Plymouth law firm says asbestos claim cases yet to peak

THE number of claims resulting from asbestos-related illnesses has yet to peak, says a Plymouth law firm specialising in handling such cases.

Wolferstans Solicitors has a team of lawyers working on the industrial disease claims, which can lead to compensation of up to £200,000 being paid.

James Walsh, a partner who heads the team, said Plymouth is a "hot spot" for claims, due to so many workers having been exposed to asbestos in Devonport dockyard.

"It hasn't peaked yet," he said.

John Messham, an associate in the team, said: "The figures suggest it will peak in 2020. Cases are coming out of the woodwork."

Mr Walsh has been working on cases since 1996 and said compensation for someone suffering asbestos-caused mesothelioma, an incurable form of cancer, could be up to £200,000, for instance if the person has left dependents.

But damages and compensation vary, depending on factors such as the age of the sufferer.

"We settled one case for over £350,000," Mr Walsh said.

Mr Walsh and Mr Messham are part of a team that also includes solicitor Dean Cruickshanks, litigation assistant Alexandra Nicholas and litigation assistant Kathryn Lewis.

"We're kept busy dealing with asbestos cases," Mr Walsh said. "Seventy-five per cent of our clients are from the Plymouth and Cornwall region.

"At any time we have 100 cases on our books."

He said one Wolferstans free Saturday advice clinic attracted 30 people.

"In 2008-12 there were 296 mesothelioma deaths reported in Devon and Cornwall," he said. "That could be the same for asbestos-related lung cancer."

It comes as The Herald has been highlighting the issue of asbestos-related illness in recent weeks.

The substance, which has insulation and fire- retardant properties, was used extensively in industry and construction.

It wasn't banned in the UK until 1986, by which time it was revealed as the cause of a range of illnesses.

Wolferstans says asbestos is the single biggest cause of work-related deaths in UK, responsible for 4,000 fatalities each year, of which more than half are caused by mesothelioma.

Mr Walsh said the "primary cases" are people who were exposed at work during the 1950s to 1980s.

"There's a latency period," he said. "It takes a minimum of 10 years, but could be up to 50 years after exposure for symptoms to develop. We are dealing with people in their 60s and 70s."

He said "secondary" cases are where people come into contact with asbestos via another person, for example Plymouth's Debbie Brewer, who died last year, believed to have been exposed to the substance when hugging her dockyard-worker father.

"There are plenty of cases where the person does not even know they have been exposed," Mr Walsh said.

The new Mesothelioma Act 2014 creates a

Government- and insurer-backed fund of last resort for mesothelioma cases only, where diagnosis is on or after July 25, 2012.

Mr Walsh said it will help sufferers who are unable to locate the employer or their insurers, possibly because the firm is no longer in existence.

But they still need to prove they were exposed.

Mr Walsh said it is also possible people may have been exposed to asbestos used in buildings, such as schools, if it had been "disturbed".

"There were a lot of council buildings in Plymouth with asbestos in their roofs," he said.

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New asbestos hotline for Queenslanders

Queenslanders will able to find out about asbestos in their homes before it's too late with a new hotline.

The state government has launched the hotline and a website to help people find out if there's asbestos in the homes and what they should do about it before they start renovating.

"Once you've already started the process and the asbestos is in the air, then unfortunately it can be too late," Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie told reporters.

Exposure to asbestos particles can lead to asbestosis, a chronic inflammatory lung disease that restricts breathing and can cause cancer.

The new plan also subjects asbestos removalists to a new licensing regime and lists them on the new website.

The plan cuts overlapping asbestos inspection responsibilities, with councils now in charge of residential properties and the government in charge of commercial premises.

Inspectors will also be given more substantial training to identify asbestos and advise people on how to deal with it.

Materials containing asbestos exist in most buildings constructed before 1990 and is not considered dangerous unless damaged or disturbed.

Queensland's government spent $989,000 removing asbestos from 26 schools in the 2012/13 financial year.

But there is still 10,000 square metres of asbestos in government buildings, the bulk of which is to expensive to remove for the time being.

Asbestos-related diseases can take more than 20 years before victims develop symptoms.

The government also plans to launch an education program to teach people about the dangers of asbestos.

