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Thursday, 27 June 2013
1. Brighton, Sussex
Brighton is one of England's most attractive cities as well as a popular seaside resort. It has been a fashionable coastal destination since Regency times in the early 19th century when it was the home of the Prince of Wales, the future King George IV. The Palace Pier was built at the end of the 19th century and is a listed building. You can still see the eerie remains of Brighton's West Pier. Closed in 1975 it has been ravaged by fires and storms. All that remains is the partial metal structure lying just off the beach.
2. Clevedon, Somerset
Clevedon is a charming seaside town enjoying glorious views across the Bristol Channel. The pier is the jewel in the crown, one of the finest and most important Victorian piers in the country. Disaster struck in 1970 when the end section collapsed. It has now been restored to its former glory and a stroll on the pier is a must for every visitor to Clevedon.
3. Cromer, Norfolk
Cromer is a classic British seaside town. Beautiful landscaped cliff gardens and the promenade overlook fine sandy beaches and the delightful Victorian pier. As befits such a resort, Cromer claims that its annual summer show is the last remaining end-of-pier show. Providing old-fashioned, family entertainment, the show is a throwback to the British seaside's heyday. From the pier you can try and catch your own Cromer crab, a delicacy the town is famous for.
4. Great Yarmouth, Suffolk
Great Yarmouth offers everything you would expect from a traditional English seaside resort. There are over 15 miles of sandy beaches within the Greater Yarmouth area. The seafront, known as the 'Golden Mile', has many traditional seaside attractions including a Victorian pier. Great Yarmouth has been a port since Medieval times and today the South Quay at the heart of the town has a wealth of museums and fine old buildings whilst the port remains a hive of activity.
5. Ryde, Isle of Wight
Ryde has six miles of glorious sandy beaches and shallow coastal waters which are ideal for swimming. A broad seafront promenade runs alongside the esplanade with the pier at its centre, which at nearly half a mile is one of the oldest and longest piers in the country.
6. St Annes, Lancashire
Just three miles from the bright lights of Blackpool, Lytham and St Annes-on-Sea are worlds apart in both character and atmosphere. The dual seaside towns are nestled along a picturesque stretch of coastline lined with well-tended lawns, a boating lake and pretty parks. St Annes-on-Sea boasts a beautifully restored Victorian Pier, originally built in 1885 and now home to amusement rides, shops and cafes.
7. Southend, Essex
Situated on the north bank of the Thames estuary and a tourist attraction since Georgian times, partly due to its close proximity to London, Southend on Sea remains a popular seaside destination to this day. In the last few years it has being undergoing a transformation, including its famous pier - the longest in the world - which has been restored to its former glory.
8. Southwold, Suffolk
Southwold is a quintessentially English seaside resort. Its sandy beach, with brightly coloured beach huts and sprawling dunes, is one of the most popular in the area. The recently refurbished pier offers a wide range of shops, eating places and amusements from the traditional to Tim Hunkin's eccentric inventions.
9. Weston Super Mare, Somerset
Weston-super-Mare is the archetypal English seaside resort. It rose to fame in the Victorian era and many of its grander buildings date from that time though it remains a popular family holiday resort. Today the Grand Pier is the focal point on the seafront. The pier has been updated over the years but still retains its original character.
10. Worthing, Sussex
Worthing is a peaceful coastal holiday resort town, less built up than Brighton further along the coast. It retains much of its elegant seaside heritage architecture including the spectacular seafront Worthing Pavilion. The town sits at the centre of five miles of flat seaside promenade and has an award-winning pier. A particularly special feature of this seaside town is its stunning selection of ornamental gardens, both along the promenade and west of the pier.
Peter lives in the Yorkshire Dales and has worked in senior positions within the travel industry for nearly 30 years. He has a passion for exploring Britain and believes that staying in self catering holiday accommodation is one of the best ways to really get to know this beautiful island of ours. There is so much variety in the landscape, the architecture, the customs, the food and drink and the people. Despite increasing uniformity, he believes that you can still discover this rich diversity if you look hard enough and you will have a much more fulfilling holiday for that. The Good Cottage Guide have a great selection of luxury cottages on the coast, as well as in some wonderful inland areas of Britain.
What do you miss most about being a child? Was it the fact that life was carefree, everything seemed perfect, and you innocently believed in the embellished "happily ever after" fairy tales? There are many joys that come with childhood; ironically through the eyes of a child, some of these are obscure at best. As an adult, I'm now faced with the realization that youth is golden in so many ways, from clear and blemish free, to wrinkle free skin. Hollywood pays billions yearly for their quest to find the fountain of youth. But is there any way to attain this? Is it lost without reclaim?
It goes without saying that I am an avid makeup wearer (nothing comes between me and my makeup.) I've also had my share of skincare problems-you know those unwanted zits that pop up whenever they feel like? This is in addition to areas of dry skin, and an oily T-zone area. I'm perpetually seeking products and techniques that will provide optimal skin care. While makeup is an awesome tool to enhance and accentuate, its use does not replace the need for a rigorous skin care regimen. We can sometimes get lost in "covering" up the problem with concealers and foundation, but truly tackling the problem, necessitates getting to the root and underlying cause. Many of us relish in the thought of having healthy, glowing skin, for which unfortunately, there's no magic fix. I know we live in a world now where money can buy just about anything, and a highly rated plastic surgeon may be at the top of everyone's wish list. But healthy skin starts from the inside. We are often exposed to harsh external factors such as extreme weather and other chemicals, which have no mercy when they're brutally assaulting our vulnerable skin cells. There's also a huge misconception among people of deeper skin tones that our skin is resilient, and can handle extreme situations. Really? While some skin abnormalities may not be as conspicuous as with lighter skin tones, we still need to give our skin as much love as we bestow to other delicate areas of our bodies. There are some daily practices that go a far way. Start giving your skin the attention and care that it deserves.
The basic yet effective 3-step process is outlined below.
1. Cleanse: This is the first step of the 3-step skincare process. Cleansing removes impurities, excess oils, dirt, makeup, and residue from the skin. With cleaner skin, there's a lower chance of bacterial proliferation which can lead to acne. Cleansing can be accomplished with the use of soaps, foaming, gel, or liquid cleansers. Some popular tools on the market now, are skincare brushes like the Clarisonic brush, an electronic device effective in removing impurities from the skin by utilizing a rotating head, spinning at high speeds.
2. Hydrate: Hydration is the process of replenishing the skin with moisture. A toner or astringent can be used to infuse moisture into the skin. Clean & Clear's deep cleansing toner for sensitive skin works well for my skin type. It contains salicylic acid, a potent acne fighter. Manufacturers are well aware of the skincare problems that we face, so they aim to provide products with multiple benefits.
3. Moisturize: After toning, it is essential to apply a moisturizer to seal in the newly infused moisture into the skin. Clean & Clear's Dual action moisturizer promulgates "a combination of oil-free moisturizers and pimple fighting ingredients." Somehow, I've accepted this claim, since this is another product that has been a part of my skin care regimen for a long time.
What else can you do to care for your skin?
Your skin is unique, so developing a killer regimen comes with a proper understanding of your skin type and its tendencies. While some people may discover winning products through trial and error or experimentation, others may need the help of a dermatologist to conduct a thorough evaluation, diagnosis and recommendations of treatment formulas and practices, customized for their skin type. These professionals understand the skin's physiology, and the best method of correction or treatment, comes from understanding the root of the problem. For example, if you are fighting an endless battle against dry skin, you may require a unique formula of hydrators and emollients to reclaim soft and supple skin.
