Estrogen and Breast Cancer: A Warning to Women [Paperback]

Carol Ann Rinzler (Author), Graham Colditz (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1996

A cautionary tale about American medicine's experimentation with female hormones, this balanced book chronicles the 60-year attempt to "cure" menopause with estrogen and the 40-year history of chemical contraception, weighing the pros and cons of estrogen use and allowing women to make informed decisions about their bodies.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rinzler ( The Dictionary of Medical Folklore ) notes that the probability of American women contracting breast cancer has risen alarmingly in the last 50 years, from a one-in-20 ratio to the current (and still rising) one-in-nine, and suggests that we "bend the semantic line" and call this situation an epidemic. While not dismissing various other causes of the cancer (exposure to environmental hazards, high fat intake, familial patterns), she proposes that the major blame could be laid on estrogen, whether absorbed in the form of birth control pills or during estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). Her argument will attract listeners, especially among women. Rinzler assumes little and explains much, from the workings of cancer generally ("Cancer isn't one disease; it is many") to the legislative politics of estrogen and the FDA: she revisits the Nelson hearings, and chronicles the paradoxes of ERT (while it "appeared to raise the risk of endometrial cancer in older women, estrogen/progestin oral contraceptives might actually lower the risk for young women"). Her balanced and informative look at an ongoing problem may not solve it, but Rinzler offers new thoughts and a comprehensive knowledge. First serial to Fitness Magazine .
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

A statistics-laden, fact-filled chronicle linking the increasing use of estrogen with the growing incidence of breast cancer, plus some solid ideas about remedying the situation. Medical writer Rinzler (Cosmetics, 1977, etc.) adeptly wends her way through a host of scientific studies, translating them into lay language and sorting out their implications. Her take- home message: The estrogen in oral contraceptives, used by millions of young women, and in hormone-replacement therapy, used by millions of older women, promotes the growth of existing tumors and may initiate cancers in susceptible women. Rinzler's story essentially begins with legal approval of the Pill in 1960, but there's also a brief look at how female medical problems were treated in earlier days, including some fascinating medical lore- -e.g., that in 1934, the Merck Manual, a standard reference book of current medical opinion, listed cannabis as a treatment for the symptoms of menopause. Rinzler generally lets the facts speak for themselves, offering no shrill diatribe against pharmaceutical companies or physicians, no easy indictment of the medical establishment. The picture she creates is more complex, since powerful medications such as estrogen are never risk-free, and the benefits always must be weighed against the dangers. Overall, Rinzler's criticisms are validated and her recommendations restrained: Women must be told the truth about estrogen, and those at risk for cancer must be identified; the rules for prescribing estrogen must be tightened; safer alternatives must be found. If the author meets her aim, women won't abandon the Pill or hormone-replacement therapy, but will ask critical questions of their physicians and make informed decisions about the risks they're willing to take. Straight talk--informative and accessible--about a health issue of concern to millions. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Hunter House (CA); 2 Sub edition (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089793198X
• ISBN-13: 978-0897931984
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,110,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good case re estrogen causing increase in breast cancer, October 6, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Estrogen and Breast Cancer: A Warning to Women (Paperback)

An good example of, I have no conflict of interest, journalism. Ms. Rinzler has done her homework. She makes a sound case for the idea that the exponential increase in Breast Cancer is mostly the result of the massive introduction of estrogen into women's lives. Birth Control Pills, Hormone Replacement Therapy, DES and more, are all clearly implicated. Why then do they continue to be sold, with ever increasing favor? Why is this being denied/ignored? Why is this just shuffled off as a factor to consider? Why has this book received so little attention? Women should read, study and meditate on this book. Take it to heart. Ask yourself these questions. A fine example of excellent journalism, well written, staight foward and easy to read

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and prophetic, July 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Estrogen and Breast Cancer: A Warning to Women (Paperback)

I bought this book when it first came out in 1993, and everything journalist Carol Ann Rinzler said then has now become accepted by the top medical researchers. Estrogen (especially when combined with progestin) DOES cause breast cancer, and the supposed benefits of estrogens for preventing heart disease are now being hotly debated. The HERS study (the first big randomized controlled trial on women with heart disease)actually found women had more heart attacks during the first year than women not on HRT. If you still have any doubt that estrogen causes breast cancer, READ THIS BOOK. Only when we're fully informed can women make clear-headed decisions about whether or not to take estrogen drugs for the rest of our lives.