To the Point

The Raging Debate over Hormone Replacement Therapy

Since the 1960-s, thousands of doctors had proscribed hormone replacement therapy to their women patients for the relief of hot flashes, night sweats, osteoporosis and other symptoms of menopause. Last week they got the worst kind of news when researchers conducting a major medical study concluded that the increased risk of heart disease, breast cancer, blood clots and strokes may actually outweigh the relief of such therapy. We get an in-depth look at the results and hear about the tough decisions now facing women and their doctors from one of the principal investigators of the Women-s Health Initiative study, the program and policy director for the National Women-s Health Network, and the director of the Women-s Health Fellowship at the Mayo Medical School. Newsmaker: Walker Lindh Pleads Guilty to Two Charges John Walker Lindh, the 21-year-old from Marin County, California who was captured with Taliban forces in Afghanistan late last year, has made a deal with federal prosecutors that will save him from a life in prison. Tom Jackman of the Washington Post, who was in the courtroom this morning when the deal was announced, details the plea bargain that exchanges terror-related charges for Walker Lindh-s cooperation with federal authorities. Reporter's Notebook: Euro-s Parity with Dollar Benefits US Exporters On January 1, 1999, with high hopes for new power in international trade, 12 European countries abandoned their traditional currencies and adopted the Euro. By late 2000, the Euro had sunk to an all-time low of $ 82.30. But, today, it-s caught up with the dollar and is marching ahead. Graham Ingham, correspondent for London-s Economist magazine, looks at the financial and psychological effects of the weak dollar.