January, 1995

Dear Silicone Survivors and Friends:

I begin this newsletter in great sadness as I learn from the SIS newsletter that yet another silicone woman has died. Her name was Charlene Myers. I wonder how many more must die before the medical profession catches on.

We still need women to volunteer to put up women from out of state (or out of the area) when they come to town for medical testing or surgery. We need volunteers to help with other projects. There are so few of us trying to do so much work.

UPCOMING EVENTS: From Triad Silicone Network: A conference on silicone implantable devices will be held in Washington, DC on May 12-13, 1995. MD's from all over the nation will speak on problems with breast, penile, testicular, TMJ, Norplant, shunts, pectoral, calf, insulin pumps, pacemakers, joint, ear, eye and facial implants. This will be followed by a march on the Washington Mall! There will be a candle-walk in the evening after the march. The conference will be held at the Washington, DC Renaissance Hotel, 999 9th St. NW, Washington, DC 20001-9000 (202) 898-9000. Conference cost is $85.00 for consumers, $160 for consumer and significant other, and $110 for professionals. Registration fees may be paid in 3 monthly installments of $30 Jan., $30 Feb., and $25 March. Visa and MC accepted. For a discounted rate on the room at the hotel ($99 double, $109 triple, $119 foursome, call (800) 228-9898 and mention Triad Silicone Network. The conference will be taped and tapes may be ordered in advance for $60.00. Call Jill Stone at (910) 854- 5338 for more information.

Judy Maag (517) 886-1412 of the Mid-Michigan Survivors of Silicone group is sponsoring a national conference April 1st. Speakers confirmed are Dr. Rahim Karjoo, Dr. Aristo Vojdani, Dr. Andrew Campbell, Dr. Britta Ostermeyer Shoaib, and Dr. Lu-Jean Feng. Others still to confirm. Cost for the conference is $45.00 prepaid and $65.00 at the door. Professionals $55.00 prepaid and $75.00 at the door, Couples are $70.00 prepaid and $90.00 at the door. A continental breakfast and a light lunch will be provided. It will be held at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, 7501 W. Saginaw, Highway, Lansing, MI 48917. (517) 627-3211. Rooms are $65.00 per night for one to four persons. Identify yourself as coming for the M.M.S.B.I. conference. For information, call Judy Maag at (517) 886-1412. Address for registration is 852 Elmwood #222, Lansing, MI 48917-2070.

From The Idaho Breast Implant Information Group: The Boise Conference will be held at the Red Lion Downtowner, Boise, ID on February 4th, 1995 from 8:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. Cost is $45.00 if registered by Jan. 20th, $55.00 after that date. Presenters will be Dr. Pierre Blais, Dr. Nachman Brautbar, Dr. Aristo Vojdani, Dr. Rahim Karjoo, Dr. Britta Ostermeyer-Shoaib, Marion Koch, (co-author of the Untold Truth), and others to confirm. A special rate of $64.00 has been arranged at the Red Lion Downtowner, (208) 344-7691 (group code 1005-LJ) for 1-4 persons per room. Contact Jill Wood, (208) 345-1972 for more information.

Judy Maag of Lansing MI will begin monthly support groups on the 2nd Monday of every month at Genesys Health Systems, 302 Kensington, Flint, MI. Call Judy at (517) 886-1412 for times and other information.

LEGAL INFORMATION: Class action lawsuit: Judge Pointer has extended the deadline for registration in MDL-926 to March 1, 1995. We hear that over 250,000 women have registered for the class action. We don't have any information on the number that will actually be in the current disease compensation claims categories. For registration forms, call (800) 887-6828 or contact us. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with $.32 postage to C.O.S.S. with your request for the registration form.

PRODUCT LIABILITY BILL: We hear that this bill will come up again in the first 100 days of the new (Republican) Congress. Keep your eyes and ears open for tort reform on product liability acts. We have fought this bill back twice, first in 1992 and then by Gail Armstrong's group's efforts in 1993. We need to do it again if it is indeed introduced in the legislature.

