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"18 WAYS TO MAKE A BABY"

By Anonymous

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE       

BOSTON, OCTOBER 5, 2001 --

Where do babies come from? The answer isn't as straightforward as it used to be. Jamie Grifo, M.D., Ph.D., and Alice Domar, Ph.D., join with people across the country for an open dialogue about the latest chapter of the reproductive revolution on the Thrive Online website, Monday, October 8th at 7pm EST.

The event kicks off the 12th annual National Infertility Awareness Week, October 7-14 as the country debates medical, ethical and social issues such as genetic screening, the use of embryos in stem cell research, cloning of human life and the effects of lifestyle choices on fertility.

"Now, more than ever, it is important for our society -- and women and men struggling with infertility -- to understand the numerous issues surrounding human reproduction and fertility, as new technologies are broadening the treatment options, while also creating the opportunity to possibly treat or cure life-threatening diseases," says Joan Bowen, executive director, RESOLVE. "However, we must also be cautious, as some of these advances come with potentially significant risks.

"This year, National Infertility Awareness Week® focuses on bringing together infertile women and men, medical professionals, counselors, adoption resources, researchers, legislators and others to create a better understanding of today's complex medical and social issues related to human reproduction and family building," said Bowen.

The Thrive Online Chat "18 WAYS TO MAKE A BABY" is Monday, October 8th at 7 pm EST. The site can be found in the Sexuality part of www.ThriveOnline.com, or directly at:

               http://thriveonline.oxygen.com/chat/

One of the topics will be the The Mind/Body Program for Infertility, developed by Dr. Domar 1987. It is a comprehensive, complementary program designed to decrease symptoms, reduce isolation, and educate participants on the potential adverse impact of certain lifestyle behaviors on their reproductive health.
Clinical outcomes for participants in the eleven-session program with an average of three years of infertility show statistically significant decreases in physical symptoms, all measured psychological symptoms, and a 42% pregnancy rate.
The typical clinic patient is married, in her mid- to late- thirties, has been trying to conceive for three years, and has finished the infertility work-up and basic treatment. Many patients are either contemplating high-tech treatment or have had failed cycles. The average patient reports two-three physical symptoms, which have become worse since the infertility, as well as heightened depression scores, often in the moderate to severe range. Research has shown that depressed women who undergo in vitro fertilization are half as likely to conceive as non-depressed women.

By program end, most physical symptoms are notably less frequent and intense, her depression score will be in the normal range, and she reports that she feels like "her old self" again. She has almost a 50% chance of conceiving within six months.


ABOUT THE HOSTS:
About Alice Domar, Ph.D.
Dr. Domar directs the Mind/Body Center for Women's Health at the Mind/Body Medical Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. She also developed and directs the Mind/Body Program for Infertility at the Division of Behavioral Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In addition, Dr. Domar is a senior scientist at the Mind/Body Medical Institute, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and on the Executive Committee of the Mental Health Professional Group of the ASRM. She is the author of "Healing Mind, Healthy Woman" (Dell, 1997), "Self-Nurture" (Viking, January 2000) and "Six Steps for Increased Fertility" (Simon and Schuster, 2000).

About Jamie Grifo, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Grifo is the director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, and also holds the faculty appointment of professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the NYU School of Medicine. A member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) since 1989, Dr. Grifo has served on the Ethics Committee and is currently the vice president of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (SART). His scientific interests are focused in the area of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, and his team had the first successful delivery in the United States from the embryo biopsy procedure. He has also served as an ad hoc reviewer for the New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Human Reproduction, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Fertility and Sterility. He appears in the NOVA special "18 Ways to Make a Baby" (more on the program below).


TV NOVA SPECIAL: "18 Ways to Make a Baby
To learn more about the advances -- as well as the ever more daring procedures -- in assisted reproductive technologies, tune in to the NOVA special "18 Ways to Make a Baby," Tuesday, October 9 at 8 p.m. ET on PBS.

