Wellesley Cancer Prevention Project (WCPP)

How Food, Environment Can Affect Young Childdren

TCoffey — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:12:30 +0000

This past month, the American Cancer Society released its latest guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention. In order for the general public to reduce their risk of cancer through nutrition and physical activity, the ACS offers the following four guidelines:

· achieve and maintain a healthy weight throughout life

· adopt a physically active lifestyle

· consume a healthy diet, with an emphasis on plant foods

· limit consumption if you drink alcoholic beverages

One of the key changes, since the American Cancer Society first began releasing cancer prevention guidelines in the 1980s, is a strong emphasis on nutrition. As the ACS website states: “One of the key changes is the evolution to an emphasis on encouraging a healthy dietary pattern as opposed to individual foods or nutrients to reduce cancer risk. As time has gone on, research suggests that it is likely that all those vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals working together help to reduce risk.” It is important to emphasize that while many of those “vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals” can be found in dietary supplements (and there are a plethora of those on the market!), there is no substitute for healthy eating.

The United States also faces a health crisis because of our alarming obesity rates. Being overweight increases the risk of many types of cancer; thus that recommendation rates as #1 on the list of the four American Cancer Society general guidelines. Over the past three decades, the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children ages 2-5 years and adolescents ages 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years. (http://www.stop-childhood-obesity.com/childhood-obesity-statistics.html).

It is no secret that poor nutrition and being overweight plays a role in many health hazards, cancer being just one of them. Dietary factors also contribute to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. More recently, medical research points to poor nutrition as a contributing factor in psychological and neurological disorders as well, including depression, eating disorders, distorted body image, and low self-esteem. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry states that obesity in childhood and adolescence can also be related to endocrine, immune and neurological problems. Problems in these systems can also be involved in neurodevelopmental conditions like autism. Dr. Martha Herbert, a Harvard pediatric neurologist, states “There is more and more published evidence that autism can involve many systems of the body beyond the brain, particularly the gut and the immune system. Because of this I no longer see autism as a disorder of the brain but as a disorder that affects the brain. It also affects the immune system and the gut. Many children with autism have food allergies or frequent infections, rashes or gut problems like diarrhea or constipation. Sometimes when these problems are overcome such children do a lot better.” Herbert’s review of autism research and treatment is covered in her soon-to-be released publication titled “The Autism Revolution: Whole Body Strategies For Making Life All It Can Be.” The strategies in this book cover things that are health-promoting not just for autism but for everyone.

What Parents Should Know About Toxins

TCoffey — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:15:46 +0000

The Wellesley Cancer Prevention Project and Wellesley Free Library invites the public to a forum at the Wellesley Free Library’s Wakelin Room, Tuesday February 7^th, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This free event, co-sponsored by the Wellesley Free Library, is open to the public and includes informational resources. Coffee and dessert will be served.

Ashley Bade, RD, LDN, CNSD, a pediatric dietician at Newton Wellesley Hospital, will speak about how to develop a healthy eater. Ashley Bade specializes in many health-related areas including weight management, eating disorders, feeding behaviors and non-diet approach to life-long healthy eating.

Following Ashley Bade’s presentation, Dr. Martha Herbert will speak about developmental challenges and opportunities for the school-age child. During the elementary school years, the child’s brain is learning to tackle increasingly complex challenges. The child’s social and academic life will flourish when the brain is doing well, and suffer when the brain is not at its best. And the health of the body can be a partner or an obstacle.

Wellesley High Grad Overcomes Cancer, Raises Money for Research

TCoffey — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:48:41 +0000

Rachel Hamilton

Rachel Hamilton, a 2003 Wellesley High School graduate, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma earlier this year — a disease few 26 year olds expect to contend with. But in November, Rachel’s scan showed no sign of the cancer — which affects a person’s lymphatic system — and has begun her career as a management consultant. A born athlete and former cross country runner for Wellesley High, Hamilton is running in this year’s Boston Marathon, and hopes to raise $10,000 for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. The Townsman spoke with Hamilton about her experience with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and why she decided to attempt such a lofty fundraising feat.

When were you diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and how did that affect your life?

“[Hodgkin’s Lymphoma] was totally new to me,” Hamilton said. “It was not something I had a family history of or had previous exposure to.”

Shortly before her diagnosis, Hamilton said she “felt very healthy. On May 1 of this year I walked the Walk for Hunger — that is a 20-mile walk — and I did it very quickly. I felt great doing it.”