Your skin is unique, so developing a killer regimen comes with a proper understanding of your skin type and its tendencies. While some people may discover winning products through trial and error or experimentation, others may need the help of a dermatologist to conduct a thorough evaluation, diagnosis and recommendations of treatment formulas and practices, customized for their skin type. These professionals understand the skin's physiology, and the best method of correction or treatment, comes from understanding the root of the problem. For example, if you are fighting an endless battle against dry skin, you may require a unique formula of hydrators and emollients to reclaim soft and supple skin.
If I were to recommend a universal formula that closely mimics a magic potion, it would be water. Its benefits are innumerable. Water is a solvent so it helps to purify the skin by removing toxins, which results in clearer looking skin. Since it's also an important constituent of our body cells, having enough water will mask the appearance of dry and dull looking skin. Simple solution: drink enough water according to the needs of your body.
Aim for diets rich in fruits and vegetables, which are excellent sources of water and other nutrients. These foods are also high in anti-oxidants which fight the effect of free radicals that can cause damage to skin cells.
We all dream of a ray of sunshine especially in those wintry months when the sun seems to be depriving us of his powerful and insulating capacity. But this "ball of fire" in the sky produces UV radiation which is damaging to skin cells. Let's shield ourselves with sunscreen to combat this.
Exfoliate: This is the process of removing dead skin cells, exposing younger looking skin underneath. Agents used to exfoliate includes facial scrubs, (lactic or juice acids) in chemical peels or facial masks. Facial scrubs are packed with beads that cleanse the skin, remove flaky layers and finally polish the skin.
The secret to youthful, glowing skin lies within you. Your diet, lifestyle, and skincare practices all influence the appearance of your skin. Healthy, beautiful, glowing skin is attainable. Are you willing to invest the time necessary to experiment, research and understand your skin? Or you'll rather just jump on the Hollywood bandwagon and pay big bucks?
Sunday, 23 June 2013
1. Study and assess the association that is giving you scope. A mixture of organizations have different plans and offer different bundle bargains in the meantime. Due to this, there are differed scope for house, autos plus different materials which will positively be protected. For instance, provided that you wish diminish rates and save some cash, you might as well current scenarios or situations where you will be seen as a decreased danger client and might be supplied a greatly improved compensation plan. Furthermore, you might as well give them a fantastic record of driving as this will make you believable in the eyes of the protection administrations and get you lower rates.
2. You must be mindful in researching and standing different associations. By essentially doing examination shopping, you will positively research the best charges and deals around and get to acknowledge what timing is generally viably for scope replenishment. Survey the premium and how they will impact your destiny decisions. This will absolutely give you opportunity to augment your arrangement.
3. Verify that your prerequisites could be fulfilled by your association and that you could acquire the insurance you require. Case in point, don't purchase higher premiums on obligation roof for auto protection. You have to see to it that you acknowledge of prospective dangers and forestall them.
4. Inquire as to whether the firm could give you coupons or reduced rates. Some protection arrangements from a specific firm can typically net you this profit. Make sure to ask the agent you are managing what could be gotten to decrease the premiums you have to pay.
5. Go paperless. You could pick to come to be a paperless customer or plan holder and check whether you can get conceivable discounts when you select to make advanced installments instead of paying with post-dated checks. This is additionally the earth well disposed.
Saturday, 22 June 2013
While we cannot eliminate the risks in today's businesses but what we can surely do is put effective management practices in place to decrease the effects and repercussions from the possible risks. This is where risk management services (RMS) and the companies who provide the same, come into picture.
Risk Management cannot be learnt and executed in a single day. It is developed through years of experience and by working with clients from diverse fields. The efficient companies will always ensure that their approach towards providing risk managing solutions to their clients is not only pragmatic but holistic as well.
Before we proceed further, it is important to understand that the risks in today's business context are as varied as the businesses themselves. Risks can be man-made, natural or operational. It is as important to identify the type of risks involved before one prepares the right frame work to manage them.
One would come across a host of companies providing risk managing services in today's business environment, but only those who understand how to provide a perfect balance of engineering based and field proven solutions will exist in the long run. Professional companies employ many risk controlling techniques and tools to assist their clients in achieving much higher economic profits and increased stakeholder confidence. They assess risks and counter it in such a way that they successfully manage to protect their clients against the unpleasant influence of business disorder.
In today's dynamic business environment, the RMCs recognize that a changing risk environment requires them to adapt to it. They believe that just depending on reaction and/or compliance based approach is not going to work. What they need to do is to proactively build strategic and rational organization-wide processes that focus on pre-empting risks rather than countering them.
The whole framework has to be more about opportunity and less about compulsion, if one has to effectively increase the confidence of all stakeholders in a company's risk management capabilities.
Friday, 21 June 2013
Start here if you are new to Medicare
If you are newly eligible for Medicare or if you have Medicare and your employer group health insurance is ending, you may be anxious to buy a Medicare supplement or enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan. But before you do, consider finding a trustworthy agent who is knowledgeable about all Medicare plan types.
An agent who is able to assess your situation and educate you about your various plan options is better than an agent who is merely looking to get you into a plan in order to earn a commission. And don't discount service after the sale. Agents earn renewal commissions on Medicare plans that may last for several years and are obligated to stay in touch and be there when you have questions or need service.
Follow these tips to find an agent
1. Know when an agent is breaking the rules. There are strict marketing guidelines for some Medicare plans. Agents cannot call you without your permission, show up unannounced at your home or approach you in public areas soliciting you to enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan.
Also, beware of telemarketers who pose as survey-takers who have an interest in what type of Medicare plan you have. This is often nothing more than a disguised cold call.
2. Know the difference between a captive or independent agent or broker. Some agents represent only one insurance company; these are captive agents. Independent agents and brokers can represent multiple companies and in some cases may represent dozens.
Although a captive agent will conduct a needs analysis, they will not have as many products to show you and can only show you what they consider best from their limited portfolio. If you want the widest range of plan options, speak with an independent agent or broker.
3. Where to look for an agent. If you are without an agent or your current health insurance agent doesn't handle Medicare Advantage Plans and Medicare supplement insurance, you will need to strike out on your own to find a trustworthy agent.
There are really two ways to proceed: You can look for an agent locally or you can take your search online. To find a local agent, start by asking your current agents (health, life, auto, homeowners) for a referral. If they do not handle Medicare plans, there's a good chance that they know someone who does.
You can also check with your local Area Council on Aging office. They are a good resource when you are new to Medicare and have questions or are looking for an agent.
If you are more interested in taking your search online, look for a broker who represents multiple companies. Ask them about service after the sale and don't be pressured to fill out an application until you are satisfied with the Medicare plan they are recommending.
Finding a broker and plan online can end the hassle of meeting with an agent, but a local agent could more readily available if you have issues after the sale.
Follow these steps when you're new to Medicare to get the answers you need and have several plans to choose from. Which ever way you go; a Medicare Advantage Plan or a Medicare supplement, it helps to have someone on your side who has plenty of options for you.
Thursday, 20 June 2013
Dealing with difficult people could become quite a challenge. Sometimes, they can take the form of a boss, co-worker, or even a friend or relative. Whatever the case may be, you need to stop losing your temper and start reading some tips for dealing with difficult people.
