Metformin Recalled Due to Cancer-Causing Agents – Part 1
*Disclaimer: Do NOT stop taking your medications without consulting your doctor*
If you or a family member of yours suffers from diabetes you may have heard that the medication metformin has been recalled. This medication is used to control blood sugar levels in diabetics. The recall is due to an ingredient labeled N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), this is because this ingredient is included past the acceptable limit. Now this issue is further advanced when we discover that because of this, metformin contains high levels of cancer-causing agents. When we hear that, we immediately become panicked and wish to halt all encounters with this medication. While we understand this panic, it is important to know that stopping a medication without discussing it with your health care provider can lead to far more issues.
This issue raises the question, “Are we actually aware of what we consume on a daily basis?” Do we take time to research any medication we are prescribed? Most people do not.
This is extremely eye-opening in the fact that do people really know what they are putting into their bodies. We don’t typically look up an ingredient list of medications we are prescribed, instead we put the trust in our doctors and take the medicine regardless. This is a common thing we do daily whether we realize it or not, not with just medication. For example, how many people go to the food store and actually read the ingredient list of every product they purchase? Not many. Instead, we go up and down the isles of our local stores, throwing cans, bags, and boxes of food into our cart without actually realizing what we are buying. This is a scary concept when we truly think about it. Take this recall for example, how many people have been ingesting this product without the knowledge of a cancer-causing ingredient? Believe it or not, there are a lot more cancer-causing ingredients being sold right on those same shelves you have been shopping through. The only difference is, we put our taste buds over our own health. Here is a shortlist of cancer-causing foods:
- Processed meats
- Red meats
- Alcohol
- GMOs
- Soda (even diet ones)
- Refined sugars
- Conventional fruits and veggies
- Farmed salmon
- Fast foods
These are a few examples of how we prioritize our taste buds over what is good for us. It is crazy how we know that smoking cigarettes is bad for us and ultimately drive us into the ground so we try everything in our power to quit. Then we find out that some of the foods we are eating are doing the same thing, but we instead say “well it tastes good”. Can you see the irony here? We pick and choose what we classify as healthy and non-healthy; in this case cigarettes are unhealthy, but a bacon cheeseburger is okay since it tastes good.
Ultimately, if you can get past the idea of these foods tasting good and realize that these items are carcinogens you should begin to avoid red and processed meats (hot dogs, bacon, pork roll, etc.), when shopping for meats find those that are hormone-free, free-range, grass feed, cage-free etc, limit or abolish alcohol use, completely removed GMO’s and sodas (diet or not), limit sugars, when shopping for produce make sure that they are organic and pesticide-free, and this may be the most difficult one; stop with the fast foods. These fast-food chains are destroying our health, they place convenience over health. Instead of stopping at a drive thru on your way home from work, set aside a day on the weekend to meal prep. Cook and prepare your dinners before your busy week kicks off. By doing this you will ensure that you do not stop for unnecessary unhealthy foods just because you don’t want to cook. Meal prepping will benefit your health as well as your wallet.
Food is not our only issue. We have to not only think about what is going into our bodies, but also what is going onto our bodies. We spend countless of dollars on body washes, face washes, make up, deodorant, lotions, etc; but have we every actually looked at what is found inside of these products. These products are put onto our skin daily and the ingredients found in these products are slowly seeping into our skin. This can become an issue if these products have harsh chemicals in them. The main thing we have watch out for with cosmetics are parabens, these are the cancer causing factors that live in our products.
That being said we have to pay more attention to what is going into and onto our bodies. Start building the habit of reading every label that enters your hand; medications, foods, and cosmetics. Research what is beneficial and what to avoid, by further educating yourself on these carcinogens you can simple and more efficiently determine what is okay to enter your body.
Now as we stated before, some conditions and some people need medications. So do not take it upon yourself to remove medication from your day to day. Instead visit your health care provider and discuss the side-effects and other possible alternatives.
