Medical Health

Folic Acid Might Promote Cancers of the Breast, Lung, and Colon

On page 59 in his book Crohn’s and Colitis: Understanding the Facts About IBD (1st edition, 20 April 2006), Dr. Hillary Steinhart (a leading Canadian physician and medical professor) states that the vitamin supplement folic acid might reduce the risk of cancer but that the evidence for this possible benefit is not conclusive. Data gathered during a large Nurses’ Health Study, 1980 to 1994, is one of the main sources for evidence supporting the use of folic acid to prevent colon cancer.

Now our scientists and news media are telling us that supplementation with folic acid might increase the risk of cancer, especially colon cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer. The May 2009 issue of Reader’s Digest presses the point that too little folate in the diet can increase the risk of cancer, while too much folic acid can also increase that risk. Folate is the natural form of the vitamin folic acid.

For additional information about the dangers of folic acid supplementation, see Laura Beil’s article “Is your breakfast giving you cancer?” in Prevention Magazine and the CBS News article “High Doses Of Folic Acid May Lead To Colon Cancer.” And also note that on page 103 in the 1st edition of his book Crohn’s and Colitis: Understanding the Facts About IBD, Dr. Hillary Steinhart points out that the prescription drug sulfasalazine “interferes with folate’s metabolism.” He says that if you are taking sulfasalazine, you will probably need to take a folic acid supplement.

I hope Dr. Steinhart brings out a new edition of his book soon. In the meantime, eat plenty of oranges and greens.

Buying a House in Arizona: Home, Termite, and Mold Inspections

First I’ll tell you about the information you can get from the Arizona State Government. Then I’ll tell you about my conversations with house, termite, mold, and fungi inspection companies in Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona.

You can phone the Office of Pest Management at 602-255-3664 (and 1-800-223-0618). Or go online to the www.sb.state.az.us web site, where you can use their “Consumer Resources” section to search for companies licensed for Pest Control, Termite Inspection, and Fungi Inspection (Mold Inspection). For termites, you are probably best off looking at companies that have both the pest control/treatment license (the B2 license) and the pest inspection license (the B8). For mold, the fungi inspection license (the B7) might only apply to the exterior walls of buildings–you’ll want to inquire with the inspection service providers.

Here is how to perform a license search on the www.sb.state.az.us web site in its present form:

1) Click on “Consumer Resources” in the menu on the left side of the www.sb.state.az.us homepage. A drop-down menu will open up.

2) In the drop-down menu, click on “Licensee Search.” A new menu will open up. Click on “Pest Management Company.”

3) You are now on a page called “Search for Pest Control Companies in Arizona,” where you can either a) type in the name of the company you want to know about, or b) just type in the name of the city where you want the inspections performed.

4) When all you do is type in the city name (and then click on the “Search” button) you will see a list of business names, their license numbers, and their statuses (expired or active). Click on a company’s license number to find out more about them.

5) Additionally, you can choose a “License Category” and then perform the search for your city.

Here is how I went about finding home, termite, and mold/fungi inspectors in Mesa (and Phoenix), Arizona:

First of all, I phoned Chemtec Supply (the phone number is 480-833-7578) and asked for Jack. Chemtec is a supplier for pest control and inspection companies. Jack recommended talking to Steve Schaeffer at Foothills Pest Control (480-759-8700) about home inspectors. Jack also said to talk to Scott Agee at Action Termite Control (623-780-3132).

Steve Schaeffer at Foothills Pest Control recommended two home inspectors: 1) Comprehensive Property Inspections, azcpi.com, and 2) Dan Harris, inspectaz.com.

The office manager (Jeremy) at Action Termite Control recommended Jason Bradley at Win Home Inspections Red Mountain (480-659-0895), www.wini.com. We spoke to Jason, and he does both house and termite inspections. His termite inspections are performed under the auspices of Action Termite Control.

