Community News
The Cancer Epidemic – Cancers among young adults have become a global health crisis; Why is that?
Published
8 months agoon
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
I remember when cancer was something distant, something that happened to other people, but now, it feels like it’s everywhere. I think everyone knows someone who’s been affected by cancer. It’s become a part of our reality, a very sad reality.
Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases of the 21st century. A hundred years ago, cancer was not so common; however, since the last couple of decades, its incidence has been rising alarmingly.
What is cancer? Put simply; cancer is the abnormal growth of cells. Cancers arise from any organ, or body structure and are composed of tiny cells that have lost the ability to stop growing. Transformation of a normal cell into a cancerous cell is probably not such a critical event in the genesis of cancer; rather it is the inability of immune cells of the body to identify and destroy the newly formed cancer cells when they are few in numbers. The risk of cancer is multiplied in people whose immune system is suppressed due to any factor including chronic stress, old age, or a chronic debilitating disease.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal analysis of data from the National Cancer Institute, one in five new colorectal cancer patients in the United States is under 55, That’s nearly twice the rate in 1995.
While deaths for colorectal cancer patients over 65 are going down, deaths among younger patients are increasing, a reflection of the higher mortality rates often observed in early-onset cancers. Scientists say these cancers can be more deadly because they are not caught early enough for successful interventions (colonoscopies are not recommended until age 45).
There are several hypothesis for the increase in cancer; one claim is that the increase in global obesity rates since the mid-1990s plays a significant role in the uptick, and scientists have found that specific diets, such as those rich in so-called ultra-processed foods, have been associated with a higher risk of GI cancers, regardless of a person’s body-mass index.
The increase in early-onset cancers has become undeniable, replicated in study after study. A BMJ article published last year found that the early onset of 29 different cancers, including: breast, stomach, and colorectal, had risen nearly 80% between 1990 and 2019 worldwide. Another study published in JAMA Network Open last August found that the occurrence of a wide range of cancers among people under 50 had increased between 2010 to 2019 among American adults, particularly among women.
John Marshall, Director of the Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers at Georgetown University, has been treating patients for 30 years. Early in his career, he says, he would never have a patient under the age of 50. Today, half of his patients are in that younger cohort, many of them otherwise healthy and fit. He first started to notice the trend with colorectal cancers, but later found an increase in other cancers as well, which significantly mirrors the research literature.
Findings have also pointed to another revelation: “We have, each of us, different risks depending on when we are born,” Shuji Ogino, a Molecular Pathological Epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School, shared in his research.
According to a paper published last year by a New Zealand research team, the upticks in cancers among young adults matched the timeline that we would expect from the multiplication of microplastics in the environment. Research on cellular and rodent models has suggested that microplastics (plastic bottles, packaging, synthetic textiles, cosmetics, and industrial processes) could promote tumor growth. Yeah, pretty much everything that has become commonplace in our lives. Though more research is needed, we already know these materials contain chemicals that can disrupt hormones and pose a risk to our health.
“People born in the first half of the 20th century had a lower risk of developing cancer by age 50 than people born in the second half,” Shuji shares. Other scientists increasingly suspect that exposure to risk factors at certain ages — whether: in utero, early childhood, or early adulthood. — could be playing an important role in a person’s risk of developing cancer at a young age.
Then, there are some other less researched reasons that have been illuminated. According to a recent peer-reviewed analysis, it was discovered that COVID-19 vaccines can trigger genetic changes in cancer patients that could aid in the further development of the disease in such individuals.
The review, published in the Cureus medical journal on December 17th, 2023, looked at the relationship between COVID-19 vaccines and cancer. A review of multiple studies led the authors to conclude that certain COVID-19 vaccines may create an environment that predisposes some cancer patients, including survivors, to “cancer progression, recurrence, and/or metastasis.”
The conclusion was based on two factors. First is the “multi-hit hypothesis” of cancer, which suggests that cancer is the consequence of several genetic mutations. The second is the “growing evidence and safety reports” in the Vaccine Adverse Effects Report System (VAERS), which suggested that some cancer patients who took COVID-19 vaccines saw their conditions worsen.
“In light of the above and because some of these concerns also apply to cancer patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, we encourage the scientific and medical community to urgently evaluate the impact of both COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination on cancer biology and tumor registries, adjusting public health recommendations accordingly,” the review said.
