Press Release Courtesy Alliance for Natural Health USA (Originally published 2013; Updated 2023)

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) has mandated the phase-out of incandescent light bulbs, and favours energy-efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs instead.

Sounds good – until you realize that CFL bulbs contain mercury, and mercury poses a significant cancer risk. A new study shows that CFL bulbs also emit high levels of ultraviolet radiation – specifically, UVC and UVA rays. In fact, the UV rays are so strong that they can actually burn skin and skin cells. Experts say the radiation could initiate cell death and cause skin cancer in its deadliest form – melanoma.

In every bulb the researchers tested, they found that the protective phosphor coating of the light bulb was cracked, allowing dangerous UV rays to escape. Healthy skin cells exposed to CFLs showed a decrease in their proliferation rate, an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species, and a decrease in ability to contract collagen.

General Electric claims that CFLs don’t produce a hazardous amount of UV radiation, and that UV is far less than the amount produced by natural daylight. The truth is that all compact fluorescent lights bulbs contain mercury vapour. Once that vapour is hit with an electric current, it emits a great number of UV rays. UV rays are theoretically absorbed by the layer of phosphor that coats the bulbs – but the signature twisted spiral shape makes these bulbs more prone to cracks in the phosphor, which dramatically increases UV/mercury exposure. Researchers found cracks in almost all bulbs purchased from retail stores, indicating that it is a standard design flaw of these bulbs.

CFL bulbs contain other cancer-causing chemicals as well. German scientists found that several different chemicals and toxins are released when CFLs are turned on, including naphthalene (which has been linked to cancer in animals) and styrene (which has been declared “a likely human carcinogen”). A sort of electrical smog develops around these lamps, which could be dangerous. (Find research results at: https://bit.ly/15zz3pM)

CFLs are supposedly better for the environment, but according to the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers, 98% of CFLs end up in landfills – creating a mercury build-up that can escape into our soil and waterways.

And what if the bulbs break?

On top of that, it’s a sad fact of life that light bulbs break. How do you clean up the mercury after a bulb breaks? The Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation measured the release of mercury vapour from broken compact fluorescent bulbs. They recorded concentrations near the bulb of up to 800 mcg/m3, which is eight times the average eight-hour occupational exposure limit allowed by OSHA (100 mcg/m3).

Even more shocking, the recommended limit for children is a mere 0.2 mcg/m3. A child exposed to a broken CFL bulb will receive eight thousand times the recommended amount of mercury vapour!

A broken 13-watt CFL bulb will only have released 30% of its mercury a full four days after it is broken – the remainder is trapped in the bulb. So picking up shards with your bare hands or leaving them in poorly ventilated room while you ponder the best disposal method is a particularly bad idea.

Unfortunately, there is no good solution for cleaning up after a broken CFL bulb. Researchers at Brown are testing a cloth made with a nanomaterial (nanoselim) that can capture mercury emissions for proper disposal. But until this is commercially available, it is best to avoid CFLs altogether. And how will we dispose of the clean-up cloth?

We’re happy that the U.S. government is tackling environmental problems, but this “solution” is especially short-sighted – and not unlike the national smart meter push, is creating serious health risks in the long-term.

Worse, soon consumers won’t have the option to buy incandescent lights – they simply won’t be available. The government hasn’t placed an outright ban on incandescent light bulbs. Section 321 of EISA mandates higher efficiency standards for general service lamps. But these standards are high enough that most commonly used incandescent bulbs just won’t meet the new requirements. EISA will effectively eliminate 40-, 60-, 75-, and 100-watt incandescent bulbs. The new efficiency levels will be in full force by 2014.

Please contact your legislators immediately and call for a repeal of the ban on incandescent lights. Tell them about the cancer risks and the lack of proper disposal methods. Please take action today!

