Good news on cancer, but could it be better?

Could it be something in the water?

I was trolling around Twitter this morning and found a couple of interesting articles. I had to drag myself away from holiday online shopping first. I am so easily sidetracked … 

See what I mean? As I was saying, today’s news was good: cancer rates are continuing to decline in the US. New diagnoses for all types of cancer combined in the U.S. fell on average almost 1% per year from 1999 to 2006. Cancer deaths decreased 1.6% a year from 2001 to 2006.

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal attributes this to early screening, a little jab at that pesky government task force suggesting holding off on mammograms until age 50. Personally, I’d wish it mentioned improvements in treatments, as well.

I hate to be wet blanket, but the news is not good enough. There still are  too many cases of cancer in the US. One death is one too many when you’re the one affected by it.

There is a lot more to prevention than getting a medical screening. Why are cancer rates so much higher in Western, developed countries than eastern and less-developed nations? I think lifestyle has much to do with it. People from Eastern cultures eat less fat, consume more green tea, exercise more, and embrace complementary practices, such as meditation and accupuncture.

Then there’s the matter of our environment. My daughter is part of a study called Growing Up Female, which is investigating lifestyle and environmental factors associated with girls reaching puberty at a younger age (a risk factor for breast cancer). They are studying food intake, weight and exercise patterns,  as well as chemicals in plastics, water cosmetic and personal care products.

New York TimesNickolas Kristof columnist recently addressed this issue quite nicely in his  op-ed piece, Cancer in the Kitchen? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/opinion/06kristof.html?src=tptw.

I know it can be overwhelming – it seems everything gives you cancer .I do my best by eating right, exercising more, and praying a lot! I also try to do a few simple things to help reduce my family’s toxic burden:

• Using BPA-free water bottles
• Purchasing paraben-free cosmetics, shampoo, conditioner, etc. Products at Whole Foods are usually a good bet.
• Shopping for organic produce, meat and dairy products
• Loading up on supplements and cancer-fighting veggies, fruits and green tea
• Installing on my kitchen sink a reverse-osmosis water filtration system (gets out all harmful chemicals)

We can all do a little something to put the odds in our favor. Speaking of which, I need to get a little exercise. Signing off!