Let’s talk about why and how this is happening. MRNA vaccines have the potential to trigger a set of biological mechanisms that could lead to the progression of cancer. These effects are attributed to factors like the “pro-inflammatory action” of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) and tumor-causing effects of the vaccines’ antigens, namely the spike protein. LNPs are nanoparticle drug delivery systems that can be used to deliver DNA and mRNA into a body. Researchers found that the spike protein, found on the surface of the COVID-19 virus, facilitates the entry of the virus into healthy cells.
The authors who wrote the review are Raquel Valdes Angues from the Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine in Portland and Yolanda Perea Bustos from the education department in the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain. They declared that they received, “No financial support” from organizations that might have an interest in their work, and they were involved in no other relationships, or activities that could have influenced the review.
Now, let’s turn to another undiscussed factor; 5G. In an article titled “Health risks from radiofrequency radiation, including 5G, should be assessed by experts with no conflicts of interest,” (Lennart Hardell, and Michael Carlberg), the researchers appealed to the European Union (EU) in September 2017. Their appeal (endorsed by >390 scientists and medical doctors), requested a moratorium on 5G deployment until proper scientific evaluation of potential negative consequences has been conducted.
This request was not acknowledged by the EU. The evaluation of RF radiation health risks from 5G technology was ignored in a report by a government expert group in Switzerland, and a publication from The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. Conflicts of interest and ties to the industry seem to have contributed to the biased reports. In the report, they note that the lack of proper unbiased risk evaluation of the 5G technology places populations at risk. They also note that there seems to be a cartel of individuals monopolizing evaluation committees, thus reinforcing the no-risk paradigm.
To bring relevance to those thoughts, I discovered an open editorial titled “Moskowitz: Cellphone radiation is harmful, but few want to believe it,” by Anne Brice. For more than a decade, Joel Moskowitz, a researcher in the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley, and Director of Berkeley’s Center for Family and Community Health, has been on a quest to prove that radiation from cellphones is unsafe, but, he said, “Most people don’t want to hear it.”
“People are addicted to their smartphones. We use them for everything now, and, in many ways, we need them to function in our daily lives. I think the idea that they’re potentially harming our health is too much for some people.”
“Cellphones, cell towers and other wireless devices are regulated by most governments,” said Moskowitz. “Our government, however, stopped funding research on the health effects of radiofrequency radiation in the 1990s.”
Since then, he said, research has shown significant adverse biologic and health effects — including brain cancer — associated with the use of cellphones and other wireless devices. And now, he said, with the fifth generation of cellular technology, known as 5G, there is an even bigger reason for concern.
The International EMF Scientist Appeal, signed by over 250 scientists with extensive research backgrounds, underscores a growing concern regarding the health effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields emitted by wireless devices like cell phones. With over 2,000 published papers and letters in professional journals, these scientists advocate for health warnings and stronger exposure limits. Their research, spanning numerous animal toxicology studies, indicates a potential for increased oxidative stress, including free radicals, stress proteins, and DNA damage.
A comprehensive 2009 review published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, suggests a link between heavy cellphone use and heightened brain cancer incidence.
I want to take a moment to highlight the fact that they have attempted to blame many things for the uptick in cancer diagnosis and have ignored two major factors: the introduction of a vaccine, and fifth generation cellular technology. I liken it to the actions of the telecom industry; the comparison to the tobacco industry is striking. Just as tobacco companies once enlisted doctors and dentists to downplay smoking risks in the 1940’s, the telecom industry now utilizes a nuclear physicist to reassure policy makers of the safety of microwave radiation. This pattern echoes the tactics employed by Big Tobacco and underscores the telecom industry’s considerable economic and political influence, surpassing even that of its predecessor.
It appears that we are going to be witnessing more and more cancer diagnosis, especially of people who are much younger. This article was meant to inform and educate; I hope that you utilize this information to ensure that you take all precautions when it comes to your health. You have to care about you, because the powers that be do not!
