MAMMOGRAMS....yes or no?

[RawSweetie]

I'm curious to know who has an opinion for or against them if one is pursuing optimal health via raw foods, etc. I'm not sure what I think...:confused:

Thanks! :)

[juliebove]

I have mixed feelings about them. If left to my own devices I would probably not get them or would only get them like every 5 years or so. But the Dr. I was seeing insisted on them every year. He is no longer my Dr. Don't know what the new one will say and I'm not bringing it up. If they insist, I get them. Otherwise...

[Aleesha Sattva]

nope, nada, not interested.

no more paps either. not for me. i'm not interested at all.

but i felt this way before raw... now that i'm raw... i'm REALLY not interested as i don't believe my body will create cancer now!

[KatK]

I wouldn't.

Here's what Dr. Mercola says on the subject:


More on the Dangers of Mammography


Recent confirmation by Danish researchers of longstanding evidence on the ineffectiveness of screening mammography has been greeted by extensive nationwide headlines. Entirely missing from this coverage, however, has been any reference to the well-documented dangers of mammography.
Screening mammography poses significant and cumulative risks of breast cancer for premenopausal women. The routine practice of taking four films of each breast annually results in approximately 1 rad (radiation absorbed dose) exposure, about 1,000 times greater than that from a chest x-ray.

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. These risks are even greater for younger women subject to "baseline screening."
Radiation risks are some four-fold greater for the 1 to 2 percent of women who are silent carriers of the A-T (ataxia-telangiectasia) gene; by some estimates this accounts for up to 20 percent of all breast cancers diagnosed annually.
Since 1928, physicians have been warned to handle "cancerous breasts with care -- for fear of accidentally disseminating cells" and spreading the cancer. Nevertheless, mammography entails tight and often painful breast compression, particularly in premenopausal women, which could lead to distant and lethal spread of malignant cells by rupturing small blood vessels in or around small undetected breast cancers.
Missed cancers are common in premenopausal women owing to their dense breasts, and also in postmenopausal women on estrogen replacement therapy.
Mistakenly diagnosed cancers are common. For women with multiple risk factors including a strong family history and early menarche -- just those strongly urged to have annual mammograms -- the cumulative risks of false positives can reach as high as 100 percent over a decade's screening.
The widespread acceptance of screening has lead to overdiagnosis of pre-invasive cancer (ductal carcinoma in situ), sometimes treated radically by mastectomy and radiation, and even chemotherapy.
As increasing numbers of premenopausal women are responding to aggressively promoted screening, imaging centers are becoming flooded. Resultingly, patients referred for diagnostic mammography are now experiencing potentially dangerous delays, up to several months, before they can be examined.
The dangers and unreliability of screening are compounded by its growing and inflationary costs. Screening all premenopausal women would cost $2.5 billion annually, about 14 percent of estimated Medicare spending on prescription drugs.

These costs would be increased some fourfold if the highly profitable industry, enthusiastically supported by radiologists, succeeds in replacing film machines, costing about $100,000 each, with the latest high-tech digital machines recently approved by the FDA, costing about $400,000 each, for which there is no evidence of improved effectiveness.

The ineffectiveness and dangers of mammography pose an agonizing dilemma for the millions of women anxious for reassurance of early detection of breast cancer. However, the dilemma is more apparent than real.

As proven by a September 2000 publication, based on a unique large-scale screening study by University of Toronto epidemiologists, monthly breast self-examination (BSE) following brief training, coupled with annual clinical breast examination (CBE) by a trained health care professional, is at least as effective as mammography in detecting early tumors, and also safe.

National networks of BSE and CBE clinics staffed by trained nurses should be established to replace screening mammography. Apart from their minimal costs, such clinics would empower women and free them from increasing dependence on industrialized medicine and its complicit medical institutions.
http://www.mercola.com/2002/feb/23/mammography.htm

[maui_butterfly]

thank you katk! considering my doctor told me to schedule a baseline mamogram this year sometime, i guess i needed to read this now. i think i'll pass...

[belleadonna]

Nope, not for me. I don't do doctor's at all unless I have a need. I don't trust them to begin with. They have been taught in med schools run by the big pharmaceutical companies.
I think that there are alot of women out there being diagnosed with breast cancer that don't have it.
They are doing the same thing with BC as they did with hysterectomies.
For the men, prostate cancer is the new money maker.

