By Nancy Gardner-Heaven PHD
Thermography has been used successfully for breast screening for over 30 years. It offers women safe, accurate screening for breast cancer without radiation. There is no compression, which can harm delicate breast tissue or rupture augmentation implants. In his book, Preventing Breast Cancer, Dr. John Goffman states that, “three quarters of the current annual incident of breast cancer, in the U.S., is caused by earlier ionizing radiation primarily from medical sources”. Could Mammography be causing the disease it was designed to detect? The American Cancer Society shows Mammography having a 40% false negatives and 80% false positives rate. In comparison the Pasteur Institute’s research shows Thermography at 9% for false negative and false positive. Thermography is clearly a better option for general screening using Mammograms as a fall back.
Three infrared images are taken before and after the patient places their hands in cold water for one minute. This causes a constriction in the vascular system helping to distinguish suspicious hot areas that are just an inflammation from hot areas indicating neo-angiogenesis (the blood supply that feeds a tumor). Benign tumors, such as fiber-adenoma cyst, show up cold and are easily distinguished from the blood supply that feeds a cancerous tumor, which shows up as hot. This avoids the unnecessary biopsy ordered with Mammograms from suspicious fiber adenoma cysts. Infrared cameras can see through soft tissue and muscles but not behind the chest cavity or abdominal wall.
A qualified Thermologist should interpret the study and provide a written report. Seek a qualified Thermographer with certification from American Academy of Thermology. They should follow the guidelines of having the patient stand unclothed on the upper body in a cold room about 68 degrees for 5 minutes before their images are taken. The written report should indicate abnormal hyperthermic (hot) and hypothermic (cold) features and note the results of this autonomic (cold water) challenge. The cost of a Thermography may range from $200 to $350.
Thermography is in the truest sense a preventative technique of screening the breast. It can see changes in the breast up to 10 years before a tumor is detectable by skilled palpation or Mammograms. By using proper nutritional protocols, nutritional supplements, maintaining a healthy diet, balancing hormones and using natural rather than synthetic hormones it is possible to reverse early signs of breast disease.
Today women are more informed and are making their own choices about their health care. Many are choosing Thermography for the lack of compression, absence of radiation and increased accuracy. They are choosing bio-identical as opposed to synthetic hormones for menopause. They are opting for lumpectomy instead of radical mastectomy when possible. They are choosing nutritional supplementation to build the immune system instead of chemotherapy and radiation. We cannot blame doctors for not being holistic; they are doing their best to treat within the scope of their practice, as they have been trained. We encourage women to become better informed of their options so as to make intelligent decisions. With knowledge we can replace fear.
Artcile Source: http://www.optimumhealthclinic.info/files/ArticleonThermography11-09.pdf