What You Should Know
For example, in the case of breast cancer, research shows that mammograms can’t detect tumors until they have made 20 cell divisions, which is somewhat of an advanced stage, not an early stage.
And according to a 2011 issue of the British Medical Journey, mammograms may actually cause harm in some cases. Mammograms put radiation through tissue that’s easily damaged by radiation. This may increase the risk of breast cancer by encouraging more cell division.
A 6-year study reported by the British Medical journal tracked women who got yearly mammograms and those that didn’t. At the end of 6 years there was a higher rate of breast cancer among the women who were screened regularly.
Mammograms also produce some false positives, which result in stress and needless treatments like radiation, chemo, biopsies and mastectomies. For every 2000 women screened one life is saved and 200 women are given false positives.
A radiation-free alternative to mammography is thermograpy, which uses heat to sense tumors instead of radiation and is equally accurate.
Dr. Webster says he’s not opposed to early diagnostic screenings and feels mammograms or thermography can help in some cases, but only for high-risk individuals who suspect cancer or have a genetic history, not as a routine annual exam.
How to really prevent cancer
On the prevention side, Dr. Webster talked about one food that helps most in preventing cancer and that’s broccoli. Broccoli contains DIM, a compound that helps metabolize estrogen and sulforaphane which helps the body eliminate toxins related to cancer. You can also get them in supplement form.
A useful cancer screening
We then talked about prostate cancer and Dr. Webster recommended a yearly PSA blood test for anyone over the age of 50, a less stressful and invasive alternative to the manual exam.
The most useful “preventative exam”
He also said the most effective early diagnostic test is for colon cancer, and is called a colonoscopy. This test detects and removes pre-cancerous polyps in the colon.
Prevent disease with lifestyle choices and diet
To sum, we both agreed that the best way to prevent cancer is a healthy diet and lifestyle. It’s best to avoid inflammatory foods like wheat, sugar and hydrogenated oils. For more information about healthy eating and the detriments of soy, visit Westonaprice.org .
To hear the whole discussion, including what we said about vaccinations and how to purify breast milk go here.