How To Create A Cancer Free Envirement at Home
By Dr. Girgis N.D.

- Published First on 05.01.2016 at www.curenaturally.org

Benjamin Franklin was quoted long ago “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. As I have stated in my previous articles, scientists have proven that changes in lifestyle can prevent cancer by up to 68%! That is many, many thousands of lives saved in the United States and millions around the world.

In my previous articles I tried to tackle issues such as food, make-up and hygiene products and cancer. But how about the environment we live in? Can we prevent cancer by changing our environment? The answer is a big yes. I am not talking about becoming a full time activist, which is wonderful if you can do it, but not all of us can. I am talking about paying attention to what is around you, from air to water and surrounding yourself with a clean environment.

Clean Air

Let's take a look: Can we keep cancer-causing chemicals out of our system?

1. We know that the air we breathe matters greatly. We have seen the impact of cigarette smoking and pollution causing cancer and allergies and more. Although we might not be able to change the place where we live (big city vs. rural community), we can become active in our communities and find solutions for improving the environment and air quality not only for us, but for future generations. There are many ways that we can create better air quality. Electronics, such as cell phones and computers and most other electronic devices, some furniture, and many synthetic devices in our homes emit what is known as volatile organic chemicals (VOC) that can be carcinogenic. We can reduce the effects of these harmful chemicals by taking a few simple steps such as:

A. Adding plants in your apartment or office can help increase indoor air quality. In addition, they make us feel good by adding beauty and bringing the nature inside. Most importantly, some plants can help clean the air as well. Examples are Aloe, Golden pothos, Weeping fig, Azalea, Chinese evergreen, Bamboo palm and Peace lily. For more types of plants, please read our herb section and the article posted HERE.

B. Make sure to leave the window open at least once a day, if possible continuously, so the air can circulate, even if it is cold outside. If it's too hot or cold, we can just keep the door or window open just enough to change the air inside.

C. Change your furnace filters regularly as recommended.

D. Keep your shoes at the door. I remember growing up, I preferred walking with my high heel shoes on, which annoyed my older brother and his wife, who happened to have a new baby and were very strict to keep their environment clean. If you don’t want to take your shoes off, use a shoe cover, the type that is used in operating rooms and offer it to your guests as well.

Just simply removing our shoes can make a huge difference in improving the air quality and the level of bacteria, viruses and allergens moving around.

I am against carpet flooring for the most part, as some can accumulate not only dirt but also emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Unfortunately, there was news not long ago about some of the Chinese made laminated flooring containing toxins such as formaldehyde. So make sure your hardwood floor is free of hazardous materials. But hardwood floor in general is a great and clean type for flooring. Others include natural beautiful stones. But considering that Americans are getting older and falls are a major hazard for the elderly, use of stone flooring is not very practical.

Another option about carpet is using hand made rugs or hand made carpet. I have my own biases toward Persian carpets. Not only because I grew up with Persian carpets all around, and I see it as magnificent piece of art to have, it is also because Persian carpet is made of natural organic ingredients and natural coloring that can last for hundreds of years. There was a Persian carpet found in China, that dated more than 1500 years. In addition, you can wash it as often as needed by simply putting it in the yard, shampoo it, hose it down, dry it in the air and then bring it inside again. The colors look much more vibrant and better. It is worth the investment.

Clean Water

It is important to make sure that we are drinking clean water. There are kits or organizations that can test the water at your home, making sure your water is free of harmful chemicals. More than 700 pollutants, some of them carcinogenic are found in our drinking water (Secrets of Longevity P.160). One is hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium-6. Neurotoxins include fluoride, arsenic, benzene, chlorine, lead, dimethyl disulfide, carbon disulfide, trimethyl Naphthalene, benzene and many more. Learning the best approach to have clean water at your home and keep it clean is very important.

I suggest reading this article by Dr. David Williams “Seven Ways to Purify Water.” It can help you make the decision of what approach to use a little simpler. To learn about how to treat lead poisoning you can read my article in here.

