Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 January 2003 — Page 25

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2003

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

PAGE D5

► Continued from Pago 6 with their female sexual partners. “One theory is that heterosexual African-American men are not reached by the more widespread prevention messages directed toward gay and bisexually identified communities. Asecond theory is that heterosexual men do not typically circulate in social networks that reinforce sexual norms of risk reduction, as has historically been the case for gay !and bisexual men.” Among African-American gay and bisexual men, according to the study, the reasons of high infection are: “Less frequent condom use, higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases, injection ; drug use, crack use, low socioeco- : nomic status, the trade of sex for • money or drugs, lack of trust of the health system, and multiple sexual partners.” It would seem ;that many of the mentioned reasons also apply to heterosexual men. No matter the reasons cited or excuses made, a man who willfully infects his partner with HIV/ AIDS now faces serious consequences. According to a bill passed in the California Legislature, which has some of the most stringent laws in the country, states, “It is a felony for an HIVinfected person to knowingly expose an uninfected person to the virus.” - The bill makes intentional HIV Exposure punishable by up to eight years in prison. It also allows for the disclosure of HIV status if the subject is under criminal investigation for committing the crime. Existing laws in California already stipulate that it is illegal for infected people who are aware of their infection to donate blood, body organs, semen, breast milk or tissue. Laws vary from state to state. In certain cases, charges of attempted murder or

murder can be considered. Globally, approximately 42 million people are infected with the virus. It is devastating parts of Africa. Any man married or not who infects his woman is an enemy to that woman and any potential children from that union. How could he love his partner and do such a thing? As hard as it could be, it is recommended that a person who is infected and does not seek treatment or precautions must be made to do so, one way or another. Some couples are getting tested prior to any intimate contact. Imagine an infected person bleeding, accidentally dropping blood on children and infecting them. Any person sensitive enough to understand what that implies, would have a difficult time living with that, not to mention the children. One woman, who was consciously infected by her man with AIDS, became insanely enraged and reacted violently. She shot and killed him. HFV/AIDS are such devastating human tragedies it is inconceivable anyone could intentionally transmit one of them to another human being unless that person’s heart was filled with malice. Whatever the case, doing what is right for life must be done. It is the greatest gift given to us by the Creator. Who knows, you could be next. Review the study at: http:// lapublichealth.org/wwwfiles/ph/ hae/hiv/jaids2002.pdf. Kwaku Person-Lynn is the author ofOn My Journey Now- The Narrative And Works Of Dr. John Henrik Clarke, The Knowledge Revolutionaiy. E-mail address: DrKwaku@hotmail. com.

Herbal companies, expecHnq boosted sales, push their mostly unproven products for menopause

CHICAGO (AP) - With glossy ads and brazen pitches to doctors, the makers of alternative remedies for menopausal symptoms are trying to capitalize on the bad news about hormone supplements. The alternative products include supplements made from soy, black cohosh and red clover. They are sold in some stores and over the Internet, and all purport to relieve hot flashes and other menopause symptoms. A review of 29 studies on such remedies in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that only the herb black cohosh and soy appear to have some benefits. But the article noted that most of the studies were small and not definitive. That hasn’t stopped some makers of alternative products from boosting advertising, sending samples to doctors and setting up exhibits at medical meetings. The makers of Promensil, a red clover supplement that promoters claim can “take the edge off symptoms, even offered doctors $1,000 to attend an informational session following a North American Menopause Society meeting here. “That was the first time that I’ve ever seen an herb company try the same tactics that are very common among drug companies, bribing doctors to attend a promotion,” said Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman of George Washington University, a co-author of the Annals review. She declined the invitation. The herbal companies “see a golden opportunity in the exodus from estrogen,” FughBerman said, after the Women’s Health Initiative study showed over the summer that the estro-gen-progestin pill many women take could actually be harmful. Australia-based Novogen, the maker of Promensil, con-

tends that its informational session was not prompted by the study and that the money was just to cover the cost of staying an extra day after the menopause society meeting, not to influence those attending. Warren Lancaster, Novogen’s vice president for North America, said the company has made offers like that before. But now, he said, doctors are “more open to hear that (informational) message now that they’re being bombarded with women coming in and saying, ‘I’m not going to take hormone replacement therapy anymore.’” “That has probably increased our opportunity to talk to those doctors,” he said. He said sales of Promensil are up about 15 percent since the WHI study made news in July. The Women’s Health Initiative found an increased risk of breast cancer, strokes and heart attacks among users of estrogenprogestin supplements. Millions of women have taken the pills to relieve menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Many doctors say shortterm hormonal use may still be warranted for some women. The producers of alternatives are working to take advantage of the backlash. “From a company perspective, we see this could potentially double our sales within the next two years,” said Dr. Aaron Tabor, whose company, Physicians Laboratories, sells Revival Soy products over the Internet. Before the WHI study raised questions about hormones, Tabor’s company ran ads promoting the general health benefits of soy. Now, Tabor said, more ads “are directed at the menopause issue.” A prominently placed section on the Web site for Remifemin, GlaxoSmithKline’s black cohosh supplement, reads: “Newsflash: NIH reports raise serious doubts

about the safety oflong-term 11RT use.” While experts say it is unclear how black cohosh might work, an industry spokesman said many stores are having a hard time keeping it in stock. Cartoonist Dee Adams said many readers of her humor-based Web site on menopause, www.minniepauz.com., have reported seeing more ads for herhals. But they are confused because their doctors know so little about them. “Everybody’s just in this big pinch about what to do,” Adams said. Dr. Lauren Streicher of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, who has a busy Chicago ob-gyn practice, said patients who have quit hormones come into the office saying, “I’m totally miserable. What do I do?” “As a physician, you hate to say

to them, ‘1 don’t know,’’’ she said. Streicher said she is frustrated by the lack of research on hormone alternatives. “I want it to be proven to be beneficial beyond the placebo effect and proven to be safe,’’ she said. Fugh-Berman said doctors should be wary' of the new push, and sees a parallel with the past promotion of hormone supplements. “The advertising ran way ahead of the evidence," and doctors bought into it, she said. Many prescribed estrogen and progestin to prevent heart disease because of observational studies, but until the Will study, there was no strong evidence from randomized studies comparing hormones to a placebo, the gold standard of research. “The lesson that we should learn from the WHI is that we should wait for results ofrandomized controlled trials,” she said.

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