Alan Bell's Blog, page 6

3 Ways to Protect Your Family from Lung Cancer

A friend of mine was recently appalled when a man next to her pulled out a cigarette and began smoking, even though she was visibly very pregnant. We try to avoid obvious pollutants and adhere to physician recommendations when we feel vulnerable. But sometimes, the most hazardous environmental factors are ones that are more difficult to notice.

As we approach February — National Cancer Prevention Month — I want to call attention to a hidden, cancer-causing danger that can be found in your home.

You can eat healthy, exercise, avoid alcohol, abstain from smoking and drugs, yet, still get lung cancer. Dana Reeve, the wife of “Superman” (Christopher Reeve), didn’t smoke, yet died of lung cancer when she was only in her 40s.

You may avoid smoking because of the association with lung cancer. But, did you know that radon is actually a leading cause of lung cancer in the United States? Radon gas is found inside many homes. Was it inside Christopher and Dana Reeves’ home? Quite possible!

What is Radon Gas?

It’s an invisible, odorless, naturally occurring substance that comes from the earth.You have no inkling of its presence. You can breathe it in everyday in your home or workplace without realizing its dangers.

Radon is radioactive and permeates through the ground into the air space where you live.

If you have any cracks or crevices in your foundation, radon can easily creep through those cracks.

It may seem intimidating or overwhelming to try to protect your family from something you can’t see or smell, but you can take simple steps to protect those you love and ensure you’re breathing in radon-free air, without becoming an alarmist.

Here are three easy ways:

Check out this map and reference the radon hotspots. Different parts of the United States are more prone to radon. It’s more heavily in the ground in certain geographical locations. However, even if you aren’t in a hotspot, it is still possible that radon is present.
Buy a home radon test kit from Amazon or at Wal-Mart, or reference consumer reports prior to a purchase. These simple and inexpensive tests are only about $30. You open a cannister that takes air samples, and you can ship it back to a lab, and they will tell you if you have radon in your home.
If you do have radon in your house, then meticulously search for cracks and seal them up. You can hire a professional to do the job for about $1200 for an average sized house.

Protecting those you love isn’t complicated and the investment greatly outweighs the risk. You can do more than avoid second hand smoke. Be aware of the environmental hazards.

You can take a lot of other simple steps to help protect the air that you are breathing. For example, something as minor as regularly opening up your windows will help. When you get fresh air in your house, then you will be able to get the radon out of your house. Check out my recent post of 21 tips for more ideas.

My Story: How Doctors Finally Discovered the Root of my Environmental Illness

As I stared at the ocean outside my window in 110 Tower, my body was bathed in sweat as I struggled not to vomit. I tried my best to stay still, hoping the nausea would dissipate before I had to be at work later that afternoon. Otherwise, I’d never make it through.

No matter what the outcome, I was determined to get to the root cause of my illness. Although I finally had to admit that I was no longer a bulletproof athlete and attorney, I remained convinced that there had to be a physician somewhere out there with the expertise to “fix” me.

I eventually ended up at the Mayo clinic. The doctor sent me to specialist after specialist. They eventually concluded that I wasn’t getting enough oxygen to feel or think normally. My severely compromised immune system meant I was vulnerable to constant viral attacks, and my liver couldn’t cleanse my body of toxins.

The doctor told me to go home and rest saying, “There’s nothing more we can do for you.”

After returning home, someone suggested that I call the Cleveland Clinic. This time I heard something new.

“There’s something wrong with your heart,” he said, reviewing my tests. “You’ve got a prolapsed valve.” I was still in my thirties and thinner than I’d been in years. I didn’t understand how that was even possible. I’d had a million tests and nobody had ever said there was something wrong with my heart. “Oh,” he said, “it’s possible.”

The doctor then went on to say something even more astonishing…that all of my symptoms were pointing toward something environmental. He asked when I first got sick. I gave him the same date I’d given every other doctor.

“No,” he said. “I mean, what were you doing when you started to get sick? Where were you in your life?”

I wasn’t following the connections he was making. Then he asked, “What building were you in?”

“110 Tower,” I said. “I was spending most of my time either in my office there or in the Broward County Courthouse.”

“That might be your answer, then: one of those buildings. Probably 110 Tower, since that’s where you started really feeling ill.”

Even though I was capable of connecting the dots—I’d never been sick until I worked at 110 Tower—I couldn’t fully grasp what this doctor was saying. How could I have been sick because of a building? I thought it was flat out impossible.

But, he was right. He referred me to yet another doctor—one who specialized in environmental illnesses—and the results were conclusive: I had sick building syndrome.

I didn’t know what it was, and I couldn’t believe the government would approve dangerous chemicals in building materials. It turns out that there are no government regulations of most chemicals used in building products, only in foods and drugs.

I was in disbelief, yet a part of my brain was analyzing the evidence along with him. I knew in my gut that he was right.

This set me on a course that led to becoming an environmental health advocate, toxic tort attorney and public speaker. Although forced by my illness to live in a ‘bubble’ in the remote Arizona desert, I founded the Environmental Health Foundation to help prevent, treat and cure environmentally-related disease.

Are you wrestling with any of the same symptoms I did? Maybe you’ve seen a lot of doctors and they haven’t been able to figure out your issue. Take a few moments to consider your environment. Could hidden toxins be contributing to your illness? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Making Resolutions? Protect Yourself from Environmental Injury in 2017 with my Top 21 Lifestyle Tips

It’s January. A time when most of us enter a state of reflection on what worked or didn’t work for us in 2016 and how we can improve areas of our life for the year ahead. Many of us will re-commit to consistent exercise, eating better, getting more sleep…and the list goes on. But how many of us are considering a healthier lifestyle based upon an awareness of environmental toxins that are surrounding us everywhere we turn?

Probably not many because these dangers are hidden in plain sight, and what’s out of sight, is often out of mind, right?

But, did you know that more people die from toxic exposure than all those afflicted with AIDS, war, crime and accident combined?

Staggering, I know.

This is precisely why I’m on a mission to bring more awareness to this silent epidemic and educate people on simple shifts they can make in their lifestyle to reduce their risk. By following the easy lifestyle modifications listed below, you can protect yourself and your family against environmental injury and death—before it’s too late.

Food. Eat plants grown organically, with natural fertilizers, and make sure the meat you buy comes from animals not fed with chemicals, hormones, antibiotics, or pesticides. Avoid farm-raised fish. Eat wild-caught and smaller fish to minimize mercury exposure. Avoid tuna, sea bass, and swordfish. Cod, salmon, and pollack are better.

Water. Drink, bathe, and cook with filtered, chlorine-free water. Drink only water bottled in glass, not in plastic. Hundreds of contaminants have been found in tap water.

Indoor air. We spend 90 percent of our time indoors, where pollutants are up to five times higher than outdoors, so use ozone-free HEPA air purifiers. When vacuuming, use a HEPA-filtered unit. If you’re building or renovating a home, consider installing a central vacuum cleaning system with a HEPA filter. Buy a test kit to determine if mold, radon, or asbestos are present in your home. Asbestos and radon are leading causes of lung cancer. Regularly open the windows in your house to let fresh air dilute any radon gas that has built up. Use tight sealing glass doors on your fireplace to minimize the fumes (carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide) that could seep into your home. Never use any type of scented air fresheners (unless they are natural essential oils) because they contain many synthetic toxic chemicals.

Personal care products. Most personal care products with synthetic fragrances contain toxic chemicals. Avoid perfume, cologne, and products with added fragrance. Use nontoxic sunscreen. Most sunscreens are chemical based and those should never be used. Buy sunscreens containing zinc oxide as their active ingredient. Read labels and avoid products that contain the following:

Words ending in “paraben”
DMDM hydantoin
Imidazolidinyl urea
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Triclosan
Triclocarban
Triethanolamine (TEA)

Children. Don’t buy disposable, plastic baby diapers. They contain toxic chemicals that infiltrate children’s bodies. Use cloth diapers. When using personal care products for children:

Use fewer products and use them less often.
Don’t trust claims. Read all the labels and check ingredients.
Buy fragrance-free products.
Avoid the use of synthetic baby powder on newborns and infants. Use organic cornstarch instead.

Cookware. Don’t cook with Teflon or nonstick pans. When cookware with nonstick coating is heated, the coating breaks down and leaches toxins into your food. Use cast iron, stainless steel, or glass cookware.

Plastics. Avoid plastic baby bottles and food and drink containers made with bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is a common ingredient found in plastic and is associated with many health problems including birth defects and cancer. Use BPA-free plastic, glass, or metal containers. Only use plastic containers labeled one through five for food.

Laundry products. Buy fragrance-free detergent and fabric softeners. Read product labels. An increasing number of companies manufacture scent- and dye-free products. Use natural alternatives. For example, white vinegar is a natural fabric softener.

Home cleaning products. Although toxic cleaners kill germs, they pose health hazards. Use nontoxic home cleaning products. Many nontoxic cleaning products can now be found at most markets and stores. Read all labels and look for fragrance-free, chemical-free, and preservative-free items or use safe substitutes such as vinegar and baking soda.

Clothing. Buy clothing made with natural fibers such as cotton and wool. Avoid synthetic materials that don’t breathe and are treated with flame retardants containing polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). When you enter your home, leave your shoes outside to reduce the amount of dust-bound pollutants (including lead) you track in. Brush off the soles and the tops of your shoes before you bring them inside.

Want 11 more tips?
Enter your email address to download my full list of the Top 21 Lifestyle Tips for a Less Toxic Life.

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Subscribe

Knowledge is power. By modifying your lifestyle, you can reclaim your health and your family’s well-being. Take action today toward a healthier 2017. I’m wishing you all the best.