A variety of measures can be taken to decrease the likelihood of cancer. For more information, join our online forum today at CancerCompass.com to research cancer prevention resources. http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/cancer-prevention/1,0,127.htm Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ what to do to prevent from getting cancer. alternative cancer treatments. http://www.cancertutor.com/Prevention.html http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,41579,0.htm dlucas Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT   Has anyone gone to a Cancer Treatment Center facility and gone through their 10 week chemo-therapy treatment and all along you are being told that the cancer is getting better then at the 10 week mark they do some final scans and the word is that they have 90% of the cancer under control but need to do surgery to get the last 10%?  This is the situation my wife went through at the Philadelphia Center and feel that this is a standard line given to patients that in actuality have a terminal cancer but CTCA goes ahead and does an unecessary surgery just for the insurance monies.  This sounds harsh but I know at least one other patient, from the Pittsburgh area, had the same story told to them as it was told to my wife and myself. Please let me know if you know anyone that had a similar situation at any of the Cancer Treatment Centers around the United States.  Thanks. http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,41116,0.htm georgem5 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT Smoking hash or marijuana may not be the healthiest way to do it, but taking substances similar to those found in cannabis might one day help to treat colon cancer.Raymond DuBois and colleagues at the University of Texas, Houston, discovered that a key receptor for cannabinoids - compounds similar to the active ingredient of cannabis - is turned off in most types of human colon cancer cells. Similarly, mice genetically engineered to develop colon tumours developed more of them if the receptor, called CB1, was knocked out . What's more, tumours shrank when the genetically engineered mice were injected with a cannabinoid.One suggestion is that lack of [/url=http://www.lookchem.com/cas-275/27554-30-9.html ]CB1[/url] encourages tumour growth because the receptor normally interacts with cannabinoids made by the body to prompt cells to die. This opens up a possible two-step treatment for colon cancer. First, switch CB1 back on using decitibine, a drug already approved for use in humans which DuBois and his team showed stops blockage of the receptor in human colon cancer cells. Then give the patient cannabinoids to activate CB1.The research also casts a shadow on the weight-loss drug rimonabant. The drug suppresses appetite by blocking CB1, which is involved in hunger as well as tumour growth. DuBois suggests that anyone on the drug be screened for colon cancer. http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,38666,0.htm sunnye Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT I'm scheduled to undergo a stereotactic breast biopsy in my left biopsy. My roommate is nervous about mammograms and I keep telling her to get one but she won't do it.  They also found a complex hypoechoic nodule in my left breast.Brenda Bell http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,37760,0.htm bkb41 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT Cancer is a group of many related diseases. A simplistic definition of cancer is that some defect in our DNA, (specifically the chromosome responsible for normal controlled cell division, the P53 gene) is going astray. It is held that all cancers begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life. Cells make up tissues, and tissues make up the organs of the body.Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old and die, new cells take their place. Sometimes, as in cancer, this orderly process goes wrong. New cells form when the body does not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor. This principle has been the central focus of all research into the disease for well over a century. This is the underlining premise that everyone has accepted as their starting point, but I strongly suspect that this premise is wrong. Our DNA is constant and does not change from childhood to adulthood, yet the list of cancer types for these two age groups certainly does. How could there be any variances in the types of cancer one could acquire if cancer was caused by an inner cell DNA defect? There could not be a distinction, because our DNA does not change. But there is a distinction. To understand this anomaly, we need to study how cells come into being. There are two means with which a cell can be reproduced, and only two. One method is  the much studied process in which the cell’s DNA instructs the cell to divide as outlined in the internal code of the cell. This has been the central focus of all queries into the disease since scientists have had the ability to study the body at the cellular level. The only other way in which a cell can be reproduced, is a less studied, and less understood method whereas the body’s own immune system is sent to a region immediately following some form of trauma, to stimulate the neighbouring cells into rapidly reproducing themselves in the form of scar tissue.  