info to give your doctors

[Guest guest]

I like this article because it's in plain English,

covers many of our problems, and is concise.

I suggest calling your doctors, asking for their email

address so you can send them this article. If they

won't give you and email address, mail it and mark the

envelope in a way to get their attention.

If we get this info out to ENOUGH doctors, maybe the

tide will turn.

Hugs to all,

Rogene

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Silicone Implant Disease by Ron Kennedy, M.D., Santa

, California

http://www.medical-library.net/sites/framer.html?/sites/_silicone_implant_diseas\

e.html

Silicone breast implants were introduced in 1962 and

have been surgically implanted in an estimated 2.5

million American women since then and many more

world-wide. Some women get them as part of breast

reconstruction therapy following mastectomy for breast

cancer, but the majority get them because they want

larger breasts.

Now, 38 years later, it is clear that silicon

enhancement of breasts can be hazardous to the health

of the recipient. The real cost of cosmetic breast

enhancement may not be the $10,000 in surgical fees to

implant them, but a host of autoimmune symptoms and

strange illnesses that can crop up, typically within

about seven years of implantation.

Silicone is a biologically active and toxic substance.

The original statement by the Dow Chemical Company in

the 1940s (repeated hundreds of times since) that

silicone is biologically inert and nontoxic, was based

on a single one-week study of rats and guineas pigs.

(In 1943, Dow Chemical Company and Corning Glassworks

formed Dow Corning Corporation to market silicone and

silicone implants.)

The basic gel implant filler - DC 360 silicone fluid -

was once considered worth following up for development

by Dow Corning scientists as a potent insecticide, one

of the few known substances capable of killing

cockroaches.

Dow Corning researchers also studied silicone as a

possible better chemical warfare and riot control

agent, according to a 1969 internal memorandum

obtained by the PSC (Public Safety Commission).

Silicone gel is not a single substance but a fluid

comprised of numerous different versions of silicone,

and is better termed a " silicone chemical soup. "

Research collected by the PSC shows that silicone has

marked effects on the adrenal glands and liver,

induces chronic inflammation, and degrades into

smaller molecules, including silica. Silicone fed to

rabbits produced widespread toxic effects including

kidney and spleen damage within four months. (Stanford

Medical Bulletin, 10:1 [1952], 23-26) That silicone is

toxic in both animals and man is well proven, states

S. Sergent,

M.D., and colleagues in The Textbook of Rheumatology

(W.B. Saunders Company, 1993).

Silicone degrades into silica, usually at the surface

of the gel implant, then fragments and subdivides into

millions of microdroplets capable of migrating

throughout the body (PSC Records No. 1352, 7017).

These are documents produced by Dow Corning in

national litigation). Silica in thebody is a toxic,

carcinogenic substance, damaging the immune system,

killing cells, and producing silicosis.

Silicone and its contaminants which bleed through its

surrounding implant envelope into neighboring tissue

have the potential for significant toxicity in the

implant recipient.(Seminars in Arthritis and

Rheumatology 24:1 Suppl 1[August 1994], 11-17)

According to research gathered by attorney

, of the Law Firm in San ,

California, Dow Chemical and Dow Corning have been

aware of the toxic effects of silicone and silica

since the 1950s, based on their own studies, but never

published the data. They knew these substances were

bio-active, immunotoxic, and inflammatory when

introduced into the human body, according to

. (Update on Breast Implants, January 1998,

website:

http://www.consumerlawpage.com/article/dow.shtml)

Researchers at the University of California at Los

Angeles School of Medicine concluded in 1995: From a

pathophysiological perspective, silicone should be

expected to be a bio-active materials and the

physico-chemical and immunological data at the

experimental level are compelling. (Journal of

Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition7:2 [1995],

101-13)

Implants will likely rupture and leak within ten

years of placement.