MDL Claims: Rumor has it that the MDL Claims committee suspects many fraudulent claims have been filed. Apparently there are some concerns that some attorneys and doctors got together to defraud the fund by setting women up in high grid levels where they don't belong. The persons suspected are not any of the doctors that we have been having speak at conferences or from whom the majority of women have been seeking treatment. I have been receiving some calls from some of you with concerns that this means the class action will fall through or be further delayed. I don't believe that it will fall through because of this. If it is delayed, it will probably be because of the numerous appeals that have been filed or because of the enormous problems with administering such a large amount of claims. I suspect that fraudulent claims will be investigated, but should not delay any legitimate payments. If you believe that you know of fraudulent claims, please phone your concerns to Scott Charleston at (813) 289-0700. They are looking for a pattern of fraudulent claims, not claims that are felt to be unjustified by another who was placed a little lower on the grid. Let's not get into pettiness about each other's grid placement. We need to find those attorneys who hired MD's to place women who are not ill or who are not severely ill into categories that should be reserved for women who have been completely disabled and have lost their health and their jobs, among other losses. Other problems to report are back-dating of contracts to before the Feb. 28th deadline for having contingency fee contracts. If you are aware of any attorneys that have back-dated contracts or if an attorney has asked you to back-date a contract, please inform Scott. Having spoken with an attorney before that date does not give them the right to back-date a contract.

Don't be surprised if you don't hear anything about how many women are on specific places on the grid until sometime in the Spring. Also, apparently no-one will know exactly where they are on the grid until after the next opt- out period. The word we get is that we will not know for sure just where we are or what we will receive before we have to make this decision. While I haven't found a single woman who feels this is fair, I doubt if our concerns will be the dictating factor in making decisions that have to do with payouts of MDL-926 funds.

We continually hear from women who are being given the information sheets on saline implants AFTER their implantation surgery instead of before as is recommended or required. I understand that this is the common practice. If this has happened to you, file a complaint with your state medical society and notify the FDA.

MEDICAL INFORMATION: INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS: Interstitial=Pertaining to spaces within and organ or tissue. Cystitis: Inflammation and irritation of the bladder. Interstitial cystitis means inflammation and irritation of the bladder wall. The cause or causes are often unknown and the treatment is generally not specific as this condition is difficult to treat. Symptoms include chronic, burning pain that often alters the person's lifestyle, frequency in urination, a bladder with a very small capacity for fluids, and frequent night urination. It may persist for years or may last a lifetime. The number of people with this condition is unknown. Close to half a million in the US alone may suffer from this condition. Women with this condition outnumber men 10 to 1. Children occasionally are diagnosed with this medical problem.

The onset of symptoms is often abrupt. The pain has been described as burning with sharp, stabbing sensations. A full bladder causes a great deal of discomfort, in fact, most sufferers cannot achieve a full bladder because of the pain and discomfort. Pain pills offer very little relief in most cases. Emptying the bladder often brings short term relief. At times, the individual may have to urinate every 10-15 minutes. Frequent night-time urination results in a lack of sleep with resultant fatigue.

Diagnosing Interstitial Cystitis: Symptoms: Urinary frequency more than five times during 12 waking hours, night-time urination of more than two times per night, bleeding from the urethra, symptoms present a year or more, urgency, pain with full bladder which is temporarily relieved by urination, pain above the pubic arch, in the pelvis, vagina, and/or the pelvic floor (external region between genitals and anus), laboratory studies showing no bacteria, fungal or parasitic infections, Hunner's ulcer or petechiae of bladder mucosa noted on cystoscopic examination, absence of inflammatory bladder lesions, malignant tumors and urethral diverticula, small bladder capacity and poor bladder wall compliance.

Causes may include: Interstitial infection, extravesical infection, hormonal abnormalities, psychogenic factors, autoimmune disorders, lymphatic obstruction, and ischemia-induced (local, temporary loss of blood supply) pain. Autoimmune disorders have characteristics that are similar to the symptom complex of interstitial cystitis. Bladder antibodies and anti-nuclear antibodies have been identified in tissue biopsies and in the bloodstream of sufferers. There may be a dysfunction of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) layer that protects the bladder mucosa and cause it to be impermeable to bladder contents. Ischemia is often related to reflex sympathetic dystrophy and interstitial cystitis may occur with this disease. Psychogenic disturbances have been considered, but it is more likely that the symptoms of anxiety, the fatigue, and the feelings of desperation are more a result of the problems than the cause. Complications of interstitial cystitis may be bacteria in the urine, bladder instability with increased urgency, and upper urinary tract infections. The bladder wall may become fibrotic and unresponsive.