But she said the day after the walk she was in grocery store when she noticed her lymph nodes were swollen and protruding from her neck. She said she waited a few days before she consulted a doctor.

“I saw a doctor on May 5,” she said, “and I got the diagnosis of Hodgkins on May 18.”

“Hodgkins is a cancer, but I was lucky to have a curable cancer. The first oncologist I met said you have to remember that this is curable. He was a pretty senior guy and he had been made the president of the oncology society, so that was pretty powerful for him to say that this was curable.”

When did you start chemotherapy, and what affect did the treatment have on your life?

“I graduated from Harvard Business School on May 26,” Hamilton said, “and I started chemo on May 27.”

“Chemo lasted all summer for 16 weeks. It was very tough. It was totally debilitating. I had the opportunity to talk to a few people about what it might be like before I started mine. My research did not fully prepare me for how bad the experience would be. I never imagined feeling so sick.”

Hamilton said that although she was fortunate to be surrounded by people who cared about her, she said the experience was still very traumatic.

She said she had a PET (positron emission tomography) scan in July, halfway through her treatment, and the results displayed no evidence of the disease.

“I had completely responded to the treatment,” she said. Hamilton underwent the additional eight weeks of treatment and in November her results came back clear.

“While chemo was extremely tough, at least I knew it was working,” she said. “It was so tough to go through despite knowing it was making me better. I can’t imagine what it must be like for people who go through the same traumatic treatment with worse odds.”

How did your experience with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma affect the way you view cancer and the work being done to research treatments and possible cures? Did your experience inspire you to participate in this fundraising effort?

“We hear so much about cancer in the media. It is very present; it really feels like it’s everywhere,” Hamilton said. “When you have it yourself, all of those mentions feel very personal because it is such a powerful experience, unlike anything in my past experience.”

“But cancer just surprises so many people. It’s heartbreaking when they don’t have treatment options, or when they do, but the therapy is so traumatic. Having gone through the experience, I just feel a more personal reaction to all of the things I hear about cancer. People I know and friends of friends or people in the news…when I think of why I’m running and why I want to raise money, it’s for the people who get a diagnosis so that they have treatment options or better treatment options.”

Why did you choose to run in order to raise money?

“I’ve always liked to run,” Hamilton said. “I think of myself as an athlete. I wasn’t sure I could do it myself but I’ve always admired people who put themselves out there to raise money publicly. I started to feel better and I felt so much better more quickly than I anticipated and I felt like I could run. I have friends who have run a marathon for other causes, and I was surprised to think I could do this so soon, that I could do it in April. I was excited to do something really adventurous.”

Hamilton said running to raise the money is a “great fit with my experience” and she said running is part of who she is.

“Going through a cancer diagnosis, treatment and training for a marathon in less than 12 months is not something we normally think of as something you do after a cancer diagnosis. I think it is a great message; there is life after cancer,” she said.

The Boston Marathon is scheduled to take place Monday, April 16, 2012.

To support Hamilton’s cause, visit this link.

What parents should know about toxins

admin — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:20:48 +0000

By Sara Frost Azzam

Wicked Local Wellesley

Posted Nov 07, 2011 @ 01:12 PM

Wellesley —

“We and our children are exposed to toxins invisibly, stealthily, without our knowledge. The U.S. now makes or imports 27 trillion pounds of chemicals per year, (a number that doesn’t even include pesticides, drugs, food additives or polymers).” (From Poisoned for Profit, by Philip and Alice Shabecoff)

This is a staggering statistic. It is highly possible that chemical exposure increases the risk for cancer at any age. We can be exposed to chemicals by breathing them in, having them touch our skin, or getting them into our eyes or mouth (including on our fingers). There are many environmental toxins over which we have little to no control, but we can control how we choose to interact with them in our homes, our food supply, and our personal care products, to name just a few. In order to exercise such control, we must become informed consumers about the toxins to which we are exposed on a daily basis.

