Engage Her: Activating Women and MultiCultural Communities

With the new so-called guidelines put out recently, by that group with the quasi-official sounding name, I cannot help but wonder if they were told to put out that statement by their handlers in the healthcare industry.   The claim made is that they want to hold down costs, yet the money stream is still going strong to the executives of the major healthcare insurance corporations, while the subscribers who are paying for the care are being told to make do with less and less – now I don’t know about Ali Baba, but I think I know where the forty thieves are.  The key to cancer prevention is more vigilance, not less.  If you find a lump that was not there before, don’t sit around and wait for disaster to strike, go get it checked out, fast.  Wait for the elevator, the bus, a taxicab or a train, but when it comes to your health, do not wait.  That does not mean run in to have a mosquito bite on your index finger looked at every day of the week, but if a lump is felt in your breast (this advice is for men and women, as men can get breast cancer too – movie star Richard Roundtree from the old SHAFT movies found out he had breast cancer recently) RUN, do not walk to your doctor and have it checked out.  Please folks, help me and other healthcare professionals to help you – keeping bad news to yourself helps no one.  Do not be scared to tell someone about that lump – keeping bad news to yourself in the hope that it goes away is crazy, dangerous to yourself, and very unrealistic.

A recent report was released from an Independent panel of doctors and health officials that suggests that women should have mammograms starting at age 50 versus the standard guidelines today that recommend mammograms at age 40. This report is being issued by a group that does not set governmental guidelines but provides their recommendations for different agencies, insurance companies, doctors and patients. It is causing a great deal of controversy and push back from established government agencies, medical institutions and even doctors who are recommending that each women’s case history is an individual one. Depending upon the woman’s family history, concern about breast cancer and desire to be pro-active about their health, women need to consult with their private doctors and healthcare providers to determine their best choices. Kathleen Sebellius, Secretary of Health and Human Services has stated that the governmental recommendations and guidelines for Medicare and Medicaid will not change based on this panel’s findings. If you are concerned as a woman about breast cancer and wish to be pro-active then you need to continue to be vigilant about your own health and of your loved ones. Consult with your doctor and seek their recommendations.