REFERENCES:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9885170/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36739075/
https://bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-023-01967-0
https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/cancer-young-people-doctors-baffled-49c766ed
https://www.saferemr.com/2017/09/5g-wireless-technology-is-5g-harmful-to.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7405337/
https://news.berkeley.edu/2021/07/01/health-risks-of-cell-phone-radiation/
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(18)30267-6/fulltext
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2808381
https://bmjoncology.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000049#DC1
https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj-2021-068921
We, as humans are guaranteed certain things in life: stressors, taxes, bills and death are the first thoughts that pop to mind. It is not uncommon that many people find a hard time dealing with these daily life stressors, and at times will find themselves losing control over their lives. Simone Jennifer Smith’s great passion is using the gifts that have been given to her, to help educate her clients on how to live meaningful lives. The Hear to Help Team consists of powerfully motivated individuals, who like Simone, see that there is a need in this world; a need for real connection. As the founder and Director of Hear 2 Help, Simone leads a team that goes out into the community day to day, servicing families with their educational, legal and mental health needs.Her dedication shows in her Toronto Caribbean newspaper articles, and in her role as a host on the TCN TV Network.
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Community News
“We want 9-8-8 to become as familiar as dialing 9-1-1,” 9-8-8 Celebrates one year serving the community
Published
4 hours agoon
December 26, 2024BY SIMONE J. SMITH
The holiday season, a time often associated with joy and celebration, can paradoxically trigger a decline in mental well-being for many. Coupled with the ongoing pressures of inflation, rising crime rates, and the abrupt shift of daylight savings time, particularly in northern regions, these factors can create a perfect storm for individuals struggling with their mental health.
Suicide, a tragic reality, knows no boundaries, impacting people of all ages and backgrounds. In Canada alone, a staggering average of 4,500 lives are lost to suicide each year, translating to approximately 12 individuals per day. The impact of each suicide extends far beyond the individual, leaving a trail of grief and devastation among family, friends, and communities.
On November 30th, 2023, Canada launched 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline. It is for anyone thinking about suicide, feeling hopeless, or like they are struggling to cope. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital, leads and coordinates delivery of 9-8-8 nationwide. 9-8-8 is funded by the Government of Canada, through the Public Health Agency of Canada.
A growing network of nearly 40 experienced local and national crisis line partners across the country provide culturally appropriate, lifesaving supports to people who call or text the helpline.
Over the past year, 9-8-8 crisis responders have answered more than 300,000 calls and texts to the national helpline. 9-8-8 answers an average of almost 30,000 calls and texts per month – approximately 1,000 calls and texts per day. In Ontario, 9-8-8 responders answer an average of over 12,000 calls and texts per month (more than 135,000 from the launch to October 31st, 2024).
The goal of the three-digit helpline is to prevent suicide by making it as simple as possible for people to get the help they need, when they need it most. 9-8-8 provides urgent, live support by phone and text to people in every province and territory across the country in English and French, 24/7, every day of the year.
Last week, I had a chance to speak with Nika Khossravi, 9-8-8 Crisis Responder, and she shared with me her reason for becoming a responder, and the importance of 9-8-8.
“Last year I experienced the loss of a friend to suicide,” Nika shares, “When I was grieving the loss, I did a lot of reflection, and I realized that I did not have the tools to assist my friend. I dug deep and volunteered and learned a lot. What many of us don’t take into consideration is how suicide affects survivors of suicide. We don’t like to say suicide is contagious, but sometimes it becomes more of a reality, especially when someone close to you has committed suicide.”
“What are the biggest challenges you anticipate in ensuring equitable access to the 9-8-8 helpline for all Canadians, including those in remote, rural, and underserved communities,” I inquired?
“It serves every single city in Canada. It is the same as 9-1-1. Let’s be honest, when you are in crisis, you are not thinking about long drawn-out numbers. We want 9-8-8 to become as familiar as dialing 9-1-1,”
“Are there mechanisms for seamless referrals and follow-up care?”
“Responders offer follow calls within 24 hours, and some are able to do referrals to local distress centres. 211 is one of the resource databases that we can provide for them.”
9-8-8 also offers support and advice for people who are worried someone they know may be considering suicide. Whatever you are going through, you don’t have to face your problems on your own. 9-8-8 responders are here to listen. No one who calls or texts 9-8-8 will be turned away. Everyone who contacts 9-8-8 will be assessed for suicide risk.
“What are the initial expectations and long-term goals for the 9-8-8 helpline in terms of reducing suicide rates and improving mental health outcomes for Canadians?”
“We want people to be aware. We are a resource to those who think someone in their lives might be thinking about suicide. We want 9-8-8 to be as familiar to Canadians as 9-1-1.”
