I am angry because The United States has yet to pass breast cancer prevention laws.

Unlike the European Union, which passed a cosmetics safety law in 2005, and a chemical safety law in 2006, the U.S. Government continues to allow known and potentially carcinogenic ingredients to be added to our food supply, our air and water, our cosmetics, our body care products, our dry cleaning process, and our home and garden supplies.

As a result of the European Union’s Safe Cosmetics Act, most of the shampoos, body lotions, hair dyes and lipsticks now in our American bathrooms, are considered unsafe and banned from sale in Europe. Imported non-organic meat and dairy products from the US are also banned. This is because most meat and dairy now sold in US supermarkets, contain added animal growth hormones, which research shows contribute to breast and other type of cancers.

Meanwhile, U.S., breast cancer rates are the highest in the world. In the 1950’s, only 1 in 20 American women could expect a breast diagnosis in her lifetime. Today, in some EU countries, that number is one out of 15, in Great Britain it is 1 out of 9 and in the U.S. it is now 1 out of 7.

The European Union’s government believes it has the responsibility and the ability to protect its citizens from this breast cancer epidemic that has gained momentum in both the US and Europe for the past fifty years. So why hasn’t the US passed similar prevention laws?

“It’s the cancer economy stupid.”… to paraphrase a well-known political truism.

Environmental and nutritional science, along with medical research, is now showing us that 90% of breast cancer is preventable. This is not good news for companies within the American Cancer Industry; such business entities do not promote prevention as they must always find ways to increase surgery numbers, drug sales and radiation procedures to meet their quarterly profit goals.

Neither the US corporate media, nor our politicians have yet to talk about this huge disconnect between the industry’s need for more cancer patients and our growing international body of scientific research that understands how to stop breast cancer before it starts. The result? American women are now living with an unnecessary breast cancer epidemic.

Maybe it’s time to haul in the pink ribbons and raise some red flags.

Susan Wadia-Ells is the director of The Women, Weight and Breast Cancer Project or WWBC. This national organization offers free workshops to women’s community, religious and business groups around the country, educating women about personal and public ways we can each prevent breast cancer. The project also offers women support in losing extra body fat, in order to lower one’s breast cancer risk. The project’s growing group of paid workshop leaders hopes to offer workshops in all fifty states by the end of 2007.

To learn more about the project, to schedule a free workshop for your group or for information on how to earn income as a WWBC workshop leader, visit the project at womenwbc.org womenwbc.org

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Tags: breast cancer, cancer patient, cancer prevention, cancer risk, prevent cancer

Happy Thanksgiving 2006

Barbara’s continued Ovarian Cancer Story:

It’s been two years since my last article and I have a lot to share with you. Presently, I’m sitting in my cozy little office/guest room, in my cozy house on Whidbey Island, Washington. Rosie-the-cat is reclining on the windowsill and we’re both staring out at the wind-whipped trees and billowing, dark clouds being blown across the sky. It’s very beautiful and I’m very grateful to be here!

At my last writing, I had just completed eight cycles of heavy-duty chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer and was in remission, ready to celebrate a very special Thanksgiving with my family. (See articles 1 and 2 on the “articles” page at www.dstress.com.) Those holidays were wonderful. I felt healthy, had hair, was working and exercising and planning my retirement date, (September 2005), and subsequent move to our home in Washington. Being an inveterate planner/list-maker and worrier, I organized the retirement and move to within an inch of its life. I knew when my last day of work would be; how much vacation time I had on the books and what day we’d be packing up. John made his plans to close his office and relocate his business. We were done with cancer and ready to move on! Well, as we all know, life has a way of not always going according to plan. We were about to be thrown a real curve-ball.

In March, we took a great trip to Arizona to celebrate my birthday. On the drive from Phoenix to Bisbee to visit friends, we marveled at the lush green desert, abloom with flowers after recent rains. Locals told us that this beauty lasted about two weeks before fading to gold and brown, and people had learned not to take it for granted. Well, that’s true about anything, isn’t it?

