100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (71 page)

My relationship to Ben’s father, my “second ex,” also changed after my

diagnosis, as he became the main caregiver in Ben’s life. It allowed me to

see his unending patience with our son and the genuine love that they share.

When I was away for treatments, I was content in the knowledge that Ben

was in good hands.

Finally, I have been blessed from a very young age with meaningful

friendships. My friends are my soldiers. These phenomenal women have

been in the trenches with me for more than a decade. They have cried with

me, laughed with me, and drank wine with me through divorce, new rela-

tionships, breakups, Ben’s diagnosis of autism, and then the Big C. I can

depend on them for anything. I thank God for this wonderful gift of friend-

ship, and I thank these friends for sharing my life—the good, the bad, and

the ugly. (As an added perk, cancer helped me to find a new friend, my

smart and funny cowriter, Susan!)

When you are battling cancer, your time and energy become

more precious to you. Don’t waste it on toxic relationships; instead

nurture those relationships that allow you to be your best self.

HEALTH TIP #72

Is the Water You Drink Toxic?

W
ater, water, everywhere . . . but which one should you drink?

You know you should be drinking more water, but there are just so many

darn choices out there: purified, tap, artesian, mineral, coconut. It is enough

to drive you to drink! But then you’re back to where you started.

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Listed here is a rundown of all the different waters and all the assorted

details about each one, so you can determine which is right for your health.

Tap Water

In the United States, tap water falls under the jurisdiction of the Environ-

mental Protection Agency (EPA) and is federally regulated and locally

enforced. Frequent testing is mandated, checking for many contaminants

on a regular basis, and reports of the findings are required to be posted pub-

licly once a year. As a comparison, in the United States, bottled water falls

under Food and Drug Administration (FDA) jurisdiction and the safety test-

ing is much less strict. For example, local tap water is required to test for

bacteria over 100x/month, whereas bottled water is required to test for bac-

teria only 4x/month.

Source:
Depends on your local area. Some sources could be from rivers,

lakes, and streams, or wells. Rainwater and groundwater can also be used.

Check your local treatment facility to see how yours starts out.

Cost:
$0.00125/16 ounces or $0.01/gallon.

Contains:
In the United States, you can go to: www.water.epa.gov to see

what your local drinking water contains. You can get somewhat of an idea

what’s there, but it may not tell you the whole story. The report will list min-

erals, bacteria, and other substances like mercury and lead, along with the

reported amounts measured in the test sample. However, the water

described in the report posted on the Internet doesn’t mean that’s what

comes out of
your
faucet. Each home has different pipes, and different water

flows—therefore, different contaminates. The county won’t test the water

from inside your home, but you can have a private

testing company do it if you choose. Take a minute

Fun Fact:
It might surprise

to find out what’s in your water.

you to learn that 25% of all

bottled water actually comes

Filtering your tap water is a no brainer. There is

from tap water. Some is

no disputing that drinking chlorine and its byprod-

further treated by additional

ucts in your tap water is harmful and unhealthy. Acti-

filtration and some is not.

vated carbon filters are great at removing these

Perk #72: Cancer Made Me Reevaluate the Relationships in My Life

297

contaminates. Recent testing done by
Good Housekeeping
in an independent

lab showed that common household fridge filters actually do a good job

of filtering out chlorine and pharmaceuticals from the water as well. Phar-

maceuticals? Yes, there are probably drugs in your water. Prescription med-

ications are peed out and flushed into your water supply, and water

treatment plants are not required to test for them or remove them. While

they exist in very small amounts, any amount of hormones, painkillers, or

Viagra is too much for me. Generally speaking, the refrigerator-type and

water-line type filters (activated charcoal) were able to filter 40 to 92 per-

cent of these contaminates. The pitcher-type charcoal filters were fair in

what they filtered, but many of them didn’t last as long. There are hundreds

of in-home water filtration systems available, from simple one-step filters

to complex, expensive multistep systems. Check to see which of them fits

your needs and the types of contaminates they remove.

The one thing fridge (carbon) filters do
not
remove is fluoride. Fluoride

is a mineral that is found in nature, but since 1945 it been added to U.S.

tap water (in most U.S. states and thirteen other countries). What started

out as a crusade to make strong teeth has turned into the overdosing of a

large part of the public with fluoride. Fluoride is toxic, plain and simple.

Just look on your fluoride-containing toothpaste and it says, “If more than

used for brushing is accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact poi-

son control center right away.” And “the amount used for brushing” is sup-

posed to be a pea-size . . . not the entire length of your toothbrush. Fluoride

is also classified as a “treatment,” which means it is a medication. Techni-

cally, the government is medicating you without your consent. (I know, I

sound like a kook, but it’s true.) Fluoride is supposed to prevent tooth decay,

but because so many other products like toothpaste, mouthwashes, and gum

are highly fluoridated, it is causing harm. Excess exposure to fluoride causes

skeletal fluorosis, which is a weakening of the bones, and increases risk of

fractures. Based on results of new studies and reported public health prob-

lems, the government agencies review the recommended fluoride levels and

set new guidelines regularly.

