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PAYING THE PRICE FOR LOOKING GOOD – HARMFUL PRODUCTS

admin — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:16:38 +0000

Consumers regularly assume that these products are not harmful because they believe that they are approved for safety by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But although the FDA classifies cosmetics (dividing them into 13 categories), it does not regulate them. A FDA document posted on the agency’s World Wide Web home page explains that “a cosmetic manufacturer may use any ingredient or raw material and market the final product without government approval.” (This is with the exception of seven known toxins, such as hexachlorophene, mercury compounds, and chloroform). Should the FDA deem a product a danger to public health, it has the power to pull a cosmetic product from the shelves, but in many of these cases the FDA has failed to do so, while evidence mounts that some of the most common cosmetic ingredients may double as deadly carcinogens.

Examples of products with potential carcinogens are: Clairol “Nice and Easy” hair color, which releases carcinogenic form aldehyde as well as Cocamide DEA (a substance which can be contaminated with carcinogenic nitrosamines or react to produce a nitrosamine during storage or use); Vidal Sassoon shampoo (which like the hair dye, contains Cocamide DEA); Cover Girl makeup contains TEA (which is also associated with carcinogenic nitrosamines); Crest toothpaste which contains titanium dioxide, saccharin, and FD&C Blue # 1 (known carcinogens).

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CANCER AND NUTRITION: SELENIUM

admin — Wed, 18 May 2011 15:04:43 +0000

Selenium, a metal in our body, has three very important functions. First, selenium together with glutathione peroxidase is a major antioxidant and, as such, is a free radical scavenger. It enables organisms to survive with less oxygen. Second, selenium reacts with toxic metals to form biologically inert compounds. The metals that are toxic to our bodies but rendered harmless by selenium are mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. Third, there is a correlation between night vision and the selenium content of the retina; the higher the selenium content, the better the vision.

Rich dietary sources of selenium include organ meats such as liver, seafoods, and some whole-grain cereals (whole-grain cereals vary greatly in selenium content). It has been shown by G.N. Schrauzer and colleagues that the selenium content in pasteurized milk in Caracas, Venezuela, is ten times greater than that in milk in Beltsville, Maryland. Schrauzer and colleagues also studied the number of cancer deaths related to the amount of dietary-selenium intake from food consumption in twenty-seven different countries and nineteen different states in the United States. They have concluded that the higher the blood-selenium content, the lower the cancer incidence. The cancer incidence for each state correlates well with their selenium data. R.J. Shamberger has shown that selenium suppresses the development of skin tumors in animals. Shamberger and Willis have shown that in 1965, the higher the soil or crop level of selenium, the lower the cancer death rate in the United States and Canada. They also studied the population in several American cities and found that the higher the average blood selenium level, the lower the cancer death rate.

Another study demonstrates that rats depleted of selenium and fed a diet high in polyunsaturated fats developed breast cancer.168 My own research shows that selenium protects the cell membrane from attack by free radicals. Other research by R. Medina and colleagues shows that selenium fed daily to mice inhibits cancer from forming in them. The antioxidant property of selenium protects your body against cancer especially if your diet is high in polyunsaturated fats.

Several studies indicate that selenium deficiency corresponds to incidence of heart attacks.170-171 High rates of heart disease and heart attacks are evident in selenium-deprived children in China and in selenium-deprived adults in Finland. Deaths from heart attack are highest in Finland, New Zealand, and perhaps South Africa. These countries have widespread selenium deficiency compared to the United States. When selenium supplements are given to Chinese children, significant improvement occurs in their heart-disease rates.

Survival rates of offspring in animals is very sensitive to the amount of selenium in the mother. An average sow has four or five piglets per litter in areas of Finland with low selenium soil content. But when 0.1 milligram of selenium is added to the diet, the litter size increases to ten.

Schrauzer maintains that the average selenium intake of the American population is only one-half of the amount required “for optimal protection against neoplastic [cancer] disease.” The average American diet contains between 50 and 160 micrograms of selenium per day, depending on area of residence. The recent recommendation by the National Research Council for selenium consumption is between 50 and 200 micrograms per day, but Schrauzer concludes from his studies that at least 300 micrograms of selenium per day are needed for cancer protection. Selenium toxicity occurs after prolonged ingestion of 2,400 to 3,000 micrograms of selenium per day.

