Re: Lavender makes boys grow breasts: study

[Guest guest]

At 10:08 AM 2/2/2007, you wrote:

>Good morning,

>

>Has anyone read this. My husband was telling me about it and I thought he

>was pulling my leg. For everyone's info, I will continue to use lavender EO

>myself.

>

>http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200702/s1838208.htm

>

>Poh Yee

Bad science. It's being debunked by scientists, aromatherapists and

others one day after its release.

The perfumistas on the forums have a good joke going about it -- they

want to start rubbing lavender oil on their chests to make them bigger.

Pure nonsense. I'll provide links besides http://aromaconnection.org

later today that discuss this, or, if you're a member of Tony's

http://aromaresearch. you can go read there.

Anya McCoy

Anya's Garden of Natural Perfume http://anyasgarden.com

Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild http://artisannaturalperfumers.org

Natural Perfumers Community Group

/

[Guest guest]

>

> Good morning,

>

> Has anyone read this. My husband was telling me about it and I thought he

> was pulling my leg. For everyone's info, I will continue to use lavender EO

> myself.

>

> http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200702/s1838208.htm

>

> Poh Yee

>

There are many problems with this study - too many to go into here. The evidence

is very

much circumstantial - if something in the products used did cause gynecomastia

in 3

young boys, we really don't know what that was. And If products like shampoos,

soaps and

body lotions can have this effect, the chemicals responsible must be extremely

powerful,

because very little of anything gets through the skin from a shampoo or soap.

Tisserand

[Guest guest]

>snip

>Anya wrote,

>Poh Yee

>

>Bad science. It's being debunked by scientists, aromatherapists and

>others one day after its release.

>

>The perfumistas on the forums have a good joke going about it -- they

>want to start rubbing lavender oil on their chests to make them bigger.

>

>Pure nonsense. I'll provide links besides http://aromaconnection.org

>later today that discuss this, or, if you're a member of Tony's

>http://aromaresearch. you can go read there.

>

>

>Anya McCoy

Thanks Anya, I had a good chuckle ) reading your posts. I also heard that

ylang ylang would enlarge one's chest. Is this true?

Poh Yee

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[Guest guest]

> >snip

> >Anya wrote,

> >Poh Yee

> >

> >Bad science. It's being debunked by scientists,

> aromatherapists and

> >others one day after its release.

> >

> >The perfumistas on the forums have a good joke

> going about it -- they

> >want to start rubbing lavender oil on their chests

> to make them bigger.

> >

> >Pure nonsense. I'll provide links besides

> http://aromaconnection.org

> >later today that discuss this, or, if you're a

> member of Tony's

> >http://aromaresearch. you can go

> read there.

> >

> >

> >Anya McCoy

This is another pathetic case of " blame the naturals

first. " There are so many chemicals in shampoos,

lotions and soaps. Also consider the hormones that

children are ingesting constantly from conventional

meat and milk. Bovine growth hormone, etc! I

remember a study I read when my daughter's cousin was

four years old and she had begun to reach puberty

already and her mother couldn't figure out what was

going on. Then I found information on a type of

product that was being marketed as an African-American

hair care product which contained some type of

placenta (my memory is fuzzy on the details). Children

who used those products were developing early. So it

turned out that this cousin of my daughter's was using

one of these products regularly and this had probably

caused it. Another consideration is that plastic

leaches an estrogen- producing substance into foods

when they are heated in it. That's why plastic is

linked to breast cancer. So many possible culprits

it's ridiculous and scientists want to blame innocent

lavender! Makes me so mad!

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[Guest guest]

--- In , " Tisserand " <

> There are many problems with this study - too many to go into here.

The evidence is very

> much circumstantial - if something in the products used did cause

gynecomastia in 3

> young boys, we really don't know what that was. And If products like

shampoos, soaps and

> body lotions can have this effect, the chemicals responsible must be

extremely powerful,

> because very little of anything gets through the skin from a shampoo

or soap.

