By Dr. Mercola
Just lately, the Harvard Faculty of Public Well being shook the most cancers business when it revealed analysis displaying that mammograms could not solely be inappropriate for breast most cancers screening, however may very well contribute to important overdiagnosis of most cancers that in any other case would have remained innocenti.
In accordance with lead writer Mette Kalagerii :
“Mammography won’t be acceptable to be used in breast most cancers screening as a result of it can’t distinguish between progressive and non-progressive most cancers…
Radiologists have been skilled to seek out even the smallest of tumors in a bid to detect as many cancers as attainable to have the ability to remedy breast most cancers.
Nonetheless, the current examine provides to the rising physique of proof that this apply has induced an issue for ladies—prognosis of breast most cancers that would not trigger signs or loss of life.”
When the scientists additionally advised that ladies must know the potential hurt of mammography errors, the American School of Radiology and Society of Breast Imaging had been fast to accuse Harvard’s examine of being flawed.
However as increasingly more ladies come ahead with tales of how they’ve misplaced their breasts and undergone grueling most cancers therapies on account of overzealous screening, it is obvious the Harvard group is aware of what they’re speaking about.
A Case in Level…
The Harvard examine, launched April 3, 2012, reinforces the story of one of many literature researchers that work for this article, whom I discussed in an article on most cancers final yr. She was recognized with breast most cancers in 2010, and scheduled for a number of months of chemotherapy and radiation when she sought a second opinion at a famend most cancers institute. There, she realized chemo was inappropriate as a result of her kind of most cancers would not reply to it.
“Since chemo is poison, why would we wish to poison you for no motive?” the oncologist instructed her.
Now she’s agreed to let me inform the remainder of her story—one that may be a good instance of what Dr. Kalager was alluding to. Due to its flaws, mammography can result in an overzealous seek for attainable most cancers, overdiagnosis and, in the end, pointless medical procedures for one thing that, left alone, could by no means have developed into most cancers in any respect.
In fact the breast imaging business wasted no time firing off a scathing response to the researcher’s feedbackiii. However as I mentioned, my worker’s story illustrates the examine’s central thesis precisely: {that a} rising physique of proof is displaying that mammography could also be doing extra hurt than good for a large number of ladies.
A Teeny Tiny Dot—Adopted by a Slew of Procedures
From the yr she turned 40, this worker by no means missed a mammogram. Like many ladies, she mistakenly believed it was essentially the most acceptable solution to stop breast most cancers. She did not work for me then, so she did not know that radiation from mammograms can truly CAUSE most cancersiv,v. However in 2008, every part modified.
“I had no lumps, no issues, it was simply my common screening,” she instructed me. “However after my 2008 mammogram, the technician mentioned she’d seen one thing on it and wanted to do an ultrasound straight away. So that is what we did. However when she was accomplished, she left and got here again with one other tech, who did a second ultrasound. Then they each left and got here again with the radiologist, who did a THIRD ultrasound. After a prolonged examination, the radiologist introduced he was scheduling me for an MRI with dye instantly.”
The radiologist defined that he noticed a tiny calcification in her breast, and because the ultrasound could not inform him whether or not it was cancerous, he wanted to do the MRI. The MRI was accomplished, however that report wasn’t clear both, itemizing a remaining prognosis as merely “suspicious.” The radiologist wasn’t happy.
“He referred to as me at house and mentioned he wanted to do a stereotactic biopsy straight away,” she mentioned. “Scared, I agreed to it. It was a biopsy from hell, indescribably painful. In the midst of it, the radiologist commented that my ‘breast density’ prevented him from getting sighting on the place to do the biopsy. I believed he was referring to all the load I might gained up to now few years.”
The biopsy got here again unfavourable. However her ordeal wasn’t over. She was subsequent despatched to a surgeon, who decided that she wanted a lumpectomy, regardless of the unfavourable lab report. So a lumpectomy it was—and that, too, got here again unfavourable.
Surgical procedure or Needle Biopsies Can Truly CAUSE Most cancers
“I used to be so relieved,” she instructed me. “However after I went again for my post-op checkup, there was a small lump on the surgical procedure spot. I did not know on the time that there every kind of research about how the slightest harm or minimize, in addition to surgical procedures and biopsies can truly trigger most cancersvi—I simply heard that on ABC Information latelyvii. I additionally did not find out about different research displaying that accidents like my biopsy not solely can set off invasive most cancers, however that mammographic compression can unfold itviii .