A review of the literature done in 2006 by a panel of medical and envi-

ronmental experts hired by the U.S. government stated, “The evidence on

the potential of fluoride to initiate or promote cancers, particularly of the

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

bone, is tentative and mixed and that, overall, the literature does not clearly

indicate that fluoride either is or is not carcinogenic in humans.” In other

words, we just don’t know if fluoride causes cancer or not.

If you aren’t lucky enough to own a high level multistep filtration system

designed to remove fluoride, then do your best to remove it in other areas

of your life. Avoid toothpaste and mouthwashes that contain fluoride and

“just say no” to extra fluoride treatments at the dentist. Bottled water may

or may not contain fluoride, as they are not required to list that on the label.

Contact the bottler for that info.

For more information on fluoride and the fight to get rid of it in the

water system, visit www.fluoridealert.org.

If you plan to take your filtered tap water on the go, purchase a 100 per-

cent stainless-steel bottle that resists bacteria growth and will keep your

water cold. Make sure the bottle does not contain an inside plastic coating

as the plastic might contain unhealthy BPA, a chemical that can leech into

your water and cause health problems.

You would think that with the invention of indoor plumbing and tap

water, we would be satisfied with the water that comes right into our homes

for a few cents a gallon. But in 1977, someone saw that if you make bottled

water a “trend” (some might even say “a fashion statement”) and scare peo-

ple into thinking their tap water is dirty, you could make a pretty sizable

profit. Today, that profit is $4 billion/year. (Is that good marketing or what?)

There are roughly 200 different bottled water companies in the United States

alone!

Our eyes see a seal on the bottle and we perceive this product as “safe,”

“pure,” or “healthy” when that may not be the case.

Purified Water

By definition, “purified” means it is treated with a process to remove solids

(minerals) and bacteria. Water can be purified by reverse osmosis, distilla-

tion, or deionization. All of these simple methods separate the water (H2O)

from all the particles, bacteria, and minerals. Water that is used for product

manufacture, like soft drinks, cosmetics, and cleansers, are made with “puri-

fied” water. Purified drinking water often has minerals added to improve

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299

the taste. When bottled water companies
add
something to your water, it

must appear on the label.

You can also purchase distilled water, which is just H2O and nothing

else. The distillation process uses heat and steam to remove all the min-

erals and other contaminants. Distilled water is used in your car battery

and in your iron because it won’t leave any mineral deposit stains or

residue. While distilled water is not harmful, it is not recommended to be

your #1 choice for drinking unless there are minerals added. Minerals in

your drinking water keep your blood healthy and also make the water taste

better.

Source:
Local tap water. Watch out for brands that just say “drinking water.”

This could be a brand that just bottles the water from the tap with minimal

filtering, packages it, and marks it up 10,000 percent. (When a major nation-

wide chain-store brand of drinking water was tested, it had the exact same

contents of all minerals and chlorine as the water from their drinking fountain

in their store along with higher than allowed concentrations of pollutants.)

Cost:
Similar to spring water: $0.40 to $1.50/16 ounces or $3.20 to

$12.00/gallon.

Contains:
H2O plus whatever else the bottler has added.

Club Soda
is purified water with carbonation. Sodium bicarbonate is

added to counter the acidity of the carbon dioxide used for carbonation.

Soda water
is plain purified water with carbonation added.

Spring Water

By definition, spring water is any water that is derived from an underground

source that flows to the surface.

Source:
From an underground spring. One company can have many differ-

ent “springs” that they source from. The water can run from a glacier, or

originate as rainwater that is absorbed into the earth at higher elevations

and runs down to an outlet.

Cost:
$.40 to $1.50/16 ounces or $3.20 to $12.00/gallon.

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Contains:
The contents of spring water are whatever happens to be in the

spring. Usually this includes calcium, magnesium, fluoride, potassium, and

sodium. Since all springs are different, each company should have a report

of the water analysis on their website.

Mineral Water

Mineral water is obtained from a mineral spring and must contain at least

250 ppm (parts per million) of solids (minerals).

Source:
Springs, aquifers, wells, or any other source that yields water having

at least 250 ppm (parts per million) total solids. No minerals can be added

to the water to reach 250 ppm. It must be in the water at the source. A few

of the minerals found are sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium—

all necessary minerals for good health.

Cost:
Roughly $ 2.40/16 ounces or $19.30/gallon.

Contains:
Each brand of mineral water has its own mineral content but

must have at least 250 ppm of total solids. Usually, the main minerals are

listed on the bottle, or you can go to the manufacturer’s website or call them

for more info on the content.

Mineral water is considered “healthy” water because it provides some

of what your body needs every day. Someone who drinks over one liter of

mineral water/day can get up to 15 percent of their recommended daily cal-

cium intake. Most mineral waters are alkaline, or have a high pH. Many

believe that ingesting foods that are alkaline reduces your risk of cancer by

providing an unfavorable environment for the cancer cells to grow.

There are also benefits to bathing in mineral springs, both hot and cold,

and many exist around the world for this purpose. Similar to using Epsom

salts when you have sore muscles, the high mineral content of the mineral

springs has soothing and medicinal healing properties. If you have money