An Ounce of Prevention

Misuse of the term prevention as it relates to cancer is one of my pet peeves. How often I have heard statements about the importance of breast self-exams and mammograms for the "prevention" of breast cancer; colonoscopies for people over age fifty or who have an increased risk of colon cancer, pap smears, prostate exams, and blah, blah, blah. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for helping each and every one of us who may already have cancer to find it as early as possible. But I would never mistake the methodologies of early detection for prevention.

Real efforts toward prevention require real efforts to eliminate the causes of cancers – and not just the causes inside individuals (such as inherited genetic defects, spontaneous DNA mutations, weak immune systems), but every bit as important, the causes outside individuals, the myriad known and suspected carcinogens all around us.

To actually prevent cancer – breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, testicular cancer, and all the others – we need to remove the many known environmental risk factors contributing to the ridiculous increases in the incidence of cancer in the past three decades. Seems simple, right? A no-brainer?
Formaldehyde? Really?

Carcinogens are present in every sector of our lives. They are in the air, water, milk, food. They line the metal cans for food products, make the plastic that forms sippy cups and water bottles, make baby shampoo and sunscreen, body lotion, and lipstick. Cancer causing agents make up laundry soap and window cleaners, air fresheners and baby wipes. Sixty-one percent of bath products for children tested in 2009 had formaldehyde as an ingredient. Is that necessary?

I know that Nicholai is a bit pissed off about this state of affairs. He'd like to know that his yogurt is free of recombinant bovine growth hormone; his water has no chlorine residues or prescription drug leftovers. He'd like to know that his meat is free of pesticide and herbicide residues, hormones, and other nasty contaminants. He thinks alkylphenols, aromatic amines, benzene, PCB's, bisphenol-A (BPA), and synthetic estrogens have no place in his life. And formaldehyde, really?

As long as we buy it, though, they will make and sell it. Start today eliminating toxins from your life and our environment. My sister sent me an excellent link http://www.breastcancerfund.org/ , all about environmental causes of breast cancer, tips on prevention, and lots of savvy and helpful product information. Check it out.