I am an endocrinology freak. There is basically nothing about endocrinology that wouldn't force me to stop and read and research a little more. If I was given the chance to chose my dream career I would definitely pick Endocrinologist, but due to life's imperfections I am now a Master by Research on my second passion - Toxicology. Obviously, they are not that dissociated and that is what ultimately brings up the smile I carry whenever I have the chance to discuss, talk, learn, read, view, watch, listen to whatever I found regarding these passions of mine - Endocrinology and Toxicology.

I was having a coffee with my "wife" and a couple of Spanish friends who travelled from Newcastle Upon Tyne, a mother to be and an university teacher who recently joined their university. As I was learning loads of new information regarding all the million subjects my friend - the teacher,  is always so proficient on (it's impressive that guy's intelligence and passion for historical facts and literature - from Factotum to the Manifest Destiny) I had a brainstorm break ( a small pause just to relax my mind) wondering how great it would be to post an article I had just "stolen" from a newspaper I read in Café Nero (Nottingham). I had to go all wrong on that newspaper and face public shame (well, not so bad to cut a quarter of a page out of a newspaper in front of what??, 15 other human beings) as I found a nice short column about hormone replacement therapy... that moment I realised I had to have that small column for myself, so under the repressive criticism of both my "wife" and our Spanish friend - the mother to be - I cut the interesting column very carefully and brought it home. Well, I thought I would have to write piece by piece of that very interesting breakthrough in order to post it on the blog, but apparently the web is a lot more perceptive than what we consider it to be and "voilá", I found this same column on the Daily Mail online. 

So here it is, by Jenny Hope (Medical Correspondent - something I'd like to be too but not that fiercely when compared to Endocrinologist and Toxicologist!!), 

HRT 'could cut breast cancer risk by a third',

for all of you visitors of The Toxicologist Today.

USING hormone replacement therapy could protect some women against breast cancer rather than trigger the disease, according to controversial research.

It suggests a certain form of HRT lowers the risk by at least a third.

The findings have been criticised for potentially causing confusion among women who have been warned for several years that HRT causes a slight rise in the chances of developing breast cancer.

The study looked at the effect of oestrogen-only HRT, which is prescribed to women who have had their womb removed.

A new analysis of previously collected data showed that women with no strong family history of breast cancer who are taking oestrogen-only HRT may be at a 30 to 40 per cent lower risk of cancer.

Joseph Ragaz, of the University of British Columbia, Canada, said: 'Our analysis suggests that, contrary to previous thinking, there is substantial value in bringing HRT with oestrogen alone to the guidelines.

'The data show that for selected women it is not only safe, but potentially beneficial for breast cancer.' Prof Ragaz and colleagues re-analysed data from the Women's Health Initiative hormone replacement therapy trials. The WHI study, launched in 1991, included more than 161,000 U.S. women. He said many women had been deterred by WHI results showing more heart disease, stroke and cancer among HRT users, even though later analysis changed some of the findings.

About a million British women use HRT to combat symptoms of the menopause, down from three million a decade ago.

The new analysis found that sub-groups of women with no strong family history of breast cancer who received oestrogen alone had a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer. In addition, the 75 per cent of women without benign disease prior to the trial enrolment also had a lower risk.

The paradox was caused by the fact that oestrogen helped drive the development of breast cancer when the hormone was produced by the body, yet did not do so when administered through HRT.

Dr Tim Byers, of the University of Colorado, said the findings could create 'confusion'. But Dr Sarah Rawlings, of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: 'Further research is needed but the findings are interesting as they suggest oestrogen-only HRT may cut breast cancer risk in some women.'

COPYRIGHT 2010 The Daily Mail The Daily Mail; COPYRIGHT 2010 Gale, Cengage Learning;

Just a thought: Can it be the fact that oestrogen produced by the body may help the development of breast cancer, but not the oestrogen administered through HRT, to be related to some biochemical/biological process inherent to the organics of oestrogen production in women?

Oh, by the way, Merry Christmas and a Very Happy 2011. Shall we find awesome dream careers and drive our smiles even higher next year, against all the economical odds and the Monetary International Fund.