Thanks to the Environmental Working Group for the great article that is the basis of this post, Nine Cancer Prevention Tips. I have rearranged and augmented and tried to stress points that sometimes get missed. Here goes…
1. Filter your tap water. A simple carbon tap-mounted filter or pitcher can help reduce the levels of some of contaminants. The less chlorine and pollutants that are in river sources that you ingest, the better. And make sure that your children do not swallow any more than a minimal amount of toothpaste with fluoride.
2. Seal outdoor wooden decks and play sets. Those built before 2005 are likely coated with an arsenic pesticide that can stick to hands and clothing.
3. Cut down on stain- and grease-proofing chemicals. “Fluorochemicals” related to Teflon and Scotchgard are used for cookware and in stain repellants on carpets and couches. Say no to optional stain treatments in the home. Try waxed paper for food wrap. Avoid getting any plastic or coating beyond the intended maximum temperature. Try a cast iron skillet that is properly cured and even then do not overheat to “carbonize” the curing layer.
4. Stay safe in the sun. More than one million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year. To protect your skin from the sun’s cancer-causing ultraviolet (UV) radiation, seek shade, wear protective clothing and use a sunscreen that is mineral- (micronized zinc oxide) based without chemicals that have benzene- in the name. The latter is a chemical that bleaches coral and kills it and that is found in the urine of most people in the US and has not been proven safe.
5. Avoid meat and dairy products with hormones. Buy only ice cream (and other dairy products) without hormones (so marked or marked “organic”). Buy meat that is indicated hormone-free. Avoid meat on tray liners that have chemicals to keep it looking “fresh”. Consider sending a post card to companies that provide products that are not organic to indicate your preference as a consumer.
6. Buy organic and realize the chemical use on fruit and vegetables from bulk sources. Many pesticides have been linked to cancer. Eating from the Environmental Working Group Clean 15 list of the least contaminated fruits and vegetables will help cut your pesticide exposures. Consider shopping at Farmer’s Markets or joining a food alliance and having a conversation about their chemical use to ensure that they are concerned about their and your safety to the extent of minimizing any chemical application on their farm or orchard.
7. Cut your exposures to BPA. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic estrogen found in some plastic water bottles, canned infant formula, and in can liners for most, but not all, canned foods. To avoid them, eat fewer canned foods, breast feed your baby or use powdered formula, and choose water bottles free of BPA.
8. Avoid carcinogens in cosmetics. Use EWG’s Skin Deep cosmetic database to find products free of chemicals known or suspected to cause cancer. When you’re shopping, don’t buy products that list ingredients with “PEG” or “-eth” in their name. Use sunshade lotion that contains zinc oxide or titanium oxide with the best being zinc oxide. Avoid any sunshade that does not say “for sensitive skin” or that contains a benzo-anything, a bleaching agent that is the major factor in the death of coral reefs world-wide. Did we mention that before? Yes, but it is important to take care of your skin and mineral zinc oxide lotion, the only sunshade lotion approved by the FDA for children under six months (it is also used for diaper rash), is anti-fungal and anti-irritant and prolonged irritation can lead to cancer creation in time as we were all taught early in life.
9. Read the warnings and keep up with genetic, airborne and neural threats. Some products list warnings of cancer risks — read the label before you buy. Californians will see a “Proposition 65″ warning label on products that contain chemicals the state has identified as potentially cancer-causing and mutagenic threats. Be aware that pesticides that contain IMDs should be avoided and find another means to protect hybrid roses and to kill slugs. This is the family of chemicals that attacks neural ganglia and wipes out generations of bees. Many herbicides cause fish to fail to smell and navigate. Roundup mixtures contain toxic surfactants. All of these avoid the requirement of labeling as harmful but are potential carcinogens. Some of these chemicals are associated with Parkinson’s disease and populations that deal with these chemicals daily have much higher cancer rates. Diesel soot is carcinogenic and there is no requirement for buses to indicate whether filtration has been added or not so when walking avoid walking along arterials with heavy diesel traffic, the pollution index goes down exponentially with distance from the arterial. Try to find a parallel path on a side street or lane.
10. Find the Environmental Working Group website and follow it. The EWG actively testifies in Washington DC to combat toxics in the environment and deserves your support. The web site and newsletters provide updated information on threats and what you can do about them to protect yourself and join the voices of others.
11. Understand and use immune system strengthening vitamins, minerals and foods and ignore advice saying it is not necessary but heed advice not to use in excess. Vitamin C, vitamin D, minerals such as zinc, anti-oxidants and fish oil as well as certain herbs are known to help the immune system fend off irritation from chemical imbalances caused by toxins and irritants that are both natural and unnatural in the body. In other words,two-time sole Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling and his preventive care philosophy was, to some extent at least, correct! And we know now that his nuclear proliferation prevention concept, including but not limited to above-ground-testing (demonstrating capability and instilling fear in neighboring enemy states), was and still is, vital to survival of all. Not only that but he was a good person and attributed his Nobel Peace Prize to the idea person in the family, his wife Ava.
