By Carol Chuang, MS, CNS, CMTA, FDN

The January newsletter covers the first key action to cancer prevention - Eat REAL Food.

Here is the second key action:

It is unfortunate that we now live in a chemical soup. There are 84,000 artificial chemicals in our air, food, water, and household products. More than 10,000 chemical additives with questionable safety (as they have never been tested in humans) are allowed in food and food packaging alone.

Roughly 13,000 chemicals are used in cosmetics, of which only 10 percent have been evaluated for safety. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the average U.S. woman uses 12 personal care products and/or cosmetics a day, containing 168 different chemicals. While most men use less products, they are still exposed to about 85 such chemicals daily. Many of these chemicals affect the human endocrine (hormonal) system. Scientists warn that these toxins may fuel breast and prostate cancers.

Children are entering puberty at younger and younger ages. In 2010, the average age of the onset of puberty was 10.5 years for girls, six years younger than in 1860 when it was 16.6 years. Scientific evidence strongly suggest that hormone-disrupting chemicals are likely the cause.

Likewise, exposure to industrial chemicals and pollutants is contributing to a wide array of health problems, including asthma, cancer, and reproductive abnormalities.

The following discusses the eight major sources of cancer-promoting toxins in our bodies - food, skin, dental amalgams, alcohol, air, radiation, vaccines, and water.

Vegetables and fruits are among the healthiest foods you can eat, but they are also foods that are commonly contaminated with pesticides and herbicides. The U.S. uses about 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides each year. It is not uncommon for your apple or strawberries to contain multiple pesticides. Pesticides are the most harmful to kids' brains. Pregnant women should watch out for their exposure to pesticides. 

Genetically modified crops are often heavily sprayed with herbicides such as Roundup (glyphosate). Eating organic is one of the best ways to lower your overall pesticide and herbicide burden. 

If you cannot afford to go all organic, at least opt for organic versions of these heavily contaminated produce - apples, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, collard greens, cucumbers, grapes, hot peppers, kale, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, snap peas, spinach, strawberries, and sweet bell peppers.

Many ocean fish, especially the larger kind contain copious amounts of mercury. Bluefish, grouper, mackerel (King, Spanish, Gulf), marlin, orange roughy, Chilean seabass, shark, swordfish, tilefish, and tuna are the worst among all.

Beware that farmed fish may not have mercury, but they can be contaminated with PCBs. Wild caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, herrings, and anchovies are your best bet.

Multi-drug-resistant typhoid, tuberculosis, and gonorrhea kill hundreds of thousands of people each year, and it is increasingly getting worse. Scientists have been warning about this for a number of years, but now it seems the antibiotic apocalypse is really close at hand. 

Researchers recently discovered a new gene, called mcr-1, in pigs and people in China. It is a gene mutation that makes bacteria resistant to our last-resort class of antibiotics. What's more, this resistance can reach epidemic potential as the rate of transfer between bacteria is exceptionally high.

If you buy any packaged or processed foods, it is most likely that they will contain a number of food additives. These chemicals are added to improve the look, taste, and texture of the food you buy. Some of these chemicals are probably innocuous but the following are the ones that you should definitely avoid:

- Flour improver

- Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils such as those made from from canola, corn, cottonseed, soy, safflower, and sunflower.

Your skin is your largest, most permeable organ in the body. Just about anything you put on it will end up in your bloodstream and be distributed throughout the body. Once these chemicals enter the body, they accumulate over time. Putting toxins on your skin is worse than eating them. At least if you were to eat these ingredients, your liver would have a chance to detoxify and eliminate them before any permanent damage could be done.

Beware that products boasting "all natural" labels may still contain harmful chemicals. Of course, the safest bet is to buy USDA 100% organic.

 

Amalgam fillings contain 50 percent mercury. Every time you chew, you release toxic heavy metals into your body. If you have any amalgam fillings in your mouth, find a biological/mercury-free dentist to safely remove your amalgam fillings.

• Drinking alcohol can increase your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx (voice box), liver, breast, and colon. The more you drink, the higher the risk. The risk of cancer is much higher for those who drink alcohol and also use tobacco.

• If you don't drink, do not start. If you do drink, do so moderately. Moderate alcohol consumption is up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. One drink is 12 oz of beer (5% alcohol), 5 oz of wine (12% alcohol), and 1.5 oz (3 tablespoons) of hard liquor (40% alcohol).

• Studies show that moderate alcohol consumption, especially red wine, is linked to reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes, and may actually increase life expectancy. The bottom line is if you drink, do not drink every day because alcohol is very addictive. Drink moderately and responsibly.

Many industries release thousands of toxins into the environment every day, heavily polluting the air that we breathe in. The biggest culprits are the mining, chemical, paper, and transport industries.

The smaller the diameter of the particle, the greater its risk of health damage. These particles can easily pass deep into your lungs, causing damage to not only your lungs, but also your heart and brain. Research shows that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution is associated with atherosclerosis (damage related to thickening of arteries) and significantly faster cognitive decline in older adults.

 

Vaccination is a very controversial subject. There are benefits and risks involved, therefore, it is best to educate yourself before making a decision. 

The truth about vaccines is that they are not as effective as the medical community and the media promote, nor are they as safe as promised. Yet, they are also not as ineffective as many in the alternative health community believe.

Nevertheless, do bear in mind that vaccines may contain chemicals (such as formaldehyde), heavy metals (such as thimerosal which is 50% mercury, or aluminum), and allergens (such as egg protein or MSG). Toxins tend to accumulate in your body over time. Therefore, before you get any vaccines, do your own research.

Flu vaccines in multi-dose vials have thimerosal as a preservative. Single-dose thimerosal-free flu vaccines is better but, in actuality, do contain "trace" amounts of mercury as well. The Flu Mist is truly thimerosal-free.

In the March newsletter, we will discuss the third key action to cancer prevention.

© Carol Chuang 2016

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Due to genetic differences, each person has his or her distinct metabolism and dietary requirements. This explains why "one-size-fits-all" diets might work for some but not for others. Human beings are not created equal. One man's food can be another man's poison.

Optimal health always begins with the diet. In my nutrition practice, I use Metabolic Typing, an advanced nutritional technology to help determine the specific dietary needs of an individual. If you are currently experiencing any of the following symptoms, a metabolically appropriate nutrition regimen can help correct your underlying imbalances:  

If you want to know more about this nutrition program and learn how to use food as a means to achieve optimal health, contact me today. This conversation could very well be the turning point in your life.