April 2015 Newsletter
Free cold laser treatment… is being offered up this month as our special. Make an appointment anytime during the month of April to receive one free cold laser treatment. This treatment uses infrared light to help an injury heal faster and is very effective for pain relief. This is a great opportunity to try cold laser treatment if you’ve never had it before and even if you have – this one is “on me”.
Cancer advice, part six… is a follow up to last month’s installment, when I discussed beauty care products and their implications in developing cancer. To summarize, a lot of hand, dish and laundry soaps, as well as many cleaning products contain chemicals that are harmful if inhaled or touch the skin. Recipes for non-toxic alternatives can be found online using common items found in most kitchens like vinegar or baking soda. I learned of this issue from a health food store owner several years ago when I was fighting my own battle with cancer. I was advised to start reading labels very carefully and to avoid all toxic chemicals. Most people find it is easier to make the necessary changes in stages. I suggest starting with whatever directly touches the skin and branch out from there.
Also problematic are attached garages that usually contain stores of toxic chemicals in the form of paint, bug and weed killers, and fertilizers, etc. These items can emit fumes into the house that can then penetrate the body and cause harm to the immune system. Chemicals such as these should be stored in a building that is separate from the house. To move forward now, the subject that follows is hair dye and the connection to cancer.
Studies have shown that hairdressers have the highest rate of breast cancer of any profession. Research has also revealed a connection between bladder cancer and hair dye, especially dark colored ones. The darker the dye, the more likely it contains the offending chemicals. One study (published in 2004) looked at 459 people with bladder cancer and compared them to 665 people who did not. The results showed that men who used hair dyes had a lower rate of bladder cancer than those who didn’t, but the OPPOSITE was true for women. In addition, a different study from the late ‘90’s indicated that men who drank more than ten 8 oz. servings of water a day had almost half the risk of bladder cancer as those who drank less than five 8 oz. servings a day.
What are the best options if one doesn’t want to give up dying their hair? First, understand what you are dealing with. Dye penetrates the skin on the scalp, then enters the bloodstream. It is filtered out of the blood through the kidneys into the urine, and then stored in the bladder. Consider discontinuing or at least reducing the use of permanent, dark colored hair dyes. Consider other options such as henna, semi-permanent dyes, and rinses. I’ve heard that Aveda makes a dark permanent dye that is 97% plant based. Another idea is to use highlights and lowlights to have different shades of color in your hair. There is minimal skin contact because the coloring is painted onto the hair and wrapped in foils. If your hair is becoming increasingly grey, a good stylist should be able to help you find a new look that looks less like gray and more like ‘high/low light’ streaks. If you dye your own hair, explore brands that use natural dyes and ask the sales people for advice. Wear gloves to reduce exposure. The palms of the hands are very efficient at absorbing substances through the skin. To reduce the risk of bladder cancer, drink plenty of clean water before, during and after hair coloring. Also, increase doses of vitamins A, C and bioflavonoids, as these can react with the chemical free radicals in such a way to prevent them from causing cell damage.
Take 1 to 5 grams mineral-buffered vitamin C (less if you develop diarrhea) and also take 10,000 to 25,000 IU vitamin A as beta carotene. Bioflavonoids benefit the urinary tract by helping form collagen (a structural protein) and they also promote normal blood pressure, healthy circulation and capillary strength. Take 700 to 2000 mg. of bioflavonoids per day for approximately five days around the time of the dying. Also helpful would be to consume a high-quality “green” drink. Try 150-175 mg. of milk thistle extract per day to help the liver detoxify the chemicals in the dye. These ideas are for gently detoxifying, extreme cleanses are not recommended.
Certain types of cookware and microwave ovens are two other ‘hidden’ sources of cancer-causing things that are commonly found in many households. While food choices are very important, so is the cookware used to cook it in and the cooking method.
