According to the Cochrane Collaborative and their exhaustive review, mammograms are essentially useless and causes stress/anxiety.

From the Cochrane Collaborative:

“For every 2000 women invited for screening throughout 10 years, one will avoid dying of breast cancer and 10 healthy women, who would not have been diagnosed if there had not been screening, will be treated unnecessarily. Furthermore, more than 200 women will experience important psychological distress including anxiety and uncertainty for years because of false positive findings.”

One life saved for every 2000 women screened for 10 years. That data is SAD.

Now a new study finds another “reason” to get mammograms. Apparently, they also detect breast artery calcification, which is associated with coronary artery disease. Makes sense. If blockages are present in the breast arteries, they are likely present in the heart arteries.

Still, in my eyes, mammograms are dangerous and totally unnecessary. The authors should look at breast artery calcification as it relates to repeat mammograms. The more radiation, the more arterial disease. Radiation is bad. Not only does it cause arterial disease but also causes cancer.

Radiologists love these screening tests because they make tons of money. The lobbyists for the radiology society and big players in congress. They write the guidelines. More abnormal mammograms lead to more lucrative ultrasounds, CT scans, MRI, and hundreds of thousand of breast biopsies. This cottage industry likely leads to 10’s of billions of expenditures.

Sorry if I upset the radiologists. Actually, I am not. They know the truth.

Mammograms are totally useless and absolutely dangerous.

That is why I never recommend screening CT scans for heart disease. Radiation causes heart disease. Use blood, urine, and saliva testing to determine your risk. Change your health path and get re-tested.

There is a better way. Eat organic and Paleo, avoid environmental toxins, get adjusted, and take evidence-based supplements. Perform monthly breast exams.

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Sources: 

1. http://www.cochrane.org/CD001877/BREASTCA_screening-for-breast-cancer-with-mammography
2. http://imaging.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleID=2503388#tab1