A close examination of tumor tissues reveals that there are similarities between the formation of scar tissue (with its accompanying inflammation, that is necessary to maintain the existence of this newly generated cell) and cancerous activity. This relationship is most easily observed by comparing skin surface scars with skin cancer. Because scar tissue was manufactured rapidly, and by a different process than that of normal tissue replacement (normal cell division), it has different characteristics. Scar tissue made from skin cells has a distinct appearance with a smoother surface, firmer density, (described as a waxy appearance) and a different pigment from that of the surrounding tissue. The following quote can be found at www.google.com final report on Grant GR/K71394 Mathematical Model of Scar Tissue“Scar tissue formation is a ubiquitous feature of adult wound healing, withthe resulting repair both functionally and cosmetically inferior to normalskin. At microscopic level, the main difference between scar and normaltissue is in the alignment pattern of the collagen fibers of which they arecomposed.”  ‘Functionally and cosmetically inferior’ are characteristics shared by cells thought to be manufactured by cancer cells, and cells manufactured by our immune system. These characteristics are not attributed to cells manufactured by the normal DNA method. If cancer was a disease of the cell losing the ability to replicate itself in a controlled manor, then we would expect to see uniformity between the cancer tumor and the parent cell that had lost this ability to replicate itself in a controlled manner. We should not expect to see uniformity between cancers themselves, if this uniformity did not first exist between the parenting cells. But Warburg, while studying the metabolism of tumors, noted that "cancers of various species and tissue origins reveal a high uniformity from tumor to tumor." Warburg, O.: Stoffwechsel d. Tumore, Springer, Berlin, 1926. Engl. edn., The Metabolism of Tumors, tr. F. Dickens, London, 1930. In fact there have been numerous studies all of which point to a number of parallelisms between cancer tumors of all types. There are a series of “common denominators” that are shared between all cancerous tissues that do not have this shared characteristic with the host cells. The following 4 quotes with references point this relationship out."Correlatively, the Coris find the lactic acid and sugar content of the various exhibitions of cancer to be highly uniform. Williams and his co-workers report a pronounced degree of uniformity in the concentration of eight B vitamins in a great variety of animal and human tumours, regardless of the tissue of origin or the manner of their induction." Cori, C.F., and Cori, C.J.:J. Biol. Chem., 64:11, 1925"Shack describes an almost complete uniformity in cytochrome oxidase content in a number of mouse tumors." Shack, J.: J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 3:389, 1943 "Maver and Barrett describe substantial evidence for an immunological uniformity among malignant tumors. Greenstein reports an impressive degree of uniformity in enzyme concentration among malignant tissues, regardless of their means of induction, tissue of origin or species of origin." Greenstein, J.P.: Symposium on Cancer, A.A.A.S. Research Conference on Cancer, ed. F.R.Moulton, Am. Assoc. Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C., 1945, p. 192 "The uniformity of various exhibitions of cancer in respiratory properties, lactic acid production, vitamin content, enzyme content, action on a given substrate, effect on liver catalase, cytochrome oxidase content immunological properties, and many other characteristics is correlative to an uniformity of malignant tumors in the ability to metastasize, in their amenability to heterotransplantability, and in their autonomy, invasiveness and erosiveness. Indeed, there is no known basic property unique to any single exhibition of cancer---the only variation being a morphological one partially conditioned by admixed benign or somatic components." Cancer and the Immune System The Vital ConnectionAfter considering all the above quotations, a fair question to be asked is, ‘Why is there such uniformity between cancer tissues from tumor to tumor?’ Another question that comes to mind is, ‘If a fault in the DNA is causing this tissue growth, why is the daughter cell even distinguishable from the normal cell?’ All of this uniformity seems to paint a picture that there is a common theme in all cancers, which implies a single source of manufacture. It is impossible for the  DNA model to account for the anomaly of this uniformity. Yet ‘uniformity’ is an obvious inference if the cancers were all being formed from our immune system. A pattern of uniformity would be necessary if the immune system were held to be responsible for the manufacture of all these tissues. The cancer cell is distinguishable from the normal cell because it was manufactured by a different process then normal cell replacement. The DNA method of cell regeneration is not different and not distinguishable from the original. This underlying characteristic would not change just because the controlled order of cell replacement went haywire.Since there are only two ways in which a cell can be manufactured, and only one of the two methods can account for this ‘uniformity’, and also account for why the new cell is distinguishable from the parent cell, then it would be prudent to entertain the possibility that the ‘repair’ aspect of our immune system could be responsible for this non requested cell growth we call cancer. &n http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,35919,0.htm Purple_x Thu, 07 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT My husband gets his prostrate exam and his PSA levels have been positive for about 2 years now. Can you tell me where he can go in Colorado to get this STPB exam? http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,33731,0.htm Magyar Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT hello everyone. my name is craig and i have a short story . a few months ago i started to have real bad chest pains. at first i thought nothing of it and went on my merry way. in this time i had gotten a third job and was working a whole mess of hours a day. thus chalking it up to stress. after a month the pains started getting worse and more frequent.(pains that felt like what would be a heart attack) so after going to the doc and telling him he thinks it could be gastro.so he prescribes me a pill called protonix. great..... i start taking them and it doesnt do anything..in this time mind you i am feeling more and more tired everyday and so mentally and physically drained that i am becoming less productive at work.(not good!) so i cut one of my jobs ao i only work 12 hours a day.  anyway....in about a month i am still getting pains and have absolutely no immune system. in between i had gotten a stomach virus, flu, cold, and then skin irritations.. so i go for a heart test and after the stress test i get the pain again.. while i am on the ekg.....its not my heart....i go to the er get a bunch of tests and the next day the doc calls me and thinks i have lypmh node cancer.. so right now i just got  a pet ct scan ... now the questions i have are as follows..1. what should i expect to hear if its not cancer?2.  what the hell are the chest pains im having?3. if its a virus how do i get better? http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,33251,0.htm BOOGZ366 Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT some have appreciate suggestion http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,32781,0.htm nathon Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT I was reading on about.com about www.colonhealthcheck.com and their Fecal Occult Blood test which you can do at home. I recently had a scare when I went to the GI and he ordered a colonoscopy and removed some polyps.  They were non-cancerous, but I'm only 33 years old.  He told me I need to be screened for colon cancer every couple years now, which makes me nervous because I don't have insurance and I can't afford to go to the doctor all the time. I still have some IBS symptoms, which worry me. I thought there were a lot of people like me in the same position who were concerned about their health and couldn't afford a colonoscopy regularly but wanted to monitor their health. Since I'm under 50, I'm not able to just get tested easily at the doctor, but I don't want surprises. So I've been buying these at home FOB tests from colonhealthcheck.com and they work great, honestly. I've been recommending them to my friends and family.  Has anyone else had any experiences with this? I know it isn't a substitute for regular screening, but its a great way to know if something is wrong between long visits, especially after having polyps removed already. http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,32611,0.htm robertw900 Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT I thought you all might be interested in this article from NaturalNews. Even though arsenic has long been associated with cancer, the association is not often linked with heart disease and blocked arteries and diabetes.