In my life I have witnessed to two of my friends losing their lives to Cancer and several female family members as well as friends battling some form of the big "C" as well. I am not a doctor so this is not medical advice. However I have engaged myself on the topic of Cancer and ways to reduce the risk because there is a strong history of cancer on both sides of my family. I have also verified all of the medical and statistical information with the following sources:
http://www.cancer.org
http://envirocancer.cornell.edu
http://cancer.stanford.edu
http://www.cancersupportivecare.com
http://www.cancer.gov
Earlier this year I went to my doctor for a simple check up and she found a lump in my breast. Luckily after biopsy it turned out to be just a fatty tumor. However it scared the hell out of me. Until now I had only shared this information with two people in my life because I didn't want any one to worry. But I feel as if I would be remiss if I did not share the information I have found as well as the life incident that inspired my search for the information.
I am taking steps to become more healthy so that I can hopefully avoid ever having to face the grim diagnosis of Cancer. I have compiled a mixture of advice and information for my female friends in hopes that they will begin to detoxify their lives as well.
Five Reasons and Ways to Help Reduce Your Risk of Cancer:
1) Learn to De-stress:
Why Do It?: The body responds to stress by releasing stress hormones, such as epinephrine (also called adrenaline) and cortisol (also called hydro-cortisone). The body produces these stress hormones to help a person react to a situation with more speed and strength. Stress hormones increase blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels. Small amounts of stress are believed to be beneficial, but chronic (persisting or progressing over a long period of time) high levels of stress are thought to be harmful. Stress that is chronic can increase the risk of obesity, heart disease, depression, and various other illnesses. Stress also can lead to unhealthy behaviors, such as overeating, smoking, or abusing drugs or alcohol, and may affect cancer risk. What stress definitely does is lower your immune system's ability to fight off disease and other antigens in your system.
Why Don't We?: Most women are never taught to take time for themselves. As women we take on many roles in life; mother, sister, friend, spouse, daughter and most of us prioritize those roles over making sure we are personally ok. It is how we were all raised. As children boys play with super heroes (most are independent), trucks, robots, functional construct toys. They are conditioned to be autonomous through their play things at an early age. Girls are provided with princesses (all whom have a prince), Barbie (who has Ken and friends) and other service functioning toys; kitchens, cleaning, dress up play outfits which are all structured around their service and socialization skills. Most women don't know how to be alone because we were never taught that as children. Allow yourself down time to relax and enjoy things you like to do alone.
How Can I?: I personally have two spa days a month and now you are all thinking I don't have $400-$1000 to spend at the spa a month. My spa days are not at some fancy salon. I go to The Body Shop or Bath and Body Works, I get my salt scrub, my bath bubbles, I have my nail polish and I do everything my self at home. It is important that women do these things for themselves not just from a fiscal stand point but so we know what is going on with our own body. So on my spa days I have some one take care of Guine and I just relax and take care of me. I do my facial mask, I read, I take a long hot bath and make sure that I feel great from head to toe. It costs me less then $100 a month because most of my supplies I own and they do not need to be replenished every time. The small cost is a drop in the bucket compared to the comfort I get from that time spent taking care of no one else but me.
2) Lose Weight
Why Do It?: Going back to cortisol or hydro-cortisone which I mentioned in the first section. This is the hormone that keeps weight on especially dreaded belly fat. Women store estrogen in two places in their body: reproductive system and body fat. The additional estrogen in a woman's system has been directly linked to an increase in breast cancer development. Estrogen may be implicated in breast cancer risk because of: 1) its role in stimulating breast cell division; 2) its work during the critical periods of breast growth and development; 3) its effect on other hormones that stimulate breast cell division, and 4) its support of the growth of estrogen-responsive tumors.
Holding on to excess body fat has been linked to the development of certain types of cancer in both men and women.
