Saturday, April 24, 2004
The Truth About Breast Implants
Sherrill Sellman, author of Hormone Heresy, interviews Ilena Rosenthal
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
*********************************
The Truth About Breast Implants - An Interview with Ilena Rosenthal
by Sherrill Sellman
Ilena Rosenthal is an incredibly courageous and passionate woman who
has been dedicated to raising awareness to the true and serious risks of
breast implants and other silicone products. She is a true inspiration
of the power of the Feminine to create healing and change in the world.
And it has not been easy. What began as a small research project for a
friend with tumors and cysts around her 20 year old saline implants in
August, 1995, has become an amazing adventure for Ilena beyond anything
she could have imagined.
Speaking out on the true dangers of a product so desirable and yet so
potentially harmful, sharing the too real stories of women who made the
fateful decision to have breast implants, almost immediately made her
the target of an unrelenting and incredibly vicious 6 year Defamation
Campaign which continues to date.
In November, 1995, she created the only Usenet Newsgroup,
alt.support.breast-implant, to provide a place for support and a way for
women and
their families to connect. She obviously got in the way of the Silicone
and Plastic Surgery Industries and their Public Relations Machine well
greased by silicone dollars. Nothing was too personal nor too untrue
for her Enemies to post or email about her. To learn more of her personal
encounter with the forces who wanted to silent her warnings and her
message, visit her website at http://www.humanticsfoundation.com
SS: What is your background and what you made become involved in
exposing the dangers of breast implants.
IR: Over 30 years ago I received my BA in Psychology from the
University of Colorado. During college, I did volunteer counseling in the
very
early days of Planned Parenthood. I have always been active in women's
issues, and was honored to have been a part of a team to form the first
Woman's Crisis Center in a small mountain town in No. California 25
years ago.
After hearing story after devastating story from women harmed by breast
implants, in September, 1995 I began to investigate the issue for a
beautiful and confused friend. As U2 says, "I got stuck in a moment" and
now, 7 years later, I am more committed to warning women internationally
about the very real dangers, which include vast disinformation
campaigns by the silicone manufacturers and the wealthy plastic surgeons
groups.
SS: What are the proven dangers of breast implants?
IR: Among other problems:
1. Implants can rupture during mammography.
2. Implants make routine self exams and mammography more difficult.
More views are necessary, meaning additional radiation each time.
3. Implant rupture can go undetected for years and silicone is known to
migrate through the lymph system and has been found in the brains,
spinal fluid, ovaries, livers, and other organs of implanted women.
4. Implants are not lifetime devices, and may need to be replaced (even
without systemic problems) more than once a decade.
5. At any time infections are possible, including fungal and antibiotic
resistant bacterial infestations.
6. Loss of breast sensation, especially around the nipple area is
reported, as well as hyper-sensitivity to touch.
7. Capsular contracture can be very uncomfortable, to the point of
severe pain and deformation.
8. Many women have experienced severe necrosis and other forms of
breast tissue loss.
9. Many women have experienced serious autoimmune diseases post
implantation including: rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, multiple
sclerosis,
Sjogrens Syndrome (severe dry mouth, eyes, etc.), and lupus. Those
women with pre-existing compromised immune systems are now warned to avoid
implants.
10. Disproportional numbers of implanted women have reported
neurological and cognitive complications, as well as endocrine disruption
including hysterectomies, miscarriage.
11. Children born of implanted women have experienced the same
autoimmune conditions and have been seriously inadequately studied.
12. Breast implants often negatively affect the ability to produce milk
for breast-feeding.
13. Health insurance carriers are routinely denying coverage for
implanted (and explanted) women.
SS: Are all implants dangerous? For instance, what about saline
implants?
IR: We are all like snowflakes, no two of us alike.
An implant is aforeign invader and that alone can create problems for some. Some peoplecan die from peanuts, or strawberries. Breast implants contain many
toxic ingredients such as platinum and silica and organic solvents that can
cause reactions in various women.
Unfortunately, the saline implant has a whole series of complications,
such as fungal infections and a very, very high rupture rate requiring
additional surgeries.
Glamour Magazine did a very good expose on them, which can be found at:
http://www.humanticsfoundation.com/glamour-saline.html
Further, the clinical studies done by Mentor and McGhan are listed on
the FDA webpage with information as to the complications in the first
few years. This can be found at:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants/
It was only in May, 2000 that any implant got FDA approval. At that
time, the FDA determined that saline implants were "safe enough" despite
very high complication rates.
SS: Why are breast implants so popular now? How did the industry
manage to re-establish credibility and safety?