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Stress Awareness and Cancer

MCA Staff Writers

Presenting Up-to-Date Mesothelioma Topics



When a patient receives a cancer diagnosis, a spouse, parent, or close friend often takes on a caregiver role. Since they are not paid, they are called informal caregivers or family caregivers. Most caregivers are women (60%), middle-aged, and have a full time job (59%).

In addition to their previous roles, caregivers often coordinate cancer care, manage finances, help with dressing, eating, bathing, and giving medication, make medical decisions, and shuttle the cancer patient to doctor appointments, tests, and treatments. In some cases, the caregiver also shops for food, prepares meals and snacks, performs housecleaning, and washes the clothes for a second household. These extra duties squeeze much of the free time from the caregiver's schedule, which creates stress.

These stresses can contribute to coronary heart disease, impaired immune responses, and an early death. Signs of high stress levels include constant concern and worry, altered sleep patterns (too much or too little), change in appetite and / or bowel movements, feeling overwhelmed, rapid weight changes, and exhaustion or fatigue much of the time.

Many doctors treat cancer as the enemy in a war game. However, enemies usually last a lifetime. Instead, consider cancer as a teacher since teachers quietly disappear after the lessons are learned. This change in perspective may reduce the fight or flight response and may help reduce stress. 9 Tips for Coping as a Caretaker of a Cancer Patient Take time off: Caregivers are usually going 110% all the time. It's important for you to take a break, even if it's a short time once a week. Pursue a relaxing activity for yourself, such as working in the garden, catching up with a hobby, walking outside, or napping. Accept help: Accept offers of help from friends, family, and colleagues. Choose tasks for helpers: Decide what type of assistance would reduce your stress. Possibilities include cleaning the house, taking your loved one for treatments, bringing dinner, mowing the lawn, being a companion, etc. Then when a coworker, neighbor, family or friends ask what they can do to help, you can easily mention several options for them to choose. Allow saddness: Some caregivers of cancer patients find that allowing yourself to grieve for 15 min per day or week helps release stress. When the timer rings, they literally shake it off (one limb at a time), and then continue with their day. Deep breathing: Deep breathing can be relaxing, especially outside in clean air. Slow deep breathing helps calm the mind, body, and spirit. Exercise: Exercise everyday helps to relieve stress. Spend 10-20 min doing some type of physical activity, such as walking, yoga, biking, dancing, or swimming. You'll feel better and will be able to sleep better. Eat a proper diet: Eating balanced meals that contain dark green and colored vegetables helps maintain a healthy immune system. While mesothelioma is associated with asbestos exposure, one clinical survey indicates that eating vegetables may modestly reduce the risk of developing it in those exposed to asbestos. The nutritional status of a mesothelioma patient at diagnosis also helps predict survival. Since a spouse (caregiver) may have received a lower exposure to asbestos (by washing clothes), it may be wise to eat foods that have reduced the risk at least weekly, maybe daily. The following foods reduced the risk of developing mesothelioma in a case control study:: a. home grown vegetables (in other words, organic fresh vegetables) b. cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, collards, kale, turnips, mustard) c. carotene containing vegetables (sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, mustard greens, collard greens, beet greens, swiss chard, spinach, romaine lettuce, squash, cantaloupe, sweet red peppers) Stay organized: Staying organized can be very helpful when answering questions. Storing the tests, bills, handouts, and brochures related to the cancer and the patient's treatments in a folder or a three ring binder can save time, too. Find community resources: Looking up community resources for caregivers may identify ways to share duties of the caregiver. Helpful Community Resources

Support groups can provide alternate strategies that other caregivers have found useful. Your local cancer clinic, major teaching hospitals, and online communities often hold monthly or weekly meetings for caregivers to get together, support each other, and learn additional strategies.

Respite services provide respite helpers who spend time with your loved one. Then you are free to run errands, rest, see friends, or whatever is needed. Nonprofit groups, governmental agencies, neighbors, members of your faith, family, and friends may offer to provide companionship.

Some people find strength from their faith and religion. A local leader in your religious community or a specially trained counselor for cancer patients and their families can help provide spiritual support for both the caregiver and the cancer patient.

Community services include meal delivery, legal and financial counseling, transportation, and home care services such as companionship, cooking, and housecleaning.

