7. Remember that all vacuum cleaners are not created equal. Carpets can harbor pesticides, mold and allergens, flame retardants, and other chemicals. Vacuums with strong suction, a brush on/off switch, a multi-layered bag for dust collection, and a HEPA filter are considered the best to avoid recycling dust back into the air.
8. Look for electronic equipment and furniture without PBDEs. PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) are commercially produced flame retardants that are often added to polyurethane foam, various plastics, and electronics equipment. They are endocrine disruptors that affect thyroid hormones.
9. Use organic practices for gardening/lawn care, and encourage neighbors to do the same. Pesticides and herbicides used on gardens and lawns are tracked into the house on shoes and by pets. Children and pets that play on the lawn are exposed, and the chemicals can leach into waterways and drinking-water wells.
10. Encourage your town to adopt policies of using natural/non-toxic solvents in public buildings, especially schools, and using organic practices in the care of green spaces. Using safer cleaners and eliminating pesticides on a town-wide basis will reduce exposure to compounds that mimic estrogen or otherwise disrupt hormones.
Our Breast Cancer-Prevention Program:
Iodine testing and supplementation is the cornerstone of our breast cancer-prevention program as discussed in previous articles. (20)
In addition to iodine, we also include I3C (Indole-3 carbinol) and DIM (Di-Indole Methane). These are broccoli extracts available as nutritional supplements that have beneficial effects on estrogen metabolism. (21) (22) (23) (24) (25)
Without boring you with the biochemistry, suffice it to say that the the breakdown and elimination of estrogen by the liver is beneficially diverted towards the 16 hydroxy pathway to estriol and away from the 2 hydroxy pathway, which requires a methylation reaction. The net result is a decrease in breast cancer risk with the use of DIM.
DDT and Malaria Eradication
Although DDT agricultural use was banned in 1972, its use against mosquito-born malaria disease was never banned and continues to present day in various third-world countries. In 2006, the World Health Organization promoted indoor residential DDT spraying for malaria control in epidemic and endemic areas.(33) Malaria eradication by controlling the mosquito population is a high priority for society and has enormous health benefits. DDT and other chemical agents have been enormously helpful. This cannot be doubted. However, these chemical agents must be used with care to avoid human toxicity, and to prevent development of insect resistance through over-use.(33)
Conclusion:
Rachel Carson deserves to be included in the list of "Great Women in Medicine". The medical profession is entrusted with guarding the health of the community. When the time came to warn about indiscriminate spraying of DDT on agricultural and residential areas, where was the medical profession? They were nowhere to be found. They were silent and complicit in this great cover-up. Instead, leading the battle was one small, frail woman who stood up against the powerful interests of the chemical industry. That small voice of truth and reason was Rachel Carson.
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