[RawSweetie]

wow...thanks my friends...i just canceled my appt. i'm 44 and have only actually had one screening. i had been thinking i really needed to "up" my self-care by being more responsible with getting mammograms on schedule. now i'm thinking i've just empowered myself with some much better information. :D

thanks, katk, for that piece!! unbelievable...women don't know this. :(

[Ginger]

Not for a million dollars.

check this out:
http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/cancer1/scare2.htm

[RawSweetie]

unbelievable...women don't know this. :(

well, actually, the women on this thread do! ha!

~~GO INFORMED WOMEN!!~~

[Revvell]

I just turned 59 ~ not had a Mammo EVER and stopped with the "pap smears" (even the names makes me squick) when I was in my 20's. Guess that tells ya something, eh?

Revvell

[RawSweetie]

I just turned 59 ~ not had a Mammo EVER and stopped with the "pap smears" (even the names makes me squick) when I was in my 20's. Guess that tells ya something, eh?

Revvell

Yeah, it sure does! :D

Gee, which word is more delightful...."pap" or "smear"? :p

[Conscious Midwife]

Mam and Pap or Mamaw and Papaw are what East Tennessee folks call their grandparents. Not something I want to be doing to my body!:D

[Ginger]

I think someone needs to start a mam-o-gram service where you can send a few ladies over to your girlfriends home or office to sing to her for a minute and a half about the dangers of radiation and unnesasary medical invasion on her womanly parts. :D

[Revvell]

HAH!!!!!!!!


Mam and Pap or Mamaw and Papaw are what East Tennessee folks call their grandparents. Not something I want to be doing to my body!:D

[PixieLed]

Thanks for the information ladies. I agree, I don't trust medical doctors and I think this whole thing is just a way to make loads of money off of innocent and uninformed women.

Personally, I felt so ashamed and horrible when I had a pap smear. Who wants to feel like that? Now if I feel the need, I visit a real Chinese doctor, he feels my pulse, looks at my tongue and tells me exactly what's out of balance, if anything. It's so effective and a lot less invasive.

[RawSweetie]

Mam and Pap or Mamaw and Papaw are what East Tennessee folks call their grandparents. Not something I want to be doing to my body!:D

Um, I think I have some "distant" relatives who use these terms of endearment...:rolleyes:

[Raene]

So glad to see this. I canceled my pap a few weeks ago and told myself I have no need for those anymore. Good to hear others feel the same.

[shashibala]

I do not plan to have mammograms. I think self exams are a good idea, but if something is detected, diet should be the First support. Long ago, in my late 20's I had a pap test that showed "abnormal cells". I was supposed to have a biopsy and possibly a "freezing" of certain cells. I had no insurance and no money, so I didn't have it done. I was warned viciously by a doctor that if I couldn't afford this how would I afford to have cancer!!!! I went back six months later for a recheck. It was normal. I think that our bodies resolve most of these abnormal cell issues if allowed to do so.

[maui_butterfly]

I think someone needs to start a mam-o-gram service where you can send a few ladies over to your girlfriends home or office to sing to her for a minute and a half about the dangers of radiation and unnesasary medical invasion on her womanly parts. :D

Thanks RVM, that made my day. I envision the singer dressed like a giant boob!

[Robin Reneau]

I saw that you lost weight with eating raw. I have tried for years to lose weight but I get so frustrated with dieting.I feel like I have to count calories and carbs and fat and so on. I wish I didn't have to count. I was thinking about the options I have. But I want to be healthy first of all. I have done a colon cleanse while on a diet last year, and have done well since then and lost 20 pounds,but am still overweight by;65 pounds. I would love to eat raw, it just sounds so healthy and so fresh, I just don't want to get tired of doing it and I want to commit.

[maui_butterfly]

you don't have to count! i can't live like that, either... i have found freedom from food "management" issues with raw foods.

if its attracting you, why not try it out? no one is saying you need to eat a certain way forever. you don't have to "commit" any more than you are willing to or able to RIGHT NOW. maybe that is a week, maybe its 30 days, maybe its just tomorrow. (and maybe its not 100% right away, i did it that way -- that was the best way for ME, but many people start off gradually and increase when they are ready). but i invite you to check it out if you are feeling the pull towards raw foods, because i believe there is a reason you are attracted to it. i think you might find, as i have, that you will feel amazing and healthy and energetic and "fresh", and the weight loss becomes more of just a fun side benefit of treating your body excellently.

