Do I Need to Have a Mammogram?
If you are looking for a replacement for routine mammography testing, you're not alone. Every year more women are turning their backs on mammography as an annual screening because they not only want a non-toxic and more effective screening, they want prevention.
Women want to be proactive about their breast health throughout the year, and having an annual checkup with mammography does not address prevention. Also, the medical community has finally admitted that the paradigm of early detection with annual mammograms is not working.1
We are bombarded with reasons to be scared each and every time we visit our doctor.
We are told 'You have to have this invasive test because early detection
is your best defense.'
That tells us that we have no control over our health and that we are bound to get sick.
I think that's wrong.
Wouldn't people feel better knowing how to take better care of themselves so they remain healthy and not have to be afraid of the 'inevitable' disease? ...
Victoria G., E. Bridgewater MA
Does European thermography replace mammography?
On one hand European thermography does not replace mammography because it does not do the same thing. European thermography is a functional test that analyzes your breast physiology, revealing underlying organ dysfunction and causes of symptoms. Mammography is an imaging diagnostic that analyzes your breast anatomy, detecting the presence of abnormal tissue density and growths.
With annual mammography testing you are supposedly getting early cancer detection, however it is common knowledge (and common sense) that any cancerous growth revealed by a mammogram is a well-established symptom that has taken years to develop. Inflammatory breast cancer is the fast-growing exception but is rarely found in older women who are getting annual mammograms. If your mammogram is clear, you go home relieved but definitely carrying highly toxic radiation in your body and perhaps suffering a bruise. And that’s it, no guidance for health maintenance while you wait to have the next mammogram.
But if the radiologist finds a scary suspicion, then you are quickly herded (if not frightened or threatened) into the one-shoe-fits-all corral of more imaging, a biopsy, perhaps surgery, chemo, radiation, etc., most often without a moment of reflection or the opportunity to research other options and opinions, never mind the causes of the growth.
Each year the U.S. spends $4 billion on follow-up tests
(repeat mammograms, ultrasounds, and needle biopsies)
and treatments (mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation)
that result from inaccurate mammograms.
Kenneth D. Mandl MD, Harvard Medical School 2
There's good news
On the other hand, European thermography should supersede mammography as an annual breast screening because, once again, it does not do the same thing.
European thermography is actually the earliest detection yet. It analyzes the function of the physiology. And with every chronic disease, dysfunction in the physiology precedes physical, anatomical changes. Also, breast disease, like any chronic disease, is multi-causal. European thermography reveals underlying causes through its integrative, holistic breast analysis, such as lymphatic congestion, organ dysfunction, and toxicity.
With European thermography, you go home knowing where your health is headed and what you can specifically do to change or optimize that course. If a suspicion of breast disease is revealed, then you are referred for palpation and subsequent imaging or blood testing as necessary.
However, to be politically correct and to abide by the FDA's categorization of thermography, we have to tell you that "thermography is considered an adjunct to other breast diagnostics, especially mammography, and does not replace them" (which is true after all) and that it’s best to consult with your medical doctor to make an informed decision about how you want to take care of your breast health.
However, to be politically correct and to abide by the FDA's categorization of thermography, we have to tell you that "thermography is considered an adjunct to other breast diagnostics, especially mammography, and does not replace them" (which is true after all) and that it’s best to consult with your medical doctor to make an informed decision about how you want to take care of your breast health.
University of Toronto epidemiologists published the results of their study
on large-scale mammogram screening.
They found that monthly breast self-examination, coupled with
annual clinical breast examination by a trained health care professional,
is at least as effective as mammography in detecting early tumors
and without the radiation risks.
Epstein, Bertell, & Seaman 3
The way to go annually
We have found that the best combination for annual breast screenings is European thermography and a professional palpation examination with ultra sound imaging as needed.
We have also found that breast health is a lifestyle that includes ongoing and seasonal therapies, such as
- lymphatic drainage,
- immune, endocrine, and detoxification support,
- nutrition and digestive support,
- our popular daily self-breast massage technique,
- and emotional and traumatic stress relief.
I have been using (European) regulation thermography to test breast health
in my clinic for over 20 years. I never use mammography first.
I always use thermography and then I use mammography only if I need to.
Thomas Rau MD, 2007, author of bestseller The Swiss Secret to Optimum Health
So, do you need to have a mammogram?
Basically, it comes down to your opinion and the freedom to choose how you want to take care of your breast health.
First of all be aware that in many states, by law, your medical doctor has to tell you to have a mammogram, and so you may be talked into getting one for the sake of the physician, not your individual situation.
