Sunscreen may increase exposure to hormones
Q. I am a breast-cancer survivor. I play tennis and golf five days a week and smear a high-SPF sunscreen all over my body. I also wear protective clothing to block the sun.
I have heard that some sunscreens may have estrogenic activity. I’m supposed to avoid estrogen, so I wonder if you can tell me more about sunscreens and estrogen.
A. Several common ingredients in sunscreens have been shown to act like estrogen. One test-tube study showed that breast-cancer cells grew faster in the presence of such compounds.
Another study showed that sunscreen ingredients are absorbed through the skin and can be measured in the urine (Journal of Investigative Dermatology, July 2004). The significance of this finding for adults remains controversial, but the authors warn that young children may be vulnerable to hormonal disruption from such sunscreens.
Until this issue has been resolved, it might be prudent to stick with protective clothing. (Check www.sundayafternoons.com or www.coolibar.com.) Sunscreens that contain physical blockers such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide don’t have hormonal effects and are safe for young children and people with sensitive skin (The Lancet online, May 3, 2007).
Q. I have discovered another use for Listerine. For the past year, I have had problems with whitehead blemishes on my face that wouldn’t go away. I tried many things, including nonoily soaps and a range of topical treatments.
One day a couple of weeks ago, I started putting Citrus Listerine on each blemish at night. About a week later, one blemish started breaking down, and others began to do so in the next few days. They are all smaller, and several have completely disappeared!
A. Blemishes have a tendency to come and go. Hormones, stress and possibly even diet may have an impact. Citrus Listerine contains components of orange, tangerine, lemon and grapefruit in addition to eucalyptol, menthol, methyl salicylate, thymol and alcohol. Your positive response might be coincidental, or you might have found a new use for Listerine.
Q. My wife suffers from debilitating leg cramps. For years she has relied on quinine. It works like a charm, and she has never experienced any side effects.
She has just discovered that she can no longer get her prescription filled at the pharmacy and is feeling desperate. We’ve heard that quinine is available in Canada and only costs about $35 for 100 pills. How can we locate a reliable Canadian pharmacy?
A. The Food and Drug Administration has made it almost impossible to get quinine for leg cramps. Although many people have used quinine safely for years, others are so vulnerable to its toxic effects that the FDA has determined the drug is too dangerous except to treat malaria.
Although quinine is still available in Canada with a doctor’s prescription, you could run afoul of U.S. Customs and the FDA. We have prepared a Guide to Saving Money on Medicine that discusses Canadian online drugstores, but your wife might want to consider nondrug approaches listed in our Guide to Leg Pain. To order both, please send $4 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (58 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. RLCA-59, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. The guides also can be purchased from our Web site at www.peoplespharmacy.com.