Good afternoon, subscribers,
Following this greeting is the October newsletter article.  For those of you who are new subscribers, this single article format began this year to make it more convenient for you to read the information I consider most important, and allow me to continue providing you with Healthier Solutions at no cost to you.  Please continue to visit my website, www.healthiersolutionsbymarie.com to see the ongoing updates and take advantage of the great deals that I offer you through my affiliate links, and the dozens of informational articles (especially on the newsletter link page) available there for you.
This month, my article is the second part of the series on preventing cancer.  My October 2009 newsletter is available in the newsletter archives on my website link, and I encourage you to read it if you are interested in my controversial views on breast cancer causes and prevention.  I know this is not an easy subject to read about, but it is one that I am increasingly passionate about.  As always, I ask that you share your thoughts and opinions with me, whether they be pro or con.
Have a beautiful fall month, everyone.
Marie  

Cancer: Minimizing Risk
Last month, I suggested that one real solution to cancer is focusing more attention on prevention. Conventional cancer treatment is brutal, and has achieved very little since Nixon announced the war on cancer in 1971.  Statistics are easily manipulated to provide the desired impression, and unfortunately, cancer mortality rates are generally misleading.  It is true that more people survive for five years after diagnosis, but the numbers fail to show that the six, seven, and eight year survival rates are dismal.  Often, it is only modern technology that is keeping cancer patients alive, and their quality of life is sometimes poor.  Another aspect that really bothers me is that cancer is becoming common in young children and young adults. Cancer is one of the top 3 causes of death in children from age one to fourteen.  Clearly, we are not “winning the war on cancer.”
Most of us are pushing our bodies to their limits.  We are exposed to hundreds of chemical carcinogens on a daily basis.  We are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress and inflammation, which are both known triggers for many diseases including cancer. We don’t get enough sleep or exercise, and our food choices are often harmful, loaded with chemical additives, or nutritionally poor.  It’s no surprise we are in the midst of growing cancer epidemics.  
The situation is not hopeless, however.  Your body is capable of remarkable healing when given the right tools. The science of epigenetics, the effect of environment (lifestyle, nutrition, toxins, etc.) on genes, reveals that even genetic markers for cancer can be “turned off” by making healthier choices.  Just remember my three basic rules: remove the harmful, provide the necessary, and allow health—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  Here are a few of my top tips for minimizing cancer risk and maximizing its defeat.
Choose organic whenever possible. Yes, this often costs more. My philosophy is Pay Now or Pay Later. Pay now for better quality products and enjoy a healthier life, or pay more in medical bills later.  It really is your choice.
Organic products are free of the hundreds of toxins known to increase cancer risk. These include nitrosamine compounds in bacon, coldcuts, and hotdogs (and baby bottle nipples!), certain artificial colors, and rBG hormone in dairy products. Within eight years of Israel’s ban on three organochlorine pesticides, breast cancer rates fell by more than 33% for women age 25-34. Know that Sevin® is considered a “likely carcinogen” and Roundup® is strongly linked to several cancers including childhood leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  Many of the aforementioned chemicals are banned or restricted in other countries whose cancer rates are well below ours.
Avoid sugar. The average American consumes about 150 pounds of sugar each year.  Cancer cells love sugar and it promotes their growth and spread. This one tip could be the most important one of all.
Consume more deeply colored vegetables. The phytochemicals found in these fight cancer in a number of ways.
Avoid unfermented soy whichis in thousands of processed foods like cereal, soup, sauces, and meats. The findings are mixed, but compelling evidence suggests that unfermented soy increases the risk of some cancers, especially breast and thyroid cancer. Why take the chance? See my newsletter archives for more on soy.
Garlic: People who heavily consume garlic have Natural Killer cells capable of destroying 150% more cancer cells than people who consume little or no garlic.
Yogurt: Eating 2 cups a day increases natural anti-cancer and antiviral interferon levels fivefold, while boosting Natural Killer cell potency. Buy plain and add your own flavorings.
Beans and lentils, especially dark colored varieties like black beans, have been found to decrease breast and colon cancer by up to 95%. Aim for three to four servings per week.
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, beets, and kale are anti-cancer powerhouses. Consume a variety several times a week.  
Turmeric acts on transcription factors, which regulate tumor growth, and is a powerful anti-inflammatory, while Ginger reduces inflammation and promotes cancer cell apoptosis (self-destruction).
Other important foods to prevent and fight cancer include:green tea, kefir, pomegranate, blueberries, black raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon, onion, leeks, greens, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, peppers, papaya, citrus fruits and peels, and apples. To research more, an excellent phytochemical database is at  http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/dev/all.html
Lifestyle habits play enormous roles in cancer prevention and overall healthy longevity.
Prioritize quality sleep in the dark: A single hour of sleep deprivationevery nightdepresses your immune system in several critical ways and may increase cancer risk by 60%.  According to recent research, virtually everyone in America, from infants to elderly, is sleep deprived.
Melatonindeficiency increases cancer risk dramatically. The light-sensitive pineal gland requires nighttime darkness to produce melatonin as we sleep. Cover all the little electronic lights you can, use dark curtains, and locate night lights as far from the line of sight as possible. Teenage girls who do not sleep in total darkness have increased risk of breast cancer as adults.
Smoking and second hand exposure increases the risk of all cancers. The earlier the exposure, the higher the risk. A lifelong pack a day habit increases breast cancer risk by about 83%.
Personal care and home care products are shockingly full of toxic ingredients unless you are choosing organic or truly natural ones. Go to ewg.orgfor more information.  
Synthetic fragrances found in perfumes, cleaning products, air fresheners, and more contain many known and unregulated carcinogens like benzenes and aldehydes. Non-scented is not the same as fragrance-free, and manufacturers do not have to disclose fragrance ingredients.
Minimize radiation-based procedures. These have incredible potential for great good, but they must be used only when truly necessary.  Remember that full body scans were never approved for safety, they were simply slipped in as a broader use of the technology.  I believe we should request the least invasive and potentially harmful procedures first, falling back on radiation as the last resort, when absolutely necessary.  Physicians freely admit that they often order scans simply to protect themselves from lawsuits, not to acquire additional information about the patient.
We know that radiation causes cell mutation and cancer.  The damage is cumulative, and we are already exposed to more background radiation than ever before. Our increased use of radiation based procedures has many experts horrified at the thought of our cancer rates 20-30 years from now.
Let me repeat the quote from last month by cancer expert Dr. Devra Davis,
...Concerned about the growing use of diagnostic radiation, when less dangerous forms such as MRI and ultra-sound can often be used instead, the American College of Radiology recently advised that radiation should be used more sparingly in young children and the rest of us...  
...To put these dosages into perspective, even a properly calibrated CT scan of a child’s stomach can be equivalent to six hundred chest x-rays, while one of an infant’s head can be equivalent to a few thousand. Imagine a lifetime of emergency room visits, with repeated scans, and it becomes clear that these risks could create a major cancer burden of the future…”
 
