CARCINOGENS IN AND OUT OF THE HOME DR. BECKY SINGSON ADVOCATE FOR THE INTEGRATION OF NATURAL HEALING & CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE

DR. BECKY SINGSON (BS): I’m sure there will be a lot of overlaps with the talk of Dr. de Villa, but it’s always good to reinforce a concept. Actually, very shocking sa akin na ma-discover ko na when I started to do this lecture na napakarami palang carcinogens right in our very own environment. This is what we’re going to talk about today.

Actually, lihim sa kaalaman ng marami, nag tagalog ako ha? Your risk for cancer na dahil minana niyo is only 30%. Most cancers actually result from poor dietary habits, smoking, alcohol comsumption, lack of exercise, and exposure to environmental toxins. According to the World Alliance for Breast Feeding Action or WABA, and the International Persistent Organic Pollutants Elimination Method or IPEM, ang sabi nila, every child born anywhere in this world, nung tin-test yun after birth, we would already discover that she or he has a body burden of toxic chemicals. So you see, the process of cancer begins in the womb. Don’t be surprised if a 20 or 30 year old is already discovered as having a cancer because the process starts from a mother’s exposure to environmental pollutants. The youngest patient I had who developed breast cancer was 26 years old. I’ve had 2 cases. And one of them even had 4 children and breastfed all her 4 children. And yet it did not confer protection.

These are just some of the toxins that you’d find in the breast which eventually finds its way into the breast milk. So you see, bata pa lang nakukuha na rin ng baby yung toxins. We have dioxins and PCB’s. You have polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDE, polyvinyl chloride which is PVC, phthalates, bisphenol A, mercury, lead and pesticides. We’ll go to each one, one by one.

Now anong cause ng breast cancer? Actually, any form of cancer is an immune system problem. And as I’ve said the process of immune system suppression leading to cancer already starts from the womb. In fact by age 6 years old, some kids have already accumulated 1/2 of their lifetime amount of cancer causing chemicals.

Now, this concept is very important to understand. Meron tayong 2 klaseng edad. Yung tinatawag nating chronological age, which is the age based on the time you were born. And so this woman can look 18 years old, di ba? At meron tayong tinatawag na biological age, which is, she can actually be 60 years old by her biological age when she’s in fact, she’s only 18 years old.

What is biological age? It refers to the number of free radical damage that has occurred to your body today. Ano ba yung free radicals? These are highly reactive, intermediate molecules that has unpaired electron. So mga unstable molecules yan no? Puwedeng oxygen na may minus na naghahanap yan ng kapares na to stablize it. So what happens? These are highly charged, highly unstable molecular fragments that can puncture cell membranes. So kung nakakita na kayo ng fireplace tapos nag ii-spit yung fireplace ng fire tapos napunta diyan sa carpet. Nasusunog yung carpet. Ganun yung klase ng damage na ginagawa ng free radicals sa ating cell membranes. In fact, they destroy enzymes and they break down DNA just to steal an electron from another molecule.

Familiar kayo sa cell ano tsaka yung parts ng cell? Siguro nung grade 1 kayo na-take up niyo yan ano? The cell has a nucleus and a mitochondria. Yung mitochondria, this is the energy factory of the cell. Yan ang nagpo-produce ng energy. If the free radical damages the mitochondria, the mitochondria will eventually stop producing energy, mamamatay yung cell, and that leads to decease when the cell dies, or ageing. Now, similarly if the free radical damages the DNA in the nucleus, it can also cause genetic mutation. And it can cause a process leading to cancer. Kasi nagkakaroon na ng abnormal protein synthesis, abnormal cell proliferation. Ayan na ang cancer. So you see how free radicals can cause cancer.

