My goal is to become a naturopathic physician specializing in cancer treatment. My mother is a cancer survivor and I especially want to work with cancer patients with natural medicine and show my nieces and nephews that a career in medicine is not out of reach. All medical programs are among the most costly educations to acquire, and naturopathy is no different.
I wish to inform others about the seriousness and danger of asbestos. Naturopathic medicine has proven to be a formidable method of treating cancers such as mesothelioma. I hope to help others in the the world explore healthcare with natural medical practices as treatment and preventative options.
Illnesses caused by asbestos are close to my heart. I have been around asbestos in different facilities for years; from old theatres to schools and residences. Not only have I lived in areas rumored to be contaminated with asbestos, but I worked in a school for almost two years that most certainly had asbestos in the cafeteria area. This is particularly alarming because statistics show that close to 80% of people affected with mesothelioma came in contact with asbestos in a workplace environment. I think about all those elementary school children that spent far more time than I in that contaminated cafeteria.
Many apartment buildings in California, where I worked in the asbestos contaminated cafeteria, were old hotels from the 1930s and 1940s when insulated with asbestos was popular. Often times, asbestos has yet to be fully removed and state signs are posted saying “This area is known by the state of California to contain materials that may cause cancer.” Unbelievable! However, the state comes and checks the residences and if they determine the carcinogenic levels to be appropriate, no action is taken.
A Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree will help my family and I live and work while I’m am studying. This program is intensive and expensive and the finances are a stress that is on my mind every day. Also, I hope that my education will help me honor all those people who are living and who have died from mesothelioma by me working with like cancer patients using natural medicine. I feel that I will be able to give back and make my own contributions to this cause.
How much of a concern is cancer to you? How can increased awareness benefit the fight against cancer?
Mai,
Thanks for taking the time to inform the public about asbestos, a truly silent killer. The worst part is that the symptoms don't even start to show until decades after first contact with the substance. I think it is great that you've decided on a career path based on the profound impact of hazardous materials such as asbestos have had on your life. Sure, many times these cancer victims have legal recourse (and sometimes quite substantial through the means of a mesothelioma lawyer), but this is only a temporary fix. Thanks to people like you, the root of the problem will be attacked, helping to protect or future generations. Thank you for your service!
Environmental toxins are one of my pet issues. They are a huge problem in my neighborhood, which is full of old houses. The paint, insulation, and yards of these homes are full of asbestos, lead, and arsenic. This has a huge impact on the children who live there, and therefore, on the schools in the city. Those substances are known to affect the brain development and general health of children, which results in a high concentration of students in need of special ed services, which raises the cost of educating students. The concentration of hazardous materials in impoverished areas has a direct impact on the health people living with it, and an indirect impact on the whole community through school funding. It's an issue everyone about which everyone should be more aware.
It's a good life mission. Good on you.
"Never go with a hippy to a second location."
~Jack Donaghy
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
With respect to cancer, the notion that cancer reflects weakness of the immune system is false [6]. If it were true, people given immunosuppressant drugs to treat arthritis or prevent rejection of transplanted organs, or who are immunodeficient because of hereditary disease or AIDS, would be prone to develop the common cancers. Rather, they tend to develop unusual ones -- such as Kaposi's sarcoma in AIDS [7]. Naturopathy's claim that "natural methods" can treat cancer by strengthening the immune system is also unsubstantiated.
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Naturopathy schools receive much of their financial support from companies that market dietary supplements, homeopathic products, and/or herbal remedies.
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The National Council Against Health Fraud has pointed out:
source: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Naturopathy/naturopath...
Please be careful what sort of naturopathy you're getting into, because lots of really sketchy treatments go by that name. However cancer is nasty and I wish you luck in fighting it.