The bewildering new possibilities for treating infertility already involve genetic engineering and have arrived at the brink of cloning. NOVA examines how life -- at least on the cellular level -- has become easier to manipulate than anyone might have conceived.

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association since 1974, is the oldest and largest consumer nonprofit that provides education, advocacy and support to those struggling with infertility. Each year, National RESOLVE and its network of more than 50 chapters across the U.S. handle over one million contacts from people seeking information about infertility. Contact the RESOLVE HelpLine at 617-623-0744 or visit the RESOLVE website at www.resolve.org


# # #


FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MIND/BODY INSTITUTE, CONTACT:            
Mind/Body Medical Institute
110 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02215
Tel: (617) 632-9530
Fax: (617) 632-9545
Email: mbmi@caregroup.harvard.edu
http://www.mbmi.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT NATIONAL INFERTILITY AWARENESS WEEK®, RESOLVE, OR FOR A FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS BEING HELD DURING NIAW, CONTACT:            
Gina Cella                   
Cella Communications
781-334-4692
ginacella@earthlink.net




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Glutathione Therapy for Male Infertility

By Anonymous

February 17, 2004--It is a well-known fact that sperm counts have dropped by half in the last 50 years, and that modern men have 20 percent less semen volume than their fathers (BMJ, 1992, volume 305).

A recent report from researchers in Aberdeen presented preliminary data that suggests the sperm concentration of the men seen in their clinic had declined by 29% over the past 14 years. (British Fertility Society; 5 January 2004)

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and endocrine-disrupting chemicals from normal, everyday plastics are known to cause reproductive damage, as documented in Theo Colborn's book "Our Stolen Future."

Damage to sperm caused by exposure to common chemicals like alcohol, pesticides in food, has been linked to lowered intelligence and behavioral disorders in children.

Lifestyle risk factors known to decrease sperm quality include

     > Cigarette smoking
     > Alcohol consumption
     > Chronic stress
     > Nutritional deficiencies.

Other reasons for infertility include congenital factors, and health conditions like prostatitis and diabetes that can affect sperm production.

Pollution is stealing our future, and there's little anyone can do to avoid it. There may not be a lot you can do to reduce your exposure to persistent environmental toxins.

But there are definite measures you can take to reduce the impact of the environmental pollutants and toxins on your body.

You can prevent and, to a certain extent, repair the damage they cause to your body, through a better lifestyle and nutrition.

Some nutritional therapies and antioxidants that have proven beneficial in treating male infertility and improving sperm counts, sperm morphology and motility include:

     > Carnitine
     > Arginine
     > Zinc
     > Selenium
     > Vitamin B-12
     > Vitamin C
     > Vitamin E
     > Glutathione
     > Coenzyme Q10

Studies show that anti-oxidant supplementation - glutathione in particular - can improve sperm quality, and possibly increase your chances of conceiving.

If you smoke, drink, are exposed to stress, chemicals, radiation, pesticides or take medication or drugs (like sulfasalazine, ketoconazole, azulfidine, anabolic steroids, marijuana) that affect fertility, you should consider taking an antioxidant supplement to reverse some of the damage.


Why are Antioxidants Important for Sperm Quality?

Mammalian spermatozoa are coated by a membrane rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids are extremely susceptible to oxidative damage by free radicals or Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) by a process called lipid peroxidation (LPO).

Lipid peroxidation damages the sperm cell membrane. It is considered to be the key mechanism of ROS-induced sperm damage and leads to

     > Loss of sperm motility
     > Abnormal sperm morphology
     > Reduced capacity for oocyte penetration
     > Infertility

To protect sperm from damage, the body depends on powerful antioxidant enzymes in the body such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase/reductase (GPX/GRD).

Seminal plasma and spermatozoa have several antioxidant enzymes - glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase.

Some amount of all the antioxidant enzymes, which may protect spermatozoa from oxidative attack, are also made by the epididymis during storage.