Now, if the free radical insults the DNA, sinisira niya yung DNA, mga 10,000 times in a day. Pero meron din naman tayong repair systems ano? Meron tayong enzymes na nagre-repair dun. Up to the 10,000 times mas masisirain niya yung DNA, yung mga enzymes niyo aayusin naman niyan., pero 9,900 times lang. E di 10% of the time hindi rin naaayos iyan. So pagka nag
a-accumulate ng free radicals, o di eventually that would lead to a lot of breakdown in the genetic material. That can lead to cancer; that can cause disease. And as I’ve said the body neutralizes free radical damage with built in anti oxidant. Napakahalaga talaga niyang anti oxidant sa buhay natin. Should its anti-oxidant defense become too weak, and its free radical exposure too great, magkakaroon na ng oxidative stress. Alam mo yung oxidative stress? Mas marami nang pinatay na tao iyan kesa lahat ng war at lahat ng epidemic sa buong mundo, because oxilative stress is the cause of a lot of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, yang arthritis, yang hypertension, yang heart attacks. Puro free radical damage yan leading to oxidative stress. Pati nga yung infertility, the latest data shows that the women who can get pregnant, who cannot ovulate, oxidative stress din sa ano, sa ovaries.

So in oxidative stress, free radicals run rampant within the body corrupting and killing cells. (Shows image slide) Anyway, you can see the free radical attacking the back bone of the DNA. So free radicals break protein molecules, disrupt crucial enzyme systems. They fracture DNA causing genetic mutations and uncontrolled cell divisions that eventually lead to cancer. So napakahalaga nitong concept na ito ng free radicals.

Now, in this study by Malins and Donald, they found na the women who had metastasized breasts cancer showed twice as much free radical damage to the breast tissue DNA than women with localized cancers. So yung mas maraming free radical damage yan ang mas may potential na kumalat ang cancer nila. So they found a clear correlation between the growth of metastatic tumors and the extent of radical induced DNA damage.

So ang conclusion nila, anti-oxidants, especially vitamin A, play a crucial role in controlling free radical damage through the DNA in breast tissue and may help to prevent metastasis.

Now, what are the sources of free radicals? Alam niyo ba kung hihinga lang kayo, 3-5% of your oxygen is already converted to free radicals? That’s in clean air. Eto pa, we are living in the most polluted city in the world where the lead levels are highest. Hindi lang 3-5% ng bine-breath niyo ang nako-convert into free radicals.

Yung metabolism lang na nangyayari sa cells niyo, pag nagdi-digest kayo ng food, nagbu-burn kayo ng food for energy, merong release yan ng free radicals. If you exercise too excessively, kaya nga kita niyo yung mga iba kagagaling lang sa gym, namatay na nag heart attack na, because excessive exercise can produce a lot of free radical damage. Excessive stress, fuel din yan di ba? And then ultra violet sunlight, yung mga nagba-bask sa sun na mga lalo na yung mga foreigner na walang masyadong melanin, nagkakaroon sila ng skin cancer. And then medications. You know that even Tamoxifen can cause edemetrial cancer. Di ba pino-protect ka nga sa breast cancer gagawa naman ng ibang klaseng cancer sa matres. And radiation. My oncologist underwent a radiation for tongue cancer, ang kasunod naman nun Squamous Cell CA naman sa skin. So, you see, all these increase free radical formation, lalong lalo na environment pollution. So we’ll go through the causes of environmental pollution would increase our free radical damage in the body.