Adult day care centers are often located in churches or community centers. While many centers provide care for only elderly, centers that provide care for both young children and elderly often encourage interaction during story time for several hours. Both groups enjoy it. Alternative Therapy Options for Releasing Stress

Any strategy that works for you to reduce stress would be a huge benefit. For example, some caregivers find that yoga, tai chi, kick boxing, dancing, Zumba, playing games, walking the dog, watching comedies, and going to a local concert help take your mind off of the health issues. Some people in creative jobs may even find work to be relaxing because it takes their mind off the situation.

If the cancer patient and caregiver share experiences doing other activities unrelated to the cancer, then conversation can expand beyond the health issues.

Meditation and deep slow breathing can also be relaxing. Even if you miss a day or two of meditation or exercise, start up again today.

--- References:National Cancer Institute: Coping with Cancer: Support and Palliative CareNational Cancer Institute: When Someone You Love Has Completed Cancer TreatmentCaregiver stress fact sheetSchiffman, M. H. et al. Case-control study of diet and mesothelioma in Louisiana. Cancer Res 48, 2911-2915 (1988).Yao, Z. H. et al. Prognostic nutritional index predicts outcomes of malignant pleural mesothelioma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 139, 2117-2123, doi:10.1007/s00432-013-1523-0 (2013).

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Stress Awareness and Cancer

MCA Staff Writers

Presenting Up-to-Date Mesothelioma Topics



When a patient receives a cancer diagnosis, a spouse, parent, or close friend often takes on a caregiver role. Since they are not paid, they are called informal caregivers or family caregivers. Most caregivers are women (60%), middle-aged, and have a full time job (59%).

In addition to their previous roles, caregivers often coordinate cancer care, manage finances, help with dressing, eating, bathing, and giving medication, make medical decisions, and shuttle the cancer patient to doctor appointments, tests, and treatments. In some cases, the caregiver also shops for food, prepares meals and snacks, performs housecleaning, and washes the clothes for a second household. These extra duties squeeze much of the free time from the caregiver's schedule, which creates stress.

These stresses can contribute to coronary heart disease, impaired immune responses, and an early death. Signs of high stress levels include constant concern and worry, altered sleep patterns (too much or too little), change in appetite and / or bowel movements, feeling overwhelmed, rapid weight changes, and exhaustion or fatigue much of the time.

Many doctors treat cancer as the enemy in a war game. However, enemies usually last a lifetime. Instead, consider cancer as a teacher since teachers quietly disappear after the lessons are learned. This change in perspective may reduce the fight or flight response and may help reduce stress. 9 Tips for Coping as a Caretaker of a Cancer Patient Take time off: Caregivers are usually going 110% all the time. It's important for you to take a break, even if it's a short time once a week. Pursue a relaxing activity for yourself, such as working in the garden, catching up with a hobby, walking outside, or napping. Accept help: Accept offers of help from friends, family, and colleagues. Choose tasks for helpers: Decide what type of assistance would reduce your stress. Possibilities include cleaning the house, taking your loved one for treatments, bringing dinner, mowing the lawn, being a companion, etc. Then when a coworker, neighbor, family or friends ask what they can do to help, you can easily mention several options for them to choose. Allow saddness: Some caregivers of cancer patients find that allowing yourself to grieve for 15 min per day or week helps release stress. When the timer rings, they literally shake it off (one limb at a time), and then continue with their day. Deep breathing: Deep breathing can be relaxing, especially outside in clean air. Slow deep breathing helps calm the mind, body, and spirit. Exercise: Exercise everyday helps to relieve stress. Spend 10-20 min doing some type of physical activity, such as walking, yoga, biking, dancing, or swimming. You'll feel better and will be able to sleep better. Eat a proper diet: Eating balanced meals that contain dark green and colored vegetables helps maintain a healthy immune system. While mesothelioma is associated with asbestos exposure, one clinical survey indicates that eating vegetables may modestly reduce the risk of developing it in those exposed to asbestos. The nutritional status of a mesothelioma patient at diagnosis also helps predict survival. Since a spouse (caregiver) may have received a lower exposure to asbestos (by washing clothes), it may be wise to eat foods that have reduced the risk at least weekly, maybe daily. The following foods reduced the risk of developing mesothelioma in a case control study:: a. home grown vegetables (in other words, organic fresh vegetables) b. cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, collards, kale, turnips, mustard) c. carotene containing vegetables (sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, mustard greens, collard greens, beet greens, swiss chard, spinach, romaine lettuce, squash, cantaloupe, sweet red peppers) Stay organized: Staying organized can be very helpful when answering questions. Storing the tests, bills, handouts, and brochures related to the cancer and the patient's treatments in a folder or a three ring binder can save time, too. Find community resources: Looking up community resources for caregivers may identify ways to share duties of the caregiver. Helpful Community Resources

