Americans today are increasingly concerned about the state of the environment. Polls show that a remarkable 63 percent would roll back recent tax cuts to finance environmental protection and that fully 95 percent want environmental education included in the public school curriculum. America's Environmental Report Card offers answers to some of our most pressing environmental questions, providing a timely reminder of what we need to accomplish to achieve a sustainable environment. It lays out the scientific facts about water and air pollution, energy, global warming, and the ozone layer in a lively, conversational style, enhanced by illustrations, and charts a course of action for protecting the environment.

America's Environmental Report Card focuses on the environmental issues that polls show are most important to Americans today. It looks at water pollution and the safety of the water supply (20 percent of Americans refuse to drink tap water, at least partly because they doubt its safety), the dangers of floods (increased by the clearing of forests for farms and timber), the leaching of garbage buried in landfills, and pesticide runoff in irrigation waters from agriculture. It examines the ways we generate energy and the resulting global warming, air pollution (much of the 2,500 gallons of air we inhale each day contains exhaust fumes, lead, and asbestos), and ozone depletion and its relationship to skin cancer, and offers a detailed account of nuclear energy production and the radioactive waste it generates. Most important, it outlines ways to deal with these problems—workable and reasonable solutions that individuals, industry, and government can effect without unreasonable hardship, solutions that map the course to a sustainable future.

The Long-Awaited Revision of the Bestselling Family Health Guide

"This completely updated fourth edition of our bestselling health reference is comprehensive, easy to understand, and even more user-friendly than the previous editions. We're excited to provide our patients with an invaluable resource to help them become more involved in their own health care. We think this is a book that belongs on the bookshelf in every home."
-AMA President John C. Nelson, MD, MPH

The American Medical Association is the nation's premier health authority-an organization that both patients and doctors look to for state-of-the-art medical information and guidance. Now, for the first time in 10 years, the AMA has updated its landmark medical reference-a book that belongs in every home.

This new edition of the American Medical Association Family Medical Guide has been thoroughly revised to bring it up to date and make it more accessible than ever before. Opening with a brand-new full-color section that walks you through key health issues, it follows with several new and expanded sections on everything from staying healthy and providing first aid and home care to diagnosing symptoms and treating hundreds of different diseases and disorders. This classic guide is the definitive home health reference for the twenty-first century-an indispensable book to keep you and your loved ones healthy.
* Authoritative guidance on hundreds of diseases and the latest tests, treatments, procedures, and drugs
* New or greatly expanded coverage of genetic testing, sexuality, learning disabilities, preventive health, infertility, pregnancy and childbirth, substance abuse, home caregiving, and first aid
* A host of new and updated features-including full-color spreads on important health topics, Q&A sections, first-person case histories, and newly designed symptoms flowcharts
* New chapters on diet and health, exercise and fitness, maintaining a healthy weight, reducing stress, genetics, complementary and alternative medicine, staying safe and preventing violence, cosmetic surgery, and preventive health care
* A new section on health issues at various life stages
* 64 pages in full color and almost 1,000 illustrations and photographs

From the trusted authors of the "People's Pharmacy" syndicated newspaper column comes an essential reference that empowers readers to make intelligent, informed choices from among the array of treatment options—home remedies, herbal and nutritional supplements, and prescription and over-the-counter drugs—available today

We can read the newspaper for candid restaurant or movie reviews or consult Consumer Reports for an impartial analysis of the best buys on toasters or automobiles. But where can we find objective evaluations of popular treatments for conditions like arthritis, high cholesterol, and migraines?

Joe and Teresa Graedon, the best-selling authors of The People's Pharmacy, will fill the void with a comprehensive new reference that presents all the information readers need to become savvy health-care consumers. The book offers:

• best-choice treatments for 50 medical conditions—from allergies, asthma, and heartburn to high blood pressure and osteoporosis

• a remedy ratings guide to compare the effectiveness and affordability of various treatment options

• compelling new information on the potential dangers of generic drugs

Featuring a list of the authors' must-have remedies and organized alphabetically by condition for fast, easy access, this trustworthy, practical guide should find a sizable and grateful audience.

In 1962, Rachel Carson stunned the world with the publication of Silent Spring, exposing the lethal character of the pesticide DDT. Her work launched a global campaign against synthetic chemical toxins and veritably created a world environmental movement. But unbeknownst to Carson, an even more insidious chemical cousin to DDT had been silently poisoning the biosphere.
 
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were first manufactured in 1920. Seen as a "magic fluid," they were a cheap and stable heat-transfer material used as a critical coolant in big power grids. The chemical industry soon went on to develop hundreds of other uses for this highly toxic group of substances—everything from copy paper and paint to hydraulic fluids. Despite being outlawed in the U.S. since 1976, PCBs are currently found in the remotest corners of Earth and remain the most prevalent group of industrial chemical contaminants in much of the world. Every human being, from the womb to the grave, bears a body burden of these poisonous molecules forever locked in their blood and tissues.
 
In Biocidal, investigative journalist Ted Dracos tells the full story of PCBs for the first time, starting with the chilling chronicle of how the chemical industry manipulated regulatory agencies and scientific findings for decades to continue to reap huge profits, despite their knowledge of the threats posed by their "magic fluid." Dracos draws on extensive research to document the connection between PCBs and catastrophic human illness, presenting the latest science as studies draw ever more disturbing links between PCBs and continued health impacts ranging from cancer and autism to immunosuppression and reproductive abnormalities.
 
Biocidal also explores the science behind the threat PCBs pose to Earth's biodiversity: today, killer whales in the Puget Sound are dying, the eggs of Ontario Lake trout are doomed before they can hatch, 99 percent of the freshwater eels of Europe have disappeared, and frogs around the world are going extinct. While these disasters have many possible causes, evidence pointing to PCBs keeps accumulating, much like the toxins in these animals' systems.
 
Nonetheless, Dracos leaves readers with a profound message of hope: the damage is not irreversible. In fact, cleanup efforts that involve the removal of the source of PCBs can really work, and quickly. Offering a simple blueprint for steps that can be taken to reduce the impacts of all industrial chemicals, Biocidal ultimately points the way toward a detoxified world.

