With regard to Angela Logomasini's post on Feb. 21, as a U.S. State Department Public Diplomacy Envoy for Women's Health and founder of The Cancer Schmancer Movement, as well as a cancer survivor, I must disagree with much of your statement.
I'm sure we can both find facts and figures that substantiate each of our views. For example, one in two men and one in three women are expected to get cancer. That's a tipping point if ever there was one! Some predict the children of today may not live as long as their parents. According to one study, minority babies are being born pre-polluted with more than 200 chemicals found in the umbilical cord. In another study, American women's breast milk had significantly higher levels of flame retardant in it compared to women from Europe. And much of the fish we eat is dangerously high in Mercury. We are slipping down a slope toward our own demise.
With 90 percent of cancers being environmental- and lifestyle-related, not genetic, I find it hard to believe that you would try to dissuade folks from detoxing their homes. What is the downside of living a healthier, cleaner lifestyle?
There is none, quite frankly. The answer to the cancer crisis is neither this nor that, but a holistic approach that's all-encompassing. CancerSchmancer.org is empowering Americans to make better choices for what we put in, on and around us. What are we eating? Is it organic and mostly plant-based? What are we rubbing into our skin (the largest organ in the body)? Is it heavy with synthetic scents or hormone interrupters? Do we wonder what we are cleaning and gardening with? Choosing to live a preventative lifestyle by making healthier choices is a good thing and can reduce one's risks for disease. We should all take the "Check, Choose and Change" challenge each time we replace a finished product with one that has simple, natural, carcinogen-free ingredients that is safe for us and the planet.
Without regulations, good, old-fashioned, all-American consumerism will dictate to manufacturers (who at the end of the day do not want to kill us, they just want to sell us) that the trends are heading toward more natural and more organic in this young 21st century! During a time of economic crisis and little funding for research, we should all just use our common sense: If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck! So, why not err on the side of caution by avoiding harsh chemicals and pesticides.The most toxic place we spend the most time in is our homes, and that we have the most control over, so please detox your home for you and your family. As my grandmother always said, "It couldn't hurt." The jig is up people. Once you wake up and smell the coffee, it's hard to go back to sleep, so let me sound the alarm.
Fran Drescher
Public Diplomacy Envoy U.S. State Dept. Women's Health Issues
Founder and President, Cancer Schmancer Movement
New York Times Best-selling Author -- Cancer Schmancer, Enter Whining
Creator, Executive Producer, Star -- The Nanny, Happily Divorced