[Cabosun]

No Mammy or Pappy for me! My body will take care of itself by giving it what it needs. In fact, no Dr's for me unless I have an accident of some sort. Dr. free and proud of it!:)

[Authenticme]

I have to say this thread upsets me a bit. Pap smears and mammograms are diagnostic tools. They do little (especially paps) to upset the body's balance and they have been known to save lives. If doctors are good for nothing else, their ability to diagnosis should be valued. The course of treatment is a different matter. And I personally would opt for wholistic treatment FIRST before I do drugs and the like.

I feel it's a bit irresponsible to encourage women particularly young women not to go for routine pap smears. In this age, of HPV and what have you, it is a very valid thing to do. If you are older and in a monogomous relationship or your not sexual then I can almost see forgoing the pap but other then that modern science does have it's place. Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water.

[Conscious Midwife]

Well my guess is that women conscientous enough to opt out of traditional medicine for their health sake are also conscientous enough to avoid the activities that will put them at risk for "HPV and what have you".

[Authenticme]

Well my guess is that women conscientous enough to opt out of traditional medicine for their health sake are also conscientous enough to avoid the activities that will put them at risk for "HPV and what have you".


And if the activity in question were a solo act ( in some cases that might be safer) then you would almost have a point. But in most cases, it is not. And while one might be EXTREMELY conscientious about their own actions that does not mean they can be conscious or mind readers for a partner. And I almost feel a bit ignorant saying that it amounts to whether one is conscious or not. The pure fact is things happen whether one is conscientious or not. And neither party maybe aware. That's what makes diagnostic tools so important.

And again, if you are an older woman (less active or not active) or are confident that you are in a monogamous relationship ( and even then everyone have past history) then perhaps but I would be horrified if my daughter forwent a routine evaluation regardless of a raw lifestyle. I would hope as a Mom to educate her better.

And again just because a doctor diagnosis something does not mean you have to take his treatment. There are many credible wholistic practioners out there who can help with a whole host of problems. Perhaps ideal would be to use these methods conventional and wholistic in tandem with each other for a balanced approach.

[Revvell]

And again just because a doctor diagnosis something does not mean you have to take his treatment.

Or that they are accurate. A doctors diagnosis is, on average, 50% correct .. which means it is also, 50% inaccurate. What does this mean when it's wrong? A lot of anguish for a LOT of people.

I've personally been misdiagnosed inaccurately twice ~ once told I had an STD (got a second opinion on the advice of my bf), once told I was pregnant (was just about to have a tubal ligation) ~ wasn't. That ended my time with doctors. Haven't been since I was in my mid 20's... well over 30 years ago.

As far as others are concerned, if they feel the need to go, then, it's up to them, of course. I'll only go if I break something or am in a potential death-causing accident.

As a matter of fact, when I lay my bike down, the firemen were surprised when I refused to go to the hospital. *shrugs* The body has an amazing ability to heal itself given the proper care.

[Ginger]

You do not just suddenly become ill out of thin air. Your body will give you signs that something is wrong. You just have to know how to listen. I have no use for diagnosis. I can do that on my own. I choose to live in such a way that makes doctors obsolete unless like Rev said, I am in an emergency situation. :)

You cannot 'catch' any disease. You create conditions within your body that allow disease to flourish and you will have problem.

[Revvell]

Beautifully said.

As Mike Anderson pointed out in our last interview.... those who have cancer "all of a sudden", really didn't get it "all of a sudden". It takes YEARS to get to the point where cancer is a problem and even by then, it's rarely (not always though) at the point where one can't change what's causing the problem (and this goes for other dis-eases as well.)

We're all doing the best we can with what knowledge and understanding we have. If we weren't being brainwashed by the AMA, the ACS, the food and dairy industry and so many other money-grabbing organizations we'd all be so much healthier.

Revvell



You do not just suddenly become ill out of thin air. Your body will give you signs that something is wrong. You just have to know how to listen. I have no use for diagnosis. I can do that on my own. I choose to live in such a way that makes doctors obsolete unless like Rev said, I am in an emergency situation. :)

You cannot 'catch' any disease. You create conditions within your body that allow disease to flourish and you will have problem.