By texting or calling 9-8-8, people can connect with a responder who’s ready to
listen and trained to help. 9-8-8 responders work with callers and texters to explore ways to cope when things are overwhelming and find a path to safety. Responder training is informed by evidence, best practices and engagement with organizations representing populations most affected by suicide to ensure that anyone, anywhere, can access the support they need.
For more information and to receive the latest updates, please visit www.988.ca or connect with them on our social media platforms:
Twitter: @988Canada
Facebook: 988Canada
Instagram: @988Canada
LinkedIn: 988Canada
Community News
The health disaster caused by the tobacco industry is still ongoing and needs immediate attention
Published
4 hours agoon
December 26, 2024By
Paul JunorBY PAUL JUNOR
The announced lawsuit seeking $500 billion against the tobacco companies could potentially be settled. The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) issued a press release on October 18th, 2024, in which it expressed reservations. The Ontario government is supportive, but there have been mixed reactions from others.
The proposed lawsuit would dispense the following:
- $24.7 billion over time to provinces and territories, including $6.3 billion up front, and the remainder paid out as a percentage of tobacco company profits, including 85% of net after-tax profits in the first five years, and then 80% declining to 70% in subsequent years, until the $24.7 billion is paid
- $4.1 billion to the Quebec class action plaintiffs
- $2.5 billion to individual victims across Canada beyond the Quebec class action plaintiffs
- $1.0 billion to a Foundation to fund research for the diagnosis and treatment of tobacco-related disease.
Rob Cunningham, lawyer for the CCS and Senior Policy Analyst states, “The approach in the proposed settlement falls massively short and fails to protect the future health of Canadians properly. How can such an approach possibly be justified when we continue to have millions of Canadians who smoke each year and tobacco remains the leading cause of cancer death? This settlement fails to support public health efforts to reduce smoking.”
Cunningham is supportive of the $1 billion funding, which will go towards the foundation independent of the government but expressed concerns that it will not be involved in proactive measures such as: smoking cessation initiatives, awareness campaigns, or public health programs.
Cunningham would like to see specific changes before approval. He notes, “The foundation must have the ability to fund a full range of initiatives to reduce tobacco use, such as smoking cessation and community programs, among others. Moreover, as in the U.S, the settlement in Canada should contain policy measures to reduce tobacco use such as banning remaining tobacco promotion and should require public disclosure of secret tobacco company internal documents.”
Some of the data presented by Canada Cancer Society include:
- Smoking is the leading cause of disease and death in Canada with 16,000 deaths in Ontario and 46,000 in Canada
- The rate of smoking is 11.4% for age 18 and older according to 2023 stats
- About 3.6 million Canadians are smokers
The Canada Cancer Society highlights some of the wrongful actions of the tobacco industry such as:
- Marketing to underage teenagers
- Advertising to women with themes of slimness and fashion
- Denying that smoking caused cancer and other diseases
- Failing to warn consumers adequately
- Using misleading advertising, including for so-called “light” and “mild” cigarettes
- Lobbying aggressively against tobacco control laws
Cunningham states, “Without investing in significant measures to reduce tobacco use, this proposed settlement misses the very intention of the lawsuits in the first place, which is to curtail the damages caused by the tobacco industry. The health disaster caused by the tobacco industry is still ongoing and needs immediate attention, which this proposed settlement fails to do. This is a deal that won’t reduce smoking.”
The three major tobacco companies in Canada include:
- Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd. (owned by British American Tobacco)
- Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (owned by Philip Morris International)
- JTI-Macdonald Corp (owned by Japan Tobacco)
Gar Mahood of the Campaign for Justice on Tobacco Fraud acknowledged the settlement is a “Hollow victory. The settlement went from $500 billion in claimed damages (the costs to the health care system for treating smoking-related illness) to just over $24.7 billion. It’s a financial cave-in that will be paid for by current addicted smokers, the most at-risk group in the proposed settlement, and youth who will become addicted.”
“It is a meaningful first step in acknowledging decades of harm,” states Jessica Buckley, President and CEO at the Lung Health Foundation (LHF) notes further, “But financial restitution can’t make up for the loss of life. It can’t make up for the experiences of Canadians who have suffered through lung cancer and COPD. It’s not enough for people who are struggling to breathe right now.”
