Mammography Alternatives
 

I learned about Thermography many years ago on one of my first visits to an integrative MD...she had a thermography machine in her office...non invasive, no harm, etc....no pain and pretty conclusive results .. I'll do some more posting later.

I have had 2 mamms by the big machine used in my early 50's and none since...I have never met a woman who could not wait to get a big machine mamm.

Now my thinking is: with all our wisdom and money in this country, why can't the medical industry do the least invasive treatments available. No they squeeze our breasts to smitherines. The pain of these and who knows are these machines spreading cancer cells. I've thought this for years.

There is thermography and there is ultrasounds that the medical world SHOULD include in this testing.

I think about this a lot.
I had Thermagraphy last year.
Both my GP and gyno are encouraging me to have mammography this year.
I originally said I would have a mammography every two to three years.
And Thermagraphy for the years in between.
As it turns out a fairly well known integrative oncologist encourages this as well...mostly Thermagragraphy with an occasional Mammogram.
But I'm getting a lot of pressure from these two doctors to reconsider.
However, I see nothing wrong with my approach (or yours) to greatly reduce my radiation exposure and have mostly Thermagraphy.

My integrative MD I've been with for probably 8 yrs does not pressure me. She may mention this test now and then but hasn't in a couple yrs or more.

One good friend who is 71, younger than me, has never done one and no plans to do so. Enough of my other friends have stopped them and my neighbor wishes she stopped years ago.

Why isn't thermography conclusive enough? I've never had one but as I said the one doc has one in her office. ` I'm comfortable with my choice and never think about it until someone brought it up here in another thread.

I know when I miss my iodine drops for a while I would get breast pains...I posted about my daily iodine here, I think in the vit/supp section. I've been a member of an iodine group.

I've been getting them for 4 years now. My OB/GY is okay with that as long as I agree to get a mammogram if anything suspicious shows up on thermography. I too stopped mammograms years ago. They could never do them in one take so basically, i would get two a year because they didn't get all the tissue. They think nothing of it and keep snapping away. And some technicians are better at it than others.

I just had one two weeks ago and women who does them told me about a center that will do sonograms without a doctor's referral also. So if the thermography shows anything, I would follow up with a sonogram first.

I have kept my report from a mamm in 1989 and the report was good, the word calcification appears but nothing to worry about. I sometimes think this calcification issue could be from consuming too much calcium as so many are told to do. Just my thinking..at this point in my life I take hardly any calcium supps, higher doses of magnesium and other supps for bone health. The calcium push is talked about on other health groups I'm a member of.

My doctor offers to do a breast check with her hands and I let her do that. I do my own self checks often. I believe my daily iodine is positive for my breast health and banking on my years of grape seed extract for HOPEFULLY cancer prevention.

The News Health section here has a yahoo news article on mammography today.

Haven't brought this up recently and this came in today. Thought I'd post it:

http://www.healthfreedoms.org/why-i-...t-a-mammogram/


All is still good with me, no mamms, iodine drops daily and keeping with quality foods. Avoiding sugars much as possible...refined carbs too.

New mammogram guidelines. Listening to a segment on my radio right now. For me, I still stand with my position on working on prevention which I've been doing for decades.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/21/he...ines.html?_r=0

It's all personal choice of course. And as we forever hear about family history. I don't remember ever BC talked about in my early family life. My mom never had a mamm and she did pass at 91 of other issues including cancer.

Too bad we don't hear more about possible prevention on this fearful issue. There is a lot of info on this but it's not out in the public.

We've come a long way since the Old Days with all the info we can access.

Iodine Rich Foods Fight Breast Cancer

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/iod...reast-cancer-1

I have been supplementing with drops of Iodine for some yrs now.

Well, it's been 5 yrs since any comments here so I'll just say all is good with me and still doing what I have been doing, antioxidants and Iosol iodine and no crushing of my breasts.

