Julien's Journal December 2016 (Volume 41, Number 12) | Page 38

JJ
HEALTH &
WELLNESS

by Dr Lisa Intriligator

HOPE FOR EARLIER
LESS INVASIVE DETECTION
OF BREAST CANCER

Dr. Lisa Intriligator seeks to help people
attain longevity and resilience through corrective Chiropractic Biophysics and wellness
and longevity education. She has resided
in Dubuque since 2011 with her husband
William and their four children. Her office is located in Dubuque Fountain Park’s
Cove Building. Schedule an appointment at
[phone] or visit her website at www.
DubuqueBio4HealthChiropractic.com.

According to one local radiologist, the
average mammogram is the equivalent
to a single chest x-ray. Assuming this is at
minimum exposure and the average life
expectancy for a woman is 72 years of age,
this is the equivalent of approximately 21
chest x-rays in her lifetime. I asked this
doctor, why they don’t use less invasive
procedures such as Ultrasound or MRI,
which are the recommended follow-up
procedures when a woman has a positive
mammogram. While he assured me that
there are things that cannot be seen on
ultrasound, that can be seen on a mammogram, like small calcifications, it seems to
me that there has to be a better way than
exposing the sensitive breast tissue to annual x-rays, especially when radiation is a
major risk factor for breast cancer.
Thankfully there seems to be another

option, which, though it is not being promoted by public health officials and doctors, seems to be a promising alternative.
According to a 1984 study published in
the Journal of Roentology, mammography
has a sensitivity rate of less than 65%. A
1994 study in the New England Journal of
Medicine found a 30% rate of false negatives using mammography (meaning 30 %
of women with breast cancer were missed
on screening). So although mammography
is the present day gold-standard screening
tool, it should be clear that it falls short in
its ability to detect breast cancer at rates
that one would expect.
Additionally, according to the statistics
sited by Michele McDermott, MD in her
January 2, 2015 web article “The Confusion about Breast Density,” 40% of women
have dense breast tissue, and 10% of

A

s I mentioned in my last column, I have always thought it
was ironic and disturbing that
according to the Mayo Clinic,
and nearly every other breast cancer
resource, a major risk factor for breast
cancer is radiation exposure. Yet women
are continuously counseled by doctors and
public health initiatives to have regular
and ongoing radiation exposure through
mammograms, starting from age 40 (or
45 depending on the source) and have a
mammogram annually until 50 or 55, then
either annually or biennially thereafter
(depending on the source).
36  ❖  Julien’s Journal

Photo courtesy of Asvanced Thermography of South Florida