In 1995, then FDA Commissioner A. Kessler, M.D.,

stated that the rupture rate of silicone implants

ranges between 5% and 51% and that unfortunately we do

not know with any confidence where within that range

the real rupture rate lies. " Even if it is 5% that is

a risk too great to justify the use of silicone in

human beings.

When 51 implants were removed, one to 17 years after

implantation, 2 were found to have ruptured, 7 were

leaking, and only 17 were in good condition; all

implants older than ten years were leaking or

ruptured. (Plastic Reconstructive Surgery 91:5 [April

1993], 828-834)

Based on an examination of 350 silicone implants,

doctors found that 63% of those implants in place for

12 years or more were not intact. (Plastic and

Reconstructive Surgery 99:6 [1997], 1597-1601)

According to Lu-Feng, M.D., of Mt. Sinai Medical

Center in Cleveland, Ohio, in evidence presented to

the PSC, 11% of implants which have been in the body

less than seven years rupture, but of those in the

body more than seven years, 61% rupture.

Deformities such as holes or cracks were found in 40%

of 1,717 breast implants after six years of use and in

95% after 12 years of use. (Canadian Journal of

Plastic Surgeons, Spring 1997)

When breast implants from 300 patients were examined,

71% had either rupture or silicone bleed, or both, and

63% of 592 implants, when removed, were found to have

ruptures. This led researchers to conclude: We have

found and predict that most implants have lost or will

lose the integrity of the silicone shell between eight

and 14 years, leaving free silicone [in and out of the

capsule] in the breast. (ls of Plastic Surgery

34:1 [January 1995], 1-6)

Based on an examination of 217 silicone implants

removed during a four-year period, physicians

concluded that, either from leakage or rupture, 40%

failed within six years of implantation, and 95%

within 12 years. (Canadian Journal of Plastic Surgery

4:1 [1996], 55-58)

Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, researchers

found that among 39 women with implants, 20 (51%) had

ruptured implants and 27 (69%) had evidence of

silicone in their livers. (Radiology 201:3 [December

1996], 777-783)

Complications of implants requiring further surgery

are likely within five years, based on a study of 749

women with silicone implants. During a median span of

7.8 years after implantation, 27% of the women

underwent 450 implant-related surgeries; 79% of these

surgeries were needed to address a complication, most

frequently among which were capsular contraction

(tightening of scar tissue around the implant) and

rupture. (New England Journal of Medicine 336:10

[March 6, 1997], 677-682)

French researchers found that the well-described

leakage occurring through the silicone envelope allows

the silicone gel to diffuse to multiple anatomic areas

in the body, producing a cellular response that

includes the formation of a capsule around the

implant. (Revue de Medecine Interne 18:12 [1997],

955-966)

Silicone migrates from the rupture site throughout the

body.

As early as 1956, Dow Chemical researchers knew that

liquid silicone, when injected into the body, migrates

to all the major organs, including the spleen, heart,

lung, and brain. (PSC Record No. 0006) Studies by both

Dow Corning and Dow Chemical in 1970 confirmed that

silicone, after injection, migrates to the bone marrow

of animals and changes brain weight. They also showed

that silicone particles migrate from a human finger

joint into the lymph nodes. (PSC Record No. 0018,

7038)

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas

found that silicone is widely distributed throughout

the body of mice after a single injection, migrating

to ten different organs from the brain to the uterus

and persisting in these organs over time. (American

Journal of Pathology 152:3 [March 1998], 645-649)

Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in

Milwaukee found that following silicone implant

rupture, silicone gel migrated into the arm of a

woman, where it produced nerve pain, dysfunction, and

fibrosis. (Plastic Reconstructive Surgery 89:5 [May

1992], 949-952)

Physicians at Massachusetts General Hospital in

town, using magnetic resonance imaging, found

that a significant amount of free silicone had

migrated from an implant (not noticeably ruptured)

into the liver and spleen of a woman. (Magnetic

Resonance Medicine 36:3 [september 1996], 498-501.

