What to Know About the Mammography Debate
At what age should women’s breasts receive radiation to detect breast cancer? In Canada, some provinces are lowering the age of eligibility from 50 to 40, even before a task force releases an update on breast cancer screening guidelines. The current guidelines do not recommend routine screening for women in their 40s. In the U.S., a separate task force urges women ages 40 to 49 to get this procedure every two years. Why the conflicting advice?
Mammography has been swirling in...
What No One Tells You about Mammography
It’s been said that, “All would be well if there were no buts.” Unfortunately, for women there have always been several crucial “buts” about the benefits of mammography. Now, a new report from the American Cancer Society (ACS), says that routine mammograms may do harm if started before 50 years of age. So, what other “buts” don’t the ACS and other organizations tell women about mammograms?
Timing is vital is many things in life. But for years few experts could agree...
The Lies And Truths Of Mammography
Never before have women been more confused about breast mammography. A U.S panel of experts now reports that women under 40 years of age do not need mammograms, and those over 50 require them only every two years. So here are eight points women should know about mammography.
One - During this debate no expert has mentioned one vital fact. Mammography is a "lump" diagnosis. This means that years have gone by before a cancer lump is large enough to be...
Stop Lying To Women About Mammography
What's a "sacred cow"? One is a medical belief that's been etched in stone for years. For instance, to question the value of cholesterol lowering drugs is like damning motherhood. Or to challenge the belief that mammography does not save many lives may condemn you to hell. But everyone should be asking probing questions about the sacred cow of mammography.
Dr. Peter Gotzsche, a leading Danish researcher, claims there is no convincing evidence that annual mammograms decrease the risk of death...
Mammography – “I’m Sorry I Don’t Know How Much Radiation Is Given”
I have previously reported on a study conducted by Peter Gotzsche, a leading Danish researcher. His study claimed there's no convincing evidence that annual mammograms decrease the risk of dying from breast cancer. But can repeated exposure to radiation cause breast cancer?
Three decades ago I reported a shocking discovery. Some x-ray machines were exposing patients up to 60 X the amount of radiation necessary for some procedures. X-ray equipment was often old, others rarely calculated for radiation exposure, and some...
Should the Other Breast Be Removed After Cancer Surgery?
Some patients you never forget. One woman told me she had a breast cancer on one breast removed. But her surgeon refused to remove the remaining breast. I told her then that her doctor may be right. There was little research or clinical data to help in determining if this was a prudent decision. Her surgeon had said, “I can never sleep again if I keep worrying whether or not the cancer will occur in the other breast.” After repeated...
Medical Care Main Cause of Death
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, may be rolling over in his grave. Why? He preached “First, do no harm.” I recently read a report in the Journal of Molecular Medicine called Death by Medicine. It’s the most damning medical report card ever issued. It claims huge numbers of patients are being injured and killed by conventional medicine. There’s also a big surprise there.
A huge, meticulous study concluded that every year in the U.S conventional medicine kills 800,000 patients. Compare this...
Does Your Doctor Always Know Best?
Faced with a medical decision, patients normally allow their doctor to decide on treatment, assuming he or she “always knows best”. But “Consumer Report on Health” claims that this approach rarely works anymore. Doctors simply are unable to keep up with the flood of new information on medical therapy. Consequently, some medical decisions must consider the patient’s priorities, not just the doctor’s. This process might even decrease the cost of medical care.
Often the problem is communication. For instance, a study...
How to Prevent Dying the Tough Way
Humans are inconsistent when it comes to preventing cancer. For instance, I have often written that mammography, a popular test, is an inefficient and deceptive procedure to prevent breast cancer. Yet millions of North Americans never get the one test that can save their lives, colonoscopy.
Large bowel cancer is not a rare disease. Rather, it is the second leading cause of death in this country. But it does not have to end so many lives because colon malignancy does not...
If Breasts Can Be Examined, Why Not The Testicles?
For years we've stressed to women the importance of an annual breast examination for the detection of cancer. Yet today little attention is paid to examination of the male testicles. It's time for women to remind their mates that what is good medicine for the goose is also good medicine for the gander. Routine testicular self-examination (TSE) is the answer.