(www.NaturalNews.com) What comes to mind when you think of arsenic? For most people, it conjures up a deadly poison used by killers in fictional mystery novels and some real-life murderers, too. But the danger of this toxic substance most often comes not from some evil-doer but simply from exposure to it through our environment, including the water we drink. Unwittingly taken into the body over many years, arsenic can result in lung, bladder and skin cancers, as well as heart disease, diabetes and neurological damage.In the U.S., many locations are known to have groundwater containing arsenic  concentrations in excess of the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  standard of 10 parts per billion. But now comes research that suggests the EPA's supposedly "safe" level of arsemic allowed in water supplies for public consumption isn't safe at all. In fact, water laced with the federally-approved amount of arsenic could be causing high blood pressure and artery-clogging arteriosclerosis.According to animal research by University of Pittsburgh scientists set to be published in the December issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, and available online now at http://www.jci.org/articles/view/35092, arsenic at EPA-approved levels for drinking water causes pores in liver blood vessels o close, potentially leading to cardiovascular disease  and hypertension. This study calls into question whether present Environmental Protection Agency standards (currently based only on the risks of arsenic causing cancer) are stringent enough.Aaron Barchowsky, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental and occupational health at the University Of Pittsburgh Graduate School Of Public Health, and his research team studied sinusoidal endothelial cells in the livers of mice. These specialized cells normally remove waste from the blood and allow nutrients to regulate metabolism. But when mice were exposed to ten to 100 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic over a period of 14 days, the arsenic increased the activity of an enzyme called NADPH oxidase and the levels of oxidants it produces. In turn, the sinusoidal cell functions became less able to remove damaged proteins from the blood. What's more, the cells lost their characteristic pores or "windows". Bottom line: the cells' ability to effectively handle nutrients and waste was extremely compromised.Although mice are, of course, tiny compared to people, their bodies are known to be far less sensitive to arsenic's effects than humans'. And that makes the study even more worrying. "These results are important since this type of cellular dysfunction, over time, can impair the body's ability to clear fats and waste proteins that build up in blood vessels and can lead to cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension  and atherosclerosis," Dr. Barchowsky said in a statement prepared for the media.The current federal standard for arsenic in public water systems not only may be too high, but it only applies to drinking water sources that serve more than 20 people. "We are especially concerned about water from individual wells in small, rural and semi-rural communities that are exempt from the EPA  requirement and often contain levels of arsenic that exceed the EPA limit," Dr. Barchowsky stated in the press release. "Our findings raise some concerns about whether current EPA-developed standards can effectively protect against cardiovascular risks posed by arsenic in drinking water."The study is a strong reminder that no one in the should assume that because their water supply is dubbed "safe" by the EPA that it doesn't contain not only arsenic but other toxins. For example, most public water supplies are known to contain a host of pharmaceutical and pesticide residues,too. Testing your water or finding a proven system of safe water filtration are the only known ways to make sure you are putting pure water into your body.Our drinking water is not the only source of arsenic. Preserved pine used for outdoor decking and furniture, chickens raised commercially, seafood and some pesticides, fungicides and rat poison contain arsenic. The best course is to avoid arsenic entering your body, but if it has, liquid zeolite is a very safe and effective way to remove it. http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,30725,0.htm jcr65566 Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT I just had a benign tumor removed fr my 75lb boxer dog and I heard about graviola as a preventative measure.  The problem is when I give it to him.....he is vomitting.  Is this normal? http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,30508,0.htm boxer_lover Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT This is from Austraila if your in the US a soft drink is soda Subject: Supermarket Shelf PoisonsPoisons This is a very interesting warning? Just what is safe to eat and use these days? Goodness knows.HEALTH WARNINGSupermarket Shelf Poisons Anybody that takes Vitamin C (and most people should) avoid the following Soft drinks Sunkist, Fanta, Diet Coke, Sprite, & Pepsi Max.  