QUESTION :

Is it safe to take Cellfood® REPAIR if one has breast implants?

ANSWER :

You spoke to me a few weeks ago regarding your concerns about the fact that you were advised by your doctor to avoid taking silica in any form as he said it would reject any foreign objects in your body. You also said you sell silica tissue salts which have a clear warning on them stating they should not be taken by a person who has breast implants or any other foreign object in their body, like a pace maker or steel pin, as it would be rejected.

You have basically said you would love to use our product and to promote it to clients at your pharmacy, but cannot just take our rep, Debbie de Vos', word for it that our silica will NOT cause rejection of foreign bodies, particularly breast implants, without us giving you some kind of medical backing on that statement or reference from a doctor or Professor who has studies to prove this.

Attached below is a document explaining why so many people are misinformed about silica, with the backing of Professor Jacques Rossouw, a micro-biologist whose credentials are detailed in the attachment.

The Position of Cellfood® REPAIR and Body Implants

All published scientific literature currently available indicates that there is NO RISK for anyone with a medical body implant taking a silicon supplement, such as Cellfood REPAIR.

Consulting Professionals

In arriving at this conclusion, Oxygen For Life consulted various references (see last page), and with:

Professor Jacques Rossouw, DSc (Biochemistry & Pharmacology), MBA (Pretoria University)
University Lecturer and Consultant in Biochemistry and Pharmacology.
Mobile: 083 457 7480

AND:

Ashleigh Caradas BSc (WITS), BSc (Med) Honours (WITS), Nutrition & Dietetics (UCT) Dietician
Registered Dietician and Consultant
Mobile : 082 856 3374
Email: ashleigh@intelihealth.co.za
Website: www.intelhealth.co.za

Both nutritional consultants have stated that there is no risk for anyone with a medical implant taking Cellfood® REPAIR. Professor Rossouw stated: “There is no scientific literature pointing to the relationship between silica supplementation and breast implants, or any medical implants, etc. I would also not put any cautionary note in the packaging re metal implants etc.” (23.09.2007).

Silicon and Elimination

Therefore, contrary to opinion, much of which seems to be misleading, exaggerated, and scientifically unsubstantiated, supplemental silicon has no negative effect on medical implants (e.g. surgical stainless steel, silicone, synthetic pipes and envelopes, etc.) in the body. Furthermore, there is no connection between silicon and silicone.

Silicon and Silicone

”Silicon is the second most abundant element on the planet (oxygen is the first); and is necessary for the formation of collagen for bones and connective tissue; for healthy nails, skin, and hair. It is needed to maintain flexible arteries, and plays a major role in preventing cardiovascular disease.”

“Silicone is often mistakenly referred to as ‘silicon’. Although silicones contain silicon atoms, they are not made up exclusively of silicon, and have completely different physical characteristics from elemental silicon.”

“Silicone is a polymer made from silicon and methyl chloride that yields methyl chlorosilane, which is distilled into dimethyldichlorosilane, and then polymerized with water into polydimethylsiloxane.”

“Polysiloxanes were called ‘silicones’ due to early mistaken assumptions about their structure.”

Breast Implants
Silicone Breast Implants went on the market in 1962, without any safety testing. They were developed by two US plastic surgeons using Dow Corning Corporation silicone technology.

Saline Breast Implants were developed in France in 1964, but are only suitable for women with enough pectoral breast tissue.

It has been reported by the US FDA: “All implants will eventually break, and most women who have implants for ten years or longer will have at least one broken implant.” &

The FDA reported: “Biomaterials testing of breast implants indicates that implants should only break under the most traumatic circumstances, and yet implants break for no apparent reason, as well as under pressure from mammograms. It is difficult to know how much risk a mammogram increases the risk of rupture since so little is understood about why implants break and under what circumstances.” &

“Women with implants have been told that mammography is safe for them, but the results of the latest FDA study suggest that the risk of rupture can be exacerbated by mammography.”

Women with silicone breast implants are advised to have regular MRI scans. Mammograms are not reliable enough for detecting leakage.

Breast Implant Rupture
Rupture of Saline Breast Implant
“ When a saline breast implant breaks, the contents usually leak very quickly. A woman can see that her saline implant has broken because her breast has changed in size and/or shape in a short period of time. It is less common for saline to leak slowly. When the saline leaks out of its envelope, the body absorbs it. It is usually harmless, unless there is fungus or bacteria inside the implant; and leakage of non-sterile saline from the implant could lead to a potentially serious infection.”

