When it comes to cancer and ill health, sometimes we have more questions than answers.

How much of a role does genetics play? Are there things I can do to make it less likely that I become ill?

I spoke with Tirza Derflinger about this subject, because she has identified a number of risk factors that lead to breast cancer, and other cancers as well in her book Better Breast Health For Life.

One of the primary ways we can help ourselves to prevent cancer is by reducing the toxic load, the chemical laden products in our own homes.

It turns out there are plenty of products on the shelves that contain carcinogens. They include foods, makeups, sprays, cleaning products and more. Almost anything that you can buy can be bad for you. It's a grim outlook, I know, but the simple fact is that if there is a substance that makes the product bad for us, but increases the profitability of the company providing it, they will often keep using it until consumers or someone else demands they stop.

At this point, it is our responsibility to know what they are. If, that is, we are interested in such a course of action.

One website that can help us stop using products that are bad for us is ewg.org.

A good general rule is to try to find products that are as natural as possible (that still work). This Portlandia video shows some of the woes of attempting to be an all natural consumer. The experience often doesn't resemble the things that we have become used to.

Thankfully, because of consumer demand, many companies are now getting it right. At least when it comes to food. I didn't have to look far to find a great replacement baby formula, cooking oil, chicken source, lip balm, baby soap, soap, better eggs, etc.,  it all becomes available if we want it.

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