Services Breast Thermography
| Breast Thermography |
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What is Breast Thermography
Breast Thermography is a desirable alternative to a mammogram. In thermography, there is no contact, no x-rays, no pain--it is completely non-invasive. A patient can have multiple screenings done every year to track changes without concern about side effects. To understand the difference between a mammogram and breast thermography, one needs to understand how tumors develop: Tumors need a blood supply to exist. When a tumor develops, it creates vascularization (blood vessels) around itself. This is a physiological process. This physiology can be detected in the earliest developmental stages with heat sensing imagers. A mammogram is a screen of anatomy, it looks for the actual evidence of a tumor. A breast thermograph is a screen of function, it looks for the reflection of physiological happenings. When a mammogram identifies a tumor, the tumor has likely been forming for a long time. In comparison, a thermography image detects breast temperature differentials and so often can identify the beginning stages of a potential problem. Therefore, a woman can be proactive in addressing the situation in a non-invasive manner. During a thermograph, a woman stands in front of the imager and then an infrared heat scan is taken of her breasts. If adverse physiology is present (such as increased vascularization involved with tumor development), it will be evidenced by temperature differentials in the image of the breasts. Breast Thermography is offered by our friend, Sue Springstead, at Thermal Welness. History of ThermographyThermobiological diagnostics were first found in the writings of Hippocrates around 480 B.C. Mud was spread over a patient and where an area dried first, it was thought to indicate underlying organ pathology. Diagnostic thermography was first used in 1957. In 1982, the Food and Drug Administration published its approval and classified thermography as an adjunctive diagnostic screening procedure for the detection of breast cancer. Many medical centers and independent clinics have used thermography for a variety of diagnostic purposes since 1970. Statistically, 15% of all breast cancers occur between 20 and 44 years of age. DITI (Thermography) Scan Frequency Guidelines:
Breast Disease is a fifteen- to twenty-year disease process. Breast thermography enables women to detect a possible disease process 8-10 years before other conventional procedures or methods. Early detection of breast disease will enable you to make the best choice for treatment. The Procedure:In PreparationBefore a Breast Thermography Study, avoid the following:
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