Aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods.

from the website: http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/dangers.htm

Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. It was discovered by accident in 1965 when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug.

Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. It was originally approved for dry goods on July 26, 1974, but objections filed by neuroscience researcher Dr John W. Olney and Consumer attorney James Turner in August 1974 as well as investigations of G.D. Searle's research practices caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put approval of aspartame on hold (December 5, 1974). In 1985, Monsanto purchased G.D. Searle and made Searle Pharmaceuticals and The NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries.

Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death.(1) A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.

New drugs could transform cancer treatment

PARP inhibitors appear to destroy disease, small but stunning study shows

From the website: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/31512315/ns/health-womens_health/#storyContinued

Commentary

By Robert Bazell

Chief science and health correspondent

NBC News

updated 3:13 p.m. CT, Wed., June 24, 2009

Robert Bazell Chief science and health correspondent • Profile • E-mail

Just-released research about a new class of drugs called “PARP inhibitors” is the most exciting development in cancer research in a decade or more. In just a few years it could save thousands of lives.

In the longer term, the drugs could represent a transformational approach to understanding and treating several forms of the disease.

All this enthusiasm is based on a small report published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. It focuses on one clinical trial in its earliest stage in 60 patients with breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. Some — but not all — of the patients whose cancers seemed hopeless saw them shrink drastically or disappear. Many avoided the typical side effects — nausea, hair loss — associated with cancer treatment.

Of course, as with any good science, it is not just that one report that generates such excitement. The new research builds on many years of solid basic science and on other clinical trials that are either completed or in progress, which appear to show similarly dramatic reduction of certain breast, ovarian and prostate cancers.

The story of PARP inhibitors began in the early 1990s, when some scientists realized that breast cancer ran in certain families, and that some of the women in those families had an extraordinarily high — as much as a 90 percent lifetime risk — of getting the disease. There was a frantic and well-publicized hunt for the “breast cancer gene.” The hope was that finding the gene could provide crucial information about the cause of breast cancer and how to treat it.

BRCA1, BRCA2 raise risk for breast cancer
In September 1994, scientists from a company called Myriad Genetics and government researchers simultaneously won the race. It turned out there were two genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2. As they studied the genes, the researchers learned that they account for between 5 and 10 percent of all breast cancers, as well as a similar percentage of ovarian cancers and prostate cancers in men who are born with the mutated gene.

The immediate result of the gene discovery was that families and individuals at high risk could find out when they were affected. That continues to this day. But for those at risk, the treatment options are limited: surgical removal or close monitoring of the organs that might become cancerous.

Avoid nitrates in foods when possible

From the following website: http://www.thecancerblog.com/2006/06/26/avoid-nitrates-in-foods-when-possible/

Posted Jun 26th 2006 12:25PM by Vicki Blankenship
Filed under: Brain Cancer, Childhood Cancers, Leukemia, Bladder Cancer, Prevention, All Cancers, Esophageal Cancer, Stomach Cancer, Research, Diets, Nutrition, Cancer prevention foods, Teen Cancers

Teach your children the importance of eating healthy and staying away from preserved meats. Yes it is quick and easy to prepare hotdogs or to order pepperoni pizzas when in a pinch for time or you are just too tired and don't feel like cooking a full meal. Parents should be the mentors to their children and set a healthy lifestyle starting with eating habits.

Most preserved meats contain nitrates which are converted into a carcinogen, cancer causing agent, in the body. This includes foods that are typically pink in color like bologna, salami, pepperoni, hotdogs, corned beef, pastrami, bacon, and cured ham.

Historically, nitrates served two purposes: to help prevent the growth of certain bacteria that can cause an outbreak of botulism, a deadly food-borne illness, and to give cured meat a pink color. These nitrates, once added to the meat, would break down over a period of time, forming nitrites. Eventually, nitrites themselves were added directly to the meat to speed up the curing process.

In cooked meats, the time and temperature of the cooking are the critical factors in preventing bacterial growth. In recent years, better production and food storage methods have decreased the potential for food-borne illness. However, nitrites continue to be used in cooked meats to maintain the traditional pink color and cured flavor. Nitrites can contribute to the formation of potentially dangerous carcinogens in the body, which in turn can result in malignant tumor growth over time.

Children are especially susceptible to nitrite poisoning. These carcinogenic compounds have been associated with cancer of the oral cavity, urinary bladder, esophagus, stomach and brain and child leukemia. One study found that children eating more than 12 hot dogs per month have nine times the normal risk of developing childhood leukemia. So take the time to help your children eat right and set good eating habits from the beginning. If you just have that uncontrollable craving for a hot dog, be sure to buy a brand of hot dogs that do not contain nitrates. Or when the pizza craving hits, order a veggie pizza and learn to leave off the pepperoni and ham and other processed meats with nitrates. Learning a healthy diet starting out will decrease the chances of childhood obesity, diabetes, and heart disease also.

