Role of Soy in Menopausal Health Reported

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Aug 31,2011

Soy has recently been reviewed and supported for introduction into general medical practice as a treatment for distressing vasomotor symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, but its use in other medical areas, such as heart health, requires further research, according to a new report reviewing the risks and benefits of soy protein, isoflavones and metabolites in menopausal health from The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)/Wulf H. Utian Translational Science Symposium, published in the July Menopause, the peer-reviewed NAMS journal.

“Although a significant amount of scientific research about soy and soy isoflavones exists, the adoption of soy isoflavones into the care of women in menopause has to date been recommended mainly by physicians and health care practitioners involved in integrative medicine.  We believed that facilitating a robust review of the current scientific evidence about the benefits and risks of soy could yield a document useful to physicians to help them make decisions about soy use with their patients, particularly those in menopause,” said Belinda H. Jenks, Ph.D., director of Scientific Affairs & Nutrition Education at Pharmavite LLC.  Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Pharmavite LLC and the Allmen Foundation supported the development of the symposium and report via an unrestricted educational grant.

The report focuses on a review of soy’s mechanism of action and processing within the body (bioavailability and pharmacokinetics), as well as on several therapeutic areas, concluding that use of soy isoflavones for hot flashes is reasonable and that soy food consumption is associated with lower risk of breast and endometrial cancer.  The report also recommended more research to further characterize the effects of soy isoflavones on bone and cardiovascular health as well as cognition, which involves thinking, reasoning, or remembering.

The report, approved by the NAMS Board of Trustees, was authored by 22 clinicians and well-respected scientific research experts in women’s health and botanicals who participated in the symposium in October 2010.  They examined basic and clinical research findings from more than two hundred key published controlled trials as well as laboratory studies of the soy isoflavones genistein and daidzein and the daidzein metabolite, S-equol.  A supplement containing Natural S-equol for the management of menopausal symptoms is in development by Pharmavite LLC, the makers of Nature Made® vitamins and minerals and a subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Read the rest of this entry »


Tips for Finding the Right Rhinoplasty Surgeon

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Aug 30,2011

When looking at prospective surgeons, it is important to inquire about the surgeon’s scholarly background in addition to his clinical expertise. Board certification in plastic surgery and/or facial plastic surgery is a basic requirement and should serve as the “starting point.”

Academic affiliations with established societies and universities are also something to look for.

These are all strong indications that your surgeon is on the cutting edge and is up to date in the latest techniques and concepts in nasal surgery.  Another important factor to consider is how many operations the surgeon has carried out and the revision rates from his techniques.  Beware though, some surgeons consider their revision rates artificially low because they “send out” revisions to other surgeons.

Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr. Ashkan Ghavami, sees a lot of revisions from situations such as these or patients being told by their surgeon that “your nose can’t get any better.” Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, look at before and after photos from the surgeon’s website. The caliber of results, as well as the level of difficulty in the noses taken on by the surgeon, will give you the ultimate idea of whether the surgeon is the right fit for you.

If your surgeon only shows profile views and/or uses a lot of camera lighting tricks, or only has patients that require a hump removal and a little nasal tip elevation, then you may want to look elsewhere.  A rhinoplasty specialist who sees various ethnicities and deals with complex issues, like thick skin, wide tips, wide nostrils, extra large humps, revisions, and severely droopy tips may be more adept at handling a wider spectrum of nasal morphology.  This decreases your chances of needing a major revision. Read the rest of this entry »


New Dental Choice, a comprehensive and affordable discount dental plan provided by First Dental Health, is now available nationwide. In addition, the plan now offers its members access to discount vision, hearing and prescription drug programs.

Discount dental plans from New Dental Choice are now available to individuals, families and businesses of all sizes at over 100,000 general dentist and specialist locations across the United States. VSP, the EPIC Hearing Service Plan, and Prescription Discount Card Program providers will now offer their services to members using the New Dental Choice membership card.

“We’re excited about being able to now serve consumers throughout the United States, with quality discount dental plans and affordable vision, hearing and prescription drug programs,” says Dr. Michael S. Grossman, President and CEO of First Dental Health. “This is a big step in our growth, and we welcome the millions of people who utilize VSP, EPIC and our Prescription Discount Card Program to become New Dental Choice members.” Read the rest of this entry »


FDA Working with Mexico to Protect Safety of Imported Papayas

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Aug 26,2011

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its counterpart agencies in the Mexican government, the National Service for Agroalimentary Public Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) and the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS), are expanding their collaboration to reduce the risk of contamination of food that moves across the U.S.-Mexican border. This new level of collaboration has added importance as papayas from Mexico have been linked to approximately 100 cases of SalmonellaAgona in 23 U.S. states.

U.S. and Mexican officials have been working closely together to find the source or sources of contamination of Salmonella in fresh papayas entering the U.S. from Mexico. From May 12, 2011, to August 18, 2011, FDA analysis found a 15.6 percent Salmonella contamination rate.  The positive samples were from 28 different firms and include nearly all the major papaya producing regions in Mexico.

Now, under an FDA Import Alert issued today, papayas from each source in Mexico may be denied admission into the United States unless the importer shows they are not contaminated with Salmonella, such as by using private laboratories to test the papayas.  FDA may consider five consecutive commercial shipments over a period of time, analyzed from a validated laboratory, as being adequate for removal from the Import Alert. Read the rest of this entry »


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