Free Republic

Millions of taxpayer dollars were spent on transgender surgeries and treatments on animals, House Oversight Committee Chairman Eli Crane (R-AZ) confirmed yet again this week. According to reports, the committee revealed that $241 million in taxpayer dollars were used to study transgender surgeries and treatments on animals. What is perhaps more, former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief Anthony Fauci gave the green light to the bulk of these cruel and unusual experiments. “Insane, right?” Crane said of the report on Tuesday. The confirmation is welcomed but the news is not new, as taxpayer watchdog White Coat Waste...

There is no road rage quite like backroad rage. The story of the failed prosecution of Alphonsus O’Connell involved allegations of many of the familiar elements of road rage, and not just by him, but also his alleged victim: honking, tailgating, brake checking, forcing someone off the road, brandishing a firearm. It also had vastly conflicting accounts about what actually happened that call to mind the old joke that anyone driving faster than you is a maniac and anyone slower is an idiot. The fact that it happened on a dirt road in the wild Newfoundland woods with no witnesses...

NEW YORK, NY — A great moment in both television history and the advancement of women occurred today, as producers of ABC's long-tenured daytime talk show The View welcomed a sixth woman to the cast. The show's host panel has consisted of five women for the duration of the program's existence but producers reportedly decided to shake things up by adding Minnesota governor and current Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz as the show's unprecedented sixth female host. "We're excited to welcome him as the newest woman on our panel of hosts," said Executive Producer Brian Teta. "We've toyed...

A study has found that nearly all pregnant women ingest the fungal toxin zearalenone (ZEN), which mimics estrogen in the body and hinders reproduction in some animals. Researchers detected ZEN or its metabolites in 97% of urine samples from pregnant women and 84% of placentas. ZEN is a type of mycoestrogen, an estrogen-like compound produced by certain molds that contaminate grains, meats and processed foods worldwide. It's most common in crops such as corn, wheat and barley. ZEN is so structurally like the hormone 17β-estradiol that it binds with estrogen receptors. Large doses reduce the number and size of offspring...

Researchers at UCSF and UC Davis discovered a hormone, named Maternal Brain Hormone (CCN3), which maintains bone strength in breastfeeding women despite calcium loss. This hormone could potentially treat osteoporosis and aid in healing fractures across different demographics. The study emphasizes the importance of including female subjects in biomedical research to uncover gender-specific biological processes. UCSF and UC Davis researchers identified a new hormone, CCN3, that strengthens bones in breastfeeding women and could treat osteoporosis and enhance fracture healing. Researchers from UCSF and UC Davis have resolved a longstanding mystery about how breastfeeding women maintain strong bones despite losing calcium...

New research shows that treating rheumatoid arthritis with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) reduced the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, especially in women and men who are 50 years old and younger. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease marked by chronic joint inflammation leading to joint damage and loss of function. It can also affect tissues and organs outside the joints, including the eyes, heart, and lungs. Although not a classic complication of RA, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD or MAFLD), is prevalent among RA patients, affecting about 35% of men and 22% of women. The researchers drew on...

Do we know if estrogen in the water supply is a significant problem? What are its major sources? How does this relate to morality and politics? Some research:► The next abortion fight could be over wastewater regulation Abortion opponents plan to use environmental laws to curb access to pills used to terminate an early pregnancy. The new approach comes as the pills mifepristone and misoprostol, which people can take at home during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, have become the most common method of abortion in the U.S. and virtually the only option for millions of people in states...

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, also known as EDCs, are natural or human-made substances that interfere with the healthy functioning of the body’s endocrine system. The endocrine system is made up of glands throughout the body, along with the hormones that these glands produce and receptors that respond to the hormones. Endocrine glands include the pituitary, thymus, pancreas and adrenals. Hormones act like messengers, traveling through the body to deliver instructions that control biological processes ranging from growth and development to sleep, digestion and childbirth. Humans have more than 50 hormones. These include estrogen and testosterone, which help to control sexual development, as...

Whether hormone therapy (HT) can be linked to an increased risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been debated for years. A new systematic review and meta-analysis attempts to resolve the controversy, suggesting that there is a significant association between ever or current HT use and GERD. GERD is one of the most common conditions in gastroenterology practice. Its global prevalence has been estimated at nearly 14%. Common symptoms include heartburn, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), and chest pain. Anatomical abnormalities, such as hiatal hernia and obesity, have been identified as risk factors. Estrogen increases stomach acid production and is associated with...

Women ages 45 years and older taking estrogen hormone therapy in pill form were more likely to develop high blood pressure than those using transdermal (topical, applied to the skin) or vaginal formulations, according to research. "We know estrogens ingested orally are metabolized through the liver and this can lead to higher blood pressure," said Cindy Kalenga, an M.D./Ph.D.-candidate This study involved a large group of over 112,000 women, ages 45 years and older. First, researchers investigated the relationship between route of estrogen-only hormone therapy administration and risk of developing high blood pressure at least one year after starting the...