Support groups can provide alternate strategies that other caregivers have found useful. Your local cancer clinic, major teaching hospitals, and online communities often hold monthly or weekly meetings for caregivers to get together, support each other, and learn additional strategies.

Respite services provide respite helpers who spend time with your loved one. Then you are free to run errands, rest, see friends, or whatever is needed. Nonprofit groups, governmental agencies, neighbors, members of your faith, family, and friends may offer to provide companionship.

Some people find strength from their faith and religion. A local leader in your religious community or a specially trained counselor for cancer patients and their families can help provide spiritual support for both the caregiver and the cancer patient.

Community services include meal delivery, legal and financial counseling, transportation, and home care services such as companionship, cooking, and housecleaning.

Adult day care centers are often located in churches or community centers. While many centers provide care for only elderly, centers that provide care for both young children and elderly often encourage interaction during story time for several hours. Both groups enjoy it. Alternative Therapy Options for Releasing Stress

Any strategy that works for you to reduce stress would be a huge benefit. For example, some caregivers find that yoga, tai chi, kick boxing, dancing, Zumba, playing games, walking the dog, watching comedies, and going to a local concert help take your mind off of the health issues. Some people in creative jobs may even find work to be relaxing because it takes their mind off the situation.

If the cancer patient and caregiver share experiences doing other activities unrelated to the cancer, then conversation can expand beyond the health issues.

Meditation and deep slow breathing can also be relaxing. Even if you miss a day or two of meditation or exercise, start up again today.

--- References:National Cancer Institute: Coping with Cancer: Support and Palliative CareNational Cancer Institute: When Someone You Love Has Completed Cancer TreatmentCaregiver stress fact sheetSchiffman, M. H. et al. Case-control study of diet and mesothelioma in Louisiana. Cancer Res 48, 2911-2915 (1988).Yao, Z. H. et al. Prognostic nutritional index predicts outcomes of malignant pleural mesothelioma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 139, 2117-2123, doi:10.1007/s00432-013-1523-0 (2013).

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Alcoholism Drug Suppresses Mesothelioma Tumors in Mice

Alcoholism Drug Suppresses Mesothelioma Tumors in Mice

Posted on Tuesday, April 08, 2014.



A drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of alcoholism appears to have the potential to fight malignant pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive form of lung cancer that is often unresponsive to conventional therapies.

Disulfiram (sold under the brand name Antabuse) blocks the processing of alcohol in the body by inhibiting acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. Some studies have suggested that the drug's ability to bind to copper, a mineral often elevated in the blood serum of cancer patients, may also give it anti-tumor properties and the ability to make cancer cells more susceptible to chemotherapy.

In the new mesothelioma study, a team led by cancer researchers at Detroit's Wayne State University School of Medicine administered copper complexed disulfiram (DSF-Cu) to mice with human mesothelioma, as well as to human mesothelioma cells in the lab. At a daily level of 50 mg/kg of body weight, DSF-Cu injections inhibited the growth of malignant pleural mesothelioma tumors in the mice and triggered cell-destroying apoptosis in the test tube.

In a summary of the new findings, lead author Vino Cheriyan, PhD, reports, "Gene-array based analyses revealed that DSF-Cu suppressed cell growth and metastasis-promoting genes..." DSF-Cu appeared to inhibit mesothelioma cell growth and survival by upregulating certain cell cycle inhibitors and by acting on the glycoprotein podoplanin, which is associated with metastasis and poor prognosis in mesothelioma. "Together with our in vivo studies, [this] underscores its potential as an anti-malignant pleural mesothelioma agent," concludes Dr. Cheriyan in the online open-access medical journal PLoS One.

