60 How to Cancer-Proof Your Home.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

60 How to Cancer-Proof Your Home.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Speaker1:
Hi and welcome to the Cancer Secrets podcast. I am your host and guide, Dr. Jonathan Stegall. Cancer is like a thief who has come to steal, kill and destroy. I have personally seen it wreak havoc on patients, friends and even my own family. But I am on a mission to change the cancer paradigm. Who? The practice of integrative oncology cancer treatment that integrates the best of conventional medicine with the best of alternative therapies backed by science and personalized to each patient. You need a positive voice you can trust. This podcast will share valuable information to give you practical hope for a better outcome. So I invite you to join me on this journey as we seek to change the cancer paradigm together. Hello and welcome back to the Cancer Secrets Podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Jonathan Stegall. This is season four and episode number 60. In today’s episode, we will be talking about ways to make your home safer and reduce your cancer risk. It’s always I encourage you to listen with a loved one or friend. Today’s episode is going to be a great one. So I’m particularly excited about this episode because we haven’t really taken a deep dive into our home environment. But I think it’s a really important topic because we all live somewhere, whether we live in a home or in an apartment, whether we live alone or with others. And it turns out that we all have very similar exposures in our homes and similar potential exposures.

Speaker1:
And so what we’re going to do today is we’re going to dive into our home environment and we’re going to go step by step and talk about the exposures you may be having that you haven’t thought about. And also some good tips on how we can take something that on the surface is cancer promoting and turn it into something that is not. So let’s start by talking about the air in your home. Although the air quality in your city or town, which is obviously outside your home, will certainly potentially impact the air inside your home. There are still some important steps you can take to ensure that the air inside your home is as safe as possible. Radon is a good discussion point to start with. So radon is an odorless, colorless gas which generated from the breakdown of uranium. Radon is capable of entering your home through cracks in the foundation or in building materials. And because radon is radioactive, it can potentially contaminate the air that you breathe. Radon exposure has been linked to a significantly increased risk of developing lung cancer. Now there are radon tests which can be purchased. They’re relatively inexpensive and they can be used periodically to ensure that your home has a safe level of radon. There’s a small amount of radon that is considered safe, but above that level, it would be a warning sign. It would be something that would need to be addressed. Also, if you live in an old home, be aware of the possibility of lead based paint.

Speaker1:
When paint starts to chip and peel away, it can release lead particles which can then be inhaled. Thankfully, this is not a concern in paint’s use today and although paint is less toxic than it used to be, paint even without lead, can still emit potentially carcinogenic vapors which contain volatile organic compounds or VOCs. Paint can also contain formaldehyde as well as benzene, and when paint is applied to a wall in your home, it can actually emit these carcinogenic vapors for up to 45 days following application. And not surprisingly, these levels are the highest in the day or two, following a fresh coat of paint being applied. So good ventilation is an important step. Ideally, if you can avoid being in your home for the day or two following application even better. But if you must be in your home, then certainly making sure that ventilation is optimised is important. And there are non-toxic paints which can be purchased. Even the largest paint retailers now sell paints which are free of volatile organic compounds. So read the labels closely and be aware that there are some safer options out there when it comes to paint. It’s also important for us to discuss chemicals which can be emitted from home furnishings such as sofas, drapes and mattresses. The flame retardant material is used in many of these home furnishings today contain what are known as poly brominated, definable ethers or PBDEs for short.

Speaker1:
And these are potentially carcinogenic. Similarly, many carpets today contain stain resistant chemicals which unfortunately have the ability to become airborne. Ideally, hardwood floors can be used instead of carpet, and it’s typically easier to find area rugs without the stain resistant chemicals than it is to find carpet without these stain resistant chemicals. And I mentioned this for completeness. In case you have the option of choosing your flooring in the future, I’m certainly not recommending that you rip out all the carpet in your residence and change it to hardwoods. Nor am I recommending that you get rid of all of the furniture that contains some of these flame retardant materials. I’m just mentioning this so that you’re aware. Certainly, if you are buying a new mattress, want to make sure that you have the ability to air it out properly before you use it. So if you package it and it’s off gassing, ideally put it in another room from where you’re sleeping. And if you can’t do that, ideally let it air out for a day or two before you sleep on it. Same thing with regular furniture. If you’re buying a new sofa or a new recliner, just be aware that it can off gas the first few days after you get it, which obviously if you’re smelling some of those chemicals, then that means that you’re inhaling them as well. So I’m mentioning this just for your awareness. It’s really hard to find furniture that doesn’t have some of these chemicals, but I figure if you’re at least aware of it, then you can maybe take some steps to reduce your exposures.

