I've been asked to write about the recent mention of the rise in women's Thyroid cancer incidence, which was recently mentioned on the Dr. Oz show. I won't link to it, but you can easily Google it by entering "The Increase in Thyroid Cancer, Dr. Oz".
Dr. Oz' takeaway message seems to be that women (but also men) should remind those dental and medical assistants who prepare patients for dental X-rays, other head-and-neck X-rays, and mammograms to put in place a lead shield that will also protect the thyroid gland in our neck from unnecessary exposure. This is good, but it doesn't go far enough to address all the factors that are harming thyroid function and perhaps are contributing to it becoming cancerous.
It doesn't make any sense to me to expose women's breasts to X-rays (which are known, by themselves, to be carcinogenic) annually in a search for tiny specks of cancer which a healthy body should be able to destroy naturally. The danger of over-diagnosis is well explained by this article.
Our bodies are also under attack by environmental factors, such as fluoride added to drinking water and toothpaste widely in the USA -- and fluoride is known to be damaging to the thyroid gland, which may be contributing to widespread (pun intended) obesity, which is also a recognized factor in both diabetes-2 and cancer of the breast.
Iodized salt is not as common as it used to be, contrary to what the Dr. Oz article states.
My main take on this topic is that yes, protecting the thyroid gland with a lead shield when X-rays are absolutely necessary is a good idea, but the main emphasis should be on our personal responsibility to do all we can to prevent the many environmental, dietary, and lifestyle risk factors that are reducing our natural ability to knock out or control the growth of cancer cells in our body. This is one of the many functions of a healthy immune system, but it must be properly nourished -- and also protected from carcinogenic influences hidden in so many popular modern foods.
Prevention of cancer and promotion of natural health takes some effort, but it is much safer, less damaging, and far less expensive than turning our health over to surgeons and oncologists and hoping we get lucky.