During projects like remodeling, reconstruction and demolition, materials containing asbestos may release microsfibers that can be inhaled into the lungs. When inhaled, asbestos fibers may cause asbestosis, a severe scarring of the lungs, or Mesothelioma , a deadly cancer that may affect the lining of the chest and lungs, the abdomen, and even the heart.

Saddly, Asbestos is the main risk factor for developing Mesothelioma. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral made of silicate. Asbestos could be found in products like navy ships, electrical & plumbing, insulation, tile flooring, roofing materials, gloves and even brake pads. The list goes on and on- many things had traces of Asbestos. Since asbestos and mesothelioma have been linked, the use of these types of materials have almost completely stopped. But unfortunately, asbestos can still be found in some products today.

Diagnosis of Mesothelioma is difficult because most of the symptoms are similar to other diseases. Some including chest and back pain, difficulty in swallowing, impaired breathing, persistent cough, fever, nausea and weight loss. Other symptoms may include swelling of the abdomen, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, swollen feet, irregular bowels and vomiting.

Because Mesothelioma Cancer is rare, many doctors have little or no experience treating this disease. Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Mesothelioma does not grow as a single mass. Instead it tends to spread along surfaces, nerves, and blood vessels, which is extremely hard to treat. Surgery is not likely to cure the cancer, but it might extend the patient’s life. Chemotherapy for this disease is given to relieve symptoms, not to cure the cancer (radiation treatment doesn’t help much for mesothelioma, and the need to treat a large part of the lung leads to problems with lung damage). But radiation is able to kill small areas of cancer that cannot be seen and removed during surgery. It can also be used as a way to ease symptoms such as shortness of breath, pain, bleeding, or trouble with swallowing.

Thankfully, there is hope- People are surviving mesothelioma!

Does Aspartame really cause Cancer? It is the age old question that concerns people on a daily basis.

Wikipedia describes Aspartame as “an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in many foods and beverages.” It is used to make Nutrasweet / Equal and sometimes labeled as phenylalanine in products. Aspartame has been the subject of heated controversy—both because of safety issues and the shady circumstances surrounding its approval. Considering possible connections between aspartame and diseases such as brain tumors, brain lesions and lymphoma, and taking into account alleged conflicts of interest during the approval process, David Oliver Reitz from Doorway to Discovery thinks, “you owe it to yourself to learn the facts—not just what the lobbyists and manufacturer want you to know.”

It was first synthesized in 1965. Its use in food products was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 1980. Because its breakdown products include phenylalanine, aspartame is among the many substances that must be avoided by people with phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic condition.

With so many in question about it’s safety, the National Cancer Society did a study of about half a million people, comparing people who drank aspartame-containing beverages with those who did not. Results of the study showed that increasing levels of consumption were not associated with any risk of lymphomas, leukemias, or brain cancers in men or women.

But William Campbell Douglass II, M.D. from the DouglassReport.com says, “No matter how you look at it, aspartame is bad news in my book. The massive introduction of this neurotoxin into the food supply is nothing less than biological warfare against every single one of us, and the only acceptable solution is to ban it from the food chain. Aside from these risks, now there’s even more proof that these toxins are helping you pack on the pounds. Some recent research conducted at Purdue University shows that a group of test subjects fed artificial sweeteners subsequently consumed THREE TIMES THE CALORIES of those given ordinary sugar (not a good thing to eat, either, by the way). That means some of the very things most mainstream doctors recommend for weight loss (diet soda, Sweet-N-low, etc.) are causing us to crave calories and binge on unhealthy carbohydrates. No wonder we’re all getting fatter!

Although William Campbell Douglass II, some political activists, conspiracy theorists, and a few medical researchers have questioned the safety of aspartame, the most recent medical review on the subject concluded that “the weight of existing scientific evidence indicates that aspartame is safe at current levels of consumption as a non-nutritive sweetener.”

So there you have it. Or do you? I think this controversial topic will continue to be debated for years to come. We just seem to keep going in circles. Will Aspartame ever face a ban? Does it really make you fat? Does it really cause cancer? What do you think?