These drinks contain Sodium Benzoate 211 on the label.A chemical reaction between Vitamin C and Sodium Benzoate creates Benzine a highly Carcinogenic chemical (story by Channel 9) Benzine has the ability to severely damage the DNA in the Mitochondria to the point that it totally inactivates it, knock's it out altogether. The Mitochondria consumes Oxygen to give you energy, and if you damage it, then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously, often Fatally, a whole array of Disease's has been tied to the damage to the DNA, including Parkinson's Disease and quite a lot of Neuro-Degenerative Disease's'. This is a follow-up of all the TV station's story on Mentos and Diet Coke. Don't mix these two either, they cause a chemical reaction (explosion) in the stomach, it's not only Mentos but also any Mint products. Mint Life Savers, Tic Tac's, Cool Mint's, etc, the Mint is not the culprit here but the Aspartame in the Diet Drink's, 951 on the label, also avoid 950 Acelsultame F(same thing).Aspartame poisoning has been scientifically linked to 92 Symptom's of Disease. Still going to drink your Diet Drinks????????? The Philippines has forbidden the Importing and use in their Country of Aspartame including all makes of Saccharin, example Equal, Nutra-Sweet, Spoonful, & Diet Drink's, including 6,000 consumer Good's and Beverages, sold on the Supermarket shelves, this ban affect's all use of this product in any type of consumable infringement and will carry penalties that go from 9.000 euros to 90,000 Euros. Mexico is also considering banning all 6,000 products of Aspartame on its Supermarket shelves. In Mexico Aspartame is known as Rumsfeld's Disease, after George Bush's mate Donald Rumsfeld. The Nutra-Sweet company and Searle is owned by Monsanto who appointed Rumsfeld as their General Manager, so they could use his clout with Parliament to get this Deadly Poison passed by the FDA, and boost their sales of Aspartame.Avoid all Toothpaste's made in China , especially Colgate's they contain Ethylene Glycol. This is an Anti-Freezing agent, Highly Toxic and even Fatal, it destroys the Liver, Kidney's, Lung's, Blood Cells, Heart and the Nervous System, also sold in some Mouth Washes, Make-up, Aftershave, Baby Powder and Wipes, Shampoo, and Deodorant's. Avoid Smarties; they contain almost every Toxic artificial colour on the market. The worst are 102, 104, and the worst of all 110 Carcinogenic, 124 undesirable, 127 Carcinogenic 128 Extreme Caution, 129,131, and 133 are also carcinogenic. To top it off Smarties are not even made of Chocolate (neither are Tim Tam's).  Synthetic Chocolate has no nutritional food value whatsoever.Read your label's it may one day save your life.                                     http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,30273,0.htm jcr65566 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT I have a LEEP procedure scheduled for tomorrow and right now I am just pissed off. I read enough messages about it to know I have a crapshoot of whether I have a good or bad experience. I'll just say the Colposcopy I had was unpleasant enough but will leave out the details so I'm not holding out hopes for the LEEP. Last year, 2007, I had a slightly abnormal pap... they tested me for HPV and I came back negative so they just told me to come back in 6 months for a pap... well it actually took me 9 months due to not having insurance for a while in between. This time I needed a Colposcopy and am CIN III. Now I need the LEEP but apparently don't even have HPV. My younger sister has already had to have this done and my mom always had complications with her cervix and uterus. I think it might be genetic (although no-one in my family has progressed to actual cancer). I really just don't want to go tomorrow. Nothing is comforting or will soothe my anger. I don't feel like I did anything to deserve this. http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,28823,0.htm homienaomi Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT I have been reading about natural compounds that can prevent the initiation of cancer. My understanding is that they eliminate reactions to estrogen that impact DNA and result in breast and prostate cancer. Does anyone know anything about these dietary supplement(s)? http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,28564,0.htm Nancy_Ann Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT Tumors are perceived as one phenomenon.Tumors are one phenomenon, but there are many types. Why?According to official views that see genetic alteration at the basis of neoplastic development, it is possible that the alteration can manifest itself in any environment with all possible typological differentiations.From the microbiological point of view, instead, it is always Candida that invades various anatomical parts, evoking different reactions as a function of the organs it feeds on. These behaviors are a function of the quantity and quality of the affected tissues. An organ whose connective tissue has been invaded defends itself with cellular hyper-productions that attempt to encyst the fungin colonies which are trying to completely colonize the organism.It is in this way that the whole histological variety of neoplasias can be explained. The histological variety appears not to be influential in the determination of the cause, which is always and only Candida. It is in this way that during a neoplastic event some genes can be hyper-expressed - that is, amplified - in a defensive effort determined by hyper-productive needs