How to Prevent Skin Cancer

From the following website:

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/cance1/a/skin_cancer.htm

By Cathy Wong, About.com

Created: June 22, 2009

Skin Cancer Facts

The most common type of cancer, skin cancer strikes one in six Americans. To lower your risk, it's crucial to avoid excess sun exposure. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- when the sun's rays are strongest -- try to stay out of the sun and take to the shade (or in the indoors) as much possible. Dressing in clothing made of tightly woven fabrics, applying a generous amount of broad-spectrum sunblock with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher, and wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat with a brim of at least 4 inches are also essential for shielding your skin from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.

Skin Cancer Research

While sun safety is the most vital element of skin cancer prevention, certain natural compounds may help boost your skin-cancer defense. Here is a look at several possible skin-protectors.

1) Curcumin

Known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, curcumin (a yellow pigment found in the curry spice turmeric) may help destroy and thwart the growth of melanoma cells, according to preliminary evidence published in 2005.

2) Green Tea

In tests on mice, scientists have found that drinking green tea may stave off the cell division that occurs in the early stages of skin cancer. In a 2005 study, for instance, green tea consumption reduced ultraviolet-light-induced tumor incidence and tumor growth.

Other research suggests that topically applied green tea may also help protect skin from DNA damage caused by UV rays.

3) Milk Thistle

When applied to the skin and used in combination with sunscreen, milk thistle may help aid in skin-cancer prevention, finds a 2005 review of animal-based research. Shown to produce antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-regulating effects, the herb appears to inhibit several tumor-promoters involved in skin cancer development.

Skin Cancer Symptoms

Remember that many of these studies only offer preliminary evidence. That means that no natural remedy can replace sun protection in the prevention of skin cancer. To keep your skin healthy, check regularly for skin-cancer symptoms (such as new growths or spots, changes in the size or color of an existing mole, or scaliness, oozing, or bleeding) and consult your doctor immediately with any concerns.

8 Great Family-Friendly Foods that Help Fight Cancer

The following article was found on WEB MD http://blogs.webmd.com/health-ehome/2009/06/8-great-family-friendly-foods-that-help.html

by Sheryl Crow

Being diagnosed with cancer was a life changing experience for me, as it is for anyone. One of the most significant shifts has been in the way I look at my body and what I put in it. When I was undergoing radiation, I began working with Nutritionist Rachel Bellar in order to eat foods that would help boost my immune system.

After working with her, I learned how to eat "defensively." I had never understood before how vital food was for protecting the body from sickness and disease. In fact, according to the National Cancer Institute, serious diseases that are linked to what we eat are the culprits in three out of four American deaths each year. And, recent research estimates that 35% of cancer deaths could be prevented through improved nutrition.

We truly are what we eat and what we put in our bodies matters to our long-term health. Rachel taught me this and I am so grateful to have worked with her. Her in-depth knowledge of how certain foods and spices are vital to promoting wellness throughout the body has become an integral part of my lifestyle after surviving cancer.

Even more importantly, having cancer made me re-think and re-define family - resulting in my greatest joy, my son Wyatt. As parents often joke, kids don't come with instruction manuals. Parenting is a constant challenge of self-education. One thing I do know, though, is that Wyatt is benefiting from what I learned from Rachel. And, I feel like I am giving my son one of the greatest gifts a mother can - the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating habits.

Here are some of our favorite foods that pack enormous nutritional value (including anti-cancer benefits), and the ways we make them fun and tasty for both of us. Truly, toddler tested, mother approved.

1. Whole Grains

• What to look for: whole grain breads, pastas, brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, etc.
• How to make it: quinoa crusted chicken fingers, whole grain pita personal pizza, steel cut oatmeal cookies, vegetable barley soup

2. Beans

• 

  Photo: pizzodisevo
  What to look for: garbanzo, navy bean, kidney beans, lentils, etc.
• How to make it: hummus (use whole grain pita or raw veggies for dipping), puree navy beans and add to mashed potatoes, black bean nachos

3. Berries

• What to look for: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
• How to make it: whole grain berry muffins, yogurt berry parfait

4. Tomatoes

• 

  Photo: The Ewan
  What to look for: tomato sauce, tomato paste, tomato juice (cooking releases the cancer-fighting lycopene)
• How to make it: pasta and pizza sauce, creamy tomato soup

5. Cruciferous Vegetables

• What to look for: cabbage and members of its family including cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts
• How to make it: steam it and serve warm or cold (in funny shapes for tentative toddlers), also good in stir fry, and soups

