Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We will be overwhelmed by "Pink" for the next 31 days. Cancer charities will be in full fund raising mode (more on these in Part 2) and women will be "educated" on cancer prevention, detection and treatment.



The big push will be for Mammograms. Conventional wisdom tells us that mammograms catch cancer early, thus save lives. Early detection = Early Treatment = Higher Rate of Survival. While this is good in theory, when actual scientific facts are looked at; Mammograms do not save lives. In fact routine mammograms can cause cancer!



Mammograms are an x-ray of the breast. X-rays are a significant source of damaging radiation exposure. Pre-menopausal breast tissue is very sensitive to radiation exposure. Do you see where I am going with this?



Mammograms have a high incidence of False Positive results. As many as 70% of positive (for tumor) mammograms, upon biopsy, show no presence of cancer. Mammograms also have a high incidence of False Negative results. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), mammograms miss 40% of malignant tumors in women age 40-49 and 10 % over age 50.



Pre-menopausal breast tissue is more dense (along with being more sensitive to radiation) so it is much more difficult to see a tumor. Based on the research, many doctors are opposed to routine (annual) mammograms for women under 50. According to the NCI, "among women under 35, mammography could cause 75 cases of breast cancer for every 15 it identifies."



Since rotine screening with mammograms was introduced, the incidence of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) has increased by 328%. Two hundred percent of this increase is due to mammogram radiation,



Mammograms can also spread cancer. By compressing the breasts, tumors and blood vessels can burst, releasing cancer cells throughout the rest of the body.



I professionally do not recommend mammograms as a screening tool, especially for any woman under age 50. Unless a tumor is suspected. An alternative to mammography is Thermography. Thermography uses no radiation, does not compress the breasts and has a higher specificity than mammograms.



The best way to treat cancer is prevention. Diet, exercise and nutrition play an important role. Vitamin D has been shown in research to prevent 77% of all cancers including breast cancer. Avoid smoking, refined sugars and grains, chemical exposure (cosmetics, perfumes, dyes, etc...) eat fresh fruits and vegetables, green tea, lycopene (tomatoes) and other anti-oxidant rich foods.



I encourange your questions and comments.