Secondly, in January 2016 the US Preventative Services Task Force updated their breast cancer screening recommendation:
- The USPSTF recommends biennial screening mammography for women aged 50 to 74 years.
- The decision to start screening mammography in women prior to age 50 years should be an individual one. Women who place a higher value on the potential benefit than the potential harms may choose to begin biennial screening between the ages of 40 and 49 years.
- The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the benefits and harms of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT/3D digital mammography) as a primary screening method for breast cancer.4
As an annual screening, has mammography so proven itself to help diminish the breast disease statistics that the health risks from the radiation and compression are worth it? At this point, it's very doubtful.
To the chagrin of conventional medical doctors, the question of whether
European thermography can replace an annual mammogram
comes down to personal preference.
Jackie Bell
Prevention is the best medicine
For a growing number of women, annual mammography is not worth it, and not just because of the toxicity and painful barbarity (although that alone does it for most of us), but more so for the fact that prevention is the best medicine. The model of annual imaging and doing nothing for breast health in between visits does not help women avoid breast cancer and was never designed to do so.
We would benefit more by
- focusing on prevention and lifestyle,
- taking a look at the whole body, not the breasts in isolation,
- understanding our individual health tendencies and following a customized lifestyle strategy, and
- trashing the false hope that "early detection" is good enough.
Statistically and personally, early detection is not good enough, not for us or our daughters.
If you want prevention, and you want a breast health screening that is safe, non-toxic, gentle, and effective, European thermography fits the bill and also presents holistic insights for treatment strategies that can offset breast disease. The earlier the screening, the better for prevention.
Plus, knowing how to optimize and maintain your breast health is something worth passing on to the next generation. Wouldn't you say?
Plus, knowing how to optimize and maintain your breast health is something worth passing on to the next generation. Wouldn't you say?
Jackie Bell’s European thermography gave me back my health care power.
I learned what I needed to work on and experienced a real shift with terrific results demonstrated in a follow-up visit six months later.
So is European thermography the best thing since sliced bread? Just might be.
It certainly was the missing link in my health care. It’s given me back the confidence
that I can do right for myself without meds and high-tech.
Debra Stark, Concord MA, author of
If Kallimos Had a Chef, Natural Recipes for a Natural World
... You bring a much needed tool to people who want to be in charge of their health and well-being. And you do it in a way that makes me feel empowered and not afraid.
Thank you for that.
Victoria G., E. Bridgewater MA
(1) Vast Study Casts Doubts on Value of Mammograms, NY Times, 2/2014
(1) The Hidden Cost Of Mammograms: More Testing And Overtreatment by Patti Neighmond, NPR
(2) Cancer Care: National Expenditure For False-Positive Mammograms And Breast Cancer Overdiagnoses Estimated At $4 Billion A Year by Mei-Sing Ong and Kenneth D. Mandl Health Aff April 2015 34:4576-583; doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2014.1087
(3) Mammography Is Dangerous Besides Ineffective, Warns Samuel S. Epstein, M.D., Cancer Prevention Coalition, 2003
(3) Dangers and Unreliability of Mammography: Breast Examination is a Safe, Effective, and Practical Alternative by Samuel S. Epstein, Rosalie Bertell, and Barbara Seaman, International Journal of Health Services, 31(3):605-615, 2001
(4) Breast Cancer: Screening, U.S. Preventative Services Task Force, January 2016
(1) The Hidden Cost Of Mammograms: More Testing And Overtreatment by Patti Neighmond, NPR
(2) Cancer Care: National Expenditure For False-Positive Mammograms And Breast Cancer Overdiagnoses Estimated At $4 Billion A Year by Mei-Sing Ong and Kenneth D. Mandl Health Aff April 2015 34:4576-583; doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2014.1087
(3) Mammography Is Dangerous Besides Ineffective, Warns Samuel S. Epstein, M.D., Cancer Prevention Coalition, 2003
(3) Dangers and Unreliability of Mammography: Breast Examination is a Safe, Effective, and Practical Alternative by Samuel S. Epstein, Rosalie Bertell, and Barbara Seaman, International Journal of Health Services, 31(3):605-615, 2001
(4) Breast Cancer: Screening, U.S. Preventative Services Task Force, January 2016
The 6 Facets of Breast Health
There's much more you can be doing for your breast health than just getting an x-ray image every year. Learn how the 6 Facets not only take care of the causal issues that can undermine your breast health but when combined with European thermography will also address those bothersome symptoms, like hot flashes, recurring infections, and fatigue.
What a deal!
Natural breast health is the ticket to feeling better in every way.
THE 6 FACETS OF BREAST HEALTH