>

> Tisserand

I think it would be interesting to see just how much hormone injected

chicken, beef and other food products these kids have in their diets.

Randie

[Guest guest]

>

>

> >snip

> > wrote

> > > Poh Yee

> > >

> >There are many problems with this study - too many to go into here. The

> >evidence is very

> >much circumstantial - if something in the products used did cause

> >gynecomastia in 3

> >young boys, we really don't know what that was. And If products like

> >shampoos, soaps and

> >body lotions can have this effect, the chemicals responsible must be

> >extremely powerful,

> >because very little of anything gets through the skin from a shampoo or

> >soap.

> >

> > Tisserand

> >

>

> I am so glad you responded . I was hoping you would and was going to

> ask but hit the return key to soon.

>

> Are these natural soaps. lotions etc they are talking about. I too thought

> that very little gets through to the skin with natural soaps as the EO gets

> washed off. The chemicals in the products must be acting like certain

> carrier oils, making the EO much more readily absorbed.

>

> If the products tested are not natural, it can be very misleading to the

> general public. My understanding is that most people would dilute the

> lavender EO with a carrier oil like sweet almond which is much more easily

> absorbed into the skin rather than using it neat - thus the EO going into

> the skin.

>

> kind regards,

> Poh Yee

>

There are many details missing from the research, so it has little scientific

credibility. In

one case, a " healing balm " containing lavender oil was applied to a boy's skin -

presumably to a very small area. In another case, hair styling gel and shampoo

containing

lavender oil was used, and in the third, " lavender-scented soap and

lavender-scented

commercial skin lotions " which don't sound natural at all. No details are given

of the

composition of any of the products. This will blow over very soon!

Tisserand

[Guest guest]

I have read the original article. They never mention the brand name

of the products. They do name L. angustifolia and M. alternifolia, so

it probably isn't an FO product, not that I've ever known tea tree to

show up as an FO. Just a very strange article, flies in the face of

logic and good science, and ethics, IMO, that the NEJM would publish

such a weak " research " or " findings " study.

Anya McCoy

Anya's Garden of Natural Perfume http://anyasgarden.com

Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild http://artisannaturalperfumers.org

Natural Perfumers Community Group

/

[Guest guest]

" There are many problems with this study - too many to go into here.

The evidence is very much circumstantial - if something in the products

used did cause gynecomastia in 3 young boys, we really don't know what

that was. And If products like shampoos, soaps and body lotions can

have this effect, the chemicals responsible must be extremely powerful, "

Hi and All,

The gynecomastia article was pointed out to me a while ago, it was in a

professional pharmacy magazine. I was incredulous that a professional

publication included information not based on sound scientific

principles. Both of my sons grew up using L. angustifolia and Tea tree,

we had no such problem. Just goes to show, big businesses are not easy

about the dent in their sales which is being taken by the naturals.

Best,

Debbie

[Guest guest]

> So many possible culprits

> it's ridiculous and scientists want to blame innocent

> lavender! Makes me so mad!

>

>

>

> When my husband told me about this, I said to him that I wonder who paid

> for this research and publication.

>

> Poh Yee

I believe you may have a possible answer here. Just ask the question

this way : who would benefit from weak science generating a urban legend

against lavender whereas gmo hormon in meat and milk are *known* to

generate such developmental problems ?

Not to mention the huge amount of soy now present in any typical north

american diet, also known to induce similar effects in children.

And the urban legend did catch, I am sorry to say. I was on a parental

list 6 months ago, and the word circulated efficiently " do not use

lavender on boys... "

What's interesting is that the paper we are talking is published today.

