Prevention Is The New Pink

Our Mission: We ignite the movement that empowers parents to protect children from harmful chemicals. Donate »

Blog

Expert Opinion

Thursday, October 27, 2011

by Danielle Rigg, JD CLC, Chief Operating Officer, Best for Babes Foundation

This is the 6th anniversary of my own diagnosis of pre-menopausal breast cancer and, you betcha, I am grateful. When the breast cancer awareness movement began 25 years ago, their mission was to change the course of this disease from fatal to survivable, to help women like me. Komen and other organizations like them, have helped to raise awareness, pay for detection and research, and bring the breast cancer death rate down. Their efforts have given millions of women treatment options and hope.

And so it is that in October America gets swaddled like a newborn baby in a silky pink ribbon – -reminding us at every potential point-of-sale and commercial juncture that awareness and detection (sometimes called prevention though it’s decidedly not the same) is the best way out of the cancer crisis and, therefore, the best use of our charitable dimes this month.

Or is it?

Despite the billions of dollars funneled into research, detection and treatment, the cancer rates in this country (and other epidemic illnesses) are staggering and continue to rise– especially among our youth. Breast cancer incidence rates have actually increased (especially among younger women), the death rate from cancer overall is almost the same as it was in 1971, cancer is the leading cause of death in younger people (35-64), and pediatric cancer is now the leading cause of death by disease among children.

What we need is to take this fight to the next level: from beyond survival to thriving, from beyond cure to prevention. The statistics make this painfully clear. We need to have the collective courage to stand up not just AGAINST cancer but FOR PREVENTION. Which means things like prioritizing and supporting healthy eating and living — starting with breastfeeding and human milk, and including reducing the toxic-load on our bodies with better food and a cleaner environment.

It also includes asking disease foundations to participate in raising awareness about prevention – to at least provide information in their materials, e.g., about the 59% breast cancer risk reduction associated with breastfeeding in a woman with a family history, and the 25% lifetime risk reduction enjoyed by girl babies who are breastfed. Thank goodness there are some amazing people and organizations out there today focused on preventing illness before it starts –like the Breast Cancer Fund, Environmental Working Group and Healthy Child Healthy World.

I didn’t need any more inspiration to fuel me this October. But, I got it anyway. In spades. My friend’s 9 year old son died last week after a four year battle with brain cancer. To be more precise, he had developed leukemia after two separate rounds of chemotherapy had decimated his immune-system and a bone-marrow transplant failed. This mom and I hadn’t socialized more than a handful of times, but we were bonded over our shared history of breast cancer (both of us in our 30s). She and her son had undergone side-by-side chemotherapy sessions when his neuroblastoma was first discovered. There was a significant history of cancer in their family in general.

Words often hold very little value at a time like this. Losing a child to cancer is something I cannot get inside of no matter how much even as a survivor I want to and try. So when I hugged her frail frame at the funeral, from my deep within, I managed to say this: “my fight for PREVENTION and THRIVING is now in the name of your son as well.” Under my breath, I muttered, “This has to stop.” She called me the next day to say how much my words, my promise to her, my mission through Best for Babes, gave her solace and strength and could she “just lean on me” for a time? You lean on me, Babe. And on Best for Babes’ pledge to do whatever we can to see that we all have the chance to THRIVE.

Now, I am not saying that cancer and all manner of disease isn’t a normal part of the human experience. It surely is. Just not in epidemic proportions. Nor am I saying that this child would have been spared or saved his illness. Just that all of us deserve to reach our true genetic potential — each of us has a unique individual intrinsic potential and science is confirming that by deleting the healthy foundation that breastfeeding and human milk provide, and adding in scores of toxics in an environment, we are compromising our potential. The newer science of epigenetics has revealed that our choices can even alter the genetic code and potential of our offspring — turning good genes off and bad ones on. No more relying on your 90 year old grandpa’s longevity as your insurance policy.