First, whatever materials a pot or pan is made from have the ability to get into the food that is being cooked in a couple of different ways. In the case of Teflon™ non-stick cookware, bits and pieces of the Teflon™ (a known carcinogenic) will eventually “flake” off and get into the food. In the case of aluminum, it has the ability to leach into our food. Avoid buying foods stored in aluminum and don’t use aluminum pans or utensils for cooking and preparing foods. Food cooked or stored in aluminum produces a substance that affects the digestive juices and can lead to acidosis & ulcers. After aluminum leaches into the food, it is absorbed where it accumulates in the brain and tissues of the nervous system. Aluminum deposits in the brain have been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. Since there are better options, I recommend avoiding the risk altogether. Cooking with a cast iron skillet will
actually allow molecular quantities of iron to shift into food, especially when cooking something more acidic, like tomato sauce. Cast iron cookware has helped reduce anemia in some people. Glass or stainless steel pots and pans are also good options. Affordable used non-toxic cookware can often be found at yard sales and thrift stores.
Microwave ovens are next on my ‘hit list’ of things to avoid if you want to avoid getting cancer. It’s widely accepted that microwave cooking or reheating food in plastic dishes leaches plastic chemicals into the food, (including any plastic wrap used to cover the food). Glass or sturdy paper dishes are recommended instead. My own research revealed that microwaves themselves effect unhealthy changes to food on a molecular level, surprising as this may seem. I learned that Russian scientists had studied microwave ovens in the 1950’s to see if they could be used on submarines. Their research said microwaves affect all three categories of food: carbohydrates, proteins and lipids (fats). They concluded that prolonged eating of microwaved food could cause cancer, and even specified one type of cancer, lymphoma, which is exactly the type of cancer I had.
Having argued these facts with physicists, they insist that microwaves merely speed up the molecules in the same way that conventional heating warms food. Americans love the ‘convenience’ of microwave cooking and they are in very broad use here, in many restaurants and in every convenience store. To observe how the molecular structure of food changes in ways it does not when cooked in a conventional oven, heat up a piece of pizza, let it cool and then observe the rubbery texture of the cheese and the extreme hardness of the crust. Then try it with some other foods, just to see what happens. I recommend using a toaster oven and heating liquids in a hot pot or on the stovetop instead. You might be surprised how much time microwave ovens don’t really save and the food will have much better texture and flavor. I’ve heard that some cooks don’t own one, because “that’s not cooking”.
Cancer advice, part six… is a follow up to last month’s installment, when I discussed beauty care products and their implications in developing cancer. To summarize, a lot of hand, dish and laundry soaps, as well as many cleaning products contain chemicals that are harmful if inhaled or touch the skin. Recipes for non-toxic alternatives can be found online using common items found in most kitchens like vinegar or baking soda. I learned of this issue from a health food store owner several years ago when I was fighting my own battle with cancer. I was advised to start reading labels very carefully and to avoid all toxic chemicals. Most people find it is easier to make the necessary changes in stages. I suggest starting with whatever directly touches the skin and branch out from there.
Also problematic are attached garages that usually contain stores of toxic chemicals in the form of paint, bug and weed killers, and fertilizers, etc. These items can emit fumes into the house that can then penetrate the body and cause harm to the immune system. Chemicals such as these should be stored in a building that is separate from the house. To move forward now, the subject that follows is hair dye and the connection to cancer.
Studies have shown that hairdressers have the highest rate of breast cancer of any profession. Research has also revealed a connection between bladder cancer and hair dye, especially dark colored ones. The darker the dye, the more likely it contains the offending chemicals. One study (published in 2004) looked at 459 people with bladder cancer and compared them to 665 people who did not. The results showed that men who used hair dyes had a lower rate of bladder cancer than those who didn’t, but the OPPOSITE was true for women. In addition, a different study from the late ‘90’s indicated that men who drank more than ten 8 oz. servings of water a day had almost half the risk of bladder cancer as those who drank less than five 8 oz. servings a day.
