THE SUN//HEALTH TODAY THURSDAY 08.07.2008 3C

HEALTH TODAY

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I have heard about a link betweenaluminum in antiperspirantsand breast cancer. I have also readthat aluminum may be associat-ed with Alzheimer’s disease. Ev-ery antiperspirant I have checkedhas aluminum as its main ingre-dient, which worries me. I switch-ed to a deodorant of mineral saltsto get away from aluminum, butI’ve just discovered that it con-tains alum. Is that aluminum?The crystal works great, but Idon’t want aluminum in my lifein any form. Is there anything Ican use that doesn’t contain alu-minum?

There is controversy about linksbetween aluminum and Alzhei-mer’s disease and breast cancer.Neither association has been prov-en. Nevertheless, there is sometroubling research suggesting apossible connection (Journal of In-organic Biochemistry, September2005; Journal of Alzheimer’s Dis-ease, May 2007). Scientists do notknow whether enough aluminumis absorbed from antiperspirantsto pose a risk.

Alum, which is found in many“natural” rock or stone deodor-ants, is aluminum potassium sul-fate. Ammonium alum (ammo-nium aluminum sulfate) is alsoused in deodorant crystals.

We don’t know whether there isa problem with such products, butthere is a safe alternative: milk ofmagnesia (magnesium hydrox-ide). We recently received the fol-lowing message from a reader: “Af-

ter searching the Web for how toget rid of strong underarm odor, Ifound your article on the laxativemethod. I have been using milk ofmagnesia under my arms eversince. It is a lifesaver!”

I read in your column that some-one used Certo in juice to relievepainful arthritis in the hands. Isthis the pectin with which onemakes jelly? I did buy some andstarted putting a tablespoon in 8ounces of pomegranate juice, as Ihave horrendous arthritis in myhands.

Certo is in fact a liquid pectinproduct used by home canners tomake jams and jellies thicker.Readers have told us for 10 yearsthat Certo mixed with grape juicecan help ease arthritis pain. Morerecently, someone suggested sub-stituting pomegranate juice.

Here is a recent testimonial:“I read about grape juice and

Certo last fall while I was sufferinga painful medial column collapseof the right foot that the doctor at-tributed to psoriatic arthritis. Iwas going to have surgery in late

November and tried the juice withCerto in October. I didn’t tell thedoctor, as I didn’t want to be ad-monished.

“For some mysterious reason,the pain started subsiding, thenwent away. The do ctor wasamazed but said surgery shouldonly be done as a last resort. I seehim next month for a checkupand will mention the juice withCerto.

“I’m not saying that’s what putthe arthritis in remission, butsomething happened, as I couldhardly walk at the time. So I’ll con-tinue taking it.”

Oatmeal and barley have loweredmy cholesterol significantly. Howdoes it work?

Oatmeal and barley are richsources of soluble fiber. They bindto cholesterol in the digestive tractand keep it from being absorbed........................In their column, Joe and TeresaGraedon answer letters from read-ers. Write to them in care of thisnewspaper or e-mail them via theirWeb site: peoplespharmacy.com.

PEOPLE’S PHARMACY

Milk of magnesia worksas deodorant alternativeBy Joe Graed on

.............................

and Teresa Graed on

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Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital.“All those patients don’t have avoice and often feel very self-con-scious and misunderstood.”

Lancaster and Leaf are amongan estimated 100,000 Americanswith NF, which occurs in one outof 3,000 individuals. According tothe Children’s Tumor Foundation,an advocacy group, this makes thecondition more prevalent thancystic fibrosis, hereditary muscu-lar dystrophy, Huntington’s dis-ease and Tay-Sachs disease com-bined.

There is no cure for any of thethree subtypes of NF. But surgeonscan remove tumors when they be-come painful or threaten normalbodily functions, such as visionand movement. In rare cases, tu-mors may become malignant andare treated as other cancers wouldbe, with radiation or chemothera-py.

Lancaster underwent separatesurgeries to remove tumors on herlung and neck, which were en-croaching on her spine and be-coming painful. But the op-erations have left her in morepain, she says.

“I sometimes feel electricityshooting down my body ... justcompletely unexpected,” Lancas-ter said. “It lasts for seconds andthen goes away.”

Even so, Lancaster strugglesmore with the psychological andsocial aspects of NF.

“I can’t deal with most people ...the rudeness people have; the out-right pointing, staring, screwed upface while looking at me,” saidLancaster, a retired State Depart-ment employee who lives in Suit-land. “When I go out, I need tohave my guard on. I’m ready for acomment or a look, and that’s whyI have my cards.”

