Tag Archives: Cancer Prevention Tips

New 2010 Spring Cleaning Checklist

Pink Maglonia_130867807_415e2784d9_mSpring is fast approaching and with it, the need for spring cleaning. We get the job done by going room by room, closet by closet, putting winter clothes away, throwing away or donating what we feel we no longer need, and maybe doing a few extra chores. While it’s a tradition to follow the above agenda, this guide will not only help you freshen up your home, but also help you maximize physical and mental health benefits.

As you go through your home, taking the following measures helps reduce your risk to potential health hazards.

1. Eliminate household cleaners and pesticides as much as possible, because their ingredients contain cancer-causing chemicals (i.e., carcinogens). Although some toxic chemicals cause serious illnesses in addition to cancer, much of their long-term effects on human health remain unknown.

2. Go through all the plastic toys, food packaging, bottles, containers, supplies and materials, and toss those that are potentially harmful. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic often contains additives such as lead and phthalates. Phthalates have been linked to male reproductive problems and cancer. How do you know what to toss? One way you can tell if a product is made with PVC is to look for the number “3″ inside or the letter “V” underneath the universal recycling symbol. Remembering this little rhyme may also help: “4, 5, 1 and 2; all the rest are bad for you.”

3. Remove anything that has a strong chemical odor. For example, odor released from vinyl has a “chemical” smell to it.  Items like shower curtains and liners, placemats and table linens, packaging for personal or travel accessories often contains vinyl.

4. Get ride of any plastic container or bottle with the number 7 inside the universal recycling symbol on the bottom, because it most likely contains BPA. Also another rule of thumb is to recylce those items that are heavily scratched.

5. Don’t forget to eliminate other not-so-obvious items that contain BPA including:
- Useless or unusable CDs
- Expired credit cards or other plastics
- Recycled paper-made books or magazines
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6. Limit canned food. First, if it contains meat, processed meat may increase your cancer risk. Second, the lining of canned food contains BPA. So, reduce your intake of canned foods, eat fresh or frozen foods instead.

7. Eliminate the foods that contain high content of Trans Fats. They’re really bad for your heart and your body.

8. Check out the labels of personal care products (for example, nail polish). The FDA requires that phthalates be listed unless they are an ingredient in fragrances. Phthalates are used in some nail polishes to reduce cracking. Choose personal-care products that do not contain synthetic fragrances.

9. Improve the air you breathe by checking radon levels, quitting smoking, and using an air purifier. Blue flower_2478841847_794283941d_m

10. Clear your mind! When things go wrong, it’s quite common to have negative thoughts, little voices, and emotions. Too much of this clutters the mind, then the brain doesn’t have enough space for positive thoughts. Even worse, you can end up depressed. Changing perspective can help. Spring cleaning is about removing dirt and getting rid of clutter. Do it for your mind, too. Free more space for positive and creative thoughts.

Well, these projects will add more work to your traditional spring cleaning. Yet these tasks are important since they could make substantial differences in the quality of your living space. So get all your family motivated and involved. Start walking through your home in search of stuff you don’t need, particularly the items mentioned above. The rewards?  A truly clean, fresh  home, an organized life, and physical and mental health benefits.

What’s your plan for spring cleaning? If you like this post, please share it.

Photo credit: Pink magnolia by Muffet; Blue macro by spisharam

8 Simple Ways to Keep Moving at Home

Yoga4253072108_d746a36dc9_mPart of this week we were on the road to visit a dear family member who is in the hospital. Driving on the highway during our eight-hour trip each way naturally made me think of the topic of Ways to Keep Moving at Home.

It’s natural to want to stay comfortable and relaxed, particularly at home, which of course is not a gym. But sometimes home life can become too cozy for folks who really need to use excess calories that would otherwise be stored as fat. And too much physical inactivity can do considerable harm, including increasing your risk for heart disease and cancer.

Sometimes efforts that seem insignificant can actually provide significant rewards. Several years ago, I had lower back pain. The physical therapist didn’t expect the set of exercises that are routinely recommended for such a problem to help me much. But I went ahead to give a try anyway. Every day after coming home from work, I lay on the carpet doing the moves the therapist had suggested for about 20 minutes while watching TV—my “cheerleader.” To my surprise and pleasure, my back pain disappeared 2-3 months later and has bothered me little since then.

