A close friend is in remission for non-Hodgkins lymphoma.  We are both in our 30s so it’s not expected to know someone going through cancer at this age. It’s something I would have assumed to experience in about 20 years, but not now.

The treatments worked to remove the tumors and cause remission, but to stay in remission you have to avoid the things that caused the illness in the first place. Which is easier said, than done. 

The human body is not a math equation where you have one unknown, X, which you can solve for by knowing the other variables; it is a complex system with numerous interacting factors that can affect health in unpredictable ways. I see a lot of people try and name one factor as the cause of everything and this is a misguided and naive attempt at understanding biology. But we can look for patterns and see commonalities that lead to a similar disease outcome conclusion. 

Yesterday he mentioned what his oncologist told him about her observations with lymphoma. She said she is seeing significantly more young people, under the age of 40 being diagnosed with lymphoma. After decades working with cancer there is a bombardment of new cases and more and more every year. There is not better detection, there is just more cancer. 

I believe most cancers are environmental, and not genetic. I believe genetics may make you more vulnerable to cancers because you may have weaker tumor suppressing genes, but very few cancers have a purely genetic cause. And if you have a purely genetic cancer, it is something you will be diagnosed with in childhood, not adulthood. So if you want to be healthy you cannot just yield to your genetics and not put yourself at responsibility for your well being.

If you were to do a genetic survey of every woman on the planet, I believe just about every one would have the BRCA mutation which has been linked to breast cancer, yet breast cancer prevalence varies by geographic location which means that it is caused primarily by environment. Most likely from obesity, eating toxic foods like chicken, lack of exercise, living near landfills and other insalubrious activities. 

THE  SKIN CARE CONNECTION

One of my polo teammates was missing from practice a while back and when I called her to see where she was, she told me she had to go to the emergency room for a severe allergic reaction to a self-tanner application. Apparently she went to a spray tan booth in Miami, and shortly after the application her lymph nodes swelled to such extremes she had to be hospitalized.

Everything we put on our skin gets absorbed to a certain extent. And when something has an ingredient that breaks down the skin cells, this opens your body up microscopically and whatever was on your skin is now in your bloodstream and filtered into your lymph nodes. This is seen most extremely with retinol products but it is also seen in products containing essential oils. 

Spray tanners have a lot of essential oil in it, and the most common topic on this blog is how essential oil mixed with topically applied products can lead to health issues. As the case was above, the spray tanner went into her bloodstream, into the lymph nodes and caused a major health complication. 

Applying fragrant confections like lotions, tanners, cosmetics and other topicals on a regular basis will undoubtedly cause a strain on the lymphatic system. The body can sustain periodic stress but if that stress is daily, eventually it will cause disease such as cancer. 

The oncologist previously mentioned also espoused her hypothesis on why there are so many young people getting lymphoma: essential oil diffusers. I had discussed the problem with essential oil diffusers in prior Mask of Vanity articles, and my concern is that the dispersion of a cytotoxic compound like essential oil into the air, means the particles are going into the lungs. Cytotoxic agents like essential oils break down the cell, so it is breaking down the lining of the lungs in addition to getting into the bloodstream and breaking down the lymph nodes. Once the essential oil disrupts the cellular functioning of an organ for a prolonged period, then cancer emerges. 

Now, there is a difference between getting a brief inhalation of a scent and prolonged exposure. If you were to spray a perfume, for example, on your clothes, this is a brief instance of exposure and I do not believe to be harmful. But having the scented candles, plug-in scent devices and essential oil diffusers constantly infiltrating the air you breathe is harmful because you are getting constant prolonged exposure with no period for your body to rest and recover. This is an environmental toxic exposure hazard that causes cancer. 

Furthermore constant exposure to fragrances in your skin care and cosmetics makes the above more likely to cause health issues. Add in toxic products like retinols and you have an open body readily and constantly absorbing a substance that will disrupt the normal functioning of your cells.

The way to avoid issues is to not use skin care containing drying alcohols or essential oils, perfume should be sprayed on clothes and hair only and to not use fragrant diffusers and stay away from environments that do. 

I believe today we cannot escape everything that is dangerous. But if we want to be healthy we cannot just throw our hands up and say “everything causes cancer nowadays!” And just go back to living an indulgent careless lifestyle and then play the helpless, confused victim when something bad happens. Adopting a defeatist attitude and neglecting personal responsibility for health is not the solution. A proactive approach to reducing exposure to known risks is essential for maintaining long-term health.

 

References

American Cancer Society. (n.d.). What Is Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma? Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/about/what-is-non-hodgkin-lymphoma.html

National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Genetics of Cancer. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/genetics

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (n.d.). Environmental and Occupational Cancer Risks. Retrieved from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/cancer-prevention-center/environmental-and-occupational-cancer-risks/

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. (n.d.). Environmental Factors and Breast Cancer Risk. Retrieved from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/materials/environmental_factors_and_breast_cancer_risk_508.pdf

American Academy of Dermatology Association. (n.d.). Skin absorption: What you need to know. Retrieved from https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-basics/care/skin-absorption