There is a growing body of evidence showing how environmental and work related pollutants or toxins are linked to various diseases which include cancer; the effects can vary from mild debilitation to severe and disabling illness. This is a matter for great public concern.
For example cadmium exposure is an independent risk factor for cancer mortality in adult men and women. Data suggests a link with lung and prostate cancer. Arsenic has been linked to various cancers which include the bladder, liver, lung, and larynx. Moreover, this element has also been linked to cancer mortality. Work related exposure to plastics has been linked to some breast cancers which include premenopausal women. In fact there is an alarming growing trend with some cancers appearing younger and younger and there may be an environmental component involved.
There is an urgent need for further research into the way exposure to environmental toxins affect human health; to find effective treatments, and to prevent further unnecessary suffering.
There is reluctance in some quarters to accept that the many thousand chemicals and toxic metals to which we are daily exposed, together with other environmental factors such as radiation, electromagnetism and other biological materials can negatively impact the body overtime.
At LEMMO Integrated Cancer Care Inc, personalized approaches for investigating environmental components are explored when indicated. Appropriate testing and screening may be required to help determine environmental exposures to assist in an optimal treatment plan. Because the body may have varying degrees of environmental burdens, detoxification & elimination strategies are important for helping to restore balance to the body & nervous system. Moreover, in patients who have also undergone cancer treatment, exploring such areas may play a role in recurrence risk reduction.
Proper nutrition, physical activity, select intravenous therapies, in addition to an holistic approach, are additional tools which may impact detoxifying the body from environmental contamination.
Studies & further reading
Selected publications for patients who want to explore the research. Each finding applies to the study’s own population, protocol and stage of evidence; your care team can help you understand what may be relevant to you.
Thirteen adults consumed organic and conventional diets for one week each. Some urinary pesticide metabolite levels were lower during the organic phase. The study measured exposure markers, not symptoms, cancer risk or cancer treatment outcomes. It does not validate a broad detoxification programme or show that changing these markers improves health.
This review summarizes how selected heavy metals can affect human health and discusses exposure, biological effects and clinical evaluation.