In our homes, we expose ourselves to chemicals in two different ways. The first are the so-called “hidden chemicals.” These are the ones that are in our household items because we have been told, by industry, that there is a need for them. We really don’t even think about them. One example is Scotchgard, a stain-resisting chemical that keeps our carpets and furniture from getting stained. One of Scotchgard’s main ingredients belongs to a large family of chemicals called perfluorochemicals. These chemicals persist in the body for decades, acting through a broad range of toxic mechanisms to present potential harm to a wide range of human organs. These same perfluorochemicals are in the Teflon coating on the pots and pans that we may cook with. These chemicals can disrupt fetal development, hormonal function and the immune system and increase the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Our food supply has the potential to damage the reproductive systems of a large number of women of child-bearing age, according to a 2009 study published in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction. The Toxics Reduction Institute, located in Massachusetts, reports that obesity, diabetes, malnutrition, childhood cancer, and other chronic disease impacts are costly human consequences of our industrialized food system. Antibiotics are added to animals to increase their growth, and become ingested into our systems when we eat meat and poultry. The result is an antibiotic resistance which contributes to the emergence of resistant forms of disease-causing bacteria, according to the World Health Organization. Artificial growth hormones are regularly added to the diet of livestock. These hormones are of no benefit to humans, and two of these hormones – estradiol, a type of estrogen, and progesterone – are considered probable carcinogens by the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes ofHealth. Estrogen has been linked with breast cancer in women and testosterone with prostate cancer in men, while progesterone has been found to increase the growth of ovarian, breast and uterine tumors. The European Union has already banned use of hormones in their animal products.

The average American uses somewhere between six and 10 personal care products per day. Depending on what products we use, as we shampoo and condition our hair or moisturize our bodies, we may be covering our hair and skin with dibutyl phthalate, one of the family of phthalates which have been found to disrupt the endocrine system, potentially cause liver cancer, and cause reproductive system damage (according to research published in the journal Pediatrics). We can avoid using this chemical simply by reading the ingredients’ labels on the bottles of our personal care products, and choosing alternatives. Triclosan, found in almost any soap labeled “anti-bacterial,” also disrupts the body’s endocrine system, resulting in severe problems with human and reproductive growth and development. This chemical is so pervasive that it is found in the urine of 75 percent of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Incidentally, the European Union has already banned or restricted use of phthalates and triclosan in their personal care products.

These are certainly gloomy facts to deal with, but once we are armed with knowledge, we can attempt to prevent harm. We can demand that products be tested and, even without conclusive evidence, removed from the market if there is sufficient weight of evidence indicating they are causing harm. We can produce and/or purchase chemical-free food and products for our families. However, most crucial is that we talk about these issues, and don’t sweep them under the proverbial (and, no doubt, Scotchgarded!) carpet. In understanding and taking action regarding the chemicals in our food, our homes, our lawns, our personal care products – indeed everywhere around us – we can become informed citizens and work together for a better world for us and, more importantly, for our children. In the words of Philip and Alice Shabecoff: “Environmental health can be a great unifying, empowering force.”

As we begin breast-cancer awareness month, it is important to note that the Massachusetts Breast Care Coalition is advocating for dedicated research and resources to answer the difficult question, “What is causing breast cancer?” The Wellesley Cancer Prevention Project asks you to join us in broadening that question to “What is causing all cancers?” as we host “Keeping Children Healthy From the Start: What Every Parent Should Know About Toxins,” a presentation by Philip and Alice Shabecoff, authors of Poisoned for Profit: The Toxic Assault on our Children. This free event is open to the public and includes informational resources and tips on how you can avoid unnecessary chemicals in our environment. The program will be held on Tuesday, October 11 from 7:00pm-8:30pm at the Wellesley Free Library.

This article was submitted on behalf of the Wellesley Cancer Prevention Project. Sara Frost Azzam is the president of the local grassroots organization.

Are you curious about Wellesley’s Water?

admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:45:34 +0000

Come and learn about our town’s precious resource, ask questions, and enjoy some refreshments with the community.

Tuesday November 15, 2011
7:30·9:00 PM
Wellesley Free Library
Wakelin Room
Guest Speaker: Joe Duggan
Wellesley’s Waler and Sewer Superintendent will discuss the town’s infrastructure and local geology in the Brookside Area and Rosemary Brook Watershed.
Friends of Brookside is a community association of Wellesley residents dedicated to protecting and preserving Brookside Road, Longfellow Pond, Town Forest, Rosemary Brook and Brookside Gardens. Learn more about us by visiting our website: www.friendsofbrookside.org
E-mail us for more information at friends.of.brookside@gmail.com

Event Promotes Cancer Prevention Through Education

admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:11:42 +0000

We Can Row

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:17:37 +0000

WeCanRow is a wellness and recovery program for breast cancer survivors.

