Beginning August 1, 2000, each month, every new person that signs up for the Imaginis.com newsletter will be entered into a free drawing to win a unique breast cancer awareness pin, donated by Live Wire Jewelry. Thousands of breast cancer patients, survivors and healthcare professionals receive the Imaginis.com Breast Health Newsletter, which is published by email every two weeks. If you would like to add the email addresses of your friends and family to the newsletter mailing list, please visit http://www.imaginis.com/newsletter/.

Imaginis.com is used in over 130 countries worldwide.Imaginis.com was honored as the TOP PATIENT EDUCATION INFORMATION WEBSITE of the private sector at the Spring 2000 World Wide Web Health Awards. Click here to read more: http://www.imaginis.com/about/press/press8.1.00.asp.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BREAST HEALTH NEWS

1. SALE OF BREAST CANCER RESEARCH STAMP EXTENDED...
One day before the breast cancer research semi-postal stamp was scheduled to be taken off the market, President Clinton signed the Semi-Postal Authorization Act, extending the sale of the breast cancer stamp for two more years. The breast cancer research stamp was first introduced in July 1998, and as of July 16, 2000, 214 million stamps have been sold, raising over $15.1 million for breast cancer research.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/news/news8.16.00.asp

2. RESEARCHERS CONTINUE ENROLLMENT FOR NATIONAL BREAST CANCER PREVENTION TRIAL...
Over 6,000 women at high risk of breast cancer have already enrolled in the STAR clinical trial, and researchers are hoping that another 16,000 women will join within the next few years. The STAR (Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene) clinical trial is a national trial run by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP). STAR is designed to determine whether the drug raloxifene (brand name, Evista) is as effective as the drug tamoxifen (brand name, Nolvadex) in preventing breast cancer.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/news/news8.2.00.asp

3. ELDERLY WOMEN DO NOT RECEIVE AGGRESSIVE BREAST CANCER TREATMENT...
Several recent studies reveal that elderly women with breast cancer are not offered aggressive treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation in addition to breast cancer surgery. Some physicians believe that aggressive cancer therapy is riskier in older patients and that very elderly women (over age 80) are more likely to die of another ailment related to old age, such as heart disease, before the effects of breast cancer become devastating. However, the American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 10,000 women over age 80 will die of breast cancer each year.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/news/news8.3.00.asp

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

IMAGINIS.COM BREAST HEALTH FORUM

The Imaginis.com Breast Health Forum has been designed to help promote the discussion of breast health topics and bring women together who have shared similar experiences. Breast cancer patients, survivors, and women of all ages who are concerned about breast health issues, both cancerous and benign, are encouraged to post and reply to messages at http://www.imaginis.com/forums.

Registration on the Imaginis.com forums is simple and free. Though registration is not required to post or reply to messages, those who do register will receive email notifications when others have posted responses to their questions.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BREAST HEALTH/BREAST CANCER INFORMATION

1. UNDERSTANDING NIPPLE DISCHARGE
Nipple discharge is the third most common breast complaint for which women seek medical attention, after lumps and breast pain. While the majority of nipple discharges are associated with non-malignant changes in the breast such as hormonal imbalances, women should report any suspicious or worrisome nipple discharges to their physicians. This article discusses the causes, methods of examination, and treatment options for nipple discharge. The article also addresses which types of nipple discharge may warrant concern.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/nipple.asp

2. HOW TO PERFORM A BREAST SELF-EXAM (BSE)
Breast self exam (BSE) is a key component in helping to detect breast cancer early, along with clinical breast exams and mammography. Women should perform BSE once a month to check for any changes or abnormalities in the breasts. This article describes how best to perform BSE and warning signs to watch for when examining the breasts. Additional topics include BSE for women with lumpy breasts, BSE during pregnancy, BSE pads, and more.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/bse.asp

3. FIND A MAMMOGRAPHY FACILITY IN YOUR AREA
Mammography is available at numerous accredited locations in most areas. To date, over 11,000 mammography facilities have been accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR) in the U.S. This article helps users locate a mammography facility by city, state, or zip code through the FDA's Mammography Location Finder. All mammography facilities in the database are accredited by the ACR and meet the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) mandated by Congress.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/mammo_locations.asp

4. BREAST CANCER AWARENESS "SUSAN BEAR"
The "Here's a Hug" company is selling the "Susan Bear" (a teddy bear) to help support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The Susan Bear stuffed animal dons pink breast cancer awareness ribbons and sells for $20. According to Lynn Spence of "Here's a Hug," 10% of the proceeds from the sales of the "Susan Bear" will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation to help promote breast cancer awareness and research.
Click here to learn more or to purchase a Susan Bear:
http://members.home.net/cbspence1/heresahug/tons_of_teddies.asp

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

IMAGINIS.COM BOOKSTORE - CURRENT FEATURE

Visit our Breast Health Bookstore at http://www.imaginis.com/bookstore/breasthealth/ for one of the Imaginis.com current features. "Recovering from Breast Surgery: Exercises to Strengthen Your Body and Relieve Pain" by Diana Stumm provides information on exercises and therapies for relieving pain after breast cancer surgery.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

HAVING TROUBLE ACCESSING THE LINKS IN THIS NEWSLETTER?

To view the full articles, click on the hyper-links following each summary. AOL (America Online) users may need to copy and paste the hyper-links in this newsletter into a web browser to view them. In some cases, the hyper-links following the summaries may not successfully retrieve the webpages if the address extends to more than one line. If this occurs, please copy the full text of the address and paste it into the address box in a web browser. This newsletter is also available at http://www.imaginis.com/newsletter/2000/aug-17-00.asp.

Please note, Imaginis.com does not send "spam" email and will unsubscribe anyone upon request (see link below). For questions or comments, please email us at mailto:comments@imaginis.com

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: INFORMATION IN THIS NEWSLETTER, WITHIN THE IMAGINIS.COM WEBSITE OR IN OTHER SITES LINKED TO FROM THE IMAGINIS.COM WEBSITE SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR SELF-TREATMENT. THE INFORMATION FOUND IN THIS NEWSLETTER, IN THE IMAGINIS.COM WEBSITE AND IN WEBSITES LINKED TO FROM THE IMAGINIS.COM WEBSITE SHOULD BE USED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED TO BE USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT BY A MEDICAL DOCTOR. USE OF THIS NEWSLETTER IS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE FOUND ON IMAGINIS.COM AT http://www.imaginis.com/guestbook/agreement.asp. IMAGINIS.COM DOES NOT ENDORSE AND HAS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONTENT OF ANY OTHER SITES LISTED ON IMAGINIS.COM, AND PROVIDES LINKS AND REFERENCES MERELY AS A CONVENIENCE TO ITS USERS. SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION IF YOUR CONDITION IS URGENT.