An Environmental Disease
Cancer was rare in the 1800s. Now it is commonplace. Our world changed a lot in that time. On the positive side of the ledger, many plagues and infectious diseases were eliminated with better sanitation and penicillin. But on the negative side, we’ve put a lot of chemicals in our environment and we eat unnatural foods that we never ate before. These endless assaults to our immune system set the stage for all manner of chronic diseases, including cancer.
On any given day, many cancer causing agents are in our midst: pesticides, formaldehyde, mercury, aluminum, fluoride, chlorinated water, lead, radiation, gasoline exhaust, benzene, asbestos, solvents, flame retardants in fabrics and mattresses, toxic ingredients in our shampoo, and more.
Our diet is lacking in nutrition and far removed from the unadulterated, farm-fresh food of the 1800s. The processed food we eat today is nutritionally weak. It is laced with additives and preservatives, hormones and steroids. On top of that, our food supply is subject to genetic modification. We don’t know what it means to ingest corn that has a pesticide spliced into its DNA. The FDA’s own scientists warned that GM foods could lead to unpredictable toxins, allergies, and new diseases.
And let us not forget stress. It is not unusual for many working people today to be in a “flight or fight” mode most hours of the day. Even when fatigue cautions us to stop, we keep pushing onward, draining our reserves.
Mixed Messages
We know the cure for most of the cancer we see: prevention. Why isn’t this screamed from the rooftops? Because “research” draws many paying sponsors; prevention draws few.
It’s not always easy to sort out the public relations from the fact. Several doctors have warned for example that cell phones are dangerous and may instigate brain cancers. Canada, Belgium, Germany, France, and Russia have introduced precautionary policies regarding cell phone usage. The U.S. has taken no action, citing industry sponsored studies which say cell phones are fine, despite the fact 95 percent of the non-industry studies say otherwise.
How objective is the information you read or hear? Who paid for what?
Here’s one example of the kinds of mixed messages that result from corporate sponsorship of health organizations and foundations that disseminate information. The Susan G. Komen report we mentioned earlier was the result of a blue ribbon panel studying reams of data on what causes breast cancer. They concluded cancer is an environmental disease – women are exposed to all kinds of toxins in the home and at work. You have to really work to find that report on their Web site. What you can find easily enough though is a list of corporate sponsors which include Cadbury Schweppes, Inc., Coffee-mate, Kraft Foods, M&M’s Brand Chocolate Candies, and Pepsi, to name a few. We know sugar feeds cancer, so why is this organization promoting soda pop and candy? M&M’s, for one, is a million dollar sponsor.
Money talks. The organization tells women there is “insufficient evidence” to warrant concern about cell phones, cosmetics, soy, parabens, and plastics. Instead of thermography, the organization promotes mammography. Yet thermography can detect suspicions of cancer 10 years before mammograms can. Annual mammograms come with an annual dose of radiation, a known carcinogen. The conventional cancer treatment forces with whom they are allied are invested in mammography.
How much progress are we going to make when those who are supposedly fighting breast cancer are not promoting prevention, detection, and other forms of alternative breast cancer treatment?
Preventing Cancer
Prevention starts with you. We tell our patients that knowledge is key. Keep in mind that carcinogens and toxins assault our immune systems and damage our DNA. Cancer is essentially a failure of the immune system. With that in mind, look critically at the messages you hear from now on. Ask if industry sponsored that study you read about, or if the doctor quoted is reimbursed for his seal of approval.
Eat food that supports your body’s ability to repair and regenerate. Learn about grass fed meats and organic food. Avoid acid-forming, grain-fed meats containing hormones, steroids, antibiotics. Avoid artificial colorings, sugars, preservatives, and ditch the vegetable oils. Just say No! to processed foods.
Reduce the chemical burden surrounding you. Find the “green” pesticide companies which use non-toxic products like diatomaceous earth. Use glass instead of plastic. Avoid chlorine, stain-free fabrics, fire retardant mattresses, VOC paints, formaldehyde treated furniture, chemically treated carpets and glues, perfumed laundry detergent and dryer sheets, and air fresheners – to name a few.
The best way to reduce cancer’s toll is to keep people from getting it. Truly the best cancer treatment alternative is to prevent cancer altogether. With the increased emphasis on “green” products and organic food, prevention is getting easier.
In the Links and Resources section of our website, we’ve listed lots of great books and Web sites to help you get started. Health Optimization is an outstanding way to strengthen your immune system so you won’t become a cancer statistic.
To learn more about preventing cancer, request your free personal orientation online. Or you can call our office at (602) 404-0400 to schedule your orientation.