It provides an opportunity for women recovering from breast cancer to develop healthy and strong bodies, become active participants in their own recovery, rediscover the joy of movement, and be part of a group of women with a common bond supporting each other.

http://wecanrowboston.org/

Our Space Rocks

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:30:51 +0000

The mission of Our Space is to embrace children and teens who have faced or are confronting cancer. Our Space will inspire peace, spirit, and healing within a supportive community, through play, learning, and creative exploration.

http://ourspacerocks.org/

Keeping Your Children Healthy From The Start: What Every Parent Should Know About Toxins

admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:41:09 +0000

When: Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Where: The Wakelin Room at the Wellesley Public Library

(from Poisoned for Profit, by Philip and Alice Shabecoff)

This is a staggering statistic. It is highly possible that chemical exposure increases the risk for cancer at any age. We can be exposed to chemicals by breathing them in, having them touch our skin, or getting them into our eyes or mouth (including on our fingers). There are many environmental toxins over which we have little to no control, but we can control how we choose to interact with them in our homes, our food and water, and our personal care products. The most important thing that we are informed consumers.

Our food supply has the potential to damage the reproductive systems of a large number of women of child-bearing age, according to a 2009 study published in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction. The Toxics Reduction Institute, located in Massachusetts, reports that obesity, diabetes, malnutrition, childhood cancer, and other chronic disease impacts are costly human consequences of our industrialized food system. Antibiotics are added to animals to increase their growth, and become ingested into our systems when we eat meat and poultry, resulting in antibiotic resistance, which contributes to the emergence of resistant forms of disease-causing bacteria, according to the World Health Organization. Artificial growth hormones are regularly added to the diet of livestock. These hormones are of no benefit to humans, and two of these hormones – estradiol, a type of estrogen, and progesterone – are considered probable carcinogens by the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health. Estrogen has been linked with breast cancer in women and testosterone with prostate cancer in men, while progesterone has been found to increase the growth of ovarian, breast and uterine tumors. The European Union has already banned use of hormones in their animal products.

The average American uses somewhere between six and ten personal care products per day. As we shampoo and condition our hair or moisturize our bodies, we may be covering our hair and skin with dibutyl phthalate, one of the family of phthalates which have been found to disrupt the endocrine system, potentially cause liver cancer, and cause reproductive system damage, according to research published in the journal Pediatrics. We can avoid using this chemical simply by reading the ingredients’ labels on the bottles of our personal care products, and choosing alternatives. Triclosan, found in almost any soap labeled “anti-bacterial,” also disrupts the body’s endocrine system, which regulates growth and development. This chemical is so pervasive that it is found in the urine of 75 percent of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Incidentally, the European Union has already banned or restricted use of phthalates and triclosan in their personal care products.

These are certainly gloomy facts to deal with, but once we are armed with knowledge, we can attempt to prevent harm. We can demand that products be tested and, even without conclusive evidence, removed from the market if there is sufficient weight of evidence indicating they are causing harm. We can produce and/or purchase chemical-free food and products for our families. However, most crucial is that we talk about these issues, and don’t sweep them under the proverbial (and, no doubt, Scotchguarded!) carpet. In understanding and taking action regarding the chemicals in our food, our homes, our lawns, our personal care products – indeed everywhere around us – we can become informed citizens and work together for a better world for us and, more importantly, for our children. In the words of Philip and Alice Shabecoff: “Environmental health can be a great unifying, empowering force.”

As we begin breast-cancer awareness month, it is important to note that the Massachusetts Breast Care Coalition is advocating for dedicated research and resources to answer the difficult question, “What is causing breast cancer?” The Wellesley Cancer Prevention Project asks you to join us in broadening that question to “What is causing all cancers?” by joining us as we host “Keeping Children Healthy From the Start: What Every Parent Should Know About Toxins,” a presentation by Philip and Alice Shabecoff, authors of Poisoned for Profit: The Toxic Assault on our Children. This free event is open to the public and includes informational resources and tips on how you can avoid unnecessary chemicals in our environment. The program will be held on Tuesday, October 11 from 7:00pm-8:30pm at the Wellesley Free Library.

International Walk To School Day!

admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:44:50 +0000

October 5th

Join neighbors and friends and walk, bike or scooter to school. Start a walk-pool (like a carpool but on foot!).

Walk to school day is an ideal way to promote walking or even bicycling to school. The hope is that as families do it once or twice, they see the pleasure in it and become more incline to do it over and over again. There are the obvious reasons to walk such as increasing physical activity and reducing traffic en route to schools. However, the extra benefits that come from walking to school include enhanced community awareness, sharing time with friends and family, as well as less impact on the environmental.

Be sure to encourage the importance of identifying and promoting safer walking and biking routes in your community.

Consider participating and/or organizing a walk to school at your school.