What's going on here? page

[1949katie]

It seems a bit odd that in the last 6 months or so we have been told to skip mammograms and prostate exams and to quit taking supplements. So, what's with pushing all the pills by doctors and why is so much processed food "fortified" with vitamins and minerals? I'm not sure about all of this. I'm eating grain fed and free range, wild caught, and organic as much as possible, so is that enough at this point?

[tplank]

Deep Throat summed it all up: follow the money.

[Chapstick]

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[Uncephalized]

Eating Primal foods and avoiding grains will get you all the nutrition you need. People eating the SAD only need to take vitamins because the grains they are eating are empty calories with next to no nutritional value.

[marqueemoon]

Yes, that's why so many people here pay hundreds of dollars a months for supplements because Dr Kruse (or whatever loon of the month they're partial to) tells them they need it.

[Paleobird]

Eating Primal foods and avoiding grains will get you all the nutrition you need. People eating the SAD only need to take vitamins because the grains they are eating are empty calories with next to no nutritional value.

This^^ And anyone who told you to skip a mammogram or prostate exam is an idiot. I am alive today because of a mammogram.

[Chapstick]

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[jammies]

This^^ And anyone who told you to skip a mammogram or prostate exam is an idiot. I am alive today because of a mammogram.

It's not quite that simple. There is a very significant debate going on as to when it becomes useful to start regular mammogram screening. I'm not talking about the fringe medical community - this is under debate by the top breast cancer treatment groups. To date, data suggests that early mammograms only increase the "lead time" of diagnosis, not actually the overall long term survival. However, those data are generated using old therapeutic interventions. So it is unclear if early diagnosis now would offer increased survival benefit with new treatments. Since newer therapies are much better than old, that does seem likely to me. But if you dig in the literature there are a lot of legitimate questions.

I believe prostate exam recommendations are under fire right now as well.

[Paleobird]

On mammograms: Annals of Technology: The Picture Problem : The New Yorker

Interesting read. Medicine does what they can with what they have, but it's far from perfect.

No, not perfect but still very useful. When done by someone who knows their stuff, it saves lives. Lack of complete perfection in the technology is not a reason not to have one.

[Dragonfly]

It's not quite that simple. There is a very significant debate going on as to when it becomes useful to start regular mammogram screening. I'm not talking about the fringe medical community - this is under debate by the top breast cancer treatment groups. To date, data suggests that early mammograms only increase the "lead time" of diagnosis, not actually the overall long term survival. However, those data are generated using old therapeutic interventions. So it is unclear if early diagnosis now would offer increased survival benefit with new treatments. Since newer therapies are much better than old, that does seem likely to me. But if you dig in the literature there are a lot of legitimate questions.

I believe prostate exam recommendations are under fire right now as well.

+1

Eating Primal foods and avoiding grains will get you all the nutrition you need. People eating the SAD only need to take vitamins because the grains they are eating are empty calories with next to no nutritional value.

Rampant Vitamin D deficiency is likely to be a contributing factor to many cancers and most Primal folks don't get enough sun, nor do most of us get enough Magnesium, which we need along with D. I supplement with both.