May 2008 Breast Cancer Action E-Alert

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WE PUBLISH A SNAIL MAIL NEWSLETTER TOO--We just can't get enough of you...and hope that you can't get enough of us! If you're not already on our mailing list we'd love to send you our bimonthly print newsletter, the BCA Source, filled with information on treatment, diagnosis, politics, and true prevention updates. Check out the archives and subscribe online at http://bcaction.org/newsletter

INVEST IN BCA'S WORK--With your investment, we will continue to reach ambitious goals and to
effect changes that others consider impossible. Individuals like you fund more than half of BCA's annual budget and 75 percent of every dollar raised goes to our programs. Help us end the breast cancer epidemic. Donate today through Network for Good at http://www.networkforgood.org/donate/MakeDonation2.aspx?ORGID2=943138992

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In this issue...

New at BCA
-BCA Joins the Blogosphere
-BCA Members Challenge Pink Ribbon Marketers

In the News
-Bisphenol-A Makes Headlines
-New Report Shows that Place Matters in Health

Take Action
-Thank Companies for Dropping rBGH

Save the Date
-Department of Defense Era of Hope Conference, June 25-28, Baltimore, MD
-National Latino Cancer Summit, July 30-Aug 1, San Francisco, CA
-San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, December 10-14, San Antonio, TX

FAQ of the Month
-Is "bio-identical" hormone therapy a safe alternative to traditional hormone therapy?

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NEW AT BCA

BCA Joins the Blogosphere

Breast Cancer Action is excited to partner with Our Bodies, Ourselves in contributing to its Our Bodies, Our Blog: http://ourbodiesourblog.org/

Our Bodies, Our Blog will be hosting BCA blog posts twice a month. Our first two blogs are
running now; the first addresses fundraising walks, runs, and climbs, and was covered by USA Today and feministing.com. Our second looks at pharmaceutical industry influence at the FDA and tells the story of BCA's beginnings as an activist organziation.

1st BCA Blog Post: http://ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2008/04/breast_cancer_fundraising_questions_to_ask_be.php
USA Today coverage:
http://blogs.usatoday.com/betterlife/2008/04/i-just-learned.html
Feministing.com coverage:
http://feministing.com/archives/009043.html
2nd BCA Blog Post:
http://ourbodiesourblog.org/blog/2008/05/breast_cancer_activism_standing_up_for_people.php

BCA Members Challenge Pink Ribbon Marketers

BCA members took our "Think Before You Pink" message straight to the pink ribbon marketers
themselves recently.

Six BCA activists showed up at New York City's Marriott Hotel last week to protest a private event designed to bring pink ribbon marketers and the media together. Carrying stickers, buttons, press releases, and posters, our members camped outside the meeting room, and talked with attendees about the need for transparency and accountability in pink ribbon marketing, and how BCA's Think Before You Pink campaign addresses these issues.

Event organizers insisted that hotel security ask our peaceful protesters to leave the hotel, but not before they had made their point.

Bravo, and thanks to these women and men for spreading the word about Think Before You Pink.

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IN THE NEWS

Bisphenol-A Makes Headlines

Bisphenol-A, a chemical used in hard plastics, food packaging, baby products, and many other
consumer goods, has been getting a lot of attention these days. In April, Canada added bisphenol-A to its list of toxic substances and says it plans to ban the chemical from use in baby products. The Canadian environment minister, John Baird, told reporters, "We're not waiting to take action to protect our people and our environment from the long-term effects of bisphenol-A." For the full story, see http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/19/business/worldbusiness/19plastic.html

In the United States, the US National Toxicology Program has for the first time acknowledged that the chemical may be of concern: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/15/ST2008041502155.html?sid=ST2008041502155
Also, US Senators have recently introduced a bill that would ban the chemical from use in children's products and require the Centers for Disease Control to study its health effects in children and adults: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/29/AR2008042902551.html

Many businesses are phasing the chemical out as well. Nalgene, the maker of the popular polycarbonate water bottles, has announced it will stop using bisphenol-A: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/business/18plastic.html
Retailers such as Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Babies R Us, and CVS have pledged to stop carrying baby bottles made with the chemical: http://children.webmd.com/news/20080421/stores-pull-bisphenol-a-baby-bottles

To urge more baby bottle manufacturers to stop using bisphenol-A, visit http://www.babystoxicbottle.org.

New Report Shows that Place Matters in Health

A new report released by the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiativefound that the neighborhoodwhere a person lives can predict how long they live. A major finding of the report was that the more income and wealth people have, the longer they can expect to live. The report also looked at how other factors, such as education, race and ethnicity, and the physical environment play a role in determining health outcomes.

The report comes at a critical time, not only for discussions of public health, but also for BCA's work. One of BCA's new strategic priorities is to bring public attention to the fact that breast cancer inequities (often referred to as disparities) are a result of social, economic, racial, and political issues. We'll be reporting further on our new strategic priorities in a future e-alert, so stay tuned.