“So when the surgeon mentioned the lump was in all probability solely a hematoma, I went house and ignored it. The lump was nonetheless there when it was time for my 2009 mammogram, and I pointed it out to the tech, who checked out it, felt it, and mentioned it would simply be scar tissue. When she got here out and mentioned every part was advantageous and I may go house, I requested if she was going to do an ultrasound on the lump, however she mentioned no, there was no want.”
‘No Proof of Most cancers’
The written mammogram report reiterated the tech’s verbal report, saying there was “no proof of most cancers” in her breast. In 2010 she confirmed the tech the lump once more, and once more the tech mentioned every part was “advantageous.”
“However this time I did not consider it,” she mentioned. “So I went some other place earlier than I even acquired the report again. I had a biopsy—and realized I had Stage 3 Lobular Invasive most cancers. The very day of my surgical procedure [mastectomy] I acquired the letter from the radiology heart saying they had been ‘happy to tell’ me they’d discovered ‘no proof of most cancers’ in my breast. It was so loopy I could not even discover it in me to cry.”
After the mastectomy, the surgeon wrote her a prescription for a wig and scheduled her for chemo and radiation.
“However by this time I used to be working for Dr. Mercola, and I used to be very a lot conscious of my energy to take management of my very own well being,” she mentioned. “So I did some proactive issues proper then and there, to ensure I used to be doing every part attainable to battle this most cancers.”
Weight-reduction plan, Train, Life-style Adjustments
The very first thing she did was take a chilly, laborious have a look at the most cancers threat elements of her general well being, weight-reduction plan, and life-style.
“I haven’t got diabetes or coronary heart issues or ldl cholesterol,” she mentioned. “However I used to be obese—a particular threat for each breast most cancers and its recurrenceix. Additionally, regardless of Dr. Mercola’s warnings on aspartame, I used to be hooked on Weight-reduction plan Coke—I knew for a indisputable fact that in scientific research, aspartame induced breast tumors in mice, however I nonetheless drank it. It was a provided that I did not watch my weight-reduction plan; I did not train; and I had no clue what my vitamin D3 ranges had been, though I used to be conscious that poor ranges of D3 are related to breast most cancers.”
Primarily based on my suggestions, she applied the next fast adjustments:
- Began supplementing with 10,000 IUs of vitamin D3 daily
- Gave up ALL types of soda, each weight-reduction plan and common
- Went on a grain-free weight-reduction plan and gave up refined sugars and flours
- Started exercising
“After which I scheduled an appointment for a second opinion on the most cancers therapy,” she mentioned. “My new docs gave me one thing referred to as an OncoType Dx check, a kind of DNA checkx that tells you the chance of your most cancers coming again within the subsequent 10 years, and whether or not your most cancers is responsive or to not chemo. That is how I discovered that, No. 1, my possibilities of it coming again had been very low; and No. 2, that my form of most cancers would not reply to chemo. When different exams confirmed no proof of most cancers elsewhere in my physique, I declined radiation, so I had neither chemo nor radiation.”
A Pure, Dietary Strategy to Preventive Most cancers Care
The most cancers hospital the place my worker went presents complementary care, together with the companies of each a nutritionist and a naturopath—a rarity amongst anywhere in well being care, not to mention the most cancers business.
“And I embraced them,” she mentioned. “They instructed me to begin exercising, and so they furnished me with a beautiful anti-cancer weight-reduction plan that features recent, natural greens and fruits which might be loaded with antioxidants. They applauded me for limiting myself on refined sugars and flours. And so they additionally instructed me to GIVE UP industrial meats altogether, due to the carcinogenic methods by which they’re ready. Principally, if the meals is available in a can, field or package deal, I am not purported to eat it.
Fortunately, my husband is a hunter so our freezer is already full of untamed meats corresponding to elk, deer, turkey and hog. We now have a lake home, so recent fish is at all times obtainable.”
With the brand new weight-reduction plan, life-style adjustments, and train, the worker has misplaced over 25 kilos to this point. She’s additionally taking nutritional vitamins and dietary supplements that embrace a upkeep dose of 5,000 IUs a day of vitamin D3, CoQ10, vitamin C, grape seed extract, turmeric, and vitamin B12, to call just a few.
“And I am dwelling it,” she mentioned. “I really feel higher in every kind of how, and my lab work exhibits it. For instance, at my final checkup, my vitamin D3 degree was over 73—” quantity for most cancers prevention” in line with my oncologist.
