|
Why Thermal Imaging? Over the years I have heard from many women about their concerns regarding the radiation exposure and painful squishing of mammography. Many of my patients did not want to have mammograms at all due to the risk of repeated exposure to radiation. I began to look at thermal imaging about 5 years ago. The research is very compelling and I wondered why we were not using it for breast cancer screening. Over the past 5 years thermal imaging has really progressed-due to the digital age. The camera's now are small, affordable, and very precise. My camera measures to 1/100 of a degree centigrade.
The idea is that cancerous tissue must have a blood supply for glucose and other nutrients to grow. These new blood vessels or neovascularities maintain a steady temperature independent of cooling or heating of the surrounding tissue. This temperature can actually be monitored over time-making thermal imaging an excellent breast cancer prevention device. Many people ask me whether I recommend a thermal image or a mammogram? My answer is that they are two different tools. Mammogram is a breast cancer detection device-generally once you can see something on mammogram it has been there for some time requiring immediate medical attention. Most findings on Thermal Imaging are too delicate to be seen by mammography making it an excellent breast cancer prevention and screening tool. If you can see changes eight to ten years prior to a finding on mammogram, you can possibly make some life style changes that may change the course of that cancer. Poor diet and environmental exposure to plastics and synthetic hormones have been proven to increase the risk of breast cancer. There are changes that we can make-we are not helpless to preventing breast cancer-there is a lot of research in this area now. Don't delay-take control of your breast cancer screening today and see what you can do to improve the health of your breast!
|