Letting difficult people get to you automatically puts you on the losing end. Do you want to know how to get to the winning team? Start with the following tips:
Tips for Dealing with Difficult People # 1: Put Yourself In Their Shoes.
Difficult people weren't born difficult. You have to understand that something must have happened to that person in the past, or at least when they tried to get out of bed that morning.
It's not really your place to probe and investigate, although having that sort of perspective will help you understand them a little bit.
Tips for Dealing with Difficult People # 2: Kill With Kindness.
You probably hate that person's guts; but if you fight fire with fire, your reaction might just be as bad. Try to see the positive sides of the person and ignore the negative qualities.
Being nice goes a long way, and small acts of kindness can do wonders. Who knows? They just might become friendlier to you. At the very least, you'll be able to catch that person off guard. Plus points to you.
Tips for Dealing with Difficult People # 3: Keep Yourself Detached.
If you find it challenging to follow the aforementioned tips, the only thing left for you to do is keep yourself detached. Whatever that person does or says, don't take it to heart.
Treat that person just like any other and put on a poker face. This way, you won't get into any heated arguments.
Difficult people will always be around. But it's up to you to decide whether you will let yourself be affected or not. Follow these tips for dealing with difficult people, and you won't have to worry about losing your cool anymore.
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
When you're brushing and flossing religiously and yet your breath still has the potency to kill flowers or small animals, you know you've got a problem. We learn how to treat bad breath only through conventional means, such as standard oral care and maybe some mouthwash or chewing gum. I, like you, have always felt that the freshness of my breath (or lack thereof) left a lot to be desired. In this article I'm going to shed a little bit of light on how to treat bad breath when brushing and flossing just aren't enough.
Perhaps the worst part about bad breath is that when you have it, it's almost all you can think about, especially in social settings! You probably already know that that's no way to live life. I even tended to worry about how fresh my breath was with a mint in my mouth. Let's face it; as a kid, people were brutally honest. But as an adult, no one wants to hurt your feelings, so you never really "know" what people actually think of your breath.
Unfortunately, what most people are probably thinking is that you don't brush your teeth. Society at large, and even the dental community, seems to have this incorrect assumption that proper brushing and flossing is the only thing that you need to keep your breath fresh. Even my dentist doesn't seem to have the faintest idea of how to treat bad breath!
So, why is it that people like us have to suffer with bad breath, while most people get to brush twice a day (if that) and be worry-free and relaxed?
The truth is that it has nothing at all to do with anything you are doing wrong. Unfortunately, the true cause of bad breath is not just plaque on your teeth. It's a natural bacteria that loves to live in your mouth. This bacteria actually aids in our digestive process, but the problem is that as it breaks down foods, it creates sulfur, which is odorous and the main source of bad breath. The reason that your breath is worse than others is because the climate and geography of your mouth happens to be hospitable to these bacteria, allowing them to reproduce in record numbers at a startling pace.
So, you want to know how to treat bad breath and finally get to feel like yourself in social situations? What you have to do is make your mouth less hospitable to these sulfur producing bacteria on a regular basis. You MUST learn how to maintain a pH balanced environment -- it's the only way to stop these bacteria from ruining your life.
I know that at this point you're probably wishing that you could just brush your teeth and floss every now and then, and go on with your life the way that most people can. But life throws us hurdles, and it's better to jump them as they come up than it is to lag behind. Now that you know how to treat bad breath, all you need is a product that can help you maintain a neutralized environment in your mouth, treating your bad breath for good.
The product that I used to finally get rid of my bad breath is fairly inexpensive and keeps my breath fresh all day for only about 30 seconds of my time. I've written a detailed analysis about what I found while doing some research on it -- I wanted to make sure that it worked not only for me, but for other people as well. What I found while sorting through customer feedback is pretty shocking...
Monday, 17 June 2013
Our elbow is an integral component of our arm and it acts in the same manner as a door hinge, providing uninterrupted movements such as lifting and support. It also provides rotational capabilities for the forearm as well as the hand, allowing the arm to be in a position where actions can be performed swiftly. Fractures to the elbow means that the forearm bones which consists of the radius and ulna is broken, either due to a direct trauma from falls or exertion of too much force onto it. Elbow fractures will cause unwanted elbow pain and prevent normal daily actions from being accomplished and can cause severe disruptions to our daily lives. As such, fractures must be treated with utmost care to prevent long term complications.
Do not move the patient
Do not attempt to move the patient at all. Any slight movements under the intention of identifying a fracture can possible damage the surrounding soft tissues as well as cause shock which is life-threatening. In minor cases, the patient may be able to move part of his elbow but in serious cases where bone fragments are aplenty, the sharp fragments can cut into the nerves.
Immobilisation
In any cases, try to immobilise the patient using available tools such as a thick tree branch that is washed prior to minimise infection. Using this splint, immobilise the area above and below the fracture and this will help to prevent the bone as well as the fragments from moving about, reducing the chances of them injuring the soft tissues and causing internal bleeding.
Stop the bleeding
If there is any visible bleeding present, try to stop it by applying mild pressure to the area without causing additional trauma towards the fracture. When possible, use a sterile bandage but a clean piece of cloth will often suffice in desperate times.
Sling the arm
Slinging the arm will help to better support the fractured elbow and reduce any additional stresses and movements at the elbow joint. Slings can be made from simple materials such as clothes and towels if you are unable to find any sterile sling bandages. Always sling the injured elbow higher than the heart to reduce swelling and bleeding.
Elbow fractures can range from minor ones to complicated ones which will possibly lead to long term complications. The first aid rendered to the patient will often have a huge impact on the recovery of the patient and improper first aid rendered can cause more problems.
Sunday, 16 June 2013
Recently I watched a video of 91-year-old Sy Perlis of Surprise, Arizona set a world record bench press for his age group. The previous record of 135 pounds was set in 2005. Sy grabbed hold of the bar and with spotters around, people cheering, as well as his trainer; he pressed 187.2 pounds into the record books. That smashed the previous record by over 50 pounds! Perlis stated, "I got a lot of satisfaction out of it, and it made me feel good, and it was good for me." He started training at 60 years old and started competing at 86.
After seeing what Sy Perlis is able to do and how youthful he is, it disheartens me when I start hearing much younger people complain of how old they are. They say they can't do this or that anymore. Many times that mindset starts in a person's late 20s. Even among my friends I hear things like, I'm now 30 and getting old. I'm thinking to myself, "30 is old?" Back when I was younger, the motto was "don't trust anyone over 30." We thought that 30 was old back then. Today, I see many of my fellow Baby Boomers acting and feeling old. They seemed to have succumbed to it. That doesn't have to be you.
Today, I am challenging everyone to take a page from Sy Perlis and start living an ageless life. Live one of youthfulness. Here are five keys that will help get onto that path:
- Focus on living a life of purpose. Ask yourself, "What is my reason for being?" "What is it that I can focus on that gives me purpose?" Henry David Thoreau once said, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." I would add women to that mix too. The majority of people will go through life with no purpose to it. Don't you be one and if you are, change. Have passion your whole life for life.
- Stop the negative stereotypes of aging and start acting more youthful. That includes getting into exercising more. In a January 2011 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that walking speed is an accurate predictor in how long a person is going to live as well as the quality of life. I would add that stride length is a part of that too. In my case, and as a Baby Boomer, I also engage in Parkour/Free Running, Natural Movement and the martial arts as a part of my overall fitness training. Heck, playing like a kid is okay too.