 “...Emergency physicians have not yet gotten the message. A survey of emergency room doctors at a major medical center found that none of them was aware that some of the diagnostic procedures they were ordering increased the risk of cancer for their patients thirty years later….”
 
EMF’s--The subject of electromagnetic fields and cancer is a complicated one beyond the scope of this article.  Just know that I have no doubt that electronic electrical fields interfere with our bodies’ electrical fields. I minimize electronics in my bedroom and have only a battery run clock and land line phone on my night stand. Studies on whether cell phones cause brain cancer are ongoing, but I believe our children will provide the statistics for these.  I encourage my daughters to text or use headphones to lessen the proximity of the phone to their heads.  I discourage the use of electric blankets—use them to warm the bed, but don’t sleep with them even plugged in.  I am especially horrified at the presence of computers and multiple electronics in infant’s and children’s bedrooms. Waves of anecdotal reports agree that these children are always sick and often suffer from sleeping disturbances, learning disabilities and behavioral problems.  
 
Avoid plastics. Plastic containers leach their chemicals into their contents.  The softer the plastic, the worse the leaching.  Heating the plastic or the contents within, causes increased leaching.  Use glass for long term storage, or use parchment paper between food and plastic to minimize contact. Many products are packaged in plastic, and all I can suggest is that you do the best you can to avoid it whenever possible, and avoid exposing the plastic to any heat (including a hot car).
 
Last, but not least, cultivate meaningful relationships. The closer you are to friends and family, the better your chances for staying healthy. The stronger your support network, the more likely you are to successfully fight off any illness or disease.
Be proactive about cancer prevention. Educate yourself and choose nontoxic product alternatives and a healthier lifestyle. It’s never too late! Please, start today.