Avoiding Toxins

From pesticides and fertilizers on our produce to toxic chemicals in our food, beauty products and cleaning products; toxins are everywhere.  The way we cook our food, the air we breathe, the water we drink, plastic bottles with bpa; the list is endless.
It's impossible to avoid all toxins so the best we can do is educate ourselves on what is toxic and avoid as many as possible by making better decisions on what we purchase.

A go-to website for me is the Environmental Working Group's site  http://www.ewg.org/
Here you can look up almost any product to see how toxic it is; from personal care items to cleaning products.  There's a score or grade telling you the level of toxicity and gives you details on what chemicals are in the product and what affect they have on you.
Here's an example:

http://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/1150-LYSOLDisinfectantSprayGardenMist#?w=665

LYSOL Disinfectant Spray, Garden Mist

See:

 

Disinfectant

 

Brand: LYSOL

 

Company: Reckitt...

Asthma/Respiratory

 

Moderate Concern

 

Skin Allergies &
Irritation

 

Some Concern

 

Developmental &
Reproductive Toxicity

 

High Concern

 

Cancer

 

Low Concern

 

Environment

 

Moderate Concern

 

How does it rate: Scores for similar cleaners ranged from C to F. Search for a better Disinfectant

Top Scoring Factors: Corrosive; May contain ingredients with potential for developmental/endocrine/reproductive effects; respiratory effects; acute aquatic toxicity

There are numerous informative articles and guides such as 'Tips for Greener Cleaning' and '2012 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce.'

Here's a great article about cruciferous vegetables and how they can detox your body from toxins.
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2013/apr2013_Shield-Yourself-from-Environmental-Cancer-Risks_01.htm

Aside from cruciferous vegetables, there are many other foods and herbs that detox your body from toxins.  There are also supplements that help the body detox.  Milk thistle is one that comes to mind which detoxes the liver.  
Herbs have phytochemicals which cause the herb to wash out the toxins from our bodies.
Here are some foods and herbs that help the body detox:

APPLE PECTIN. Apples are the most important of the blood cleansers. Apples contain high amounts of vitamin C and pectin. Pectin can block receptors on the surface of cancer cells; remove unwanted metals and toxins, which makes it valuable in radiation therapy. It will also help lower cholesterol, and reduces risk of heart disease and gallstones.

OATMEAL is another good food that cleanses the body and helps rid of toxins

Artichokes, garlic, citrus peels, pomegranate, and even cocoa; broccoli, kale, collards, brocollini, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, Chinese broccoli, watercress, cilantro are some other good foods we can use.

Green tea and water.

Vitamin C is especially a good toxin cleaner.

HERBS

CHICORY (Cichorium intybus) is a very safe, very mild tonic. As a blood cleanser it has laxative and diuretic properties, but it is especially associated with protecting the liver from excessive caffeine consumption. It also is used to increase bile flow, decrease inflammations, aid in jaundice and lower cholesterol and blood sugar.

CLARY SAGE (salvia sclarea) is also a cleansing herb tonic.

BURDOCK ROOT, ( arctium lappa) a common herb that contains anti tumor properties, it can also reduce cell mutation.

YELLOW DOCK (rumex crispus) Yellow dock is one of the best cleansing tonics around. It is a detoxifer and also contains rumicin, a liver decongestant. Since liver disorders are often related to skin problems, it is effective in treating skin discolorations related to liver disease. It stimulates the liver to produce bile and strengthens the colon.

Yellow Dock was used as a vegetable during the Great Depression because of its high vitamin and mineral content.

DANDELION (Taraxacum officinale) GREENS. This is my favorite! Everyone knows what dandelion looks like. This weed that everyone hates is high in beta carotene, iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and magnesium, as well as vitamins B,D,C,and E. .

Dandelion strengthen the whole system as well as the liver and gallbladder. Dandelion promotes the flow of bile, reduces inflammation of the bile duct and helps eliminate gallstones. Dandelion adsorbs toxins from the body, regulating intestinal bacteria and could prevent cancer.

