Cancer prevention

[tvordlj]

I received this email from a coworker who has just been through dealing with breast cancer. she was one of the lucky ones and it looks like she'll be ok. She's talking about a documentary/consumer show that airs on CBC Canada and the reporter has recently gone through breast cancer treatment herself. I didn't see the show but from what my coworker says, it brought up some important and scary thoughts so i'm copying the main part of the email here.

Edit: This isn't meant to be "scare mongering" or being tabloid sensationalist. I didn't see the program so i have no idea of what studies were involved. I just think it's interesting and something to think about.



Hi ladies,

I watched CBC's Marketplace last night, and I would like to share the following information with you in case you did not see it yourself. The subject was cancer prevention. The reporter, Wendy Mesley, underwent breast cancer treatment last year. She appeared to be in late 30s/early 40s and, like I, followed a healthy lifestyle, thinking she was in good condition.

Wendy Mesley has done research in several countries trying to find out what was being done on cancer prevention. The focus, especially in Canada, seems to be all on treatment. That's where the money is, so that's where the pharmaceutical companies focus, unfortunately. Cancer treatment drugs are big, big business. One of things that Wendy discovered was that the WHO (World Health Org.) released a warning last July about birth control pills stating that they carry a higher-than-thought risk of breast, cervical, and liver cancer. Also, starting at a young age is an increased risk. WHO recommended that women not stay on the pill for more than eight years. Wendy asked the head of the Canadian Cancer Society why this warning was not broadcasted by their organization. The woman, the head of the Cancer Society in our country, was not even aware of the warning! They are now 'reviewing the information and considering a public release in the spring.' Seems like a no-brainer to me.

I am almost certain this is what caused my cancer. I was on the pill for 28 years. I stopped taking it when I was diagnosed with cancer in November. What makes me especially angry is that I asked several doctors over the years if I should stop. They all told me that it was 'perfectly safe' and that it decreased my risk of getting ovarian and bowel cancer, which are hard to detect early. Obviously, I should have gone with my gut feeling and stopped a long time ago.

I wanted to pass this on to you. I don't know if any of you use the pill, but if you do or if you know anyone who has been on it for over eight years, I would strongly recommend getting off it asap. I'm also going to start buying organic products, such as household cleansers. Apparently, there are a lot of carcinogens in common cleansers that we use in Canada (e.g. SunLite laundry detergent, which I've used for years, has a known carcinogen). In the U.K. (and maybe in all of the E.U.), manufacturers are required by law to list all of their ingredients in product labels. In Canada, there is no such law. Starting in November of this year in Canada, manufacturers will be required to list all of the ingredients in personal hygiene products. There is a book called CancerSmart Consumer Guide that apparently lists the known carcinogens in products. I am going to have a look for it. It may be a bit of 'closing the barn door after the cows have escaped', but I figure it can't hurt.

Anyway, I wanted to share this with you as I don't want you or your loved ones to have to go through this. The incidence of breast cancer in (relatively) young women is increasing. Obviously something is very, very wrong. In my case, I was reasonably 'lucky', especially in not having to have chemo, but I would not wish this experience on anyone. It's been hell and has changed my life forever.

K****

p.s. Feel free to forward this to anyone who you think might benefit.

p.s.s. Wendy also quoted several statistics, which all studies like to do, of course. One of them was very alarming: in Canada both men and women have a 50% chance of developing some form of cancer in their lifetime. That is very scary. Whether it's true or not, it's still scary.

Comments

[lola-is-naughty.livejournal.com]

I didn't see the show but saw it advertised.

[liz-lowlife.livejournal.com]

It's been commonly known for years over here, but lately, it's been swept under the carpet a bit.
I'd like to see if there are any recent statistics to look at.
For instance, I was actually warned by my doctorNEVER to go on the pill because of my high risk (it's blighted the women in my family, sadly).
I was told this 20 years ago!. So it's not new news, so to speak.

[tvor.livejournal.com]

The only real risk i ever knew about was that you shouldn't take it if you smoked or had high blood pressure. When i first started on the pill in my early 20's, you couldn't take it past the age of 35. Now they are lower dose and safer to take for older ages and some say you can take it right up to menopause.