BREAST THERMOGRAM at Aletris Center in Scottsdale, AZ
Breast thermography is an under-used functional screening test that measures heat radiating from the body. Because this imaging technique requires no direct contact with the breast, it is never painful and there is no risk of rupturing breast implants.
Unlike mammography, ultrasound, and MRI which measure structural changes, thermography picks up areas of greater heat generated by cancer cells, inflammation, and infection. Thermography is able to detect temperature differences that occur when cancers have grown to 200-300 cells in size, while mammography detects cancers only once they reach a size of several million cells.
What does the procedure entail?
Thermography begins with a medical history before the patient partially disrobes for the scanning. Multiple pictures of each breast are then taken from different angles. There is no contact with the imaging equipment and a patient's breasts. This first session provides a baseline or "thermal signature.” Vascular patterns are noted and a detailed report is sent to the patient's physician to be interpreted. Follow-up thermograms assure that the patterns remain unchanged.Is thermography safe?
Completely. The imaging measures heat from the body and, unlike mammography, does not use radiation. In fact, mammography may pose significant and cumulative risks of breast cancer in premenopausal women. The routine practice of taking four films of each breast annually results in radiation exposure that is approximately 1000 times greater than doses from a chest x-ray.Research has shown thermography to be 97% sensitive in finding abnormalities in breast tissue, including the earliest stages of breast cancer. In contrast, mammography is reported to miss 50% of tumors in dense breast tissue, 30% of tumors in fibrocystic breasts, and 10-15% of tumors in fatty (normal) breasts. As physicians, we often read these disclaimers on our patients' mammography reports.
Why should I review my report with a naturopathic physician?
Naturopathic physicians understand that breast cancer is caused by changes in DNA of the breast cells by hormone imbalance, carcinogens, toxic metals, electromagnetic fields, chronic inflammation, stress, drugs, and obesity. Working with a naturopath can address these lifestyle causes and change the course if any abnormality is seen. These changes in heat that are seen on mammography do not necessarily mean that a patient has cancer, but that early signs of inflammation are present. Reducing inflammation early may reduce the chance that breast cancer will ever develop.Naturopathic physicians use thermography and other diagnostic tools to discover and treat the sources of inflammation, which may include hormone imbalance, error in the metabolism of estrogen, elevated heavy metals, and chronic inflammation. These causes are addressed using natural medicine and further thermal imaging can chart the progress made in a patient's breast health.
How do I get started?
The best course of action is to set up an initial visit at ALETRIS, at which time your physician will order a breast thermogram. After completing the imaging, a follow up to review your results is advised. You will then have an opportunity to discuss your individual risk and treatment options to lower any risk found.ALETRIS physicians have been ordering and reviewing breast thermograms for over a year, and we have seen many women change the course of their breast health for the better.