FENNEL (foeniculum vulgare) helps to inhibit kidney stones, and clears the liver and lungs. ( and, using a pepper grinder, grind some fennel seed over your salad to go with the dandelions)

LICRICE ROOT (Glycyrrhiza glabra) Licorice root is a very good detoxifier and also aids in urinary and bowel disorders, and reduces arthritis inflammation by ridding the body of toxins. Licorice root protects the liver from such diseases as cirrhosis and hepatitis; reduces cancer tumors and can even kill off HIV cells before they turn into full blown AIDS.

MILK THISTLE if you are a heavy user of alcohol; take pharmaceutical drugs ; are a cancer patient undergoing chemo, milk thistle is an herb worth considering.

OREGON GRAPE (Mahonia aquifolium) has always been considered an excellent blood purifier and is important to liver health, by stimulating bile production, enhancing liver function and getting rid of system sluggishness. However, for those that have been overeating or eating rich food, they should use a gentler blood cleanser, like dandelion or apple pectin.

SWEET WOODRUFF (Galium odoratum) Sweet woodruff is good for liver disorders, and regulates heart activity. This herb is also used as a blood purifier and tonic; it cleanses kidney and bladder obstructions, particularly stones and relieves liver congestion and gallbladder difficulties.

Truth about Mammograms

As you may know, I read a lot regarding supplements and preventing diseases.  I finally decided to share what I've learned in hopes that some may listen and do their own research.  We have the power to prevent diseases all by just eating the right foods, exercising and taking supplements.

This first blog is actually Suzanne Somers' blog so I give her all the credit as she is my inspiration and the reason I've become so passionate about prevention.  I read her book "Breakthrough: Eight Steps to Wellness" a few years ago and it made such a huge impact on me that I changed my diet to about 90% organic, take several supplements since I don't get all the vitamins/minerals I need from food and use products without chemicals (which range from cleaning products to all personal hygiene products).
I'm about 50% done with another one of her books called "Knockout:  Interviews with Doctors Who are Curing Cancer."  Which has inspired me to do this blog.

The truth about mammograms that doctors aren't telling you (except for alternative doctors).  I will never get a mammogram.  Instead, I'll have a thermogram, ultrasound or MRI.  Here's Suzanne's blog explaining why...

Dr. Russell Blaylock on Mammograms and Testiculograms

After I wrote the blog – “Mammograms – Yes, No, Maybe So?” Dr. Russell Blaylock sent me this follow-up. He is an expert in this field, and I greatly respect his opinion.

Dr. Blaylock:

What women who defend mammograms do not appreciate is that many are developing breast cancer not naturally, but because of the mammograms themselves. The test they defend is what is killing a significant number of them. We went through this in the 70’s with routine chest x-ray studies; after several years of such screening they realized that it was not detecting enough pathology to justify the expense, but many physicians also recognized that it posed a significant radiation-induced cancer risk as well.

They will never admit to the radiation (mammogram) breast cancer link because that will tell women that many of them developed breast cancer because of the screening itself and that could severely damage the cancer establishment. And it could result in a massive number of lawsuits.

Why don’t we advocate “testiculograms” (I made this term up) on men - that is placing their testicles into a “panini” type of press machine, then radiating them - once a year starting at age 20. After all, it may save the lives of hundreds of men every year! We could even sell pink oval shaped decals to promote yearly “testiculograms” and have marathons to draw support. And we might even promote yearly CT scans of the prostate for men—that would save thousands from prostate cancer—if we apply the same flawed way of thinking we use for mammograms. Let’s see how many men show up for their yearly testiculogram or prostate scan. Just a thought.