In recent years, increasing attention and resources have been brought to bear on the relationship between the environment and congenital diseases. These diseases were previously thought to be mostly due to genetic causes. Even though the importance of genes as factors in causation is accepted, environmental factors seem to be implicated just as strongly. This book explores some further concepts that have arisen from more recent perceptions of environmental effects and their possible interactions with living systems. Amongst the topics discussed are:

-effects of prenatal exposure to toxic chemicals
-intra-uterine exposure to drugs
-effects of endocrine disrupters
-environmental risk and sex ratio in newborns
-surveillance of environmental impact
-research and policy

Discussion and presentation of old and novel ideas is targeted at developing a more holistic and united perception of the interaction between congenital diseases and the environment.

DES Stories is a tribute to the millions of lives upended by exposure to DES, diethylstilbestrol, synthetic estrogen, toxic chemical, and carcinogenic prescription drug. In photographic portraits and interviews, DES daughters, mothers, and sons tell, in their own voice, what it's like to be DES-exposed. Today the DES story continues to unfold as research brings new findings to light. DES Stories rings with daring honesty—and points to broader concerns about the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

The definitive book about early puberty in girls—what it is, how it happens, when to be concerned, and how it should be treated.

In recent years, the issue of early puberty in girls has become a well-publicized topic. But the messages from the medical establishment and the media have been confusing and often conflicting. Now Dr. Paul Kaplowitz, a pediatric endocrinologist who has treated children for more than twenty years, has written a comprehensive and completely accessible book on the subject—the perfect guide for parents concerned about their daughters' premature development. Inside, they will find the answers to many questions, including

• What are the hormonal and physical changes of normal puberty? Breast development, pubic and underarm hair, body odor, menarche
(a girl's first period), and the pubertal growth spurt
• How do we know if puberty is starting too early? The age and circumstances under which a girl can mature too soon; why this is occurring earlier than in the past, and why that age is earlier for African American girls
• What effects does the early onset of puberty have on the behavior and emotional health of young girls? From anxiety and withdrawal to worries about stunted growth, earlier periods, and earlier sexual activity
• Is it because the environment or our fats cells? An in-depth look at the potential culprits: chemicals and hormones in the environment, family relationships, stress, and increasing obesity
• To treat or not to treat? The six essential questions whose answers will determine whether treatment is necessary for your early-maturing daughter
• How should a family prepare for a visit to a specialist? Important tips for getting the most out of a visit to a pediatric endocrinologist

Dr. Kaplowitz also details extensive case histories that will help parents understand the real issues that may appear in girls' lives. Reassuring, authoritative, and thoroughly detailed, Early Puberty in Girls is a must-have book for every parent of a young girl.

When the molecular processes of epigenetics meet the ecological processes of phenotypic plasticity, the result is a revolutionary new field: ecological developmental biology, or eco-devo. This new science studies development in the real world of predators, pathogens, competitors, symbionts, toxic compounds, temperature changes, and nutritional differences. These environmental agents can result in changes to an individual s phenotype, often implemented when signals from the environment elicit epigenetic changes in gene expression. Ecological developmental biology is a truly integrative biology, detailing the interactions between developing organisms and their environmental contexts. Ecological developmental biology also provides a systems approach to the study of pathology, integrating the studies of diabetes, cancers, obesity, and the aging syndrome into the framework of an ecologically sensitive developmental biology. It looks at examples where the environment provides expected cues for normal development and where the organism develops improperly without such cues. Data from research on teratology, endocrine disruptors, and microbial symbioses, when integrated into a developmental context, may have enormous implications for human health as well as the overall health of Earth s ecosystems. The study of epigenetics changes in gene expression that are not the result of changes in a gene s DNA sequence has recently provided startling insights not only into mechanisms of development, but also into the mechanisms and processes of evolution. The notion that epialleles (changes in chromosome structure that alter gene expression) can be induced by environmental agents and transmitted across generations has altered our notions of evolution, as have new experiments documenting the genetic fixation of environmentally induced changes in development. The widespread use of symbiosis in development provides new targets for natural selection. Ecological developmental biology integrates these new ideas into an extended evolutionary synthesis that retains and enriches the notion of evolution by natural selection.

The Encyclopedia of Hormones is a comprehensive reference work on hormones in vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant systems. It covers all aspects of hormones: their chemical structure and biological synthesis; the major physiological systems in which they operate; the cellular and subcellular site of their action; the nature of the signal transduction mechanisms used in the hormone's action; and the biological consequences of an excess or deficiency of the hormone.

Each contributor is an expert in his or her field and has been recruited by one of 14 Associate Editors. The 300 articles that comprise this encyclopedia are arranged alphabetically. Each entry begins with a glossary of key terms that are compiled into a complete glossary for the entire work. Additionally, each entry includes 10-15 recent references to provide the reader with an entry into the scientific literature.

The Encyclopedia of Hormones is sure to be a valuable reference work for students and professional researchers interested in any aspect of the control of biological systems by hormonal signals.

* The only source available with such comprehensive descriptions of hormones, their receptors, and their mechanisms of action
* Full coverage including vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant hormones
* Includes the chemistry, synthesis, secretion, and biological actions of hormones
* Thorough coverage of signal transduction mechanisms as they relate to hormones
* Contributions from over 500 experts in the study of hormones
* Written to be accesssible to non-endocrinologists

During recent decades, millions of tonnes of man-made chemicals have been produced and released into the environment, with very little safety testing. Many of these chemical substances have been found to interfere with the endocrine system and modulate its function. This book not only overviews the effects of endocrine/disrupting substances on human health, but also addresses the regulatory problems from the point of view of international organisations, including the WHO, the EU, and the European Chlorine Industry.

This volume contains the proceedings of a workshop held at the International Hippocrates Foundation on Kos Island, Greece, in September 1999. The workshop was part of the activities of the ASPIS project, which aims at raising awareness of environmental health impacts among multidisciplinary groups. The contributions to this volume are the result of the interaction of participants at the workshop. As such, it addresses the issue of endocrine disrupters from many different points of view and allows the subject to be approached by a multidisciplinary readership, including: decision makers, medical doctors, environmental experts, post/and undergraduate students, lawyers, engineers, and journalists.