Obviously, selenium is not the only factor involved in cancer development or its progression, and it would be unwarranted to consume a great deal of selenium every day thinking that it alone would prevent cancer. However, depending upon where you live, you could take supplemental selenium in the amount of 100 to 200 micrograms per day, assuming that you are living in an area with an adequate selenium content and assuming that you are eating a well-balanced diet. Vegetarians, dieters, and people living in areas of the country without adequate selenium stores will require about 200 micrograms of selenium per day. A study shows that a total of 500 micrograms of selenium per day is safely tolerated by people in Japan. Organic selenium, as found in certain yeasts, is better than inorganic selenium for supplementation because it has less systemic toxicity at high concentrations, it resists chemical changes, and it is stable during food processing.

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CANCER: EPIDEMIOLOGY – HOW CONCLUSIVE? (part 1)

admin — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 15:14:49 +0000

We have outlined the ways in which epidemiologists can describe and analyse the vast amount of information now being collected about human cancer in populations. Can they produce conclusions from these studies? The answer is: probably not from any single study. Only the intervention studies can generate precise answers to precise questions, and these are few and far between and very difficult to perform adequately. In most other situations, conclusions are reached by adding together the suggestions derived from the descriptive and the analytical studies, often when several such studies have been performed. In addition, facts that emerge from experimental science in the laboratory or from clinical sciences often need to be built into the overall equation before conclusions can be reached.

Why are single descriptive studies often fallible? Even if we find that one population or group is more prone to cancer than another, we may have considerable difficulty in determining which factor (or combination of factors) is responsible for the higher incidence of the disease. It is very unlikely that the two populations or groups will be different from each other in only one respect or in a very limited number of ways. The number of variations between them (both environmental and generic) is likely to be enormous. The population which is more exposed to the risk (or combination of risks) in which the cancer epidemiologist is interested may be different from the other population in a host of other ways that could just as easily account for the higher incidence of cancer. A cancer may have many interacting causes, some of which are, as yet, unknown. The epidemiologist may thus overlook some of the variations between the exposure characteristics of the two populations which might explain the different rates of cancer.

The ideas that we have to teat in epidemiology have to come either from initial observations in populations (like the connection between smoking and Jung cancer, or between occupation and certain cancers) or from the laboratory. We often do not have precise enough ideas to test, and some of our ideas may be wrong. We are fortunate when a clinician comes up with a due like that which occurred for Percival Pott from his observations of chimney-sweeps. Similar astute clinical observations have led on to other detailed epidemiological studies which have reached helpful conclusions. The link between bone cancer and the use of radioactive substances in manufacturing was first described this way, as was the link between asbestos and the very serious form of chest cancer known as mesothelioma.

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CANCER: EPIDEMIOLOGY – HOW CONCLUSIVE? (part 1)We have outlined the ways in which epidemiologists can describe and analyse the vast amount of information now being collected about human cancer in populations. Can they produce conclusions from these studies? The answer is: probably not from any single study. Only the intervention studies can generate precise answers to precise questions, and these are few and far between and very difficult to perform adequately. In most other situations, conclusions are reached by adding together the suggestions derived from the descriptive and the analytical studies, often when several such studies have been performed. In addition, facts that emerge from experimental science in the laboratory or from clinical sciences often need to be built into the overall equation before conclusions can be reached.Why are single descriptive studies often fallible? Even if we find that one population or group is more prone to cancer than another, we may have considerable difficulty in determining which factor (or combination of factors) is responsible for the higher incidence of the disease. It is very unlikely that the two populations or groups will be different from each other in only one respect or in a very limited number of ways. The number of variations between them (both environmental and generic) is likely to be enormous. The population which is more exposed to the risk (or combination of risks) in which the cancer epidemiologist is interested may be different from the other population in a host of other ways that could just as easily account for the higher incidence of cancer. A cancer may have many interacting causes, some of which are, as yet, unknown. The epidemiologist may thus overlook some of the variations between the exposure characteristics of the two populations which might explain the different rates of cancer.The ideas that we have to teat in epidemiology have to come either from initial observations in populations (like the connection between smoking and Jung cancer, or between occupation and certain cancers) or from the laboratory. We often do not have precise enough ideas to test, and some of our ideas may be wrong. We are fortunate when a clinician comes up with a due like that which occurred for Percival Pott from his observations of chimney-sweeps. Similar astute clinical observations have led on to other detailed epidemiological studies which have reached helpful conclusions. The link between bone cancer and the use of radioactive substances in manufacturing was first described this way, as was the link between asbestos and the very serious form of chest cancer known as mesothelioma.*19\194\4*