Speaker1:
I also want to mention harmful chemicals, which can be released from synthetic air fresheners and scented candles. So these are things like the the plug ins that you can plug into outlets that release the sensitive air, certainly the the spray cans that have air freshener, that have scents, certainly the scented candles. I recommend avoiding these if you can. They really don’t do anything good. And I know they have nice smells, but but they have so many potentially harmful chemicals in them. And those chemicals can really linger in the air long after the smell has dissipated. That positive scent can be gone and the chemicals can still be there in terms of the harmful chemicals. So use caution with those as well. Let’s talk about cleaning products, ammonia, chlorine, bleach. There are other synthetic chemicals that can be present in household cleaning products. I want you to be aware of these can be carcinogenic. And thankfully there are many good natural and non-toxic cleaning products available today and they’re available in most places. Whether you’re buying online or going to a retailer in person, there are usually some non toxic brands available, so I highly recommend using those instead of some of the more traditional cleaning products that have some of these harmful chemicals. And then we’re talking about air.

Speaker1:
Another important consideration is the air quality immediately surrounding your home. So, for example, if you have an attached garage. Be aware that car exhaust fumes can be problematic, especially if you spend a lot of time in your garage or if air from your garage tends to flow into your home. Be wary of various chemicals stored in your garage. Make sure that the lids on these chemicals are tightly fastened. And I recommend leaving your garage door open for a little while after you drive into your attached garage. Just because chemicals can be released into the air and if you have your garage door open, then that air can can purify a little bit. If if the if there are some air exchange with the air outside your home versus sort of trapping it in the garage. If you use an outdoor grill, be aware that cooking meat at high temperatures can create what are known as heterocyclic amines. They’re often abbreviated hcas, and these have been shown to increase their risk of stomach cancer as well as colorectal cancer. The greatest hazard comes from ingesting these charred meats, but breathing the air from grilling can be an issue as well. So make sure you’re in a well ventilated area if you’re grilling outside and certainly be aware of smoke that can can follow you in through an open door, through an open window or something. I’d also like to discuss chemicals used in lawn care. If we’re talking about the air around our home, which can certainly come into our home that we need to talk about pesticides and herbicides, we know that these chemicals can be problematic.

Speaker1:
We know from the research on glyphosate, which is used in Roundup, we know about the lawsuits that have occurred with people who have worked closely with Roundup for a number of years. But even if you’re not working with it every day, even if you’re only spraying it in your yard here and there, or if you have someone else working in your yard spraying it, it can become airborne. So I recommend, certainly if you’re using Roundup yourself in your yard, please make sure you’re wearing an appropriate mask so that you’re not directly breathing in the vapors from that. And then even after application, whether you’re doing the application yourself or someone else is doing it for you, I do recommend keeping windows and doors closed as much as possible for 24 to 48 hours after pesticides and herbicides have been applied in your yard, especially if it’s a particularly breezy day. I want to make sure that that’s not coming into your home and certainly be careful if you have small children or pets, I recommend not allowing them onto surfaces which have been treated with pesticides and herbicides for at least a day following application. After that, the risk of of tracking anything into your home is lower, and certainly the risk of airborne pesticides and herbicides are going to be a lot lower at that point as well.

Speaker1:
Now, in terms of purifying the air in your home, there are various air filters and purification systems which can be used. Some of these can be included as part of your home’s heating and cooling system. So if you have an HVAC system, a lot of times some of the newer models actually will have air filters and air purification systems that can be included as part of that or as an add on to that. But there are also the standalone units that purify air. There are a lot of different models out there. The standalone units typically will be placed in a certain room in your home or in certain rooms, and then they guarantee purification of the air within a certain radius around that unit. So something like that is something you can consider. I mentioned it only for completeness. You don’t have to get one, but if you’re really wanting to go the extra mile in terms of purifying the air that you breathe in your home, then some sort of air purification system is certainly recommended. So we’ve talked about the air and potential hazards with the air we breathe and also how we can improve the quality of our air in our home. But now let’s move on to discussing our water. So we’re all familiar with the need for clean water. And fortunately, even with a significant amount of water treatment which occurs at the municipal level today, the water in your tap is likely compromised on some level.