In a study done by the American Institute for Cancer Research in 2009 people with additional body fat had the following increase in chances of these cancers: The estimates show that excess body fat is linked 49% of endometrial cancers (20,700 cases per year), 35% of esophageal cancers (5,800 cases per year), 28% of pancreatic cancers (11,900 cases per year), 24% of kidney cancers (13,900 cases per year), 21% of gallbladder cancers (2,000 cases per year), 17% of breast cancers (33,000 cases per year), and 9% of colorectal cancers (13,200 cases per year).
Why Don't We?: Most women have more on their plate then they can reasonably carry. We try to be everything to every one. Our husbands and children get to enjoy their actives while we play maid, taxi service, cook, and resident bottle washer. I find it amazing how many of my girlfriend's husbands still go out for beer with the guys or have time to golf and do other actives they still enjoyed while they were single but my friends never seem to have time once they are married with children to even go shopping for new underwear. This is because we allow it to happen. Men focus on their own pleasure - which is not a bad thing. Women focus on making other people happy and public opinion. We will sacrifice ourselves to be able to say our children are stars on the soccer team, and accomplished musicians and spelling bee champions and that our husbands are successful. We find ourselves in our ability to support the other people we love in their success. But where is our success? When do we take pride in ourselves? Most women never learn how to do this because we are conditioned (there is that word again) by how our mothers and grandmothers acted when they raised us. They were/are self sacrificing to the point of losing their own identity outside of the family.
How Can I?: I will first say this. Making time to work out for some women will not be easy. I do not speak from a point of ignorance. As most of you know at one point in my life I weighed over 330 pounds. I am now happily down to 215 pounds and still losing.
Some women have larger families. Families with a number of children who have become accustomed to a certain life style. Making time to take care of themselves on a daily basis will mean working through the changes that will take a community effort from the family as a whole unit.*
For those of you with small children or babies: Start to make time now. Work with your spouse, partner or support team that helps you with childcare to ensure that you have time to work out on a regular basis.
Working out doesn't need to be hours at an expensive gym. I have been using Tony' Horton's 10 minute work out in addition to going to the gym. His work outs effective take about 20 minutes total when you watch the video because of the instructions but they are a full body work out. They are broken down so that you can do one in the morning, at night or when ever you have time. There are also video games such as Wii Fit and Zumba for Wii that the whole family can enjoy together. Plus there is nothing wrong with riding a bike or walking, going hiking or finding another activity that you can enjoy alone or with loved ones. So be creative and make it work for your life style.
*For those of you will full families and schedules: I would recommend making your children choose to eliminate activities they are involved in if it is two or more activities that require more then an hour a week of your time and attention. Or inspire and assist them to find ways of facilitating the activities on their own with out you. Children need to learn a sense of independence as well as a sense of prioritizing their own schedule. There is nothing wrong with asking or expecting them to be responsible for obtaining the things they want in life on their own. When you multiple the hours spend taking your children to different events 3 children times 3 events times 3 hours a week = 27 hours you are taking away from self maintenance. That is over 100 hours a month which is over 1200 hours a year.
Make sure your spouse/partner understands how important it is for you to take care of yourself and enlist them to help you make time. This may come in the form of them taking on additional responsibilities or even making time to engage in physical activity with you.
In addition I know many women whose children do not help out at home with laundry, cleaning etc. My daughter has been doing chores since she was three years old. She gets paid for doing certain things around the house. This teaches her that our home is also her responsibility to help keep up and that her time and effort are worth money. If your child is older then 10 and they are not earning an allowance by taking care of the home with you, not only are you making your life harder then it needs to be but you are doing your children a great disservice as a parent. Rather then teaching them how to be responsible you are enabling them and being a caregiver when you don't need to. Chances are that if they don't learn that they can take care of things on their own they will continue to rely on you well into their adulthood because they are missing basic life skills they need to survive.
So as hard as it is and hate me for being bluntly honest: tell your kids to get off their asses and make them help you around the house. Some of the things Guinevere does at age eight: Sorts laundry, she collects her own dirty laundry for washing, she puts away her clean clothing when it is finished, takes out recyclables and garbage, feeds pets, dusts furniture, cleans out garbage pails around the home and she is responsible for cleaning her toy room and bed room. She gets paid and money is a subject in school that she has no problem grasping the concept of.
If you need to be honest with your children about why they need to help, then be honest with them. Have a family meeting and talk to them about the realities of the situation. It would be more scary for them to face a parent going through a life threatening illness then to explain to them that you need to take care of your health. A great book to use for this talk is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Simple, to the point and it will most likely inspire you children to realize they need to start giving back.
3) Eat Healthier Foods:
Why Do It?: The scientific community is continually studying the role of diet in the development of cancer. Many results are preliminary and more is being learned every day. Research is discovering that intake of fruits, vegetables, and cereal grains may interfere with the process of developing cancer of the oral cavity, larynx, esophagus, stomach, colon, lung, prostate, and rectum. In addition to reducing the risk of developing cancer, the risk of developing heart disease, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases might also be prevented by eating more fruits and vegetables. There is also evidence that total fat intake of greater than 30 percent of total calories can increase the risk of developing some cancers. This is especially true when total fat intake includes saturated fat and possibly polyunsaturated fat. Although research studies are inconclusive at this time, preliminary evidence suggests that some components of food may play a role in decreasing the risk of developing cancer, including phytochemicals, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids. Phytochemicals are chemicals found in plants that protect plants against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Eating large amounts of brightly colored fruits and vegetables (yellow, orange, red, green, white, blue, purple), whole grains/cereals, and beans containing phytochemicals may decrease the risk of developing certain cancers as well as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. The action of phytochemicals varies by color and type of the food. They may act as antioxidants or nutrient protectors, or prevent carcinogens (cancer causing agents) from forming.
The list below is a partial list of phytochemicals found in foods:
- Allicin is found in onions and garlic. Allicin blocks or eliminates certain toxins from bacteria and viruses.
- Anthocyanins are found in red and blue fruits (such as raspberries and blueberries) and vegetables. They help to slow the aging process, protect against heart disease and tumors, prevent blood clots, and fight inflammation and allergies.
- Biflavonoids are found in citrus fruits.
- Carotenoids are found in dark yellow, orange, and deep green fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, parsley, oranges, pink grapefruit, and spinach.
- Flavonoids are found in fruits, vegetables, wine, green tea, onions, apples, kale, and beans.
- Indoles are found in broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, kale, Brussel sprouts, and turnips (also known as “cruciferous” vegetables). They contain sulfur and activate agents that destroy cancer-causing chemicals.
- Isoflavones are found in soybeans and soybean products.
- Lignins are found in flaxseed and whole grain products.
- Lutein is found in leafy green vegetables. It may prevent macular degeneration and cataracts as well as reduce the risk of heart disease and breast cancer.
- Lycopene is found primarily in tomato products. When cooked, it appears to reduce the risk for cancer and heart attacks.
- Phenolics are found in citrus fruits, fruit juices, cereals, legumes, and oilseeds. It is thought to be extremely powerful, and is studied for a variety of health benefits including slowing the aging process, protecting against heart disease and tumors, and fighting inflammation, allergies, and blood clots.
Why Don't We?: Simple convenience and time. It is far easier to pick up a bucket of greasy fried chicken then to cook a home made meal. There are so many products out there that help us to avoid really having to cook. At the end of a long day women are too tired to contend with all the battling wants, needs and food desires of a household full of people.
Taste: Quite often we have the concept that healthy= tasteless. I love food. I love food that is very, very, very bad for me. I have my whole life. It is salty, sweet, fatty, greasy goodness. So I am not sitting from a position of not knowing or being completely 100% perfect in my eating health. However I have started to look at my eating habits and food from a much different prospective since I had my daughter. When I was pregnant I developed gestational diabetes so anything unhealthy I ate could have literally killed Guinevere in utero. Sad that it took that situation for me to realize how food was killing me. I also found ways to get my food fix so to speak with out eating unhealthy items.
