Guest guest Posted October 21, 2003 Report Share Posted October 21, 2003 Tue, 21 Oct 2003 08:11:33 -0500 WC Douglass The fear factor Daily Dose October 21, 2003 ************************************************************** The breast-cancer money machine that's fueled by fear... I've written about this before (Dr. Douglass' Real Health Breakthroughs, February 2002), but it bears repeating, so here goes: Mammograms aren't the " magic bullet " for breast cancer prevention that everyone says - and in many cases they can actually make cancer worse. Why mention this again? Because women here in the radiation-happy U.S. are being bamboozled in ever-greater numbers into buying into (literally) this popular form of cancer screening. Here's why it's all a bunch of hooey... First off, mammograms are of very limited effectiveness because they seem only to be able to detect tumors of a size that's large enough to signify a rather advanced stage of cancer. In this regard, it really isn't much of an " early detection " method at all, despite what all the ads say! Also, and even more disturbing, is the fact that excessive compression of the breast (like during a routine mammogram) can actually break apart cancerous cell masses and CAUSE THE DISEASE TO SPREAD to other organs. Remember, doctors examine breasts by hand in a very gentle manner precisely to avoid doing this. So why should the forcible flattening of a breast during a mammogram be considered an acceptable risk - because the test is so effective at detecting cancer? Yeah, right. Tell that to the alarming number of women who test " false positive " for breast cancer and have to live with the anxiety - only to have it alleviated by having something NEEDLESSLY HACKED OUT OF ONE OF THEIR BREASTS... And the real tragedy is that even though a large body of research suggests that mammograms may be only marginally more effective (if at all) than physical exams in detecting breast cancer, every woman over 30 in the U.S. seems to willingly buy into the notion that she needs a mammogram every year or so to help detect breast cancer. Why? Fear - borne of a distorted perception of reality that's knowingly promulgated by the medical mainstream in this country. In a nutshell: Scare tactics used in the marketing of the test itself - a major-league moneymaker for hospitals, doctors, and cancer clinics nationwide. Because of mammogram misinformation, most women believe the screening reduces their risk of death from breast cancer by 50-75 percent! The reality, according to research conducted by the US Preventative Task Force, is that it would be necessary to screen over 1200 women aged 40-74 every year for 14 years to prevent EVEN ONE DEATH from breast cancer... Anyone who says otherwise is simply lying with statistics - and that includes your local hospital, HMO clinic, or oncologist. ************************************************************** To start receiving your own copy of the Daily Dose, visit: http://www.realhealthnews.com/dailydose/freecopy.html Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive their own copy of the Daily Dose. ************************************************************** Ladies: Next time someone offers to buy you a drink - take it! Once again, there's evidence that alcohol isn't exactly the health hazard some folks have been demonizing for so long. Quite the contrary, actually - get this: A recent 10-year study of over 100,000 adult women (nurses, no less) published in the Archives on Internal Medicine revealed that women who consumed an average of 1-2 alcoholic beverages a day were less likely to develop adult-onset diabetes - and not just by a few percentage points... A whopping 58 PERCENT less likely! That's right - along with a whole host of other health benefits that go hand-in-bottle with good health, moderate drinking slashes women's risk of one of today's most widespread killers by MORE THAN HALF! Now that's something to toast to, isn't it? The study's authors suggest that moderate drinking in some way enhances the body's sensitivity to insulin - in effect normalizing the blood sugar regulation process, thereby lessening the likelihood of developing type 2 (adult onset) diabetes. But however it works, it's good news - especially in the face of all the apocalyptic rhetoric some teetotalers like to sling about the negative aspects of alcohol consumption... Raising my glass to (and with) the fairer sex, William Campbell Douglass II, MD ************************************************************** Copyright ©1997-2003 by www.realhealthnews.com, L.L.C. 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