The glutathione peroxidase/reductase enzymes play a central role in the defense against oxidative damage in human sperm.


Why is Glutathione important for Sperm Quality and Fertility?

A decrease in levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) during sperm production is known to disrupt the membrane integrity of spermatozoa due to increased oxidative stress.

Intracellular glutathione levels of spermatozoa are known to be decreased in certain populations of infertile men. Compared with a control group, the infertile men in all groups had significantly higher levels of ROS and lower levels of total antioxidants.

There is strong clinical evidence to show that men diagnosed with infertility have high levels of oxidative stress that may impair the quality of their sperm.

In some groups, higher levels of ROS were associated with lower sperm counts and defective sperm structure, while lower antioxidant levels correlated with reduced sperm movement.

Previous evidence has also shown that oxidative stress can decrease a sperm's life span, its motility, and its ability to penetrate the oocyst, or egg cell.

Up to 40% of men with unexplained male infertility have higher levels of free radical activity in their bodies.

Because men with high levels of ROS have a seven-fold lower likelihood of inducing a pregnancy than men with lower levels, researchers recommend that treatment for infertile men should include strategies to reduce oxidative stress and improve sperm quality.


How can Glutathione help in the Treatment of Infertility?

Glutathione is not only vital to sperm antioxidant defenses, but selenium and glutathione are essential to the formation of "phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase" - an enzyme present in spermatids - which becomes a structural protein in the mid-piece of mature spermatozoa.

When either substance is deficient, it can lead to instability of the mid-piece of the spermatozoa, resulting in defective motility.

Free radical scavengers - such as glutathione - that restore the structure and function of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the cell membrane, can be used to treat these cases.

In a double-blind cross-over study of twenty infertile men, treatment with glutathione led to a statistically significant improvement of the sperm quality.

The study concerned men in whom the sperm quality was poor due to unilateral varicocele or germ-free genital tract inflammation - two conditions in which ROS or other toxic compounds are indicated as causative factors.

Treatment with glutathione was also found to have a statistically significantly positive effect on sperm motility (in particular forward motility) and on sperm morphology.

The findings of these studies indicate that glutathione therapy could represent a possible therapeutical tool in cases where ROS or exposure to toxins is the probable cause of infertility.

Read the complete report with references on Male Infertility and Glutathione
http://www.1whey2health.com/glutathione_infertility_sperm.htm




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AMERICAN ARTIST LAUNCHES SEARCH FOR INTERNATIONAL MODELS IN "EVERYDAY PEOPLE" PAINTING SERIES - WINNERS RECEIVE $1,000.00 EACH

By Anonymous

Arlington, WA -- February 19, 2003 -- A folk artist represented by Wheeler Enterprises of Arlington Washington is searching internationally for models for the launch of his first "everyday people" series of paintings which begins production in early 2004. The international search includes: female model, teen female model, male model, teen male model, nude female model, nude male model, child nude model, senior female model, senior male model, senior nude female model, & senior nude male model.

Lethom is very well know for his folk art. The works are child like, whimsical, & fun. The artist has always wanted to paint people but, in a way that would incorporate his naive style.

According to Mr. Wheeler, Lethom's north American representative, "Lethom wanted to find the models & asked how that could be done". Wheeler suggested a photo contest with an incentive for entrants. 

Photos need to be received by Wheeler Enterprises before November 1, 2003 for entries to be eligible. There is a maximum of (3) entries allowed per person. Lethom will select the winners before December 23, 2003 & include the winners in paintings & greeting cards which will be available at retailers during 2004. The winners will also be posted on the website www.folk-art.org & receive $1,000.00 cash each.

There is a entrance fee of $1.99. The fee is for posting, sorting, & verifying entries.


For information:
http://www.folk-art.org/entry.html
Contact: greatfolkart@aol.com
Phone: 360-435-2736


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