Keep Your Home Free From Hazardous Chemicals

Keep your home free from hazardous cleaning chemicals. The great examples are some of the cleaning products we use at home. Another one is the chemicals we use for our gardening. According to environment experts, about 62 hazardous chemicals are in our cleaning products.

According to The National Institute of Occupation Safety and Health, one third of chemicals used in fragrances are toxic. There is a class of chemicals called alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APEs), used to keep detergents effective, that have been shown to be hormone disrupters. APE p-nonylphenol induces estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells to proliferate in test tubes.

The best way is using natural products for cleaning. Make friends with your white vinegar, grapefruit, and salt for cleaning surfaces. For scrubbing surfaces and toilet cleaning, use baking soda. Or find out how you can create your own cleaning agents.

I use vinegar and add few drops of my favorite essential oils like or grapefruit essential oil or rose essential oil for cleaning, mix it with water and spray it over the counters and dry it with good natural fabric for the kitchen surfaces.

Suggest you to look for other web sites to get tools and instruction on how to clean your home using natural materials. I will try my best to publish articles and instruct you once in a while on how to make your own products naturally. Keep checking our website. To learn about some of the obvious hazardous material found at home read this article: “19Natural Cleaning Tips (+ Easy Recipes).”

Cookware
It is difficult to believe that we use cookware that can release carcinogenic material into our food. One of these is Teflon. Teflon has been around since the 1940’s and they are a household name, not only in the United States but around the world.

Because of its durability and its non-sticky surface, they have been very popular with all who love to cook. But unfortunately, to make Teflon, manufacturing companies use a chemical called Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8. Studies in animals reveal that C8 can increase the risk of cancers of the liver, mammary glands (breasts), testicles, and pancreas in these animals.

Although the amount of C8 in cookware is not high, cumulative exposure for a long period of time can become an issue.

Studies in human who work with C8 suggest an increased risk of testicular cancer, although small. Other studies have shown links to prostate, ovarian, thyroid and kidney cancers.

What is Titanium Cookware?

(PFOA) Perfluorooctanoic acid or C8 and similar compounds can be found in low levels in foods, drinking water, industrial waste, carpet cleaning liquids, stain resistant carpets, popcorn bags, house dust, and some cookware such as Teflon.

PFOA levels in drinking water are very low. But in some areas, such as near chemical plants that use PFOA can be very high. Studies have found trace amounts in almost everyone’s blood. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has looked at the animal studies and concluded “suggestive evidence of carcinogenicity, but not sufficient to assess human carcinogenic potential.” The board agreed that new evidence would be considered as it becomes available.

Cancer.org stated on their website “Other than the possible risk of flu-like symptoms from breathing in fumes from an overheated Teflon-coated pan, there are no known risks to humans from using Teflon-coated cookware. While PFOA is used in making Teflon, it is not present (or is present in extremely small amounts) in Teflon-coated products”

So what should we choose for our cookware?
Titanium cookware is a great option as far as cancer goes. But to learn more about healthy cookware, I recommend you read this article below:
9 Nontoxic Cookware Brands

Thanks again for visiting! Below are few additional resources from cancer.org if needed.

Additional Resources

We have a lot more information that you might find helpful. Explore www.cancer.org or call our National Cancer Information Center toll-free number, 1-800-227-2345. We’re here to help you any time, day or night.

Other national organizations and websites*
Along with the American Cancer Society, other sources of information and support include:

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
Toll-free number: 1-888-422-8737 (1-888-42-ATSDR)
Website: www.atsdr.cdc.gov
ToxFAQs for Perfluoroalkyls

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Toll-free number (Safe Drinking Water Hotline): 1-800-426-4791
Website: www.epa.gov

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Toll-free number: 1-800-422-6237 (1-800-4-CANCER)
Website: www.cancer.gov

*Inclusion on this list does not imply endorsement by the American Cancer Society.

No matter who you are, we can help. Contact us anytime, day or night, for information and support. Call us at 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.