The day after we returned from our vacation, a message on the answering machine said a new suspicious mass had been found on my most recent CT scan, the one I had done before we left for Arizona. I was devastated and furious and terrified! I ranted and I raved and I screamed, scaring John and the cat. What about my plans? My retirement? Moving to my new home? What about my life? I don’t want more surgery, more chemo! I don’t want to lose my hair again! I feel fine and healthy- how can this be happening AGAIN? I had taken for granted that the first surgery and chemo had worked and I was cured. But in fact, 70-90% of people have recurrence at some point in time. I just didn’t think I would be one of them. I had to completely let go of my carefully orchestrated master-plan and face this challenge head on.

June found me back at UCSF for major surgery for removal of a tumor that was very close, but not on, the liver. Because ovarian cancer cells tend to migrate to the spleen and gallbladder, they also removed those organs. I was lucky to have access to one of the best surgeons in the country and post-op reports stated that they had completely removed all the cancer! I used all the same tools to prepare pre op and postoperatively as I had for my first surgery and my recovery was good. I was home in five days and back to work in five weeks. I started chemo in July.

On December 1, 2005, I had my last chemo cycle. Other than a very low blood count (I was very anemic and my white count was very low), I tolerated the treatments fairly well. Acupuncture, visualization, exercise and supplements all played an important part in my work to stay as strong and healthy as possible. My hair thinned considerably, but I didn’t have to wear wigs or cover-ups. With the particular drug regimen I was on, there is a 60% chance of hair loss. Before treatments started, I researched the web for any products that might minimize this side effect. I found a product called E.V.P.3 Chemaid. The website is:www.evp3.com. It provides good information and research so I decided to give it a try. I don’t know if it was the chemaid, the different type of drugs regimen and dosage, supplements or all of the above, but I kept the majority of my hair. Seems like such a minor thing when you are fighting for your life. Yet sometimes those small things make a difference in quality of life. I felt that I looked healthier and “normal” and that translated into not feeling like a cancer patient.

The new year brought new resolution to finally make our plans to retire and move. My labs were good, my scans were clear and we moved to Whidbey Island in May. We’ve been involved in projects ever since.

First on the agenda was painting the inside and the outside of the house. Just as John and I have been a good team in my healing process, we’ve made a good team in working on our home. And it’s been fun! We dug a garden using picks and shovels. We built planter boxes and created a Zen rock garden; we yanked out a huge juniper bush and planted roses and dahlias. At the end of the day we collapsed into recliners with such a good feeling of accomplishment. I’ve never used my muscles like that before. I’d be exhausted by 8pm-it was such a good kind of tired. One of my favorite activities was sitting in the dirt, pulling weeds. The sun on my shoulders, eagles soaring overhead, the smell of earth and flowers and growing things became a huge part of my healing process. I visualized my immune system plucking out and “disappearing” any unhealthy cells from my body with each weed I pulled. Working in the garden has become a wonderful meditation for me. I clear my mind and totally focus on the task at hand. Learning how to live in the moment is an ongoing lesson, and I have to continually find a balance between artful planning and my natural tendency to organize the future. I’ve learned a greater appreciation of each sunrise and sunset. I notice the rhythm of my breathing and muscle movement when I walk and hike. I take time to pick up interesting bits of wood from the beach and decorate my garden with them. I revel in the love of my family and dear friends. I consciously practice NOT taking anything for granted and I try to live each moment joyfully. I have a favorite mantra that I recite to myself on my daily walks. “thank you for all the blessings I enjoy; thank you for my health today; thank you for my family and friends; thank you for allowing me to spend time in this beautiful place; thank you for the gift of life! And wouldn’t it be very, very nice if abundance cascades into my life and into those I love-abundance of health-physical, emotional and spiritual; and financial abundance.

I wish I could say that with all the meditation and mantras, I now lead a joyful, positive life. The truth is that I have my ups and downs; my incredibly joyful moments along with times of fear, sadness and anger. I go into worry-mode when it’s time for lab work and waiting for results. I get fearful about any new ache or pain (does this mean the cancer is back?) I vacillate between should I go ahead and spend money on redoing the kitchen now or keep that money in savings a little longer. Sometimes I feel caught between living in the moment and wanting to plan future projects for next year, two years from now, five years from now. And I still get angry that this happened to me, even though I’ve learned many lessons in the past few years. One of the main lessons I’m starting to grasp is that life is an act of faith. When I was planting the garden, I mostly put in vegetables and flowers that would reward me with bouquets and crops right away. My act of faith in the future was planting a cherry tree. My daily prayer is that I’ll be around to enjoy the blossoms and pluck the cherries.

This year we will celebrate Thanksgiving in our new home. We’ll share our gratitude with friends and family; we’ll feast and watch football; and we’ll toast to health, happiness and prosperity. The garden hibernates now beneath a blanket of red and gold leaves. The tulips, daffodils and hyacinths I planted last week rest and wait until it’s their time to burst forth into colorful splendor. And I rest, write, clean closets and enjoy indoor projects as I wait for spring, when I’ll burst out to nurture and be nurtured in my garden.

Here’s to rainy days and warm fires NOW and digging in the dirt in the FUTURE.

Happy Thanksgiving

Barbara Ehlers-Mason
Whidbey Island, WA

L. John Mason, Ph.D. is the author of the best selling “Guide to Stress Reduction.” Since 1977, he has offered Executive Coaching and Training.

Please visit the Stress Education Center’s website at dstress.com dstress.com for articles, free ezine signup, and learn about the new telecourses that are available. If you would like information or a targeted proposal for training or coaching, please contact us at (360) 593-3833.

If you are looking to improve the quality of your life, visit our website. Be well!!!

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Cancer also called is Malignancy and Neoplasms. Cancer is a serious, but curable illness. Cancer is not one disease, but many diseases that occur in different areas of the body. Cancer is a disease characterized by disorderly division of cells, combined with the malignant behavior of these cells. Cancer is usually classified according to the tissue of origin more than the location of manifestations. Prognosis in most cases depends on the original staging of the disease. There are many theories about the cause of cancer. Cell division or cell proliferation is a physiological process that occurs in almost all tissues and under many circumstances. Normally the balance between proliferation and apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is tightly regulated to ensure the integrity of organs and tissues. Imbalances in the rates of cell division and cell death can lead to tumor growth in a tissue. Other events are usually required before metastasis can occur. Locally expansile tumors can also cause severe problems when they grow in certain locations, such as the head or airway. Environmental stimuli, or carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, radiation, chemicals, or infectious agents, can cause cancer. Cancer can also occur in young children and adolescents, but it is rare. Some studies have concluded that pediatric cancers, especially leukemia, are on an upward trend.

Cancer is caused by exposure to carcinogens (cancer causing substances), which alter and damage DNA. Cancers are classified by the type of cell that resembles the tumor and, therefore, the tissue presumed to be the origin of the tumor. Carcinoma often develops as a result of a very improper lifestyle. Carcinoma: malignant tumors derived from epithelial cells. This group represents the most common cancers, including the common forms of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer. Lymphoma and Leukemia: malignant tumors derived from blood and bone marrow cells Sarcoma: malignant tumors derived from connective tissue, or esenchymal cells. Mesothelioma: tumors derived from the mesothelial cells lining the peritoneum and the pleura. Glioma: tumors derived from glia, the most common type of brain cell. Germ cell tumor: tumors derived from reproductive cells, most commonly found in the testicle and ovary. Female and male infants have essentially the same overall cancer incidence rates, but white infants have substantially higher cancer rates than black infants for most cancer types. Relative survival for infants is very good for neuroblastoma, Wilms’ tumor and retinoblastoma, and fairly good (80%) for leukemia, but not for most other types of cancer.

Tips on Cancer Prevention

1. Limit alcohol.

2. Maintain a healthy weight.

3. Stay physically active.

4. Consider limiting fat in your diet.

5. Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun and other UVA/UVB sources, such as tanning beds.

6. Use ample amounts of sunscreen or sunblock with an SPF of 15 or higher every day, even if it is cloudy.

7. Wear large framed or wrap-around sunglasses to protect the eye area.

8. Have your skin checked by a dermatologist regularly.

9. Do avoid all poisonous chemical substances such as cigarettes, alcohol, car exhaust fumes, as well as fumes belched by factory chimneys, which are very toxic.

10. Anilin is a carcenogenic substance used for colouring food, so try to avoid artificially dyed foods and instead look for natural foods.

