Mammograms – Risks and What They Don’t Tell You!

If you do any research on the Internet, there are plenty of articles that are dated from 2007 that question the pros/cons of mammograms. And now as of November, 2009, a government task force has come out to say that women should not get a mammogram until they are 50. Doesn’t this make you wonder what the real truth is?! So many “integrative doctors” have been saying for a long time that mammograms are not recommended because the exposure of radiation can be 1,000 times greater than a chest x-ray. That alone makes women vulnerable to unnecessary risks of radiation-induced cancer. In addition, mammograms are usually very painful because of the breasts being compressed. This in turn can lead to a lethal spread of any existing malignant cells. Too many times, my wife has come home in tears from the pain caused by mammograms. She has not had a mammogram in several years and now refuses to ever get another one. There really is NO solid evidence that mammograms save lives. Research has shown that adding an annual mammogram to a regular thorough physical checkup of the breasts does NOT improve the survival rates of breast cancer over getting the examination by itself. Every woman should conduct their own research before agreeing to a mammogram. There are new tests called “thermal imaging” or thermography. This is a test that creates a digital map of your body that illustrates heat patterns. The patterns may detect some condition or abnormality. It uses a scanning-type infrared camera that measures the body surface temperature, presenting the information as a digitized image. The thermograms are analyzed for abnormalities that may be signs of disease in your body. Thermograms provide: *Reliable and accurate information for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis *Exact and objective data from accurate measurements of thermal information *Substantial financial savings over conventional investigations The difference between the thermograms and mammograms is listed below: *Mammograms – show anatomical changes in the breast, detecting masses or lumps in the breast tissue. *Thermograms look at vascular changes in the breast, detecting blood flow patterns, inflammation and asymmetries. All women can benefit from thermograms. It has been shown to be particularly useful for young women who want to monitor their breast health before the recommended age of 40. Every woman should be given the pros and cons and allow them to make their own informative decision.

Tags: Mammograms
Posted in Mammogram Info | No Comments »

The Truth About Mammograms and Other Breast Myths

Do mammograms cause breast cancer? Can you get a one-hour boob job at lunch? Is 36 inches the ideal breast size? When it comes to breast health, the questions are endless, more so since this particular part of a woman’s anatomy attracts a lot of attention from both men and women.

But even the simplest question can be difficult to answer owing to the many myths and misconceptions surrounding the female breast. As a public service to readers, the maker of the Clevastin natural breast enhancement system presents these common breast myths and the facts behind them. Read them and put all those crazy ideas to rest.

The ideal breast size is 36 inches. False. There is no ideal breast size since women come in different shapes and sizes. Some have small breasts while others have large breasts. All this is normal since breast size has no bearing whatsoever in a woman’s ability to enjoy sex or nurse a baby. While some men prefer bigger breasts since they appear more erotic, more comforting, and very inviting, others are happy with smaller sizes. The bottom line: If a man truly loves you, he won’t mind what breast size you have.

You can get a boob job over lunch. False. Last July 9, the British trade magazine Chemistry & Industry reported that women could get bigger breasts in an hour during lunch break via a special procedure that would soon be available. The report said this would be accomplished by transplanting belly fat into those “troubled” boobs. The story spread like wildfire and was picked up by blogs and news Web sites. Even enterprising plastic surgeons began granting interviews about a procedure they had never seen.

As exciting as it sounds, the story isn’t true. Chemistry Editor Neil Eisberg said an uncorrected draft of the story was published by mistake. What’s true is that Cytori Therapeutics, a San Diego-based biotech company, has developed a way to relocate fat cells without the latter dying or being reabsorbed by the body. Theoretically, this can be used in fat grafts to boost breasts. But the technology is still in its infancy and the people at Cytori said a boob job using this system could take over two hours.

Mammograms cause breast cancer. False. A mammogram is a special type of x-ray exam that creates detailed images of the breast. It is an important tool in detecting breast cancer at a stage when it is curable. The US Food and Drug Administration said mammograms detect about 85 percent of breast cancers often years before even anything suspicious can be felt. Contrary to popular belief, a mammogram doesn’t cause breast cancer since it uses low levels of radiation – equivalent to one you would get in flying from New York to California on a jet or from a dental exam.

Tags: Breast, Mammograms
Posted in Breast Cancer Stories | No Comments »

Why are More Women Skipping Mammograms?

In a day and age of information, including health and wellness information, being abundantly available to the human race, mammograms have become quite a focal point when it comes to preventive female health.

And with good reason. Many women’s lives have been saved because they have gotten a mammography screening and their doctors have been able to catch breast cancer before it spreads and becomes potentially more lethal. The longer breast cancer goes undiscovered, the more likely it will not slip into remission and be treated successfully for the patient.

This is why mammograms are stressed as vitally important to women over forty years old, when breast cancer risk goes up statistically higher. They are especially emphasized as important for women of all ages who have a history of breast cancer in the female side of their immediate family since breast cancer has specific gene markers that can be passed down from female generation to female generation.