Disulfiram was discovered in the 1920s. In addition to supporting the treatment of chronic alcoholism, it has been studied as a treatment for several types of cancer, cocaine dependence, and HIV infection.

Pleural mesothelioma is a virulent cancer that starts on the membrane (pleura) surrounding the lungs. While the asbestos-induced cancer is very rare, it's high mortality rate has made it the subject of intense cancer research around the world. About 2,500 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the US each year. In most cases, patients were inadvertently exposed to asbestos in an unsafe work environmental.

Cheriyan, VT, "Disulfiram suppresses growth of the malignant pleural mesothelioma cells in part by inducing apoptosis", April 1, 2014, PLoS One

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Alcoholism Drug Suppresses Mesothelioma Tumors in Mice

Alcoholism Drug Suppresses Mesothelioma Tumors in Mice

Posted on Tuesday, April 08, 2014.



A drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of alcoholism appears to have the potential to fight malignant pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive form of lung cancer that is often unresponsive to conventional therapies.

Disulfiram (sold under the brand name Antabuse) blocks the processing of alcohol in the body by inhibiting acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. Some studies have suggested that the drug's ability to bind to copper, a mineral often elevated in the blood serum of cancer patients, may also give it anti-tumor properties and the ability to make cancer cells more susceptible to chemotherapy.

In the new mesothelioma study, a team led by cancer researchers at Detroit's Wayne State University School of Medicine administered copper complexed disulfiram (DSF-Cu) to mice with human mesothelioma, as well as to human mesothelioma cells in the lab. At a daily level of 50 mg/kg of body weight, DSF-Cu injections inhibited the growth of malignant pleural mesothelioma tumors in the mice and triggered cell-destroying apoptosis in the test tube.

In a summary of the new findings, lead author Vino Cheriyan, PhD, reports, "Gene-array based analyses revealed that DSF-Cu suppressed cell growth and metastasis-promoting genes..." DSF-Cu appeared to inhibit mesothelioma cell growth and survival by upregulating certain cell cycle inhibitors and by acting on the glycoprotein podoplanin, which is associated with metastasis and poor prognosis in mesothelioma. "Together with our in vivo studies, [this] underscores its potential as an anti-malignant pleural mesothelioma agent," concludes Dr. Cheriyan in the online open-access medical journal PLoS One.

Disulfiram was discovered in the 1920s. In addition to supporting the treatment of chronic alcoholism, it has been studied as a treatment for several types of cancer, cocaine dependence, and HIV infection.

Pleural mesothelioma is a virulent cancer that starts on the membrane (pleura) surrounding the lungs. While the asbestos-induced cancer is very rare, it's high mortality rate has made it the subject of intense cancer research around the world. About 2,500 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the US each year. In most cases, patients were inadvertently exposed to asbestos in an unsafe work environmental.

Cheriyan, VT, "Disulfiram suppresses growth of the malignant pleural mesothelioma cells in part by inducing apoptosis", April 1, 2014, PLoS One

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More young women choosing health over birth control

Rome, Italy, Apr 8, 2014 / 02:01 am ( CNA/EWTN News).- Brianna Heldt was 20 years old when she first started taking the birth control pill. As an Evangelical Protestant, she believed in saving sex for marriage, but the young college student was planning her wedding and wanted to delay having children for a few years.

Like many young women, Heldt visited her college's campus health clinic and got a prescription.

What followed was an unexpected and "horribly difficult" time for Heldt and her husband.

"From the time I began taking it I had severe headaches," she recounted. "I was constantly bloated and hungry, and worst of all, I became an emotional wreck. Things that would never have bothered me before made me cry uncontrollably. Kevin (my husband) and I had always gotten along so well but we began arguing, and I was perpetually frustrated with him."

"Intercourse was painful," she added. "I even saw an OB/GYN about this problem who never once connected those dots for me, and just tried to tell me that it was some sort of psychological problem. But it was not."

It turns out that Heldt's experience was not unique. This January, 90s talk show host Ricki Lake opted to make a documentary exploring the dangers of hormonal contraceptives.