Dr. Joel Brenner, Assistant Professor of Sports Medicine at the University of Georgia, says, "There is a taboo about talking about...
“Gifford-Jones, They Don’t Want To Hear That!”
Several years ago a friend asked if I’d talk to a women’s organization about breast cancer, how mammography could detect malignancy in its early stages. But when I gave her a short version of what I intended to say, she remarked, “But they would not like to hear that!” End of the talk. So what do women not want to hear?
Anytime I’ve questioned the use of mammography, it’s been like damning motherhood and apple pie. Now, a blue ribbon panel...
Tests For Men And Women That Cause Huge Troubles – PSA and Mammogram Tests
It's been aptly said that, "All would be well if there were no "Buts". Today, 20th century medicine has provided us with many positive advantages. But it's also given us some minor and few major "Buts". Recently, two separate reports show why it's so difficult for medical consumers and doctors to make the right decisions due to conflicting evidence.
A recent report in The British Medical Journal contained shocking news. Dr. Richard Ablin states that doctors should stop using the PSA...
A New Computerized Technique To Detect Breast Cancer
What would I do if I were a woman and worried about breast cancer? I would hope that someone would devise a way to improve the accuracy of mammography. Now, a new computerized ultrasound technique can help to determine what breast lumps are benign or malignant. The result? Fewer sleepless nights waiting for biopsy results.
Mammography has always been a questionable procedure. Dr. Peter Gotzsche, a leading Danish researcher, claims there is no convincing evidence that annual mammograms decrease the risk...
Cabernet Sauvignon And The 99 % Brain
This New Year's Eve would you like a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon to prevent Alzheimer's Disease. Several months ago I suggested that this might be a good practice to stop the ravages of this disease. But was it questionable advice?
Researchers at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital spiked the drinking water of female mice with Cabernet Sauvignon for seven months. Another group was given just water. Both groups were then placed in a maze. They discovered that the Cabernet Sauvignon mice...
How Much Have You Learned From This Column in 2007?
Do I get an A for being a good teacher, or an E for effort? This week let's see how smart you are in answering these true and false questions. If anyone gets 100 percent they can write next week's column!
A beer contains 100 calories, has no cholesterol, tryglcerides and is low in sodium. Over 20 world studies show that moderate drinkers live longer than either teetotalers or excessive drinkers.
Fluoridation of water decreases the sperm count and testosterone levels in...
If Estrogen Causes Cancer Where is the Epidemic?
What would I do if I were a woman at the age of menopause and read the headline, "Breast cancer drop linked to decline in hormone therapy". I'd be scared as hell if I was already taking estrogen and consider flushing it down the toilet. But what should menopausal women do if they have an whelming desire to kick the cat or their husband?
In 2002, a study of 16,000 women aged 50 to 79 showed that hormone replacement therapy (HRT)...
The Good and the Bad of Cancer Screening
"Why did my wife die of breast cancer when she's had a mammogram every year?" Or "I went through hell after the mammogram revealed a possible cancer." Or "During a routine checkup examination the doctor discovered my 73 year old husband had an elevated PSA test. He didn't have any symptoms, but a biopsy revealed cancer of the prostate. A specialist advised a radical prostatectomy. Now he's impotent and in diapers." Every year I receive letters asking these questions. That's...
PSA Screening Results in 30 Percent Over-Diagnosis
For women, a telephone call reporting that mammography has detected an abnormality, and a second picture is needed, triggers instant fear of breast cancer. For men, an elevated PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test has the same devastating effect. They dread the thought that they've developed cancer of the prostate gland with all its grim implications. But how accurate is the PSA test? And if a malignancy is present, what is the best treatment?
A report in the Journal of the National Cancer...
The Checkup, Too Much or Too Little?
What constitutes a good checkup examination? Good sense dictates that young children don't need a Pap smear for cervical cancer, a PSA test for prostate malignancy or X-ray studies to measure bone density. So what's done depends on the patient's age and it can save a life or prevent serious diseases.
Today many hi-tech diagnostic tests are available, but the stethoscope is all that's needed to spot a big killer. Since 60 million North Americans have hypertension a blood pressure check...
