Friday, January 23, 2015

Shining the Light on Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment



A couple of years ago I took a photography class.  There were only four of us and the teacher so there was a lot of personal attention. I was the least experienced of all the students and also had the least expensive equipment. I felt a little out of my league when I pulled up at the beach at 4:30 am and saw that the others were unloading gigantic cameras and lenses and tripods that made mine look like I purchased it at target, which now that I think of it, maybe I did.

What drew me to this class was the subject matter we were photographing. I love the beach and the idea of capturing the light as the sun came over the horizon was just captivating to me. And it didn’t disappoint. Despite my lack of experience and unprofessional equipment, my photography class turned out to be one of the coolest things I have done. Ever.

You’ve heard the expression; you’ve got to fake it to make it, right? Well, being an actress may have helped with that. I pretended to myself that I knew what I was doing and doggone if I didn’t get some of the best photos that beautiful morning.

The teacher was very patient with me and super encouraging.  She talked me through f-stops and iso settings and challenged me to take my DSLR off of the auto setting for just this time. Now there is nothing wrong with those automatic settings. We can get great photos in automatic mode and I am right back there now, but for that morning, I was open to receive the guidance from the master as the teacher helped me gain confidence and learn some new things.

But the experience was so much more than just learning a few new skills. What I learned that morning was far more eye opening. I didn’t get it right away though. As we started photographing the beach, the sky, and the waves that morning I developed a new respect for light and the changes in perception it has to offer. As the sun began to rise, the light changed with every shot I took and I could tell I was getting some really great shots. It wasn’t until we got back to the teacher’s beach house that I was able to see the magic we were able to capture that morning.

As the sun rose over the horizon, the subtle shifts in the light created colors like I have never seen. Vivid blues and oranges and purples lined up above the water that morning and gave us a splendid show to preserve with our cameras. As the light grew brighter and higher and higher, we were able to see differently and with more clarity. It was a beautiful metaphor.

As we start 2105 I am inspired to shine some light on some things that maybe could use a new perspective. Today’s podcast is the first of our Shining the Light series. Yeah, I like that title. Shining the Light. That’s what we’re gonna do.

Today I am with Donna Pinto who in 2010 at the age of 44 was diagnosed with DCIS Ductal Carcinoma In Situ, which is considered a non-invasive, stage zero breast cancer or pre-cancer. Donna has become an avid researcher and has found on her own healthier alternatives to the extremely drastic and aggressive “standard of care” that our western medical approach currently suggests. She is a certified Nutritionist, advocate and coach for preventative health and healing through non-toxic, holistic means and healthy lifestyle practices.

For more information and to listen to the podcast go to:  http://conniebowman.com/happyhealthyyou/2015/01/the-dilemma-of-overdiagnosis/




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