- Challenge yourself mentally. Learning something new is important for optimal aging and youthfulness. Going back to school, offline and online, will go a long way to keeping your brain healthy.
- Eliminate emotional/mental stress from your life. Realize that a certain amount of stress will be there. You can do things that help to eliminate it. Mindfulness meditation, tai chi, and other mind-body practices are great at reducing distress. Learn to stay more in the present.
- Know that change is part of living and life. Don't get hooked in wanting to live in the past. Growth only occurs when you accept change. A part of that change can even be with the people in your life. Dick Van Dyke once said that he doesn't like hanging around people his own age because they act old. By associating with younger people in both mind and body, you'll go a long way to creating and maintaining youth. By the way, feeling youthful is not the same as acting like an adolescent.
You can live a fully functional and optimal life at any age. It starts with your attitude. If you really want to, then you will. Believe it and do it. And keep doing it until you can't anymore.
Learning and growing in all aspects of living an optimal life is important. Finding the right experts is important for you to get to where you want to get to in life. Whether it's in health, confidence, a purposeful life or more... Build up your own ability in life from the kind of learning that will help you in different areas... They can be in work, personal, relationships, leadership, fitness, nutrition, health or any area that will get you to a life of happiness and purpose. Just go to optimallifeseminars.com for learning and more... Watch for upcoming events and seminars... Bob Choat works as a Mind-Body Transformation Expert, Professional Speaker, Author and co-owner of Optimal Life Seminars along with Dr. Lori Shemek, Ph.D. He is focused on people in every industry reach a higher level of performance in their lives.
Saturday, 15 June 2013
It will perhaps astound you to learn that a person who is afflicted with the main causes of cancer (which constitute the real illness) would most likely die quickly unless he actually grew cancer cells. In this work, I provide evidence to this effect.
I further claim that cancer will only occur after all other defense or healing mechanisms in the body have failed. In extreme circumstances, exposure to large amounts of cancer-producing agents (carcinogens) can bring about a collapse of the body's defenses within several weeks or months and allow for rapid and aggressive growth of a cancerous tumor. Usually, though, it takes many years, or even decades, for these so-called "malignant" tumors to form.
Unfortunately, basic misconceptions or complete lack of knowledge about the reasons behind tumor growth have turned "malignant" tumors into vicious monsters that have no other purpose but to kill us in retaliation for our sins or abusing the body. However, as you are about to find out, cancer is on our side, not against us. Unless we change our perception of what cancer really is, it will continue to resist treatment, particularly the most "advanced" methods. If you have cancer, and cancer is indeed part of the body's complex survival responses and not a disease, as I suggest it is, you must find answers to the following pressing questions:
* What reasons coerce your body into developing cancer cells?
* Once you have identified these reasons, will you be able to change them? What determines the type and severity of cancer with which you are afflicted?
* If cancer is a survival mechanism, what needs to be done to prevent the body from taking recourse to such drastic defense measures?
* Since the body's original genetic design always favors the preservation of life and protection against adversities of any kind, why would the body permit self-destruction?
* Why do almost all cancers disappear by themselves, without medical intervention?
* Do radiation, chemotherapy and surgery actually cure cancer, or do cancer survivors heal due to other reasons, despite these radical, side-effect-loaded treatments?
* What roles do fear, frustration, low self-worth and repressed anger play in the origination and outcome of cancer?
* What is the spiritual growth lesson behind cancer?
To deal with the root causes of cancer, you must find satisfying and practical answers to the above questions. If you feel the inner urge to make sense of this life-changing event, (cancer that is), you most likely will recover from it. Cancer can be your greatest opportunity to help restore balance to all aspects of your life, but it can also be the harbinger of severe trauma and suffering. Either way you are always in control of your body.
To live in a human body, you must have access to a certain amount of life-sustaining energy. You may either use this inherent energy in a nourishing and self-sustaining or in a destructive and debilitating way. In case you consciously or unconsciously choose negligence or self-abuse over loving attention and self-respect, your body will likely end up having to fight for its life.
Cancer is but one of the many ways the body tries to change the way you see and treat yourself, including your body. This inevitably brings up the subject of spiritual health, which plays at least as important a role in cancer as physical and emotional reasons do.
Cancer appears to be a highly confusing and unpredictable disorder. It seems to strike the very happy and the very sad, the rich and the poor, the smokers and the non-smokers, the very healthy and the not so healthy. People from all backgrounds and occupations can have cancer. However, if you dare look behind the mask of its physical symptoms, such as the type, appearance and behavior of cancer cells, you will find that cancer is not as coincidental or unpredictable as it seems to be.
What makes 50% of the American population so prone to developing cancer, when the other half has no risk at all? Blaming the genes for that is but an excuse to cover up ignorance of the real causes. Besides, any good genetic researcher would tell you that such a belief is void of any logic and outright unscientific (as explained in the book).
Cancer has always been an extremely rare illness, except in industrialized nations during the past 40-50 years. Human genes have not significantly changed for thousands of years. Why would they change so drastically now, and suddenly decide to kill scores of people? The answer to this question is amazingly simple: Damaged or faulty genes do not kill anyone. Cancer does not kill a person afflicted with it! What kills a cancer patient is not the tumor, but the numerous reasons behind cell mutation and tumor growth. These root causes should be the focus of every cancer treatment, yet most oncologists typically ignore them. Constant conflicts, guilt and shame, for example, can easily paralyze the body's most basic functions, and lead to the growth of a cancerous tumor.
After having seen thousands of cancer patients over a period of three decades, I began to recognize a certain pattern of thinking, believing and feeling that was common to most of them. To be more specific, I have yet to meet a cancer patient who does not feel burdened by some poor self-image, unresolved conflict and worries, or past emotional trauma that still lingers in his/her subconscious. Cancer, the physical disease, cannot occur unless there is a strong undercurrent of emotional uneasiness and deep-seated frustration.
Cancer patients typically suffer from lack of self-respect or worthiness, and often have what I call an "unfinished business" in their life. Cancer can actually be a way of revealing the source of such inner conflict. Furthermore, cancer can help them come to terms with such a conflict, and even heal it altogether. The way to take out weeds is to pull them out along with their roots. This is how we must treat cancer; otherwise, it may recur eventually.
The following statement is very important in the consideration of cancer: "Cancer does not cause a person to be sick; it is the sickness of the person that causes the cancer." To treat cancer successfully requires the patient to become whole again on all levels of his body, mind and spirit. Once the cancer causes have been properly identified, it will become apparent what needs to be done to achieve complete recovery.
It is a medical fact that every person has cancer cells in the body all the time. These cancer cells remain undetectable through standard tests until they have multiplied to several billion. When doctors announce to their cancer patients that the treatments they prescribed had successfully eliminated all cancer cells, they merely refer to tests that are able to identify the detectable number of cancerous cells. Standard cancer treatments may lower the number of cancer cells to an undetectable level, but this certainly cannot eradicate all cancer cells. As long as the causes of tumor growth remain intact, cancer may redevelop at any time and at any rate.
Curing cancer has little to do with getting rid of a group of detectable cancer cells. Treatments like chemotherapy and radiation are certainly capable of poisoning or burning many cancer cells, but they also destroy healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, etc., which often leads to permanent irreparable damage of entire organs and systems in the body. A real cure of cancer does not occur at the expense of destroying other vital parts of the body.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of people who were once "successfully" treated for cancer die from infections, heart attacks, liver failure, kidney failure and other illnesses because the cancer treatments generate a massive amount of inflammation and destruction in the organs and systems of the body. Of course, these causes of death are not being attributed to cancer. This statistical omission makes it appear we are making progress in the war against cancer. However, many more people are dying from the treatment of cancer than from cancer. A real cure or cancer is achievable only when the causes of excessive growth of cancer cells have been removed or stopped.