IR: Advertising pays! So do enormous Public Relations budgets.
The breast implant manufacturers and Plastic Surgeons groups have
inundated the news media with any "positive" slanted story and ignore the
ones exposing the harmful effects. The manufacturers are funders of the
"junk science" campaign which calls any findings that will hurt their
bottom line "junk" and mis-label corporate funded "science" as sound.
For example, when the National Cancer Institute found a correlation
between breast implants and deaths from respiratory and brain cancers, the
media broadcast skewed findings such as "most cancers not connected"
and other misleading headlines. When extraordinarily high rupture rates
were reported by the FDA two years ago, the media again was virtually
silent. The same with information of high suicide rates and links for
women with ruptured implants and fibromyalgia.
Also, the plastic surgeons and manufacturers fund websites that pretend
to be "support groups" and which are staffed by those paid to help sell
more implants. They censor any critics and offer very one-sided advice.
One of these even touts the very dangerous "belly button" method of
implantation, which the FDA specifically warns against. Never mentioned on
these sites are that ruptured saline implants can not be removed by the
belly button, and I strongly believe the women getting implants via
this method thinking they will forever be "scarless" are being duped.
The bottom line is no one in the world wants to believe that breast
implants can and do ruin as many lives as they do. Unfortunately, it is a
multi-billion dollar a year business, while concurrently, billions are
still unpaid to the victims of faulty implants. All of this makes the
issue "controversial" with enormous PR to support the sides with the
money.
Most of the women activists in this issue are ill themselves, many have
lost not only their breast implants, but their own breast tissue, their
health, their jobs, their insurance, and often their families.
It's their word against some of the largest and most powerful companies
in the world, like Papa Dow Chemical, Baby Dow Corning, and Bristol
Myers Squibb.
SS: What do you recommend to women who have implants? How can they
protect their health? What do they need to know? What are the signs of
silicone poisoning or allergic reactions?
IR: No one wants to relieve that her breast implants could be harming
her health. No one. Every woman has a large emotional, physical and
financial investment in them.
Early warning signs are numbness in the extremities, shooting pains and
severe headaches. Dry eyes are also often early signals. Painful joints
and swelling are common.
Unfortunately, most physicians will deny any connection of implants and
these symptoms, yet alone lupus, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis and
other disproportionately seen autoimmune illnesses.
Ruptures with silicone gel implants can go undetected for years,
although saline filled silicone implants tend to go flat fairly soon when
leaking.
Just like the decision to become implanted is one of the biggest women
make in their lives, so is the decision to explant permanently. Some
women (Jenny Jones, Sally Kirkland among them) had 5 separate sets of
implants before finally removing them without replacement.
I do advise women to speak with others who have long-term experiences
with implants. I am proud that there are thousands of women from all
over the world connected via my support group founded 7 years ago. There
are so many who generously share their experiences with new members.
It is also very important to find plastic surgeons who know how to
properly and safely remove implants, if they choose this route.
Most of all, women must be honest and gentle with themselves. Trust
their instincts. Make their decisions out of love for themselves, not just
fear.
SS: Is there a greater danger to teenagers and young women if they
get implants?
The FDA finally added some restrictions for women under 18 years of
age. Because most women believe that implants are a lifetime product, this
means a constant assault on a woman's immune system by having a foreign
body inside of her for several decades. Even without systemic problems,
this would mean years of re-operations, usually with no insurance, each
time with a chance for an opportunistic infection to occur. I believe
this is a very dangerous decision for a young woman to make.
SS: Are there any safe, effective breast augmentation techniques or
supplements?
IR: I have heard of good results with some supplements, although they
appear to be somewhat temporary. One very good friend of mine had
liposuction and the fat from that implanted into her breasts. The results
were good for a couple of months. Then the fat drifted away and she
looked the same before surgery (although her derriere remained smaller).
While it is true that not every woman will experience serious problems,
the risks are enormous. I recommend women learn to love themselves as
they are and stay as healthy as possible.
SS. How can women support your efforts?
IR: Spread the word of the very real dangers to those who don't yet
know. Read as much unbiased information as possible. Our website has many
great links on it.
http://www.BreastImplantAwareness.org
Our non profit foundation, The Humantics Foundation, like many others,
has had most all of its donations virtually stop after 9/11. It takes
funding for websites, support groups and lists and most of it I have
funded myself for the last 7 years.
With approximately 5 new women a day asking for help and support, tax
deductible donations in any amount will help us be able to continue this
vital work.
Many thanks, Ilena, for your time and wisdom.