In what may turn out to be a long-missing piece in the puzzle of breast cancer, researchers have identified the molecular sparkplug that ignites cases of the disease currently unexplained by the classical model of breast-cancer development. "We have identified what we believe is the original molecular trigger that initiates a cascade culminating in breast tumor development in a subset of breast cancers that are driven by estrogen," said Peter Park. The researchers said as many as one-third of breast cancer cases may arise through the newly identified mechanism. The study also shows that the sex hormone estrogen is the...

When the Wing first opened its doors in Flatiron in 2016 as a pioneering, women-only coworking space, it became a phenomenon. Founders Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan raised more than $100 million from investors like WeWork and Airbnb. At its peak, it had 11 locations... But things took a sudden turn the following year. In June 2020, Gelman stepped down after employees protested her leadership and alleged mistreatment of black and brown staffers. It was the beginning of the end. Earlier this week, Wing members received an email announcing that the club’s six remaining locations would be closing due to...

A team of researchers in Japan has succeeded in making catfish all female with a compound found in soybeans -- a development that promises to increase the production efficiency of this and other species whose females are more valuable than males in the food market. The team, from Kindai University's Aquaculture Research Institute and based at the institute's Shingu Station in Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture, used isoflavone -- a compound found in soybeans similar in effect to female hormones -- to create the all-female groups of catfish. The feat is a Japan first, according to the university. As female catfish grow...

The Republican-controlled Arizona State Senate failed to pass an election integrity bill that tightens the rules for maintaining lists of voters who automatically are mailed absentee ballots Thursday when State Sen. Kelly Townsend (R-16) surprised her colleagues by joining with all 14 Democrats who voted no when the bill came to the floor. The bill’s sponsor, Republican state Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, said on the floor it was “disappointing to be on the receiving end of someone’s temper tantrum.” Townsend said she wouldn’t vote on any of the other proposed election changes until after the audit was completed, and complained that...

Our immune systems tend to deteriorate as we age, so older people's bodies don't work as hard to defend them against foreign invaders — including the protein introduced to the body via a vaccine. As a result, side effects are often milder and less numerous among the elderly than among younger adults. Women tend to have stronger reactions to many vaccines, including those for polio, influenza, measles, and mumps — so it's no surprise that they have more side effects after their coronavirus shots, too. Cherian said this likely has to do with estrogen levels. "Testosterone tends to be an...

Fred Deutsch didn't set out to be a trailblazer. He just wanted to protect kids. But if his South Dakota bill stops children from being mutilated, then all of the nasty emails will have been worth it. At least in one state, hurting teens will have a chance at a normal life -- not the suffering so many activists are pushing them toward. When legislators bundled up for work this morning in Pierre, some of them were on their way to make history. For the first time in America, a state was holding a hearing on whether minors under 16...

This is Your Brain on Birth Control, a new book by Dr. Sara E. Hill takes a remarkably deep dive into the myriad ways that hormonal contraception alters women’s bodies, demonstrating that our sex hormones have an enormous impact on how our brains and bodies function. As we learn more about the consequences of altering women’s hormonal balance with contraception, we’ve come to find that those consequences can be very serious, indeed—in some cases, even fatal. Although the book is about the consequences of meddling with the hormones of women of reproductive age, it should also serve as a cautionary...

Recent numbers released by the American Academy of Dermatology revealed a dramatic spike in the incidence of melanoma cases among young women. Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer, and for women aged 18-39, its rates have increased by 800% from 1970 to 2009. In Caucasian women under 44, the number of cases has increased by just over 6% annually. (1) Now, in addition to being the most dangerous, melanoma is one of the most common cancers in young adults (especially young women). More than 7,000 people in the United States are expected to die of melanoma in...

As a physician assistant specializing in OB/GYN, I have prescribed birth control to everyone for everything . . . irregular cycles, painful periods, unusual bleeding, PMS, acne, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, perimenopause and, of course, to avoid pregnancy. It wasn’t until my own struggles with infertility that I began to research more about the consequences of using artificial hormones. Although I was taught in school that the birth control pill was a treatment for these disorders, I learned that artificial hormones are only FDA-approved to treat two things: to avoid pregnancy, and for hormonal acne. Other than that, the...

I have decided to finally read what is widely regarded as the literary work that unleashed the modern feminist movement, Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique." I am halfway through the book, and I find it to be a well-written cri de coeur (cry from the heart). Historically speaking, there was always much to lament regarding the status of women. Though I have none of the contempt Friedan has for "housewifery," her description of women who felt they had no sense of self because they were only someone's wife and some children's mother is emotionally compelling. But a big and troubling...