Power in the Word
Cancer is the second leading "cause" of death for Americans. According to the American Cancer Society, about 1.2 million cases will be diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. in 2008. More than 552,000 Americans will die of it. Among men, the top three cancer diagnoses are expected to be prostate cancer (180,400 cases), lung cancer (89,500 cases), and colorectal cancer (63,600). The leading types of cancer among women are breast cancer (182,800 cases), lung cancer (74,600), and colorectal cancer (66,600 cases).
Cancer is not just a word, but also a statement that refers to abnormal or unusual behavior of cells in the body. However, in quite a different context, cancer is referred to as a star sign. When someone tells you that you are a "cancer", are you going to tremble with fear of dying? It is unlikely, because your interpretation of being of the cancer sign does not imply that you have cancer, the illness. But if your doctor called you into his office and told you that you had cancer, you would most likely feel paralyzed, numb, terrified, hopeless, or all of the above.
The word "cancer" has the potential to play a very disturbing and precarious role, one that is capable of delivering a death sentence. Being a cancer patient seems to start with the diagnosis of cancer, although its causes may have been there for many years prior to feeling ill. Within a brief moment, the word "cancer" can turn someone's entire world upside down.
Who or what in this world has bestowed this simple word or statement with such great power that it can preside over life and death? Or does it really? Could it actually be that our collective, social belief that cancer is a killer disease, in addition to the aggressive treatments that follow diagnosis, are largely responsible for the current dramatic escalation of cancer in the Western hemisphere? Too far fetched, you might say! In this book, however, I will make the point that cancer can have no power or control over us, unless we unconsciously allow it to grow in response to the beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, thoughts, feelings we have, and the life choices we make.
Would we be just as afraid of cancer if we knew what caused it or at least understood what its underlying purpose is? Unlikely so! If truth were told, we would most probably do everything to remove the causes and, thereby, set the preconditions for the body to heal itself.
A little knowledge (which is what we call ignorance) is, in fact, a dangerous thing. Almost everyone, at least in the industrialized world, knows that drinking water from a filthy pond or polluted lake can cause life-threatening diarrhea, but still only few realize that holding on to resentment, anger and fear, or eating fast foods, chemical additives, and artificial sweeteners, is no less dangerous than drinking polluted water; it may just take a little longer to kill a person than tiny amoeba can.
Mistaken Judgment
We all know that if the foundation of a house is strong, the house can easily withstand external challenges, such as a violent storm. As we will see, cancer is merely an indication that there is something missing in our body and in life as a whole. Cancer shows that life as a whole (physical, mental and spiritual) stands on shaky grounds and is quite fragile, to say the least. It would be foolish for a gardener to water the withering leaves of a tree when he knows so well that the real problem is not where it appears to be, namely, on the symptomatic level (of withered leaves). By watering the roots of the plant, he naturally attends to the causative level, and consequently, the plant regenerates itself swiftly and automatically.
To the trained eye of a gardener, the symptom of withering leaves is not a dreadful disease. He recognizes that the dehydrated state of these leaves is but a direct consequence of withdrawn nourishment that they need in order to sustain themselves and the rest of the plant.
Although this example from nature may appear to be a simplistic analogy, it offers a profound understanding of very complex disease processes in the human body. It accurately describes one of the most powerful and fundamental principles controlling all life forms on the planet. However skilled we may have become in manipulating the functions of our body through the tools of allopathic medicine, this basic, highly evolved principle of evolution cannot be suppressed or violated without paying the hefty price of side-effect-riddled suffering and pain - physically, emotionally and spiritually.
I fervently challenge the statement that cancer is a killer disease. Furthermore, I will demonstrate that cancer is not a disease at all. Many people who received a "terminal" cancer sentence actually defied the prognosis and experienced total remission.
The Need for Answers
There is no cancer that has not been survived by someone, regardless how far advanced it was. If even one person has succeeded in healing his cancer, there must be a mechanism for it, just as there is a mechanism for creating cancer. Every person on the planet has the capacity for both. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, you may not be able to change the diagnosis, but it is certainly in your power to alter the destructive consequences that it (the diagnosis) may have on you. The way you see the cancer and the steps you take following the diagnosis are some of the most powerful determinants of your future wellness, or the lack of it.
The indiscriminate reference to "cancer" as being a killer disease by professionals and lay people alike has turned cancer into a disorder with tragic consequences for the majority of today's cancer patients and their families. Cancer has become synonymous to extraordinary suffering, pain and death. This is true despite the fact that 90-95 percent of all cancers appear and disappear out of their own accord. There is not a day that passes without the body making millions of cancer cells. Some people, under severe temporary stress make more cancer cells than usual and form clusters of cancerous cells that disappear again once they feel better. Secretions of the DNA's anticancer drug, Interleukin II, drop under physical and mental duress and increase again when relaxed and joyful. Thus, most cancers vanish without any form of medical intervention and without causing any real harm.
Right at this moment, there are millions of people walking around with cancers in their body without having a clue that they have them. Likewise, there are millions of people who heal their cancers without even knowing it. Overall, there are many more spontaneous remissions of cancer than there are diagnosed and treated cancers.
The truth is, relatively few cancers actually become "terminal." However, once diagnosed, the vast majority of all cancers are never even given a chance to disappear on their own. They are promptly targeted with an arsenal of deadly weapons of cell destruction such as chemotherapy drugs, radiation and the surgical knife. The problem with cancer patients is that, terrified by the diagnosis, they submit their bodies to all these cut/burn/poison procedures that, more likely than not, lead them to the day of final sentencing, "We have to tell you with our deepest regret there is nothing more that can be done to help you."
The most pressing question is not how advanced or dangerous a cancer is, but what we need to do to not end up dying from it. Why do some people go through cancer as if it were the flu? Are they just lucky or is there a mechanism at work that triggers the healing? In other words, what is that element that prevents the body from healing cancer naturally, or what is that hidden element that makes cancer so dangerous, if it is dangerous at all?
The answers to all these queries lie with the response of the person who has the cancer, and not with the degree of "viciousness" or advanced stage it appears to have progressed to. Do you believe that cancer is a disease? You will most likely answer with a "yes," given the 'informed' opinion that the medical industry and mass media have fed to the masses for many decades. Yet, the most pressing yet rarely asked question remains: "Why do you think cancer is a disease?" You may say: "Because I know cancer kills people every day." I would question you further: "How do you know that it is the cancer that kills people?" You would probably argue that most people who have cancer die, so obviously it must be the cancer that kills them. Besides, you may reason, all the expert doctors tell us so.
Let me raise another question, a rather strange one: "How do you know for sure that you are the daughter/son of your father and not of another man?" Is it because your mother told you so? What makes you think that your mother told you the truth? Probably because you believe her; and you have no reason not to. After all, she is your mother, and mothers do not lie about these things. Or do they? Although you will never really know that the person you believe to be your father is, in fact, your father, you nevertheless have turned what you subjectively believe into something that you just "know," into an irrefutable truth.
