Fw: BREAST IMPLANT PATIENTS FORM SUPPORT GROUP TO OFFER INFORMATION,SHARE EXPERIENCES ~ Houston newspaper article 3/7/01

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From: ilena rose <ilena@...>

Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2001 11:10 AM

Subject: BREAST IMPLANT PATIENTS FORM SUPPORT GROUP TO OFFER

INFORMATION,SHARE EXPERIENCES ~ Houston newspaper article 3/7/01

>

> BREAST IMPLANT PATIENTS FORM SUPPORT GROUP TO OFFER INFORMATION, SHARE

> EXPERIENCES by Fred Facker, staff writer, The 1960 Sun, March 7, 2001

>

> Women suffering from breast implant-related illnesses or trying to

determine

> what treatment to seek for breast reconstruction or augmentation have a

> wealth of information and advice available to them through a support group

> formed by women from the northwest Houston area who have gone through the

> experience first-hand.

>

> Meeting the second Thursday of every month, the United Silicone Survivors

of

> the World breast implant support group, led by Keeling, works to

> find independent information and studies on the true effects of breast

> implants, and helps women who believe they have illnesses caused by

implants

> to stay informed of new treatments.

>

> " Surgeons downplay the risks of breast implants when women are considering

> them for augmentation or reconstruction. They only show pictures of the

> positive outcomes, never of the complications they may arise, " Keeling

said.

> " A lot of people don't know that even though silicone gel implants were

> classified as a class III device by the FDA in 1988 due to reports of

> adverse events, the manufacturers have never proven them to be safe.

After

> a brief moratorium in 1992, the FDA declared gel-implants a 'public health

> need', and put them back on the market without FDA approval as

> 'investigational' devices. And saline-filled implants, despite a 95

percent

> complication rate (occurring) at five years, were approved because after

> three years a significant percentage of the women studied reported

> satisfaction with the product. "

>

> According to Keeling, the most common side-effects of breast implants that

> she's encountered through the support group are chronic fatigue and

> immunological problems.

>

> " Fatigue sets in slowly, so it's hard to link it to the implants. But

it's

> showing up in a lot of women (with implants), " she said. Keeling also

said

> that children born to mothers who had implants are now being studied for

> high levels of toxic and hypersensitizing platinum which may explain many

> unusual symptoms being reported in these children.

>

> After research, initially by Baylor College of Medicine and ultimately by

> ExperTox, Inc., has shown that silicone implants leak reactive and

possibly

> toxic platinum, Keeling has submitted Citizen Petition 00P-1607/CP1 to the

> U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in an effort to stop the use of

> silicone gel in breast implants. She is also working with United States

> Congressman Gene Green to introduce legislation titled " The Silicone

Breast

> Implant Research and Information Act " asking for independent research on

> this women's health issue.

>

> The petition as written, requests that the commissioner of FDA revoke the

> implantation of silicone gel-filled breast implants for any reason, in

light

> of new research documenting the significant release of platinum in a

> reactive valence from intact implants.

>

> " Platinum was used as a catalyst to change the silicone oil into silicone

> gel. Although the manufacturers claimed all platinum was removed or

> remained in its purely elemental form, test have shown that forms of

> platinum from platinum 1 to platinum 6 leak from the implants (into the

> body), " Keeling said.

>

> The research from Baylor College of Medicine discovered that leakage

> greatest in a lipid-rich environment, and that, in such an environment

could

> potentially lead to significant platinum accumulation within lipid-rich

> tissues such as the breasts, brain and reproductive organs.

>

> " While women can remove their implants, there is no way for them to end

the

> experiment and remove the platinum-cyclosiloxane complexes when it spreads

> to all parts of their bodies, " Keeling wrote in her petition.

>

> " A lot of women also don't realize that some insurance companies won't

carry

> you or will charge higher rates, if you have breast implants. Some

> insurance companies might carry you, but not pay for medical treatments

> stemming from the implants. Women should know to check into these

things, "

> Keeling said.

>

> Women interested in finding out more about the risks and diseases related

to

> breast implants or the surgical methods used with implants can visit the

> FDA's home page at www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants or can call

281/350-9278

> for more information on the United Silicone Survivors of the World breast

> implant support group.

>

>