Ounce of prevention worth millions for a cure
Re: “Susan G. Komen brings together Washington, stars,” Oct. 18
While the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and their “stars” have worked for decades raising many millions for a cure for breast cancer, they could have saved a lot of women from breast cancer and death by spending a few million telling women how to prevent it.
The Breast Cancer Prevention Institute, headed by breast surgeon Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, has published a booklet, “Breast Cancer: Risk and Prevention,” to inform women about breast cancer risks and ways to decrease their risk (see bcpinstitute.org). Among the factors that increase risk are: induced abortion, subsequent premature birth, which is often due to induced abortion, and birth control pills.
Among the factors that decrease the risk of breast cancer are: full-term deliveries of children at an early age and breastfeeding. But these are largely countercultural, and may be the reason why Komen doesn’t tell women about them, as it may reduce the millions of dollars they raise.
Diane Hess
Damascus
Dr. Oz column contradicts his own book
Re: “Heavy lifting not required,” Oct. 18
One reason I seek out The Examiner is for your Health Section with Drs. Oz and Roizen, but Monday’s article was so uncharacteristic of Dr. Oz’s well-researched and proven data that it looked like a greenhorn staffer wrote it while he was on vacation.
The column’s anti-heavy-weights perspective can do more damage to our fragile exercising culture than Jane Fonda’s misinformation blitz of the 1990s, when she chanted: “Low heart rate burns more fat!” Runners slowed to a walk, starting the speed-walking craze, and tens of thousands of midcaliber cardio civilians slowed their metabolism and calorie burn rate, and lost bone density, contributing to the nation’s obesity and diabetes epidemic.
As a 22-year veteran personal trainer specializing in seniors and post-rehabilitation therapy, I’ve personally helped scores of people help stave off Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and senior dementia. Dr. Oz himself explains in his own book (“YOU Staying Young”) that the recuperative body chemistry created in response to high-intensity training creates the antidote to amyloid buildup on the electrical lines between brain cells, which contribute to — if not cause — cognitive disease in the second half of life.
Dana Gramling
Springfield
Connolly’s hypocrisy attacking opponent on women’s rights
Considering the company he keeps, 11th District Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., should rethink his strategy of falsely maligning Republican challenger Keith Fimian on women’s rights. According to the Federal Election Commission, Saudi Arabia’s public relations firm, Qorvis Communications, is one of a number of Saudi-related donors that added buckets of cash to Connolly’s war chest.
Connolly has reciprocated, supporting the controversial Islamic Saudi Academy lease with Fairfax County, approved again by the Democrats on the County Board on Tuesday. As board chairman, Connlly even apologized to the ISA, calling constituents who spoke against the lease “slanderers.”
Saudi women are not allowed to drive and must get a male relative’s permission before having surgery, going to college or seeking a job. Even the Connolly-friendly National Organization for Women has said Saudi Arabia treats women like second-class citizens. How can anyone support such an archaic approach? As is the case with most of his stances, Connolly’s allegiance to women’s rights is fraudulent.
Rob Paine
Fairfax