Physical activity not only benefits you by helping you maintain a healthy weight while promoting good circulation and strengthening muscles, it is also a boon to your emotional well-being. It really pays off in the long run.

Staying active was a proven life-enhancer even in ancient times. During the Tang dynasty in China, the average lifespan was a little over 30. But China’s only female Emperor, Wu ZeTian, had amazing longevity, living for over 80 years. Staying physical active throughout her life was likely her secret. She was trained in multiple GongFu with her parents while growing up, and consistently practiced healthy QiGong. She also rode, shot, and was fond of other activities.

Since what was good way back then can still work wonders today, here are 8 ways to help you keep moving while at home:

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2. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
3. Take a walk around the neighborhood, do jump rope in the yard, or try running up the stairs (but not too fast—be careful!). Have you ever done 20 rounds? If you can do that, you are probably in pretty good shape.
4. Exercise while watching TV, or dance around the living room with the music.
5. Walk to the local grocery or convenience store instead of driving.
6. Take your kids to the park or the pool, and play with them instead of watching them.
7. For fun and motivation, learn a new sport that you can play out in the garden or indoors.
8. Work in your yard or garden.

What keeps you moving at home? What can you add to the list? I would love to read your comments.

Photo credit: by Rance Costa

Dark Chocolate Mini Review (Part 2)

How can you maximize dark chocolate’s cancer prevention benefits while enjoying the pleasure?

This is my focus on this part of the Dark Chocolate Mini Review. I strongly recommend you follow these guidelines in the choice and consumption of dark chocolate:

1. Eat dark chocolate containing at least 70% cocoa. Keep in mind, the darker the chocolate, the better it is for you. The higher the percentage of cocoa, the more flavonoids.

2. Find dark chocolate made from the least destructive processing technologies, or those created as close to its original raw state (unprocessed cacao).

3. Check the ingredients. Read the label. As the saying goes, “the devil is in the details”. Examine the nutrition facts. Avoid trans fat, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), artificial sweeteners, and anything that will compromise your health. Limit saturated fat too.

4. Select chocolate with a low sugar content, especially if you have certain health challenges. Chocolate is a calories-dense food, with fat, sugar, and other additives and preservatives added by the manufacturer.

5. Consume dark chocolate in moderation. By moderation, I mean having 1-2 oz a day or no more than 14 oz. a week.

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7. Consider real cocoa powder (not the instant hot chocolate). Research shows that pure cocoa powder has the most antioxidants, followed by dark chocolate, then milk chocolate.

Finally, I don’t sell chocolate nor do I receive fees from manufacturers for recommending them. My review is based purely on both solid science and my opinion after tasting various products over the years.

My experience? When I open a box of chocolate, I feel like I’m opening a world of mystery, joy and vitality. Once various shapes of chocolate appear in front of me, I pick up one piece and put it in my mouth for a bite. As it melts, I feel delightful, euphoric — a smile lighting up my face. Whoever thought something so dark could bring such brightness! Mmm…

Take home message: You can indulge yourself in dark chocolate moderately and regularly, without guilt!

What experience or tip would you like to share? And if you like this post, please share it.

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How to Reduce Cancer Risks with Meat Preparation

Meat, pork, beef, and chicken are delicious. However, how it’s prepared or cooked may raise your cancer risk. Cooking meat such as beef, pork and fish at high temperatures can create a cancer-causing chemical called heterocyclic amines (HCAs). Frying, broiling, and barbecuing produce the largest amounts of HCAs because the meats are cooked at very high temperatures. So, here’s a word of caution: avoid burning or high-temperature heating (e.g. oven > 350°F) of these meats for extended time.

meatNow you might be wondering, “But how do I cook delicious meats without producing any carcinogens?”

1. Prepare with extra time. For you barbecue chefs out there, trim the excess fat and remove the skin from any meat you are grilling, then marinate the meat for at least 30 minutes before grilling, because the marinade will serve as a coating or a barrier.

