Venting about the environment and cancer

A new meaning to "killer looks." Can makeup and other products contribute to cancer?

Well this is a first. I’m typing this as I’m receiving chemo. I’m such a multi-tasker!

I feel like Lucy as Ricky tells her, “You have some splainin to do!” I found myself with egg on my face after a rant about a former local weatherman who was spouting off about the “politics of weather” on a radio program. According to him, global warming is a “left-wing conspiracy” and chemicals like DDT really weren’t bad for us at all.

So I did what I sometimes do when I feel strongly about something: I shot my mouth off about it without checking it out. I found out I was talking about the wrong weatherman. After some tweets to correct my mistake, I did let the radio station know what I thought, and they are adding a disclaimer to the paid program.

I also mentioned that my daughter is enrolled in a fabulous study called Growing Up Female that is seeking the environmental causes of breast cancer. Our study is one of four sites nationally that is exploring why girls are maturing at such a young age, which is a risk factor for breast cancer – http://www.eh.uc.edu/growingupfemale/. The gentleman at the radio station responded they might want to share information about it  – and it prompted me to do this blog post. So something good is coming of it.

Since I was diagnosed, I have been convinced there is something in the environment contributing to cancer. There are so many women like me who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Look at me; I was 38, health-conscious with no family history. My type of cancer is fed by estrogen. Now they are finding things like parabens in shampoo, makeup and deoderant that may contribute to these types of cancer.

According to http://www.breastcancerfund.org, “parabens have been shown to be weak estrogen mimickers, binding to the cellular estrogen receptor (ER). They also increase the expression of genes that are usually regulated by estradiol and cause human breast tumor cells (MCF-7 cells) to grow and proliferate in vitro.”

Also, the site states, ” … different environmental contaminants—all added at levels so low that they did not have any effects by themselves—had additive effects with each other and also with naturally occurring estradiol. Similarly, at levels found in the environment, the ubiquitous plasticizer bisphenol A significantly increased the effects of estradiol. These results show that even at low concentrations, environmental chemicals may exacerbate some of the biological effects of natural estrogens.”

Yes, this sounds very scientific, and I’m no scientist. But I know enough to state  it does matter what we put in and on our bodies. That’s why I frequent Whole Foods, Aveda and the organic produce section to decrease my and the planet’s toxic burden. I invite you to visit the two sites I mention above and others to educate yourself. It may cost a little more to be green but, in my humble opinion, my and my family’s health is worth it.