Looked at another way, imagine how healthy we humans in the 21st century might be if we put the front and the back piece together –giving ourselves the benefit of a strong foundation, plus modern medicine! WOW! We’d practically be superhuman! It’s possible. Check out "Blue Zones– Lessons About Living Longer From People Who Have Lived the Longest," by Dan Buettner. Amazing what clean air, clean water, pesticide- and chemical-free food, daily integrated exercise, and mother’s milk can do for the human condition. I am not advocating a return to pre-colonial times. This is about taking the best from both worlds by doing what we can to reduce our toxic loads within a modern life of busy-ness, bounty and technology. Not coincidentally, his other book is entitled, "Thrive," my favorite mantra and mission.

For many of us, it takes a crisis or a serious threat to our wellness for us to pay closer attention – to question, to check our gut instincts against what the advertisements, labels, and check-out counters say, and to be inspired to change habits. My friend, of course, like every mom, wanted to give her boy the best life ever – in every way. But our decisions and the capacity to carry them out are too often upended or hampered by the information and influences upon us at any given time. She was Booby Trapped but didn’t know it — she wasn’t told that particularly with their family history that breastfeeding should be a priority; she wasn’t encouraged or given the support to succeed. She desired to learn a lot more about nutrition generally from me– the gluten- sugar- yeast- dairy-free queen. She soaked up like a sponge all I had to say on the subject. She laughed out loud the first time we met, ironically at a cancer awareness event, when I explained to her that I couldn’t support a colon cancer organization that served fried donuts at it’s “race for life!” She said, “I never thought of that but you are so right. You need to tell more people this stuff!”

And so we are: if you are going to stake wellness this Pinktober – put your money on PREVENTION. Prevention is the New Pink!

-------------------------

Here’s how you can help:

Visit Best for Babes to learn how to support their amazing work.
Sign our petition to Campbell’s demanding action on BPA to support the Breast Cancer Fund’s “Cans Not Cancer” campaign.
Make a donation to Healthy Child today to help support our 2012 Childhood Cancer Prevention campaign.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Healthy Child Healthy World.

Posted by Katy on 11/01/2011 at 03:37 PM

I have always wonder if there was some sort of link that breast cancer has with Women’s deoderant. I one day in Wal-Mart I noticed there are only two men’s brands of deoderant that have Aluminum based compounds as the active ingredient. However, EVERY women’s deoderant besides ONE had this listed and the percentage of it was normally 15% or higher. I feel that there could be some link to deoderant and breast cancer. I’ve always wondered if microwaves giving off the amount of radiation they do and someone standing next to them for a long enough period of time having aluminum substances on there body could over time trigger cancer. I personally do not believe that a lot of the things approved by the FDA are safe. I had also once heard that the FDA doesnt even research into things before they approve them. That the company who makes the product does all the research and send the information to the FDA and then it is decided whether it is approved or not. Which doesnt seem to make sense to me. I hope too that one day in the future that we will be healthier and kinder to our planet otherwise… bad things are to come to our planet and the human race.

Posted by sally on 11/01/2011 at 01:17 AM

I agree, We need to have the collective courage to stand up not just AGAINST cancer but FOR PREVENTION. Which means things like prioritizing and supporting healthy eating and living — starting with breastfeeding and human milk, and including reducing the toxic-load on our bodies with better food and a cleaner environment.
sometimes the disease was caused by our own which do not maintain our health

Posted by Alfreda on 10/31/2011 at 05:53 PM

I very much agree. We need to focus more on prevention than a cure. I preach this to my friends all that time, but nobody really wants to talk about cancer until they have it. And I end of sounding like a nut case telling folks that they increase their chances of getting cancer by the lifestyle they live. Everyone is so much under the impression that cancer is hereditary and that’s it. It’s a shame really. This is really a devastating disease. We and all the cancer organizations really need to do more to stress prevention. I’m really starting to believe the saying that the money is not in the cure or the prevention, the money is in the medicine.

