Why the “War on Cancer� may never be won

Why the War on Cancer may never be won

“I will also ask for an appropriation of an extra $100 million to launch an intensive campaign to find a cure for cancer, and I will ask later for whatever additional funds can effectively be used. The time has come in America when the same kind of concentrated effort that split the atom and took man to the moon should be turned toward conquering this dread disease. Let us make a total national commitment to achieve this goal.” (1)

On December 23, 1971, President Nixon followed through on his promise as he signed the National Cancer Act into law, declaring;

“I hope in the years ahead we will look back on this action today as the most significant action taken during my Administration.”

“The War on Cancer,” gave the NCI unique autonomy at NIH with special budgetary authority. (2)

Since 1971, the federal government, private foundations and companies have spent roughly $200 billion on the quest for cures. That money has bought us an estimated 1.5 million scientific papers, containing an extraordinary amount of knowledge about the basic biology of cancer. It has also brought real progress on a number of fronts, not least the invention of drugs for nausea, bowel problems and other side effects of the disease or treatment.(3)

Even with this vast amount of knowledge, cancer is still on track to kill 565,650 people in the US this year—more than 1,500 a day, equivalent to three jumbo jets crashing and killing everyone aboard 365 days a year. (4)

Incidence extrapolations for USA for cancer:

• 1,248,899 per year
• 104,074 per month
• 24,017 per week
• 3,421 per day
• 142 per hour
• 2 per minute
• 0 per second.(5)

After 40 years, it looks like cancer is still winning the war. Its not surprising folk are beginning to question the tactical wisdom employed by the home side. Newsweek , an American weekly news magazine distributed throughout the US and internationally, recently reported that this is a time to consider the missed opportunities of the war on cancer – surely of which the greatest is prevention. (6) read full article at Heroin and Cornflakes...

The Five Worst Foods to Grill

The Five Worst Foods to Grill
The Fourth of July is the most popular outdoor cooking holiday of the year, according to the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association. Yet as Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day, many are not aware that grilling some food items produces cancer causing compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs).

Which grilled foods contain the highest levels of these carcinogens? To answer that question, dietitians with The Cancer Project took a closer look at America’s most commonly grilled foods.

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The Little Girl and the Bra – A Cancer Tale

The Little Girl and the Bra - A Cancer Tale

How long is a girl a child? She is a child, and then one morning you wake up she’s a woman, and a dozen different people of whom you recognize none. — Louis L’Amour

Almost 1 in 4 black girls and 1 in 10 white girls had developed breasts by the age of seven, says a US study, published in the journal Pediatrics.

The findings are the latest in a string of studies showing that girls in the US are reaching puberty sooner. Early maturation has been linked to earlier sexual experiences, and later on carries greater risks of breast cancer, as well as greater rates of eating problems.

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Is Our Water Causing Cancer?

Chemicals which we release into the environment frequently end up in our bodies, or our children’s bodies, sometimes before they have even left the womb. Many chemicals known to cause cancer or other profound health problems are known to “bioaccumulate,” meaning that they accumulate and concentrate in an organism.

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Salt Content of Common Foods

Salt Content of Common Foods
The information below is provided to assist patients maintain a low-sodium diet. The following numbers may be useful as a guide.

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Dietary Salt (sodium) Intake

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“Normal” salt diet … … 1100 – 3300 mg/day

“High” salt diet … … 4000 – 6000 mg/day

“Low” salt diet … … 400 – 1000 mg/day

Physicians may initially suggest a partially reduced salt level, in the range of 1000 – 2000 mg/day, to see if symptoms can be alleviated. Maintaining a sodium intake below 2000 mg/day requires considerable effort. Eating in restaurants causes difficulty as the majority of restaurant food is salted. To maintain a low sodium diet, you need to scrutinize the “Nutritional Information” boxes on food cartons. The amount of salt is listed as “sodium”. Choose those products which would give you the least sodium, based on the amount of product you eat. Note that many “high salt” products (ketchup, salad dressing, corn chips) show relatively low sodium values based on very small serving portions (who eats only 12 corn chips at a sitting??). What is important is the total amount of sodium you are eating each day. As shown in the list below, fresh fruits and vegetables have low sodium content, but avoid adding salt to vegetables during preparation. The following advice may help maintain a low salt intake.

Do not use salt at the table

Reduce the salt used in food preparation. Try 1/2 teaspoon when recipes call for 1 teaspoon. Many cakes and desserts can be prepared without adding salt.

Use herbs and spices for flavoring meats and vegetables instead of salt.

Avoid salty foods such as processed meat and fish, pickles, soy sauce, salted nuts, chips and other snack foods.

Check every “Nutritional Information” label before you buy or use a product. Note sodium and portion size information.

A cautionary note: The body possesses exquisite systems which accurately regulate body sodium. The goal of a low sodium diet is to “push” this regulation system toward one end of its range,without pushing it to the limit when body sodium starts falling. Although a low-salt diet if difficult to achieve, be aware that the low-salt diet can be “overdone” with possible adverse consequences. For this reason, if your vestibular symptoms persist, do not keep decreasing your salt intake. The level of sodium intake should be decided in consultation with your physician or nutritionist. Lower levels require more rigorous monitoring by your physician. You should also be aware that your body can lose sodium by a number of routes other than in the urine. Sweating, vomiting and diarrhea can all produce significant sodium loss. In addition, other diseases, such as those which impair kidney function, may result in greater than normal sodium losses. In the event of adverse symptoms, you should contact your physician.

Sodium Content of Common Foods

All values are given in mg of sodium for a 100 g (3.5 oz) food portion. These values are a guide. More accurate values are given in the Nutritional Information on the package of most products, in the form of mg of sodium per serving.

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