Since deknow posted this on the organiclist I am bringing
it here to see if it qualifies for discussion also. But now
relative to BEES and poor drone/queen mating FWIW. This is
one of the reasons, why the first paragraph on the organic
site homepage is so strict. ALL treatments don't belong in
a beehive.
Sincerely,
Dee A. Lusby
from today's boston globe:
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2007/01/31/oil
s_may_cause_breast_growth_in_boys?mode=PF
Oils may cause breast growth in boys
By Jeff Donn, Associated Press Writer | January 31, 2007
BOSTON --Lavender and tea tree oils found in some shampoos,
soaps and lotions can temporarily leave boys with enlarged
breasts in rare cases, apparently by disrupting their
hormonal balance, a preliminary study suggests.
While advising parents to consider the possible risk,
several hormone experts emphasized that the problem appears
to happen infrequently and clears up when the oils are no
longer used. None of those interviewed called for a ban on
sales.
The study reported on the condition, gynecomastia, in three
boys ages 4, 7 and 10. They all went back to normal when
they stopped using akin lotions, hair gel, shampoo or soap
with the natural oils.
It's unclear how often this problem might crop up in other
young children.
These plant oils, sometimes called "essential oils," are
added to many health-care products, usually for their
scent. The oils are sometimes found in other household
products or sold in purer forms. Tea tree oil is sometimes
used in shampoos for head lice.
The suspected effect in this study is blamed on some
chemical within the oils that the body processes like
estrogen, the female hormone that promotes breast growth.
The findings were being reported Thursday in the New
England Journal of Medicine. The federally funded study
came out of the University of Colorado and the
environmental health branch of the National Institutes of
Health. The findings were first released last year at a
science meeting.
The three boys were brought to their doctors with
overdeveloped breasts that looked like those of girls in
early puberty. They were sore in one case. For each boy,
doctors could tie the problem only to their use over
several months of the natural-oil products.
The researchers suspected that the oils might be upsetting
the boys' hormonal balance. So they did a series of
laboratory tests to check how these oils work within human
cells. The oils appeared to mimic estrogen and block the
male hormone androgen.
On product labels, the oils sometimes are listed by their
scientific names: Lavandula angustifolia (lavender oil) and
Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree oil). Such products do not
require government approval to be sold unless they make
specific health claims.
Marijuana and soy products also have been linked to
gynecomastia.
Dr. Clifford Bloch, a hormone specialist in Greenwood
Village, Colo., who treated the three boys, recommended
that parents "be cautious" with such products, especially
for prolonged use. "I would not give these products to my
children," he said in an interview.
Bloch said he also suspects the oil played a role in a
handful of young girls he saw for a similar condition,
including a 17-month-old whose parents were washing her
bottles with a lavender-scented soap.
Others sounded less worried. "It takes very little estrogen
to cause gynecomastia in a young child," said Dr. Richard
Auchus, a University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
hormone expert who knew of the study findings. "If they're
getting it for a brief period of time, that really
shouldn't cause long-term problems."
Also, the research did not pinpoint any specific
estrogen-like compounds in the oils or look for them in a
range of products. Chemist Steven Dentali, at the industry
group American Herbal Products Association, said that
warning people to avoid such oils "is premature without the
additional basic research needed to bolster the
case that the issue here is both real and significant."
Gynecomastia is very common in boys during the hormonal
changes of puberty. But it also occurs as a rare condition
in younger boys, men, and girls before puberty.
Bloch, the study doctor, said it's unknown if such oils
could hurt women with estrogen-fed breast tumors.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Now that's room service! Choose from over 150,000 hotels
in 45,000 destinations on Yahoo! Travel to find your fit.
http://farechase.yahoo.com/promo-generic-14795097
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---
|