Juliet Cohen writes articles on health-doctor.org/ health doctor and health-care-articles.info/ health care. She also writes articles on health-disease.org/ health disorders.

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Tags: cancer prevention, colon cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, mesothelioma, prevent cancer

Only skin cancer is more common in men than prostate cancer. Each year, more than 200,000 men are diagnosed with this disease, and it is the third leading cause of cancer death in men.

But, recently there has been more and more information to suggest that drinking green tea may reduce a man’s risk of getting prostate cancer. Studies both in laboratory animals and humans have shown that green tea is a powerful cancer preventer, of both prostate and other forms of cancer.

One study is particularly interesting. This study, reported by the UK Tea Council studied a group of 62 men who were already at a high risk of developing prostate cancer. 32 of the men were given green tea for one year; the other 30 were not.

The patients were between the ages of 45 and 75 years of age, and all had been diagnosed with pre-malignant lesions that are the pre-cursor to prostate cancer. More than one third of men with such lesions will normally develop prostate cancer within one year. The subjects were given no other treatment for the lesions other than the green tea or placebo.

When the subjects were re-evaluated one year later, only one out of the 32 men who were given green tea had developed prostate cancer. In the control group, nine out of 30 had gone on to develop the disease.

The study concluded that green tea’s anti-oxidants have the power to actually kill off prostate cancer cells, leaving the healthy cells in tact. Green tea induces a state of apoptosis; a systematic killing off of body cells. Apoptosis occurs regularly in the body, helping to ensure that our healthiest cells are those that survive, but it is rare to find a substance outside the body that can induce such activity.

This is just more evidence to support what researchers have believed for some time now –green tea prevents cancer. There have been numerous other studies that have come to the same conclusion, both for prostate cancer and for other forms of cancer, too.

At least one other study has shown that green tea prevents prostate cancer. Another set of research showed that green tea appears to have the ability to act as a scavenger against a substance called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). ROS are a form of free radicals that contribute to the development of prostate cancer, when they are produced in excess. The study showed that the particular anti-oxidants in green tea were effective at eradicating the ROS cells before they could turn into cancer cells.

There have also been quite a few studies that suggest that green tea can prevent other forms of cancer. For example, one study showed that women who consumed green tea were significantly less likely to develop ovarian cancer, and that the more tea they drank, the lower their risk.

There are also several bodies of research that indicate that green tea may prevent breast cancer. There have also been several studies showing that breast cancer may even be helpful for women who already have breast cancer. One study noted that one group of breast cancer patients, those with high Her -2/neu readings, were significantly affected by drinking green tea.

Her-2/neu is a growth factor that sometimes presents itself in a tumor. An over expression of this growth factor is a concern for breast cancer patients, because it indicates a higher risk for the cancer spreading and an overall lower survival rate. Drinking green tea appears to slow the growth and spread of the cancer in mice with a high Her-2/neu reading.

Another study on breast cancer patients showed that chemotherapy is more effective when it is administered along with green tea. The green tea appears to increase the concentration level of the cancer drugs in the cancerous cells, so that they have a greater effect.

Green tea has even been shown to be effective in treating skin cancer. Another study showed excellent results in skin cancer prevention and treatment in mice with the use of green tea both applied topically and given orally. The study found that green tea applied topically seems to scavenge and destroy skin cells that are likely to become cancerous before they can mutate. The mice also showed a lower risk of skin cancer when given green tea orally.

So, as you can see, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that green tea is effective at preventing cancer. It is also likely that green tea may be an effective treatment for some forms of cancer, too.

It’s clear that we need far more research on green tea before we have a conclusive understanding of what green tea can do and how it works. However, it does appear to be clear that there is much promise in green tea for the future of cancer prevention and treatment.

So, if you’re at a high risk for developing prostate cancer, or any other cancer, adding green tea to your diet is a wise choice. Green tea has no side effects, and it may be able to significantly lower your risk of several forms of cancer.

Jon M. Stout is the Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. Golden Moon Tea carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox teas, which are processed slowly and handcrafted with extreme care. At their website, you can learn more about their current

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Tags: breast cancer, cancer patient, cancer prevention, cancer risk, chemotherapy, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer