Guest guest Posted March 23, 2002 Report Share Posted March 23, 2002 ----- Original Message ----- From: " ilena rose " <ilena@...> <Recipient List Suppressed:;> Sent: Friday, March 22, 2002 10:32 PM Subject: An Open Letter from E. Kolb, M.D., F.A.C.S. ~ SiliconeStudies > http://www.plastikos.com/opnltrsilcon.htm > > > > An Open Letter from > E. Kolb, M.D., F.A.C.S. > Certified by The American Board of Holistic Medicine, 2-01 > > > Silicone Studies > > > > March 12, 2001 > > Dear: > > After watching " Storm in a D Cup " on The Learning Channel, I would like to > propose some suggestions to scientists that may help to resolve the still > ongoing breast implant controversy, which in my opinion has not ever been > satisfactorily resolved. > > 1 am a board certified plastic surgeon who is also board certified in > holistic medicine. I have not only had the opportunity to experience the > symptoms of silicone immune and neurological disease in my own body when my > silicone gel implants leaked, but also have had the opportunity to treat > over five hundred women with similar illnesses. Subsequently I believe I > have some insights into this problem that may have been missed by doctors > who do not treat these women. > > First of all, any study on silicone should only include women who have had > implants in at least eight to ten years as it is well documented that in > most cases leakage or rupture usually does not occur before this time, > unless the implant is subject to some form of trauma. There are studies > describing the lipolysis reaction that occurs on the Silastic shell and > this lipolysis reaction takes time. Second, a less strict definition of > connective tissue or autoimmune disease needs to be studied, as the > majority of patients do not have a known connective tissue disease. The > first element of this disease has to do with the development of symptoms of > systemic candidiasis due to an immune dysfunction, which I have found to be > associated with depressed natural killer T cell levels. We also find at > surgery that approximately half of the patients' breast capsules culture > out pathogenic organisms such as Staph aureus and Enterococcus. I would > propose that once the silicone gel leaks out of the implant, a chronic > immune response occurs that is often associated with local capsular > bacterial infection and with systemic and possibly local fungal infections. > The patients next experience neurological symptoms that can be explained by > the silicone gel migrating directly or via the macrophages into the > lymphatic and nervous systems. Women with longstanding silicone gel > exposure have typical neurological problems, usually beginning in the > extremity on the side of the implant that leaks or ruptures first. Some > women also have toxicity from platinum and other chemicals that are used in > the manufacturing process of the implants. In my experience, the end stage > of this disease is an autoimmune condition similar to scleroderma. It may > be modulated by intracellular bacterial infections that change the > characteristics of the cell wall and lead to autoimmune symptoms that are > atypical, in that they do not fall into any known connective tissue disease > but are actually very typical for women with silicone immune dysfunction. > This does not occur right away and may take ten or more years of silicone > exposure. > > The clinical picture we see in these women is that of increased level of > cytokines which explains why Plaquenil is effective. I believe this is also > one of the factors, along with the presence of increased silica in the > body, which may protect women with implants against breast cancer. Silica > and other mineral deficiencies are known to predispose to cancer. > > It is important to study this problem for three reasons. One is that > silicone gel implants are being reintroduced into the market without > understanding what has caused so many women to become ill; and the second > is that some patients with saline implants are experiencing similar > problems, especially after trauma, which may disrupt some of the textured > silicone from the capsule into the systemic circulation and/or lymphatics; > and third, is the advent of the exciting research on the potential > protection from breast implants against the development of breast cancer. > This potential advent indicates the necessity of fully understanding the > effects of silicone and its breakdown products in the body as this may > contain the information for an important cancer treatment. > > I would propose much more detailed immunological studies of the patients > with problems as well as a study of the HLA type of the same patients. Our > best avenue to serve'our patients is to prevent complications even if they > occur in a minority of our patients, rather than to insist that these > problems do not exist. Many of my patients have been told by their plastic > surgeons and/or rheumatologists that their implants could not have anything > to do with their illness, only to discover abnormal bacterial and fungal > growth around an implant that when removed and properly treated, leads to > the patients' recovery and greatly improved health. I would encourage all > of the doctors and scientists in this politically charged issue to focus on > the patient to determine what is making them ill, and on the science of > silicone, so hopefully we may someday safely use this material in the body. > > Sincerely Yours, > > E. Kolb, M.D., F.A.C.S. SEK: tam > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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