Cancer Risks and Prevention

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Why Is Drinking Water Important for Your Overall Health and Cancer Prevention?

Top Benefits

Water makes up about 70% of the human body and covers about 70% of the earth’s surface, so it is vital for life.
Water is essential for overall health by helping digestion, increasing metabolism, and flushing out wastes, toxins and bacteria that cause diseases.
Maintaining good hydration can reduce the risk of several types of cancer, particularly colon, prostate, bladder and breast cancer.

Other benefits of drinking an adequate amount of water include: to make the skin stay moisturized, giving it a healthy, glowing appearance; to facilitate transportation of all nutrients, and to enhance your energy level.

Difference between water intake and liquid intake

One key to good hydration is to ensure enough water intake, rather than fluid intake, which has been mistaken by some folks. Soft drinks, coffee and tea are all fluids. Although they include water, they also contain caffeine. Caffeine can act as a mild diuretic, which prevents water from travelling to the organs/tissues for functions. Moreover, soft drinks often contain extra high levels of sugar, leading to most chronic illnesses and cancer cell growth.

Why Drinking Filtered Water Is More Important for Your Optimal Health?

Serious concerns about tap water

First, you are probably aware that tap water may not be safe to drink because of hundreds, if not thousands, of chemicals, contaminants and toxins in it. According to the EPA, lead in drinking water contributes to 480,000 cases of learning disorders in children each year in the United States alone. In addition, lead in drinking water can cause severe birth defects if taken by pregnant women.

Truth on bottled water revealed

Growing concerns over the serious threat that tap water may pose to public health then led to a desire for bottled water. Well, the reality is that 40% of bottled water is simply tap water in a plastic bottle –– an environmental issue in itself.

More disturbing, bottled water, in some brands but not all, has actually been proven to contain more toxins such as arsenic, lead, or other pollutants than most municipal tap water. Furthermore, bottled water contains a good portion of de-mineralized water due to its re-processing methods, which is harmful for your long-term health.

Cancer risks

Research shows that you can reduce cancer risks by drinking enough water every day. It is important to stress drinking enough water, not just any fluid, because if the fluids taken in (from contaminated water or some soft drinks) contain cancer-causing substances, i.e., carcinogens, an increase in total consumption of such drinks would also increase the amount of carcinogens to which an organ or body was exposed.

Overall, both tap and bottled water may have numerous organic and inorganic contaminants or even toxins, cumulative exposure to them over time can weaken your immune system and cause cancer due to cellular damage and/or mutation.

Solution and Benefits

A good quality of water filter (such as Mavea water filters) can offer you protection and minimize your risk of illnesses, because it is capable of eliminating the contaminants and toxins from tap water without taking away those essential minerals, which are important for your optimal health.

Plus, water filters not only leave drinking water clean and mineral-rich, but also are cost-effective. Mavea is 12.5 cents per gallon, while bottled water ranges from $0.89 to $8.26 per gallon.

Conclusion

Filtered drinking water from your tap (or well) is the safest, healthiest, and least expensive way to stay healthy. You can control your water quality!

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BPA, Hidden Chemicals … What to Do to Protect Yourself

A recent front page article in The Washington Post, above the fold, states, “Law allows companies to hide risks of chemicals”--- what does this mean to you?

Well, our most obvious concern about chemicals is the threats to our health. Air pollution from indoor and outdoor sources has been a general risk factor for various types of cancers. In particular, household cleaning products are the leading causes of toxic air pollution in our homes. Larger environmental issues might be beyond the control of ordinary citizens like you and me, although we can make a difference collectively. Fortunately, you and I both have power and control over the home where we live to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, consequently reduce cancer risks.

Another controversy bubbling up in the public debate concerns the chemicals used to make plastics, which come with risks to human health and the environment. Bisphenol A, abbreviated as BPA, is a chemical found in thousands of everyday products from baby bottles, canned foods, canned soft drinks, food packaging, and plastic containers to compact discs (CDs) and recycled papers. Levels of BPA run from high to low in thousands of products. Even in cases where the manufacturer claims BPA-free in their products, measurable levels have been detected. Now, the FDA promised to reconsider BPA in food packaging after the drug agency called it safe in 2008.

Should we be concerned?

BPA has been linked to breast cancer, as well as ovarian, prostate and brain cancers. Other serious disorders are ranging from cardiovascular diseases to developmental defects, early onset of puberty, and behavioral changes in children. Research has shown that we are exposed to it more than we had previously thought. The chemical has been detected in the urine of 93-95% of the population tested in the United States, based on different studies.

In reality, it is not easy for consumers to make decisions about what they should or should not use, and it is not fair either that consumers must make somehow uniformed decisions. Labeling requirements of ingredients vary with products, and many product "recipes" are actually secret! As a result, most retailers don't know what chemicals are in the products they’re selling, and neither do we. The laws should govern safety. The government should do a better job making sure the chemicals — particularly the chemicals used in every day products — are thoroughly tested before they are moved to the market, and subsequently into our bodies.

Obviously, the laws that control how chemicals are assessed and labeled are not being followed. This problem needs fixing, but the question is when will it happen? After all, we have the facts and consequences. It is clear that "safe" claims from industries coupled with ineffective laws will continue the threat of BPA. This is not in our best interest!

All hidden chemicals and those commonly used in consumer daily products may pose threats to public health. Therefore, more important than ever, we need to watch out closely for ourselves, make well-educated decisions for our long-term health benefits, and take action for our safety.

How to avoid or minimize your exposure to BPA

BPA is not only from canned drinks and canned food, but also from various hidden sources.

1. Importantly, be aware of the recycling number found on the bottom of plastic bottles or containers. Be sure to toss those products with a number “7” recycling code, as they contain BPA. Reportedly, there are new “7” products that are claimed “BPA-free” by the manufacturers. Sadly, “BPA-free” on labels may not always be true, since BPA was actually detected from some of them.
2. Use glass bottles for babies, or at least BPA-free plastic bottles.
3. Use glass, stainless steel or porcelain containers for hot food or liquids.
4. Microwave food in glass, ceramic or BPA-free plastic containers.
5. Avoid putting plastic containers in a dishwasher or using harsh detergents.
6. Reduce the intake of canned foods, canned soft drinks. Eat fresh or frozen vegetables.
7. Limit handling printed receipts at the gas station or from automated machines.

In summary, more and more conveniences we have enjoyed over the years are discovered to be potentially harmful to our health. It is time to set you own standards, so that you can protect yourself and your loved ones from any health problems or illnesses.