The Great American Cancer Cluster

A cancer cluster is defined as a geographic area with a statistically higher than average occurrence of cancer among its residents.

Would you consider the occurrence of cancer in nearly half of a population to be a high occurrence?

The President’s Cancer Panel, a three-person panel that reports to the U.S. president on the National Cancer Program calculated that 41% of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetimes.  If you’re male, the chances are 1 in 2 that you will be diagnosed with some type of cancer, and women have a 1 in 3 chance of the dreaded diagnosis.

A Global Cancer Statistics for 2011 study names cancer as the #1 killer in the western world and #2 in developing countries.

In 2000, prominent holistic researcher and practitioner Burton Goldberg addressed the US Senate regarding the increased incidence of cancer:

“A century ago, one in 33 people had cancer; today, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), it is more than one in three, and growing. When I was born in 1926, cancer was the tenth leading cause of death among children – now I am 73 and it is second. No other health topic today has the urgency of cancer because no other health condition is escalating as fast.”

The outlook is not improving, either. Despite the billions spent on cancer research, the World Health Organization predicts that deaths from cancer will DOUBLE by the year 2030. The overall increase of all cancers from 1950 to 1995 was 55%. After 1995 there was a slight reduction in lung cancer, which the US National Cancer Institute claimed as a victory, but this victory can be chalked up to prevention, rather than a cure, as the number of smokers in the United states also dropped. The NCI didn’t mention the vast increase in other types of cancer.

The Cancer Prevention Coalition mentioned it, however:

Particularly striking, however, has been the increase of predominantly non-smoking cancers, notably: malignant melanoma (156%); liver (104%); non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (87%); thyroid (71%); testis (67%); post-menopausal breast cancer (54%); brain cancer (28%); and acute myeloid leukemia (16%). Childhood cancers have increased 26% overall: acute lymphocytic leukemia (62%); brain (50%); bone and joint (40%); and kidney (14%). Childhood cancers remain their number one killer, other than accidents. The median age for the diagnosis of cancer is now 67 in adults and 6 in children.

Another study’s projections exceed those made by the WHO.  A report posted in The Lancet Oncology painted a grim picture of the future, predicting that the worldwide incidence of cancer is expected to increase 75 percent by 2030, with a projected increase of more than 90 percent in the poorest nations.

But why are cancer rates escalating like this?  How did cancer go from affecting 1 in 33 people to 1 in 3 people?

The Lancet study says that our lifestyle has a lot to do with it.  Countries with more “progress” have substantially higher rates of cancer.

“..current and future cancer trends vary between countries based on their levels of development, as measured by their Human Development Index (HDI).

Currently, countries with a low HDI (mainly nations in sub-Saharan Africa) have a high incidence of cancers associated with infection (particularly cervical cancer), as well as liver cancer, stomach cancer and Kaposi’s sarcoma. Countries with a higher HDI (such as Australia, Brazil, Russia and the United Kingdom) have higher rates of cancers associated with smoking (lung cancer), reproductive risk factors, obesity and diet (breast, prostate and colorectal cancer).

Improved living standards in countries with a lower HDI may lead to a decrease in some infection-related cancers, but these countries may see a sharp increase in the types of cancer currently seen in higher-development countries, the researchers pointed out in a journal news release.”

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Clearly, things have changed since the 1970s, the decade of comparison in these studies. What is different now?  The FDA has allowed a veritable Pandora’s box of toxins into our foods, cleaning products and medications because the soft-kill poisoning of the American people has been great for the bank account if you happen to be involved in Big Pharma, Big Agri or Big Business.

GMOs

Our food supply has been tainted by genetic modification.  Monsanto and Dow Chemicals, the good folks who brought us Agent Orange, have worked their Nazi-esque magic on 90% of the corn grown in the United States and 80% of the soy.

A University of Caen study, originating in France, provided us with the image of pathetic rats, grossly swollen with horrific tumors that were caused by Monsanto’s “Frankencorn”.

Natural News reported that the study, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, revealed for the first time that rats fed Monsanto’s NK603 GM corn treated with Roundup (glyphosate) herbicide for longer than 90 days developed deadly tumors at a much higher, and much quicker, rate than rats not exposed to these products. More than 90% of the processed foods sold in grocery stores contain corn and with the statistics above regarding the percentage of GMO-tainted corn, it’s highly unlikely that you will avoid exposure to GMOs if you purchase anything in a box.

Fast food companies like McDonalds regularly include GM ingredients.  The Canadian McDonalds website readily admits the inclusion of those ingredients:

Some of the ingredients we use in our food may contain GMOs. These similar ingredients are commonly found in grocery stores and restaurants. GMOs used in and for the production of crops and raw materials are approved by federal inspectors as well as Health Canada, and comply with strict regulatory requirements. For more information on GMOs from the Health Canada website, see this section for the definition and this section for regulatory information.