Treatments have included pain killers and antispasmodics to maximize bladder capacity; steroids, NSAID's and antihistamines to reduce pain and inflammation; medications placed in the bladder by the use of tubes, including silver nitrate, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), heparin, oxychlorosene, natium chromoglucate, or steroids; Sodium pentosan-polusulfate (Elmiron) which is an oral agent designed to reduce GAG layer dysfunction; tricyclic antidepressant to relieve ischemic pain; painkillers, narcotics and/or tranquilizers to relieve pain; cystoscopic treatments for bladder distention (increase in size), opening of the urethra, or resection (removal) of ulcers; surgical removal of the urinary tract, and surgical denervation (removal of nerves) of the bladder and surrounding areas.

Mistreatments include telling patients that this is a sign of stress and referring them (mostly women) for psychiatric treatment, telling them that they are neurotic, need a better sex life (which is often precluded by this condition), telling them they need to get married, that it is all in their heads, etc. Neurological exams generally prove to be useless. It is often as much as seven years from first symptoms to diagnosis, and by this time the disease is in its advanced stages. After years of mistreatment, many patients isolate themselves and "learn to live" with this condition rather than attempt to find yet another doctor to misdiagnose them.

We recommend that you first try a far less drastic course of treatment which includes avoidance of foods that irritate the bladder and aloe to coat the bladder and urethra to reduce pain and urgency. Some report that DMSO also reduces pain and frequency. A great Aloe product may be ordered from Triputic by phone by calling (800) 766-1669, ext. 4960. or by writing to Aloe Division, ProType Ltd., P.O. Box 49552, Colorado Springs, CO 80949-9552. Aloe is a natural anti-inflammatory product that also has anesthetic qualities. It is also an anti-bacterial agent and enhances normal healing. I would always recommend that we try the least radical treatment before we subject our bodies to drugs or invasive treatments. Many of the answers to our problems may lie in alternative medicine rather than the traditional allopathic medicine that often places more toxins in our bodies. Talk to your Naturopathic Doctor or other alternative healing professional about possible treatments for interstitial cystitis and other implant-caused problems.

The following is a list of foods and other ingested items that have been found to aggravate the symptoms of women suffering from interstitial cystitis. The list is not all-inclusive and you may find that similar foods cause problems as well. The list is composed of foods which are basically high in acid or high in tyrosine, tyramine, tryptophan, or aspartate. This list was compiled by Jill Wood, Idaho Breast Implant Information Group, who suffers from interstitial cystitis. She hopes that you will find it helpful. Jill takes three capsules of Aloe from the manufacturer listed above) before consuming any foods on the list. She tries to avoid most of them, but occasionally, when on the road or at friends homes, you cannot avoid every food that gives you trouble.

Avoid: All citrus fruits, including oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes; apples; cranberries and cranberry juice; grapes and grape juice; pineapple and its juice; strawberries; tomatoes and all tomato products; vinegar; bananas; avocados; onions; prunes; raisins; cantaloupe; spicy foods with chili peppers; chocolate; chicken livers; pickled herring; aged cheeses; lima beans; mayonnaise; nuts; Nutrasweet (Aspartame); saccharin; soy sauce; sour cream; yogurt; rye bread; coffee; tea; alcoholic beverages; carbonated beverages; vitamins buffered with aspartate; appetite suppressants; and diet pills. This list can be expanded by noticing what you eat when you have particular problems. I have heard that aspirin also causes problems.

LABS: Cortisol: Our bodies should produce 7 mg. per day. Cortisol level should be checked because many women are in adrenal exhaustion. There are natural sources of cortisone. Check with your health provider or natural health food stores if your cortisol levels are low.

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE: Disease is a goal-oriented biological process which is aimed at restoring the function of the body or destroying the body's tissues. Toxicity is the quality of being poisonous and this can be chemical or microbial. There is a disease-toxicity connection. The effective management of toxins is both external and internal. The greatest challenge our body faces is the management of toxins. Disease processes include: Excretion, Deposition, and Degeneration. Excretion includes regular excretory channels from the bowels, urine, respiratory system, skin, and ears. There is also a toxic reaction which is an intensified response to accumulated toxins and includes the inflammatory process, which results from the reaction to toxins. Deposition is the phase where toxins are deposited and accumulate with resultant toxicity and includes the impregnation phase (with chronic viral infections, etc.) with its destructive aspects. The Degenerative process is where cells break down, there is early tumor formation, and other disease processes like heart attacks occur. Cells lose the ability to regenerate themselves. Undiagnosed conditions often contribute to this phase.