[Raw Mom]

I remember being told by my gyno that the reason I had "bacterial vaginosis" was because of too much sex or sex with too many partners. I told her I hadn't had sex in 2 years! She continued to not believe me, charge me over $200 and I haven't seen that woman again. I also do not have mammograms or paps. rock on! :cool:

[Authenticme]

I remember being told by my gyno that the reason I had "bacterial vaginosis" was because of too much sex or sex with too many partners. I told her I hadn't had sex in 2 years! She continued to not believe me, charge me over $200 and I haven't seen that woman again. I also do not have mammograms or paps. rock on! :cool:


There are good and bad medical practioners just as there are good and bad wholistic therapies. See the "blue man on Oprah" thread. They are money hungry pharmaceutical companies and doctors. There are medicines that are sometimes worse then the disease it's meant to treat. And there are medicines that genuinely make a difference in the lives of others. And there are doctors who genuinely care about their patients. They are brillant wholisitic doctors and there are genuine quacks. They are beautiful natural medicinal products and if you don't know what you're doing, they can be just as harmful. Just like when someone on this board was advocating the wonders of Fo-ti and you could get them in Chinatown by the bag load. And they didn't realize that alot of those sources are deadly. Farmed by unscrupulous people who plant in soil ladened with heavy metals i.e. mecury, lead,etc. Metals that we know in this country lead to a whole host of issues.

Of course, your body heals itself and it has an intelligence of it's own that will alert us IF we are aware. I still don't see any need to completely throw out very useful information cultivated over centuries by the medical field. I think both conventional and wholistic medicine can co-exist in way that balanced and healing for us. Balance is the key.

[shakti17]

when i was in college the gyno told me i had herpes!!!!

it was actually a yeast infection.

argh!

[Vivid Lily]

;) Just a little something to add - Yes I had a mammogram a couple of years ago. On the sheet it says to not have any caffeine for at least 72 hours.before the test as they cause breast lumps. Duh, My whole life I've had very lumpy breast. So I decided to not drink any caffeine at all and within 2 days (yes only 2 days) I had soft smooth breasts , lumps were gone. My doctor doesn't belive me when I say that's the only thing I've done differently. So I don't think I will have any more mammograms - Just eating cleaner does the trick. thanks. Suzy

[Ginger]

Just like when someone on this board was advocating the wonders of Fo-ti and you could get them in Chinatown by the bag load. And they didn't realize that alot of those sources are deadly. Farmed by unscrupulous people who plant in soil ladened with heavy metals i.e. mecury, lead,etc. Metals that we know in this country lead to a whole host of issues.

That would be me :D I don't know for sure if the stuff I get in China Town is that bad or not, but it works for me. I do not notice any bad tastes like I do on conventional strawberries for example, they give me a splitting headache too. I find it interesting that the chinese live alot longer & healthier then Americans do on average even if they are eating this 'deadly' ho shou wu ;)

I do agree with you that modern medicine has it's place, but I do not agree it is in health or healing or beneficial to someone with illness or disease except in rare and extreme cases.

[Authenticme]

. I find it interesting that the chinese live alot longer & healthier then Americans do on average even if they are eating this 'deadly' ho shou wu ;)

.

I didn't remember the name, Veganmom. But to your point, that's just it, they aren't eating it. They are selling it. Reputable acupuntrist here in the states, Asians as well as Americans have formed a coalition to ensure safe standards for asian medicinal herbs.

[SharonC]

How the Cancer Industry Controls Women (comic)
http://www.naturalnews.com/022107.html

[Authenticme]

How the Cancer Industry Controls Women (comic)
http://www.naturalnews.com/022107.html

I knew that I was going to stop watching television the day pharmaceuticals were allowed to advertise medicines on TV. We live in a capitalist nation. I question the almost constant bombardment of messages for women regarding various cancers too. But I am neither on the extreme left nor the extreme right. Somewhere in between. There still benefits to be had as far as medicine is concerned. If my child ran a high fever and had a whooping cough, you can best believe I'm running into the hospital for a chest x-ray.

Wow! Not sure why I reacted so passionately to this thread. I suppose it's just I am sensitive around women and their right to choose. And appropriate healthcare is such a tenious thing in this country.

