| Welcome |
|
November 08, 2008
Mammograms?
Hi ,
Remember those old science fiction movies from the 50's and 60's where radiation would cause mutant giant ants or giant lobsters to grow in the city sewer system. Even worse, the old Japanese radiation caused mutant monster films? These films played on the frightening reality of the dangers of high-energy radiation. As time has gone by and the fear of "the bomb" has faded from the public's attention so has the fear of radiation. Unfortunately the decrease of the fear has not decreased the danger of radiation. In the 50's and 60's no one would have touched a food exposed to radiation with a ten-foot pole yet today we merrily eat irradiated food by the plateful.
High-energy (ionizing) radiation kills and/or mutates living tissue. The human body has a small defense against ionizing radiation in the form of antioxidants. One of the damages caused by ionizing radiation is that it forms free radicals in the body which antioxidants are able to fight if you have enough of them. Radiation also breaks down the DNA in the cells and causes mutations to occur. Usually your body will attack these mutations just like the people in the old movies would attack the giant lobsters. But sometimes the mutations are too strong and they keep growing. This is what we call cancer. Radiation is one of the causes of cancer. We all know this because of all the cancers that show up around radiation hot spots like Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Hiroshima.
What is the most common source of radiation in our average daily lives? Answer: the sun. Medical doctors will warn you of the cancer causing effects of the sun - although the warnings they have given for the last 30 years were backwards. It turns out that the most dangerous sunrays are the early morning and late afternoon rays and the safest are the mid-day sun rays. It also turns out that the deadly melanoma skin cancers are actually reduced by exposure to mid-day sun because of the increased vitamin D formed in the skin that protects you from melanomas. It is only the non-deadly skin cancers that are kicked up by too much sun exposure from the early and later parts of the day (as well as sunburns). Ironically the whole sunscreen lotion industry has been found to actually increase these cancers by allowing you to stay out in the sun longer. The sunscreen keeps you from burning - mother natures way of telling you to get out of the sun because you are getting too much radiation exposure - but does not block out the cancer causing rays.
The second most common source of radiation in our lives is medical X-rays. I got an X-ray operator license as part of my Chiropractic license. The license is all about safety procedures for handling and working with X-ray radiation. X-rays are very dangerous. Always in the mind of the doctor must be the question of the benefit of finding out what an X-ray will show versus the damage caused by taking the x-ray. There is no "safe" level of radiation. Every bit of it damages tissue and causes mutations. "Safe" levels are really determined by what is called the LD-50 - Lethal Dose for 50% of those exposed. This is the same rational as used in determining the "safe" level of a drug. Since everyone is different, their resistance to radiation damage is different, so no one actually knows what "safe" is...so they guess. They pick an arbitrary number like 10% and say 10% of the LD-50 should be safe. Yeah, right...for some people maybe, but not everyone. That is why I rarely use X-rays in my practice. Although it takes much more time to find out what is going on through physical exam and muscle testing, I have no concern about damaging a person with radiation.
So now we come to the subject of this article, the use of X-rays for breast mammogram exams. Who thought up this insanity? X-rays cause genetic mutation and promote cancer. Why would you use a cancer causing procedure in order to look for cancer? They try to tell you it is safe, but there is no "safe" level of X-ray radiation. They justify it by saying that the damage is not as important as being able to discover cancer early enough to stop it. That might fly if it were true, but it isn't. The fast growing invasive breast cancers are rarely caught with mammograms. You would have to have a mammogram every 6-8 weeks to catch the dangerous cancers. They appear and become a problem much too quickly to get caught by the mammogram until it is too late. Most cancers caught on a mammogram are the size of a dime and already contain over 4 billion cancer cells.
Modern oncology researchers are now saying that the best way to catch breast cancer early is through regular monthly self-breast exams. They have been saying this for many years now, however large scale studies have not shown any decrease in the death rate from breast cancer amongst women who do breast self exams. Shifting to something more like breast awareness of any changes in your breast tissue is likely a better route. You are the best person to know if there has been a change that does not feel right.
Is there something better? Yes there is - breast thermography. No X-rays are involved, no painful mammography machines. Thermography measures heat patterns caused by your blood flow and increased heat caused by inflammation. This shows abnormal physiology in tissue before obvious signs of cancer have showed up yet. It can point out changes that could lead to cancer before any cancer has even started. It is best to have your first thermogram done in your twenties to establish a baseline for what normal looks like for you. Here is an excellent website on thermography:
www.breastthermography.com/breast_thermography_mf.htm
and another:
and a list of thermography centers:
http://www.breastthermography.com/find-a-center.htm
which includes two centers in this area, one in Roseville and one in Auburn. While thermography is not the ultimate and only needed tool for diagnosing breast cancer, it is a much better tool for regular screenings than shooting yourself full of radiation. Mammograms, like X-rays have their place. But that place should not be for routine screenings. There is too much damage from the radiation. Consider switching to thermography for your breast cancer screenings.
