The Partnership for Prevention recently released findings that outlined five preventative health services and actions that could save over 100,000 lives a year, a study that was partially funded by the CDC. The services include:

• taking one low-dose aspirin every day,: 45,000 lives per year
• advising smokers to quit, and offering treatment options to do so: 42,000 lives per year
• regular screening for colorectal cancer for those 50 and over: 14,000 lives per year
• getting a regular flu shot: 12,000 per year
• regular breast cancer screenings for women over 40: 4,000 lives per year

The next step is funding for programs that will educate the public and to reach those who fall into the gaps. For instance, the study found that Hispanic smokers are over 50% less likely to get help quitting and that Asian Americans are less likely than other groups to get preventative health screenings or take aspirin.

You don't have to wait for program to develop to take action. Take the list with you the next time you visit your doctor and make sure you're protecting your health to the fullest!

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Just yesterday, a German researcher concluded than mammograms are not as effective as spotting precancerous growths compared to the magnetic resonance scan (MRI).

Mammograms, which are suggested for all women starting in their 30s, have been a staple of breast cancer screening for quite a long time. Is it time to do away with them?

Hardly -- but it is nice to see that MRIs offer a better look at possible precancer conditions. The main problems is that MRI scans are quite a bit more costly than a standard mammogram, but after looking at how much more effective the MRI was at spotting an aggressive form of breast cancer development, it's worth the price.

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If you were unsure before whether you needed a yearly mammogram or not, a recent recommendation by the American College of Physicians just may have made the issue a little murkier. The physicians group recently announced their new guidelines that recommend yearly mammograms for women 50 and over, but not necessarily for younger women. Women age 40 to 49, says the group, should discuss their own personal risk of developing the disease with their doctor every 1 to 2 years, and decide for themselves whether to get the screening.

The group maintains that while mammograms have been proven to prevent breast cancer deaths in women over 50, it hasn't shown as much success with women in younger age groups. They say younger women should consider the risks of false positives, false reassurance, and radiation exposure. The group isn't saying women under 50 shouldn't get mammograms, only that they should consider whether the benefit outweighs the potential risk.

The American Cancer Society disagrees, calling the recommendation a "step backwards," and saying that current recommendations were developed with years of research in mind. With the most current guidelines being challenged, I'm sure this isn't the last we'll hear on this topic.

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Good news for women in the fight against breast cancer -- new and better detection technology is on the horizon.

Digital mammography, which to the patient looks and feels like conventional mammography, is growing across the nation. Medical professionals are finding that this particular form of screening is better at detecting abnormalities in women under 50, young women with dense breast tissue, and premenopausal women.

Other new technologies aren't far behind. Cone Beam Breast Computed Tomography (CBBCT) takes over 300 pictures of a woman's breast, then creates a 3-D image for examination. (As an added benefit, with this test, there are no glass plates to be smashed between!) The test can also examine tissue along the rib and into the armpit area, places traditional mammography has trouble seeing.

Doctors are hopeful that this new technology will be another powerful weapon in the war on breast cancer. But, they remind us, don't wait for new high-tech equipment to arrive in your doctor's office before you get your mammogram. Women 40 and above should be screened every 1-2 years.

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A new analysis suggests that the millions of women who quit taking menopause hormones after a big federal study found that the pills raised the risk of breast cancer now have more reason to be glad they stopped taking the pills.

The analysis suggests that the sharp reduction in hormone use three years ago as a result of cancer being linked to menopause hormones led to an overall reduction in breast cancer at the same time. The analysis reported that about 14,000 fewer women were diagnosed with the disease than had been expected.

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