Cancer rates in the US are very high. One in two men and one in three women can expect a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. Unfortunately, these rates are expected to continue to climb.

But did you know that living in metro-Atlanta you have an even higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than this national average? In this article I will give you the hard facts and help you to know what you can do to avoid being a part of this statistic!

Cancer Risks that fly under the radar

The charts below come from a website called Best Places.net, a site that helps people to look at different cities in the US and learn about factors like climate, school quality and housing prices, to see where they would like to live. One of the categories included is health, and as a part of that information you find out about air and water pollution.

Air and Water quality in Atlanta

With 100 being the best, our water quality in Atlanta rates 48 out of 100 and our air quality is a shocking 32 out of 100! Here’s a chart where you can compare our respiratory and cancer risks from the air quality. In this case, the lower the number, the better. You can see that our risks are well above this dismal national average.

Compare this to a place where the air is clean, like Big Sky, Montana.

Reducing Risks

So, what do we do if we don’t want to move to a place like Big Sky? The good news is that there is much that can be done to reduce your risk!

From a medical perspective, early detection and treatment is the focus. From the perspective of a naturopath like myself, we want to focus on prevention.

In with the good, out with the bad

Understand that the very basics of prevention for not only cancer, but any chronic disease boil down to “In with the good and out with the bad.” “In with the good” would be things like paying attention to the quality of the foods you eat.

Food Quality

Our food quality has deteriorated greatly over the last several decades. The quality is less for a number of reasons that boil down to heavy processing and the use of additives to increase shelf life and make a cheap food taste better.

One of my most popular videos on social media is one where I compare McDonald’s french fries today with the ones I served as a teen in 1971. In ’71 we got whole potatoes delivered, cut them into fries, fried them in beef tallow, then salted and bagged them. That’s 3 ingredients- potatoes, oil and salt. If you’re old enough to remember that time, they were delicious!! It might shock you to know that today in the US, McDonald’s fries contain a whopping 19 ingredients, due to all the chemicals that are added.

Good Food, good water, exercise, sun, and nature

Today, “In with the good” involves avoiding processed foods and buying from local farmers as much as possible. This allows you to get the most nutrient-packed fresh foods and choose farmers who do not use chemicals on their crops. Organic certification is expensive and there are many regulatory hoops to jump through, so many farmers don’t go through that process. But farmers are typically happy to talk with you about the practices they use and you can buy from those who keep it clean.

Many people find joy in a backyard garden or even growing some fresh foods in pots on a balcony. Any improvements you make in your diet will help!

In with the good also means drinking purified water, exercising regularly, getting sun exposure and spending time in nature and with friends to help with stress.

Out with the bad

Out with the bad is accomplished through urinating, bowel movements and sweating for the most part. But we can only pee, poop and sweat so much! There’s no way we can keep pace with the numbers of toxins we’re exposed to daily, so these build in our bodies and lead to chronic, degenerative conditions, including cancer.

Thankfully, we can take steps to support our ability to get these toxins out.

Clean Water

First, it’s very important to drink 2 liters of clean water daily. Water from your tap or even a refrigerator filter is not clean enough. Getting a filter for your home is a wise investment. There are many kinds of filters, and what you’re looking for is a filter that will remove the Total Dissolved Solids, or TDS, to 20 parts per million or less. Any filter manufacturer can give you this information for their filter.

Clean Air

Next, I recommend getting a Hepa air purifier for your home and, if possible, your office. The manufacturer can tell you how much area each filter will cover, and you might need more than one to handle your entire home.

Sweat and Detox

Finally, activities that increase your sweat help tremendously! Saunas, steam rooms and hot yoga classes all qualify. To illustrate this, just look at the results of a landmark Finnish study, which found that men who used a sauna 4–7 times per week had a 40% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to those who used it once a week. This research, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, indicates a strong association between frequent sauna use and longevity, with moderate reductions in risk even for those who used a sauna 2–3 times per week. A 40% reduction in all cause mortality is huge!

Practitioners like myself can also aid detoxification with the use of certain herbs, juice cleanses or homeopathic remedies.

Celebrate Positive Steps

It’s important to remember that every little thing in your life can have the effect of pulling you up toward better health or pushing you down toward illness. If you ever read the book Atomic Habits, you know to celebrate every positive step you take and know that you can accomplish much with simple, healthy changes.

Disclaimer: This should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: I am not a medical doctor and nothing in this article should be taken as medical advice. Discuss all medical issues with your own MD. Debra MacIntyre ND

Debra MacIntyre is a traditional naturopath. She received her nutrition certification from American Health Science University and her Traditional Naturopath degree from Trinity School of Natural Health. In 1994 she opened her clinic, Vitality Project where she continues to practice and study to this day.

myvitalityproject.com

To meet like-minded people who want to keep Fulton County healthy, click HERE.

References

JAMA.”Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events”.April 2015. “JAMA. “https://jamanetwork.com/journals/ jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2130724