As for the data on the benefits of mammograms, 10 of the largest studies seeking to determine if routine mammograms indeed prevented death from breast cancer - studies which included a half-million women from Canada, USA, Scotland and Sweden - all found that doing mammograms from age 40 to 49 did not reduce breast cancer deaths at all for 9 years of the survey. Nine of ten of the studies also found no death reductions over the next 10 to 14 years of observations. When they pooled all the results from all 10 of the trials, they found no reductions in breast cancer deaths during an observation period of 14 years.

When they looked at screening beginning at age 50, 3 found a statistically significant reduction, 4 found non-significant reductions and 1 found no reductions in breast cancer deaths at all. When they looked at women who started mammogram screenings at age 50 years and followed them for the next 20 years (age 70), they found a reduction in breast cancer deaths of 1 out of every 270 women (a 0.37% incidence of reduced deaths).

The vast majority of breast cancers found in women below age 50 are DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) and 50% never progress. These women will undergo unnecessary biopsy, breast surgery and, for many, radiation and chemotherapy.

One must also consider two other factors - false negatives and false positives. Women with breast cancer who have a false negative mammogram constitute some 5-20%, with the highest number being younger women. This means that 20% of younger women will have breast cancer that will not be picked up by the mammogram.

Mammograms expose women to a significant amount of radiation. We know that breast tissue is one of the more radiosensitive tissues. This is especially so for the woman with the BRCA 1 and 2 mutation and the woman who already have a DCIS (non-progressive in over 50% of cases). The radiation, based on extensive studies, would more than likely convert a non-progressive cancer into a highly invasive cancer in a number of instances. Remember, radiation is an accumulative tissue damaging agent - each mammogram will produce a certain amount of DNA and cellular damage that goes unrepaired. Women with inflammatory breast diseases are at an even greater risk, because the high level of free radical and lipid peroxidation damage also damages the DNA repair enzymes, and this means an even greater level of unrepaired DNA with each mammogram. This explains the 1-3% accumulative risk with each mammogram.

It is also known that radiosensitivity declines with aging as does the growth rate of cancers. A woman in her 50’s or 60’s will have a slower growing cancer than will a woman in her 20’s to 40’s. Likewise, because of the gap between radiation exposure and the development of the cancer, the hope of these mammogram proponents is that starting the mammograms at age 50 will mean that most women will die of other diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, before she will develop a radiation-induced breast cancer. This is especially so if they change mammograms to every other year. For the woman living into her 80’s or 90’s - she will face a significant risk of a radiation-induced breast cancer. Also of concern are the women with the DCIS, which in over 50% of cases will never become a true invasive cancer. Yet, we know that in these breast lesions exist very unstable chromosomes. Radiating such lesions year after year greatly increases the risk that these benign lesions will become highly malignant. That is, the mammogram itself will induce the cancer. Millions of women have DCIS type lesions and most would never be any worse off if they never knew it. Now we have millions of women with DCIS being radiated every year and this assures that many will develop a highly invasive, deadly cancer caused by the scanning itself.

Women have an alternative. They can have a thermogram, an ultrasound or an MRI scan. None of these tests increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. The mammogram defender will counter that the thermograms have not been proven effective - but then, they refuse to fund testing. They admit the MRI gives a much clearer picture of the breast, especially for very dense breasts (which for the mammogram cannot be read), but then claim that it will result in too many false positives. As we have seen, mammograms have a false positive rate of 90% (some 300,000 women undergo biopsies for false positive mammograms a year). How much higher could it be with MRI scans - 95%? They refuse to give up mammograms because they have spent billions on special breast scanning suites and expensive mammogram equipment - it is big business and it would be an admission that they have been harming and killing thousands of women.

Investigate for yourself as I am not a doctor or nutritionist but I highly recommend supplementing with vitamin D3.  I take 2,000 mg/day as directed by my Alternative Gyno who did a hydroxy 25 blood test to check my vitamin D levels.  It is covered by insurance so you won't have to pay extra.

Here's a site that talks about the importance of vitamin D3 in the prevention of breast cancer.

http://www.thetruthaboutbreastcancer.com/category/vitamin-d3-and-breast-cancer/