The rise in the incidence of health problems, such as reproductive disorders and testicular and breast cancer, has been linked by some to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment. The role of food in transmitting these chemicals is uncertain and a topic of considerable research. This important book addresses key topics in this area. Opening chapters review the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on health and behavior. The second part of the book covers the origins, analysis, and risk assessment of endocrine disruptors in food products. Concluding chapters concentrate on particular endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

This book addresses the biological effects of the reasonably large number of classes of compounds that have been recognized as endocrine disrupters. These compounds have been found to persist as pollutants in the environment, and have been blamed for causing developmental disorders and/or fertility problems in fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and possibly humans. This book presents the relevant fundamentals of the endocrine systems of animals and humans, the toxicology, developmental toxicology, ecology, and risk assessment methods, and lays out the current state of understanding for the whole field, organized by the classes of compounds that have been identified as endocrine disrupters.

In recent years, it has become evident that many chemicals present in the environment can mimic, antagonize or alter the physiological actions of endogenous hormones. These compounds have been termed endocrine disrupters (EDs) and defined as exogenous substances that cause adverse health effects in an intact organism or in its progeny, consequent to changes in endocrine function . EDs, even when present in minute amounts (part per trillion), could interfere with the synthesis, secretion, transport, metabolism, binding, action, or elimination of natural hormones responsible for homeostasis maintenance, reproduction, and developmental processes.

Currently more than 100 chemicals have been identified as EDs. Within this heterogeneous group of molecules we find: (a) synthetic chemicals used in industry, agriculture, and consumer products; (b) synthetic chemicals used as pharmaceutical drugs; and (c) natural chemicals found in human and animal food. About half of these compounds are substituted with halogen groups, mostly chlorine and bromine, and include dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, methoxychlor, dieldrin, and hexachlorocyclohexane. EDs have long environmental half-life resulting in a continue increase of their global concentration in the environment and can be detected and may concentrate at great distances from where they are produced, used or released. EDs have very low water solubility and extremely high lipid solubility, leading to their bioaccumulation in adipose tissue. Exposure to EDs can occur from a number of different sources: humans and animals can be exposed involuntarily by drinking contaminated polluted water, breathing contaminated air, ingesting food, contacting contaminated soil or even in the workplace.

Although endocrine disruption has only received high-profile attention for just over a decade, the phenomenon does have a longer historical background...

The review presented in this book has been written under the sponsorship of the Interuniversitary Consortium "National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems (INBB)", constituted by 26 Public Italian Universities. INBB is stimulating the research on endocrine disruptors, by encouraging and coordinating joint research projects between its members and those of other Italian public scientific institutions. This book represents one of the results of the meeting "The biological and clinical research on endocrine disruptors: current status and perspectives", held in Rome during 2005 from October 27 to 28 and organized by INBB and ISPESL (Istituto Superiore Prevenzione e Sicurezza del Lavoro)...

These reviews emphasize that many environmental chemicals possess endocrine-disrupting properties, and that exposure to such chemicals can have adverse effects on health and reproduction even at very low concentrations. Great care should be used when attempting to apply these data to other species or real life situations. Indeed only a paucity of information is available on the metabolism and tissue distribution of these chemicals which may vary according to species physiology as well as to levels and duration of exposure. Furthermore, the possible interactions between single contaminants of the complex mixtures present in the environment may induce completely unpredictable effects, due to synergies or reciprocal inhibition effects, suggesting great caution in drawing conclusions. It is hoped that these reviews will serve to stimulate further research on EDs and human health.

The field of endocrine disruption or endocrine active compounds (EACs), which is just emerging and still controversial, is comprehensively covered by leading experts in Volume 3, Subvolumes L (the present volume, Part I) and M (Part II). The major classes of endocrine active chemicals are discussed, as well as methods for their detection and their association with health disturbances in humans and wildlife. The etiology of several of the human diseases associated with endocrine disruptors, e.g. breast and prostate cancer, decreased fertility and malformations, is still poorly understood, and the current state of knowledge is presented. Since hormonally active agents appear to have the potential of both adverse and beneficial effects, the evidence of health benefits associated with endocrine active compounds in humans is also presented. Basic chapters on the mode of action of EACs and on the etiology of the associated diseases facilitate the understanding of this complex subject for non-medical readers.

There is great concern regarding the reproductive and health hazards of endocrine disruptors. Research indicates that men are experiencing declining fertility and an increased incidence of prostate cancer, while women are dealing with increased infertility, early menopause, and breast cancer. As new research reveals the previously unknown risks of these endocrine disruptors, it is imperative to update our knowledge of these controversial chemicals.

Endocrine Disruptors: Effects on Male and Female Reproductive Systems, Second Edition examines the reproductive and health hazards of endocrine-disrupting environmental chemicals from epidemiology to etiology, concluding with future directions. Divided into two sections, the first part of the book describes the effects of environmental toxicants on the female reproductive system, with an emphasis on the effects and mechanisms of their action on sex differentiation during development, fertility, and breast cancer. The second part addresses the effects of endocrine disruption on the male reproductive system, focusing on male fertility and the development of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer.

Leading authorities contribute expert analyses and up-to-date information on a topic that has become a major concern among the scientific community and the general public. This second edition supplies the most current, critical knowledge on the real risks that endocrine disruptors pose to the population.

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: From Basic Research to Clinical Practice is the first book that provides comprehensive coverage of the three most important themes in the field of EDC research: the basic biology of EDCs, particularly their effects on reproductive systems; EDC effects on humans and wildlife, including biomedical considerations; and potential interventions and practical advice for dealing with the problem of EDCs. This book presents a translational approach to EDC research, spanning both basic biology and clinical applications, and provides a critical link between the laboratory and the physicians' office. Scientists and physicians engaged in EDC studies or practice will find that this volume offers insight across all areas of EDC research, including clarifying the mechanisms for EDC effects, understanding the adverse affects of EDCs on humans and wildlife, and offering solutions to the problems created by exposures to EDCs.

Univ. of Florida-Gainesville. Presents the latest research in reproductive toxicology, focusing on endocrine disruption by contaminants in humans, other mammals, and other vertebrates. It addresses specifically the problem of endocrine disrupting contaminants from an evolutionary comparative perspective. For researchers.

