Breast Cancer? Breast Health!
The Wise Woman Way
by Susun S. Weed
Paperback - 380 pages
ISBN: 0961462078
Published by Ash Tree Publishing
Chapter 5.
Mammograms -Who Needs Them?Excerpt from Breast Cancer? Breast Health! By Susun S. Weed
If You Decide to Have a Mammogram
o Get the best, even if it means a long journey.
o Go where they specialize, preferably where they do at least 20 mammograms a day.
o Be sure the facility is accredited by the American College of Radiology.
o Insist on personnel who specialize in mammograms. (Taking and reading mammograms are skills that require intensive training and a lot of practice.)
o Ask how old the equipment is. Newer equipment exposes the breasts to less radiation. A dedicated unit (one specifically for mammograms) is best.
o Ask how they ensure quality control. When was their unit calibrated?
o Load your blood with carotenes for a week before the mammogram to prevent radiation damage to your DNA.
o Expect to be cold and uncomfortable during the mammogram, but do say something if you're being hurt.
o The more compressed the breast tissue, the clearer the mammogram. (But pressure may spread cancer cells if they're present.)
o If your breasts are tender, reschedule. During your fertile years, schedule mammograms for 7-10 days after your menstrual flow begins.
o Don't wear antiperspirant containing aluminum; it can interfere with the imaging process. (Those clear stones do contain aluminum, as do most commercial antiperspirants.)
o If you want another opinion, you'll need the original mammographic films, not copies. (X-ray facilities only keep films for 7 years.)
o Get your doctor to agree, in writing, before the procedure, to give you a copy of your mammogram. The U.S. Public Health Service advises women to ask for written results from a mammogram.
o Given the high percentage of "false normal" mammograms, if you think you have cancer, trust your intuition.
o Remove radioactive isotopes from your body with burdock root, seaweed, or miso.
Mammograms don't promote breast health.
Breast self-massage, breast self-exam, and lifestyle changes do.
Read the rest of Chapter 5 (click on any section below)
Mammograms - Who needs them?
All mammograms are x-rays.
Mammograms are inaccurate.
Mammograms can't tell if there's cancer.
Mammograms don't replace breast self-exams.
Mammographic screening increases risk of breast cancer mortality in premenopausal women.
Why I haven't had a baseline mammogram.
Mammograms aren't safe.
Screening mammograms lead to overtreatment.
Screening mammograms don't increase your chances of being cured . . . or of surviving longer.
Mammograms don't find cancer before it metastasizes.
Aren't mammograms life saving for women over 55?
Yearly screening mammograms aren't cost effective to society nor are they safe environmentally.
Is there a less risky way to participate in screening mam-mography?
Mammograms distract us from the need for societal commitment to true prevention.
Are there other ways to find early-stage breast cancers?
Mammograms don't promote breast health.
If You Decide to Have a Mammogram.
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