Letters How to Send Letters We prefer letters relating to JN articles. We reserve the right to edit or reject letters. Letters of 225 words or less are considered first. Longer ones will be subject to trimming. Letter writers are limited in frequency of publication. Letters must be original and contain the name, address and title of the writer and a day phone number. Non-electronic copies must be hand signed. Send letters to the JN: 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034; fax (248) 304-8885; e-mail, letters@the jewishnews.com . We prefer e-mail. More Alternatives As COME IN NOW AND ADD NEW LIFE TO YOUR HARDWOOD FLOORS. S__FoR HISS — I SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1971 11 1404 FLOORS -411w4.410*.iW -411PI`"1.1b*"11111.h4'111P- and 411.111.1%.41.1%milrN41/Pw INTERIORS HARDWOOD REFINISHING LAMINATE MARBLE/GRANITE VINYL 3021 ORCHARD LAKE ROAD KEEGO HARBOR, MICHIGAN 48320 248.68i £460 WWW.HARBORFLOORS.COM HOURS: M-F 8 AM - 6 PM, SAT. 9 AM - 5 PM OR CALL TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT Jason M. Schwalb, M.D., director Movement Disorder & Behavioral CARPET August 20 2009 breast cancer history to be tested for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic muta- tions ("Male Breast Cancer: My Life- Altering Experience, July 23, page A34). There have been many advance- ments in breast cancer care at Beaumont Hospitals in the eight years since Mr. Levine consulted with a Beaumont breast surgeon. For example, the mammography process at our Marilyn and Walter J. Wolpin Comprehensive Breast Care Center at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, now accommodates the needs of men requiring mammography, as well as women. This includes a spe- cific patient history form for men and accommodations for men to disrobe and dress in private. In November 2003, Beaumont, Royal Oak launched an expedited breast cancer diagnosis program designed to eliminate delays in patients receiving results. Thanks to this program, women or men with breast problems receive their diagnostic mammogram and breast ultrasound results before they leave the appointment. When possible, a biopsy and/or aspiration is offered the same day. This greatly reduces patient anxiety and allows any necessary treat- ment to begin as soon as possible. Beaumont also added a cancer genetics program that has grown to be the largest genetic breast cancer program in Michigan offering testing and counseling to Ashkenazi Jews and others at high genetic risk of cancer. Nurse navigators are available at our Royal Oak and Troy Breast Care Centers giving one-on-one assistance to patients for scheduling tests, physi- cian consultations and treatments dur- ing a very stressful time in their lives. These programs, along with a com- prehensive, multi-disciplinary treat- ment approach, advanced technology and research, helped us become the first breast care program in Michigan to earn national accreditation through a program administered by the American College of Surgeons. Our focus has been, and will con- tinue to be, on providing the highest- quality breast care efficiently, effec- tively and respectfully. Our patients deserve nothing less. Neurosurgery Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital CERAMIC Frank Vicini, M.D., FACR Chief of Oncology Beaumont Advances CORK We applaud Fred Levine for coura- geously sharing his story as a man with atypical ductal hyperplasia, a precursor of breast cancer, and for advising your Ashkenazi male readers with a family AREA RUGS COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL 1530610 6 someone who treats Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) surgi- cally, I would like to add to the discus- sion of medical options in "Searching for Answers" (July 23, page A29). There is significant scientific evi- dence that CRPS is mediated by the spinal cord and can be modified with spinal cord stimulation (SCS). SCS is a technology invented by Norm Shealy at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in 1967, whereby an elec- trode is placed over the spinal cord and connected to a pacemaker battery that can be programmed through the skin. Electrical currents are delivered to the spinal cord, producing tingling in the painful area and reducing pain. Depending on the power usage, the batteries tend to last two to five years, or longer for rechargeable batteries. Dr. [Marius] Kemler and colleagues in Maastricht [the Netherlands] reported the results of a randomized, controlled trial of SCS with physi- cal therapy versus physical therapy alone in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2000. Adults who under- went implantation of the SCS systems had statistically significant improve- ment in pain and quality of life com- pared to those who received physi- cal therapy alone. This benefit was maintained at two years. There was no effect on the ability to feel cold, hot or painful stimuli. However, the initial differences between the treatment groups were no longer present at five years. Despite the diminishing effec- tiveness of SCS over time, 95 percent of the patients who underwent SCS implantation said they would repeat the treatment for the same result. I would think that there would be some value in gaining even transient relief for an adolescent going through a critical time in her social develop- ment. In addition, the group from Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital in Stockholm recently published very promising results in a group of seven adolescent girls in the January 2008 issue of the European Journal of Pain. Beaumont Hospitals Nayana Dekhne, M.D., FACS Interim Director Breast Care Center Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak