Drescher points out that the medical community has a very isolated way of viewing illness and doesn’t pay enough attention to the big picture. She also notes that through her work for the State Department, she’s observed that countries offering preventive measures have lower rates of disease and are better off economically as well, since prevention is always cheaper than intervention.
“The focus in our society isn’t on curing you, but how to keep you alive with chronic illness,” she says. “It’s like closing the barn door after the horse is out. Cancer is not going to just go away; we have to identify the causes and eliminate them. Yet this is the road less traveled by big business and government, because no one wants to invest money into telling you that their products are unhealthy and cause cancer. Something has to happen. We have to stop being a sick nation and start becoming a well nation!
“For the first time ever, children aren’t expected to live as long as their parents. Babies are born prepolluted, with 200 to 300 different chemicals found in their umbilical cords at birth. Mothers in the United States have flame retardant in their breast milk. Flame retardant!”
For Drescher, one of the primary methods of preventing cancer is daring to go where many companies and corporations won’t: Getting the toxins out of our everyday products. “I always liked this quote from Einstein,” she says, “where he talks about how we take one step forward and three steps back. We’ve been taught that convenience is modern, contemporary, and this means good. Now we’re seeing that it isn’t all good. Antiperspirants, for example — not only are they packed with chemicals, but they stop us from sweating. Sweat is one of the primary ways we eliminate toxins. You wouldn’t stop an animal from sweating; it’s not natural. It’s a lifesaving function. Why are we doing it to ourselves?!”
Besides conditioning, Drescher acknowledges that being a woman in a man’s world has contributed to health care hazards, particularly for women. Drescher reveals that in her work as a diplomat, she was shocked to find out a Pap smear was not part of the standard medical exam women in the military were required to have before deployment. “It’s a male-dominated society; most men don’t think about the need for Pap smears,” Drescher says. The U.S. military now has a reformed policy, and a Pap smear is a required part of the standard physical women receive. “We cannot ship our women off overseas, where they may not have access to a Pap smear for a year or two, then wonder why they have cervical cancer when they come home,” says Drescher. “Now, if you have an abnormal Pap, it must be addressed, or you cannot deploy.”
Drescher’s advocacy work has propelled her to take another small step that has proven to be a giant leap for (wo)man kind. In 2007, she helped pass the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act, named Johanna’s Law for Johanna Silver Gordon, who did not recognize the symptoms of her disease and passed away after a late-stage diagnosis of ovarian cancer. This landmark legislation authorizing the development of a national awareness campaign was not only the first of its kind in U.S. history, but it also sidestepped party politics, passing unanimously. “Progress is slow, but it’s happening,” Drescher says. “We need more women on Capitol Hill.”
When asked about her tips for staying healthy, Drescher laughs the laugh we all know so well. “Sometimes it’s best to just use good old-fashioned common sense. Take rest periods; meditate. Eat more fruits and veggies. Eat organic. Drink more water. Exercise. Get good sleep. Use simple products. A lifestyle change can be intimidating, so do it gradually. Start by changing what you’re putting in your mouth, then move to what you’re cleaning with, then to what you’re putting on your body, you know? Each time you go shopping, swap an item out.
“And nothing is worth getting sick over. Laugh! It’s the best medicine.”
For more information on Cancer Schmancer, please visit cancerschmancer.org.
This article is updated from its initial publication in Brain World Magazine’s print edition.