Na-mention na ni Dr. de Villa yung dioxins. Ano ba yang dioxins na yan? This is a family of 75 compounds and over 95% of these occur from industrial activity. This is released into the environment pag nagbi-bleach ng pulp and paper, pesticide production, burning of plastic sa mga incinerators, nag re-release siya ng mga dioxins sa air, nagpupunta yan sa grounds tapos eventually ma wa-wash out yan sa mga lakes. And the bad thing is this is resilient to degeneration. Kaya kahit sa ka-apu apuhan niyo nandyan pa yang mga dioxins na nandito sa earth natin. Hindi natin sila matangggal. There’s no way to remove it. They’re not biodegradable. So what happens? Siyempre you find molecules at the bottom of the lakes. Nag a-accumulate yan sa food chain. And 95% of our exposure is through meat, fish and dairy products. Na-discussed na yan kaya yung sinsasabi ni Dr. de Villa na iwasan niyo dahil maraming dioxins. What happens is they get deposited in the bottom of the lakes and the planktons eat these molecules. And then the small fish eat the plankton, the big fish eat the small fish. The bigger fish eat the smaller fish, and so on up the food chain. And sinong nasa top ng food chain? O di tayo di ba? Kaya it’s maximally concentrated sa atin kasi wala nang kumakain sa atin di ba? Tayo ang nasa top ng food chain. So nako-concentrate yan sa mga fatty tissues because these are fat soluble substances. And what is the biggest fatty tissue in the woman?

Audience (A): Breasts.

BS: Breasts. Kaya dun nako-concentrate. Di ba? This is just an example of what dioxins can do, how it alters the DNA. In Vietnam, they sprayed a lot of herbicides and it released a lot of dioxins in 10 years. So ang dami-daming birth defects na nangyari because of the alteration of the DNA. You can imagine how many more cancers were produced.

Now, dioxins are known hormonal disruptors na may estrogen activity. Naglo-lodge siya dun sa mga estrogen receptors and then it alters the expression of the gene. It can also disturb the liver enzymes which affects the handling of these estrogens. So it can actually prevent the breakdown of the estrogen so you have an excessive amount of estrogens in your body. And it is upgraded to a human carcinogen, one of the most potent ever tested.

A study showed that a 10- fold increase in PCDD dioxin more than doubled the risk for breast cancer. So talagang nare-relate niya ang breast cancer.

Now, mapunta tayo sa PVCs. Very familiar tayo sa PVCs. PVC is plastics. The manufacturing and burning of PVCs regenerate a lot of dioxins. It is one of the most common plastics used in everything, from flooring, blinds, furniture, children’s toys. Di ba lahat yan gumagamit ng PVC? Yung inuupan natin PVC din…

It is the single most environmentally damaging and least recyclable of the plastics. And it is linked to breast and liver cancer among the workers involved in its manufacture.

Eto naming PCVs ibang klaseng chemicals naman ito. This is a class of 209 related compounds that don’t burn easily. Because of this property that they don’t burn easily, they become ideal as flame retardants. Ginagawa silang insulators sa mga transformers, kino-coat yung mga wood and plastics para hindi mag burn easily. It’s a wood adhesive and lubricant. Tinatawag na lubricant because nga with the friction, it does not burn easily.

Now the production has been banned in 1970 but it still being used in other countries. And again, a lot of their molecules have been dumped in the deep sea. And again through the food chain we get the molecules because we are on top of the food chain. So yung mga leaks from the transformers ng PCVs, maa-ano yan, mapupunta yan sa ating pagkain eventually at makukuha natin. You know, walang ligtas. Even from the bottm of the Hudson River, up to the snow in Antartica, have dioxins, have PCVs. So you would think that one is virgin but they have traces of all of these, even Antarctica. So, there’s not one corner of the earth that’s spared from all of these pollutants.

Now, fish, dairy and poultry are the most consistent sources of PCVs and it acts as a hormone disruptor again by binding the estrogen receptor sites. And there has been a clear association with breast cancer risk as shown by research. And it was implicated in breast cancer recurrences.

Now, nawala nga yung PCVs, ang pumalit PBDEs, Polybrominated Diphenyl ethers. Again, these are flame retardants that don’t burn easily, and they’re used in cushions, yung mga tela ng cushions, carpets, para hindi masunog agad, home furnishings. It’s used in the plastics of your TV, of your stereo, of your computers. And it has been found to have harmful effects because it alters the immune system. It causes cancer in mice and rats and birth defects in animals. And it causes liver changes in humans. In 2008, sa wakas, California will be the first to ban PBDE because they have already determined the link.

