The new federal recommendations when it comes to mammograms have a lot of women confused and a lot of experts angry. One California doctor says he has a high tech way that cuts through the controversy.

“I would not have survived to raise my children. I would not have,” Lorraine Webel said. “The doctor said I would not have survived for another mammogram.”

Lorraine Webel had no family history of cancer. When she found a lump with a breast self-exam, she went immediately to her doctor for a mammogram. It was malignant cancer.

Now she fears the new guidelines calling for less frequent breast exams may cost more lives.

“I believe totally that insurance companies are going to jump on the bandwagon and say if the guidelines are in place then we're not going to spend the money for mammograms,” she said.

Dr. Phillip Bretz runs the Desert Breast Institute in California. He's also worried about the new guidelines, especially for some minority groups.

“It's the biggest study on African American women -- and one of the results was, that if they implemented that, was to have mammography for African American girls starting at age 30 because they presented at 33,” Bretz explained.

And now Dr. Bretz says he's come up with an alternative to a mammogram. It's called the infrared cancer detector. It's the only one of its kind in California.