Dear Reader,

A new federal study provides powerful evidence that the sharp drop in hormone replacement therapy by menopausal women that began in 2002 has caused a dramatic decline in breast cancer cases.

The number of women diagnosed with breast cancer abruptly began falling after reports emerged about the safety of hormone replacement treatment. Based on the findings, the researchers estimated that 16,000 fewer cases of breast cancer are being diagnosed each year because of the precipitous fall in hormone use, a stunning reversal of a decades-long increase in cases.

Click the following to download the full report:"The Decrease in Breast-Cancer Incidence," New England Journal of Medicine; April 19, 2007.

Here are some comments from researchers:

"At first I didn't believe it -- it was so astounding," said Donald Berry of the University of Texas, who led the study’s analysis. "But it really looks like it's a story that holds together." "This is colossal," said Rowan Chlebowski of the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, who helped conduct the analysis. "It translates into thousands of fewer breast cancers that have been diagnosed in women in the United States." "An awful lot of breast cancer was caused by doctors' prescriptions," said Larry Norton of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. "That's a very serious and sobering thought." "These data add to the message that we really should be discouraging women from initiating menopausal hormones," said Marcia Stefanick of Stanford University. "We need to stop underplaying those risks. They are very real."

Researchers said the findings should encourage more women to discontinue hormone use and, if absolutely necessary, only take them at the lowest dose for the shortest time.

Is there a natural, non-toxic answer for women who need to alleviate hot flashes, mood swings, and other symptoms of menopause?