Jeremy at Action Termite Control also advised us to phone David Gilpatrick at Residential Environmental Services of America (RESA), www.resaaz.com, about mold and fungi inspections (602-230-9500). We phoned RESA, and David recommended hiring Kurtis Nelson at AJF Engineering, www.ajfengineering.com (480-661-8888). David said that Kurtis had taken his mold inspection training classes and that Kurtis had eleven years experience as a home inspector. Kurtis is also licensed to perform termite and wood destroying insects inspections and treatments.

The Fisheries Turnoff

I was watching David Suzuki’s “One Ocean” on CBC Television last night, and I was again struck by one fisheries biologist’s arrogance–his choice of words, his tone of voice, his meaning. When he spoke of forcing a smile onto his face at public meetings and inquiries, he was not only insulting his audience, he was admitting insincerity. And why would anyone want to cooperate with an arrogant, insincere fisheries biologist?

Fisheries biology is an interesting field of study, but it often attracts (and subsequently recruits) autocratic individuals who as teenagers and young adults failed to muster enough smarts to succeed at jobs requiring higher levels of creativity, originality, and diplomacy.

Related Posts:

World Health and Arrogant Ecologists

Science, Ethics, and Abuse

Global Warming and Publish or Perish

Toronto Waterfront, Leslie Spit, Cherry Beach

It was over 90 degrees in July, and with the humidity, that temperature had the effect of 104 degrees, but starting at 2 PM, I hiked from Yonge and St. Clair to the waterfront and then on to Cherry Beach and the Leslie Spit in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Then I hiked back to where I started on Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue. (Yonge is the longest municipal street in Canada.) Here are a few of the photos:

Toronto Skyline Under Reflections Through Cloud

Tall Ship, Cherry Beach, Toronto

Cherry Beach and Leslie Spit, Toronto

Cherry Road Drawbridge, Ship Passing

Ship passing from Lake Ontario, Cherry Drawbridge

Also see:

Hiking Photos from Bruce Trail and Grand Canyon

Here are a few of the photos I took on my hikes in Arizona and Ontario. I use a small Japanese-made Minolta. You will find more of my photographs on http://www.flixya.com/user/affiliatebin.

I took the Arizona shot on the Tanner Trail in the Grand Canyon and the Ontario shots on the Beaver Valley and Sydenham sections of the Bruce Trail (Maps 28 and 29 of the Bruce Trail Reference: Edition 25), about 10 km south of Meaford, Ontario. (Did you know that John Muir once lived in Meaford?). Compared to Arizona, the Bruce Trail does not present large elevation changes, but its moss-covered rocks and boulders are extremely slippery.

Colorado River, Tanner, Grand Canyon

Light in Forest — Photos from the Bruce Trail

Water Fall — Photos from the Bruce Trail

Rock Outcrop — Photos from the Bruce Trail

Bruce Trail Bumble Bee

Also see:

June 1 – June 10, Get 30% Off All GoLite Products

GoLite is celebrating National Trails Day by discounting all GoLite products by 30%: tents, packs, rain gear, running gear, and all the other hiking, camping and outdoors products in their collection. This site-wide sale is taking place from June 1 to June 10.

Use the coupon code “NTD2010″ at checkout on GoLite.com.

Flat Feet and Arch Supports

Maybe you visited your doctor after taking up running, and the doctor told you that your feet hurt because your arches fell. In other words, you have flat feet. Well the chances are that it’s your shoes, not your flat arches, that are causing the pain. The arch supports hurt your feet: You do not want humongous arch supports. You want shoes that are built with very mild (low) arch supports.

Both New Balance and Vasque make athletic shoes that fit flat feet and wide feet. Vasque even says that their Perpetuum last is “comfortable for people with flatter feet.”

So don’t quit running, walking, and hiking. Just buy the right shoes!