For press coverage on the report, see http://www.insidebayarea.com/timesstar/localnews/ci_8861524
For the full report, see http://www.barhii.org/press/download/barhii_report08.pdf

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TAKE ACTION

Thank Companies for Dropping rBGH

Consumer demand for rBGH-free dairy is growing, and businesses are taking note. Chipotle, Kroger, and Wal-Mart are among the most recent large companies to offer rBGH-free dairy products. Please take a moment to show your support for rBGH-free dairy by thanking these companies at http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/t/5915/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1197
Adding your name to this thank you letter will also help encourage other companies to go rBGH-free. To find dairy companies in your area that do not use rBGH, download this guide from Food and Water Watch at http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/take-action/consumer-tools/milk-tip/rbgh-free-guide

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SAVE THE DATE

Department of Defense Era of Hope Conference, June 25-28, Baltimore, MD

The Era of Hope Meeting is a forum for presenting research studies funded by the Department of Defense (DOD) Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP). Scientists, physicians, breast cancer survivors and advocates, policy makers, and the general public come together to learn about advancements made since the Program's inception. Learn more and register at https://cdmrpcures.org/ocs/index.php/eoh/eoh2008/schedConf/overview

National Latino Cancer Summit, July 30-Aug 1, San Francisco, CA

The National Latino Cancer Summit will convene cancer researchers, health policy experts,
community activists, cancer survivors, and health professionals to bring attention to the issue of cancer and cancer care disparities among Latinos in the U.S. The Summit will be a unique opportunity to hear the latest in groundbreaking cancer research and best practices as they relate to Latinos and cancer. Learn more and register at http://register03.exgenex.com//GcmMaintenance/LCC/Images/home.html

San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, December 10-14, San Antonio, TX

The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) is the largest annual medical conference dedicated exclusively to breast cancer research. Participants will include researchers, advocates, physicians, and other health care providers. Housing and registration are now open online at http://www.sabcs.org/

If you are planning on going to SABCS and would like to help staff the BCA table in the exhibit
hall, please contact Allison Young at ayoung [at] bcaction.org or at (415) 243-9301 x13.

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FAQ of the Month

Is "bio-identical" hormone therapy a safe alternative to traditional hormone therapy?

Bio-identical hormone therapies (BHT) have been promoted as an alternative treatment to traditional hormone therapy* (HT) for menopause. They are marketed as "natural" pills, creams, or gels that can be compounded--tailored to an individual's specific needs--based on saliva or urine tests. Ads claim effectiveness without the side effects of HT, which has been shown to significantly increase breast cancer risk.

Despite claims that BHT is safe, no one knows if this is true. There have been no large long-term studies of the side effects of BHT on the same scale as the National Institute of Health's Women's Health Initiative study, which looked at HT.

There are no BHT drugs which have met the FDA's standards for safety and effectiveness. "Bio-identical" implies that the drugs are identical to hormones a body produces on its own, but this is merely a marketing term. The hormones are derived from pregnant mare's urine (which is also used in HT) or plants and then manufactured in labs. Some BHT contain the hormone estriol, which has never been approved by the FDA for any drug.

The claims of BHT being safer and more effective are not based on credible scientific research,
so we don't know how they compare to HT. We do know that they are currently unregulated and that the FDA sent warning letters to manufacturers for violating federal law by making false claims about BHT: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01772.html

Like HT, BHT may provide relief from menopausal discomfort and may pose the same health risks
as any hormonal therapy, but BHT lacks regulation and evidence. While we do think women should have more options, BCA believes there must be evidence of safety and effectiveness for any hormonal treatment, whether it is a pharmaceutical or a "natural" product. Until there is more information about BHT, women will have to weigh the benefits of the product against the relatively small amount of research on its side effects.

To learn more about bio-identical hormone therapy, visit:

The National Women's Health Network: Bio-identical Hormones: 21st century HT? Or 19th century snake oil?
http://www.nwhn.org/newsletter/article.cfm?content_id=86
Harvard Health Publications: What are Bioidentical Hormones?
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/What-are-bioidentical-hormones.htm
FDA: Bio-Identicals: Sorting Myths from Facts
http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/bioidenticals040808.html

For more on hormone therapy and breast cancer, visit:

BCA FAQs
http://bcaction.org/index.php?page=causes-prevention-environmental-links#Q10
Women's Health Initiative
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/women/index.htm


*Hormone therapy (HT) is also referred to as hormone replacement therapy
(HRT). BCA uses the term "hormone therapy" instead of "hormone replacement therapy" because the latter suggests that menopause is an illness that requires treatment by replacing the hormones that naturally decline during this time.

-- YOUR INPUT WANTED: Is there a question you want answered, or an issue that
you want BCA's opinion on? Send it to info [at] bcaction.org and we'll try to answer it personally or feature it in a future e-alert!

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That's it for this edition! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about
this e-alert.

Thanks for your continued support of BCA. Until next time,

Pauli Ojea
Community Organizer

Our members are the driving force behind our efforts to end the breast cancer epidemic. Because
Breast Cancer Action does not accept funding from the government or the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, we need your support. You can call 415-243-9301, (toll-free at 877-2STOPBC) or donate online through Network for Good at http://www.networkforgood.org/donate/MakeDonation2.aspx?ORGID2=943138992
All gifts are deeply appreciated.


Breast Cancer Action is funded in part by a grant from the California Wellness Foundation (TCWF). Created in 1992 as an independent, private foundation, TCWF's mission is to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention programs.


Breast Cancer Action
55 New Montgomery St. #323
San Francisco, CA 94105

Toll-free at 877-2STOPBC (278-6722)
http://www.bcaction.org
http://www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org
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