact that decisions about reproductive health are often more complicated than first meets the eye.

For WellnessWise I'm Doctor David DeRose.

Reference: Dr. Ann W. Hsing, Robert N. Hoover, et al. Oral contraceptives and primary liver cancer among young women. Cancer Causes and Control 3(1): 43-48.

SECTION IV SCIENCE/HEALTH ABSTRACTS

Phylis Austin is an experienced medical university research librarian and author. She graciously continues to allow us to reprint portions of her bimonthly periodical "Science/Health Abstracts."

Many young children who suffer from nervousness, fatigue, and poor school performance are hauled into doctors offices to determine the cause. A recent report suggests that the first thing the physician should evaluate is whether or not the child eats breakfast. Dr. Lynn McIntyre, assistant professor of community health and epidemiology at Dalhousie University of Halifax, points out that children are far less able to tolerate long periods without food because of their higher metabolic rates. Several studies have shown that children who do not eat breakfast perform less well on tests than those who eat breakfasts. Physical abilities are also impacted by the lack of nutrition, and the child is often tired, apathetic, and irritable. Other recent studies suggest that people who skip breakfast may suffer long-term adverse effects on their glucose tolerance and cholesterol levels. (Canadian Medical Association Journal 143(3)210-213, 1990)

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