Breast Thermography - Assess Breast Health Before disease Occurs

The current traditional tools of assessing breast health include Mammography, MRI, Ultrasound and breast self-exam. These modalities look for structural changes or lumps in the breast tissue. In Thermography, a digital infrared imaging scan shows the function, the physiology, the metabolism of breast tissue. It gives a picture of the cell activity in breast tissue, detecting breast tissue changes five to eight years before the development of a mass large enough to be seen with mammography or ultrasound or be felt in an examination. How does Thermography work? Usually abnormal cells, like cancers, are hotter because cancer cells are greedy. To feed their rapid growth they produce a chemical that makes new blood vessels grow. This is called angiogenesis (angio means blood vessels, genesis means creation). A digital infrared imaging scan shows the heat difference between normal breast tissue and problem area. The Advantages: The major advantages of Thermography are its ability to safely monitor breast pathophysiology at frequently intervals without using radiation, compression, contact or intravenous access. It is useful for all types of breast tissues at all ages: Young, dense, pregnant, fibrocystic, breast implants, HRT and also for Men. This technology can also be use for other parts of the body, for example: Thyroid. Please inquire if you have a specific requirement. What happens in a digital infrared imaging Screening session? Preparation stage(about 20min): First, you will be asked to fill out a breast history form about symptoms related to possible breast dysfunction and disease. In a private dressing room, you will undress to the waist and let your breast adjust to the cool room temperature(18-20 C). It takes about 10 minutes for this part so you can relax or read. Screening Stage(about 10minutes):You will be asked to stand with your hands on your head about 10 feet in front of a digital infrared imaging camera. Three images will be taken: straight on, and right and left partial side views. Cold Challenge- You will be asked to put both hands in cool water (about 10C) for a minute. This is a cold challenge to your blood vessels. Normal blood vessels narrow and gradually become cooler with this challenge while abnormal vessels do not narrow and remain warmer. After the cold challenge, a second series of three scans will be taken to record the changes in the response of the blood vessels to the cold challenge. Report Stage: Your digital infrared imaging breast scan will be read and analyzed by a member of the American Boar of Thermography. The reports will then be sent our by mail, the copy of your report will also be sent to your naturopathic doctor, your physician and/or other health care provider upon request.