Speaker1:
Studies conducted on municipal water supplies have found dozens of carcinogens, meaning that the water you drink, as well as the water you use to bathe and to wash your hands, could be unnecessarily exposing you to cancer, causing chemicals, not to mention other chemicals which. Ah, probably present as well as various pharmaceutical byproducts and metabolites as well. So I feel that the standards for water purity today are incomplete. One of the best things you can do for your health is to use a water filtration system in your home. The easiest and cheapest way is to purchase a faucet filtration system, which just hooks on to your kitchen faucet, for example, or a special filtered pitcher, which you can fill up with drinking water and put in your refrigerator and then drink purified water from there when you’re drinking water. But my recommendation is for a whole house water filter. So a whole house water filter is going to filter the water as it comes into your home, meaning that the water from every faucet or water hookup in your house is going to be filtered. And I think this is important because we’re not only exposed to contaminants in our drinking water, but also the water that we use for showering, bathing, washing our hands and doing laundry. And you can purchase a good whole house filter for around 800 to 1000. So they’re not cheap, but they’re certainly not as expensive as they used to be.

Speaker1:
I personally use the Aqua Sauna system in my home and I’ve been very pleased and I’m mentioning them only because it’s what I use and what I’ve been pleased with after a lot of research into the various models out there. I don’t get any sort of commission or or kickback or or freebie or anything from Roxana for mentioning them to you. I just know them and I trust them. And it’s what I use in my house. So let’s discuss some kitchen items which are possibly carcinogenic. And I want to start by discussing cookware. So unfortunately, most cookware today is nonstick, and that means that it contains what are known as Perfluorinated Compounds or PFCs for short. And although these PFCs are helpful in creating non-stick cooking services, they can also be released into the air and into your food. So I recommend avoiding nonstick cookware as much as possible. So that means something like stainless steel or even like a cast iron skillet. Those kind of things are nonstick, but if it says non-stick on the label, then then you can assume it has these PFCs and I recommend avoiding them. Plastics can also be cancer causing. Historically, plastic includes a chemical known as bisphenol A, which you’ll see abbreviated as BPA. And so when heated. Bpa can absolutely be carcinogenic. And for this reason, I first of all, I recommend using plastics which are BPA free. But even if you’re purchasing BPA free plastic, I still recommend not heating your plastic.

Speaker1:
So any time plastic is heated, it can become more damaging. So absolutely do not heat food in a plastic container. It’s probably best to avoid plastic as much as you can. Even if you’re just storing food in a plastic container in your refrigerator, it can still leach a certain amount of chemicals into the food. But I view that as far less harmful than heating plastic and eating food that’s been heated in plastic. In terms of BPA. It’s also been shown to be present in canned food. So I do recommend limiting your consumption of food from a can. There’s also been some concern regarding aluminum from cans, and it seems that you’d have to eat a lot of canned food to actually get anywhere close to a concerning level of aluminum. But needless to say, the aluminum is not really benefiting us either. So if you can avoid canned food or at least limit canned food, I do recommend it. Another consideration is personal care products. These are things like cosmetics, deodorants, soaps and shampoos. A major contaminant in a lot of personal care products is phthalates. And phthalates are present in many personal care products, and they are known as Zino estrogen. So they they are basically fake estrogens or or synthetic estrogens and they can disrupt hormone levels in the body since they act like estrogens. And this is this is more concerning when we’re talking about hormone related cancers.