This database, available in print and electronic form, provides information on chemical, physical, and toxicological properties of known and suspected environmental endocrine disruptors in a convenient easy-to-use format. Much of the research on EEDs has focused on the effects of these chemicals on wildlife, linking certain compounds to birth defects and abnormal development of immune and reproductive systems.

Many reproductive and developmental health problems are caused by exposure to chemicals that are widely dispersed in our environment. These problems include infertility, miscarriage, poor pregnancy outcomes, abnormal fetal development, early puberty, endometriosis, and diseases and cancers of reproductive organs. The compelling nature of the collective science has resulted in recognition of a new field of environmental reproductive health. Focusing on exposures to environmental contaminants, particularly during critical periods in development and their potential effects on all aspects of future reproductive life-course, this book provides the first comprehensive source of information bringing together the arguments that are spread out among various scientific disciplines in environmental health, clinical and public health fields. It provides a review of the science in key areas of the relationship between environmental contaminants and reproductive health outcomes, and recommendations on efforts toward prevention in clinical care and public policy.

The epididymus has become increasingly important to researchers engaged in fertility and its regulation. Until now, no single volume review of the field has been available. The Epididymis: From Molecules to Clinical Practice A Comprehensive Survey of Efferent Ducts, The Epididymis and the Vas Deferens will provide a complete, up-to-date, in-depth review of the research on the male reproductive tract. Structure, function, and molecular mechanisms underlying the control of the efferent ducts, epididymus, and vas deferens will be reviewed.

(Spring Wien New York) Max Planck Institut fur Psychiatrie, Munich, Germany. Traces six years of work devoted to gaining an understanding of the manifold neuronal activities of estrogen. The biochemical, molecular, and cellular factors underlying estrogen's protective capacity are described.

Winner of the 2008 NAUTILUS SILVER AWARD in the category of Ecology/Environment/Sustainability and Conscious Media/Journalism

From tainted pet food to toxic toys, Americans can thank the successful lobbying efforts of the U.S. chemical industry for the secret ingredients in everyday products that have been linked to rising rates of infertility, endocrine system disruptions, neurological disorders, and cancer.

While the U.S. Congress stalls in the face of these dangers, the European Union has chosen to act. Strict consumer-safety regulations have forced multinationals to manufacture safer products for European consumers, while lower U.S. standards allow them to continue selling unsafe products to Americans. Schapiro's exposé shows that short of strong government action, the United States will lose not only its ability to protect citizens from environmental hazards but also, as economic priorities shift, whatever claim it has to commercial supremacy. Increasingly, products on American shelves are equated with serious health hazards, hazards that the European Union is legislating out of existence in its powerful trading bloc, a lead that even China is beginning to follow. Schapiro illustrates how the blowback from weak regulation at home carries a steep economic, as well as environmental, price.

In Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power, investigative journalist Mark Schapiro takes the reader to the front lines of global corporate and political power, where tectonic battles are being waged that will determine the physical and economic health of our children and ourselves.

This digital document is a journal article from Environmental Research, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
It has been hypothesized that endocrine disruptors and especially synthetic estrogenic environmental contaminants (xenoestrogens) are etiologic factors in the global decrease of sperm counts and other problems of the male reproductive tract, including cryptorchidism, hypospadias, and testicular cancer. This possibility has prompted research into the current and historical incidence of these diseases. The largest area of intensive greenhouse agriculture in Europe is near the Mediterranean coast of Southern Spain, where this activity has greatly expanded since the 1960s. We determined and compared levels of 14 organochlorine pesticides in the blood of 220 young males in Southern Spain. Aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, lindane, methoxychlor, endosulfans, and DDT and its metabolites were identified. Detectable concentrations of p,p'-DDE were found in 96% of serum samples. Among the remaining DDTs, o,p'-DDD was the most prevalent, detected in 65% of serum samples. Detectable concentrations of endosulfan I or II or their metabolites endosulfan-diol, or -sulfate were found in all samples; endosulfan-diol was the most frequently detected metabolite (92%) followed by sulfate. Results indicate that men of reproductive age in Southern Spain have been and are exposed to organochlorine pesticides. Because many of these chemicals have estrogenic and anti-androgenic activity, further research is warranted to interpret the male reproductive health consequences of this exposure.

"It is my sincere hope that Christopher Bryson's apparently thorough and comprehensive perusal of the scientific literature on the biological actions of fluoride and the ensuing debates through the years will receive the attention it deserves and that its implications will be seriously considered."-Arvid Carlsson, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Medicine

"The Fluoride Deception reads like a whodunit. . . .We are left with compelling evidence that powerful interests with high financial stakes have colluded to prematurely close honest discussion and investigation into fluoride toxicity."-Chemical & Engineering News

"Previous authors have presented the idea of a deception, if not an outright conspiracy, involving fluoride. What makes Bryson's book unique is that it is an up-to-date account supported by indisputable new evidence in the form of declassified correspondence and exhumation of buried studies."-Fluoride

"As with landmark titles, such as Silent Spring, Bryson's book is bound to become a seminal volume."-British Columbia Naturopathic Association

With the narrative punch of Jonathan Harr's A Civil Action and the commitment to environmental truth-telling of Erin Brockovich, The Fluoride Deception leads us on a terrifying journey through the history of the industrial use of fluoride, a chemical substance that has risen steadily in status from a deadly environmental pollutant responsible for injuring thousands to a key component in the development of the atomic bomb to a staple ingredient in toothpaste and drinking water all across the United States.

Christopher Bryson is an award-winning investigative reporter and television producer. After reporting on Guatemalan Army human rights abuses from Central America in the late 1980s for the BBC World Service, National Public Radio, and The Atlanta Constitution, he then won a George Polk Award as part of the Jonathan Kwitny investigative team on public television's The Kwitny Report.

Generations at Risk presents compelling evidence that human exposure to some toxic chemicals can have lifelong and even intergenerational effects on human reproduction and development. The result of a collaboration involving public health professionals, physicians, environmental educators, and policy advocates, this book examines how scientific, social, economic, and political systems may fail to protect us from environmental and occupational toxicants. It is an important sourcebook for those concerned about their own health and that of their loved ones, as well as for medical and public health workers, community activists, policymakers, and industrial decision makers.