Each year there are over 3 million pesticide poisonings and over 200,000 deaths from pesticides. Sinus problems and respiratory problems are the number one complaint in Colorado. Many home products are extremely toxic, so check your labels.

In order to help our system to rid itself of toxins, we must support therapies that encourage the elimination of toxins. This includes detox programs and working with the mind-body connection. The vast majority of problems are linked with digestive problems. The two digestive conditions are called Eubiosis and Dysbiosis. Eubiosis is the condition where friendly bacteria are in the digestive system. These include lactobacillus acidophilus. In dysbiosis, there is a loss of friendly bacteria, there are more pathogenic bacteria, yeast problems, parasites, and viruses. This is where we get the leaky gut phenomenon, which can cause arthritis.

There are a number of things that we can do to try to help our digestive systems. The first is to use pure water. Reverse osmosis is the best system for purifying water. How we eat can be almost as important as what we eat. Make eating an enjoyable, relaxing experience. Eat slowly and in a relaxed atmosphere. Your food digests much better when you eat without tension. Don't eat on the run. Relaxation promotes digestion.

There are some laws for food combinations. 1) Don't mix fruit with other foods. If you have yeast problems, don't eat fruits or drink fruit juices for 2-3 weeks while detoxing. 2) Don't mix heavy starches with heavy proteins. No meat and potatoes. It is OK to mix rice or quinoa with other proteins. If you use dried fruits, be sure they are organic because poisons are concentrated in dried foods. Foods which are acid include most grains, beans, nuts, and meats. Foods which are alkaline are fruits, vegetables, seeds, sprouts, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, and herbal teas. Rice and milk are neutral. (Milk is a common allergen.) The worst foods for people with yeast problems are sugars (of any kind), vinegar, alcohol, and fermented foods such as pickles, soy sauce, and yeast.

Some health tips: Refrigerate seeds and nuts. Never toast bread if you can help it--the darker the toast, the more carcinogenic it is! Coffee is the most heavily sprayed (pesticides) food product in the world. Warm, distilled water enemas at the beginning of a migraine headache can eliminate it or greatly reduce it. Migraine headache sufferers should use 2 tablespoons or 4 capsules of Flax Seed Oil daily. Sufferers of MS and Sjogren's Syndrome should take 9 capsules of Evening Primrose Oil daily. The most highly recommended brands are Nature's Way Efamol and Metagenics EPO. For fibromyalgia, take 4-6 Metagenics FibroPlex daily. The best Vitamin C is Ultra Potent C. Take 4000 mg. daily. To cultivate good bacteria in the gut, take dairy free Ultra-dophilus. Also, from Pro-Biotic, 2 teaspoons of Pro- Bioplex (without food). Take with the acidophilus.

Drink 8-8 oz. glasses of pure water daily. Most toxins are purified in water. Especially if you are losing weight, you need to drink more water than you think you need. 1% dehydration = 10% energy loss. Our bodies are not good at letting us know how much water we need. The best herbal teas are Long Life Teas and Traditional Medicinals Teas. To detox your body, Ultra-Clear is an excellent product. After detoxing, Ultra Clear Sustain helps keep you detoxed as well as reducing sugar cravings by about 80%.

General guidelines for a cleansing diet and an allergy free diet: COMMON ALLERGENS to be avoided: Wheat, yeast, dairy, gluten (in rye, barley, oats and other grains), eggs, soy, corn, citrus, peanuts and night shades (russet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant). Also avoid: Sugar, salt, caffeine, decaffeinated coffee, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, additives and preservatives, fried foods, cooked oils, over-cooked protein, condiments, vinegar, soy sauce, hydrogenated oils, processed foods, margarine, white flour products, and soda pop.

Alternatives to above products:

Dairy alternatives: Rice Dream, nutmilks and nut cheeses, Amazake, (soy milk/cheese if not allergic).

Wheat and Gluten alternatives: Non-gluten grains, brown rice, millet, quinoa, and amaranth (available as flours and pastas).

Sugar alternatives: Fruit and fruit juice (unless you have yeast or fungal problems), sweet potatoes and yams, squashes, brown rice or maple syrup.

Salt alternatives: Bernard Jensen's "Quick Sip", Houser "Vegit", Health Valley "No Salt".