....for more on women's health issues, see chickenlil.org
Sherrill Sellman, author of Hormone Heresy, interviews Ilena Rosenthal
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
*********************************
The Truth About Breast Implants - An Interview with Ilena Rosenthal
by Sherrill Sellman
Ilena Rosenthal is an incredibly courageous and passionate woman who
has been dedicated to raising awareness to the true and serious risks of
breast implants and other silicone products. She is a true inspiration
of the power of the Feminine to create healing and change in the world.
And it has not been easy. What began as a small research project for a
friend with tumors and cysts around her 20 year old saline implants in
August, 1995, has become an amazing adventure for Ilena beyond anything
she could have imagined.
Speaking out on the true dangers of a product so desirable and yet so
potentially harmful, sharing the too real stories of women who made the
fateful decision to have breast implants, almost immediately made her
the target of an unrelenting and incredibly vicious 6 year Defamation
Campaign which continues to date.
In November, 1995, she created the only Usenet Newsgroup,
alt.support.breast-implant, to provide a place for support and a way for
women and
their families to connect. She obviously got in the way of the Silicone
and Plastic Surgery Industries and their Public Relations Machine well
greased by silicone dollars. Nothing was too personal nor too untrue
for her Enemies to post or email about her. To learn more of her personal
encounter with the forces who wanted to silent her warnings and her
message, visit her website at http://www.humanticsfoundation.com
SS: What is your background and what you made become involved in
exposing the dangers of breast implants.
IR: Over 30 years ago I received my BA in Psychology from the
University of Colorado. During college, I did volunteer counseling in the
very
early days of Planned Parenthood. I have always been active in women's
issues, and was honored to have been a part of a team to form the first
Woman's Crisis Center in a small mountain town in No. California 25
years ago.
After hearing story after devastating story from women harmed by breast
implants, in September, 1995 I began to investigate the issue for a
beautiful and confused friend. As U2 says, "I got stuck in a moment" and
now, 7 years later, I am more committed to warning women internationally
about the very real dangers, which include vast disinformation
campaigns by the silicone manufacturers and the wealthy plastic surgeons
groups.
SS: What are the proven dangers of breast implants?
IR: Among other problems:
1. Implants can rupture during mammography.
2. Implants make routine self exams and mammography more difficult.
More views are necessary, meaning additional radiation each time.
3. Implant rupture can go undetected for years and silicone is known to
migrate through the lymph system and has been found in the brains,
spinal fluid, ovaries, livers, and other organs of implanted women.
4. Implants are not lifetime devices, and may need to be replaced (even
without systemic problems) more than once a decade.
5. At any time infections are possible, including fungal and antibiotic
resistant bacterial infestations.
6. Loss of breast sensation, especially around the nipple area is
reported, as well as hyper-sensitivity to touch.
7. Capsular contracture can be very uncomfortable, to the point of
severe pain and deformation.
8. Many women have experienced severe necrosis and other forms of
breast tissue loss.
9. Many women have experienced serious autoimmune diseases post
implantation including: rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, multiple
sclerosis,
Sjogrens Syndrome (severe dry mouth, eyes, etc.), and lupus. Those
women with pre-existing compromised immune systems are now warned to avoid
implants.
10. Disproportional numbers of implanted women have reported
neurological and cognitive complications, as well as endocrine disruption
including hysterectomies, miscarriage.
11. Children born of implanted women have experienced the same
autoimmune conditions and have been seriously inadequately studied.
12. Breast implants often negatively affect the ability to produce milk
for breast-feeding.
13. Health insurance carriers are routinely denying coverage for
implanted (and explanted) women.
SS: Are all implants dangerous? For instance, what about saline
implants?
IR: We are all like snowflakes, no two of us alike.
An implant is aforeign invader and that alone can create problems for some. Some peoplecan die from peanuts, or strawberries. Breast implants contain many
toxic ingredients such as platinum and silica and organic solvents that can
cause reactions in various women.
Unfortunately, the saline implant has a whole series of complications,
such as fungal infections and a very, very high rupture rate requiring
additional surgeries.
Glamour Magazine did a very good expose on them, which can be found at:
http://www.humanticsfoundation.com/glamour-saline.html
Further, the clinical studies done by Mentor and McGhan are listed on
the FDA webpage with information as to the complications in the first
few years. This can be found at:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants/
It was only in May, 2000 that any implant got FDA approval. At that
time, the FDA determined that saline implants were "safe enough" despite
very high complication rates.
SS: Why are breast implants so popular now? How did the industry
manage to re-establish credibility and safety?
IR: Advertising pays! So do enormous Public Relations budgets.