1. Filter your tap water. A simple carbon tap-mounted filter or pitcher can help reduce the levels of some of contaminants. The less chlorine and pollutants that are in river sources that you ingest, the better. And make sure that your children do not swallow any more than a minimal amount of toothpaste with fluoride.
2. Seal outdoor wooden decks and play sets. Those built before 2005 are likely coated with an arsenic pesticide that can stick to hands and clothing.
3. Cut down on stain- and grease-proofing chemicals. “Fluorochemicals” related to Teflon and Scotchgard are used for cookware and in stain repellants on carpets and couches. Say no to optional stain treatments in the home. Try waxed paper for food wrap. Avoid getting any plastic or coating beyond the intended maximum temperature. Try a cast iron skillet that is properly cured and even then do not overheat to “carbonize” the curing layer.
4. Stay safe in the sun. More than one million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year. To protect your skin from the sun’s cancer-causing ultraviolet (UV) radiation, seek shade, wear protective clothing and use a sunscreen that is mineral- (micronized zinc oxide) based without chemicals that have benzene- in the name. The latter is a chemical that bleaches coral and kills it and that is found in the urine of most people in the US and has not been proven safe.
5. Avoid meat and dairy products with hormones. Buy only ice cream (and other dairy products) without hormones (so marked or marked “organic”). Buy meat that is indicated hormone-free. Avoid meat on tray liners that have chemicals to keep it looking “fresh”. Consider sending a post card to companies that provide products that are not organic to indicate your preference as a consumer.
6. Buy organic and realize the chemical use on fruit and vegetables from bulk sources. Many pesticides have been linked to cancer. Eating from the Environmental Working Group Clean 15 list of the least contaminated fruits and vegetables will help cut your pesticide exposures. Consider shopping at Farmer’s Markets or joining a food alliance and having a conversation about their chemical use to ensure that they are concerned about their and your safety to the extent of minimizing any chemical application on their farm or orchard.
7. Cut your exposures to BPA. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic estrogen found in some plastic water bottles, canned infant formula, and in can liners for most, but not all, canned foods. To avoid them, eat fewer canned foods, breast feed your baby or use powdered formula, and choose water bottles free of BPA.
8. Avoid carcinogens in cosmetics. Use EWG’s Skin Deep cosmetic database to find products free of chemicals known or suspected to cause cancer. When you’re shopping, don’t buy products that list ingredients with “PEG” or “-eth” in their name. Use sunshade lotion that contains zinc oxide or titanium oxide with the best being zinc oxide. Avoid any sunshade that does not say “for sensitive skin” or that contains a benzo-anything, a bleaching agent that is the major factor in the death of coral reefs world-wide. Did we mention that before? Yes, but it is important to take care of your skin and mineral zinc oxide lotion, the only sunshade lotion approved by the FDA for children under six months (it is also used for diaper rash), is anti-fungal and anti-irritant and prolonged irritation can lead to cancer creation in time as we were all taught early in life.
9. Read the warnings and keep up with genetic, airborne and neural threats. Some products list warnings of cancer risks — read the label before you buy. Californians will see a “Proposition 65″ warning label on products that contain chemicals the state has identified as potentially cancer-causing and mutagenic threats. Be aware that pesticides that contain IMDs should be avoided and find another means to protect hybrid roses and to kill slugs. This is the family of chemicals that attacks neural ganglia and wipes out generations of bees. Many herbicides cause fish to fail to smell and navigate. Roundup mixtures contain toxic surfactants. All of these avoid the requirement of labeling as harmful but are potential carcinogens. Some of these chemicals are associated with Parkinson’s disease and populations that deal with these chemicals daily have much higher cancer rates. Diesel soot is carcinogenic and there is no requirement for buses to indicate whether filtration has been added or not so when walking avoid walking along arterials with heavy diesel traffic, the pollution index goes down exponentially with distance from the arterial. Try to find a parallel path on a side street or lane.
10. Find the Environmental Working Group website and follow it. The EWG actively testifies in Washington DC to combat toxics in the environment and deserves your support. The web site and newsletters provide updated information on threats and what you can do about them to protect yourself and join the voices of others.
11. Understand and use immune system strengthening vitamins, minerals and foods and ignore advice saying it is not necessary but heed advice not to use in excess. Vitamin C, vitamin D, minerals such as zinc, anti-oxidants and fish oil as well as certain herbs are known to help the immune system fend off irritation from chemical imbalances caused by toxins and irritants that are both natural and unnatural in the body. In other words,two-time sole Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling and his preventive care philosophy was, to some extent at least, correct! And we know now that his nuclear proliferation prevention concept, including but not limited to above-ground-testing (demonstrating capability and instilling fear in neighboring enemy states), was and still is, vital to survival of all. Not only that but he was a good person and attributed his Nobel Peace Prize to the idea person in the family, his wife Ava.
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