Yesterday in Denver the Komen Denver Race for the Cure took place. It is one of the largest one-day breast cancer walks in the world. The Komen National organization’s promise is “to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures.” The Denver Metropolitan Affiliate “continually strives to meet this promise through three core activities — education, fundraising and grant making. Education efforts focus on spreading the message that early detection saves lives.”
Another huge walk is the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Their motto is “In It to End It.” Their website states, “Together, we will unite with one purpose and one goal – to end this deadly disease. The money we raise will provide women and men the breast cancer screening, support and treatment they need regardless of their ability to pay, and so that leading-edge research teams across the country can be powered by the funds they need to fuel their quest for a cure.”
Having had breast cancer in 2007, I find it hard not to comment today on the subject of these two organizations and their walks. Mother Teresa, when asked in 1967 whether she would walk in protest of the war in Vietnam, said no. However, she went on to say that if they had a march in support of peace, she would be there! She was only interested in focusing on the outcome she intended–peace! So, for the same reasons, I don’t walk for breast cancer nor do I race for the cure. Both of these are a focus on the disease instead of a focus on the promotion of health and healthy breasts. When we start walking for the promotion of breast health instead of the fight against cancer, I’ll be there! Let me explain…
To many people, these two organizations have become symbols of hope, empowerment and camaraderie for women all over the world. I personally know many women who walk for one or both of these organizations each year. Both organizations are contributing dollars to research and to community outreach, seeking to raise awareness about this disease and to promote early detection. But…shouldn’t our focus be on the causes rather than cure, on breast health rather than a focus on disease, on educating people in ways to promote breast health rather than focusing on education about screening to determine if they have cancer?
Many organizations are displaying those pink ribbons as a sign of their support of breast cancer awareness, the quest for a cure, and/or their own financial support of ongoing research. But…how much of what these companies contribute really goes towards research? And how much of those research dollars go to research sponsored by pharmaceutical companies which profit greatly from this disease? And how might the organizations and companies themselves be profiting from this disease? Here are a couple of examples:
One of the financial supporters of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is Yoplait. Have you looked at their ingredient list lately? According to Fooducate, the ingredients are Cultured Pasteurized Grade A Low Fat Milk, Sugar, Strawberries, Modified Corn Starch, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Nonfat Milk, Kosher Gelatin, Citric Acid, Tricalcium Phosphate, Natural Flavor, Pectin, Colored with Carmine, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3. The front of the yogurt label boldly claims it is 99% fat-free, leading a person to expect a very low calorie yogurt. Instead, it contains 170 calories, which is not a lot, but where are those calories coming from? Well, 108 of these 170 calories are from sugar! What that means is that by weight, 17% of this product is sugar. 63% of the calories in Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt are from sugar! You can purchase the Light version of this yogurt but it’s artificially sweetened (another problem ingredient), with only 14 grams/64 calories from sugar.
In my opinion, Yoplait yogurt is NOT a health food. In addition to the sugar issues, where is the milk coming from? Yoplait is now advertising that there is no growth hormone in their yogurt, but the milk is not coming from organically raised cows, so they’re probably fed a diet containing pesticide-laden feed and being given antibiotics. Also, what are the yogurt ingredients carmine or tricalcium phosphate? I doubt they have many, if any, health benefits. Yet, because of all those pink-ribboned lids on their yogurts, Yoplait is able to market to the public, “save lids to save lives.” Yoplait could save a lot more lives by changing their yogurts to actually be a “health food.” But why should they change when they’re profiting from their current marketing campaign?
Avon is another example. It sells products for the entire body, including fragrance, skincare, body care, and bath. On Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic database site, 654 Avon products are listed and rated according to EWG’s 0-10 scale, 10 being the most harmful based on the ingredients and their potential hazards. Of the 654 products listed, only 95 fall into the 0-4 range. The remaining 549 products fall within the 5-10 range–mainly because some of the ingredients in these products are linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity and more. According to Sophie Uliano’s book “Gorgeously Green,” anything above a score of 4 should be avoided. So, what does this mean? To me, it says that the majority of Avon’s products are hazardous to our health. Avon could really DO SOMETHING to promote breast health by removing the ingredients that may actually cause cancer and reformulate their products to be safe. But again, why should they, since their current marketing and their walk have people believing they are already doing something to help us?
When I see that pink ribbon being displayed, I feel used. I feel that what I went through is being exploited and that others are profiting from mine and so many others’ painful experience. It is my wish that more companies start manufacturing and marketing products that promote long-term health for all. This means removing ingredients that weaken our immune systems, are carcinogenic or estrogenic, and replacing them with ingredients that promote healthy bodies. This also means joining forces with other companies to deal with the topics of industrial pollutants, toxins, waste products, and additives and their possible, even probable, relationship to breast cancer. And maybe instead of a symbol for breast cancer awareness, we could create a symbol of health and vitality. When these things start to happen, I may just be ready to join a walk–hopefully the Walk for Life!