Based on Holly Grigg-Spall's book, "Sweetening The Pill: or How We Became Hooked On Hormonal Birth Control," the full-length film will consider the dangers of the birth control pill, as well as other contraceptives such as Yaz and Nuvaring.

"In the 50 years since its release, the pill has become synonymous with women's liberation and has been thought of as some sort of miracle drug," said Lake and her co-producer, Abby Epstein. "But now it's making women sick and so our goal with this film is to wake women up to the unexposed side effects of these powerful medications and the unforeseen consequences of repressing women's natural cycles."

Perhaps Lake's forthcoming documentary will not only "wake women up" but speak for those who have experienced some of the negative side effects of hormonal contraception.

Mara Kofoed - who writes the popular blog, "A Blog About Love," with her husband Danny - recently wrote a post confessing her loathing of the birth control pill.

"You guys, I hate the birth control pill. I mean, I really, really hate it. I know it's 'supposed' to be liberating to women, but I am convinced this pill is actually harming a lot of women - and therefore society at large including marriages, relationships, friendships, families, and work places," she wrote on Feb. 26.

The Kofoeds are professed Mormons who have no moral objection to the hormonal contraceptives. Instead, Mara listed a series of side effects she had experienced, including physical symptoms such as "severe, acute pains in my heart," as well as more general ones like a "lack of intuition & creativity," and "numbed spirituality."

Although the responses to Mara's post were mixed, many women shared similar experiences, and one commenter noted her desire to avoid ingesting a substance classified as a group 1 carcinogenic by the World Health Organization, the "same group as asbestos."

Heldt said the many side effects of the pill were reason enough to quit. "I had begun taking the pill a few months before our wedding to make sure it was working properly by the time I needed it. And only a couple of months after our wedding, I threw the prescription into the trash."

"I decided I'd rather be a sane, healthy mother than a miserable, insane woman without children. I wasn't sure what we'd use going forward but I knew I couldn't continue with the pill."

As many women begin to share a desire to avoid hormonal contraceptives, this growing trend has led to a rise in new technologies for "natural" methods of dealing with fertility, both in avoiding and achieving pregnancy.

William and Katherine Sacks, husband and wife co-founders of the new iPhone app, Kindara, recently told Business Insider, "we founded the company because we were looking for effective birth control that wasn't the pill."

"Kati had been on the pill for 10 years and she didn't like the side effects. She introduced me to the fertility awareness method and I was blown away by how little I understood about female fertility," William Sacks explained.

For those who do want to have a baby, Kindara now boasts that it has helped 10,000 women conceive.

The Kindara app is one among many of the latest technologies in offering women an opportunity to know their own fertility.

MyFertilityMD and MyFertilityCycle.com claim to be "tools designed for women by doctors and researches. At the apex of research and technology stands an organic way for women to reclaim their fertility without birth control or dangerous hormones."

Other app options such as My Fertility Friend and Glow offer "advanced ovulation charts" and "fertility predictors."

Many years later, Heldt and her husband are the parents of eight children through biology and adoption, noting that becoming parents has "changed our lives in the most beautiful and profound ways."

Heldt says that now although she knows her cycle, they "don't use any sort of formal fertility tracking." She's glad that more women are now talking about the problems with hormonal contraceptives.

"I've met many ladies who've had negative experiences with the pill just like me, but even if their personal experience wasn't bad, there is a tension there for sure. Many women sense that there's a problem with the fact that fertility is treated like a disease to be managed."

"Some are concerned that the pill allows women to be used by men. And we should all be alarmed by the physical dangers inherent in using hormonal contraception, especially over a long period of years - an increased risk of blood clots, stroke, and certain types of cancer."

"There is no doubt that women deserve better choices than the ones we're being handed in our present society."







(7)

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More young women choosing health over birth control

Birth control (File Photo). Credit: Jenny Lee Silver via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).