of the tissue. This reaction is normal and not anomalous at all.Consider the following example. If we take an inert thorn, for example that of a sea urchin, and we inoculate it first in the skin, then in the bronchi, the bone, brain and in other body areas, we evoke an immune response of a cellular type tending to encyst the thorn, that is, to form some kind of a cocoon in which to enclose it.By the same token, the immune system interprets fungin colonies beyond a certain dimension as extraneous foreign bodies stimulating an encystment reaction that is produced with the type of cells of the invaded tissue.The thorn or the fungus can therefore cause, according to the case, an epithelioma, an adenocarcinoma, an osteosarcoma, a gliobastoma, and so on.In the first moments of the invasion, the organism is able to send mature cells to contain the proliferating fungi: this is the phenomenon of a differentiated tumor. As the colonies become more powerful, and tissues are exhausted, cells become more and more immature up to anaplasia.Furthermore, the ratio between differentiated tissues and connective tissue existing in an organ determines the reaction capability and thus the degree of malignancy of a neoplasia. The fewer noble cells there are, the more malignant and invasive the tumor becomes.So, on the one hand we have noble tissue which cannot be attacked (muscles and nerves), and on the other the simple connective tissue. The glandular tissue which is halfway between these two elements, just because it is provided with that complex structure that confers to it a certain ability of encysting the fungi, can oppose their invasion by producing the phenomenon of the benign tumor. For example, if we consider the thyroid, we can see how in this gland neo-formations can take any graduation of malignancy even when they possess benign histological characteristics, as is the case for capsulated follicular carcinoma, long ago called metastasizing benign adenoma.This can happen because the concept of a 'benign tumor' does not have an absolute value. In this case, even if it is true that fungin cells cannot normally go through the differentiated cells barrier, that does not mean that under particular conditions they cannot be successful.It is for this reason that such neo-formations are considered 'odd' in oncology. But such oddities can be easily explained with the interpretation key of fungin infection. When the glandular tissue is exhausted, the benign tumor becomes a malignant one.For all intents and purposes, it is always the same Candida attacking different tissues, each time adapting itself to the type of environment it finds. The specifications usually assigned to the various candidas (Candida Albicans, Krusei, Parapsilosis, Glabrata, Tropicalis and others) underestimate the fact that they all come from one single progenitor which, when it genetically mutates to attack the host, transforms itself into this or that stock.59R.L. Hopfer for example found no less than four different Candida species in the post-mortem cultures of a leukemia patient. N. Aksoycan demonstrated that seven different stocks of Candida actually have the same antigenic structure. F.C. Odds reports how the same Candida stock can colonize different anatomical areas at different times. J. Hellstein has found the common clonal origin in Candida Albicans for both commensal and pathogenic stocks. http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,26356,0.htm jcr65566 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi everyone, It has been a few months now that my wife (29yrs old) has noticed that there was a lump (maybe size of a golf ball) on the inner right lip side of her veginaShe went to see her family doctor and the doctor told her it's most probably a cyst called Bartholin cyst and reffered her to a gynocologistRecently she did a pap test and results came back POSITIVEIam very worried! as next week she has an appointment with her gyn. and even though her family doctor told her to not worry as this is being very common in women of her age group but she did mention that her gyn. may do a biopsy and then she also talked about a surgery to remove the cyst and stay in the hopistal for a night or 2?Has anyone else had something similar?I did my re-search about bartholin cyst and most of the times they drain the liquide but I haven't heard people getting hospitalized for it Thanks Sam http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,25954,0.htm samij Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT I receive an excellent e-publication from Dr Janet Starr Hull:http://www.healthynewsletter.com The July issue contains this link about aspartame:http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-videos.html I recommend that everyone reading this message take a look at this information about aspartame from sweetpoison.com, regardless of whether or not you consciously use  aspartame. Aspartame has been proven to cause brain cancer, seizures, severe eye problems - the list goes on and on and on. Unbeknownst to most people, aspartame is chemically similar to formaldehyde.  