Fear, Seduction, & Preventative Procedures (like Mammograms): How can we make (informed) decisions?

How do we decide whether or not to undergo a, “preventative” procedure like a mammogram?

First, we might want to educate ourselves. This is trickier than it seems at first. Because many of the sources of our information may be difficult to trust.

Consider, as one of any number of examples we could explore, a July 15, 2012 New York Timescarticle, “In Vast Effort, F.D.A. Spied on E-Mails of Its Own Scientists.” Reporters Eric Lichtblau and Scott Shane write that the Food and Drug Administration...