[Infowarrior] - OT: Health Care observation

[Richard Forno]

I'm not one to go in for conspiracy theories, but doesn't it look a bit odd that within the past year, both of the two most recurring health screenings/exams for adult men and women have been downplayed and/or been recommended to be done less frequently??    --rick



Should mammograms be annual?
http://chippewa.com/lifestyles/article_7180bdbc-c033-11df-bbe5-001cc4c002e0.html

In November 2009, the United States Preventive Service Task Force (USPSTF) issued new recommendations for screening mammography. The recommendations contradicted what seemed to have been a consensus on breast imaging.....The task force recommended that women between the ages of 40 and 49 not receive routine mammographic screening but instead decide what is right for them in terms of screening.  The task force also recommended that women between the ages of 50 and 74 receive mammograms every other year instead of yearly screening mammograms, which has been the standard of care. They recommend that women over age 75 forgo screening altogether.

... and now today we see this:

Routine Population Prostate Screening Not Recommended, Single Test At 60 Perhaps
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/201220.php

Researchers have found that according to existing evidence from randomized controlled trials, routinely screening large populations of men for prostate cancer is not recommended. Their report appears in today's issue of the BMJ (British Medical Journal). Another study published today in the same medical journal, though, recommends a single test at 60 years of age to identify males most like to develop and possibly die from prostate cancer. These patients could then be monitored, while others would be exempt from further tests.