Posted by Carolyn Reuben, L.Ac. on 10/28/2011 at 07:20 PM

Dear Danielle, Thank you thank you thank you! You have said exactly what I have been privately grousing to friends for years, and writing in my health books to the strangers who bought them (The Healthy Baby Book (on preventing birth defects), Essential Supplements for Women, Antioxidants: Your Complete Guide, and Cleansing the Body, Mind and Spirit. Thank you for spearheading a campaign of prevention with corporate collaboration instead of simply commiserating as if each cancer was only a personal tragedy, not a collective national responsibility. I encourage folks reading this who agree with you and I to look at both Suzanne Somers’ book Knockout which educates us about brave physicians who are doing what works for their patients in spite of political and economic repression and Burton Goldberg’s inspiring and hopeful video Cancer Conquest which reveals the American and German physicians which are clearing stage four cancers by finding out a) caused the disease to appear and b) how to eliminate the cause as well as treat the existing cancer with the most minute dose of the most correct drug possible. www.burtongoldberg.com. Also inspiring and informative and fun is Kris Carr’s crazysexycancer video, book, and website. crazysexycancer.com and crazysexylife.com

Posted by J. akre on 10/28/2011 at 03:46 PM

Whenever I hear the Pink campaigns I cringe… money for research, medicine, doctors, large medical institutions….. but no word on cancer prevention and the likely link to the 80,000 chemicals released into our environment with NO requirement for safety.

When we start dissection what we’ve done to ourselves and our children I will believe in a Pink movement…...80,000 Questions Need to be Asked !

Posted by Marti on 10/28/2011 at 01:48 PM

This is a great article! You said, “For many of us, it takes a crisis or a serious threat to our wellness for us to pay closer attention – to question, to check our gut instincts against what the advertisements, labels, and check-out counters say, and to be inspired to change habits.” I am amazed how easily we are taken in by savvy marketers who only care about selling their product. We have to think! I so believe in prevention. I am an anti-chemical warrior and in my business I focus on growing healthy kids starting at preconception. We are living in a chemical soup today, but if we educate ourselves, we can make wise choices and lifestyle changes that will give our kids a fighting chance. Thanks so much - Prevention is definitely the way to go.

Posted by rick reibstein on 10/28/2011 at 11:46 AM

People should be aware that many states (and the EPA) have been pursuing something called pollution prevention, which usually focuses on something called Toxics Use Reduction, or Source Reduction, which means reducing the problem at the source. The source is the choice to use toxics. These programs have achieved significant successes, and many of the examples that have come out of them are of companies saving money and improving process. They have shown how government can help business and can prompt the development of less toxic products and processes. People who want to prevent cancer by reducing the toxic load should advocate for the expansion of these amazing programs, for despite their successes they have lost funding (they are sitting ducks when people are looking for something to cut) and in the current budget wars they are quite vulnerable.

Posted by Sydney Carlaw on 10/28/2011 at 11:33 AM

Thank you I cannot agree with you enough. Most of my conversations with people, doctors and whomever will listen is about prevention.

It is my hope and prayer that one day we will have routine physicals that teach us about our unique bodies, what our body suffer with and what minerals, supplements and foods our specific body requires. If we did this, we would stop so MANY diseases.

Instead of always focusing medicine on the fix we need to look at preventing.

Thank you!

Posted by Joanne Estes on 10/27/2011 at 08:31 AM

My granddaughter just turned 9 yesterday, so full of life and promise. I cannot imagine the pain of the mother who had to experience the loss of her own 9 year old. I fully support your stand about prevention. We see thousands of dollars and many dedicated marchers to help fight cancer, yet you are right ~ the subject of prevention is seldom brought up. We all owe it ourselves to eliminate the toxins in our home, and eat safer, healthier foods. Thank you for such a heartfelt plea for all of us to pay more attention to the daily choices we make.

More comments: