
Chapter 5.
Mammograms -Who Needs Them?
Excerpt from Breast Cancer? Breast Health!
By Susun S. Weed
Why I haven't had a baseline mammogram
The idea behind having a baseline mammogram-that there will be a norm
to refer back to-is erroneous. Breast tissues are constantly changing
as menstrual, ovulatory, pregnancy, lactational, and menopausal hormones
change. Science, the constant straight line, meets woman, the ever-changing
spiral. And younger breast tissue is especially sensitive to radiation.
According to J. W. Gofman (M.D., Ph.D., authority on dangers of radiation
exposure), a 35-year-old woman whose normal risk of developing breast
cancer is 1 in 1500 increases it to 1 in 660 by exposing herself to
the radiation of a baseline mammogram. The National Women's Health Network
says baseline mammograms should be abolished.10
If you've already had a baseline mammogram and now feel worried, make
yourself a soup of lentils (to restore damaged DNA to normalcy), seaweed
(to remove radioactive isotopes), and carrots (to support your immune
system). Season with miso and tamari (to stop the promotion of cancer
cells), and thyme, rosemary, and garlic (to further strengthen the immune
system). Breathe in, relax, don't worry.
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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