Researchers also found that silicone in the liver

could be detected in the first three to four years

after a woman received her implant. (Magnetic

Resonance Medicine 33:1 [January 1995], 8-17)

Of 39 women with silicone implants, 27 (69%) showed

signs of silicone in their livers, and of the 20 whose

implants had ruptured, silicone was detected in the

livers of 17 (85%). In other words, whether the

implants rupture or not, silicone leaks and migrates

to the liver. (Radiology 201 [1996], 777-783; PSC

Record No. 0050)

In 1989, studies by Dow Corning showed that silicone,

given orally to rats, increased liver size and weight

by up to 45% and suggested the enlargement might be

interpreted as a carcinogenic response. (PSC Record

No. 0482)

Silicone produces abnormalities in immune system

functioning.

Silicone elicits antibody responses and immunological

abnormalities, according to a study of 40 women who

had received implants more than ten years earlier.

Among these women, 60% had an elevated ratio of helper

T cells to suppressor T cells; 20% had a blockage in

particular functions of T cells and natural killer

cells. (Toxicology Industrial Health 8:6

[November/December 1992], 415-429)

Scientists at the University of California at

reported that evidence suggests that the degradation

products of silicone inactivate CD8+ suppressor T

cells (key immune cells) and thereby lead to an

inflammatory state in the body. (Food and Chemical

Toxicology 32:11 [November 1994], 1089-1100)

The activity of natural killer cells is significantly

suppressed in at least 50% of women with silicone

implants observed in a study; this puts the women at a

higher risk of developing cancer. The same effect was

demonstrated in animals; it was reversed upon removal

of the silicone. (Toxicology and Industrial Health

10:3 [May/June 1994], 149-154)

High levels of anti-nuclear antibodies (ANAs), immune

markers associated with lupus erythematosus, were

observed in ten of 11 women with implants reporting

autoimmune symptoms. (Lancet 340:8831 [November 28,

1992], 1304-1307)

When 500 women with silicone implants were examined,

30% tested positive for ANA levels; those women also

had rheumatic symptoms. The results strongly suggested

immune activation in women with silicone

implants.(Current Topics in Microbiological Immunology

210 [1996], 277-282)

Based on a study of 3,380 breast implant recipients,

scientists state there is a six-fold increased

likelihood that testing these women will show elevated

ANAs; the longer the implant has been in place, the

greater the likelihood. (Current Topics in

Microbiological Immunology 210 [1996], 337-353)

In a study of 111 women (with and without implants),

those with implants had a statistically significant

elevation of anti-silicone antibodies (immune cells

focused against silicone as a foreign substance in the

body); the highest levels were observed in women with

noticeable implant rupture or leakage. (FASEB 7:13

[October 1993], 1265-1268)

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin at Madison

School of Medicine reported that autoantibodies of

unclear significance may be found in 5% to 30% of

women with silicone breast implants.(Archives of

Internal Medicine 153:23 [December 1993], 2638-2644)

Researchers at Monash University in Clayton, ,

in Australia, found that women with silicone implants

(70 were studied) have elevated levels of

autoantibodies to collagen, in a manner highly similar

to women with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. (Current

Topics in Microbiological Immunology 210 [1996],

307-316)

Among 310 symptomatic women with silicone implants,

there were elevated levels of novel auto-reactive

antibodies to silicone associated antigens (a specific

type of heightened immune response) compared to

healthy women without implants. (Current Topics in

Microbiological Immunology 210 [1996], 327-336)

Scientists at the Technical University of Munich in

Germany examined 239 breast implant recipients and

found the following immunological abnormalities:

levels of complement C3 were elevated in 42% of the

women; complement C4 was elevated in 21%; and

anti-thyroglobulin (an antibody that attacks a

substance in the thyroid gland) was higher in 28%.

