I started using thermography in my practice in 1999. Since then, along with many of our affiliate clinics around the world, collectively we have imaged over 30,000 women. In my view, thermography is greatly under-utilized. In general, most people, including health professionals, do not understand how Breast Thermography works and how it should be used in a clinical setting. The information that breast thermography provides can be invaluable and truly life-saving in many cases.
Why is measuring heat an important indicator regarding breast health and cancer risk assessment? Our body naturally produces heat. This can be easily detected and measured using an infrared camera, and further analyzed by a board certified clinical thermologist. This is a non-invasive process, with no contact, no compression and involves no harmful X-ray radiation.
Breast thermography can be used with all types of breasts and breast conditions, and it has been approved by FDA since 1982. It is an adjunctive test; it’s not a stand-alone diagnostic test. We all have microscopic tumors in our bodies. However, this is not something that is life-threatening. Only when these tumors connect to a blood vessel do they become dangerous. In order for a tumour to grow and multiply it needs nutrients, that become available by connecting with a blood supply source. This is called angiogenesis. If angiogenesis is the tipping point between harmless and harmful, my question is, wouldn’t it make sense to know at the earliest possible time if you are at risk?
This is where breast thermography plays a vital role by detecting asymmetrical blood supply in the breast tissue. These suspicious findings can be investigated further with other imaging tests or followed up with thermal imaging over a longer period of time to determine stability or progression of suspicious development. By the time something is detected with mammography it usually has been developing for close to a decade. Thermography, in contrast, provides information about what is happening now and what is about to occur that may lead to potentially dangerous changes. Getting this information with the use of breast thermography assessment could really be life-saving!
You can read more about the use of breast thermography by visiting www.thermographyclinic.com. Alexander Mostovoy is a clinician, writer, researcher, and public speaker, and is recognized as a leading authority on breast health and cancer prevention. He is the author of "Breast Cancer is a Preventable Disease," and co-creator of the Global Virtual Event, "Breast Cancer Prevention Conference, May 15-20, 2016. info@thermographyclinic.com