Monday Morning Musings

David E. Abbot, a Community Voices columnist for The Dallas Morning News went out on a limb in a recent column by suggesting that there be no more pink ribbons at NFL games and NASCAR. Lest he incur the wrath of women everywhere, he did start by saying he does appreciate the efforts to raise money for breast cancer research and applauds all the people who step up and participate in the various programs.

The point of his column was not to say that there should be no breast cancer awareness month or other campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of research, treatment, and early detection. What he would like to see is a prostate cancer awareness month and blue ribbons at NFL games and NASCAR.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States among men, and this disease is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American males.

That is a fact I did not know until I started doing some online research. I also found out that when caught early, it is one of the most treatable of cancers that have a positive outcome. The problem is that the cancer is not caught early enough in many cases. Some men do not have the PSA screening on a routine basis, and the other test for an enlarged prostate is about as comfortable as a pelvic exam is for a woman, so many men say no thanks.

What Abbot would like to see is more encouragement for men to be screened and more research for a cure for prostate cancer. And he would like to see all of that promoted at events that are geared toward a male audience.

I hadn't thought about this disparity between breast cancer awareness and prostate cancer awareness, but there is no doubt it exists. And I agree with Abbot that both deserve equal exposure.

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Just a reminder about the contest my publisher for Play it Again, Sam is holding to celebrate its fifth year in operation. To join in the fun with a scavenger hunt and daily prizes, click on the birthday banner on the right panel of the blog or CLICK HERE  The major prizes are a Kindle and a KOBO e-reader, and every day an e-book will be given away free. 

Also, my short story, SAHM I am is featured on Indie Snippets today. Good chance to read a sample for free.

More on the New Mammogram Guidelines

There is a great discussion of the new guidelines for breast cancer screening over at the blog "Riding With the Top Down". Kathleen Eagle shared her views on the subject and a lot of women have added theirs. It is worth the read, but I was disappointed that she included a picture of a woman at a mammo machine. The cartoon is cute, and worth the time to go see it and chuckle, but the picture could go.

Regardless of my personal opinion about too much female skin being shown, this is an important issue, and I hope insurance companies and medical professionals are listening to what women are saying.

One of the problems with blanket guidelines or rules is that once they are in place, nobody can think outside that box. So if insurance companies decide to change their payment plans based on these new guidelines, it will create problems.

For instance, if a woman is at high risk for breast cancer but is only 40, she is a higher priority for screening than another 40 year old woman with no risk factors. But some lackey at the insurance company cannot authorize payment for the test for the first lady because of the "rule". So will that woman have to pay for the test herself? Is that even feasible considering the cost?

And I'm still wondering why medical science cannot come up with a better way to screen women for breast cancer. There are blood tests now for many types of cancer, why not this one?

If you want to read Kathleen's blog here is the link.

Riding With The Top Down: Kathleen's Talking Boobs. Seriously.

Is it just me.....

...or are there other women out there that wish the media would stop showing pictures of women getting mammograms any time there is a story about breast cancer?

Last Saturday The Dallas Morning News had a story about the controversy over the new guidelines for when women should start having mammograms and how often the procedure should be repeated. That was the lead story, above the fold, with a large picture of a half naked woman about to have the test.

That was what greeted me with my morning coffee. The night before on the evening news, I got to see a different woman about to get her test, as I have every evening since the screening debate started this past week.

As kind of a side note, I think the media is making way too much of the "to test or not to test" issue. Numerous "experts" say that women are now confused as to whether they should have the test. What women? Ladies, are you confused? I'm not.

But my point today is why do we always have to see a woman in the midst of the test on every news broadcast. Surely there are ways to talk about breast cancer screening without showing half-naked women about to get a part of their body smashed in a machine. The media talks about prostate cancer screening without showing a man getting..... well, you get the picture.