bOObs: The War on Women’s Breasts
Written, directed and produced by Megan S. Smith
WayMark Productions
Distributed by Cinema Libre Studio
Our mainstream medical system is still widely trusted despite a rather pathetic track record. The basis for this trust is a lot of fake news put out by an industry that is very adept at patting itself on the back. The film bOObs seeks to counter the fake news with a few facts specifically on the subject of mammograms. Dr. Ben Johnson and other experts on the biological effects of radiation are interviewed and have some interesting points to make.
One of the first points is that a mammogram exposes you to about the same amount of radiation as one hundred X-rays. Next point: Contrary to their reputation, mammograms do not achieve early detection. By the time a tumor is large enough to be detected by a mammogram, it has probably been growing for five years or more. Next point: False positives and false negatives are so routine that the mammogram procedure is hardly better than flipping a coin. But they have convinced middle-aged women everywhere that it is very important to flip that coin once a year or so, whether it really does any good or not. It is the “standard of care,” which really means the insurance and pharmaceutical industries have decided this is the best way for them to make money. Doctors and nurses are just as trapped in the system as their patients.
When you see a conventional doctor, you are putting yourself at the mercy of industries that say they care. And they do care, very deeply—about your money. If you need to lose weight, they will help you lose weight, mostly in your wallet. They will respond to concerns about radiation by claiming that you get the same amount of radiation on an airplane. OK, maybe true—but on the plane, that radiation is evenly distributed over your whole body. A mammogram concentrates it just on the chest, which makes a big difference. I’m not sure flying on a plane is the greatest thing for your health, anyway.
According to a study published in The Lancet, not only does mammography not decrease breast cancer mortality but it may increase overall deaths. The stress associated with false positives could be part of that. It is also a very abusive process involving a lot of smashing of body parts that might have a tumor. Never a good idea. Apparently, Switzerland is the only country that has gotten the message and banned mammograms.
The video makes some strong recommendations for prevention and alternative methods of screening. If you must get screened, thermography (especially when combined with ultrasound) has much higher accuracy than mammography. There is no smashing, no radiation, not even any touching.
But there are also ways to reduce your risk, for example, by tossing your junk food in the garbage. Bras that are too tight will cut off blood and lymph circulation, and poor circulation absolutely can lead to cancer. This film does a good job of giving women better information and much better choices than mammography. The thumb is UP.
This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Winter 2020
🖨️ Print post
Leave a Reply