:::Steps off her soapbox::: Be well, everyone!

[Ginger]

I didn't remember the name, Veganmom. But to your point, that's just it, they aren't eating it. They are selling it. Reputable acupuntrist here in the states, Asians as well as Americans have formed a coalition to ensure safe standards for asian medicinal herbs.
Well they sure are eating it in China Town. So does that mean standards have been set then? Like I said I get no bad taste or side effects and I consume A LOT :D

One way to tell if it's harmul for me is to try some while fasting. I get almost imediate reaction if theres something not right in there. I tried the ho shou wu while fasting and it's fine.

[Ginger]

There still benefits to be had as far as medicine is concerned. If my child ran a high fever and had a whooping cough, you can best believe I'm running into the hospital for a chest x-ray.

Wow! Not sure why I reacted so passionately to this thread. I suppose it's just I am sensitive around women and their right to choose. And appropriate healthcare is such a tenious thing in this country.

:::Steps off her soapbox::: Be well, everyone!

(((hugs))) It's good to be passionate about things, it shows how much you care.

First off, my child has never been ill except mildly after I let her eat standard food. Lasted that one day each time. She had a fever once the first time I let her eat some (gasp!) fast food. Each time she ate SAD her tummy hurt and she ended up throwing up then feeling fine.

This is just one site and resource for how to properly care for a sick child rather then taking them to be drugged by a doctor (not saying there is NEVER a need for antis but it is really very rare) Normally, physicians utilize drugging, which adds to the harm, to "remedy" the "problems" they purport to discover with their tests.


Specific Illnesses and Fasting for Children
Hygienic literature, and especially those books by Dr. Shelton, contains much practical advice about the care of children during illness. During almost any disease or illness of a child or infant, the basic requirements are the same: rest, fresh air, pure water when needed, warmth, and quiet. Fasting plays an important role in the child's recovery from sickness.

What follows in this section is a list of some of the common childhood illnesses and the suggested course of action by the parent in caring for the sick child.

http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/fasting-children/childhood-illness-and-fasting.html

[snowdrop]

oh for heavens sakes!
i misread monograms instead of mammograms!!!
i was wondering what you wanted to monogram
that could possibly have to do with raw food??? :confused:
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o222/simon7toes/snl.jpg
never mind.

[SharonC]

But I am neither on the extreme left nor the extreme right. Somewhere in between. There still benefits to be had as far as medicine is concerned. If my child ran a high fever and had a whooping cough, you can best believe I'm running into the hospital for a chest x-ray.


Authenticme, Totally understand where you are coming from because I used to think similar to the way that you do. But, I now believe that modern medical intervention actually causes most of the complications that we fear. Better to keep the body as healthy as possible and educate ourselves on how to deal with the rare illness at home - being prepared and treating early on is critical. Also, good to have access to an experienced homeopath, natural practitioner, etc. The healthiest children I know are the ones who have never been to a standard medical practicing doctor. I still believe there is a place for modern medicine, but I have narrowed it down drastically over the years as my knowledge (and confidence in that knowledge) has increased.

We have gone way too far in the wrong direction for my balance to be anywhere near the middle.

My biggest fear now is modern medicine's monopoly on 'health' (not) care, and the escalating attacks on my health freedom.

"I believe that more than 90% of modern medicine could disappear from the face of the earth and the effect would be immediate and beneficial." - Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, Confessions of a Medical Heretic

[Authenticme]

(((hugs))) This is just one site and resource for how to properly care for a sick child rather then taking them to be drugged by a doctor (not saying there is NEVER a need for antis but it is really very rare) Normally, physicians utilize drugging, which adds to the harm, to "remedy" the "problems" they purport to discover with their tests.


Specific Illnesses and Fasting for Children
Hygienic literature, and especially those books by Dr. Shelton, contains much practical advice about the care of children during illness. During almost any disease or illness of a child or infant, the basic requirements are the same: rest, fresh air, pure water when needed, warmth, and quiet. Fasting plays an important role in the child's recovery from sickness.

What follows in this section is a list of some of the common childhood illnesses and the suggested course of action by the parent in caring for the sick child.

http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/fasting-children/childhood-illness-and-fasting.html


((((hugs))) The site seems interesting. I will check it out. Thank you!