Yerba Mate - tripled cancer risk - ‘equivalent’ to smoking 100 cigarettes

[Regina]

Thanks, that is really interesting. It seems nothing is safe from contaminants! I am interested because I’m planning to start taking EGCG (from green tea) and berberine to try and shrink uterine fibroids that are causing all sorts of problems for me (like extremely heavy bleeding for 2 weeks of the month, causing anemia and diminished quality of life). They are two of the supplements that have actual science behind them showing they can help fibroids.

Fibroids are a nasty issue and the only medical “solutions” I’ve been offered by my doctors are birth control pills, or a hormone-reducing medication that would put my body into early menopause, or a hysterectomy. An earlier myomectomy surgery did not help.

I will not take the pills. So, I am trying to do everything I can to avoid needing a hysterectomy. I would prefer to avoid heavy metals but I’m also at a bit of a crunch where I need to do something because the problem is getting worse not better. Hopefully it would be short-term risk as I wouldn’t plan to take the EGCG permanently.

It’s hard to find much that is proven to help with fibroids other than surgery. Acupuncture is another modality that has shown promise for fibroids but as a Christian I have some uncertainty about whether acupuncture is problematic or not, so I am going the supplement and lifestyle route.

Some other things I am trying are systemic enzymes, raspberry leaf tea, alfalfa powder, nettle tea, black strap molasses (already take that and it helps), chlorophyll, nutrient dense diet and exercise. I’m sure all of the teas/supplements come with some risk but at the same time people do seem to benefit from them.

Have you tried progesterone?

 

[Adf]

I'd imagine as others have mentioned, it is likely due to pesticide contamination. Also all teas are suggested to increase cancer when steeped and drunk hot. I have drunk Yerba Mate before to try something new, but only overnight, cool steeping. There are glass bottles designed to steep overnight. I would be very weary of the chemical contamination in any and all teas though.

Anti-oxidants are over-hyped imo. Don't drink tea just because it has anti-oxidants, you can get those from far healthier options like fruits and vegetables.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

When I read "Brasil" and "cancer" my first thought is: herbicides. They have a huge problem with herbicide resistance which is followed by the use of even more herbicides. Childhood cancer and and fetal malformation are strong indicators that something is going on. I did only a quick and superficial google search. It seems that Rio Grande do Sul is one of the more problematic regions.

“Cocktail” of 27 pesticides found in water of 1 out of 4 Brazilian cities

Rare Cancers in Childhood and Adolescence in Brazil: First Report of Data From 19 Population-Based Cancer Registries

This is awful! If these people have no clue, this could really be happening anywhere. We trust the people who are suppose to be testing the water and so are they, and god forbid there is a terrorist attack anywhere in the water systems….

“A cocktail of a number of pesticides was found in the drinking water of 1 out of every 4 Brazilian cities between 2014 and 2017. In this period, supply companies in 1,396 municipalities detected the presence of all 27 pesticides which they are obligated to test for by law. Of these, 16 are classified by Brazil’s sanitary authority (Anvisa) as extremely or highly toxic, and 11 are associated with the development of chronic diseases such as cancer, fetal malformations, and hormonal and reproductive dysfunctions.

Among the cities with multiple contaminations are the state capitals São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza, Manaus, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Campo Grande, Cuiabá, Florianópolis, and Palmas.”


“She laments that the people already developing diseases as a result of this multiple contamination will probably never know of the cause of their illness, nor will their doctors.

Asked about the measures being taken to this end, the Ministry of Health replied via email reinforcing that “exposure to pesticides is a serious public health problem” and listing the harmful effects which could cause “premature puberty, altered breastfeeding, reduced female fertility and quality of semen, as well as allergies, cancer, and gastrointestinal, respiratory, endocrine and neurological disorders.”

 

[snappy99]

Have you tried progesterone?

I did try progesterone cream and it did help with shortening the bleeding but then it seemed like it was starting to cause weight gain and some other things so I stopped. I’m not sure if I am actually deficient in progesterone because I ovulate like clockwork each month. So I figured unless I got my hormone levels tested (which might be a good idea) I should try non-hormonal approaches first.