Rupture of Silicone Breast Implant
“ When a silicone breast implant breaks, the contents usually leak very slowly. A ruptured silicone gel implant can go completely unnoticed for many years. The leaking silicone can be contained within the scar tissue capsule, which is the thick layer of scar tissue that naturally builds up around the implant; or the silicone can migrate to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes under the arm, and major organs such as the lungs where, it is impossible to remove.”

Lung and Brain Cancers
“ Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) report that women with breast implants appear to have higher rates of lung and brain cancers compared to other plastic surgery patients.”

Fibromyalgia and Connective Tissue Disease
“ Women with MRI-diagnosed extracapsular silicone gel (i.e. silicone that had migrated outside the fibrous scar around the implant) were 2.8 times more likely to report that they had fibromyalgia.” &

The FDA’s Office of Women’s Health and the National Institute of Health published in the May 2001 Journal of Rheumatology, an estimated 6 – 8 million Americans had fibromyalgia; and about 80 percent were women.

“Women with MRI-diagnosed extracapsular silicone gel were 2.7 times more likely to report that they had ‘other connective tissue diseases’, including dermatomyositis and polymositis.”

Other related conditions: diseases of the immune system, such as scleroderma; arthritis-like conditions; joint pain; swelling; fever; breast pain; chronic fatigue syndrome; systemic lupus erythematosus; Sjogren’s & Raynaud’s syndromes. &

CONCLUSION
Contrary to opinion, much of which seems to be misleading, exaggerated, and scientifically unsubstantiated, supplemental silicon has no negative chemical effect on medical implants (e.g. surgical stainless steel plates or screws; silicone breast implants or tubes; synthetic envelopes, etc.) in the body. Furthermore, there is no connection between silicon and silicone.

Women who have had silicone breast implants should take note of the health warnings from various reputable international authorities; and have their breast implants regularly checked for leakage by means of MRIs, and not mammograms.

Undetected or detected leaking silicone breast implants can cause health risks because of resultant toxicity in the lymph system (which may lead to lymph, breast, lung and brain cancers; as well as fibromyalgia; and other related conditions); as well as damage to pectoral connective tissue.

Therefore, far from silicon supplementation being hazardous to women who have silicone breast implants, silicon supplementation can assist in restoring damaged connective tissue in instances where there is undetected silicone leakage into the body tissues.

REFERENCES

  Dr James Balch M.D & Phyllis Balch CNC, “Prescription for Nutritional Healing”, 2nd Edition, Avery, New York,
     1997. p. 32.
  “Chemical Terminology”, “Silicone”, Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, www.wikipedia.org/wiki/silicone
  “The Basics of Silicon Chemistry”, Dow Corning, www.dowcorning.com. Updated: 2007.
  Home Page, www.siliconeholocaust.org
 “Breast Implants”, Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia,
     www.wikipedia.org/wiki/breast_implant#silicone_gel_implants
  “Breast Implants and Mammography”, “What You Need To Know”, www.breastimplantinfo.org/what_know
 “FDA, Breast Implant Consumer Handbook”, 2004. www.fda.gov/sdrh/breastimplants/handbook2004
 “FDA Advisory Panel on Inamed Silicone Gel Breast Implants”, 14 Oct 2003.
     cf. www.fda.gov/ohrms/docket/ac/03/transcripts/3989T1.html
 “If Your Breast Implant Breaks”, “What You Need To Know”, www.breastimplantinfo.org/what_know
 “Higher Rates of Lung and Brain Cancers in Patients With Breast Implants”, “What You Need To Know”,
     www.breastimplantinfo.org/what_know. Published in Oncology, Spectrum, Vol. 2, No. 6, June 2001.
 “Study of Silicone Gel Breast Implant Rupture”, U.S. Food and Drug Administration,
     www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants/extracapstudy.html
 “Fibromyalgia and Ruptured Silicone Gel Breast Implants”, “What You Need To Know”,
     www.breastimplantinfo.org/what_know
  “Enlargement”, “Breast”, Metamorphosis Clinic, RSA. cf. www.theclinic.co.za/breastaugmentation.html