How Can I?: Slowly (ok one more time for emphasis) SLOWLY change your eating habits. If you are eating Micky D's five times a week for lunch I am not telling you to just quit cold turkey (as much as I would like to shake you and ask you if you have a death wish) I would say start by making one of those lunches at Micky D's a salad rather then a Big Mac and fries. Go with the unsweetened ice tea rather then the coke or sweet tea. At home it can sometimes be easier to eat healthier. So start moving toward bringing a lunch. Involving the family in meal planning as well as the decision making process in shopping for the home so far as groceries go can help greatly. Guinevere and I make meal decisions together. We find things that are healthy that we both like. I do have an advantage that most women don't have. I have a child who eats vegetables. In fact she loves them.*
Getting children more in line with eating healthy doesn't need to be a fight though. You can add ground up veggies to meatloaf, tomato sauce, meatballs, stuffing, even add steamed and mashed cauliflower to mashed potatoes and kids will never know that they are getting nutrients in foods they love to eat. But making sure the family is eating healthy is what is most important. Use your children, they are a great help in the kitchen. Cooking with them allows you to engage in an activity with them as well as creating a learning experience. It is a tool they can take with them into adulthood so they can function on their own. Guinevere and I cook together often. Ironically time is another topic in math that she excels in. Mostly because she has had to know how to tell time when baking and cooking. She is also learning measurements and how to read labels so that she knows what is healthy and what isn't.
*If you are not a mom yet but you plan on having children the best advice I can give for making a baby that loves healthy foods is to eat healthy when you are pregnant, regardless of cravings. If you treat your body like a free for all junk bin when pregnant, guess what the little life inside you is going to want when it comes out? Answer: Exactly what you ate during your pregnancy. Most women wouldn't dream of drinking alcohol when pregnant but they eat ice-cream, candy and other sugary and salty junk foods by the gallons. Ice cream and alcohol have similar effects as they both break down as sugar in the human body. So if your children are hard core junk food junkies, sad to say, but it all started with your late night craving during pregnancy. Best Book on this subject: What to Eat When You Are Expecting written by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel
4) Remove Toxins
Why Do It?: The most frequently occurring known cancer-causing toxins according to type of cancer are listed below:
Lung cancer related to radon exposure; Breast cancer related to traffic emissions; Prostate cancer related to pesticides; Malignant mesothelioma related to asbestos; Lung and colon-rectum cancer related to tetrachloroethylene-contaminated drinking water.
A list of updated cancer toxins as they are classified in the United States can be found on the National Health Institutes website and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Additional common human carcinogens include:
Asbestos Benzene Benzidine Cadmium and Cadmium Compounds Nickel Compounds Vinyl Chloride
Mixtures:The following mixtures of toxins, listed alphabetically, have been found to be carcenogenic.
Alcoholic beverages Analgesic mixtures containing phenacetin Areca nut Betel quid with tobacco Betel quid without tobacco Coal-tar pitches Coal-tars Mineral oils, untreated and mildly treated Salted fish (Chinese-style) Shale-oils Soots,Tobacco products, oral tobacco products, Wood dust
Industrial and Environmental Exposures:The following types of industrial, occupational, or environmental exposures, listed alphabetically, have been identified as carcenigenic.
Aluminum production, Arsenic in drinking water, Auramine, manufacture of Boot and shoe manufacture and repair, Coal gasification, Coke production, Furniture and cabinet making, Hematite mining (underground) with exposure to radon Involuntary smoking (second-hand smoke ), Iron and steel founding, Isopropanol manufacture (strong-acid process) Magenta, manufacture of Painting (occupational exposure) Rubber industry, Strong inorganic acid mists containing sulfuric acid (occupational exposure to), Tobacco smoking
Why Don't We?: Because it's easier to not pay attention. I could go on an on with cancer causing agents. There are far too many to list and far to many ways to become exposed from home as well as work and other areas that we come into contact with in our daily lives.