Ulcerative Colitis, Olive Oil, Sesame Oil, and Fish Oil

In his book The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That’s Destroying Our Health, Dr. Sears tells us about the importance of pharmaceutical-grade fish oil, toasted unrefined sesame oil, and extra-virgin olive oil. Now research in Britain indicates that consuming two to three tablespoons of olive oil a day might prevent ulcerative colitis. But this conclusion remains tentative until scientists manage to replicate the results. See http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/638501.html.

Dr. Sears says to consume cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, preferably relatively expensive brands that have a naturally peppery flavor: President’s Choice Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Tuscany has a peppery finish and seems reasonably priced. Still, you might prefer Dr. Sears’ oils. He sells his own select brand. Google it.

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Autoimmunity, KyoDophilus, Alfalfa, and Zinc

My general doctor says that patients suffering from autoimmune diseases should not take herbs and supplements that boost immunity (since autoimmunity results from overactive immune responses that attack and harm various parts of the patients’ bodies). In other words, when your immune system is already overactive, you are foolish to boost its activity even further. And that is why I am surprised when I see health practitioners (including naturopaths) advise victims of colitis or Crohn’s disease to take alfalfa and Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Alfalfa boosts the immune system and can therefore interfere with immune-suppressive medications, such as mercaptopurine (6-MP) and azathioprine (the Mayo Clinic says flat out that patients should not use azathioprine with alfalfa). And the labels on bottles of Kyo-Dophilus (a probiotic containing Lactobacillus acidophilus) say, “Take KyoDophilus . . . every day to boost immunity.”

In fact a University of California clinical trial using Kyo-Dophilus (”a commercially available dietary supplement often used by individuals with inflammatory bowel disease”) was terminated in 2008 due to low recruitment. In other words, the doctors could not find enough volunteers.

I suspect that colitis patients sometimes find that Kyo-Dophilus provides some relief from the symptoms associated with lactose intolerance. Yet they would do better to stay away from milk products and Kyo-Dophilus, since Kyo-Dophilus will not cure their colitis-induced lactose intolerance, and since it will boost their immune response (possibly causing their colitis to flare).

Patients suffering from autoimmune diseases should not take Kyo-Dophilus, alfalfa, zinc, echinacea, ginseng, and shiitake supplements, and they should stay away from COLD-fx, too.

Also see, Ulcerative Colitis Advice

They Say Vegetables Don’t Stop Cancer. I Don’t Believe It.

This week the media told us all that a new study shows that eating lots of vegetables does not “significantly” lower cancer risk. (The study indicates that vegetables might provide a very small reduction in cancer risk, but that statistic may have resulted from reporting error and bias — see Eating Vegetables Doesn’t Stop Cancer: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/eating-vegetables-doesnt-stop-cancer/.)

The cancer researchers had 142,605 men and 335,873 women report on their eating habits and lifestyles during 1992 to 2000. They then assessed the association between cancer risk and diets high in fruits and vegetables.

But it looks to me that investigating the question “Does eating five or more fruits and vegetables stop cancer?” is like asking “Does taking five or more prescription pills stop cancer?” Obviously, I would not eat a random assortment of pills as a cancer-prevention strategy (nor would I take the over-the-counter pills that happen to be on sale each week).

I drink green tea and eat lots of garlic, tomatoes, apples, berries, greens, and cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Broccolive). Then I include a very large variety of different fruits and vegetables in my diet, and to that end I also take powered fruits and vegetables and extracts (but I don’t take just one product day after day, month after month, year after year; I rotate them): Rainbow Vibrance Super Food, Progressive Nutritional PhytoBerry, and Drinkables Liquid Fruits and Vegetables Dietary Supplement, for example.

Research on the cancer-prevention properties of fruits and vegetables continues: On January 11, 2010, Texas AgriLife Research food scientists reported that mango prevents or stops colon and breast cancer cells in the laboratory. And at least one researcher at the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson says a “vegetable-rich diet may avert some cancers,” especially a diet full of cruciferous vegetables: cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi, radishes, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

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