Diagnosis
Reliable
and Safe Diagnostic Procedures
Another problem with diagnosis is that it may be
inaccurate! Many cancer tests have false positive (and
false negative) results, meaning that you are diagnosed as
having cancer but actually do not (mammograms, prostate
specific antigen tests, etc). Always get a second and even
third opinion or test.
Recommendations for testing and treatment after diagnosis
often vary depending on the training of the physician (U.S,
French, German, Japanese, etc.) and the type of physician
(surgeon, oncologist, etc.). For an excellent discussion of
this problem see the relevant chapter in the book
Choices in Healing
by Lerner.
Try to avoid invasive or radioactive tests where possible
since often the test itself can cause a cancer to spread
(biopsies) or can weaken the immune response of the system.
An example is mammography versus
breast thermography which is much
less traumatic and more accurate (see http://www.breastthermography.com/).
Unfortunately, so far there is no such diagnostic center in
Egypt. However, women have the option of
breast
self examination (BSE) which can be trained following
instruction by trained nurses and/or annual clinical breast
examinations (CBE). That these two methods are superior to
dangerous mammographies is argued by Dr. S. Epstein in the
articles
Report on Breast
Examination and
Dangers and Unreliability of Mammography:
Breast Examination is a Safe, Effective, and Practical
Alternative.