.- Brianna Heldt was 20 years old when she first started taking the birth control pill. As an Evangelical Protestant, she believed in saving sex for marriage, but the young college student was planning her wedding and wanted to delay having children for a few years. Like many young women, Heldt visited her college's campus health clinic and got a prescription. What followed was an unexpected and "horribly difficult" time for Heldt and her husband. "From the time I began taking it I had severe headaches," she recounted. "I was constantly bloated and hungry, and worst of all, I became an emotional wreck. Things that would never have bothered me before made me cry uncontrollably. Kevin (my husband) and I had always gotten along so well but we began arguing, and I was perpetually frustrated with him." "Intercourse was painful," she added. "I even saw an OB/GYN about this problem who never once connected those dots for me, and just tried to tell me that it was some sort of psychological problem. But it was not." It turns out that Heldt's experience was not unique. This January, 90s talk show host Ricki Lake opted to make a documentary exploring the dangers of hormonal contraceptives. Based on Holly Grigg-Spall's book, "Sweetening The Pill: or How We Became Hooked On Hormonal Birth Control," the full-length film will consider the dangers of the birth control pill, as well as other contraceptives such as Yaz and Nuvaring. "In the 50 years since its release, the pill has become synonymous with women's liberation and has been thought of as some sort of miracle drug," said Lake and her co-producer, Abby Epstein. "But now it's making women sick and so our goal with this film is to wake women up to the unexposed side effects of these powerful medications and the unforeseen consequences of repressing women's natural cycles." Perhaps Lake's forthcoming documentary will not only "wake women up" but speak for those who have experienced some of the negative side effects of hormonal contraception. Mara Kofoed - who writes the popular blog, "A Blog About Love," with her husband Danny - recently wrote a post confessing her loathing of the birth control pill. "You guys, I hate the birth control pill. I mean, I really, really hate it. I know it's 'supposed' to be liberating to women, but I am convinced this pill is actually harming a lot of women - and therefore society at large including marriages, relationships, friendships, families, and work places," she wrote on Feb. 26. The Kofoeds are professed Mormons who have no moral objection to the hormonal contraceptives. Instead, Mara listed a series of side effects she had experienced, including physical symptoms such as "severe, acute pains in my heart," as well as more general ones like a "lack of intuition & creativity," and "numbed spirituality." Although the responses to Mara's post were mixed, many women shared similar experiences, and one commenter noted her desire to avoid ingesting a substance classified as a group 1 carcinogenic by the World Health Organization, the "same group as asbestos." Heldt said the many side effects of the pill were reason enough to quit. "I had begun taking the pill a few months before our wedding to make sure it was working properly by the time I needed it. And only a couple of months after our wedding, I threw the prescription into the trash." "I decided I'd rather be a sane, healthy mother than a miserable, insane woman without children. I wasn't sure what we'd use going forward but I knew I couldn't continue with the pill." As many women begin to share a desire to avoid hormonal contraceptives, this growing trend has led to a rise in new technologies for "natural" methods of dealing with fertility, both in avoiding and achieving pregnancy. William and Katherine Sacks, husband and wife co-founders of the new iPhone app, Kindara, recently told Business Insider, "we founded the company because we were looking for effective birth control that wasn't the pill." "Kati had been on the pill for 10 years and she didn't like the side effects. She introduced me to the fertility awareness method and I was blown away by how little I understood about female fertility," William Sacks explained. For those who do want to have a baby, Kindara now boasts that it has helped 10,000 women conceive. The Kindara app is one among many of the latest technologies in offering women an opportunity to know their own fertility. MyFertilityMD and MyFertilityCycle.com claim to be "tools designed for women by doctors and researches. At the apex of research and technology stands an organic way for women to reclaim their fertility without birth control or dangerous hormones." Other app options such as My Fertility Friend and Glow offer "advanced ovulation charts" and "fertility predictors." Many years later, Heldt and her husband are the parents of eight children through biology and adoption, noting that becoming parents has "changed our lives in the most beautiful and profound ways." Heldt says that now although she knows her cycle, they "don't use any sort of formal fertility tracking." She's glad that more women are now talking about the problems with hormonal contraceptives. "I've met many ladies who've had negative experiences with the pill just like me, but even if their personal experience wasn't bad, there is a tension there for sure. Many women sense that there's a problem with the fact that fertility is treated like a disease to be managed." "Some are concerned that the pill allows women to be used by men. And we should all be alarmed by the physical dangers inherent in using hormonal contraception, especially over a long period of years - an increased risk of blood clots, stroke, and certain types of cancer." "There is no doubt that women deserve better choices than the ones we're being handed in our present society."

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