For more information, or to subscribe to ANH-USA’s free newsletter, visit: https://www.anh-usa.org write: Alliance for Natural Health USA, 6931 Arlington Rd., Suite 304, Bethesda, MD 20814; Toll-Free Phone: 1.800.230.2762

Integrative health options are increasingly becoming part of the daily health practices of many Canadians. Amongst Canadian cancer patients, between 34% - 80% of individuals are using complementary therapies but many are still making these choices without the input of their oncological medical practitioners. Canadian practices are in line with global trends toward including complementary therapies, with nearly 40% of cancer patients worldwide accessing them as part of their treatment, women more than men. The most popular among them include natural health products, mind-body therapies such as yoga and meditation, and physical therapies such as massage and acupuncture.

But how accessible and approachable is Integrative Medicine for Canadian cancer patients? Lynda G. Balneaves, RN, PhD, Associate Professor and CIHR New Investigator, UBC School of Nursing, writes that while there has been a significant paradigm shift in the practice and inclusion of Integrative Medicine as complementary to mainstream medical protocol, it is far from being available and offered to most Canadians battling cancer.

Provincial health insurance programs do not provide funding for these therapies, which cumulatively can cost in the thousands, making it accessible only to those who can afford it or who have supplementary insurance plans. The result is that patients and families struggle emotionally and financially with making these choices. Medical practitioners remain hesitant at best, and oppositional in most cases, to consider or include complementary therapies as part of their patients’ treatment. There is a considerable lack of accessible information available to the average person on the results of published studies relating to the impact and success of complementary therapies. Due to lack of knowledge of the range and benefits related to incorporating Integrative Medicine, patients are hesitant to be open with their physicians. Combined with deep concerns about contraindications and potential interactions associated with such therapies, physicians and policy makers are still resisting their inclusion.

But cancer patients are making the paradigm shift take place in conventional care in spite of it all. While nearly 40% of patients using complementary therapies have not disclosed their practice to their doctors, centres across Canada are beginning to introduce it into their programs.

Patients can now access complementary therapy based programs, such as yoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction, art and music therapy, as part of their complementary care services at such facilities as the Juravinski Cancer Centre and Hospital in Hamilton, Ont., InspireHealth in Vancouver, B.C., and the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Que.

With patients moving forward with utilizing CAM therapies, it seems only natural that physicians address the trend as part of conventional medicine. Marja J. Verhoef PhD, in her article for Cancer Knowledge Network  writes:

“Complementary treatments are increasingly being integrated in conventional medicine, and the body of evidence for these treatments, continues to grow. New evidence has facilitated the development of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and it is expected that such guidelines will facilitate treatment decision-making and have the potential to improve the patient-provider relationship.”

Furthermore there is a small but dedicated group of integrated health teams of cancer care practitioners offering scientifically grounded, evidence-informed natural cancer care, to strengthen the immune system, to support the body’s inherent healing ability, and to help sustain wellness during aggressive cancer treatments. A new centre in Canada – the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre (OICC) is helping pave the way. Headed by Dr. Dugald Seely, OICC patients have the opportunity to receive naturopathic medical care, integrative medical care, nutritional guidance, physiotherapy, massage and lymphedema therapy, acupuncture, yoga therapy, and counseling services. Senior naturopathic doctors (NDs) at OICC have specialized training in oncology and have earned the designation Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncologists (FABNO).

With Integrative Medicine seeing the patient as a whole person – the mind, body, and spirit - it comes as no surprise that the trend towards its acceptance is moving forward. The question remains how can conventional medicine, complementary care and policy makers, find the common ground to treat cancer patients from a holistic and more integrated perspective.

References:

The Cancer Knowledge Network is dedicated to giving cancer survivors, their loved ones, and medical professionals access to online knowledge-based resources that fill the gap between scientific text and day-to-day living. Follow them  at www.cancerkn.com

The Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre is paving the way for Integrative Oncology care in Eastern Canada. Through clinical practice, research and education, the OICC strives to assess and reduce possible causes of cancer while exploring innovative integrative treatments.
Address: 29 Bayswater Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario, K1Y 2E5
Phone: (613) 792-1222
Toll-free: 1 (855) 546-1244
Email: info@oicc.ca
The OICC is a regional centre of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine.