Our meat and dairy supplies are not safe from GMOs either –cattle and chickens are fed genetically modified corn and alfalfa.  As well, many dairy cattle are injected with genetically modified growth hormone, tainting the milk produced by that cow.

“ Increasing cancer risk, milk from cows injected with genetically modified growth hormone contains “up to ten times the amount of insulin growth factor-1.” The growth factor has been shown to cause breast, prostrate, and colon cancer (Miller). When humans consume this milk, it puts them at risk for these cancers. This is not the only danger to reproductive health. Rats fed genetically modified potatoes grew smaller brains, testicles, and livers, and male rats fed only genetically modified soy had their testicles change from “from the normal pink to dark blue””

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Artificial Sweeteners

The fact that aspartame is a known carcinogen hasn’t halted the FDA approval required to allow it on our food supply.  When ingested, aspartame breaks down into formaldehyde in the human body.

A recent study called “Lifespan Exposure to Low Doses of Aspartame Beginning During Prenatal Life Increases Cancer Effects in Rats” states without room for doubt the carcinogenic effects of the substance:

…a significant dose-related increase of malignant tumor-bearing animals in males, in particular in the group treated at 2000 ppm; b) a significant increase of the incidence in lymphomas/leukemias in males treated at 2000 ppm and a significant dose-related increase of the incidence of lymphomas/leukemias in females, in particular in the group treated at 2000 ppm; c) a significant dose-related increase of the incidence of mammary cancer in females, in particular in the group treated at 2000 ppm. Conclusions. The results of this carcinogenicity bioassay not only confirm, but also reinforce the first experimental demonstration of [aspartame’s] multipotential carcinogenicity at a dose level close to the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for humans. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that when lifespan exposure to [aspartame] begins during fetal life, its carcinogenic effects are increased.

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The FDA has flatly denied the findings in this study and released a statement in response to it. “…the FDA finds no reason to alter its previous conclusion that aspartame is safe as a general purpose sweetener in food.” The studies that “proved” aspartame’s safety to the FDA, by the way, were sponsored by the company producing aspartame  (GD Searle) and pushed through by Donald Rumsfeld, who had a stake in Searle, became the Secretary of Defense under Reagan, and then later a position at Monsanto, who had by then purchased Searle).

Vaccinations

A major difference between the current decade and the 1970s is the escalated vaccine schedules we are encouraged, browbeaten and guilted to provide to our children. Dr. Russell Blaylock wrote, “In 1976, children received 10 vaccines before attending school. Today they will receive over 36 injections. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Center for Disease Control assured parents that it was safe to not only give these vaccines, but that they could be given at one time with complete safety.”

Much has been written about the risk of autism with these vaccines but it is important to note that many of them also contain mercury, a known carcinogen.

Rebecca Carley, MD, wrote:

Mercury (also in dental amalgam fillings) is a highly toxic heavy metal, has been documented to cause cancer, and can be absorbed through the digestive tract, skin, and respiratory tract. Mercury is 1,000 times more toxic than lead, and is second only to uranium as the most toxic metal. If children receive all recommended vaccines, they will receive 2,370 times the “allowable safe limit” for mercury in the first two years of life (as if there is such a thing as a “safe” amount of a toxic poison).

It isn’t only children who are targeted by the vaccine companies.  Workplaces across the country are beginning to mandate an annual flu shot as a requirement of employment.  That is to say that each year you are encouraged to have injected into yourself the following toxins:

• Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
• Phenol, also known as carbolic acid (this is used as a disinfectant, dye)
• Formaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent
• Aluminum, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease and seizures and also cancer producing in laboratory mice (it is used as an additive to promote antibody response)
• Thimerosal (a mercury disinfectant/preservative) can result in brain injury and autoimmune disease
• Neomycin and Streptomycin (used as antibiotics) have caused allergic reaction in some people.

Obesity

America is the most overweight country in the world, with just over 30% of the country falling into the classification of “obese”.  Obesity has been linked to increased risks of cancers of the esophagus, breast, endometrium, uterus, colon and rectum, kidney, pancreas, thyroid, gallbladder, and possibly other types.

Aside from lifestyle risk factors like a poor diet full of unhealthy processed foods and a lack of exercise, there are other reasons that obesity can be the basis for cancer.  According to The National Cancer Institute:

• Fat tissue produces excess amounts of estrogen, high levels of which have been associated with the risk of breast, endometrial, and some other cancers.
• Obese people often have increased levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in their blood (a condition known as hyperinsulinemia or insulin resistance), which may promote the development of certain tumors.
• Fat cells produce hormones, called adipokines, that may stimulate or inhibit cell growth. For example, leptin, which is more abundant in obese people, seems to promote cell proliferation, whereas adiponectin, which is less abundant in obese people, may have antiproliferative effects.
• Fat cells may also have direct and indirect effects on other tumor growth regulators, including mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and AMP-activated protein kinase.
• Obese people often have chronic low-level, or “subacute,” inflammation, which has been associated with increased cancer risk.

