By Dr. Mercola
Breast cancer has become big business, and routine
mammography is one of its primary profit centers. While
mammograms are touted as the best way to prevent breast cancer
death, studies suggest otherwise.
The fact that you are reading this article gives you an
enormous advantage, as most women are unaware of the mounting
research indicating routine mammograms harm far more women than
they save.
Despite the facts, the industry is fighting tooth and nail to
keep mammography alive by downplaying or outright ignoring its
significant risks.
One of industry’s latest tactics is introducing a “new and
improved” type of mammogram called 3D tomosynthesis, which is
basically a CT scan for your breasts. Tomosynthesis is a clever
re-branding of the status quo.
The multi-millions of dollars spent on creating these
invasive machines could have been better utilized for educating
women about cancer prevention; developing less dangerous
technologies, such as ultrasound and infrared imaging; and
inventing completely new and safer technologies.
3D Tomosynthesis: Three Steps Down on the Ladder of Progress
Two of the greatest
mammogram risks are high radiation exposure and compression
of breast tissue, which potentially causes cancer cells to
spread.
3D tomosynthesis does not reduce or eliminate either of
these risks!
In fact, with this “new and improved” technology, your
radiation exposure is even greater than from standard
mammograms—and by a significant margin. This is disturbing, as
we know that all levels of ionizing radiation can cause cancer.
According to one study,1
annual screening using digital or screen-film mammography on
women aged 40–80 years is associated with an induced cancer
incidence and fatal breast cancer rate of 20–25 cases per
100,000 mammograms. Meaning, annual mammograms cause 20-25 cases
of fatal cancer for every 100,000 women getting the test.
The 3D mammogram requires multiple views in order to achieve
three-dimensionality, so it stands to reason your total
radiation exposure would be considerably higher than from a
standard 2D mammogram.
With mammography, each breast is X-rayed at least twice—once
from top to bottom and once diagonally from the outside in. With
tomosynthesis, the X-ray tube rotates around the breast.
Twenty-five exposures are taken, with up to two pictures per
second. Multiple images result in higher radiation exposure. But
the picture gets even worse...
3D mammography is not a stand-alone diagnostic test—it’s
typically an add-on to the standard mammogram. So, not only do
these 3D images prolong your exposure to radiation, but if
you’ve already had a regular mammogram, they further compound
your risk. This is certainly NOT progress—it’s a huge step
backward, making breast cancer screening even more dangerous
than before.
3D Mammograms May Actually TRIPLE Your Radiation Dose
Just how much more radiation are you getting with these new
3D mammograms? There are different estimates in circulation,
partly because some folks are not including the radiation
exposure from the standard mammogram into the total. When you
add the 2D and 3D scans together, utilizing tomosynthesis at
least doubles your radiation exposure, and some estimates have
your exposure tripling, such as this 2011 study
published in Radiology Today,2
which states that:
"Because the digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT)
exam requires two additional exposures over a standard
mammogram, the total radiation dose from the combined 2D and
tomosynthesis examination is three times
that of a standard mammogram."
The authors note that both scans (2D and 3D) are required
because studies done prior to FDA approval failed to
conclusively show better sensitivity of 3D alone, compared to 2D
imaging.3
They also state that it’s too early to know how useful this new
breast imaging technology will be. Some insurance
companies—Aetna4
for one—have rejected it, citing “insufficient evidence of its
effectiveness.”
The bottom line is, the industry reports tomosynthesis has
1.5 to 2 times the radiation dose. The FDA reports it has double
the dose. And the radiologists, who are looking at total
exposure, report triple the dose over conventional mammograms.
You can see this comparison in a chart on page 8 of an FDA
Executive Summary, “Average Glandular Dose per Breast.”5
Tomosynthesis is being touted by the industry as being
particularly helpful for identifying cancer in women with dense
breast tissue. However, these women already have a four to six
times greater risk of developing breast cancer. Knowing that
ionizing radiation is a direct cause of cancer, how can a test
that triples your radiation exposure be of any benefit if you
have potentially cancer-prone breasts to begin with?
Smarter CT Scanning of Kids Would Prevent Over 3,000 Childhood
Cancers Each Year
Women are not the only ones being excessively irradiated with
unnecessary medical scans. Children are receiving more
CT scans than ever, and CTs expose them to much more
radiation than standard X-rays. The average American child gets
seven radiation scans by the age of 18.
One CT scan exposes your child to 100 to 500 times more ionizing
radiation than a standard X-ray. Your child’s growing body is
even more sensitive to radiation than yours, being more likely
to develop radiation-induced cancers, such as leukemia and
cancers of the brain, lungs, thyroid and colon.
Previous studies have estimated that at least one-third of CT
scans in children are medically unnecessary. How many children
could be saved from cancer if these unnecessary CTs were
eliminated and replaced with safer diagnostic tests? A team of
researchers actually set out to answer this question. They
calculated that smarter CT scanning of kids would prevent 3,020
children from developing radiation-induced cancers each year.6
Did You Know That 30 Percent of Breast Tumors Go Away on Their
Own?
Getting back to
breast cancer, it is important to realize that, if your
immune system is healthy and strong, it’s capable of ridding
your body of tumors—even cancerous ones. According to breast
surgeon Susan Love of UCLA, at least 30 percent of tumors found
on mammograms would go away if you did absolutely nothing.7
These tumors appear to be destined to stop growing on their own,
shrink, and even go away completely. Nearly everyone has
cancerous and pre-cancerous cells in their bodies by middle age,
but not everyone develops cancer. The better you take care of
your immune system, the better it will take care of you.
One way to strengthen your immune system is to minimize your
exposure to mammograms and other sources of ionizing radiation,
especially mega sources such as these new 3D scans and CTs. But
you can also build up your immune system DAILY by making good
diet and lifestyle choices.
Breast Cancer Prevention Strategies
Cancer screening does NOT equate to cancer prevention.
Although early detection is important, using a screening method
that in and of itself increases your risk of cancer is simply
not good medicine. Preventing breast cancer is far more
important and powerful than simply trying to detect it after it
has already formed, which is why I want to share my top tips on
how to help prevent this disease. The American Institute of
Cancer Research estimated that about 40 percent of US breast
cancer cases could be prevented if people made wiser lifestyle
choices, and I believe that estimate is far too conservative.8,
9 Below are my top breast cancer prevention
strategies.
- Avoid sugar, especially fructose. All
forms of sugar are detrimental to health in general and
promote cancer.
Fructose, however, is clearly one of the most harmful
and should be avoided as much as possible.
- Optimize your vitamin D Levels. Vitamin
D influences virtually every cell in your body and is one of
nature's most potent cancer fighters. Vitamin D is actually
able to enter cancer cells and trigger apoptosis (cell
death). If you have cancer, your vitamin D level should
probably be between 70 and 100 ng/ml. Vitamin D works
synergistically with every cancer treatment I'm aware of,
with no adverse effects. I suggest you try watching my
one-hour free lecture on
vitamin D to learn more.
Please consider joining one of GrassrootsHealth’s
D*Action vitamin D studies to stay on top of your vitamin D
performance. For more information, see my previous article "How
Vitamin D Performance Testing Can Help You Optimize Your
Health."
- Get Vitamin K2. Remember that if you
opt for oral vitamin D3 supplements, you also need to
increase your vitamin K2 intake, as vitamin D increases the
need for K2 to function properly. See my previous article "What
You Need to Know About Vitamin K2, D and Calcium" for
more information.
- Get plenty of natural vitamin A. There
is evidence vitamin A also plays a role in helping prevent
breast cancer. It's best to obtain it from vitamin A-rich
foods, rather than a supplement. Your best sources are
organic egg yolks, raw butter, raw whole milk, and beef or
chicken liver.
