By Dr. Joseph Mercola
     with Rachael Droege

Health officials recommend that all women over 40 get a mammogram every one to two years, yet there is no solid evidence that mammograms save lives, and the benefits of mammograms are completely controversial. Meanwhile, the harms of mammography have been well established. Some of the dangers of mammography include:

• Mammograms expose your body to radiation that can be 1,000 times greater than that from a chest x-ray, which poses risks of cancer

• Mammography compresses the breasts tightly, and often painfully, which could lead to a lethal spread of malignant cells

• Cancers are often missed in premenopausal women, who have dense breasts, and postmenopausal women on estrogen replacement therapy

• False diagnoses are common, and women may be unnecessarily and harmfully treated by mastectomy, radiation or chemotherapy

You can save yourself the danger and the expense of yearly mammograms by performing breast self-exams regularly, and getting a thorough breast examination if you discover any abnormalities. While it is inappropriate to use mammograms as a screening tool, they can be used if there are any suspicious findings after a regular breast self-exam.

When to Start a Breast Self-Exam

Monthly breast self-exams are your best defense against breast cancer. These regular exams will allow you to become familiar with how your breasts normally look and feel. Many women’s breasts naturally contain some lumpiness or differences in size and shape between the left and right breast. The key to the breast self-exam is to allow you to recognize any changes that may occur in the breasts over time.

Women should begin breast exams at the age on 20 years and continue once a month throughout their lifetime. Menstruating women should perform the exam a few days to a week after menstruation has ended, due to hormonal changes, while post-menopausal women should perform the breast self-exam on the same day each month for regularity. Women who use oral contraceptives (although I strongly advise against this) should perform the exam on the day they begin a new pack of pills.

How to Perform a Breast Self-Exam

• Lie down with a pillow under your right shoulder, and place your right arm behind your head.

• Use the finger pads of the three middle fingers on your left hand to feel for lumps in the right breast.

• Press firmly enough to know how your breast feels. A firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast is normal.

• Move around the breast in a circular, up and down line, or wedge pattern (see photo below). Be sure to do it the same way every time, check the entire breast area, and remember how your breast feels from month to month.

• Repeat the exam on your left breast, using the finger pads of the right hand. (Move the pillow to under your left shoulder.)

• Repeat the examination of both breasts while standing, with your one arm behind your head. The upright position makes it easier to check the upper and outer part of the breasts (toward your armpit). This is where about half of breast cancers are found. You may want to do the standing part of the exam while you are in the shower. Some breast changes can be felt more easily when your skin is wet and soapy.

• You can also check your breasts for any dimpling of the skin, changes in the nipple, redness, or swelling while standing in front of a mirror each month. You should gently squeeze the nipple and check for any unusual discharge.

• If you find any changes, see your doctor right away.

Use one of these patterns when performing the breast self-exam
(From the American Cancer Society)

What to Watch for During a Breast Self-Exam

If you detect any of the following changes, be sure to see your doctor right away:

• A new lump or hard knot found in the breast or armpit
• Dimpling, puckering or indention in the breast or nipple
• Change in the size, shape or symmetry of your breast
• Swelling or thickening of the breast
• Redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin
• Nipple discharge, especially any that is bloody, clear and sticky, dark or occurs without squeezing your nipple
• Changes in the nipple such as tenderness, pain, turning or drawing inward, or pointing in a new direction
• Any suspicious changes in the breasts

Mammography Myths Remain Unexposed

More on the Dangers of Mammography

Mammograms Worthless Over Breast Exam Alone

Women in the US Not Properly Informed About Mammography

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