Diagnostic + Preventative Tools



Diagnostic tests are not preventative measures, aside from the thermogram, as we’ve been led to believe. To be proactive in reducing our odds for any health imbalances, we need to change our diets, exercise, do more of what makes our heart and souls happy,  create a loving relationship with ourselves and others. We need to live a life in harmony with nature to the best of our abilities.

So much of the emphasis on screenings is based on fear. Every October is breast cancer awareness month, but little is done to promote prevention. We’re asked to buy a pink chocolate bar to help find a cure. This could not be more counter-intuitive. We should be promoting breast massage, eating more cruciferous vegetables and iodine rich foods, learning to nurture ourselves and so on. Regular screenings will not reduce your odds or change your outcome. Getting an ultrasound every year is not what’s helping me heal. Changing my diet, correcting my deficiencies, healing my gut, starting a spiritual practice among many other things are what fostered healing and balance. The following tests and tools are described to the best of my knowledge and experience today.

  • Mammograms

  • Thermograms

  • Ultrasound

  • Surgery

  • Biopsies

 

Mammograms



  • Mammograms are quite an outdated method of early detection for breast cancer.

  • Do not promote breast health and generally regarded as unsafe.

  • This x-ray uses radiation to examine breast tissue.  It picks up denser breast tissue which most of the time is healthy.

  • The amount of radiation used in a mammogram is 200 times stronger than a regular x-ray. And that’s for each breast.

  • It cannot distinguish between a healthy and cancerous cell as it only sees denser tissue. 

  • Only biopsies can detect cancerous cells.

  • Mammograms are quite often inaccurate and often miss fast growing cancerous tumors.

  • It is important to note that this is not a prevention tool but a diagnostics tool. The prevention lies with you.  

  • Many studies have shown that mammograms do not lower the death rate of women diagnosed with breast cancer.

  • Pressure exerted during a mammogram may spread cancer cells if they’re present.

  • There is also the risk of over treatment and over diagnosis. It isn’t possible to distinguish between life-threatening cancer cells and harmless cell changes, which may lead to unnecessary treatment.

  • Many breast imbalances heal themselves with a few diet, supplement and lifestyle changes, as I’ve personally experienced.  Again, there are exceptions to every rule and it’s important to do what’s right for you and to follow your inner guidance.

  • Many diagnostic tools do not promote a proactive approach. Women wait till an imbalance shows up before taking any action.

  • ” By the time a cancer is big enough to be seen on a mammogram, it’s usually 8 years old, has 500 million cells and its approximately half a centimeter long.” Susun Weed Breast Cancer? Breast Health

  • Mammograms have a very high false alarm rate which can lead to unnecessary biopsies and surgery.

  • Many women are told to get a ‘baseline’ screening with which future images can be compared to, however breast tissue changes so much over time that these ‘baseline’ images have no relevance.

  • Different clinics will have different expertise levels and it’s important to know that if this is the only tool at your disposal, to research the clinics that have the most qualified staff, how old their equipment is (new machines generally give off less radiation), and so on.

  • Susun Weed’s book Breast Cancer? Breast Health has a great checklist of things to look for and do/not do if you are having a mammogram.

  • Don’t feel shame if you’ve had a mammogram or are going to have one. Sometimes this is the only tool available. There are plenty of ways to mitigate the radiation from mammograms such as with herbs, adaptogens, iodine and so on. Gratitude can also shift negative and fearful energy into positive. Give thanks that this tool was created to help you lead your healthiest life.

  • The goal is to make the best, most informed decision that we can and that will support our needs.

 

Radiation Dosage

  • Chest X-ray: 1/1000 rad (1millirad over entire chest)

  • 1 mammogram: 0.2 rads (200 millirads per breast)

  • 2 mammograms (routine): 0/4 rads (400 millirads per breast)

  • 10 premenopausal mammograms: 4 rads (approx. 10 rads, 1 mile Hiroshima exposure)

 





 

Thermograms

 

  • Thermograms are the only proactive approach and preventative tool.

  • They detect the amount of heat (inflammation) coming from the breast. This may be  much more proactive in early detection. If inflammation is detected, a protocol can be put into action to reduce inflammation before growths start to develop. Breast inflammation is a marker for inflammation in other areas of the body such as poor gut health, poor thyroid function, etc.

  • Thermograms are an efficient and safe diagnostic tool.

  • It is radiation-free, non-invasive and painless.

  • A thermogram can detect change in the breast tissue approximately eight to ten years before a mammogram or a physical exam.

  • There are always exceptions, and perhaps there are situations where a mammogram is needed. However, I personally believe that the best diagnostic tool is you. It’s your intuition and it’s knowing your body. Most lumps, about 90%, are found by women themselves.

  • Talk to your healthcare practitioner and decide what’s best for you. My functional medicine doctor, Dr. Dionne, has shared with me that she no longer (very rarely) prescribes mammograms, mostly thermograms. 


 

Ultrasound


  • Ultrasounds are my watch dog. It’s what helps discern how far I’ve come along in my healing journey. It tracks the size of my fibroadenomas and tumor and has also found quite a few fibroadenomas that I didn’t know I had. This is the only test/tool that I’ve used to date.

  • I can only share my experience with ultrasounds and so far it’s been what both my functional medicine doctor and myself have steered towards. All of my fibroadenomas and tumor have been examined via ultrasound. That being said, I would absolutely use a thermogram.

  • Generally regarded as safe, and a good alternative for mammograms

  • Ultrasound waves bounce off breast tissue to measure their density. Lumps such as fibroadenomas and cancer are denser than the surrounding breast tissue.



Again, this is a very basic scope of these tests and every situation needs to be approached individually.

 



 

Surgery


  • Surgery is generally what’s recommended when it’s comes to removing or ‘healing’ breast imbalances. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get to the root of the imbalance and will not prevent other fibroadenomas, cysts or tumors from forming. There are many instances where women have had surgery and no other imbalances formed afterwards. This, however, was not my experience.

  • Surgery is not a preventative measure and does not improve a woman’s breast health. I believe it makes it worse by overlooking and ignoring the root causes.

  • Whenever we’re diagnosed with anything, it’s important to ask ourselves why this imbalance showed up. And as difficult as it might be to see, there is always a gift attached to this diagnosis.

  • My breast imbalances have asked me to really start nurturing and loving myself, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

  • Now you can choose to have surgery in combination with implementing a proactive approach such as correcting nutrient deficiencies, supplementing with iodine and so on.

  • This imbalance is asking you to examine your life and to start nurturing yourself. Your body, not just your breasts will greatly benefit.


Mastectomy - Coming Soon


  • I recently had someone reach out and she mentioned that she’d had a mastectomy and the cancer came back. As heart breaking as this is, it’s always an important to try and get to the root cause. Surgery, albeit complete removal of a breast (or body part) is never a guarantee.

Share susun weed’s perspective …..

 


 

Biopsies


  • From my personal experience, and I’ve had 6, biopsies do not hurt. Thankfully. It’s a procedure that’s recommended to diagnose large breast lumps, usually over 3cm.

  • This tool is what will diagnose, to the best of it’s ability, tumors, fibroadenomas, cancerous cells, etc.

  • From my experience, the radiologists who diagnose the tissue sample, are quite hesitant to give the patient a definite answer. They like to recommend ‘excision’  (surgical removal) in order to fully examine the lump.

  • The thought of biopsies can be quite scary and uncomfortable. It’s a test that many avoid and delay doing. It’s important to take our health into our own hands. Sweeping an issue under the rug only makes it worse in the long run.