If aspartame in liquid form is left to sit on the shelf, or exposed to heat,  it will actually biodegrade and become formaldehyde. Phenylalanine, a component of aspartame, can cause serious medical problems for hundreds if not thousands of people. (read to the end of the message to see what else it becomes.)  Is this a substance we should be taking into our bodies?Aspartame is now being marketed in over 6000 food products. It also is being served in thousands of restaurants' foods, including McDonalds (the lemonade, the diet drinks), without being posted as containing aspartame.   It no longer has to be listed on the label of any food as containing NutraSweet, but aspartame does have to be listed under ingredients.  Check the labels of the products you are picking up, and if it contains aspartame, put it back on the shelf.  Even better yet, take the can/jar/package to the store manager and complain that he is selling an unsafe product, and request that the store post prominently displayed public notice of all products they sell that contain aspartame.  Before ordering a drink or a salad dressing at a fast food restaurant, ask if it contains aspartame.  If it does, don't buy it, and tell the manager on duty that since they are selling an unsafe product,  the least they can do is post notice as to which of their menu items contain aspartame. Make sure you aren't getting concession items at the movie theater, bowling alleys, public sporting events or concerts, etc, that contain aspartame.  Ask the managers of those venues to publicly post products they sell that contain aspartame. Of course aspartame has become a major ingredient in diet products (e.g. Slim Fast,) but get this;  aspartame has even insidiously found its way into non-diet over-the-counter drugs.  Check some of the psyllium or other fiber products.  Almost all of them contain some kind of sweetener, and for some that sweetener is aspartame.  Look at cough preparations, whether syrups, lozenges, or liqui-gels.  At least a few of them contain aspartame. Aspartame is even now being seriously implicated in Gulf War Syndrome.    Major soft drink companies have been shipping free diet soft drinks to our troops overseas.   When stored or heated above 85 degrees F, as in desert heat, Aspartame in Diet Drinks breaks down into neurotoxic substances: Methanol (wood alcohol), Formaldehyde (embalming fluid), Formic Acid (ant sting venom) and DKP (brain tumor agent).  No wonder so many of our valiant service men and women have been getting sick.  (see this link for more specific clinical information and further links: http://www.members.tripod.com/~aspartame/eyes.htm It would be wonderful if concerned citizens of the world could stop the marketing of aspartame, but for now that is most likely a pipe dream.  However, if you take away only one thing from this message, I hope it will be that you  make it a point to avoid ingesting any aspartame, and that you encourage your family and friends to do the same. sincerely, Tre     http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,25833,0.htm trehouse60 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT I just had my LEEP done a week ago. I felt the exact same way as most everyone on here, and everyone I have talked to has about being diagnosed with HPV. My cells on my cervix were severely abnormal (CIN3) Which is the last severity before cancer. I am 22 years old. I just can believe that I have HPV, even though my Doctor told me that 85% of us have HPV, but some just arent clinically affected by it. (theres doesnt show up on pap smears.) Anyways, I am still really paranoid and depressed about getting cancer in the future, and not being able to have any more children. I know that the chances are very slim that I wont be able to get pregnant, or stay pregnant -- but there is always that "what if" factor. Well, Doc says to go back in six months for a PAP . Hope everything goes well with everyone else. PS....I know it sounds really gross, but does anyone have foul smelling odor after the LEEP? I am paranoid about that too. http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,25447,0.htm jessica1986 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi, I don't know anything about cancer, but I am seeing someone that is in remission from Osteo Sarcoma (bone cancer). I was just wondering if there is anything I need to know about protecting myself?I know its probably an ignorant question, but is any form of bone cancer contagious, or are my risk factors increased by being intimate with a partner who has/had it? http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,25206,0.htm Brown21 Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Motorcycle Cancer / EMF Radiation Many health professionals are coming forward to contest the complacency of antiquated views regarding various electromagnetic exposures and serious health effects. Regarding proof of EMF harm, the updated motorcycle cancer website links provide a comprehensive accounting from experts and doctors worldwide. The melatonin implications alone are alarming as discussed in The Motorcycle Cancer Book. Precaution is the best defense.Randall D Chttp://www.motorcyclecancer.com http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,24976,0.htm Randall_Dale Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT help! anybody with experience of weight gain, I have put on 10 pounds in 2 months, is this temporary? I really am very depressed about this gain I was already overweight. I completed chemo and was put on femora. http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,24495,0.htm ukruth Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT HI, I am a caregiver for my niece who is currently on chemo and Eurbitux.  