Speaker1:
But but obviously, I’d rather you not disrupt your hormone levels at all with with phthalates. And so I do recommend avoiding phthalates in your personal care products, if possible. And I will give a lot of companies credit. They there are a lot more natural personal care products available today than ever before. There are varying degrees of of quality. There are varying degrees in terms of of cost, in terms of price point. But there are definitely some options out there. And and if you can help it avoid deodorants that contain aluminum, typically the aluminum is used for the antiperspirant portion. So you can if you can find a deodorant without the antiperspirant, that typically means that you’d be avoiding the aluminum. I think that’s probably the best. But certainly if you’re just a if you’re someone who sweats a lot and perspire a lot and you need the antiperspirant, then then use it. But but typically that is going to mean getting some aluminum in your deodorant. Certainly if you use perfume or cologne, I recommend using it sparingly. A lot of the chemicals which are part of colognes and perfumes can be carcinogenic. And as with scented air fresheners and things, the chemicals that are harmful will certainly linger even after the nice smell goes away. So just be aware of that. And in terms of personal care products, the Environmental Working Group has a website that actually will rate cosmetics based on their ingredient list and their chemical composition.

Speaker1:
And I found this resource to be helpful in choosing safer personal care products. Again, they they go over the ingredient list with a fine tooth comb to kind of identify ones which tend to be more carcinogenic and more harmful versus those formulations which are safer and more natural. So I highly recommend that website if, if you can access it because it’s important to remember whatever you put on your body has the potential to end up in your body. In fact, I would assume that anything you put on your body just assumed is going into your bloodstream and into your body. Now let’s move on and discuss electromagnetic fields. These are often abbreviated EMFs and electromagnetic fields can be naturally occurring, such as the Earth, the Earth’s and magnetic field. The Earth, the earth is an electromagnetic field. Our bodies are actually electromagnetic fields, but unfortunately there are also manmade electromagnetic fields. And these are created by things like cell phones, wireless, internet and cordless phones. So we are bombarded by EMF today. I mean, look around. Next time you’re out walking or driving around, you’re likely to see cell phone towers. They’re releasing EMFs. Pretty much everyone has a cell phone today. They’re all around us and we can’t see them. These are invisible electromagnetic fields and so we are not really aware of them unless we think about them. But part of my goal today is to get you to think about them, because they’re they’re all around us.

Speaker1:
They’re they’re flowing through us. And unfortunately, we don’t have long term studies evaluating their potential harm to our health. But some of the research that we do have is concerning. So I want to start by talking about cell phones. So with a cell phone, we know that since these are basically small handheld computers these days, we know that they are emitting a significant amount of electromagnetic radiation. So I recommend using the speakerphone as much as you can. If you’re on a call, speakerphone allows you to hold your phone in your hand at arm’s length away from your body. Or if you’re if you’re sedentary, you can put the phone down, you can put it away from you. You can put it a few feet away from you, because the farther you are from the phone means, the farther away your critical organs are from the the majority of the electromagnetic radiation. So holding the phone up to your ear is obviously exposing your brain to a significant amount of electromagnetic radiation. And if you’re a longtime listener of the podcast, you’ve probably heard me mention this before, but every one of my patients with a brain tumor, I’ve asked them which ear they tend to use when they hold a cell phone up to their ear. And 100% of the time, the tumor is always on the side of their head where they hold their cell phone. And so I definitely think there is something to that.

Speaker1:
I don’t think it’s a coincidence. And so please, if you get nothing else from this lecture, please stop holding the phone up to your ear when you talk on it. And that’s especially true for cell phones. It’s also true for cordless phones or wireless phones. So please use caution. Use speakerphone if you can. If you’re unable to use a speakerphone, then like the earbuds can help, the wireless earbuds that just go just inside the ear are going to still have a good bit of electromagnetic radiation compared to the the wired earbuds that actually plug into your phone. There’s a company called Defender Shield, which makes some good products to reduce EMFs, and they have what are called AirPods, which which hook into your phone, but they do not transmit the EMF to your ears. So you still can hear the call or whatever else you’re listening to on your phone. But you’re not getting the EMFs transmitted through the through the line into your ears. And again, I don’t have any sort of business arrangement with Defender Shield. I just really like their products and so I use them myself and I can recommend them. So check them out if you’re looking for something to help in this area. So we know we can’t avoid signals from cell towers and we know that cell phones are here to stay. But we can turn our cell phones into airplane mode when we’re when we’re not using them.

Speaker1:
And so I recommend putting your phone on airplane mode while you sleep. I mean, most of us are going to keep a cell phone fairly nearby while we’re sleeping. Certainly, if you can turn your phone off or if you can put your your cell phone in another room while you sleep, that’s even better. But if you have to have your phone in the same room, turning it to airplane mode is going to reduce the electromagnetic field significantly. Another point to consider if you have a wireless internet router in your home, meaning that you’re connected to the internet without plugging directly into a modem, you can set that wireless router. You a timer so you can buy a timer. They’re pretty inexpensive. You can buy them pretty much anywhere online or at a lot of large retailers. And you can buy just a general timer that goes on to an outlet and you can set it so it automatically shuts off at a certain time and then shuts on a certain time. So what I recommend is plug your router into an outlet with a timer and make sure that it shuts off at bedtime and it stays off until you wake up in the morning because you really don’t need Internet while you’re sleeping. So not only are you turning your phone on airplane mode, but you’re also turning off your wireless Internet router for those seven or eight or 9 hours while you’re sleeping. And that’s going to reduce your electromagnetic field exposure significantly.

Speaker1:
If you have a smart meter outside your home, consider what’s known as a Faraday cage to go over it. You can tell if you have a smart meter by looking at your electric meter. If it has digital numbers on it, it’s a smart meter. And most of the smart meters were installed within the last 10 to 15 years. So if you have a newer smart meter, if you have a newer electrical meter, I can almost guarantee it’s a smart meter. If it’s older, it may be what’s known as a mechanical meter. So if you look at your if you look at your meter, your electric meter, and it doesn’t have the digital numbers on it, it has some more primitive looking dials and things. Then it’s not a smart meter, it’s a mechanical meter. So if it is a smart meter, you can know that you’re getting a lot more electromagnetic field emanating from that. So a Faraday box is something you can purchase to go over the top of your smart meter. And the neat thing about the Faraday box is it’s not going to affect the smart meters ability to do its job, which is to monitor your electrical usage. But it is going to prevent a lot of the EMFs from being released. And so if you can imagine a smart meter attached to your home, it’s going to be releasing a lot of EMFs in the area near there, especially into the home.

Speaker1:
And so a Faraday box or a Faraday cage just simply fits over the top of it. It doesn’t it doesn’t look bad, but it certainly is going to reduce your EMF exposure. I have one on my home. I do have a smart meter, which wasn’t my choice. But since it’s there, that’s what I have. And so I put a Faraday box over it. It didn’t cost very much. I believe it was about $50. But you buy it once and we put it on the top of it and you don’t have to think about it again. So I recommend getting something like this if you do have a smart meter and when it comes to electronic devices, be aware that most of the devices today, such as cell phones, tablets, computers and TVs emit not only electromagnetic waves, but also blue light. And blue light has been shown in studies to disrupt circadian rhythm. And if your circadian rhythm is disrupted, then you’re not sleeping well. And we know that poor sleep can increase our risk for a host of problems, including cancer. So if possible, I recommend not watching TV in bed and ideally don’t spend time in bed on your phone or tablet or laptop computer. But if you must use these devices at bedtime, consider switching to what’s known as night mode or nighttime mode that can soften the light some which comes out of the device. And you can also purchase blue blocker glasses which have become more popular in recent years.

Speaker1:
And you simply put those on when you’re using the device and it lessens the amount of blue light that you’re getting in your body. So you might be feeling overwhelmed at this point. And that is certainly not my intention. My goal here is to create awareness regarding potential cancer causing aspects of your home. And even if you can eliminate or reduce just a few exposures, that can make a significant difference. So please don’t feel that you have to be perfect whether you have cancer or you’re just trying to reduce your exposures and get healthier. Or if you don’t have cancer and you’re just trying to prevent it, you know, you don’t have to be perfect. But I do want you to be informed because most doctors are not talking to you about this. And this is an important topic. And so I hope you found this helpful today. If you’re enjoying these podcasts, please take a minute and provide a review on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. As a reminder, please subscribe to the Cancer Secrets podcast to be notified when new episodes are released. We have some great shows planned and I can’t wait to share them with you. As always, please share this podcast with your family and friends. All previous episodes are available for free on our website at Cancer Secrets dot com, as well as wherever you listen to podcasts. I look forward to many great episodes coming your way soon. Until next time. Bye bye. He.

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