(ls of Plastic Surgery 36:5 [May 1996], 512-518)

When silicone leaks from implants, immune cells form

granulomas (microscopic lumps) around the droplets;

the granulomas are capable of severely disrupting the

immune system. Silicone plays the role of an adjuvant,

providing constant nonspecific stimulation of the

immune system.(Journal of Investigative Surgery 9:1

[January/February 1996], 1-12)

Silicone produces a classifiable new disease marked by

autoimmune symptoms.

Among physicians willing to credit silicone with

toxicological and immunological effects, a variety of

names for silicone-induced disease have been proposed:

siliconosis, undifferentiated or atypical connective

tissue disease, silicone related disease, silicone

reactive disorder, silicone disease syndrome, and

silicone implant disease (SID).

Typical symptoms associated with silicone include

cognitive dysfunction, short-term memory loss,

Sjögren's syndrome (dryness in glands, such as the

mouth, kidneys, eyes, and lungs), scleroderma,

rheumatoid arthritis, dermatomyositis, severe joint

and muscle pain, incapacitating fatigue, swollen lymph

glands, skin problems, peripheral numbness, multiple

allergies, headaches, hair loss, sunlight sensitivity,

central nervous system disorders (similar to multiple

sclerosis), and others.

Among 176 breast implant patients examined by doctors

at the Hospital for Joint Diseases, Orthopaedic

Institute, in New York City, the most frequently

reported symptoms were chronic fatigue (77%),

cognitive dysfunction (65%), severe joint pain (56%),

dry mouth (53%), dry eye (50%), hair loss (40%), and

difficulty in swallowing (35%). (Seminars in Arthritis

and Rheumatology 24:1 Suppl 1 [August 1994], 29-37)

A study of 50 women with implants revealed that 89%

complained of fatigue, 75% of generalized stiffness,

71% of poor sleep, and 78% of joint pain. Positive

ANAs were found in 38% of these patients. (Seminars in

Arthritis and Rheumatology 24:1 Suppl 1 [August 1994],

44-53)

A study of 56 women with silicone implants and

scleroderma (skin thickening which damages tissues)

revealed that scleroderma symptoms developed an

average of nine years after implantation. Of these,

77% also had Raynaud's phenomenon (extreme skin pallor

and coldness in hands and feet), 53% had swallowing

difficulties, 47% had lung problems, and 83% had

antinuclear antibodies. (Current Topics in

Microbiological Immunology 210 [1996], 283-90)

Doctors at the Comprehensive Care Clinic in Houston,

Texas, found that 26 women developed a systemic

disease with central nervous system involvement

(resembling multiple sclerosis) an average of 5.7

years after receiving silicone implants. (Southern

Medical Journal 89:2 [February 1996], 179-88)

Doctors at the Louisiana State University Medical

Center at New Orleans examined 300 women (average age,

44) with silicone implants and musculoskeletal

complaints. The symptoms developed an average of 6.8

years after receiving the implants; 83% had symptoms

highly suggestive of an underlying connective tissue

disorder; and 54% met the criteria for a fibromyalgia

(chronic muscle pain) diagnosis. (Clinical

Rheumatology 14:6 [November 1995], 667-672)

According to R. Shanklin, M.D., and L.

Smalley, M.D., both professors of pathology at the

University of Tennessee at Memphis, there is little if

any difference between the effects of direct injection

[of silicone] and the effects of gel-filled devices

[implants]. "

In either case, the human body reacts to the presence

of this alien substance " by forming granulomas which

then produce a chronic inflammation. Direct injection

of silicone into the breast for enlargement was

outlawed because it produced serious, toxic effects in

women; it is illogical, state Drs. Shanklin and

Smalley, that this practice is still permitted via

ruptured leaking implants. (Science and Medicine 3:5

[september/October 1996], 22-31)

Silicone-associated symptoms go away when implants are

removed.

