Screening for Lung Cancer by routine chest X-rays gets the thumbs down

Screening for lung cancer by routine chest X-rays gets the thumbs down from the American Cancer Society. See this CBS News report. - Well that's another bit of good news today! - The fewer damaging doses of ionising radiation people get, the better. I am not in favour of screening by X-rays.

"The 13-year study tracked more than 150,000 Americans between the ages of 55 and 74 and found those who had four annual chest X-ray screenings were just as likely to die of lung cancer as those who didn't get screened. Whether they smoked didn't matter. Screening refers to routine tests in people without symptoms. Doctors still support chest X-rays for diagnosing people with lung cancer symptoms, including coughing up blood and a persistent cough."

High levels of Vitamin B6 and the amino acid methionine appear to cut the risk of lung cancer by half

BBC News reports. "People with plenty of a B-vitamin in their blood appear to be at a reduced risk of lung cancer, even if they smoke." "High levels of Vitamin B6 and the amino acid methionine cut the risk by half, a study of 400,000 people suggested."

Methionine is found in protein like meat, fish and nuts, and vitamin B6 is found in meat, nuts, vegetables and bananas. Obviously, giving up smoking (or never starting to smoke) is the best way to reduce risk of lung cancer, but these two featured nutrients are associated with lowered risk for both smokers and non-smokers.

Certain prescription drugs deplete the body of vitamin B6. I experienced this when I was a teenager, taking drugs to treat pulmonary TB. It became totally impossible for me to sleep. I could not sleep AT ALL. The drug called isoniazid had depleted my body of vitamin B6. No-one told me that my intractable insomnia was the consequence of severe lack of vitamin B6 (aka pyridoxine). The doctors probably did not know at that time, when the drugs were pretty new, that there was this side-effect. If I had been prescribed pyridoxine tablets to make up for the deficiency I would not have suffered those terrible years of insomnia, which brought in its train many other problems.

HRT: Researchers advise against taking HRT if you are a smoker

The New York Times reports that researchers are advising against taking HRT if you are a smoker, because of increased risk of dying from lung cancer. They suggest giving up smoking while you are taking HRT.

HRT is prescribed much less than it used to be, because of increasing knowledge of the harm it can cause, e.g. the increased risk of breast cancer.

I myself took HRT, prescribed for me for about ten years, by doctors ill-informed about its side-effects. The oestrogen it contained did me monumental harm, giving me very high blood pressure and causing massive weight gain and a host of other serious health problems. Like most doctors, mine did not know that all these health problems could have been avoided/minimised by telling me that the pills cause sodium retention/fluid retention/salt sensitivity/weight gain and that anyone taking them should strictly avoid eating salt or salty food while taking them. Read my Mensa article about this: Obesity and the Salt Connection

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, stroke, osteopenia, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, and improve your health in many other ways without drugs, hunger or expense by eating less salt! - Try it!

See my website www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk
The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.

Sodium in foods

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/story.html - my 'political' page

http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/socio.html - social and economic considerations

amitriptyline

prescribed steroids and HRT

See advice for pregnant mothers

Children and Obesity

Associated health conditions

and FAT RETENTION

Is there a mesothelioma/cancer risk from asbestos in schools?

The Telegraph reports concern about the asbestos present in most schools and writes that "Inhaling asbestos fibres can cause illnesses including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. Some 1,749 men and 288 women in the UK died from mesothelioma in 2005 and deaths have doubled in the last decade."

Lung cancer tumours could grow faster because of an ingredient in processed food, a study has claimed.

Lung tumours 'could grow faster' due to processed food
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"Inorganic phosphates are used in a wide range of meat, seafood, cheese and bakery products to preserve flavour and texture.

Common consumption levels of the chemicals may fuel lung tumour development in susceptible individuals, say the researchers.

Scientists working with mice discovered that high doses of inorganic phosphates stimulate a cancer-promoting biological pathway in the lungs.

At the same time the activity of anti-cancer genes is reduced.

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in the world and affects 38,500 people each year in the UK. The disease kills 34,000 people in the UK each year, more than a fifth of all those who die from cancer."

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, heart attack, vascular dementia, osteopenia, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, and improve your health in many other ways without drugs or expense by eating less salt! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods and

amitriptyline

prescribed steroids and HRT

See advice for pregnant mothers

Children and Obesity

Associated health conditions

and FAT RETENTION

Chemical firm (Monsanto) 'paid cancer pioneer' (Sir Richard Doll)

I exchanged letters with Sir Richard in the summer of 2001, when I wrote to him about my findings about obesity and the salt connection. He was the only person of the dozens to whom I wrote that summer (MPs, medics, journalists, scientists,etc) who had the kindness and courtesy to read my letter carefully and to reply to it helpfully. - He agreed with me that weight gain when taking steroids or HRT is caused by sodium and water retention and that the way to lose water gained is to reduce salt intake or take diuretics. I had hoped that he would tell other doctors about this in order to save many more people from becoming obese/morbidly obese steroid victims, but sadly he did not do this, and the vital information continues not to be given.

There is a report here that seems to damage Sir Richard's reputation.

Extract from the report:

"Sir Richard, who first definitively linked smoking to lung cancer, conducted much of his research while in the pay of chemical companies.

The American Journal of Industrial Medicine says that Swedish researchers have found that Sir Richard, who also co-wrote a famous paper minimising the role of chemicals in causing cancer, failed to disclose that he was being paid at the time by the chemical company Monsanto.

From 1970 to 1990, Sir Richard, who died last year, was paid up to £1,000 a day as a consultant by Monsanto, now associated with GM crops rather than chemicals."

See http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/story.html