Background Radiation and Everyday Cancer Prevention

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

How daily choices increase our risk of cancer

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by Dr. Greg Nigh

Nature Cures Clinic physician

Radiation is all the rage. It is a danger that makes us all feel vulnerable, insecure. It conjures images of Chernobyl and atomic blasts. At a more personal level, the fear of radiation is the fear of the consequences we imagine it might inflict: mutations, burns, cancer, and ultimately an early death. In short, we fear radiation because we fear dying of the disease it most commonly inflicts, cancer.

There is a profound yet unspoken irony in the current frenzy to find protection against the real and poisoning effects of radiation. As a society we engage in behaviors every day that increase our risk of cancer dramatically more than the risk we will incur through possible exposure to low- level radiation from Japan.

The US National Institute of Health estimates that 50-75% of all cancer that occurs in the US are preventable, caused by one of three culprits: smoking, lack of exercise and/or poor diet. Cancer kills around 550,000 people every single year in the US. Somewhere between 275,000 and 412,500 of those deaths are preventable. One in 3 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, and that number is rapidly approaching 1 in 2.

While we fret about a very slightly increased risk of cancer that might be caused by elevated background radiation from Japan, we also make choices that dramatically increase our personal risk of cancer. These choices include:

1) Excessive consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates

2) Excessive consumption of omega 6 oils (vegetable) without balancing omega 3 oils

3) Excessive consumption of chemicals in foods

4) Excessive consumption of processed foods that are devoid of basic nutrients and enzymes vital for healthy function

5) Sedentary lifestyle

6) Daily chronic exposure to electromagnetic waves emitted from wireless devices such as phones, computers, readers and other devices

Radiation has an ability to make us scramble for protection while these other risks have burrowed their way into our lives so discretely that we simply don’t see them anymore. We can each decide to lower our risk of cancer. Though radiation is real and could even reach US soil, it should be seen in a larger perspective of risks we all face and that we can all control. If you are worried about radiation, you are worried about cancer. If you are worried about cancer, you can make decisions today that change the odds in your favor.

If you or someone you know could benefit from a comprehensive cancer prevention or treatment program, please contact our clinic. We may not be able to stop radiation, but we can provide you with the therapies, information and support you need to promote a long and healthy life.

For more information about radiation exposure, read these other articles from Nature Cures Clinic:

Potassium Iodide and Radiation: A Primer by Dr. Andy Swanson

Radiation Protection: Practical Solutions Beyond Potassium Iodide by Dr. Greg Nigh

Image courtesy oparvez

Tags: alternative cancer treatment, Cancer, cancer prevention, Dr. Greg Nigh, natural cancer treatment, Nutrition, radiation
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