WEIGHING ‘COST AGAINST ‘BENEFIT’ WHEN CHOOSING TREATMENT – ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT

admin — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:10:32 +0000

I use the word ‘likely’ because, of course, no one can ever look into the future and tell you exactly what will happen to you as an individual. You have to use probabilities and not certainties when weighing up the balance of cost versus benefit. This balance must be considered for each possible treatment. Always remember to include treatment Of symptoms only (with no actual anti-cancer treatment) as one of the alternatives to assess. This alternative will not always be mentioned by your practitioner, so it is easy to forget. Where the recommended anti-cancer treatments are very heavy in cost and very light in likely benefit, the decision to have no anti-cancer treatment at all may well be the best and bravest decision you could make.

This concept of balancing cost against benefit is very important. Try to keep it in mind as you read on.

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WHY THERE IS NO MIRACLE CURE FOR CANCER – DESCRIPTION

admin — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:01:21 +0000

I have explained that there is no simple reliable test for cancer. In the same way, I’m afraid there is also no single, simple, reliable treatment for cancer—no treatment which we can rely on to eradicate every cancer cell in every patient. In your heart of hearts I’m sure you know that’s true—otherwise why are so many different treatments promoted? The fact that there are such a bewildering number of treatments recommended simply means that no one of them is a wonderful, highly effective and reliable cure for every type of cancer. This is not to say that there are no effective cancer treatments. There are treatments which have a very good chance of curing or controlling particular types of cancer, but there is no single treatment which works against every type of cancer.

Why is this so? Firstly, as you now know, there are many different types of cancer. As well as differing in appearance, where in the body they start, when and how they usually spread and so on; they also differ in how? they react to treatment.

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NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS TO PREVENT CANCER: INDOLES, LACTOBACILLI AND LECITHIN

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:52:34 +0000

Indoles

Indoles are strong antioxidants found in cabbage, kale, turnips, cauliflower, broccoli and brussel sprouts. Indoles activate the benzaldehyde enzyme system, an internal body system which decreases and breaks down harmful female sex hormones. These hormones can increase the risk of certain types of breast cancer and other hormone-related cancers.

Indoles may also decrease the development of prostate tumours and tumours caused by carcinogens. Indoles also retard the ability of ingested or inhaled polynu-clear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs- found in cigarettes, car exhaust fumes and smoke generated from poor cooking methods) to convert to cancer-causing substances within the liver. This, therefore, may prevent the development of many forms of cancer caused from a high ingestion of PAH. Apart from indoles, selenium, vitamin Ñ and vitamin E also help to prevent this process.

Lactobacilli

Lactobacilli are strains of friendly bacteria that assist in creating healthy intestinal flora. Lactobacillus acidophilus is the most widely known and the most extensively researched of all healthy bacteria. L. acidophilus is the most abundant bacterium in the small intestines and probably the most effective.

Lactobacillus acidophilus assists in the digestion of proteins, has antifungal properties and aids digestion and the absorption of nutrients. L. Acidophilus helps to detoxify harmful toxins. It is found in yogurt and other cultured milk products. Its main function is in maintaining the overall health of the body’s digestive system and it is also believed to prevent the onset of colon cancer. L. Acidophilus decreases the conversion of primary bile acids to secondary bile acids, which may lead to colon cancer.

Lactobacillus bifidus is also present in the intestinal flora and helps to establish a healthy environment for the manufacture of Â vitamins and vitamin K. By promoting the proper digestion of foods, healthy flora prevents constipation and gas, which can lead to colon cancer. It helps to eliminate toxic waste products from the intestine and is therefore very beneficial in preventing cancer.

Lecithin

Lecithin is found throughout our entire body. The protective sheaths surrounding the brain are composed of lecithin, as are our cell membranes and muscles and nerve cells. Lecithin is a lipid that is needed by every living cell in the human body. Lecithin consists mostly of the Â vitamin choline and also contains high amounts of linoleic acid and inositol. Lecithin helps to promote higher energy levels, repairs liver damage, protects against cardiovascular disease, improves brain function and enables fats such as cholesterol to be dispersed in water and removed from the body.

Most lecithin is derived from soybeans. Egg yolks also contain large amounts of lecithin. Other sources of lecithin include fish, legumes, wheat germ and grains, organ meats, lean meats, brewer’s yeast and nuts. Unbleached lecithin granules can be added to breakfast cereal or smoothies on a daily basis.