Doctors at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

observed that 103 of 142 women attributed a variety of

symptoms to their implants and that 50% of these women

reported improvement in their health problems when the

implants were removed. (ls of Plastic Surgery 34:1

[January 1995], 1-6)

Of 33 women who underwent implant removal (average age

44), 24 experienced significant improvement in

numerous silicone-associated symptoms within 22

months. (Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatology 24:1

Suppl 1 [August 1994], 22-28)

Among 300 women with implants and musculoskeletal

complaints, 70% who underwent implant removal reported

improvement in their systemic symptomatology.

(Clinical Rheumatology 14:6 [November 1995], 667-672)

Dermatologists at the Medical University of South

Carolina at ton report that when a woman, 46,

with scleroderma had her implants removed, the

scleroderma gradually resolved.(Archives of

Dermatology 126:9 [september 1990], 1198-1202)

Doctors at the University of California, School

of Medicine report that for a woman with debilitating

multisystem sarcoidosis (multi-organ granulomas), her

clinical condition dramatically improved, after her

silicone implants were removed. (International

Archives of Allergy and Immunology 105:4 [December

1994], 404-407)

Canadian researchers polled 100 women for health

changes they experienced after having their silicone

implants removed (mean age 41) after having had the

implants for a mean of 12 years. After an average of

2.7 years, 45% of 75 women in this group (those who

had lost nipple sensitivity) believed, in retrospect,

their implants had caused permanent health problems

and 43% were suing the implant manufacturers.

Those women who had no previous signs of autoimmune

symptoms responded most favorably to explanations 80%

reported major improvement in their symptoms and 93%

said they had a significantly improved psychological

well-being.(ls of Plastic Surgery 39:1 [1997],

9-19)

Surely there is enough evidence to support the case

that silicone breast implants pose a serious potential

health threat, if not for every woman, at least for

many. Isn't it therefore prudent to side with

caution-h aving the implants removed and residual

silicone detoxified from the body-if the health

ramifications of a procedure are that uncertain?

Legal Action

Not everyone sees it this way of course. The subject

of silicone breast implants is clouded and

controversial, marked by denial, cover-up,

stonewalling, suppressed research, bankruptcy, and

class action lawsuits. There is also much suffering

involved.

The manufacturers and most plastic surgeons

strenuously insist silicone breast implants pose no

health danger; most women apparently believe this

because 87,704 more American women received implants

in 1996. Between 1992 and 1997, the number of breast

augmentation surgeries increased by 275%, according to

the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive

Surgeons.

The majority were saline implants in a silicone

casing; the only women still getting silicone implants

are those who opt for breast reconstruction following

mastectomy and agree to be part of the FDA's clinical

trials on silicone implants. However, many other

countries have not banned silicone implants and

millions of women are still regularly exposed to the

full force of not only the silicone bag which is used

with saline implants but also the silicone gel

chemical soup inside. In fact, I was inspired to post

this article after a woman from Paraguay came to my

office with severe fatigue four years after receiving

silicone implants. On Live Blood Cell Analysis several

bundles of foreign crystallized substance could be

seen in each high powered field, occupying at least 5%

of her blood volume! She returned to Paraguay to have

her implants removed.

Thousands of women who have had their implants for one

or two decades now are seeking medical help for

mysterious symptoms which resemble arthritis,

fibromyalgia, scleroderma, connective tissue

disorders, and/or immune dysfunction and seem to be

associated with their implants. Anyone skilled with a

dark field microscope can show you large numbers of

mysterious chunks of foreign particles floating around

in the blood of many women complaining of these

symptoms.

In 1992, the FDA declared a moratorium on sales of

silicone breast implants, citing the lack of clinical

studies proving their safety. However, the FDA did not

say silicone implants were unsafe, hedging as usual on

the side of manufacturers and against the public,

calling lamely for more studies.

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e R. Wahl, Ph.D., C.N.C.Int'l. Resource Center

for Chemically Induced Immune DisordersPh. (847)

678-5934 e-mail: allenew@... cause of immune

epidemic:

http://members.tripod.com/immune_disorders/index.html

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