100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (7 page)

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

Bug repellents are different from insecticides in that repellents don’t kill

bugs; they just make them stay away from you. The one popular chemical

you will find in most repellents is DEET. DEET—short for N,N-diethyl-meta-

toluamide—is found in more than 240 different products used to repel mos-

quitos and other flying insects.

DEET was developed in the United States in 1946 by the U.S. army to

be used in the jungles of Africa and Korea. The army was looking for a solu-

tion to repel disease-ridden mosquitos, and their chemists found it. They’re

not even sure exactly how it works, but the thought is that it has

something to do with blocking the scent of certain substances in

human sweat and making us invisible to bugs.

DEET is labeled as a “Class III” in the EPA’s toxicity classifica-

tion, which means it is “slightly toxic.” (Kinda like being “slightly

pregnant”?) It should be noted that this chemical does not just

stay on your skin where it is applied. DEET is absorbed into your

bloodstream and travels through all of your body’s organs—heart, lungs,

kidneys, liver, and brain—before it is excreted in your urine.

According to the National Pesticide Information Center:

Researchers applied technical grade DEET, and DEET formulated in a

15% ethanol solution, to the forearm skin of male human volunteers for

an 8-hour exposure period. DEET was absorbed within two hours after

application and absorption continued at a constant rate over the 8-hour

exposure period.

DEET was approved for public use ten years after the army created it.

Since there was no Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the time,

there were no public safety standards for these types of chemicals. When

approval was finally granted in 1998, the approval for use by the public was

given only when the EPA considered that public DEET use would be “brief

. . . and not long-term.” The EPA did not clarify what “brief” use was. Put

it on for one hour, and then wash it off? Only use it every third day? It was

not really made clear.

DEET melts plastics, polyester, leather, and other materials on contact.

(You may want to read that again.) There are cases of sunglasses and GPS

screens melting with DEET exposure.

Perk #3: Cancer Made Me Really Appreciate the Good Days

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While cancer is not currently a concern in relation to DEET (and neither

was asbestos at the time of its early use), DEET has been shown to cause

neurotoxicity symptoms in some that include tremors and seizures. There

have also been cases of extremely low blood pressure and low heart rates

as well with topical application of DEET. Currently, products containing 30

percent DEET or more are banned in Canada and cited as having multiple

health risks.

So you don’t want to apply the DEET directly to your skin, and you think

that using the new “clip on” fan devices would be a better choice? Actually

they aren’t. Breathing the vapors of metofluthrin, the chemical ingredient

in the “fan type” bug repellants, is just as harmful and carries the same risk

of seizures and nerve toxicity as the spray-on DEET. But the metofluthrin

also carries a cancer risk. It’s a small risk, but liver tumors were seen in tested

animal populations.

The odd thing is, the directions for these devices say: “Clip the unit to

your belt, pants/shorts waistband, purse, or any other convenient location

next to you [or] place the unit next to you on a table.” But the precautions

on the label say: “Harmful if inhaled. Avoid breathing vapors, mist or gas.”

Confused? Yeah, me, too. If it’s clipped to me, I would imagine that I can’t

help but breathe this stuff in.

On a side note, but certainly worth mentioning, is that many chemicals

have been approved for safe use initially by the government only to have

the approval reversed when the truth was revealed about its dangers. One

brave woman who is often named as the “pioneer of the environmentalist

movement” was Rachel Carson. While battling cancer herself, she spent

years investigating and uncovering the harsh truth about the cancer-causing

pesticide DDT. Her book,
Silent Spring,
and the public outcry it initiated,

led the U.S. government to ban DDT in 1972. Rachel ended up dying from

cancer, but not without starting a movement of public awareness that has

grown into the hundreds of watchdog groups and organizations that stand

up to unethical business practices and hopefully keep us a little safer.

Unfortunately, because DDT use was so widespread and exists in the soil

for hundreds of years, current U.S. food supplies still test positive for this

chemical. The point of this side note is: Just because a chemical has been

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

“approved” does not mean it is safe. It is up to you to seek the truth and

decide if that product fits with your healthy lifestyle.

Luckily Mother Nature has provided us with some great alternatives to

harmful synthetic chemicals. Essential oils like lemon eucalyptus, lemon-

grass, citronella, and peppermint seem to have the same smell-

altering effect for bugs, but with less worry for you. Brands like

You do have choices

Burt’s Bees and Herbal Armor are two natural brands that use

when it comes to

the power of nature to combat bugs. Badger (www.badgerbalm

avoiding biting insects.

.com) also makes a wonderful organic “Anti-Bug-Balm” using

It’s just as easy to buy

organic citronella, rosemary, lemongrass, and geranium essen-

a natural repellant, as

tial oils, with no mineral oil or petroleum products. The down-

it is an unhealthy

side of all naturals is that you must apply them every hour or

chemical one.

two for effectiveness, and there is no guarantee that you won’t

be allergic or sensitive to one of the natural oils, so always test

a small amount of the finished product on your inner wrist to see if you

get a reaction.

Making your own bug repellant is very simple. Essential oils (not
fra-

grance
oils) can be purchased online or from your local health food store.

Make sure, if you buy online, that it is from a reputable company that you

can trust not to use additives and impurities in your oils. I have trusted

Mountain Rose Herbs for years (www.MountainRoseHerbs.com), and I love

their fair trade and ethical corporate practices.

Here is a very basic bug repellant recipe:
Place 3 ounces of distilled water

and 2 ounces of witch hazel extract in a six-ounce spray bottle. All these

items are available at most pharmacies. You can get organic witch hazel

online. Then add your essential oils as follows:

Add 20 drops
each
of:

●
citronella essential oil (
Cymbopogon winterianus,
NOT lamp oil)

●
lemon eucalyptus essential oil (
Eucalyptus citriodora
)

Then pick any
two
of these essential oils and add 1/8 teaspoon (about

10 drops) each to the mixture:

●
cedarwood essential oil (
Cedrus atlantica
)

Perk #3: Cancer Made Me Really Appreciate the Good Days

19

●
peppermint essential oil (
Mentha piperita
)

●
spearmint essential oil (
Mentha spicata
)

●
lavender essential oil (
Lavandula angustifolia
)

Shake the mixture well before each application and spray lightly on

exposed areas of skin and to clothing. Avoid getting into eyes or mouth as

it may be irritating. Wash your hands after applying to avoid getting it into

your eyes. You may need to apply every two hours or so. Use common sense

when applying to clothing as it contains oils. (Don’t use on leather, suede,

or other materials that might stain.)

Again, just because it is a natural product does not mean you can’t get

a reaction to it. Remember: Poison ivy is natural, too! So test a small amount

to see if you are sensitive. There are many more recipes online. Try to find

one that works best for your needs.

Perk #4

Unlimited Foot Massages

I
just love to have my feet massaged. I will admit, though, it is often a chal-

lenge to convince my partner/child/sister/friend to do the nasty deed.

After being diagnosed with cancer, however, I got

foot rubs on demand. I could almost see my loved

ones cringe when they asked, “Is there anything I can

do for you?” and I’d start to peel off my socks. But

hey, I was determined to take advantage of that little

perk for as long as I could.

With more than 7,000 nerve endings in the feet,

it is little wonder that a massage feels so good! This

sensual pleasure can help to alleviate anxiety and

bring about a sense of tranquility. According to the-

ories of reflexology, foot massage can release energy

blockages, allowing one’s life-force energy to flow freely through the body.

As with any type of massage, a foot massage also helps with blood circula-

tion. With so many therapeutic benefits, I made foot massage a definite part

of my survival plan.

It is important to be extra kind to your body when you have cancer.