Now in paperback, Barbara Seaman's groundbreaking book that blows the lid off the wholesale use of estrogen to treat menopause.

Over the last sixty years, millions women in the United States were prescribed estrogen, but did they know all there is to know about this powerful hormone? In this groundbreaking book, Barbara Seaman traces the history of estrogen use and misuse and investigates the pharmaceutical manufacturers who pushed aside any negative findings on estrogen to insinuate their products into the lives of women, old and young. Seaman turns up essential, often shocking, information that should have been part of public awareness but, only now, is coming to light.

A brilliant writer, first-time mother, and respected biologist, Sandra Steingraber tells the month-by-month story of her own pregnancy, weaving in the new knowledge of embryology, the intricate development of organs, the emerging architecture of the brain, and the transformation of the mother's body to nourish and protect the new life. At the same time, she shows all the hazards that we are now allowing to threaten each precious stage of development, including the breast-feeding relationship between mothers and their newborns. In the eyes of an ecologist, the mother's body is the first environment, the mediator between the toxins in our food, water, and air and her unborn child.Never before has the metamorphosis of a few cells into a baby seemed so astonishingly vivid, and never before has the threat of environmental pollution to conception, pregnancy, and even to the safety of breast milk been revealed with such clarity and urgency. In Having Faith, poetry and science combine in a passionate call to action.A Merloyd Lawrence Book

The first prescriptive book on the subject, Hormone Deception reveals where hormone disruptors come from and how they affect adults, children, and the unborn child. It also gives you easy, practical tips for protecting your home and your family, such as vacuuming frequently and using water filters. Includes a foreword by John R. Lee, M.D., and a preface by John A. McLachlan, Ph.D.

Research on the molecular aspects of fish reproduction has progressed swiftly over the past few years. With the availability of wide-ranging molecular tools, fish researchers have elucidated many of the molecular mechanisms regulating reproduction which operate in the brain, pituitary and gonad. This research has revealed novel variants of reproductive hormones and their receptors, and has shed new light on the mechanisms through which many of these genes can be activated. Several of the findings, which are reported in this book, have formed the basis for subsequent mammalian research and will also constitute the platform on which new approaches to reproductive management in aquaculture can be developed.

Hormones and Pharmaceuticals Generated by Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations: Transport in Water and Soil examines how hormones, antibiotics and pharmaceuticals generated from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) of cattle, poultry, swine and aquaculture are transported in water and soil. Little is known of the environmental fate of the tons of physiologically active steroid hormones released each year. In their own regard, in the last 20 years considerable attention has been given to a wide variety of natural and anthropomorphic agents known as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). Until the contribution of steroid hormones to the environment are better defined, it will be difficult to quantify the exact impact of EDCs. While some advances in the understanding of the fate of these compounds in water has been made, little is known about the processes that govern their transport in soil or how they eventually reach groundwater. As this book discusses extensively, it is somewhat of a mystery how steroids, with their lipophilic nature, strong binding to humic acids and extensive metabolism by soil bacteria, can be transported through even a few centimeters of soil, let alone 20 to 40 meters to the groundwater. With respect to antibiotics, the emphasis is on their fate and transport in the environment and on the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Impacts on soil ecology, including the impact of antibiotics on the metabolism of other active agents, is also discussed. Similarly, the acaricides and insecticides used in animal husbandry are widely used and their environmental pathways have been studied and have significant impacts on soil and dung ecology. Active compounds with potential environmental impacts, such as growth promoters generated from CAFOs, are described. However, because little is known of their environmental fate, emphasis is placed on defining the gaps in our knowledge and defining their possible effects.

What you should know about menopausal hormone therapy—from the renowned Harvard doctor who is one of the pioneers conducting the latest research in the field

Recent news stories on the safety of menopausal hormone therapy (also known as hormone replacement therapy, or HRT) have raised public awareness and sparked a national debate. Now learn the facts about this controversial treatment for menopause—from the field's go-to expert.

Hot Flashes, Hormones, and Your Health explains the changes that occur during menopause. It also provides you with state-of-the-art information to help you make informed decisions about hormone therapy and other options for treating symptoms of menopause. The cutting-edge research and advice presented in this book will help you determine whether to start hormone therapy, or, if you are already taking hormones, whether you should continue to do so. This book will help you work more effectively with your health care provider to make the best decisions about your medical care. If you have taken hormones in the past, Hot Flashes, Hormones, and Your Health will also be useful in understanding the overall health effects of this treatment.

So, if you are debating whether to start, continue, or stop hormone therapy, Hot Flashes, Hormones, and Your Health has the answers you need: The latest scientific evidence on the benefits and risks of managing menopause with hormone therapyExpert guidance in determining whether or not hormone therapy is the right choice for you, and, if it is, when to start, when to stop, and what type to useThe truth about bioidentical hormonesHealthful and effective options for women who cannot-or prefer not to-use hormone therapy

"Hot Flashes, Hormones & Your Health is one of the best books about menopause I've ever read. It is not only a great book for the woman going through menopause and experiencing this new phase of life, but also for the well-educated healthcare professional who thought she or he had read everything on the topic."
—from a review by Robyn B. Faye, MD, FACOG; published in Flashes, the North America Menopause Society newsletter

The observed concentrations of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in raw wastewater confirm that municipal wastewater represents the main disposal pathway for the PPCPs consumed in households, hospitals and industry. In sewage treatment plant effluents most PPCPs are still present, since many of these polar and persistent compounds are being removed only partially or, in some cases, not at all. Treated wastewater therefore represents an important point source for PPCPs into the environment. After passing a sewage treatment plant the treated wastewater is mostly discharged into rivers and streams or sometimes used to irrigate fields. If drinking water is produced using resources containing a substantial proportion of treated wastewater (e.g. from river water downstream of communities) the water cycle is closed and indirect potable reuse occurs. Human Pharmaceuticals, Hormones and Fragrances provides an overview of the occurrence, analytics, removal and environmental risk of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater, surface water and drinking water.The book covers all aspects of the fate and removal of PPCPs in the whole water cycle: consumption and occurrence, analytical methods, the legal background, environmental risk assessment, human and animal toxicology, source control options, wastewater and drinking water treatment as well as indirect reuse. The book presents a summary of the results obtained during the EU project "Poseidon", combined with further expert knowledge on the field, and is written at a level appropriate for professionals involved in management of water resource quality. Professionals in the field including decision makers, engineers and scientists, as well as students entering the field, will find this an invaluable source of information. *First comprehensive study on the assessment, fate and removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater and drinking water treatment. *Emphasises the importance of micropollutants in the water cycle, provides methods for quantifying their fate and technologies for their removal.

Cells talk—and scientists are listening. One of the most intriguing topics in molecular biology, biochemical communication is the cornerstone of modern medicine and the mainstay of cutting-edge pharmaceutical research. For nearly a century, researchers have been straining to hear the whispered conversations among cells, hoping to master the basics of their language. They know that if we can decipher and translate this cellular chatter, we have the potential for sending signals of our own that could repair wounds, reduce cholesterol, control insulin levels, or even block the reproduction of cancer cells. The possibilities are extraordinary.

The Language of Life reveals the private conversations of cells. In place of words, however, cells use chemicals, linking molecule to molecule to construct sentences that obey formal rules of grammar and syntax as binding as those that govern our own spoken and written language. Through the exchange and interpretation of chemical signals, they report every newsworthy event, record every memory, respond to every bodily injury.

If you've ever wondered how your body copes with stress and change, why you can't lose weight, or shake unreasonable fears; if you've pondered the origins of cancer or the epidemic of diabetes; or if you've wished for a glimpse into the future of medicine, this is a book you must read. Debra Niehoff examines the communication breakdowns that underlie some of our most common and intractable disorders and shows how intervening in these crises by sending signals of our own not only gives us the drugs to cure what ails us, but promises more effective and better targeted medications in the future.

The Language of Life blends the vision of science with the poetry of life itself. It is a fantastic story of discovery that artfully conveys the epic of the developing embryo, the miracle of the human brain, and the stories of battles waged by cells on the front lines of a never-ending war against disease.

The gene has become a cultural icon and an increasingly rich source of imagery and ideas for visual artists. Drawing on a wide range of contemporary painting and sculpture, The Molecular Gaze: Art in the Genetic Age explores the moral and bioethical questions these works address. What does it mean to be human? What is "identity" in a society of genetically manipulated individuals? Questions like these are growing louder as genetic technology advances and the public examines the ethical consequences more widely. Suzanne Anker and Dorothy Nelkin, an artist and a social scientist, have written a thought-provoking and visually fascinating book for scientists, artists, students, and general readers intrigued by the anxiety and exhilaration of the genetic age.

Molecular Toxicology is the first volume of a three-volume set Molecular, Clinical and Environmental Toxicology that offers a comprehensive and in-depth response to the increasing importance and abundance of chemicals in daily life. By providing intriguing insights far down to the molecular level, this work covers the entire range of modern toxicology with special emphasis on recent developments and achievements. It is written for students and professionals in medicine, science, public health and engineering who are demanding reliable information on toxic or potentially harmful agents and their adverse effects on the human body.

One-Stop Problem Solving...Naturally

With the increased popularity of natural remedies, more and more women are looking for clear, authoritative information on how to use these applications for specific health problems. What will help severe allergies? How do the major hormonal events in a woman's life — from puberty to post-menopause — affect symptoms and treatments? What's the real story on hormone-replacement therapies? Do birth-control pills increase the risk of breast cancer or not?

In this one-stop reference, D. Lindsey Berkson provides clear explanations and natural solutions. Organized in a straightforward A-Z format and covering more than 200 health conditions with advice focused entirely on women's distinctive needs, entries include discussions of:

anorexia • arthritis • cancer
heart disease • hormone-replacement therapy • insomnia
lupus • menopause • pregnancy
STDs • stress • thyroid problems

Each entry provides an explanation of the condition, lists common and uncommon symptoms, notes likely causes, and includes a section of uniquely female concerns highlighting the role of hormones. Sensible health-promoting strategies are spelled out: which foods to eat, which foods to avoid, which dietary supplements to take, and which exercises to do, as well as how meditation and visualization can help. Each section includes complementary medicine tests to discuss with your doctor.

What makes us the way we are? Some say it's the genes we inherit at conception. Others are sure it's the environment we experience in childhood. But could it be that many of our individual characteristics—our health, our intelligence, our temperaments—are influenced by the conditions we encountered before birth?That's the claim of an exciting and provocative field known as fetal origins. Over the past twenty years, scientists have been developing a radically new understanding of our very earliest experiences and how they exert lasting effects on us from infancy well into adulthood. Their research offers a bold new view of pregnancy as a crucial staging ground for our health, ability, and well-being throughout life.Author and journalist Annie Murphy Paul ventures into the laboratories of fetal researchers, interviews experts from around the world, and delves into the rich history of ideas about how we're shaped before birth. She discovers dramatic stories: how individuals gestated during the Nazi siege of Holland in World War II are still feeling its consequences decades later; how pregnant women who experienced the 9/11 attacks passed their trauma on to their offspring in the womb; how a lab accident led to the discovery of a common household chemical that can harm the developing fetus; how the study of a century-old flu pandemic reveals the high personal and societal costs of poor prenatal experience. Origins also brings to light astonishing scientific findings: how a single exposure to an environmental toxin may produce damage that is passed on to multiple generations; how conditions as varied as diabetes, heart disease, and mental illness may get their start in utero; why the womb is medicine's latest target for the promotion of lifelong health, from preventing cancer to reducing obesity. The fetus is not an inert being, but an active and dynamic creature, responding and adapting as it readies itself for life in the particular world it will enter. The pregnant woman is not merely a source of potential harm to her fetus, as she is so often reminded, but a source of influence on her future child that is far more powerful and positive than we ever knew. And pregnancy is not a nine-month wait for the big event of birth, but a momentous period unto itself, a cradle of individual strength and wellness and a crucible of public health and social equality.

With the intimacy of a personal memoir and the sweep of a scientific revolution, Origins presents a stunning new vision of our beginnings that will change the way you think about yourself, your children, and human nature itself.

