KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT MAMMOGRAMS

(information below obtained from Dr. Mercola)
In the latest study, researchers analyzed data from over 40,000 Norwegian women with breast cancer and found that those who had mammograms and were treated by special breast cancer medical teams had a 10 percent lower breast cancer death rate than women who had neither.
However, they also found that women over the age of 70 who were treated by the special teams had an 8 percent lower death risk from breast cancer, even though they had not received mammograms.
What this suggests, and what Dr. H. Gilbert Welch wrote in an accompanying editorial, is that mammograms may have only reduced the cancer death rate by 2 percent; an amount so small it may as well be zero.
So the fact remains that there is no solid evidence that mammograms save lives. Past research has also demonstrated that adding an annual mammogram to a careful physical examination of the breasts does not improve breast cancer survival rates over getting the examination alone. Now, if mammograms were completely safe and capable of reducing your cancer death risk even a small amount, you might be able to make an argument for their use. But mammograms are not only ineffective, they’re unsafe as well, due to the radiation.
Mammograms expose your body to radiation that can be 1,000 times greater than that from a chest xray, which we know poses a cancer risk.
“The premenopausal breast is highly sensitive to radiation, each 1 rad exposure increasing breast cancer risk by about 1 percent, with a cumulative 10 percent increased risk for each breast over a decade’s screening”, says Dr. Samuel Epstein , a top cancer expert.
Dr. McManus commentary: Don’t follow the herd! It’s not always headed the right direction. Be informed. Know the differences between regular synthetic prescription hormones and those of bio-identical hormones. And don’t misdirect your fears of cancer at hormones, but rather your lifestyle habits, dietary habits, sleep habits, stressors, and other environmental factors that create a perfect storm which leads to cancer. If you aren’t WELL in every way, then take control now, invest in your health, and get well soon! You invest for retirement, so why not invest in yourself so you’ll be around to enjoy it ?