“I like my new life-style, and my new method of consuming. I’ve realized that many meals I might by no means eaten earlier than style actually good—the herb rosemary, for instance, has a beautiful savory style, and watercress and kale are filled with taste. I’ve realized how one can snack too—a handful of walnuts just isn’t solely a cancer-fighter, however eaten with a glass of water, they’ll actually fill you up. I am by no means hungry, but I am shedding weight somewhat at a time. And the perfect half is I am cancer-free.”
As she launched into this weight-reduction plan, this worker acquired a shock bonus.
“I used to be recognized with rheumatoid arthritis in 2000,” she mentioned. “However shortly after I began the grain-free, sugar-free, flour-free weight-reduction plan, one thing unusual occurred. I stop having aches and pains, and my fingers grew to become unusually nimble. Then, after I went for my checkup on the rheumatologist’s, one thing even stranger occurred: my blood work confirmed no proof of RA in any respect! Though he mentioned there was no solution to show it, the rheumatologist acknowledged that it was totally attainable that the weight-reduction plan was the mitigating think about my restoration. So now I do not want my prescription arthritis drug and even an over-the-counter ache treatment. I can transfer and I am pain-free. It is a miracle!”
Mammography is a Whole Failure for Dense-Breasted Girls
Moreover the significance of weight-reduction plan and life-style in most cancers prevention, my worker realized a variety of different issues on her most cancers journey. For instance, she did not know till lately that dense breasts don’t have anything to do with whether or not or not you have gained weight xi.
“However they’ve every part to do together with your threat of a mammogram giving a false constructive, which may result in a slew of exams like I had, that you do not really need, or failing to determine a lump that’s cancerous, like what occurred to me,” she mentioned xii.
Forty-nine % of ladies have excessive breast tissue densityxiii, and mammography’s sensitivity for dense breasts is as little as 27 %xiv—that means about 75 % of dense-breasted ladies are in danger for a most cancers being missed in the event that they rely solely on mammography. Even with digital mammography, the sensitivity remains to be lower than 60 %.
The Last Analysis: Keep Most cancers-Free with Data
When my worker had her fateful 2008 expertise, at the very least a dozen research had been already displaying the affiliation of breast density with breast most cancers and the errors that mammography could make in each overdiagnosis and misdiagnosis in dense breastsxv. She additionally did not know there was a motion afoot by different ladies like her xvi,xvii to drive the FDA and state and federal governments to acknowledge mammography’s failures, or that 1000’s of ladies like her had been both being overdiagnosed and overtreated, or had their cancers missed due to itxviii.
“Now I am the primary to shout that, as an alternative of telling you to go get your mammogram in October—Breast Most cancers Consciousness Month—what they need to be saying is, ‘Are you conscious that mammograms miss as much as 75 % of some ladies’s cancers?‘” she says.
“There was rather a lot I did not know when this all began—however there additionally was rather a lot I did know, issues that would have helped me keep cancer-free, however I wasn’t doing. I do know higher now, and that is why I am glad to share my story. The underside line is to assemble all of the data you’ll be able to. Ask your physician in case you have dense breasts. Know your different dangers for most cancers, too—and do one thing about them! “Much more vital, bear in mind that numerous instances a complete slew of exams not solely are pointless, however may very well be harmful to your well being.”
I thank my researcher for sharing her story with you, and hope it could encourage you to take management of your well being; to actually get PROACTIVE moderately than ready for illness to set in earlier than you get that wakeup name. Perhaps you may be given a second probability, like she was. Then once more, possibly you will not. Little else issues when you’re in a well being disaster, so why not take the time NOW to implement just a few wholesome life-style methods that simply may allow you to keep away from getting in poor health within the first place.
Keep in mind, the best enemy most cancers has is a well-functioning immune system.
Within the occasion that you’re recognized with early stage breast most cancers, at all times get a second opinion—and probably a 3rd and fourth. I can’t stress this sufficient, as false constructive charges are simply too excessive and the diagnostic standards is simply too subjective. Earlier than you make any determination about therapy, and undoubtedly earlier than you determine to have surgical procedure or chemotherapy, ensure that your biopsy outcomes have been reviewed by a breast specialist who’s educated and skilled in that subject. The vast majority of breast most cancers is preventable. However if you’re hit with that prognosis, do not lose hope! There’s a nice deal you are able to do to harness your physique’s personal highly effective therapeutic skills.
For a complete information to breast most cancers prevention and therapy, please check with this earlier article, Breast Most cancers Breakthrough – Reduce Your Threat of Demise in Half.
