According to a CBC News
report, ancient druids believed mistletoe had magical properties because of the way it grows, never touching the ground and without taking nourishment from the earth. However, University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff researchers are warning there is nothing magical about the use of
mistletoe extract for the treatment of cancer, and in fact, it can cause harm.
Serious side effects from the injection of mistletoe extract have been reported in the Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal, including a case concerning a 61-year-old woman who had a tumor-like growth develop under her skin, brought on when she self-injected herself with mistletoe extract. The researchers warn that the use of mistletoe extract has been shown to cause a severe allergic reaction, breathing difficulties, joint pain and kidney failure. Some studies have shown that mistletoe might actually lead to cancer growth.
Edzard Ernst, a professor of complementary medicine at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth is quoted as saying, "The idea that mistletoe may help treat cancer is based on that the idea that mistletoe, like cancer, is a parasitic growth that eventually kills its host." The researchers of this published study indicated that there are over 30 mistletoe extract preparations available in Europe, and its use by cancer patients is well-known.
From another source, the National Cancer Institute's
overview of mistletoe includes the following:
- Mistletoe is a plant that grows on several types of trees and has been used since ancient times to treat many ailments.
- Mistletoe extract has been shown to kill cancer cells in the laboratory and to boost the immune system.
- Animal studies have suggested that mistletoe may be useful in decreasing the side effects of standard anticancer therapy.
- Many human studies using mistletoe to treat cancer have been done in Europe with unclear results, and a few clinical trials in the United States and abroad are in progress.
- Very few bad side effects have been reported from the use of mistletoe extract, though mistletoe plants and berries are poisonous to humans.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved mistletoe as a treatment for cancer or any other medical condition.
To read
detailed information about the highlighted overview, visit the NCI's FAQ about mistletoe.
It used to be that Mononucleosis was known as the Kissing Disease. We were warned not to play spin the bottle because we could end up missing school from mono, though that was a desirable prospect to some students and we were sure to make a full recovery in a few months. But these days, kissing can lead to so much more than just mono -- this article suggests that HPV can be transmitted simply by kissing, although it's more likely to be spread through oral sex, and this can lead to cancer. Another cause of the rising numbers of cancer? It's thought that smoking cannabis is to blame for some oral cancers, although this is unsubstantiated. 
Greg Williams got the idea for a line of lip gloss with a .46-carat, manmade diamond inside the tube after watching high rollers at casinos buying fancy cocktails with diamond garnishes. When Williams and his wife, Gail Hill Williams of ACI Consulting Group, thought about ways to expand their company's outreach projects, they decided to focus on raising money for ovarian cancer and felt the 