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UNDERSTANDING CANCER: THE MIRACLE OF FASTING, DETOXIFICATION AND CLEANSING

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:47:32 +0000

Over a lifetime, toxins build up in the body as the result of the pollutants in the air and soil, the chemicals in water and food and by other means. The body attempts to maintain balance by ridding itself of these toxins from the tissues and placing them into the bloodstream, causing you to experience a ‘low’ or ‘down’ cycle with symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, depression, skin problems and diarrhoea.

Fasting, cleansing or detoxification is an effective and safe method of helping the body to detoxify itself, to give bodily organs and systems a rest, to rejuvenate and to heal minor and major illnesses.

Cleansing has these added benefits:

• The energy usually used for digestion is redirected towards healthy immune function, cell growth, elimination and healing of body tissues and organs.

• The immune system’s workload is greatly reduced and it can concentrate on healing tumours and cancer.

• Regular cleansing prevents cancer and other serious illnesses.

• Detoxification enhances healing speed, clears and adds a sparkle to the eyes and tongue, cleanses the breath and helps you to lose excess weight and fluids.

• Tissue oxygenation is increased and white blood cells are moved more efficiently.

• Fat-stored chemicals such as drugs and pesticides are eliminated.

• Physical awareness and sensitivity to environment and surroundings is improved.

• Improves vitality and rejuvenates, helps to clear symptoms, treat disease and to prevent further problems.

• It can make you feel more productive, creative and open to subtle and spiritual energies. It helps to move your energies from the low centers of digestion and elimination up into the heart, mind and consciousness centers.

Cautions when fasting:

• Fasting on water alone can be dangerous. It releases toxins rapidly, intensifies symptoms and should only be done under supervision and care.

• If you are fasting for longer than three days, try to have someone around you to care for you and watch over you. If you have diabetes, hypoglycemia or another chronic health problem, consult with a medical practitioner first.

• Pregnant and lactating women should never fast.

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CANCER: SEVEN EASY STEPS TO BEAT STRESS

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:42:49 +0000

1. Share the Baggage – Do not take on everything yourself. Try to offload some of your responsibilities so that you can find some rime to relax.

2. Eliminate Boredom – If we are bored, our minds begin to create niggling fears and anxieties. Don’t wait for something exciting to happen in your life, seek out challenges and adventures to add some spice to your life.

3. Self Esteem Tricks – Do happy, exciting things to uplift your confidence. If you are lacking in self-esteem take positive steps to change those areas of your life that need adjusting. Surround yourself with positive people. Write down a list of all of your wonderful qualities.

4. Plan and Organize – If we are disorganized, we become stressed. Sit down, plan and only take on as much work as you can cope with.

5. Take a Break- Take some time out for yourself for relaxation. Don’t keep putting off that holiday.

6. Sleep and Eat well- Sleep rejuvenates the body and mind and helps to alleviate stress. Likewise, a healthy nutrient packed diet increases the body’s ability to cope with stress much more effectively.

7. You are most Important – It is not important to please everyone or to make others feel proud of you. What is important is pleasing yourself first, without harming others. If you can create inner happiness and peace, then this self-fulfillment and happiness will flow over into other areas of your life.

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CANCER: NATURAL TREATMENTS TO COUNTERACT THE SIDE EFFECTS OF RADIATION THERAPY

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:36:40 +0000

Burning and Scarring

Diet

Eat foods rich in vitamin E, Â complex, beta-carotene, essential fatty acids, zinc and germanium.

Eat plenty offish (salmon, sardines, tuna, cod and mackerel), tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, salt-free tomato paste and powder, berries, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, grains, wholesome soups and nuts and seeds.

Vitamins and Nutrients

• Superoxide dismutase, or SOD, administered by injection improves the condition of tissues that have been hardened by radiation therapy.

• Lycopene in large doses helps to protect against scarring and burning. Take double of the recommended dosage, at least 3 to 4 weeks before radiotherapy treatment.

• Vitamin A (50000 IU/day) is needed for tissue repair and mucous membrane protection, or 30 to 60 mg/day of beta-carotene or a carotenoid complex containing alpha-carotene and beta-carotene aids.

• Vitamin E at 600 to 1600 IU/day is needed for healing and to prevent scarring.

Herbs

• Calendula (marigold) successfully treats the damage caused to skin by radiation therapy or exposure. (Calendula ointment applied topically heals wounds smoothly, quickly and perfectly.)

• Aloe vera juice protects against skin injury, helps to prevent burning/scarring and soothes burns.