Beverage alternatives: Pure water, herb teas, fresh diluted vegetable and fruit juices, fruit smoothies, nutmilks and amazake.

Oil alternatives: Unsalted butter, olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil or flax oil (Do not cook with flax oil).

Over-cooked protein alternatives: Raw (not roasted) organic nuts and seeds, organic beef, lamb or fish, beans and lentils.

From Todd Nelson, ND, 3285 30th St., Suite 105, Boulder, CO 80301 (303) 449- 1330, Denver phone (303) 322-9294. For more information on these subjects, please contact Todd. For a packet of information from the health seminar given by Todd Nelson, please send $5.00 for copy and mailing costs to C.O.S.S., P.O. Box 129, Broomfield, CO 80038-0129.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Q. If I am already diagnosed and on the grid (MDL-926), why is my attorney asking me to do more tests? A. You may need further documentation to remain in the grid placement you now have. If your placement is marginal or your documentation is less than the committee feels you need, you will be given 30 days for further documentation. Gathering that documentation now is important, as 30 days is not enough time to have many tests done and get that documentation into the committee if it is requested. Q. Why is my friend, who is not as sick as I am, placed higher on the grid than I am? A. I hear this question often. You have to fit the criteria, which many feel is less than adequate to fully fit the conditions we truly have, in order to be placed on the grid. If you fit less criteria, you fit into a lesser category. We know of women who probably will not live to see the settlement that cannot even be placed on the grid because their symptoms do not fit into the established categories. As we have said before, there are many inequities in this settlement. If you are on the grid at all, you are better off than some women are. If your disease becomes worse later, or if you can prove later that you have a condition worse than you were previously diagnosed with, there are provisions to go back to the fund in later years and seek more compensation.

IMPORTANT: Once again the FDA has failed to protect consumers and has come down on the side of big business. On December 23rd the agency released its decision on saline breast implants. The decision is to leave them on the market while studies are being done to determine their safety. As with silicone implants, wearers must be enrolled in controlled clinical trials, report the data in stages and disseminate revised patient information. The FDA states that they consider saline implants to have a lower degree of risk than gel-filled implants because only salt water is released into the body when they rupture (COSS comment--along with bacteria, fungus, decaying body materials and even viruses?). FDA is requiring the companies to submit a complete battery of pre-clinical data. The first set of these data will be submitted in the first quarter of 1995. The agency states that it will review the new studies as they become available and will make public any significant new health information that is derived from these studies. Manufacturers will use the information to update labeling as appropriate. The FDA will issue a final rule calling for the submission of premarket approval applications in 1998. For a copy of the FDA TALK PAPER of December 23, 1994 on Saline Implants, send $1.00 and a self-addressed, stamped envelope with $.32 postage to COSS requesting FDA December 1994 Talk Paper on Saline Implants.

INFORMATION AVAILABLE: For an updated list on articles that are available, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) to C.O.S.S., P.O. Box 129, Broomfield, CO 80038-0129. We try to include a new list of articles with each newsletter.

Frequently Asked Questions about Breast Implants by Dr.Robert Ira Lewy is available by sending $4.00 to his office at 8181 North Stadium Drive, Houston, TX 77054, phone (713) 791-9311.

We have some of the few remaining books of "The Untold Truth About Breast Implants" by Patti Scher and Marion Koch. They are available for $22.95 from C.O.S.S. We also have "The Silicone Breast Implant Controversy" by Drs. Vasey and Feldstein for $23.95 and "Silicone-Gate" by Dr. Henry Jenny for $22.95. If you wish priority mail, please include $2.00 extra for the first book and $1.00 for each additional book. Send orders to C.O.S.S. at P.O. Box 129, Broomfield, CO 80038-0129. Foreign orders must be in U.S. Funds and include appropriate postage ($2.00 for Canada and Mexico, $5.00 for all other foreign countries).