Most people are unfamiliar withNF, she says, and they often ask ifthe bumps are mosquito bites. Butfrom time to time, she hears gros-sly offensive comments.

“On Halloween, a kid asked me ifI had a mask on,” Lancaster said.“And that really hurt my feelings.”

To improve her appearance, der-matologists removed several tu-mors from her face in 2006. Butthey just grew back, Lancaster

said.Doctors usually discourage sur-

gery for cosmetic reasons.“It’s not recommended pro-

cedure because there are just toomany to remove,” Blakeley said.“And it may not be worth the riskof sensory and nerve damage.”

Doctors are trying to understandthe symptoms and genetics of NFand the disorder’s implications ona patient’s life.

Patients may show a range ofsymptoms, including cafe-au-laitspots, which are flat, pigmentedspots on the skin, named after theFrench term for coffee with milkbecause of their light tan color.Some adults may exhibit no symp-toms and may be unaware theyare carriers until their childrenare diagnosed.

“The researchers focus on the ill-ness, but the patients focus on dis-

crimination,” Blakeley said. “Theymight not have a life-threateningform, but every day is like being acancer survivor for them.”

Leaf, like Lancaster, finds it diffi-cult to deal with people’s reac-tions. “When I bring up NF, peopleare not accepting of that,” she said.

She underwent surgery 14 yearsago to remove a tumor growing onher cerebellum, the region of thebrain that controls motor func-tion. The Charles Village residentis unable to drive or even walk in astraight line, so she depends onpublic transportation. Despitethese challenges, Leaf recently re-ceived a master’s degree in teach-ing at the College of Notre Dame.

“My mother has taught me that Iam no different from everyoneelse and has always strived tomake me independent,” Leaf said.

Many patients worry about thepossibility of passing on the condi-tion to their children. According tothe Children’s Tumor Foundation,each child of an affected parenthas a 50 percent chance of inherit-ing the gene.

Leaf’s family has no history ofthe disorder, but it has touched atleast three generations in Lancas-ter’s family. Her mother had thesame bumps on her face. Doctorsalso diagnosed Lancaster’s 18-year-old daughter and 13-year-oldson when they showed numerouscafe-au-lait spots on their skin.

“I just think we need to find acure for this,” Lancaster said.

NF research is managed primari-ly by the Defense Department atthe direction of Congress, who hasreduced spending on NF from apeak of $25 million in 2005 to $8million this year. Researchers andadvocates, such as John Risner, theChildren’s Tumor Foundationpresident, express concerns. “Thisis money well-spent, and otherprograms are not seeing the same

cuts,” he said.To raise awareness, the founda-

tion plans to host the first nationalsymposium in Washington inApril, when scientists, patientsand family members are expectedto come together to discuss the lat-est research.

Current NF studies focus on thetriggers of tumor growth. Scien-tists speculate that hormone fluc-tuations may be one of them. Lan-caster is among the patients whosaw their tumors grow and multi-ply during puberty and preg-nancy.

Scientists add that research mayshed light on other types of tu-mors, including malignant ones.

As a Hopkins surgeon who hasdone extensive work with NF, Dr.Allan Belzberg said he is fre-quently approached by patientswho hope he can remove othertypes of tumors without damag-ing the nerves.

“If we try to understand this dis-ease, there will undoubtedly beother spinoffs that will help us inother areas of medicine,” Belzbergsaid.

In addition, several multicenterPhase II drug trials are under wayon medications that may stop orreduce tumor growth. Develop-ment of successful drugs mightgive patients more control overtheir conditions. Treatment couldlead to fewer surgeries and reducethe chance of tumors becomingmalignant.

Lancaster said she hopes to at-tend the Washington conference,where few explanations will beneeded if she meets a stranger. Un-til then, she said, she’s not bitterwhen passing a card.

“I’m happy to educate,” she said.“But I’m tired of explaining myselfevery day.”.......................euna.lhee@baltsun.com

FROM THE COVER

Neurofibromatosis: a battle against nervesTUMORS [From Page 1C]

Jeannine Lancaster holds a photo of herself as a teen. A decade later, her spots began multiplying.G L E N N F A W C E T T [ S U N P H O T O G R A P H E R ]

PEOPLEWHO READ

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This article, which originally ran on August 7, 2008, is reproduced courtesy of The Baltimore Sun Company, all rights reserved.