It All Started With Angelina Jolie

 

When the Broo published its first commentary one year and one hundred blog posts ago,  it was in revolt to all the positive media attention the disturbed and self-harming Angelina Jolie was receiving when she wrote the NY Times Op Ed, "My Medical Choice." She became an instant hero and a model parent because she chose to have her breasts removed and replaced to "avoid" getting breast cancer.

A week later, she got even more attention and publicity because Dr. Mehmet Oz, the doctor who plays wizard on TV, gave her the proverbial medal of honor as the media headlined how "proud" he was of her. I responded with a somewhat harsh follow-up post entitled "The Fake Leading The Blind," which concluded with these words:

"I might be coming across as not liking Angelina. That's not true at all. I care about her as I would care about any living thing.  In fact, I'm "proud" of her for being a millionairess high school drop-out! But, she happens to be in the spotlight for something that could potentially turn out to be a very dangerous trend among women world-wide."


As the Broo celebrates its one year anniversary, Angelina is in the news again for the very outcome that the Broo predicted. The loud  cheer-leading doctors who supported this act of madness are now being discredited by what is being termed the "Angelina Effect," Here are the alarming facts today, thanks to the UN ambassador of self-harm:

• A recent study found more than two-thirds of women who had both breasts removed after a cancer diagnosis did not have a medical reason for doing so. 
• They had a very low risk of developing cancer in the healthy breast because they had no family history of breast or ovarian cancer, or BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations.
• The study was carried out by US researchers, but surgeons in Britain say such requests are on the increase, especially from young patients who want the unaffected breast removed at the same time. 
• In the US study, of 1,447 women treated for breast cancer, almost 8 per cent had undergone a double mastectomy. But 69 per cent of these women who underwent removal of the unaffected breast at the same time had no genetic or family risk factors.
• women who do not have a genetic predisposition or family history are being over-treated. 

As if it wasn't enough that the hospital factories have millions of women lined up for costly c-sections, which are the most common hospital procedures in the US, generating the bulk of revenues by needlessly slicing up women's bellies. The second most common procedure in the "top three list" is circumcision, which is another completely needless assault on the human body. And in third place is Percutaneous coronary angioplasty. A 2011 study found that about half of those heart procedures were also unnecessary. Now we have unnecessary mastectomies battling for a lucrative spot in the top rankings, thanks to Mrs. Pitt!

Until men and women stop blindly and willingly surrendering their sacred bodies and the bodies of their children to the operating tables; and until we stop considering doctors our gods --unquestioningly handing them full control of our life decisions-- we will continue to be a country of medical guinea pigs, sacrificed to feed the piggy banks of the greedy, while destroying our bodies and minds in the process. Although this mass insanity makes good material for the Broo to keep bitchin' for years to come, it will have very sad results for the world if we don't collectively awaken from our slumber and start reversing these disturbing social and medical trends.

Keep your ears on...and the rest of your body parts!