Western Lifestyle

Newsweek reported on the link between cancer and the Western lifestyle.  The mounting evidence shows an irrefutable link between cancer and our poor diet, high intake of fructose, obesity, lack of exercise and bad habits like smoking and drinking to excess.

The strongest evidence of the importance of lifestyle in cancer is that most common cancers arise at dramatically different rates in different parts of the globe. Several cancers that are extremely common in the United States—colon, prostate and breast cancer—are relatively rare in other parts of the world, occurring only 1/10th or 1/20th as often. Equally striking, when people migrate from other parts of the world to the United States, within a generation their cancer rates approach those of us whose families have lived in this country for a long time. Even if people in other parts of the world stay put, but adopt a U.S. lifestyle, their risk of cancer rises; as Japanese have embraced Western habits, their rates of colon, breast and prostate cancer have skyrocketed.

The diet, the sedentary lifestyle, the drugs (prescription and otherwise), plentiful alcohol, smoking and the fast fixes have combined to make the Western way of life the least healthy on the planet. As the Third World “catches up” it is expected that their cancer rates will skyrocket until they are equal to ours.

Petrochemicals

Environmental toxins are also at an all-time high. We deliberately spray scented toxins in our homes, wash our hair and bodies with them and clean our kitchens with them.

Study after study points to the role of runaway industrial technologies, particularly those based on petrochemicals. The explosive growth of the petrochemical industry since the 1940s has far outpaced legislative and regulatory controls, producing a dizzying array of synthetic chemicals that have never been screened for human health effects: of the roughly 75,000 chemicals in use today, only some 3 percent have been tested for safety. For over fifty years, in other words, the American public has been unknowingly exposed to avoidable carcinogens from the moment of conception until death.

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Manufacturers are always looking for the quickest cheapest packaging : meet BPA or Bisphenol-A, a petrochemical plastic that is a major component of many water bottles, lines the inside of canned goods, and makes up the hard material of many reusable food containers, even some baby bottles.

As well many cosmetics and other health and beauty aids contain petrochemicals. The danger of this is their byproduct, 1,4-dioxane, a proven carcinogen.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies dioxane as a probable human carcinogen California state law has classified dioxane to cause cancer. Animal studies in rats suggest that the greatest health risk is associated with inhalation of vapors.

Check some of the labels in your bathroom to see if you are using products containing any of the following:

• Paraffin Wax
• Mineral Oil
• toluene
• Benzene
• Phenoxyethanol
• Anything with PEG (polyethylene glycol)
• Anything ending in ‘eth’ indicates that it required ethylene oxide (a petrochemical) to produce e.g. myreth, oleth, laureth, ceteareth
• Anything with DEA (diethanolamine) or MEA (ethanolamine)
• Butanol and any word with ‘butyl’ – butyl alcohol, butylparaben,butylene glycol
• Ethanol and word with ‘ethyl’ – ethyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, ethylene dichloride, EDTA (ethylene-diamine-tetracetatic acid), ethylhexylglycerin
• Any word with “propyl” – isopropyl alcohol, propylene glycol, propylalcohol, cocamidopropyl betaine
• Methanol and any word with ‘methyl’ –  methyl alcohol, methylparaben,methylcellulose
• Parfum or fragrance – 95% of chemicals used in fragrance are from petroleum

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Petrochemical exposure doesn’t end in the bathroom and kitchen.  According to the website Natural Pure Organics, the average household contains up to 25 gallons of toxic materials, most of which are in cleaning products.  When you use these cleaners, they linger in the air and on the surfaces, increasing your exposure to carcinogens as you inhale the toxins into your lungs or absorb them through your skin.

Conclusion

Basically, a spending day in the Western world is a like spending a day running a gauntlet of toxins and carcinogens. Big Pharma, Big Agri and Big Business are getting rich off of poisoning Americans.

There are steps you can take to limit your exposure but be prepared for many people to consider your actions extreme. Very few people are committed enough to their health and the health of their family to do the research required to identify the dangers around them and then go against the current to avoid those perils.

• Purchase organic foods as often as possible.
• Limit eating out.
• Avoid processed foods.
• Avoid artificial sweeteners.
• Refuse vaccines.
• Maintain a healthy body weight.
• Exercise daily.
• Don’t smoke.
• Consume alcohol only in moderation.
• Limit the use of plastic in your home.
• Select personal care products that do not contain petrochemicals.
• Opt for natural, biodegradable food grade cleaning products.