Although there is no scientific proof whatsoever that cancer is a disease (versus a survival mechanism), most people will insist that it is a disease because this is what they were told to believe. Yet their belief is only hearsay information based on other people's opinions. These other people heard it from someone else. Eventually, the "truth" of cancer being a disease can be traced to some doctors who expressed their subjective feelings or beliefs about what they observed and wrote about in some review articles or medical reports. Other doctors agreed with their opinion, and before long, it became a "well-established" fact that cancer is a vicious illness that somehow gets hold of people in order to kill them. However, the truth of the matter may be quite different.
Wisdom of Cancer Cells
Cancer cells are not part of a malicious disease process. When cancer cells spread (metastasize) throughout the body, it is not their purpose or goal to disrupt the body's vitals functions, infect healthy cells and obliterate their host (the body). Self-destruction is not the theme of any cell unless, of course, it is old and worn-out and ready to be turned-over and replaced. Cancer cells, like all other cells, know that if the body dies, they will die as well. Just because some people assume that cancer cells are there to destroy the body does not mean cancer cells have such a purpose or ability.
A cancerous tumor is neither the cause of progressive destruction nor does it actually lead to the death of the body. There is nothing in a cancer cell that has even remotely the ability to kill anything. What eventually leads to the demise of an organ or the entire body is the wasting away of cell tissue resulting from continued deprivation of nutrients and life force. The drastic reduction or shutdown of vital nutrient supplies to the cells of an organ is not primarily a consequence of a cancerous tumor, but actually its biggest cause.
By definition, a cancer cell is a normal, healthy cell that has undergone genetic mutation to the point that it can live in an anaerobic surrounding (an environment where oxygen is not available). In other words, if you deprive a group of cells of vital oxygen (their primary source of energy), some of them will die, but others will manage to alter their genetic software program and mutate in a most ingenious way: the cells will be able to live without oxygen and derive some of their energy needs from such things as cellular metabolic waste products.
It may be easier to understand the cancer cells phenomenon when comparing it with the behavior of common microorganisms. Bacteria, for example, are divided into two main groups, aerobic and anaerobic, meaning, those that need to use oxygen and those that can live without it. This is important to understand since we have more bacteria in our body than we have cells. Aerobic bacteria thrive in an oxygenated environment. They are responsible for helping us with the digestion of food and manufacturing of important nutrients, such as B-vitamins. Anaerobic bacteria, on the other hand, can appear and thrive in an environment where oxygen does not reach. They break down waste materials, toxic deposits and dead, worn-out cells.
The body sees the cancer as being such an important defense mechanism that it even causes the growth of new blood vessels to guarantee the much-needed supply of glucose and, therefore, survival and spreading of the cancer cells. It knows that cancer cells do not cause but, prevent death; at least for a while, until the wasting away of an organ leads to the demise of the entire organism. If the trigger mechanisms for cancer (causal factors) are properly taken care of, such an outcome can be avoided.
It is commonly believed that our immune system protects us against cancer. However, this is only partially true. On the one hand, the immune system readily destroys the millions of cancer cells that a healthy human body produces as part of the daily turnover of 30 billion cells. On the other hand, the immune system takes no action to eradicate cancer cells that develop in response to a build up of toxins, congestion and emotional stress.
Cancers and all other tissues in the body are larded with cancer-killing white cells, such as T-cells. In the case of kidney cancer and melanomas, for example, white cells make up 50 per cent of the mass of the cancers. Since these T-cells easily recognize foreign or mutated cell tissue such as cancer cells, you would expect these immune cells to attack cancer cells right away. However, the immune system allows cancer cells to recruit it to actually increase and spread the cancer to other parts of the body. Cancer cells produce specific proteins that tell the immune cells to leave them alone and help them to grow
Why would the immune system want to collaborate with cancer cells to make more or larger tumors? Because cancer is a survival mechanism, not a disease. The body uses the cancer to keep deadly carcinogenic substances and caustic metabolic waste matter away from the lymph and blood and, therefore, from the heart, brain and other vital organs. Killing off cancer cells would in fact jeopardize its survival. Cleansing the body of accumulated toxins and waste products through the various cleansing methods advocated in my book Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation (www.ener-chi.com) removes the need for cancer.
Cancer is not a disease; it is the final and most desperate survival mechanism the body has at its disposal. It only takes control of the body when all other measures of self-preservation have failed. To truly heal cancer and what it represents in a person's life we must come to the understanding that the reason the body allows some of its cells to grow in abnormal ways is in its best interest and not an indication that it is about to destroy itself. Cancer is a healing attempt by the body, for the body. Blocking this healing attempt can destroy the body. Supporting the body in its healing efforts can save it.
Secret #1 The Money Spent On Research Into Breast Cancer Is Not Ensuring That Less Women Get Breast Cancer.
Secret #2 You Do Need To Act Against Getting Breast Cancer Before You Reach 50 And You Cannot Rely On Mammograms.
Secret #3 You Are At Risk Of Getting Breast Cancer Even If You Don't Have It In Your Family.
Secret #4 Most Of The Money Spent On Research Is Not Going Into Prevention To Ensure That Less Women Suffer The Devastating Effects Of Breast Cancer In The Future.
Secret #5 Most Women Are Not Breast Aware And Are Afraid Of Breast Cancer.
Secret #6 Women Are Not Given Lots Of Advice On How They Can Protect Their Breasts Against Breast Cancer.
Secret #7 Most Women Do Not Appreciate How Important Their Breasts Are And Do Not Do Everything They Can To Look After And Protect Them.
Secret #2 You Do Need To Act Against Getting Breast Cancer Before You Reach 50 And You Cannot Rely On Mammograms.
Secret #3 You Are At Risk Of Getting Breast Cancer Even If You Don't Have It In Your Family.
Secret #4 Most Of The Money Spent On Research Is Not Going Into Prevention To Ensure That Less Women Suffer The Devastating Effects Of Breast Cancer In The Future.
Secret #5 Most Women Are Not Breast Aware And Are Afraid Of Breast Cancer.
Secret #6 Women Are Not Given Lots Of Advice On How They Can Protect Their Breasts Against Breast Cancer.
Secret #7 Most Women Do Not Appreciate How Important Their Breasts Are And Do Not Do Everything They Can To Look After And Protect Them.
The above "secrets" are things which are not commonly known by most women and may be surprising to you. In this article, I intend to shed light on these facts and allow women to make up their own minds how they approach their breast health.
SECRET #1 THE MONEY SPENT ON RESEARCH INTO BREAST CANCER IS NOT ENSURING THAT LESS WOMEN GET BREAST CANCER.
The Pink Ribbon and Breast Cancer Awarenss Month was introduced in the US in 1985 and introduced to the UK in 1993. The Pink Ribbon Foundation is fronted by the Estee Lauder group of companies (known for cosmetics and skincare).
Since then the pink ribbon symbol has become synonymous with breast cancer and during the past 15 years billions of pounds have been raised in its name. Every October the world celebrates Breast Cancer Awareness Month and fund raising during that month is phenomenal. All the breast cancer charities vie with each other to see who can come up with the most innovative "pink" fundraising. They run pink parties and sell pink products in order to raise money. Many companies take part and do special promotions during October for their preferred charity. "Pink" is big business.
So with all this money being raised during October and also at other times during the year through events like charity runs and walks, is there an impact on the breast cancer rates in the UK and around the world? Are they coming down? Are fewer women suffering from the devastating effects of breast cancer?