A perfect example of this are the recent entertainment news stories of Christina Applegate having a double mastectomy at the young age of 37 years old because she had the genetic markers and a small spot of breast cancer in one breast, and the write for Gossip Girl going through the same procedure because of genetic markers.

More and more women are choosing to have these considerably radical procedures done if they even have the genetic markers because their chances of getting the cancer are so much higher than if they did not possess the specific predisposing gene characteristics.

Even with all of this knowledge, and perhaps even a bit of hysteria surrounding the disease, many women are still deciding to skip their annual mammograms, even women in the higher risk groups because of age or family history, which is a bit unsettling considering the potential for their life saving benefits.

Reasons cited for these women foregoing breast screenings are many. Some women feel that they cannot afford these screenings because either their insurance does not pay for them or does not pay enough for them.

Let’s not forget that many people are also still uninsured here in the US, which means that any medical expenses come right out of their pockets, making these tests hard to afford.

Some women dislike the whole process and aspect of discomfort associated with mammography screenings. The process is an uncomfortable one whereby a woman’s breast is squeezed together so that accurate readings of the breast tissue can be taken and scanned, creating a very uncomfortable sensation, as well as some embarrassment and loss of modesty.

Tags: Mammograms, Women
Posted in Mammogram Info | No Comments »

Mammograms With Breast Implants

If you have breast implants you can and should continue to have mammograms on a regular basis. However, there are some things you need to know and do to ensure that your screening is safe and effective.

Choosing the right facility and the right technician

Women sometimes have a hard time taking their healthcare into their own hands, feeling that some things are best left to the professionals. This is one of those times when you are going to have to make informed choices and stick to them.

Only go to a certified mammogram center and insist that the technician who performs your mammograms has experience performing mammograms on women who have breast implants. Accept nothing less!

Tell the technician about your implants

You should inform the receptionist who books your appointment about your implants and make sure that you are scheduled to see a properly experienced technician before you go in. Once you get to your appointment, you will probably be asked to fill out forms which will indicate that you have implants.

Don’t rely on any of it! Tell the technician personally immediately before your procedure that you have implants. It is the only way to be sure that he or she actually knows and will perform the procedure safely and correctly.

Compression of your breasts

During the procedure your breasts will be compressed. Too much compression can rupture your implant or the scar around your implant. The only way to avoid this is to make sure that the technician knows you have implants.

Getting good images

Your implants can block the view of some areas of your breast tissue. Multiple views must be taken to get images of these hidden areas. Without the additional view, diseased tissue can go undetected.

Type of implant

Saline implants create less interference with mammograms than silicone. There are many factors which determine what kind of implant will be best for you. Silicone or saline should not be chosen based on mammograms alone.

Placement

Implants placed behind the muscle interfere less than those placed in front of the muscle. Women with very small breasts can sometimes get better mammogram images with implants placed behind the muscle than with no implants, because they push the breast tissue forward.

Like the type of filler you choose, there are many other factors involved in choosing the best implant placement for you.

Implants and breast cancer

Tags: Breast, Implants, Mammograms
Posted in Mammogram Info | No Comments »

Mammograms Are No Joke – They Can Save Lives

There are so many jokes about mammograms! Have you heard the one about the fridge door – or the bookends – or the garage floor? Thanks to all the jokes, “Mammogram” has become a household word, and it’s not that I don’t have a sense of humor, but as a mammography technologist, I’ve heard the jokes many times. I think the jokes are embarrassing for women and demeaning with regard to their physical bodies. Many women say, “If men had to do this, there would be a better solution” – this may or may not be true. Most people agree that mammograms are not perfect, but until there is a better solution, I think it’s time to look at mammograms in a different light.

In May of 1985 and 1986 I asked my doctor to order a mammogram for me and he refused both times saying I was too young. There were no screening mammography centers to which I could refer myself, so that was that. In December of 1986 at the age of 42 I felt a lump in my breast and had a mammogram the same day. It turned out to be Stage II breast cancer with 4 positive lymph nodes. I had a lumpectomy, a mastectomy and chemotherapy but chose not to have radiation. I obviously wasn’t too young to have cancer.

In May 1985 a mammogram cost less than $60.00 and would have resulted in my having minor surgery to deal with a small lump. Delaying the diagnosis until December 1986 raised the cost of the medical care I received both in dollars and the amount of human suffering we faced. I say “we” because a diagnosis of cancer affects the family, friends and community of the person with the disease. A timely mammogram would have saved us all a lot of grief.

The common perception is that having a mammogram is a negative experience; I think this is a bad rap. Mammograms are quick and easy breast X-Rays; which usually means two views of each breast – one from the top and one from the side. They are performed by friendly, knowledgeable technologists who do their best to help women feel at ease. The technologists’ goal is to get the best films possible and also to make the experience as quick and painless as possible.

Tags: Mammograms
Posted in Mammogram Info | No Comments »