okay is anyone else slightly annoyed at all the find a cure for breat cancer stuff??

[Alvenchrst]

So I find myself getting slightly erked at the massive amount of marketing to find a cure for breast cancer, not that I'm against finding a cure AT ALL and I understand that women can still be devastated by it even if they have done everything right. But I always think to myself, isn't prevention the best medicine? If half the marketing money was geared toward breastfeeding and it's ability to significantly decrease your chances of breast and certain other cancers, there would be so many less women that battle this disease in the future. I'm I totally off on this?? What do you all think?

[ProtoLawyer]

As someone with a giant cancer cluster on both sides of the family (I even have an UNCLE who had breast cancer!), I feel like I shouldn't get annoyed. I'm at a huge risk of cancer whether I breastfeed or not (I have no biological children, so I've not had an opportunity to). That side of me says the more money, the better.

As a cynic, though, I have to wonder exactly who is making money off of all of those pink things sold in October--I found a Susan G Komen-branded vegetable peeler at the grocery store, right next to the pink-label Campbell's Soup and ribbon-shaped silicon baking pans. C'mon. I agree with you that the marketing may be out of control. I also agree we should be focusing on prevention, as well as a cure.

[uumomma]

my mentor mom at mops was just found out she has it....
pink pink everywhere

[laohaire]

I'm annoyed. But honestly I have feelings and opinions about medical advances that I can't even logically support. But I just feel annoyed that all the emphasis is on finding a cure (i.e. drugs) and nothing on prevention other than going to the doc and getting your yearly boobsquash.

I have never... ever... once read in anything except some ultracrunchy internet source that breastfeeding reduces breast cancer rates. It's as if the editors all have blinders on, or would hate to offend both Nestle and Big Pharma at once.

$#@%.

[elspethshimon]

I get annoyed. The only breast cancer organizations to which I give money are ones that are focused on education, prevention, and environmental causes like The Breast Cancer Fund and Dr Susan Love's Research Foundation.

[wanderinggypsy]

I have never... ever... once read in anything except some ultracrunchy internet source that breastfeeding reduces breast cancer rates.

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/...cer/index.html

IMO you can't beat CNN for mainstream. Yet here it is. Facts are facts I guess.

[mamameg]

Yes, I get annoyed, too. It just seems like it's The Thing To Do and is a low/no effort way for people to feel like they are helping a cause, or for them to show others that they are helping a cause.

And as a side note, Penn and Teller did an episode of their show Bullshit that focused on the pink ribbon phenomenon. They basically found that very little money from any of those sales makes it to the researchers who need it to fund the search for a cure.

[UUMom]

Originally Posted by wanderinggypsy

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/...cer/index.html

IMO you can't beat CNN for mainstream. Yet here it is. Facts are facts I guess.

Here's something from the American Cancer Society:

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/co...ast_Cancer.asp

And this from NewScientist:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...ncer-risk.html

But I worry about all the pink junk. A lot of it is MIC, and imagining lead on some of the stuff, with perhaps minors cranking the junk out in pulluted and polluting factories, gives me great pause.

[mamabadger]

Originally Posted by laohaire

I'm annoyed. But honestly I have feelings and opinions about medical advances that I can't even logically support. But I just feel annoyed that all the emphasis is on finding a cure (i.e. drugs) and nothing on prevention other than going to the doc and getting your yearly boobsquash.

I don't like seeing so much money going toward nagging everyone to get their "yearly boobsquash." I have no faith in mammograms at all, frankly, partly from what I have read and partly from those "feelings I can't logically support." It just feels to me as if mammograms are being used as window dressing to disguise the fact that there is no real progress in the area of breast cancer...and also to make the mammogram industry a steady income.

I have never... ever... once read in anything except some ultracrunchy internet source that breastfeeding reduces breast cancer rates. It's as if the editors all have blinders on, or would hate to offend both Nestle and Big Pharma at once.

The Canadian Cancer Society does mention breastfeeding in their literature now.

[jesrox]

People can get breast cancer that have no opportunity to breastfeed- for example, my grandfather had breast cancer! Both my grandma and great-aunt had breastcancer and both breastfed for over a year. Early detection through mammograms and research into new drugs does save lives.

[p1gg1e]

All these great products the raise money with also

here

I'm all for research...but do they really want to prevent it? Who would make money off of that?

[KirstenMary]

Originally Posted by Alvenchrst

So I find myself getting slightly erked at the massive amount of marketing to find a cure for breast cancer, not that I'm against finding a cure AT ALL and I understand that women can still be devastated by it even if they have done everything right. But I always think to myself, isn't prevention the best medicine? If half the marketing money was geared toward breastfeeding and it's ability to significantly decrease your chances of breast and certain other cancers, there would be so many less women that battle this disease in the future. I'm I totally off on this?? What do you all think?

I'll tell you what I think. My mother is a breast cancer and colon cancer survivor. And any money spent toward finding a cure is money well spent.

[laohaire]

Looks like I don't read enough

So, I'll stand down - though to be clear I did say that I never read this on mainstream sources, not that they don't exist there. But point definitely taken.

But I think we all agree that even if it's out there, it's not where the emphasis is? (Along with other, practical, preventative measures).

[St. Margaret]

Nah, I never read it myself, and I did a whole research report on BC in school once... anyway, i think the fact of BFing seriously reducing the risk of many diseases needs better coverage still, and i choose to donate directly, not buy a product

[studentmama]

Originally Posted by wanderinggypsy

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/...cer/index.html

IMO you can't beat CNN for mainstream. Yet here it is. Facts are facts I guess.

How about the AAP for mainstream? It's right in their statement on why babies should be breastfed.

[Ruthla]

What I find rediculous is seeing this "pink ribbon" on the label of unhealthy items that likely increase cancer risk- red food coloring for "pink ribbon" colored foods? A pink ribbon on highly processed canned soup?

[studentmama]

I am annoyed in the way that companies use breast cancer as a way to make their company look better. Like they are so altruistic because they donate to breast cancer research. Not that I don't believe in corps donating money, but it seems like the premier cause to be attached to.

I try to support cancer research that focuses on environmental factors like
http://www.givingvoice.org/

Also, on MPR there was an awesome interview with Devra Davis an the secret war against cancer and she also discusses mamograms(which she does not support for younger women). It was an absoluetly facsinating interview, you can listen to it here:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/dis...1/midmorning2/

[studentmama]

Originally Posted by laohaire

Looks like I don't read enough

So, I'll stand down - though to be clear I did say that I never read this on mainstream sources, not that they don't exist there. But point definitely taken.

But I think we all agree that even if it's out there, it's not where the emphasis is? (Along with other, practical, preventative measures).

Sorry, I didn't see your second post, but yes, it is all over in mainstream sources.

[studentmama]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

What I find rediculous is seeing this "pink ribbon" on the label of unhealthy items that likely increase cancer risk- red food coloring for "pink ribbon" colored foods? A pink ribbon on highly processed canned soup?

Exactly!

[MaryJaneLouise]

This one made my hair curl

http://www.savethetatas.com/