Juravinski Cancer Centre
699 Concession Street
Hamilton, Ontario L8V 5C2
1-905-387-9495

Jewish General Hospital
3755 Côte-Sainte-Catherine Road
Montréal, Québec H3T 1E2
Tel: 514-340-8222
https://www.jgh.ca

This is after all, what we’re seeking, isn’t it?  And we’ve all heard about at least one success story using either conventional or complementary medicine or perhaps a blend of both. Then the other questions creep in.  Was the success based on the type of cancer that you have?  Have there been studies proving the benefits of the therapies that the success story claims?  Who were the researchers of the study?

And this can get very complicated. For example, thyroid cancers have several different target cells that can be affected; each requiring a slightly different approach for treatment. Of course, this is true for most cancers of the body. And what if you have one of those cancers that is extremely rare that not many studies are even available for?

Unfortunately, there are no quick and easy answers for cancer treatments. Numerous books have been published touting the benefits of one therapy over another, nutritional plans and suggestions abound, and medical advances keep producing new trial chemotherapies that have no long-term studies for their efficacy.

Tuning in to Your Own Perspective

So what is the patient/family member/friend to do? Stop. Focus. If possible, patients should try to turn inwards for introspection about their own health. Do you have a gut feeling or direction that you feel is going to work best for you?  If so, listen to your body and mind. And make sure your mind is free from the clutter of helpful doctors, practitioners, friends, and family members. This is your health. The choices you make are for your own benefit, not for the benefit of those around you whose suggestions are quite honest and sincere (from their perspective), but they do not necessarily reflect your perspective.

And your perspective is the key to your health, especially in cancer care. This is what we have learned time and again with our patients at our clinic. My husband and I feel especially strong with our skills in Chinese Medicine, so we speak to our patients about nutrition from this perspective, about lifestyle choices from this perspective, and we feel quite confident in our acupuncture treatments with our patients. Chinese Medicine resonates with us.  It is our skill, perspective and belief in this medicine that allows our patients who share this perspective to benefit.  It is the art and science that we practice.

But Chinese Medicine is not necessarily the treatment that resonates with you. For your maximum benefits in your own care, you need to work with the medicine(s) that resonate with you; with practitioners that you resonate with for your own best results. Some will find that energy work through homeopathy or reiki is what resonates with them; some will be drawn to nutrition and exercise, or a combination of several therapies as they work with an integrative approach to their care.

What if Your Perspective Changes?

Ah, yes.  This will happen.  You will learn about the latest, newest cure (whether a new chemotherapy medication, a new supplement or a new diet). Wait. Doing more is not necessarily better. If you have poor nutritional habits and learn of a healthier dietary plan, do incorporate it.  But if you are taking several supplements that you felt confident about initially, do not change your regime one week into your healing process. We recommend that our patients work with a new plan of care for a minimum of 3 months before making any changes. And this means that the mind and body is committed to this regime for the 3 months (pulling the mind away from second-guessing yourself is usually the most difficult part of this process, but it can be done). If at the end of 3 months, you are as drawn to another treatment protocol, do pursue it with the same enthusiasm and full-heartedness that you started your first regime with; maybe there are some details you learned in your first protocol that will help you through your second; I believe that everything happens for a reason and that each step a patient takes will bring greater clarity to see the next needed step.

And although this is not an easy process, please know that we have seen this time and again over a combined 25+ years of experience in health care. People who have an awareness of the treatments they feel are best suited to their personal needs and stick to them with confidence and positivity are the ones that do the best in their cancer journeys. This may mean that they reach the 5-year survival point at which they can rightfully use the word “cure” or it may mean that their cancer growth is inhibited, uncomfortable symptoms are alleviated, or that their life is being led to the fullest in this particular moment. Remember that there are no right treatments for cancer; only the right choices for an individual.