Unfortunately, the answer is 'no'.
In the UK, from 1993-2004, breast cancer incidence has increased 18.5%, that is 1% per year. 1 in 9 women will get the disease during their lifetime with current projections of 1 in 7 by 2010. 45,500 women were diagnosed in 2005, which equates to 125 women every day. Worldwide more than a million women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. It is also projected that breast cancer rates will rise most in developing countries, where women do not have access to top quality care and where they can also be treated as outcasts in certain societies.
Breast cancer survival rates have improved. Every year more than 12,300 women and 70 men die from breast cancer. Since the peak in the late 1980s breast cancer death rates have fallen by a third. Breast cancer drugs have helped to save women's lives but, as with any drugs, can have long-term side affects. Also the cost of these drugs puts great strain on the NHS. If breast cancer rates continue to increase as they have been doing, then, according to Professor Karol Sikora as reported in the Daily Mail on 09/09/08, "the next generation of drugs would keep patients alive longer, but could swallow half of the current NHS cancer budget within four years. (this refers to all cancer drugs at a cost of £50 billion).
With the billions being raised by people around the world in the name of breast cancer, is it right that actually more women are getting this devastating disease every year?
SECRET #2 YOU DO NEED TO ACT AGAINST GETTING BREAST CANCER BEFORE YOU REACH 50 AND YOU CANNOT RELY ON MAMMOGRAMS.
Women in the UK are offered breast screening by mammogram every three years from the age of 50. This is because breast cancer is still more common in women over 50 but also because the breast tissue of younger women is denser and, therefore, makes it more difficult for a mammogram to pick up on a potential breast lump.
However, this could be giving the message to younger women that they don't need to check their breasts themselves. Based on my experience during my breast health talks, very few younger women check their breasts. The main reasons for this are that no-one has shown them how to, they don't know what to do, they think that they only need to worry if breast cancer is in the family (see Secret #3) or they are afraid that they might find something.
For a younger woman it is even more important to check her breasts from her mid-twenties as breast cancer in younger women is usually much more aggressive as the breast cancer cells can multiply more rapidly than in older women. If girls were taught by their mothers to check their breasts from their mid-twenties, they would not be afraid - it would just be part of their general regime of looking after themselves. Also they would feel confident about what to do. Breast self-examination is easy to do once you have been shown how and there are even devices on the market which can help you do so with confidence and greater accuracy.
Breast cancer is the biggest killer of women aged 35-54, which means it makes sense for women in this age bracket to do everything they can to protect their breasts.
Furthermore, I do not believe that we should rely on mammograms either. Women are only screened every three years and, usually, a mammogram can only detect a breast tumour once it has been growing for 8 years. By the time the tumour reaches 10 years, it could be too late. The other thing to remember is that a mammogram can only screen the part of the breast which can be put into the "clamp". It cannot screen under the armpit or between the breasts for example.
Lastly, there is growing concern over the safety of mammograms. The following are extracts from an article written by Peter Leando PhD.
"Controversy has raged for years as to whether the risks related to the radiation exposure suffered from mammography are justified by the benefits gained ...... new evidence relating to the particular type of radiation used and the hard evidence relating to the clinical benefits of mammography have caused a serious re-evaluation of the justification of mammography as a screening test.
Radiation from routine mammography cannot be directly compared to other types of X-ray like chest X-ray etc because they are very different types of radiation.
The comparisons that have been used between a chest x-ray and mammography, 1/1,000 of a rad (radiation-absorbed dose) for a chest X-ray and the 1 rad exposure for the routine four films taken of both breasts for a mammographic screening exam results in some 1,000 times greater exposure. (This refers to the US, where they do four-way screening. In the UK typically only two-way screening is offered.)
This is considered a significant risk factor when extended over a ten year screening period and a potential accumulative dose of 10 rads. Unfortunately this is not the major risk posed by the particular type of radiation used by mammograms, mammography X-rays use a low energy form of ionising radiation that causes greater biologic damage than the high energy X-ray. The very low energy electrons affect the density of ionisation tracks that pass through the tissue, which can cause complex damage to the DNA and carcinogenic changes.
The radiation used by mammography is almost 5 times more effective at causing cancer." So, women do need to start checking their breasts from their early twenties and we cannot rely on mammograms 100%, particularly for younger women who would have a greater exposure to radiation during their lifetime if they were offered mammograms from a younger age. Also mammograms do not detect Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) which is a much rarer form of the disease and does not involve a lump. This would only detected by a woman looking for changes to her breasts and reporting them to her doctor.
SECRET #3 YOU ARE AT RISK OF GETTING BREAST CANCER EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT IN YOUR FAMILY.
Amongst the hundreds of women I have talked to about breast health, the vast majority were under the false impression that breast cancer is primarily hereditary. They were surprised to hear that fewer than 10% of cases occur to women who have breast cancer in the family.
In fact, every woman is at risk and should take control of her own breast health to give herself the best possible chance of prevention or early detection.
The other most common acknowledged risk factors are:
- Age - breast cancer is more common in women over 50
- Early puberty - it is worrying that puberty is starting younger, with most girls starting their periods at primary school
- Late pregnancy - many woman are opting to have children later
- Late onset menopause
- Not having children and not breastfeeding - this was known as early as the 18th century when a doctor in Italy noticed that nuns had higher levels of breast cancer than the general population
- Being overweight - this applies mainly to post-menopausal women
- Alcohol - over-consumption increases the risk of breast cancer
Acknowledged risk factors account for around 50% of breast cancer cases. For the remainder, there are no definite reasons.
There are a growing number of scientists, commercial companies and individuals who believe that this remaining 50% is due to the rise of the number of chemicals which have been introduced over the past 50 years. They are used in our food, in our toiletries, in the workplace, in our clothes, in our furnishings - in fact, in every aspect of our lives. Many of these chemicals are endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC's), also known as hormone disruptors or oestrogen mimickers. In simple terms, they act like oestrogen in our bodies and could be responsible for changing our delicate hormone balance which controls events like pregnancy, puberty, menopause.
An interesting example of the levels of oestrogen of British women was examined in a collaborative study undertaken in the late 80's between Oxford University, the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine Beijing, Guys, and the Dept. of Preventive Medicine, L.A., California. They compared blood-serum concentrations of hormones linked to breast cancer between women in rural China and in Britain. The results showed that British women who are exposed to toxic chemicals in their everyday lives had increasingly higher levels of oestradiol (oestrogen) than women living a rural lifestyle in China (see table below).
On this theme, the Guardian online reported on 22/05/07 that 'Beijing blames pollutants for rise in killer cancers'.
Oestradiol levels higher in British women by: Age 35 - 44 36% Age 45 - 54 90% Age 55 - 64 171%
SECRET #4 MOST OF THE MONEY SPENT ON RESEARCH IS NOT GOING INTO PREVENTION TO ENSURE THAT FEWER WOMEN SUFFER THE DEVASTATING EFFECTS OF BREAST CANCER IN THE FUTURE.
As we know, billions of pounds are raised every year worldwide in the name of breast cancer and most of this money is received by the mainstream breast cancer charities. In my opinion, the areas which should be targeted by these funds are prevention, treatment and care. You would probably expect these areas, at least, to be treated with equal importance and the funds available allocated accordingly.
Let's first take a look at the mainstream breast cancer charities in this country, namely Cancer Research UK (who obviously deal with all cancers), Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer Campaign and Breast Cancer Care.
Cancer Research UK has done a huge amount of research into breast cancer and their website has a wealth of useful information with a lot of detail on breast cancer. Their slogan is 'Together We Will Beat Cancer'. The charity offers funding schemes to scientists. Their research strategy is directed at reducing mortality from cancer and more women are surviving breast cancer than ever before. Cancer Research UK is looking trying to prevent breast cancer in women known to be at high risk of developing it (approx 10% of sufferers). Doctors have looked into using tamoxifen and other hormone blocking drugs such as anastrozole (Arimidex) to lower the risk of breast cancer in women with a strong family history. This work has to be done very carefully. These women are healthy and the treatment aimed at preventing breast cancer must not risk their health in other ways.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer supports a programme of cutting-edge biological research to reach their vision of 'a future free from the fear of breast cancer'. Breakthrough set up the UK's first dedicated breast cancer research centre in 1999, the Breakthrough Toby Robins Breast Cancer Research Centre. Breakthrough is funding The Generations Study whosepurpose is primarily to investigate environmental, behavioural, hormonal and genetic causes of breast cancer, and secondarily to investigate the causes of other cancers and diseases, by means of a UK cohort study to be established of more than 100,000 women in the UK aged 18 years and older at entry.
However, when you look at environmental factors as a possible risk factor, it seems to be dismissed because it is too difficult to research due to the huge amount of chemicals to which we are exposed in our everyday lives. You can read more at their website under "risk factors".
As I have mentioned, I am one of the many people who believe that certain chemicals which act like oestrogen in our bodies are a contributing factor in rising breast cancer rates. I am disappointed to see that Breakthrough are not even including this as a possible risk factor, particularly as we know that excessive oestrogen has been linked to breast cancer cell growth.
Breast Cancer Campaign cites its mission is to beat breast cancerby funding innovative world-class research to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure. The charity is supporting 97 projects worth over £12.8 million in 41 locations throughout the UK. Over the past 13 years, Campaign has awarded 232 grants with a total value of over £23 million to universities, medical schools / teaching hospitals and research institutes across the UK. Campaign's breast cancer research gap analysis document has been published by the open access journal Breast Cancer Research. The document entitled 'Evaluation of the current knowledge limitations in breast cancer research: a gap analysis' is the product of two and a half year project. It involved around 60 of the key breast cancer scientists in the UK.
Through their website, they sell products of various types and the companies who own those brands donate part of their profits to the Campaign. They include things like lip gloss, perfume, toiletries, clothing and stationery. Some of us would say that many of the products include harmful ingredients and are not actually contributing to the breast health of the ladies buying them! I was also disappointed that, although they mention prevention in their mission statement, I have one of their leaflets that shows prevention only receives 1% of their budget.
Breast Cancer Care, as its name suggests, is primarily concerned with the care and treatment of ladies going through breast cancer. It provides invaluable information and support.
I applaud all of these organisations who are dedicated to their work to help us understand and treat breast cancer.
However, I still believe that the risk factor of certain chemicals affecting our delicate hormone balance should be taken seriously and that all the available research should be studied. It is important to note that only 50% of breast cancer cases can be put down to one of the acknowledged risk factors. What is this remaining 50%? What has changed in our world over the past 50 years? It is also interesting that other countries are recognising the dangers of these chemicals and banning substances. I also believe in adopting the 'precautionary principle', which means that if there is a doubt over the safety to public health, then we should not wait until it is too late but take action as soon as possible. It has also been proved that there are alternatives to these potentially harmful chemicals when we see the growing number of companies who are selling safer food, cosmetics and toiletries.
This is why I am an active supporter of Breast Cancer UK, the only charity whose main focus is primary prevention. We are determined that breast cancer should be a 'preventable' disease not an 'inevitable' one. There is lots of research available on the link between endocrine disrupting chemicals and breast cancer. It is time that this was taken into account when looking at breast cancer risk factors.
SECRET #5 MOST WOMEN ARE NOT BREAST AWARE AND ARE AFRAID OF BREAST CANCER.
Despite the huge focus on being breast aware, particularly during Breast Cancer Awareness month in October, the majority of women are not breast aware. In fact, most women pay little attention to their breasts and do very little to look after them, except maybe during breastfeeding. Our breasts represent our femininity - they make us feel sexy and they nourish our children. Yet most women don't even know what their breasts feel like, let-alone check them for anything unusual.
It is so important that women take control of their own breast health by undertaking monthly self-examination to check for any changes. If they find a lump and go to their doctor straight away, the chances are the lump will be benign (80% are) or, if it is cancerous, they are giving themselves the best possible chance of recovery. At Stage One, women have around a 95% chance of surviving beyond 5 years. At Stage One the lump is less than 2cm and has not spread to the lymph nodes or anywhere else in the body. At Stage Four this survival rate drops to 1 in 10. The average size of lump discovered accidentally by women who don't check their breasts regularly is approximately 3.6 cm.
I have spoken with hundreds of women through my breast education work and most women do not check their breasts because they don't know what to do, they don't realize that all women are at risk, they don't know about the four stages of breast cancer and the corresponding survival rates, they don't really think about the need to do anything to look after their breasts or they are afraid that they might find something.
According to research by Breast Cancer Campaign, breast cancer is the most feared disease amongst women. Fear is usually due to a lack of knowledge. This is certainly the case here. If women understood everything detailed here, they would want to give themselves the best chance of survival should they get the disease. The current approach to women's breast health obviously isn't getting through, which is why I believe it is time to get women to take control themselves and empower other women to do the same.
SECRET #6 WOMEN ARE NOT GIVEN LOTS OF ADVICE ON HOW THEY CAN PROTECT THEIR BREASTS AGAINST BREAST CANCER.
In the past, GP surgeries used to run Well Woman clinics where any woman could go and see a doctor or nurse and be given advice about looking after herself with practical information like being shown how to check her breasts. Very few surgeries offer these clinics now. This is one of the reasons that I started my Breast Health Presentations. I talk to women in the workplace or in other gatherings and empower them with information, which helps to remove some of their fear. I also show them how to check their breasts and talk to them about their bra-wearing habits, how to avoid harmful chemicals in their everyday lives and how to benefit from detoxifying breast massage.
As we know, breast cancer is the most feared disease amongst women and understanding how it develops, the risk factors and, most importantly, how to protect against it, will make women feel more in control and positive towards their breast health.
During October and other events during the year, the focus is on breast cancer rather than breast health. I am one of those people who believe that the more you focus on something negative, the more you will get of it. This is why it is time to change that focus.
I believe that it is definitely time for women to take their breast health into their own hands, which is why I have launched my new campaign "Healthy Breasts For Every Woman". You can read more at www.healthybreastscampaign.co.uk.
SECRET #7 MOST WOMEN DO NOT APPRECIATE HOW IMPORTANT THEIR BREASTS ARE AND DO NOT DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO LOOK AFTER AND PROTECT THEM.
As I mentioned before, most women give very little thought to their breasts. They get up in the morning and they may give them a wash in the shower. They then shove them into a cage we call a bra (and most women wear a bra that doesn't fit them properly) and forget about them for the rest of the day. It is amazing that we live in a society which is obsessed with breasts and women do very little to protect this most precious part of their body. It is also amazing that women spend a fortune on looking after every other part of their body with creams and lotions and forget about their breasts! I know that once women understand more about breast health and don't feel so helpless in the face of breast cancer that they do want to be proactive and take control of their breast health.
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