I downloaded the original article, and it says :

> Dr. Bloch reports receiving grant support and lecture fees from^ Eli

> Lilly, Genentech, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Tercica, and Serono.

fab

[Guest guest]

> There are many details missing from the research, so it has little

scientific credibility. In

> one case, a " healing balm " containing lavender oil was applied to a

boy's skin -

> presumably to a very small area. In another case, hair styling gel

and shampoo containing

> lavender oil was used, and in the third, " lavender-scented soap and

lavender-scented

> commercial skin lotions " which don't sound natural at all. No details

are given of the

> composition of any of the products. This will blow over very soon!

>

> Tisserand

That's a shame... my adolescent niece would have loved to know that if

true! You'd see a rush on lavender EO like never before... LOL!

Helen

[Guest guest]

I'm a lurker here but just can't resist -

If this true - I'm going to purchase a drum of Lavender EO and bathe in it

daily!

LOL!!! )

Just blows me away what people write about and readers take it as fact.

Ya'll have a Blessed Weekend!

Tammy Doering

The Mud QueenT

http://www.DeadSeaBulkMaterials.com

[Guest guest]

>> I downloaded the original article, and it says :

> > Dr. Bloch reports receiving grant support and lecture fees from^

> Eli Lilly, Genentech, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Tercica, and Serono.

Fab - do you have a copy of that article? Or, link to the article?

Sounds like good information to add to my files.

Thx - Randie

[Guest guest]

>

> Just to clarify, the crux of the study was embodied not in the case

> studies but the in vitro studies that followed, which was sufficient to

> entice the NEJM editorial staff to publish the article. " Further

> experiments in MDA-kb2 cells indicated that the antiandrogenic

> properties of lavender oil and tea tree oil extended to inhibition of

> DHT-stimulated expression of (androgenic genes). " Essentially, they are

> claiming that lavender and tea tree oil terpenes have similar proteins

> that both fit the receptors for androgen (testosterone) suppression and

> estrogen expression.

>

> Before this is readily dismissed, it needs to be entertained with at

> least a somewhat open mind. We have gone on similar hunts to find less

> well-documented research some of us have looked for on the " other

> guys. "

>

It is true, that new information must always be examined with an open

mind, that information must also always be viewed with a critical

mind. On of the things that stuck in my mind from my University Stats

classes was the realization that many scientists claim statistically

significant results when in actuality, they did not receive them. I

personally don't believe this is necessarily because they are trying

to " dube " people but because they don't actually have enough training

in statistics to fully understand them. The day my prof had us go

through published journal articles and critique the interpretation of

the stats, seriously blew my mind and changed a lot of the way I

thought.

So, while it is important to at least consider results such as these,

it is also important to remain critical and understand that it is

actually very difficult to " prove " things statistically because there

can be so many variables, especially when it comes to the human body.

Interconnections...they are a bitch sometimes....

Sora

[Guest guest]

> There's a great thread about this on the POL forum and Guild member

> Prince Barry made a hysterically funny post:

> http://perfumeoflife.org/index.php?showtopic=14589 & st=0 & #entry213295

I LOVED it!!! Prince Barry had me grabbing the edge of my chair as I

was falling off of it from laughing. And hey -- if this WERE true,

just think... a whole lot of guys could keep an overdeveloped boob-

fixation to themselves and be perfectly happy! Okay, NP guys, my

tongue is firmly planted in my cheek, so try not to e-slap me too

hard.... Ooh -- did I make a faux pas by calling you " guys " ?

(Okay -- it's open season now, slap away! Just don't make me drop my

blending vial...)

Andrine

[Guest guest]

> Bad science. It's being debunked by scientists, aromatherapists and

> others one day after its release.

>

> The perfumistas on the forums have a good joke going about it -- they

> want to start rubbing lavender oil on their chests to make them

bigger.

>

> Pure nonsense. I'll provide links besides http://aromaconnection.org

> later today that discuss this, or, if you're a member of Tony's

> http://aromaresearch. you can go read there.

>

> I went to the aromaconnection blog and it apparently raises this as a

question to be responded to more than a difinitive opinion. It invites

responses, from what I can see. So confusing! LOL!