Handbook reflects continued advances in the understanding of the etiology, identification and management of diseases in children linked to the environment. Discusses environmental hazards to children and provides guidance regarding how to diagnose, treat, and prevent childhood diseases linked to environmental exposures. For practicing clinicians. Previous edition: c1999. Softcover.

*44% of adults take prescription medication.
*1 in 5 also take herbal supplements.
*15 million of these people are at risk for an adverse reaction.

Are you one of them?

Included in this powerful new book:
*An A-Z handbook of common symptoms and ailments
*Time-tested, Graedon-approved home and herbal remedies
*An overview of the most popular herbs in the US, Europe, and Australia.
*Over fifty monographs that detail the active ingredients, common uses, proper dosages, special precautions, adverse effects, and possible herb and drug interactions for each herb.
*Resource listings of herbal web pages and products

This digital document is a journal article from Science of the Total Environment, The, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Samples were collected from two stormwater canals and a recreational urban waterway known as Bayou St. John in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA and analyzed for a range of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Concentrations of 7 PPCPs and EDCs were measured by a method that provides for simultaneous extraction and quantification of the following compounds: clofibric acid, naproxen, ibuprofen, fluoxetine, clorophene, triclosan, bisphenol A. The method also was used as an indicator of the occurrence of estrogenic compounds by targeting estrone and 17@b-estradiol. The two canals (Orleans and London) are used to drain a portion of the city's stormwater directly into the Mississippi River or Lake Pontchartrain. Bayou St. John is located between the two canals and supplied with water from Lake Pontchartrain. Results from the 6-month sampling period indicated the following concentration ranges for the two stormwater canals: naproxen (ND - 145 ng/l), ibuprofen (ND - 674 ng/l), triclosan (ND - 29 ng/l) and bisphenol A (1.9-158 ng/l). Concentrations of these target analytes increased with cumulative rainfall. For bayou waters, only naproxen (2.1-4.8 ng/l) and bisphenol A (0.9-44 ng/l) were detected. Estrone was detected but determined non-quantifiable for multiple sampling events at the 3 sites. None of the other target analytes (clofibric acid, fluoxetine, clorophene, and 17@b-estradiol) were detected above their method detection levels. Results of this study demonstrate the occurrence of PPCPs and EDCs in New Orleans stormwater canals and Bayou St. John. Results also demonstrate the use of this analytical technique as an indicator of non-point source sewage contamination in New Orleans stormwater canals.

This pioneering study looks at the effects of prenatal testosterone on postnatal development and behavior. Hormonal effects on behavior have long been studied in animals; the unique contribution of this book is to suggest a connection between human fetal hormones and later behavior. It details for the first time testosterone's effect on social and language development, opening a new avenue of research for cognitive neuroscience.

The authors look at samples of amniotic fluid taken during amniocentesis at 16 weeks' gestation, and relate the fetal level of testosterone (which is present in fetuses of both sexes, although in different quantities) to behavior at ages 1, 2, and 4 years. They argue that the amniotic fluid provides a window into the child's past—a chemical record of that child's time in the womb—that allows informed prediction about the child's future brain, mind, and behavior. This is not the retrospective speculation of psychoanalysis, they point out, but an opportunity to study development prospectively and trace developmental precursors and causes of later cognition.

The study suggests that prenatal levels of testosterone affect a range of later behaviors in children, from the inclination to make eye contact with others to the size of the vocabulary. It also suggests that prenatal testosterone level may be related to the development of typically "masculine" and "feminine" behaviors. The study's ongoing research explores whether fetal testosterone has any link with the risk of developing autism. Connecting endocrinology and psychology, the authors propose that there is a biological component to behaviors often thought to be produced by the social environment.

When an environmental news story breaks, the first place to turn for background on the issue is The Reporter's Environmental Handbook, now available in an updated and expanded third edition. Here, journalists can find the fast facts they need to accurately cover complex and controversial environmental stories ranging from indoor and outdoor air quality to sprawl and bioterrorism.

The link between reproductive health and the environment has been strengthened by the findings of recent studies. It is becoming increasingly important to link results and data from such studies into a model that aids in the explanation of phenomena observed in the field and facilitates predictability. ;To this end, the aim of this book is to review recent trends and developments in the study of the impact that the environment has on human reproduction. These issues are thoroughly examined, using the most modern techniques and methods available, to analyze the manner in which both male and female fertility can be affected and assessed. Such diverse factors as toxic environmental contaminants, air pollution, and exposure to medical drugs are examined. The book includes both a historical overview and a look towards the future, aiming to integrate health concerns into policy-making and legislation.

This book will be of interest to researchers, health professionals, environmental scientists, and policy-makers.

Presents material from the third of a series of workshops sponsored by the Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine. Examines the problem of preterm birth as an environmental health problem. Softcover. DNLM: Labor, Premature—etiology—Congresses.

University science is now entangled with entrepreneurship, and researchers with a commercial interest are caught in an ethical quandary. Science in the Private Interest investigates the trends and effects of modern, commercialized academic science. Visit our website for sample chapters!

Did you know that human sperm is ejaculated at a speed of 17 km/h.? Or that ejaculate is pushed out in 0,8 second intervals? Or that the male orgasm, which usually lasts between 3 and 10 seconds, only in exceptional cases lasts longer than 15 seconds? Or that it is accompanied by an increase in heart frequency to 180 beats per minute, and that breathing can accelerate to 40 breaths per minute? Just about any question about semen, fertility, male sexual potency, and sexual physiology, is answered by Vivien Marx in this lively, informed and entertainingly written book. It is a book for men. It is a book for women. It is a reference book, a textbook, and a good read. If you ever wondered what the purpose of orgasm is, what determines the smell and colour of semen, wondered about delayed ejaculations - retrograde ejaculations, how best to look after testicles, how smoking, alcohol, drugs, stress and lifestyle affect potency and fertility, how environmental influences fertility, (are British men an endangered species?), about semen and disease - the unloved companions of the sperm cells, semen and criminology, the history of semen science, how semen is tested - you will find the answers to these and hundreds of other questions here. Of potential interest to everyone who walks into a bookshop. Meticulously researched and written in an entertaining and informative style. Sure to attract media attention. Timely book for the sexual health market .