________
You are free to reprint this article in your newsletter as long as you include the following statement in the same size type and color:
"This article
appears courtesy of Fair Oaks Health News,
offering alternative solutions for body, mind and soul. For a
complimentary subscription,
visit http://www.fairoakshealth.com"
Ouestions - if you have questions of a health or growth nature we could discuss in this newsletter, or if you have comments or ideas about a future newsletter focus please email me at:
david@fairoakshealth.com
|
H
|
On the Wire
|
- "I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to
have."
- - Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
Buddhist Temple Built from Beer Bottles
This is totally cool and actually quite beautiful. 1 million bottles were used in building this amazing structure. Talk about taking recycling to the next level!
- "If a man does his best, what else is there?"
- - General George S. Patton (1885-1945)
Amazing Power of Music Revealed
Music affects us on so many levels, but I didn't know just how much until this article. We all know music can reduce stress and help us relax, but some of these other uses are new to me. Music can improve athletic performance as much or more than illegal performance enhancing drugs. It is used to improve motor skills in post stroke patients.
- "Do, or do not. There is no 'try'."
- - Yoda ('The Empire Strikes Back')
Probiotics 'may stop pneumonia'
With all the problems we have with superbugs being created in hospitals by the overuse of antibiotics, it is nice to see that some people are looking at natural methods of fighting infection. Here a simple probiotic solution has been found to work better than the powerful drugs used in fighting pneumonia.
10 skills you need to succeed at almost anything
This is a well thought out review of some basic life skills everyone needs to be a success in this culture. Some of the skills on this list will surprise you until you read why they were in the top 10.
_________________________________________________
- "Problems worthy of attack prove their worth by fighting back."
- - Paul Erdos (1913-1996)
|
| |
|
_______________
_______________
About Dr. DeLapp
|
Dr. DeLapp has been a philosopher, non-force Chiropractor, medical intuitive, and health innovator for over 30 years. He began experimenting with medical intuition in 1972 while studying physics at UC Davis. In addition to physics he designed and completed an individual major in the philosophy and psychology of education. Shortly after he choose to pursue a career in the only truly health oriented profession available at that time, Chiropractic. He graduated with honors in 1981 with his doctorate and opened a private practice.
Since that time he has continued his research into the effects of consciousness and learning on health.
He developed the Biomagnetic Retraining system for correcting movement abnormalities.
Since 1991 he has focused on developing a powerful system for uncovering and assisting the mind-body connection in health and personal growth. The in-depth coaching, guided by the subconscious direction from the body, is called Heartflow and the simpler mind-body retraining for health and unfoldment he has named Gracework. Both are available at Fair Oaks Health.
Fair Oaks Healing
& Arts Center
Staff
Dr David DeLapp DC
Chiropractor
Ellen Flowers FGM
Spiritual Life Coach
Susan Richardson
Front Desk
Gypsy Andrews
Metabolic Nutritionist
Front Desk
Super Chocolate
No-Sugar Brownies
The holidays are upon us and one of my favorite treats is a good brownie. The question is how do we turn them from bite-sized death into healthful delight? The trick is to cut out most of the carbs and put in very dark chocolate chips plus actual raw cacao nibs. This will give you a super boost of antioxidants as well as a happy mouth. Here we go...
1/2 cup cocoa powder
6 eggs
1 cup erythritol or xylitol
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup 70% cocoa chips
1/4 cup raw cacao nibs
nuts optional on top
Melt the coconut oil in a sauce pan and mix in the cocoa powder - let cool. Blend the eggs, erythritol, salt, and vanilla. Whisk in the cocoa mixture and then the sifted coconut flour. Add the 70% cocoa chocolate chip and the nibs and spread into a greased 11x7 or 8x8 inch pan. Add nuts if you wish and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Yum...fantastic and actually good for you.
(Just in case there is a person out there that is afraid of fat, relax, that is why we use coconut oil. Coconut oil is primarily medium chain triglycerides which actually raise your metabolic furnace to burn fat more effectively. These do have calories however so moderation is the key.)
| |
