About Kelly Brogan

KELLY BROGAN, MD, is a holistic psychiatrist, author of the New York Times Bestselling book, A Mind of Your Own, Own Your Self, the children’s book, A Time For Rain, and co-editor of the landmark textbook Integrative Therapies for Depression.

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I will never get a mammogram. Here’s why:

Just as conventional medicine tells us that germs must be eradicated and abolished for health, it tells us that cancer is an invasion to be thrashed and poisoned out of our systems. This conceptualization of the human body as a sterile vessel that gets toxified by contact and exposures fails to integrate post-genomic concepts like the role of the microbiome in immunity and inflammation, our ecological relationships to other living plants, animals, and microorganisms, and the role of stress in dictating susceptibility. Terrain science has taught us that cancer is, in fact, an adaptive expression of a cells will to survive under suuboptimal conditions.

Sayer Ji of GreenMedInfo.com recently discussed a paper with profound implications: we have mislabeled and mistreated millions of women who have dutifully followed their doctor’s recommendations to get annual mammograms. The study found that, after 20 years, in situ carcinoma did NOT progress to invasive cancer in 80% of cases. This lack of predictable progression also applies to invasive cancers.

He states:

The present inability of the conventional medical system to identify any clear method to determine the difference between a benign, malignant, or possibly regression-prone form of BC, puts the patient at profound risk of overdiagnosis and overtreatment, the consequences of which can be devastating. The lack of individualized treatment and informed choice leads many women to undergo treatment who may have never experienced disease progression had they chosen to employ watchful waiting, or alternative approaches.

Because of an acknowledged 17 year lag in translation of paradigm-shifting science to clinical practice, your doctor may not be aware of what evidence suggests.

Today, more than one-third of screen-detected early cancers are DCIS, with the unfortunate result that 33% of those diagnosed with DCIS receiving breast removal (mastectomy), 48% receiving lumpectomy and radiation treatments, 16% receiving lumpectomy, and only 3% electing to do nothing.

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 The fact that DCIS will do no harm in at least 80% of the time reveals a great burden of iatrogenic harm is being borne by women who are being coerced by an outdated treatment model that is no longer sufficiently evidence-based.

After 30 years of cancer screening, reduction in mortality and late stage cancers have not been realized, according to a critical JAMA analysis.

Given our fundamental lack of insight into the individual variables that dictate whether cellular changes progress to a symptomatic cancer or self-correct, prevention is the best medicine.  Consider minimizing endocrine disrupting plastics, pesticides, and cosmetics, as well as increasing colorful plants and cruciferous vegetables in your diet to promote healthy estrogen excretion. And don’t forget the anti-inflammatory benefits of the relaxation response. Learn more about cleaning up your personal environment at the Environmental Working Group. Take steps to empower your body to maintain robust health naturally. That pink ribbon clashes with truth.

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