Email
Why Mammograms Cannot Lower Your Risk of Breast Cancer
Because they are promoted as “life-saving,” mammograms are used to lead women to believe that they can safely and effectively detect breast cancer in its earliest stage. Due to this, about 68 percent of women over age 40 have received mammograms in the past two years.
However, studies show otherwise. According to new findings, mammograms cannot save you from cancer and can, in fact, increase your risk of getting cancer. To give you an idea regarding this matter, Dr. Joseph Mercola presents recent studies revealing the truth about this breast cancer screening test.
The Probability That Mammograms Can Save Lives
Researchers from Dartmouth College conducted a study to see how often lives were saved with mammograms. By using statistics from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they revealed that a mammogram only has three to 13 percent probability of saving a 50-year old woman’s life from breast cancer. (Link) For women of different ages, the probability remained below 25 percent.
The researchers say that most women who have had this test have not had their life saved by mammograms. Instead, they were either diagnosed too early, simply misdiagnosed, or overdiagnosed. With this, women subject themselves to unnecessary mastectomies, lumpectomies, radiation treatments, and chemotherapy, which may shorten their lifespan and affect the quality of their lives.
Misdiagnoses from Mammograms
Sayer Ji, founder of GreenMedInfo.com, explained recently that statistics show most diagnoses obtained from mammography are classified as Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS). DCIS is a condition where there is an abnormal cell growth within the milk ducts of the breast, thus the formation of calcified lesions. Immediately, this is diagnosed as invasive cancer or “stage zero breast cancer.” Experts are now arguing for a reclassification, since DCIS is actually a non-cancerous condition.
With the diagnosis that DCIS is pre-cancerous, women undergo unnecessary aggressive treatments. The rate at which DCIS progresses to cancer still needs to be determined. Evidence, however, shows that this probability is significantly less than 50 percent and may be as low as two to four percent.
Remember that most of the abnormalities detected by mammograms rarely progress to a serious form of cancer if let to run their natural course. In fact, a study published in the Lancet Oncology states that invasive breast cancers “spontaneously regress when left underdiagnosed and untreated.” (Link)
Annual Testing May Increase Your Risk of False-Positives and Other Unnecessary Procedures
Research funded by the National Cancer Institute, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, showed that taking annual tests (compared to doing them every other year) increased women’s risk of getting false-positive results and unnecessary biopsies.
By analyzing more than 386,000 mammogram results over a 10-year period, it was seen that 61 percent of women were called back for a followup when they did not have cancer. About seven to nine percent received an unnecessary biopsy. Also, annual mammograms were found to not be as effective in detecting late-stage cancers compared to tests done every other year.
Needless to say, women are exposed to additional stress and undergo treatments that may be more detrimental to their health.
Cancer-Causing Radiation from Mammography
Because mammograms use ionizing radiation, you may suffer from problems due to diagnostic radiation exposure. Ionizing radiation can actually contribute to the development of cancer.
Although it is stated that these breast exams employ “low-energy” radiation, clinical evidence shows that 30 Peak kilovoltage (kVp) range of radiation used in mammogram tests can be 400 percent damaging and 400 percent more carcinogenic to DNA. (Link)
“Life-Saving” Tips that Don’t Require Unnecessary Treatments and Tests
Instead of resorting to annual mammograms, you should not ignore these simple preventive measures that can really save your life. These are connected to lifestyle, diet, and nutritional changes, as well as avoiding chemical exposures. Here are some lifestyle guidelines from Dr. Mercola:
- Avoid eating foods rich sugar or fructose
- Optimize your vitamin D levels
- Exercise to maintain your normal body weight
- Increase your intake of animal-based omega-3 fats
- Avoid consuming too much alcohol
- Breastfeed exclusively for at least six months
- Monitor your iron levels
- Avoid charring your meats
- Stop consuming unfermented soy products
Choose only a safe and effective breast cancer screen test. You should also incorporate a healthy diet, regular physical exercise, and smart lifestyle decisions into your life to prevent breast cancer.
For more information about this, read other health articles by Dr. Mercola.
|
|
Tags: breast cancer, breast cancer diagnosis, breast cancer prevention, breast cancer screening tests, Dr. Joseph Mercola, Dr. Mercola, joe mercola, joseph mercola, mammograms, Mercola