In this revolutionary work — a landmark that signals the true beginning of feminist medicine — a doctor, a philosopher, and a scientist prove that by postponing marriage and motherhood, women have accelerated the aging process, resulting in earlier menopause and, ultimately for thousands, earlier death. In Sex, Lies, and Menopause, T.S. Wiley, Julie Taguchi, M.D., and Bent Formby, Ph.D., turn thirty years of medical and cultural wisdom on its head, challenging both

the medical establishment and modern feminists who believe women can delay childbearing that menopause, a natural state of female maturity, does not have to lead to potentially deadly medical conditions.

Sex, Lies, and Menopause offers strong evidence that the use of synthetic hormones leads to cancer and advises women to turn to natural hormone replacement therapy — derived from plants, not drugs — to help them elevate their estrogen level for greater energy, libido, and intellectual capacity. A groundbreaking effort of creative insight and astute research, this book fearlessly tackles one of the greatest health crises facing American women today.

Provocative, empowering, and scientifically sound, Sex, Lies, and Menopause addresses the inherent benefits of natural progesterone, reveals the lies advanced by the medical and drug establishments, and challenges women to demand a medical future where their health comes first. The research presented here will at last allow women to create their own plan of action by safely putting themselves on the path to better health and hormonal balance at any stage of life.

How does pollution impact our daily quality of life? What are the effects of pollution on children's development? Why do industry and environmental experts disagree about what levels of pollutants are safe? In this clearly written book, Moore traces the debates around five key pollutants—-lead, mercury, noise, pesticides, and dioxins and PCBs—-and provides an overview of the history of each pollutant, basic research findings, and the scientific and regulatory controversies surrounding it. Moore focuses, in particular, on the impact of these pollutants on children's psychological development—- their intellectual functioning, behavior, and emotional states. Only by understanding the impact of pollution can we prevent future negative effects on quality of life and even pollution disasters from occurring. This volume will be of great interest to parents, child health care experts, public health officials, regulators, and health and environmental advocates.

Sittig's Handbook of Pesticides and Agricultural Chemicals is specifically designed for use by those engaged in the agricultural and food processing industries, both vital to our nation's health and economy. People in every phase of food production, from the farm to the fork, will find a wealth of material here. It will also be of interest to professionals in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and personal care industries who use agricultural products as ingredients. It provides crop, chemical, regulatory, health and safety information on nearly 800 pesticides, fertilizers, and other agricultural chemicals. These chemicals are organized withg unique identifiers so that all who may have contact with or interest in them can find critical information quickly.

Pollution is no longer just about belching smokestacks and ugly sewer pipes—now, it's personal. The most dangerous pollution, it turns out, comes from commonplace items in our homes and workplaces. To prove this point, for one week authors Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie ingested and inhaled a host of things that surround all of us. Using their own bodies as the reference point to tell the story of pollution in our modern world, they expose the miscreant corporate giants who manufacture the toxins, the weak-kneed government officials who let it happen, and the effects on people and families across the globe. This book—the testimony of their experience—exposes the extent to which we are poisoned every day of our lives, from the simple household dust that is polluting our blood to the toxins in our urine that are created by run-of-the-mill shampoos and toothpaste. Ultimately hopeful, the book empowers readers with some simple ideas for protecting themselves and their families, and changing things for the better.

Text features a report from the National Institute of Medicine, as requested by the National Institute of Aging and the National Cancer Institute, on the potential beneficial and adverse effects of testosterone therapy in older men. Features conclusions and recommendations derived from a twelve-month study and clinical trials. Softcover.

Just Say No to America's Number-One Drug
Menopause is not a disease. So why are millions of American women taking a drug for this natural body process?
The widespread popularity of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a triumph of marketing and advertising over science. Although HRT and estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) can help some women with certain menopause-related problems, the benefits have been oversold to women and their health care providers. There is no scientifically valid evidence that estrogen prevents heart disease, colon cancer, or Alzheimer's. Nor is there any evidence that it keeps you looking younger, preserves your sex drive, or enhances your memory.
However, HRT does carry the risk of serious side effects, including certain cancers. Should you be taking such risky drugs to help you get through menopause? The Truth About Hormone Replacement Therapy, written by the National Women's Health Network, will help you decide. Inside, you'll discover:
·The risks of hormone replacement therapy
·How to talk to your doctor about HRT
·The truth about hormone therapy and osteoporosis
·Natural alternatives to relieve perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms
·And much more
This sensible health guide gives you the tools you need to make an informed decision that's best for you and your body.
"A balanced review of the hazards and potential benefits of hormone therapy after menopause."
—Graham A. Colditz, M.D., professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School

When Puberity is Precocious: Scientific and Clinical Aspects provides a unique continuum of expertise, looking at puberty from anthropologic, epidemiologic, clinical, and molecular perspectives. The volume addresses broad pubertal changes in the general population while at the same time providing in depth information about specific disorders of puberty and the latest management changes. The text is divided into seven parts. The first is an in-depth investigation into neuroendocrine control of puberty, the second looks at secular trends and the onset of puberty, and the third provides an examination into isolated breast development. The fourth section covers adrenal abnormalities and puberty, the next two sections include chapters on gonadotropin's effects, and the final section is a looks at environmental effects on puberty. Comprehensive and timely, When Puberity is Precocious: Scientific and Clinical Aspects will become an essential reference for endocrinologists and internists with an interest in precocious puberty.

The National Book Award Finalist from a leading public-health expert, this is the unknown story of how environmental pollution has affected our health-past, present, and future.

In When Smoke Ran Like Water, the world-renowned epidemiologist Devra Davis confronts the public triumphs and private failures of her lifelong battle against environmental pollution. She documents the shocking toll of a public-health disaster-300,000 deaths a year in the U.S. and Europe from the effects of pollution-and asks why we remain silent. For Davis, the issue is personal: Pollution is what killed many in her family and forced some of the others, survivors of the 1948 smog emergency in Donora, Pennsylvania, to live out their lives with impaired health. She describes that episode and also makes startling revelations about how the deaths from the London smog of 1952 were falsely attributed to influenza; how the oil companies and auto manufacturers fought for decades to keep lead in gasoline, while knowing it caused brain damage; and many other battles. When Smoke Ran Like Water makes a devastating case for change.