Getting a yearly mammogram is something I have struggled with for a long time. I’ve been getting them yearly since I was 39. The last three years I’ve spread it out to once every year and a half. Neither my mother nor grandmother (both of them) ever had breast cancer, however, I believe my aunt died of it so I was advised by my gyno at the time to start. We all know someone with or who has had breast cancer and hearing that c-word is certainly scary. On the one hand I know women who say that the mammogram found the cancer early and they are living healthy lives. There is also a significant amount of studies that found in many cases it finds false positives, and puts women through an enormous amount of stress and worry, not to mention unnecessary, biopsies. Many women are diagnosed with ductal carcinoma, and in some situations doctors say it will never progress to cancer…..old age will get them first. So what do you do? This is such a touchy subject and consensus differs depending upon how you feel about seeking aggressive treatment, or not, whether or not you have had cancer, or a scare, or a family history of it, etc. Regardless, it is something all women have to think about and consider.

I watched an interview with a Dr. Russell Blaylock this week. It is not the first time I have heard a doctor come out against woman having yearly mammograms and getting radiated. He suggested thermography’s, sonograms or even the more costly MRI. Dr. Chris Northrup whom I greatly admire and respect, also agrees that women would be better off getting thermography’s. Breast tissue is radiosensitive tissue and that radiation would more than likely convert a non-progressive cancer into a highly invasive cancer in a number of instances and studies back this info up. Radiation accumulates in the tissues over time and can damage breast tissue, especially in woman that have a DNA pre-disposition.

Having a dialogue with your gyno and being aware of the research and statistics is something I recommend to all women. Clearly we each have to make our own personal decision on this, but having all the info and a professional opinion from your doctor who is familiar with your health history are very important. Keep in mind that eating a healthy anti-inflammatory diet, exercising regularly, and practicing stress reduction is the best prevention against cancer or any other illness. Our psychological and physical well-being go hand in hand so listen to your body. It gives you signals and messages. As women our intuition tells us when someone is in distress or something is amiss. Mothers instinctively know when their children are hurting, but they ignore their own needs. If there is anything I want to emphasize it’s to pay attention to your inner guidance, or voice, or gut. It will keep you healthy, happy and better able to make needed changes in our life.

I would love to know how you feel about this either here on my blog or via my Holistic Root facebook page.

Peace and healthy breasts to all my fellow sisters!
Maria