Does anyone have any information on what can be taken during this time to help alkalize the body.  She does continue to eat meat, and is not a vegetarian. She does drink alot of water and I have read you can alkalize your water.  Any other information/success stories/ help would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you. http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,23497,0.htm Gemini2 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hello..........Begining seven months ago I began to have abnormal menstrual cycles. I'm 38 & my cycles have always been short, lasting no longer than 3-4 days. With each month that passed my cycle lasted a day or two longer.  I attributed it to stress or working too much, but by the  5th month I bled for 17 days in one month, there was a break of a few days in between.  No spotting through out the month, only prolonged menstrual cycles. I was now concerned so I scheduled a O.B appt. A pap smear was done & upon a vaginal examination, the Dr. said my right ovary felt a little large, doctor wanted to do a endeometris biopsy? (I think this is how you spell it) anyhow it was almost painless, it was done right then & there. Only took a few minutes. Apparently it's a small procedure that only involved taking a small tissue sample by pinch on the outside of the uterus. I was then scheduled for a ultrasound to take a look on the inside. Well a few days later I was told my biopsy of the outside of the uterus was negative, but pap came back inconclusive.....my ultrasound found a small cyst on my ovary & one fibroid, also told too small to do anything about it. I'm scheduled for another pap soon. Dr. thought my uterus might have been too thick, causing cycle to not permit blood to filter through properly, thus the prolonged periods, but uterus is normal, no thickness. Interesting enough, my cycles are back to normal again. I was told I could have another ultrasound done again in June 08 just for the sakes of taking a peek again. Dr. feels probably not necessary but doing it anyway.  Any ideas anyone.....what could of caused the prolonged cycles for a temporary time like that...........no pain or discomfort........aside from having a very difficult time shedding unwanted pounds (10 lbs), seems like I do everything, but can't lose any more than 2 lbs after weeks of trying.  Maybe not related, perhaps I'm just paroid & a worrying..........One more thing.....13 yrs ago, I had a leap procedure done to remove vaginal warts....I have had annual pap smears since then, & all came back good, except this funny one coming back inconclusive......Should I worry???? http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,23200,0.htm Michoacan Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT I've had 2 close friends who to this date have successfully battle Cancer. One choose to do alternative health treatments and has been cancer free for years.  In her doing so I have educated myself about things we can all do to stay healthy.  60% of all products we use are absorb into our bloodstream therefore it’s important that we as consumers chose our products with scrutiny. Everyone should be using natural non-toxic products for personal care, detergents, cosmetics & cleaners. Although we are not able to all afford to buy organic foods, we all can replace our shampoos, skincare, etc. with better choices.  My family began buying Shaklee products and have been very happy with the quality and price.  www.Shaklee.net/StayingGreen  Please consider purchasing items which can benefit your health whether Shaklee or one of your choosing. http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,21777,0.htm BackToNature Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Road of Life is a cancer prevention program for kids. I am new to the board and just wanted to get some information about our program out there. There are a lot of children that suffer everyday from preventable cancers and it is important to us to try and make a difference where we can. If anyone needs/wants more information about the program we offer please let me know. Or you can go to the website, www.roadoflife.org.Thanks for the support!  http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,18391,0.htm Road_of_Life Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT