An Inaccurate Slogan

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You will no doubt be seeing lots of slogans and messages promoting breast health, including mammography. During this month, the more slogans the merrier, I say.

One frequently heard slogan, however, makes me grind my teeth every time I hear it.

It's Irritating

This slogan, which is a pet peeve of mine, has good intentions: It's trying to promote the value of getting a yearly mammogram. It reads, "Early detection is your best prevention."

Hmmm. Harrumph. The thing is that a mammogram cannot, and never will, prevent anyone from getting breast cancer. What a mammogram can do, what it is good for, is preventing someone from dying of breast cancer because this technology allows their doctors to detect the disease early--which after all is the whole reason for getting a mammogram in the first place.

Join My Mini-Campaign

Please help me explain to others what this well-intentioned but badly worded slogan is really trying to say. Once others understand, they too can help promote mammography for early detection!