Wendy Ouriel
A close friend is in remission from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. We’re both in our 30s, so it’s not unexpected to know someone with cancer at that age. It’s something I thought I’d be living through in about 20 years, but not now.
The treatments worked to remove the tumors and go into remission, but to stay in remission you have to avoid the things that caused the disease in the first place. Which is easier said than done.
The human body is not a mathematical equation where you have one unknown, X, that you can solve by knowing the other variables. it is a complex system with numerous interacting factors that can affect health in unpredictable ways. I see many people trying to point to one factor as the cause of everything and that is a misguided and naive attempt to understand biology. But we can look for patterns and see commonalities that lead to a similar conclusion of disease outcome.
Yesterday he mentioned what his oncologist told him about her lymphoma observations. He said he is seeing significantly more young people under the age of 40 being diagnosed with lymphoma. After decades of working with cancer there is a bombardment of new cases and more every year. There is no better detection, just more cancer.
I believe most cancers are environmental rather than genetic. I believe that genetics can make you more vulnerable to cancers because you may have weaker tumor suppressor genes, but very few cancers have a purely genetic cause. And if you have a purely genetic cancer, it’s something that will be diagnosed in childhood, not adulthood. So if you want to be healthy, you can’t just give in to your genetics and not take responsibility for your own well-being.
If you did a genetic survey of every woman on the planet, I believe almost every one would have the BRCA mutation that has been linked to breast cancer, however the prevalence of breast cancer varies by geographic location, meaning it is mainly caused by from environment. Probably from obesity, eating toxic foods like chicken, lack of exercise, living near landfills and other unpleasant activities.
THE SKIN CARE CONNECTION
One of my polo teammates was missing practice a while ago, and when I called her to see where she was, she said she had to go to the emergency room for a severe allergic reaction to a self-tanner. 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 is absorbed to some extent. And when something has an ingredient that breaks down skin cells, it opens up your body microscopically and whatever was on your skin is now in your bloodstream and filtered into your lymph nodes. This is most notably seen in retinol products, but is also seen in products containing essential oils.
Spray tans contain many essential oils and the most common topic on this blog is how essential oil mixed with topical products can lead to health problems. As was the case above, the spray tanning got into her blood, lymph nodes and caused a major health complication.
Regular application of scented confections such as lotions, tanning lotions, cosmetics and other topical products on a regular basis will undoubtedly cause strain on the lymphatic system. The body can sustain periodic stress, but if this stress is daily, it will eventually cause diseases such as cancer.
The oncologist mentioned earlier also made her case for why there are so many young people getting lymphoma: essential oil diffusers. I have discussed the problem with essential oil diffusers in previous Mask of Vanity articles and I am concerned that diffusing a cytotoxic compound such as essential oil into the air means that particles enter the lungs. Cytotoxic agents such as essential oils break down the cell, thus breaking down the lining of the lungs in addition to entering the bloodstream and breaking up the lymph nodes. Once the essential oil disrupts the cellular function of an organ for a prolonged period, then cancer occurs.
Now, there is a difference between a short whiff of a fragrance and a prolonged exposure. If you were to spray a perfume, for example, on your clothes, this is a brief instance of exposure and I don’t think it’s harmful. But having scented candles, plug-in aroma devices and essential oil diffusers constantly infiltrating the air you breathe is harmful because you’re getting constant prolonged exposure without a period for your body to rest and recover. This is an environmental toxic exposure hazard that causes cancer.
Additionally, constant exposure to fragrances in your skin care and cosmetics makes the above more likely to cause health problems. Add in toxic products like retinols and you have an open body that easily and continuously absorbs a substance that will disrupt the normal functioning of your cells.
The way to avoid problems is not to use skin care products that contain drying alcohols or essential oils, perfume should only be sprayed on clothes and hair and not to use perfume diffusers and stay away from environments that contain them.
I believe that today we cannot escape anything that is dangerous. But if we want to be healthy, we can’t just throw up our hands and say “everything causes cancer these days!” And just go back to an indulgently careless lifestyle and then play the helpless, confused victim when something bad happens. ONEDollarizing a defeatist attitude and neglecting personal responsibility for health is not the answer. A proactive approach to reducing exposure to known hazards is essential to maintaining long-term health.
bibliographical references
American Cancer Society. (n). What is non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma? Retrieved from
National Cancer Institute. (n). Genetics of Cancer. Retrieved from
Harvard School of Public Health TH Chan. (n). Environmental and Occupational Cancer Risks. Retrieved from
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. (n). Environmental Factors and Breast Cancer Risk. Retrieved from
American Academy of Dermatology Association. (n). Absorption through the skin: What you need to know. Retrieved from
