Recent research has shown breast mammograms may not save lives after all. We have always been told that regular breast screening with mammograms is the best way to protect ourselves from breast cancer. Of course mammograms don’t prevent cancer, but we’ve been led to believe they can detect breast cancer at the earliest possible stage, thereby offering the best chance of survival and thus reducing death rates. But is this actually true? The use of mammography in screening for breast cancer has long been a controversial topic, with some authorities claiming that a great number of women have to be screened for even one life to be saved – not to mention the cancer-causing effects of the high dose of radiation from mammograms. Now new research has confirmed these suspicions. A recent study that spanned 25 years followed a group of 90,000 women in Canada, half of whom had been selected for mammography (five mammograms over five years), while the other half didn’t receive mammograms (but did receive at least one breast examination). After 25 years, 3,250 women in the mammography group and 3,133 in the non-mammography group were diagnosed with breast cancer. As you can see, mammography didn’t improve breast cancer detection. But even more significantly, deaths from breast cancer were virtually identical between the two groups. This means screening about 45,000 women for 5 years did not reduce their risk of breast cancer compared to breast examination. This study also looked at over-diagnosis. For every 424 women given a mammogram, one woman had a breast cancer detected that would not have bothered her if left undetected and untreated. Yet, unfortunately she had to experience the emotional anguish that goes along with a cancer diagnosis. Contrary to popular opinion, there is a lot you can do to protect the health of your breasts. See our book The Breast Cancer Prevention Guide for information and take Breast Health Capsules daily to protect the  delicate breast tissue. Reference