6. Dark Green Leafy Vegetables

• What to look for: spinach, romaine lettuce, swiss chard, kale, leaf lettuce
• How to make it: use to wrap favorite cheese or chicken, chiffonade and toss into pasta or pizza sauce, toss into green smoothies

7. Grapes and Grape Juice

• 

  Photo: artslyz
  What to look for: red or purple grapes (the dark colored skin is the main source of nutrition)
• How to make it: Enjoy as is, frozen grapes are a great summer treat (but can be a choking hazard for small children)

8. Walnuts

• What to look for: whole, natural walnuts without additives or preservatives
• How to make it: add walnuts and bananas to oatmeal, crush and toss into pastas and salads, mince and add to muffins and pancakes

However you decide to fix your food, eat a healthy, diverse diet. And remember, real foods, not supplements, are best for your body. The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends that at least 2/3 of your plate should be filled with vegetables, fruit, whole grains and beans. Start your children young and let them reap the rewards of healthy eating habits for a lifetime.

Ear Wax, Body Odor: Breast Cancer Link?

Researchers See Clues for Breast Cancer Risk in Underarm Body Odor and Wet Ear Wax

By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

June 5, 2009 -- A variation in a gene already associated with breast cancer risk is also linked with especially unpleasant underarm body odor and wet ear wax, according to a team of Japanese scientists.

The discovery is not meant to make women with either condition anxious, says Toshi Ishikawa, PhD, professor of biomolecular engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the senior author of the study. Rather, he says, "we do strongly hope that our study will provide a new tool for better prediction of breast cancer risk" by using a new method of finding the variation developed by his team.

Having wet ear wax or excessively smelly armpits does not mean a woman is destined to get breast cancer, Ishikawa says. "To be clear, I should strongly mention that the [specific gene variation found to link body odor, wet ear wax, and breast cancer risk] is one factor that increases breast cancer risk," Ishikawa says. "And it might have to work in tandem with something else -- such as environmental factors and mutations of tumor suppressor genes such as BRCA1, BRCA2, p53, and so on."

Ishikawa's team extracted DNA from blood samples provided by 124 volunteers at Nagasaki University in Japan.

They studied a gene called ABCC11, discovered by them and others in 2001. Variations in the gene have been found to be associated with increased breast cancer risk. These variations, called SNPs ("snips") or single nucleotide polymorphisms, occur when a single nucleotide or molecule in an individual's genome sequence changes. SNPs are common in the population.

While many SNPs don't affect the way cells function, experts think that other variations may predispose people to specific diseases such as cancer or affect the way they respond to a medication.

In this study, Ishikawa monitored the activities of a protein created by the ABCC11 gene, finding a distinct link between the ABCC11 gene and having extremely smelly underarm odor and wet, sticky earwax.

Then they figured out the cellular mechanisms that control wet ear wax, excessively bad underarm odor, and breast cancer risk.

They developed a rapid method of typing this SNP in the DNA sequence associated with the higher risk for the three conditions. It can be done in 30 minutes.

The study is published in The FASEB Journal.

Armpits, Ear Wax, and Breast Cancer

Women shouldn't get anxious about the research, says Christy Russell, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, who reviewed the study for WebMD. "At this point the research is very early and women should not be concerned about body odor or earwax as a clue that they may have a higher risk of breast cancer."

"Having ear wax and body odor are normal physical processes that all women go through," she says.

To put the research in perspective, she says, the researchers are looking for common gene abnormalities in glands that secrete mucus, sweat, or wax that may be linked with breast cancer risk.

The researchers managed to figure out the exact cellular level mechanisms which lead to all three conditions, says Gerald Weissmann, MD, editor-in-chief of The FASEB Journal and research professor of medicine and director of the Biotechnology Study Center at New York University.

"I think this is a groundbreaking study which combines human genetics, human anthropology, and first-rate molecular and cell biology," he says. The development of the rapid SNP typing method, he says, promises to help predict who might be at higher risk for serious conditions such as cancer by looking at "trivial observations such as smelly armpits and wet ear wax."

This information was taken from the following website: http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20090605/ear-wax-body-odor-breast-cancer-link?ecd=wnl_can_062309

Preventative Medicine

Prevention is the best aresenal in winning the battle our society is facing against cancer today. Recently I found out about a doctor in the St. Louis area who is practicing preventative medicine that at least three friends have said has changed their lives. Several of these people have had cancer. Here is the website:

Although her website does not list cancer treatment as one of its specialties, I have heard she is a favorite for some cancer patients. Among their listed specialties are allergies, diabetes, candidiasis, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, digestive disorders, depression, heart disease, hormonal imbalances, mood disorders, thyroid disorders, weight issues and women's health.

http://www.preventivemedicinestl.com/index.php