It may sound strange, but when estrogen-lowering drugs no longer control the growth of breast cancer, the exact opposite strategy may come to the rescue.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found that raising estrogen levels helped 30 percent of women whose metastatic breast cancer no longer responded to anti-estrogen treatment. And, not only did estrogen treatment often stop progression, some tumors later responded again to anti-estrogen treatments.

The study followed 66 women with breast cancer that had spread beyond the breast. They were all among the 75 percent of breast cancer cases that are estrogen-receptor positive, meaning that estrogen stimulated tumor growth. They were given anti-estrogren treatment, but their tumors later reappeared or resumed growing.

They were then placed on either high- or low-dose estrogen therapy, and both treatments benefited 30 percent of the patients. Moreover, doctors were able to accurately predict which patients would benefit through positron emission tomography (PET) scans.

The finding is an exciting one for Dr. Matthew Ellis, an oncologist at the Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis. About 40,000 women die of metastatic breast cancer each year, and estrogen therapy could potentially help thousands at a cost of less than a dollar a day as compared to expensive chemotherapy.

The finding was published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Supplement for cyclists

Athletes who think that the latest supplement du jour -- quercetin -- will help their performance may want to save their money.

Kirk Cureton, who heads the department of kinesiology at the University of Georgia, recently tested the substance in a study that assessed a variety of measures, including the ability of muscles to synthesize energy, cycling performance and strength loss.

The verdict: Although it had produced a 37 percent increase in the running endurance of mice, it showed no benefit in humans.

Quercetin is an antioxidant found in fruit skins, leafy vegetables, black tea and wine. It is sold as a supplement and added to sports drinks such as FRS Energy, which is promoted by cyclist Lance Armstrong.

Another reason to breast-feed

Parents who want to avoid the distress of infantile diarrhea might have an easy way to keep the runs on the run.

Dr. Steven Koslov, a pediatrician at the University of Wisconsin, says breast milk has been shown to prevent diarrhea in newborns -- and it's also the best cure for common infectious diarrhea in infants.

"We encourage moms to be aggressive with breast-feeding because it is the optimal rehydration solution," Koslov said. "That's not to say breast-fed babies won't get sick. But it does significantly decrease the occurrence of diarrhea and other types of infections."

When the child gets older, drinking too much juice with high sugar content often causes chronic diarrhea, he said.

"The biggest problem is apple juice; kids love it," he said. "It's like nature's candy. But juice fills the gut with a heavy sugar load that creates diarrhea."

AMA on Facebook

As part of its effort to better communicate with patients, the American Medical Association recently launched its official Facebook page.

The AMA page will feature timely updates on the health-reform debate and other information important to patients and physicians. Patients can watch virtual town hall videos, read the latest blog post by AMA President Dr. J. James Rohack and more.

"Americans must have access to timely, accurate information about the nation's ongoing efforts to reform the current health system in order to provide high-quality, affordable health coverage for all," Rohack said. "The AMA Facebook page is a tool for patients and physicians to learn and communicate with each other about the latest developments."

Lecithin product pluses

A common ingredient found in many foods may one day help doctors control blood fats and reduce the risk of major diseases.

Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis say they have identified a substance in the liver that helps process fat and sugar. This substance is a component of the common food additive lecithin, leading researchers to think that lecithin products may one day be used to control blood lipids and cut the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

""Currently, doctors use drugs called fibrates to treat problems with cholesterol and triglycerides," said Irfan J. Lodhi, the study's co-first author. "By identifying this substance ... it may be possible to improve the treatment of lipid disorders and minimize drug side effects by adding particular varieties of lecithin to food."

High concentrations of lecithin can be found in egg whites as well as soybeans, grains, fish and peanuts.

Inflammation and memory loss

Getting a cold or stomach bug may lead to increased memory loss in people with Alzheimer's disease, according to research in this week's issue of Neurology.

The study found that people who had respiratory, digestive tract or other infections were more likely to have high blood levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a protein involved in inflammation. Such people also were more likely to experience memory loss or other types of cognitive decline than people who did not have infections and who had low TNF levels.

Of 222 people studied, the 110 who experienced an infection or even bumps and bruises from a fall experienced memory loss at twice the rate of those who stayed healthy.

Stress-reducing smells

Stopping to smell the roses really may be good advice if you're trying to cut your stress level.

Scientists in Japan are reporting the first scientific evidence that inhaling certain fragrances alters gene activity and reduce stress.

Akio Nakamura and his colleagues exposed mice to stressful conditions while allowing some to inhale linalool, one of the most widely used substances to soothe stress.

The scientists found that the scent of linalool returned stress-elevated levels of neutrophils and lymphocytes -- key parts of the immune system -- to near-normal levels. It also reduced the activity of more than 100 genes that go into overdrive in stressful situations.

The researchers hope the findings will lead to new blood tests to identify stress-alleviating fragrances. The study was found in a recent issue of Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry published by the American Chemical Society.