“It is crucial to ensure that more resources are allocated to lung health prevention programs, research and education efforts.”
She is not sure if the funds will go directly into practical steps. “LHF is pushing fit a Smoke-Free Generation, a move that if enacted, would protect youth from addiction by ensuring that youth born after a certain date would never legally become of age to purchase tobacco products.”
Jacob Shelley, co-director of the Health Ethics, Law and Policy lab at Western University shares that he is pleased that plaintiffs will receive restitution after five years of going through the courts. He states, “It’s not a meaningful individual victory in the sense of like a big payout, but it’s meaningful and there is going to be an opportunity for collection on this claim, which started decades ago, and that there is recognition and an imposition of liability for the failure to warn about the risks associated with the use of this product.”
Community News
The world says goodbye to the Calypso Lion, Dennis James Sr
Published
4 hours agoon
December 26, 2024BY MICHAEL THOMAS
Three-time Canadian Calypso monarch and Saint Lucian-born Mr. Dennis James Sr. has left us. Uncle Dennis as would sometimes call him was an extremely passionate performer. Anyone who attended a Calypso tent where Dennis James sang could testify to this. He was a reticent brother by nature but make no mistake when he hit the stage you knew it was showtime.
Always dressed to the teeth, Dennis left no stone unturned musically. He was not just a Calypso singer, Dennis touched almost every genre musically from: Soca, Calypso to RnB, and more. Every song Dennis James did he brought his fiery touch to it like a stamp.
James was crowned Canadian Calypso monarch first in 2001, then 2002, and 2006. From the day James touched down in Toronto to perform as a Calypso artist, he was loved. Some artists have to grow into that love, the audience gave Dennis that package naturally.
With songs like “West Indians Unite,” “Words I Did Not Say,” “Nothing to Declare,” “The Thunder,” and “Thank You Toronto,” it is said that as a Calypso artist, if you knew you were competing against Dennis James, you better do your homework.
One of the founding members of the Calypso organization here in Toronto and artist Juno D Kanhai aka Juno D’ Lord remembers Dennis James in two words as a “Great crooner.”
Seven-time Canadian Calypso monarch Tara Woods (aka Macoomere-Fifi) told me, “I called him Mr. Toronto. From the time Dennis James landed in Toronto, he was loved by everyone. He was always grateful for the love, and very shy about his talent.”
“Dennis may have looked unassuming, that is until he hit the stage. I will always remember Dennis onstage with that smile that is all his own, and the vocal explosion when he feels the audience’s love.”
“You had to be afraid,” she said. “Dennis was one of the guys you had to watch as a competitor. You could not take him lightly. He has left us a legacy. Rest in peace Mr. T.O.”
I spoke to five-time Canadian Calypso monarch Bryan Thornhill (aka “Structure”) who competed against Dennis in the Calypso arena, “I first met Dennis in 2003 in the Calypso finals. Even though we were fierce competitors we had that admiration for each other’s work. His strong voice and renditions made him a formidable force and added color to the Kaiso mosaic. My deepest condolences to his family. He will always be remembered. May he Rest in Peace!”
Calypso Monarch and Soca king Joel Davis (aka “Connector”) had this to say of James. “He was a giant in the business, a humble but serious man who I considered a cultural ambassador. He executed his vocal range with a vengeance.”
Five-time Canadian Calypso monarch Michael Moore (aka the Lord Beginner) also weighed in on his memory of Dennis James. “What I liked about him was his aggressive nature on stage. Even though we performed in the same tent I told myself, I better watch him. James was smooth, Dennis performed nicely, and he knew how to get the crowd involved in the Calypso. He was a fierce competitor, and I liked him, but you know me, even though we were in the same camp I have no friends when it came to the competition, but I am very sympathetic about his passing.”
One of the things I have learned as an artist from Dennis is to document my work. James would post songs that he recorded in the 70s as well as his latest work, both his music and the pictures from that era he kept. Not many artists have that mindset.
Even though James has lived in the US and Canada he has never forgotten his Saint Lucian roots going back from time to time and even competing in the Island’s national Calypso competition.
I have always liked how Dennis James packaged and presented himself as an artist. He took his craft seriously and I respect that. On behalf of the Toronto Calypso fraternity, I extend condolences to his wife and family. Dennis James, may you fly high King. You will be fondly remembered.
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