A Brief History
The scientific community has long been suspicious of the risks posed by the ionizing radiation of the mammogram, and for good reason. In 1904, soon after Thomas Edison made the first X-ray machine, his assistant Clarence Dally died from radiation induced cancer. He has been referred to as a martyr for science.  Radiation became the longest standing and most documented cause of cancer, even Thomas Edison refused to ever have an X-Ray. Viewing inside the human body, however, was so compelling that the risks have been virtually ignored, down-played, and thought of as worth the benefit.  You might ask... To whom is this worth the risks?  Although mammography was quickly accepted in the 1970s as the answer to the breast cancer problem, no known research was carried out on the effects of radiation on the breast at that time.

What the Studies Reveal... 
Because of rising concerns in the scientific community, recent studies reveal some troubling results.         For your education, we will briefly review those studies which point out that mammograms do not reduce mortality, and that radiation raises the risks of causing cancer on two fronts; it damages DNA, and damages surrounding tissues... a deadly combination.

January, 2000...
A 1999 study revealed that there had been no decrease
in breast cancer mortality in Sweden, where screening
had been recommended since 1985. The decision to
screen was based on eight internationally controlled
mammogram trials, including about 500,000 women.
Due to unsatisfactory results in Sweden, a review of the studies was conducted and found that the   results of the original eight studies were misinterpreted, and therefore, misrepresented. The analysis concluded that for every 1,000 women screened biennially for 12 years, one breast cancer was avoided, whereas the total number of deaths was increased by six. There is no reliable evidence to date, which says that mammography screening decreases breast cancer mortality (Lancet 2000; 129-34).

2002 Radiation Research
The Low-Dose Radiation Research Program was funded by a grant supported by the US Department of Education and the National Institute of Health.                             Conclusions showed that low energy X-rays of mammograms produce an increased biological risk, as opposed to higher energy photons of other types of X-rays.  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California cell biologist Mary Helen Barcellos-Hoff, shows that exposure to ionizing radiation creates a wound that promotes a microenvironment in the tissue surrounding breast cells, that can cause cells to become cancerous.  Our studies demonstrate that radiation elicits rapid and persistent global alterations in the mammary gland microenvironment. Radiation exposure can cause breast cancer by pathways other than genetic mutations or DNA damage.

Ionizing radiation is a well-established carcinogen, but previous studies of its cancer-causing effects have largely focused on damage to the breast cells DNA. Barcellos-Hoff has pursued a different tactic. It takes a tissue to make a tumor, she says.  Cells don't become tumors without cooperation from the surrounding tissue.

2002 Saarland University, Hamburg, Germany...
It is generally accepted that ionizing radiation causes
double and multiple strand breaks in DNA, which is an
accepted cause of cancer. Research reveals that exposure
to low-dose radiation causes damage so extensive to
the DNA that it is unable to repair itself, resulting in a
permanent genetic mutation of the DNA.

2004 Radiation Research...
The Neoplastic Transformation Potential of
Mammography X-Rays.
To help resolve the controversy regarding the risk of
mammography breast screening, a study was carried
out with a grant to the University of Birmingham, UK.
A comparison was made using an actual low-dose
mammogram X-ray machine and a standard high-dose
X-ray (chest X-ray). Results suggested that the risks (of
developing cancer) associated with mammogram screening
may be approximately five times higher than previously
assumed (which was 1%), making the estimated increased
risk of 5% for each exposure. The authors suggested that
the risk-benefit relationship of mammography exposure clearly needs to be re-evaluated.

Prevention is always the best policy...

Ionizing radiation damage is cumulative, which means each exposure multiplies the risk. The fact that the risk exists at all justifies the necessity to use a safe, noninvasive method of screening to avoid causing the disease that mammograms are designed to detect. Clearly, one way to prevent breast cancer is to avoid unnecessary radiation exposure. In spite of its risks, ionizing radiation is widely supported by those who benefit in various ways from its use, as well as results of mammographies on otherwise healthy women. It is an elective procedure, not a requirement.

You have a choice. When a mammogram is recommended, consider whose interest it serves to recommend exposing you to a known risk. Take responsibility for your best interest.

Thermal Imaging is a safe, affordable, and reliable option. It can prevent breast disease by helping you to monitor your breast health and to avoid ionizing radiation. In addition, it can detect previously undetected signs of microscopic development in time to make choices that can change the outcome.  Even if you have had only one mammogram, you are at risk. Early detection is vital. Remember, the best way to manage a disaster is to prevent it!

Here's to your good health!