Cancer - General

Hike up to remote areas of snow-covered Crater Lake National Park and you may be miles from civilization, but don't eat the snow because it contains industrial PCBs, the banned pesticide DDT and at least two currently used pesticides.

Go fly-fishing in Golden Lake at Mount Rainier National Park but don't eat the trout because they carry relatively high levels of toxic flame retardant.

Or try fishing Montana's spectacular Glacier National Park but make sure you don't eat them either because the DDT in them is higher than levels found in fish studies from Africa, even though the United States phased out DDT production in 1972 and Africa still uses it for mosquito control.

Cancer. The very word strikes dread in our hearts. When the word comes from our doctors vis a vis a diagnosis; most of us accept it as an automatic death sentence. So, news that there are several things we can do to prevent cancer, aside from smoking, should motivate all of us to ‘sign-on’.

Following the steps below may prevent 30% of cancers. Additionally, the actions identified are good for anyone who would like to adapt a healthy lifestyle.

Granulocytes: Most people never think of granulocytes unless they are having chemotherapy and their ‘granulocyte counts’ decrease. Granulocytes are 3 different types of white blood cells, which are used by our bodies to fight off infection.

Now scientists are finding a new role for granulocytes in the war on cancer. We all fight off cancer cells, probably every day of our life. But apparently, some people have the ability to fight off cancer cells better than others. They may be cancer-resistant.

Most people over 50 years old verbalize understanding of what the PSA test is, and quake when we get results that are above the normal. Cancer of the prostate is our unspoken fear.

Likewise, any woman who has ovarian cancer acknowledges the importance of the CA-125. It’s presence signifies a possible death sentence for the woman.

What is particularly sad about both of these ‘biomarkers’ is that they are not diagnostic. Additional tests, often painful, are still needed. And, for the woman with recurring ovarian cancer with a high CA-125 but not positive imaging tests indicating the ‘return of the beast’, it is a waiting game. Many times, the oncologists will not start treatment until X-rays indicate the cancer has recurred.

Heart burn or Acid Reflux affects millions of Americans. If severe, the person may go to the physician to obtain a prescription medication. Otherwise, over the counter drugs such as “pepsid’ are widely available.

For the most part, we ignore it. May even laugh about it when we burp, or others belch. This condition is not a laughing matter.

Pills alone may not be sufficient to stop the esophagus from being permanently damaged. The effect of acid reflux is similar to taking hydrochloric acid and pouring it on your hand. The question becomes “how do I know whether my esophagus is OK or not”. The only way of currently knowing is to have a small scope inserted down your throat to your stomach. If anything peculiar or abnormal is noted, a biopsy will be taken.

Anyone who has had cancer can tell you that one of the hardest parts is the ‘waiting game’. One waits for results of a biopsy, waits to see a surgeon, waits for results of chemotherapy. Wait. Wait. Wait.

Therefore, the new device which will test for oral cancer significantly impacts part of the waiting game. The device will make it possible to obtain cells painlessly and test results will be ready in 10 minutes. To anyone who has gone through a painful biopsy and then had to wait days, perhaps a week for results; they can testify to the positive impact this method makes. No pain. No wait. Treatment can start immediately.

A daily Chinese paper recently reported that the rising cancer rates in China are probably due to the increase pollution and over use of chemicals in food production.

Additionally, many factories and processing plants pour their waste directly into the adjacent river; polluting the water supplies and impacting adversely on the soil.

The death rates from cancer have increased by almost 25% in farming regions of the country, and almost 20% in the cities.

Responding to patient concern about the quality of care in U.S. hospitals, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services began measuring hospital performance and reporting this performance on their Web site, Hospital Compare.