• Use vitamin E oil externally and internally (break open a Vitamin E capsule and apply directly to the affected area).

Damage to Cells

Diet

• Alkylglycerols (found in shark liver oil) counteract the decrease in white blood cells that occur as a result of radiation treatment.

• Asian mushrooms such as reishi, shitake, maitake and ganoderma all protect and enhance the production of healthy cells.

Vitamins and Nutrients

• Lipoic acid increases white blood cell production.

Herbs

• European mistletoe facilitates the re-growth of red blood cells after radiotherapy.

• Echinacea helps to improve function and production of white blood cells.

• Garlic causes decreased loss of white blood cells.

• Ginseng stimulates resistance and boosts the immune system, improving the function of white blood cells.

Decreased Appetite

Decreased appetite can be due to the killing of the microvilli in the bowel, nutrient deficiencies, stress, anxiety, nausea or vomiting. It is important to address these symptoms first to help improve your desire to eat. Try to keep eating to maintain constant energy levels and to support your body’s healing process.

Vitamins and Nutrients

• To increase appetite use free form amino acid supplements (3 1/2 grams/day).

• Vitamin Â complex increases the appetite and maintains energy levels.

• Check zinc levels — low zinc levels can cause lack of taste and appetite. If zinc levels are low take zinc at 80 mg a day plus.

Herbs

• To stimulate a poor appetite use fennel seed, ginger root, ginseng, alfalfa, papaya leaves or peppermint leaves. These can all be made into herbal teas. Alfalfa sprouts assist in stimulating the appetite.

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CANCER: UNDERSTANDING SURGERY

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:25:04 +0000

Preparing For and Recovering From Surgery

For many people the prospect of undergoing surgery seems terrifying, to say the least. As much as we may detest this thought, sometimes surgery is the best available answer to improving our quality of life. Often there are other options so if you are planning to undertake surgery, try to seek second and third opinions first. Find out about effective alternative approaches to treating the problem. If you have decided that surgery is the most viable option for you, it is important to prepare your body for it to ensure a faster recovery, optimal healing and reduced side effects.

By taking nutritional supplements you will increase your body’s healing process and ensure less post-surgery discomfort and pain. Your general health following surgery depends largely on your general health before surgery. That is, the healthier and stronger you are before your surgery, the quicker and more successful your recovery will be after surgery. It is also important to go into surgery feeling as relaxed as possible, visualizing the most positive and beneficial outcome. The mind is one of the body’s most powerful tools in healing. Practice creative imagery before surgery and try to imagine a wonderful and successful result from surgery.

Surgical Techniques

Surgery can be a traumatic experience on the body and mind. New techniques can minimize the trauma caused from surgery. Laparoscopic surgery, or keyhole surgery, is less traumatic and ensures you a faster release from the hospital. You are also left with only a very small scar or wound. Likewise, instead of the common vertical cut that doctors regularly use in all types of operations, ask your doctor if it would be possible for him to cut horizontally, below your bikini line. In many cases this is entirely possible and leaves you with less psychological trauma later.

Herbal Remedies

Herbal remedies and herbal teas are highly recommended before and after surgery. Herbs enhance healing and stimulate the body’s natural defences, particularly immune system function. Try some of the following herbal teas to encourage more rapid healing:

• Echinacea tea boosts the body’s immune system and increases production of white blood cells to fight disease.

• Ginseng improves recovery time after surgery. It also boosts energy levels and alleviates depression. Ginseng is used throughout China to decrease pain.

• Goldenseal is a natural antibiotic and helps to prevent infections. It also helps to stimulate a healthy appetite and can ease a nasty case of gastritis. Do not take for more than one week at a time as it may disturb normal intestinal flora.

• Milk thistle protects the liver from a toxic build-up of drugs, chemicals and anaesthetics used in surgery. Often following surgery it can take some time before the bowels function normally again. Milk thistle helps to relieve constipation caused from liver and gallbladder congestion.

• Pau d’arco is a natural antibacterial, detoxifying and immune-stimulating herb. It speeds up the healing process, cleanses the blood and aids in the prevention of Candida and thrush.

• Rosehip tea is a wonderful spring tonic that aids general debility and exhaustion. It is a good source of natural vitamin Ñ and enhances healing.

• Chamomile is a natural carminative and relaxes the body’s nervous system, easing the stress of surgery.

• Dandelion herbal tea aids good liver and kidney function, helps to eliminate excess fluids and cleanses the blood system.

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