- Lymphatic breast massage can help
enhance your body’s natural ability to eliminate cancerous
toxins. This can be performed by a licensed therapist, or
you can learn to do it yourself.
- Avoid charring your meats. Charcoal or
flame-broiled meat is linked with increased breast cancer
risk.
Acrylamide—a carcinogen created when starchy foods are
baked, roasted or fried—has been found to increase breast
cancer risk as well.
- Avoid unfermented soy products.
Unfermented soy is high in plant estrogens, or
phytoestrogens, also known as isoflavones. In some studies,
soy appears to work in concert with human estrogen to
increase breast cell proliferation, which increases the
chances for mutations and cancerous cells.
- Improve your insulin receptor sensitivity.
The best way to do this is by avoiding sugar and grains and
making sure you are
exercising, especially with
Peak Fitness.
- Maintain a healthy body weight. This
will come naturally when you optimize your diet and
exercise. It's important to lose excess body fat because fat
produces estrogen. One of the most effective strategies I’ve
found for this is
intermittent fasting.
- Drink a half to whole quart of organic green
vegetable juice daily. Please review
my juicing instructions for more detailed information.
- Get plenty of high-quality animal-based omega-3
fats, such as krill oil.
Omega-3 deficiency is a common underlying factor for
cancer.
-
Curcumin. The active
ingredient in turmeric, curcumin in high concentrations
shows immense therapeutic potential in preventing breast
cancer metastasis.
- Avoid drinking alcohol, or at least
limit your alcoholic drinks to one per day.
- Breastfeed exclusively for up to six
months. Research shows breastfeeding can reduce your breast
cancer risk.
- Avoid wearing underwire bras. There is
a good deal of data that metal
underwire bras can increase your breast cancer risk.
- Avoid electromagnetic fields as much as
possible. Even electric blankets can increase your
cancer risk.
- Avoid synthetic hormone replacement therapy.
Breast cancer is an estrogen-related cancer, and according
to a study published in the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute, breast cancer rates for women dropped
in tandem with decreased use of
hormone replacement therapy. (There are similar risks
for younger women who use oral contraceptives. Birth control
pills, which are also comprised of synthetic hormones, have
been linked to cervical and breast cancers.)
If you are experiencing excessive menopausal symptoms,
you may want to consider bioidentical hormone replacement
therapy instead, which uses hormones that are molecularly
identical to the ones your body produces and do not wreak
havoc on your system. This is a much safer alternative.
- Avoid BPA, phthalates, and other xenoestrogens.
These are estrogen-like compounds that have been linked to
breast cancer. An alarming new study about glyphosate (the
active chemical in Roundup weed killer) found it to be
highly estrogenic, driving breast cancer cell proliferation
at extremely low exposures—in the
parts-per-trillion range.10
- Make sure you're not iodine deficient,
as there's compelling evidence linking iodine deficiency
with breast cancer.
- Get enough sleep: Proper sleep is
essential for optimal health, and it helps metabolize stress
hormones better than any other known entity.
- Epsom salt baths (20 minutes, three
times per week) are a simple, inexpensive way to get
magnesium into your body.
Take Control of Your Health to Avoid Becoming a Statistic
Most women are unaware of the mounting research indicating
routine mammograms harm far more women than they save. Many also
don’t realize the “new and improved” 3D tomosynthesis mammogram
actually ends up exposing them to more cancer-causing radiation
than the older version.
Please understand that there are other screening options,
each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and you have a
right to utilize them all. Also remember that in order to truly
avoid breast cancer, you need to focus your attention on truly
preventative strategies, which may necessitate your making some
lifestyle changes.
Educating yourself is a major part of being proactive with
your health. Peter C. Gotzche, MD of the Nordic Cochrane Centre
recently published a groundbreaking book, Mammography
Screening: Truth, Lies and Controversy.11
It offers a comprehensive take on the evidence, and a critical
look at the scientific disputes and the information provided to
women by governments and cancer charities. It also explains why
mammography screening is unlikely to be effective today.
© Copyright 1997-2013 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.