Now, phthalates are very interesting chemicals. They are added to plastics to make it more pliable. Anong pinaka- anong example diyan? Yan cling wrap. Cling wraps has palates. So especially if you put it on cheese, lalo na pag pinasok niyo sa microwave. Because of the heat it will be absorbed in the cheese. So the phthalates will get to you when you eat that. In Great Britain, they banned cling wrap for a while until they could produce cling wrap without phthalates. Saan kaya nila tinambak yung hindi na nabentang cling wraps dun da Britain ano?

Magandang tanong.

(A): Dito.

BS: Di ba? Sino ba ang nagme-measure ng phthalates sa cling wraps sa atin no? Now, it is used in food packaging materials, in car parys, in toys, pati blood bags. Biruin mo nag ta-transfuse ka ng dugo tapos nata-tranfuse-an ka rin ng phthalates. Silk wear, nail polish, ink, shower curtain di ba? Upholstery, adhesives for medical devices, carpet backing, blister packing, toothbrushes… name it. Everything you use has phthalates. Yung mga soft cheeses, chocolates, cakes, cardboard, sausages.

In 1996, a test by the Mnistry of Britain found 59 samples from 15 brands of baby milk positive for phthalates. And Gerber had to withdraw all their teethers because they found that it contained phthalates.

And so Evenflo had to bring back tempered glass to the market because they found that the plastic of the baby bottles, when you sterilize it, it release phthalates into the milk. So you’re much safer breastfeeding your baby. And using a glass bottle if you have to.

Now, phthalates are also found in the aluminum foils, plastics, and yung ink na ginagamit sa mga food packages niyo ha? And the cartons. All these phthalates can go to your food. Now you also have it in, as I’ve said in the blood bags, heat seals in the yogurt and the aluminum foil.

Now many phthalates are known to disrupt hormonal processes raising their concern about the implications for increasing breast cancer. In this Bisphenol A naman, it’s a component of plastic, one of the top 50 chemicals in production. Nag le-leach ito from food and beverage packing. So it coats metal products, tin cans, bottle tops, baby formula bottles, water pipes, dental sealants, children’s and compasses. It has estrogenic properties almost as potent as natural hormones. And I put the microwave there to remind you na as much as possible do not microwave your food in plastics because it will leach.

So in experiments with mice, it showed very little exposure to the environmentally relevant doses of Bisphenol A. Napaka sophisticated ang ginawa itong experiment. He got mice kasi hindi mo naman puwedeng pag eksperimentuhan ang tao. So he got mice and then he exposed them to a dose of Bisphenol A na parang translatable to the human doses that we get – very, very small. And he found that there are changes in the patterns of mammary gland development at the time of puberty. So comparable changes in women indicate a heightened risk for breast cancer. So from this experiment, na conclude niya na may relasyon ang Bisphenol A sa pag produce ng breast cancer, which is hot off the press. Kaka- publish pa lang nito sa Endocrinology Magazine/Journal.

Now, heavy metal toxicity is very important for us to know about. When a free radical hits a metal atom in your body, the effect is multiplied a million fold, kasi nag ba-bounce siya lalo, yung free radical kapag naka-hit siya ng metal ion. The more toxic metal in your body, the higher the free radical activity.

Now, mercury. Well, you know mercury you can get from a lot of seafood. In the States when a woman is pregnant, she is not allowed to take seafood more than once every 2 weeks kasi mataas ang mercury. In fact, I’m very careful about what I eat already and still I have high mercury levels and high lead levels. So it’s very good for you to probably test for that. It’s used in fluorescent lights, pesticides, dental fillings, seed coatings.

Since 2001 California banned the mercury thermometers. Di ba nung maliliit tayo ginagamit pa natin yung mercury pag nababasag? Very volatile ang mercury. You inhale the fumes and then it stays there; it gets deposited in your bones. And same with lead. Lead also get deposited in your bones and then when you get pregnant, you need calcium so the bones get mobilize to release the calcium, and it will also release the lead and the mercury.

