{"id":2483,"date":"2009-11-03T12:48:00","date_gmt":"2009-11-03T12:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.willclower.com\/blog\/2009\/11\/mammograms-confusion-and-cancer.html"},"modified":"2016-09-21T10:05:46","modified_gmt":"2016-09-21T14:05:46","slug":"mammograms-confusion-and-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2483","title":{"rendered":"Mammograms, Confusion, and Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_HAl9r2q_-j0\/SvAnTk91dmI\/AAAAAAAACS0\/pAJRKMNZ9FA\/s1600-h\/Mammogram.jpg\"><img data-opt-id=2082765997  fetchpriority=\"high\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 192px;\" src=\"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_HAl9r2q_-j0\/SvAnTk91dmI\/AAAAAAAACS0\/pAJRKMNZ9FA\/s320\/Mammogram.jpg?w=735\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399859170511255138\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2009\/11\/03\/health\/03second.html\">This article in the NYTimes<\/a> explores the confusion around mammograms. <\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>We thought that &#8220;get your mammograms&#8221; was a simple and pat thing to do. We thought it was obvious advice, and we were told so. Well, now that we&#8217;ve had it done a gazillion times to women across the country, we learn that mammography shows us when nothing&#8217;s wrong (when it actually might be), and shows us when something IS wrong (when it actually might not be). <\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Does this mean we should scrap the process or procedure? Of course not. It&#8217;s just that we&#8217;re now coming to realize the probabilistic nature of getting mammograms. You CAN get false positives. You CAN get false negatives. <\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/willclower.com\/media\/audio\/110309MammagraphyConfusion.mp3\">My audio recording on this topic is here<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/WebObjects\/MZStore.woa\/wa\/viewPodcast?id=338080840\">the full podcast is here.<\/a> <\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>So, what do you do? This comes down to a personal decision, and something that is happening more and more within our Culture of Health. That is, we are called upon to be aware, do our own research, and become our own advocate. This is a good thing, but scary because we&#8217;re given &#8220;the odds&#8221; rather than certainty. <\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>As I point out in the audio, this is just the state of the science right now. It is what it is. <\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>In a matter of years (or decades, unfortunately), we&#8217;ll have a system of tests in place that will reduce this ambiguity. It will never replace it as long as biology remains raucously analog, but it will make our decisions easier. Until then, we have to rethink what we thought we knew. <\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.addthis.com\/bookmark.php?v=250&amp;pub=willclower\"><img data-opt-id=1342684942  fetchpriority=\"high\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s7.addthis.com\/static\/btn\/v2\/lg-share-en.gif?resize=125%2C16\" width=\"125\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Bookmark and Share\" style=\"border:0\" \/><\/a><br \/><!-- AddThis Button END --><br \/>For more information: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.willclower.com\/\"> Click here to visit Will Clower&#8217;s website. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article in the NYTimes explores the confusion around mammograms. We thought that &#8220;get your mammograms&#8221; was a simple and pat thing to do. We thought it was obvious advice, &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[494],"tags":[356,337],"class_list":["post-2483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","tag-breast-cancer","tag-cancer-prevention"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qv5g-E3","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2475,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2475","url_meta":{"origin":2483,"position":0},"title":"Mammograms: Get a Screening, or Just Skip It?","author":"Will Clower","date":"November 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Here we go again. Another study raises questions about the benefits of mammograms, and another set of confusing statements issue forth from experts.Enlarge This ImageThe Mayo Clinic, via Associated PressA tumor detected by molecular breast imaging, right, was not found in a mammogram.Last month, Dr. Otis Brawley, the American Cancer\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/graphics8.nytimes.com\/images\/2009\/11\/02\/science\/03mamm_ready\/articleInline.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2005,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2005","url_meta":{"origin":2483,"position":1},"title":"Coffee Controls Common Cancer (brought to you by the Letter &#8216;C&#8217;)","author":"Will Clower","date":"November 9, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"We were told, once, that coffee was AWFUL for you. 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Despite the controversy that swirls around it, the research data show that this common morning eye-opener is very healthy for you.The catch? Coffee is just like all other foods and drinks, a little\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2296,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2296","url_meta":{"origin":2483,"position":3},"title":"Review of Forks Over Knives","author":"Will Clower","date":"September 17, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The movie \"Forks Over Knives\" is like Mark Twain's description of golf: A Good Walk, Spoiled. The documentary film starts from a great premise -- eat real food and you can reverse many of the chronic diseases we see in our dismal culture of health. Love it. 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