2. Practice carcinogen-free grilling techniques. Keep the gas jets low or wait until the charcoal turns into glowing coal before you start cooking. During grilling, turn the meat frequently to avoid charring, and control the flames of the grill and the grease that drips from the meat.

3. Scrape off any black parts!

4. Use other ways of cooking. The most common and easy one is using a conventional oven, where roasting or baking may be done at lower temperatures, thereby forming lower levels of HCAs.
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5. Another alternative is the pressure cooker. Again it mainly uses steam based on a lower temperature, not only lowering carcinogen exposure, but also keeping the meat well-moist and tasty. Extra bonus: time-saving!

6. Then there’s the slow cooker. Stewing or boiling may be done at or below 212°F (100°C) which creates negligible amounts of cancer-causing chemicals.

7. Quick stir-fry, but not deep-fry. Because it’s done quickly, a lower level of the carcinogen is formed.

8. Add cancer-fighting ingredients or antioxidant-rich herbs as necessary seasoning. For example, use garlic, because it has a strong anti-microbial effect and potential cancer-fighting power. Plus it contains health-promoting antioxidants like flavonoids and can stimulate the immune system. Other antioxidant-rich herbs such as basil, oregano, or thyme can be your smart choices too.

What other techniques do you use or can be added to the list?

Are You Heart and Breast/Prostate Healthy?

Heart, Breast & Prostate Health_CPDToday let’s talk about some KEY strategies for heart health and cancer prevention, i.e. the “kill two birds with one stone” approach.

Okay, first thing first. Take simple, small lifestyle actions day by day, which is what will help you win the battle of fighting cancer and heart disease. Rome wasn’t conquered in a day, and probably not in a week either.

To reduce risks of cancer, you need to incorporate lifestyle changes, as WHO’s message on the World Cancer Day 2010. These changes can also benefit your heart.

Here are 9 simple, healthy strategies:

1. Eat a healthy and balanced diet. I know that ice cream is appetizing, but fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as foods low in saturated fat but high in fiber can serve as cancer-fighting and cholesterol-fighting agents.
2. Exercise regularly. Best suggestions are about 30 minutes a day. Find various ways to stay physically active, which will help you lower cholesterol, maintain healthy weight, and prevent cancer.
3. Maintain a healthy weight with a body mass index (BMI) lower than 30. Overweight and/or obesity increases your risks for heart disease and cancer. Need help? You can get a FREE diet profile here.
4. Stop cigarette smoking and avoid second-hand smoking. Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, causing an estimated 1 out of every 5 deaths each year, according to National Cancer Institute (NCI). Noticeably, research reveals a link between elevated CRP and obesity as well as smoking.
5. Limit alcohol intake. Alcohol consumption is linked to increased risk of various types of cancer including breast, colorectal, mouth, esophagus, larynx, and liver cancer. Drinking too much alcohol can lead to high blood pressure and heart failure.
6. Reduce inflammation and cancer-causing infection. Stay away from factors that make us susceptible to infection and inflammation, such as toxic chemicals, pollutants, stress, inadequate intake of nutrients, a diet high in sugar, fat and animal proteins. Strengthen your immune system.
7. Avoid or minimize your exposure to air pollutants. Air pollutants mediate inflammation, thereby contributing to cancer and a troubled heart. It’s difficult to control the air in our outdoor environment, but we can control the air in our homes. Pay attention to occupational hazards, take preventative measures in workplace too.
8. Relax! Reduce stress. Stress can weaken the immune system, trigger inflammation, subsequently leading to heart attack, stroke and cancer. Have a positive outlook and find your own “secret” stress reliever.
9. Know your numbers. Regular health checkup can help you monitor your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. Consult your physician on cancer screenings.

Finally, a Bonus for Valentine’s Day and chocolate lovers.

Substantial research suggests that flavonoid-rich food could help prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer based on its anti-inflammatory effect. Cocoa is the richest source of flavonoids, but current processing reduces its content considerably. Dark chocolate is flavonoid-rich (with at least 70% cocoa). So, what’s the catch? In comparison, milk chocolate is sugar- and fat-rich. To learn a few quick tips on how to consume chocolate wisely, check out our “Tip of the Week“.

What’s your thought on fighting cancer and heart disease? If you like this post, please share it.

Photo credit: by CPD