Mammograms: Your Savior or Your Death Trap?

Think mammograms are your best line of defense against an early death from breast cancer?  Consider the following:

Fact:  The radiation emitted from mammograms can be 1000 times greater than regular chest X-rays.

Fact:  Over a 10-year period, a premenopausal woman receiving one mammogram each year receives a total radiation dosage of 5 rads.  This level of exposure largely mirrors the radiation received by Japanese women living one mile from the epicenter of Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

Food for thought, yes?

Another fact is despite claims to the contrary, mammograms have NOT been proven to save lives.  However, most doctors continue to recommend mammogram screenings and the American Cancer Society still suggests women age 40 and older should be screened every year. 

This flies in the face of the updated guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force which implicitly state women in their forties should not receive annual mammograms ! 

So why does the ACS and physicians continue to push mammography as a lifesaver? 

Who’s in bed with whom?

Certain experts have spoken out about the unnecessary risks posed from mammograms for at least a decade.  Dr. Epstein, M.D., chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition, states this about the current guidelines:

 “They were conscious, chosen, politically expedient acts by a small group of people for the sake of their own power, prestige and financial gain, resulting in suffering and death for millions of women. They fit the classification of “crimes against humanity.””

Yet the ACS continues to be a voice for mammograms.  As it turns out, they aren’t solely motivated by altruistic reasons.  When you consider that previous presidents of the ACS were radiologists and the ACS promotes the interest of mammogram technology manufacturers (receiving considerable funding in return), it becomes evident there is more involved here.  It might also explain the millions of marketing dollars poured into advertisements that claim early detection from mammography leads to a cure practically 100 percent of the time. 

Even insiders in the ACS know this is an exaggeration. These figures aren’t based on scientific findings, but “good” marketing.  Nowadays mammography is an exceedingly  competitive and profitable business.  whatsoever it takes to get women to the mammography clinic is the stuff these ads are often made of.

So, why is this a problem? The BIG problem with this is the high dose of radiation from mammograms can actually increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.

Other mammogram risks.

Mammograms squeeze the breasts so tightly any cancerous cells already present can spread out from a localised area.

False positives, a not uncommon occurrence, put women at more risk from additional, excess radiation exposure, unnecessary biopsies, surgery and chemotherapy.

An incorrect diagnosis of breast cancer can have devastating effects on a woman’s emotional health.  This alone increases the risk of disease, including breast cancer.

A safer alternative you’re probably unaware of.

Thermographic breast screening is believed by many to be a safer choice.   Since it’s not financially linked to the American Cancer Society, it’s not as widely known as mammography.   But it is thought to be safer by many experts because it uses infrared heat emanating from your body to locate signs of breast cancer – no dangerous radiation is involved.  What’s more it can detect the symptoms up to 10 years earlier than a mammogram or physical exam.

The fact that the ACS actually promotes mammography over safer alternatives is a sad reflection on just how much of today’s healthcare is profit motivated.  If you’re worried about the unnecessary risks of mammograms, talk to your physician to explore other options.