So lead is found in lead crystals. Kaya maganda ngang inuman yung lead crystal na baso, e it also leaches lead. So it’s a source of lead. You’re safer to use glass. Once Yung PVCs, yung dulo nun lead pa din yung roskas nila dun eh. And then batteries, old paints, tin cans.

In the US meron silang clean air act nung 1970s so that reduced lead from the atmosphere down by 90%. Tayo sa Pilipinas meron din pala tayong clean air act. Supposed to be by 1999, na eradicate na lahat ng lead sa gasolina. Hindi kaya meron pa ring binebentang leaded gasoline? Kaya tayo ang pinakamataas na lead sa atmosphere.

Now yung lead is also a paint component. Lead Paint Poisoning Prevention Act of 1971 banned lead from paint. So if your house was built before 1970, pag-ingatan niyo po pag may nakikirta kayong chipping paint. Pag na inhale niyo yan, makukuha niyo yung lead. After 1970, yung lead was down to 20% na lang. Pero nevertheless, pag magpapagawa kayo ng bahay, make sure your paint is certified lead free. Kasi napaka delikado lalo na sa mga nag cra-crawl na bata. Tapos di ba there on the window sill usually diyan yun nagchi-chip na paint tapos ilalagay yung kamay sa bibig. Ayan na, nakuha lahat ng lead.

Now, yung mga water coolers. Even yung mga percolators ng mga coffee. Kaya ako natatakot ako uminom ng kape dun sa mga percolator e. Ceramic dinnerware and dental amalgams. So if you still have dental amalgams, please go to your dentists. Or go to a dentist who is knowledgeable about changing that because it produces a lot of free radicals.

Pesticides. DDT and other correlated hydrocarbons were discontinued from the US since 1980, but it can last for centuries kasi nga hindi biodegradable yung mga iyan. So it’s stored in the fatty tissues like breasts and women with breast cancer have higher levels of DDT.

Now, yung sprays, hindi ba? Whenever you spray, make sure you’re not in the wrong. Ako I avoid spraying at all. Actually I had a dog na naiwan ng aking labandera dun sa laundry area. It was a pure bred dog tapos nag spray siya ng Lysol. May pesticide yan eh. In a few hours, the dog was dead. So you know, a lot of people, yung mga bawat surface kailangan malinis, nila-Lysol lahat. You know, you are exposing yourself to a lot of chemicals.

Yung Lindeng Shampoo, once upon a time, hanggang ngayon ginagamit pa yan, pangtanggal ng lisa sa mga bata. This is very, very toxic. Pesticide yun, yung pantanggal ng lisang yun.

Lanolin. I remember the time when all shampoos and lotions contain lanolin. Ina-advertise pa yan. Yung lanolin pala, galing pala yan sa wool. Lana is wool. Galing pala yan sa wool ng sheep. But they would spray the sheep with several kinds of pesticides para hindi dapuan ng ano, ng peste. So when you extract lanolin, they found that it contain at least 9 kinds of pesticides. So never, never allow a baby to use anything with lanolin. Not even for you for that matter.

And of course dietary exposure. As much as possible, organic vegetables.

Air fresheners contain p- chlorobenzene which causes cancers in rats and mice. Di bale hindi mabango ang kotse niyo. If you must use essential oil na natural, hindi synthetic.

So the best way to eliminate toxins in the breasts is really to breast feed because they have found that every time you put the baby to the breasts, the level of the toxin drops. Women who breast feed have been found to have lower breast cancer risk. I’m really again a strong breast feeding advocate. One of the best things you can do to prevent breast cancer.

So the public’s health cannot and should not have to wait for proof that certain chemicals cause breast cancer before moving to prevent the occurrence of such a devastating disease. Breast cancer is no longer a personal issue but a burning public health crisis which requires a collective action by our society.

So I really would like to congratulate the organizers of Silver Linings for taking this collective action to create public awareness on breast cancer through positive steps towards its prevention.

Maraming salamat po.