The breast implant manufacturers and Plastic Surgeons groups have
inundated the news media with any "positive" slanted story and ignore the
ones exposing the harmful effects. The manufacturers are funders of the
"junk science" campaign which calls any findings that will hurt their
bottom line "junk" and mis-label corporate funded "science" as sound.
For example, when the National Cancer Institute found a correlation
between breast implants and deaths from respiratory and brain cancers, the
media broadcast skewed findings such as "most cancers not connected"
and other misleading headlines. When extraordinarily high rupture rates
were reported by the FDA two years ago, the media again was virtually
silent. The same with information of high suicide rates and links for
women with ruptured implants and fibromyalgia.
Also, the plastic surgeons and manufacturers fund websites that pretend
to be "support groups" and which are staffed by those paid to help sell
more implants. They censor any critics and offer very one-sided advice.
One of these even touts the very dangerous "belly button" method of
implantation, which the FDA specifically warns against. Never mentioned on
these sites are that ruptured saline implants can not be removed by the
belly button, and I strongly believe the women getting implants via
this method thinking they will forever be "scarless" are being duped.
The bottom line is no one in the world wants to believe that breast
implants can and do ruin as many lives as they do. Unfortunately, it is a
multi-billion dollar a year business, while concurrently, billions are
still unpaid to the victims of faulty implants. All of this makes the
issue "controversial" with enormous PR to support the sides with the
money.
Most of the women activists in this issue are ill themselves, many have
lost not only their breast implants, but their own breast tissue, their
health, their jobs, their insurance, and often their families.
It's their word against some of the largest and most powerful companies
in the world, like Papa Dow Chemical, Baby Dow Corning, and Bristol
Myers Squibb.
SS: What do you recommend to women who have implants? How can they
protect their health? What do they need to know? What are the signs of
silicone poisoning or allergic reactions?
IR: No one wants to relieve that her breast implants could be harming
her health. No one. Every woman has a large emotional, physical and
financial investment in them.
Early warning signs are numbness in the extremities, shooting pains and
severe headaches. Dry eyes are also often early signals. Painful joints
and swelling are common.
Unfortunately, most physicians will deny any connection of implants and
these symptoms, yet alone lupus, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis and
other disproportionately seen autoimmune illnesses.
Ruptures with silicone gel implants can go undetected for years,
although saline filled silicone implants tend to go flat fairly soon when
leaking.
Just like the decision to become implanted is one of the biggest women
make in their lives, so is the decision to explant permanently. Some
women (Jenny Jones, Sally Kirkland among them) had 5 separate sets of
implants before finally removing them without replacement.
I do advise women to speak with others who have long-term experiences
with implants. I am proud that there are thousands of women from all
over the world connected via my support group founded 7 years ago. There
are so many who generously share their experiences with new members.
It is also very important to find plastic surgeons who know how to
properly and safely remove implants, if they choose this route.
Most of all, women must be honest and gentle with themselves. Trust
their instincts. Make their decisions out of love for themselves, not just
fear.
SS: Is there a greater danger to teenagers and young women if they
get implants?
The FDA finally added some restrictions for women under 18 years of
age. Because most women believe that implants are a lifetime product, this
means a constant assault on a woman's immune system by having a foreign
body inside of her for several decades. Even without systemic problems,
this would mean years of re-operations, usually with no insurance, each
time with a chance for an opportunistic infection to occur. I believe
this is a very dangerous decision for a young woman to make.
SS: Are there any safe, effective breast augmentation techniques or
supplements?
IR: I have heard of good results with some supplements, although they
appear to be somewhat temporary. One very good friend of mine had
liposuction and the fat from that implanted into her breasts. The results
were good for a couple of months. Then the fat drifted away and she
looked the same before surgery (although her derriere remained smaller).
While it is true that not every woman will experience serious problems,
the risks are enormous. I recommend women learn to love themselves as
they are and stay as healthy as possible.
SS. How can women support your efforts?
IR: Spread the word of the very real dangers to those who don't yet
know. Read as much unbiased information as possible. Our website has many
great links on it.
http://www.BreastImplantAwareness.org
Our non profit foundation, The Humantics Foundation, like many others,
has had most all of its donations virtually stop after 9/11. It takes
funding for websites, support groups and lists and most of it I have
funded myself for the last 7 years.
With approximately 5 new women a day asking for help and support, tax
deductible donations in any amount will help us be able to continue this
vital work.
Many thanks, Ilena, for your time and wisdom.
....for more on women's health issues, see chickenlil.org
// posted by Linda Weissinger Lupowitz @ 4:05 PM 