What are the best options if one doesn’t want to give up dying their hair? First, understand what you are dealing with. Dye penetrates the skin on the scalp, then enters the bloodstream. It is filtered out of the blood through the kidneys into the urine, and then stored in the bladder. Consider discontinuing or at least reducing the use of permanent, dark colored hair dyes. Consider other options such as henna, semi-permanent dyes, and rinses. I’ve heard that Aveda makes a dark permanent dye that is 97% plant based. Another idea is to use highlights and lowlights to have different shades of color in your hair. There is minimal skin contact because the coloring is painted onto the hair and wrapped in foils. If your hair is becoming increasingly grey, a good stylist should be able to help you find a new look that looks less like gray and more like ‘high/low light’ streaks. If you dye your own hair, explore brands that use natural dyes and ask the sales people for advice. Wear gloves to reduce exposure. The palms of the hands are very efficient at absorbing substances through the skin. To reduce the risk of bladder cancer, drink plenty of clean water before, during and after hair coloring. Also, increase doses of vitamins A, C and bioflavonoids, as these can react with the chemical free radicals in such a way to prevent them from causing cell damage.
Take 1 to 5 grams mineral-buffered vitamin C (less if you develop diarrhea) and also take 10,000 to 25,000 IU vitamin A as beta carotene. Bioflavonoids benefit the urinary tract by helping form collagen (a structural protein) and they also promote normal blood pressure, healthy circulation and capillary strength. Take 700 to 2000 mg. of bioflavonoids per day for approximately five days around the time of the dying. Also helpful would be to consume a high-quality “green” drink. Try 150-175 mg. of milk thistle extract per day to help the liver detoxify the chemicals in the dye. These ideas are for gently detoxifying, extreme cleanses are not recommended.
Certain types of cookware and microwave ovens are two other ‘hidden’ sources of cancer-causing things that are commonly found in many households. While food choices are very important, so is the cookware used to cook it in and the cooking method.
First, whatever materials a pot or pan is made from have the ability to get into the food that is being cooked in a couple of different ways. In the case of Teflon™ non-stick cookware, bits and pieces of the Teflon™ (a known carcinogenic) will eventually “flake” off and get into the food. In the case of aluminum, it has the ability to leach into our food. Avoid buying foods stored in aluminum and don’t use aluminum pans or utensils for cooking and preparing foods. Food cooked or stored in aluminum produces a substance that affects the digestive juices and can lead to acidosis & ulcers. After aluminum leaches into the food, it is absorbed where it accumulates in the brain and tissues of the nervous system. Aluminum deposits in the brain have been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. Since there are better options, I recommend avoiding the risk altogether. Cooking with a cast iron skillet will
actually allow molecular quantities of iron to shift into food, especially when cooking something more acidic, like tomato sauce. Cast iron cookware has helped reduce anemia in some people. Glass or stainless steel pots and pans are also good options. Affordable used non-toxic cookware can often be found at yard sales and thrift stores.
Microwave ovens are next on my ‘hit list’ of things to avoid if you want to avoid getting cancer. It’s widely accepted that microwave cooking or reheating food in plastic dishes leaches plastic chemicals into the food, (including any plastic wrap used to cover the food). Glass or sturdy paper dishes are recommended instead. My own research revealed that microwaves themselves effect unhealthy changes to food on a molecular level, surprising as this may seem. I learned that Russian scientists had studied microwave ovens in the 1950’s to see if they could be used on submarines. Their research said microwaves affect all three categories of food: carbohydrates, proteins and lipids (fats). They concluded that prolonged eating of microwaved food could cause cancer, and even specified one type of cancer, lymphoma, which is exactly the type of cancer I had.
Having argued these facts with physicists, they insist that microwaves merely speed up the molecules in the same way that conventional heating warms food. Americans love the ‘convenience’ of microwave cooking and they are in very broad use here, in many restaurants and in every convenience store. To observe how the molecular structure of food changes in ways it does not when cooked in a conventional oven, heat up a piece of pizza, let it cool and then observe the rubbery texture of the cheese and the extreme hardness of the crust. Then try it with some other foods, just to see what happens. I recommend using a toaster oven and heating liquids in a hot pot or on the stovetop instead. You might be surprised how much time microwave ovens don’t really save and the food will have much better texture and flavor. I’ve heard that some cooks don’t own one, because “that’s not cooking”.