GENERAL TIPS FOR A PERSON APPLYING FOR SSI (Supplemental Security Income) OR SSD (Social Security Disability): 1) Do not delay in applying. These funds are retroactive to the date of application. 2) Don't understate your condition, but don't exaggerate it either. 3) In detail, fill out every question on the form. Get help if you need to, but don't leave anything out. 4) Be descriptive about your condition and how it affects your life. 5) Keep a diary so you have detailed records about how your condition affects you. 6) Keep a record of all medication changes, any reactions you may have, and how often you take these medications, etc. Some people keep these records in their diary. 7) Follow medical advice. (C.0.S.S. comment-this includes the advice of alternative practitioners, don't feel restricted to allopathic medicine.) 8) Keep a record of how much time you spend traveling to and from the doctor or clinic, how many days a month you do this and how long you wait in the office to be seen. 9) When something is wrong, don't delay in seeking medical advice-- speak with the nurse or assistant, if necessary. Be sure they enter the problems into your medical records. 10) If you're turned down on the initial application, appoint a representative to go into the social security office and copy both your medical and non-medical file (This non-medical file may contain information on perceived short-comings in your application.) 11) Make sure that ALL medical evidence about your condition is in the file. 12) Remember the Primary Treating Physician's opinion carries the most weight--the Social Security examiners have never seen you. Have your doctor do a complete examination and write a letter explaining your condition IN DETAIL. If your primary doctor is not cooperative, find another primary doctor. 13) Use articles from medical journals or publications as evidence about required treatments, prognoses, etc. Most examiners are not familiar with genetic disorders such as immune deficiency disorders. Most are certainly unfamiliar with the ramifications of silicone disease. 14) Have a medical advisory committee write a series of instructional documents about this chronic illness that can be cited as evidence. There are a few pieces of information that already exist that may be helpful with this. Dr.Lewy's booklet on Frequently Asked Questions about Breast Implants is one example.

PERSONAL COMMUNICATION: I hear often from women who are thankful for information and thought I would share this note from a member of the network: "To all the sisters of silicone, including you: Thank You...You gave me hope when all I could feel was fear. You gave me understanding when no one else could. You patiently listened to my anguish when no one else would. Thank you 'sisters' for being there."

P.J. Brent of Atlanta, GA would like to hear from any mother whose children are affected by breast implants and have had an abnormal EMG with a diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy. Phone (404) 255-5777 or write to her at 470 Stone Mill Trail, Atlanta, GA 30328. My pediatric neurologist would like to compare notes with yours.

"I am interested in hearing from women who currently have or have had a polyurethane covered silicone implant. I would like to network to share health problems, diagnosis and treatment. Please write to Shelli Rosenthal at 2642 Barry Lane, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 or call (215) 947-8752."

"ANY saline filled/silicone shell implant victim that has solely Champus Insurance and is military or a military dependent and is being treated on Base, please write or call me so I (being a military dependent) can help educate a military doctor in my area through your military doctor." Mrs. Sandy Gardner, 7953 Windsong Drive, Trussville, AL 35173 (205) 655-7856.

BOOKS: Doctor-Patient Handbook by Bernard Jensen, Bi-World Publishing. Any books by Dr. Jeffrey Bland. Torn Illusions, by Pamela Kendall, New Horizons Press. This is a book on silicone disease.

HUMOR: I am strong. I am invincible. I am woman. I AM TIRED.

PRODUCTS AVAILABLE: Pycnogenol, the free-radical scavenger that has helped many of us with our energy levels and our healing process, is available from C.O.S.S. I have certainly improved my energy level since I began taking this product in October. It comes in 20 mg. tablets in a bottle of 60. Cost is $35.98 per bottle. Please send $2.00 shipping and handling for the first bottle, and $1.00 for each additional bottle. Colorado residents, please add $2.64 tax per bottle. We are looking at other products to see if they are available at reduced costs as this product is so expensive.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed here are those of the editor and any contributors and are not to be construed as medical or legal advice. Any articles or information submitted may be edited because of space, content or grammatical errors.

COPYRIGHT: Our purpose is to disseminate information and provide support. This material is copyrighted so that we may retain control over content. You may reproduce this document as long as it is not done for profit and as long as no material, including copyright and subscription information, is changed.

DONATIONS: The Coalition of Silicone Survivors is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt corporation with over 4000 members world wide. Our editor, Lynda Roth, is a survivor having heard the dread word 'cancer' followed by the reassuring 'will look like a normal breast'. In addition to having helped start many support groups, Lynda has appeared before the FDA, congress members, national TV in the US and other countries and lectures internationally. Your donation will definitely help others receive information about the dangers of implants. IF READING THIS NEWSLETTER HAS HELPED YOU, AND YOU THINK OTHERS SHOULD HAVE A CHANCE TO RECEIVE OUR MESSAGE, WE URGE YOU TO GIVE GENEROUSLY. Donations are tax deductible in the United States. Yes, I want to help

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