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.

Tags: Cancer, diet, health, prevention

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.

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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.

Tags: Arizona, house and home, pollution, prevention, real estate