Mammograms: What For, Exactly?

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Mammograms: What For, Exactly?By Ben Kim, D.C.If you're still going for a mammogram screening once every year or twoyears, please consider the following:1. A routine mammogram screening typically involves four x-rays, two perbreast. This amounts to more than 1000 times the amount of radiationthat is used for a single chest x-ray. Bottom line: screening mammogramssend a strong dose of ionizing radiation through your tissues. Any doseof ionizing radiation is capable of contributing to cancer and heartdisease.2. Screening mammograms increase the risk of developing cancer inpremenopausal women.3. Screening mammograms require breast tissue to be squeezed firmlybetween two plates. This compressive force can damage small bloodvessels which can result in existing cancerous cells spreading to otherareas of the body.4. Cancers that exist in premenopausal women with dense breast

tissueand in postmenopausal women on estrogen replacement therapy are commonlyundetected by screening mammograms.5. For women who have a family history of breast cancer and early onsetof menstruation, the risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer withscreening mammograms when no cancer actually exists can be as high as100 percent.A large-scale screening study published in September of 2000 byepidemiologists at the University of Toronto revealed that monthlybreast self-examination following brief training, coupled with an annualclinical breast examination by a trained health care professional, is atleast as effective as mammography in detecting early tumors, and also safe.Since we know that properly performed breast exams are just as effectiveat detecting early tumours as mammography, how can we justify the use ofscreening mammograms when we know that all forms of ionizing radiationincrease the risk of

developing cancer and heart disease?With all of the controversy surrounding the usefulness of mammograms,it's easy to lose focus of what's really important: what are you goingto do if you develop breast cancer?If you rely on the recommendations of a conventional health careprovider, you are likely to begin with surgery and follow it up withchemotherapy and/or radiation.About three years ago, a family friend asked for my help after she wasdiagnosed with breast cancer. After reviewing her records andunderstanding her situation, I told her that I thought it was a goodidea to go ahead and have her tumour surgically removed and then to makesignificant changes to her daily food choices to support her recovery. Ialso told her that in no circumstances would I recommend that she havechemotherapy or radiation after surgery.Shortly after having surgery, she called to tell me that her familydoctor was strongly

recommending that she see a specialist forchemotherapy and radiation treatments.I gave her doctor a call and asked him why he was recommendingchemotherapy and radiation. His reply was that his recommendation was inline with the standards of practice outlined by the College (ofPhysicians and Surgeons of Ontario), and that if he didn't make thisrecommendation, he could be sued for malpractice.Although I was a bit startled by his reasoning, I went on to ask himwhat sort of dietary recommendations he planned on giving his patient tohelp support her recovery. "Well, there's no evidence that diet has anyeffect on breast cancer, so she can eat anything she wants," he responded.Although I was already well aware of some of the big problems in ourhealth care system, talking with this doctor firmly convinced me thatthe average person with no medical background has a solid chance ofbeing killed by medical treatments

rather than passing on from natural,degenerative causes. Does this sound like an obvious statement to you?If not, please spend some time reading through our articles archive tolearn how to take care of your own health.With screening mammograms and all other screening and diagnostic tests,you owe it to yourself to always ask: what will I do if this test comesback positive? Hopefully, your research will lead you to learning abouthow everyday food and lifestyle choices are the main determinants ofyour health. Why wait for a mammogram, x-ray, or blood test to bring badnews before you begin to take care of your health each day?Perhaps you'll learn to experience the power and freedom that come withforgetting about many of the screening measures out there and instead,using your time and energy to prepare more nutritious meals, get morerest, work on worthwhile projects, and spend meaningful and fun timeswith family

and friends.Getting back to our family friend with breast cancer, she spent anentire year following her surgery eating a nutrient-dense, mainly raw,plant-based diet. She made and drank fresh vegetable juices everyday.She took a high quality probiotic on a daily basis. I did acupuncturetreatments for her on a regular basis to strengthen her immune system.About six months following her surgery, she added raw, organic eggs toher diet three times a week. One year following her surgery, she addedwild fish and cod liver oil to her diet. She made sure that she gotplenty of fresh air and sunshine whenever she could. She took time offof work and spent time every day praying and reading the Bible and otherinspiration books. Through it all, we continuously worked at making surethat her tissues were not faced with excess estrogen and estrogen-likecompounds.It has been three years now since her initial diagnosis of

breastcancer, and I'm grateful to report that even her medical doctor declaresher to be free of cancer.Related Articles:Points to Consider Before Taking Another X-rayhttp://drbenkim.com/articles-xrays.htmlExercising True Preventionhttp://drbenkim.com/articles-prevention.htmlThe Importance of Friendly Intestinal Bacteriahttp://drbenkim.com/articles-probiotics.htmlPlease note: The information on mammograms at the top of this article isfrom an article written by Samuel Epstein, M.D.Also, a good pictorial guide to performing a breast self-examination canbe found here.http://www.breastcancer.org/breast_exam_picture.htmlhttp://drbenkim.com/articles-mammograms.html*** "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo.

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