Luckily, I had been going to urogynocologist( due to bladder issues) annually so I still was having annual mammograms.
A small benign looking lump was diagnosed on the back wall of left breast. Needed to return every 6 months for a memo on left breast to keep an "eye" on lump. The small lump remained the same, continued with a total of 3 times going every 6 months for to keep watch on lump.
Third mammogram, radiologist came in and said I needed to have a "needle biopsy"... I asked if lump had change; he said "yes".
The day after having Needle Biopsy, I received a call. I had been diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. I was over 70 yrs. old. I had surgery 2 months later. After surgery to remove lump, Surgeon said the margins looked clear. (Invasive means cancer cells had escaped from tumor). It's been 2 years since surgery. Will be getting my annual mamo in September.

Many women do not to have mammograms after 70. Luckily I did and will continue.

I've had 2 I believe in early 50's and none since. My mam is drop of Iodine daily for years...much much invasive than those barberic machines.....read up on Iodine and breast health/tissues....Reaching 82 soon and doing good.

Glad you are doing well.
Since Lodine is helpful preventing fibrocystic breast disease which is a non-cancerous condition, it wouldn't prevent a cancerous tumor. Again, I am thankful this was caught before I needed a mastectomy .

We are all in our places in life and what we do for our health, and I'm thrilled I was at the right place in 1995 to hear the words "may prevent cancers"...and that was at a Pycnogenol lecture in Orange Cty...and I've been taking it or Grape Seed Ex for 25 yrs.

Glad you found what worked in your situation.

Mammography Alternatives
 

One can always choose other types of screening procedures. They're better than no type of physical screening.

e.g.

Self examination of the breasts and axilla regions is extremely important for early detection of breast cancer in both men and women.

A regular Clinical Breast Examination by either a General Practitioner or the practice nurse.

btw, ultrasounds are commonly used here if something suspicious needs to be checked.

Gerry,
I'm sorry for what you had to deal with, especially in this awful year. I hope you're still doing well now.

________________________

caroline, I'm sure if Gerry had a choice she wouldn't have chosen what she went through.

Patients suddenly confronted with serious disease really don't have the time or freedom to chose different courses of action if they want to survive. It can sometimes be down to days or a couple of weeks.

It's not really about finding what works in those situations. If it's a matter of urgency one does what one has to do to survive.

Its startling to find this thread. I just noticed the other night I have a area in one of my breasts that is very tender to the touch. I'm only 39 but had a mammogram and a few ultrasounds done over the years after a breast examination by my obgyn noticed I had a lump in my breasts and sent me for a breast ultrasound and mammogram. It shows I have cysts in both breasts and needs to be monitored every year.
I have not had a ultrasound or mammogram in well over 5 years. Now, I'm a little worried and have not told my hubby about the soreness I feel where a cyst is located at.

I had a soft fluid like cyst in my late 20s (many yrs ago) for some reason I stopped drinking coffee for awhile & it went away..this was pre internet, so I might have read something about that connection in a natural health based library book..

Maybe something here will be helpful?
fibrocystic breast disease - Google Search

D T, do some research on Iodine and breast health, it could be amazing for you with even 1 drop of iodine daily....and if you want to get Iodine Levels checked, it's a big deficiency in our population, not in Japan...

When I've missed my daily "drop" I can end up with pain and tenderness, I do not miss it as I know my body....and I don't get a huge seafood amount of foods.... I try to but it's not easy to get adequate seafoods...

I was diagnosed with the cysts in my early 20s. I was getting a mammogram or breast ultrasound done every couple of years. I stopped getting it done over the last 5-7 years now. I felt like it was a waste of money. I will be turning 40 in a few months so then I know it will be recommended for screening. My daughter is a nurse for a obgyn. If I don't have it checked she will worry as she is a worry wart and may try and drag me to her doctor. Thank you for sharing the information. I will check into it.

Diamond Tiger,
A couple of years back, my daughter had a small tender area that was concerning her and it turned out to be just fine. The GP did send her for an ultrasound but it was a small breast cyst and they apparently can get bigger and more tender before period and then go down again after. I think that there are a number of different types of lumps or harder areas and they're really common and certainly not breast cancer. Personally, I'd get it checked for peace of mind though, just to be sure. take care there.