How Can I?: A best practice for getting rid of cancer causing agents in the home is to use green or environmentally safe cleaning products and personal hygiene products. Make sure you have a water filter on the house to help with detoxifying the the water. If and when you are going to move or relocate your family you can look up history and statistics of different towns and cities online. You can find out cancer statistics in the area as well as other toxin statistics as well as water and air quality. You can also find listings of industrial companies in the area that you wish to move and make an educated decision based on the safety of the area. These are all important factors in keeping yourself as well as your family safe.
5) Remove Any One(thing) That Is Not Conducive To You Being Mentally and Emotionally Healthy
Why Do it?: If you have ever been in a 12 step program they remind you that people, places and things that led to your addiction need to be removed from your life. Similarly people, places and things can often lead to happiness or disater in a person's life. They effect how we think, what we do and ultimately how we live. If there are people and things causing you to have stress and negative emotions; all of the chemicals those emotions and stress create can be conducive to lowering your immune system and raising your risk of cancer.
"Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words.
Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions.
Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits.
Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character.
Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny."
I would say to all of you: one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her life. Life doesn't offer a dress rehearsal. You get one chance to live in God's playground. Why stay in a job, a marriage or any relationship that causes you more stress, grief and negativity then it brings joy, hope and love to your life? I am not saying abandon every one and everything in your life that doesn't make you happy but only you can make a change and have an effect on your own personal future.
Why Don't We?: We are conditioned (there it is again) to fear change. We are media fed on the fact that our life should look a certain way. That we need to behave and fall in line. And we again sacrifice our on happiness as women for the other people around us. We often find our identity in our relationships with others as unhealthy as those relationships may be. Best Book: Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D. It shows people how staying in a situation that is not ideal out of fear can often lead to their own demise.
How Can I?: Depending upon the situation there are a lot of options. If you are in a job that you dislike; figure out if it is the position or if it is the career path in general and take steps to make a change based on what you have figured out. If it is an interpersonal relationship; try to work through things with that person. We all have "toxic" people in our lives. If they are not a relative remove that person, if they are a relative distance yourself from them enough to remain safe. If you are in a marriage that is not conducive to your happiness and well being: that is the hardest situation to handle. While I have never been married I can tell you that if both partners are willing to try to make it work and they put forward an honest effort, the relationship will get better. But it takes time, counseling: individual as well as couples and effort. When I say things will get better, better may mean that the couple realizes they are better off apart then together. But at least the issues will be addressed and worked through rather then remain stagnant.
If your partner is not supportive, or if it is worse; they are abusive or have some type of addiction issue, your choice becomes a much more difficult situation. I will ask you to think about this: Think of the value of a human life.Think: If I were to sell myself into slavery for the rest of my life and some one asked me what price I wanted for myself, what price would I pick? How much would you ask for? Then once you have picked a price (if you can fathom a price for your life) Would you trust your spouse with that money? How would they spend it? If your answers are not positive ones or if you can not even fathom a reasonable offer; then why give your life to some one who is not willing to build a positive future with you or can not do so because of their own issues? Why commit yourself to some one who can not be a supportive loving partner to you in the way that you can be and have been to them?
Ben Franklin said, "Those who give up freedom for security neither deserve nor should they be afforded either one."
This "how to" is not so easy and I know many people believe that marriage is a life long commitment which is why it is one I have not taken lightly.
But life for many of us is fleeting. Before we know it our body and/or mind are diminished, thus limiting our ability to enjoy even simple things. When you look back at your life will it be filled with happy memories and love? Or will it be filled with regrets and "what if's"?
The best advice I can give, is that every one should try to make wiser choices about what you do with the time you have been given. Both how and with whom you spend it with. We could all use more love, more patience and more understanding in life. Just make sure the people you are committing yourself to are worth your time and effort. That much I am an expert on because I have spent more time, effort and emotion on people who were not worth it from the prospective that they just didn't care about me as a person.
But as Dr. Seuss said, "Unless some one like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
As women we need to take care of ourselves because we are the life givers to the world. We are the caretakers of the next generation. If we are dying and sick due to lack of care(self or external), the world will lose it's faith and it's hope and it's love.
I hope this helps. God Bless.
But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
