Download Frequently Asked Questions about THERMOGRAPHY What is

Frequently Asked Questions about
THERMOGRAPHY
What is Thermography?
Clinical Thermography, otherwise known as Digital Infrared Imaging (DII), is based on a careful analysis of
skin and tissue temperatures. It is a diagnostic procedure that allows practitioners to see where there is
abnormal chemical and blood vessel activity in body tissue. It is a non-intrusive procedure using the
technology of the Infrared Camera and state of the art software.
With each scan an image is formed which is evaluated for signs of possible disease or injury. Extensive
research and investigation performed at prestigious medical teaching institutions such as John Hopkins
University Medical School, have established normal values for the distribution of heat in each region of the
body. Variations from these normal values are measured and correlated with suspected injuries or diseases
in the same way a blood or urine laboratory study is interpreted.
Is Breast Thermography Safe?
Over thirty years of clinical use and more than 8,000 peer-reviewed studies in medical literature have
established thermography as a safe and effective means to examine the human body. It is FDA approved in
the United States since 1982 and has been used there and in Europe for over twenty years. Thermography
is a non-invasive test. It simply is creating an image of your breasts and body by measuring your heat. There
is no contact of any kind, nor is there any pain or radiation.
Is breast thermography helpful as a breast cancer screening tool?
According to IACT (International Academy of Clinical Thermology), breast thermography is a diagnostic
procedure that images the breasts to aid in risk assessment for breast cancer. It is based on the principle that
chemical and blood vessel activity in both pre-cancerous tissue and the area surrounding a developing breast
cancer is typically always higher than in normal breast tissue. Since pre-cancerous and cancerous masses are
highly metabolic tissues, they need an abundant supply of nutrients to maintain their growth and this can
increase the surface temperature of the breast.
State of the art breast thermography uses ultra-sensitive infrared cameras and sophisticated computers to
detect, analyze and produce high-resolution diagnostic images of these temperature and vascular changes.
Can thermography diagnose breast cancer?
No. Thermography, like mammography is a screening tool. Thermography identifies abnormal
physiological changes in your breasts that may be unhealthy. Mammography, a type of x-ray, identifies
certain structures in the breast that can potentially be cancer. With both Mammography and
Thermography, definitive diagnosis is done by other procedures such as a biopsy or lumpectomy.
What are the advantages of thermography as an investigative tool?
•Unlike mammography and some other imaging modalities, thermography does not require radiation,
compression, contact, or intravenous injection. As such, Digital Infrared Imaging is a very comfortable
procedure which poses absolutely NO HEALTH RISK to the patient.
•While mammography relies primarily on finding the physical tumor, thermography is based on detecting
new blood vessels and chemical changes associated with a tumor’s genesis and growth. By detecting minute
variations in normal blood vessel activity, infrared imaging can frequently suggest an unhealthy state of the
breast or the presence of an early tumor that is not yet large enough to be detected by physical examination
or mammography.
•Thermography scans are effective for women who are on hormone replacement, are nursing, or have
fibrocystic, large, dense, or enhanced breasts. These types of breast differences do not interfere with the
thermography scans.
Is Thermography covered by OHIP?
No. OHIP does not cover the cost of Thermography. There are private health insurance companies that
do cover the procedure. Inquire with your insurance company.
Have any studies been done regarding the accuracy of Thermography?
Yes, hundreds of studies have been written up in medical journals.
Do I need a referral from my family physician?
No, a referral is not necessary.
Who analyzes the thermography scan?
Our scans are read by Dr. William A. Amalu, DC,DABCT, DIACT, FIACT, Board Certified Clinical
Thermologist, Diplomate: International Academy of Clinical Thermology, American Board of Clinical
Thermography, American Board of Medical Infrared Imaging, Member: IEEE Engineering in Medicine
and Biology Society, International Academy of Clinical Thermology, International Thermographic Society,
American Academy of Thermology.
I understand you also do full body thermography, what can I expect to learn from
that?
Full body thermography includes a breast scan, so is comprehensive. A full body thermogram which is
suitable for both females and males, young and old, can provide risk assessment for: acute or chronic issues
as serious as cancer, cardiovascular circulatory conditions ,pre-stroke, nervous system disorders, repetitive
strain injury, TMJ, arthritis, diabetes, melanoma, liver or kidney disease, thyroid disease, lung conditions,
dental infections and, finally, breast cancer.
Is there anything I need to do or not do before the appointment?
To ensure accurate thermal images, the following should be followed.
•On the day of your appointment, avoid using creams or other topical products on the breasts/body and
any underarm antiperspirants or deodorants.
•Do not shave.
•Avoid exertion or exercise, hot tubs and saunas for at least 4 hours prior to your appointment.
•Avoid caffeine, nicotine gums, patches and tobacco products.
•No smoking at least 6 hours prior to your appointment.
•Avoid any stimulation to the breast/body a day prior to your appointment.
•If you are nursing, do so at least 1 hour before your appointment.
•Avoid sun or tanning bed exposure to the breasts/body at least 5 days prior to the thermographic
appointment.
Please do not wear any scented products to appointment, including perfume, aftershave, scented
deodorant, hair products or fabric scents as many of our clients are very sensitive.
How often will I need a re-scan?
This depends on the results of your initial scan, your indicators toward breast cancer occurring and present
health. The scan repeats vary between 3 months and 2 years.
I have breast implants – is thermography safe?
Yes. Breast implants do not interfere with thermography. Breast Thermography is painless and safe, using
no radiation or compression. It can be used effectively and safely for all women including pregnant or
nursing women, women with dense breast tissue, and women with breast implants.
Does Thermography replace Mammography?
Breast thermography has the ability to give a warning signal in advance of invasive tumor growth. Combined
with an unprecedented role in risk assessment, screening for younger women, and possibly prevention,
breast thermography offers women information that no other procedure can provide. Mammography is
used to confirm and locate the suspicious growth. A multimodal approach should be utilized, including
breast self-examinations, physical breast exams by a doctor, thermography, mammography and ultrasound
as required.
What can I expect at an Appointment?
Your initial appointment will take 30 minutes for the breast thermography and 50 minutes for a full body
thermography. During this time you will complete the breast health questionnaire - and a detailed health
history. You will then be taken to a private examination room where you will be asked to disrobe from the
waist up for breast thermography and completely for a full body. This is in order to become acclimated to
the temperature of the room. A female technician will be available to answer any questions. After 15
minutes, the technician will take a series of images including front, lateral, and oblique views of the breast
including the underarm area and in full body, all images of the body.
Within approximately two weeks, you will return to our office and have the results presented to you in
person by the doctor of natural medicine. This follow-up appointment is complementary and can be
booked before leaving your initial appointment.
At what age should I start having thermography?
Do you know that 23% of all breast cancers occur in women under 49?
This is the most common cancer in women in this age group. Breast cancers in younger women are usually
more aggressive and have poorer survival rates. Breast thermography offers younger women a sensitive noninvasive (no radiation and painless) addition to their regular breast health check-ups beginning with baseline
screening from age 20.
My Aunt died of Breast Cancer, am I personally at greater risk for breast cancer?
Women with a family history can be at greater risk, but 75% of women who get breast cancer have no family
history of the disease. Regardless of your family history, if a thermogram is abnormal, you run a future risk
of breast cancer that is 10 times higher than a first order family history of the disease. Thermography is the
only technology to provide women with a future risk assessment. If discovered, certain thermographic risk
markers can warn a woman that she needs to work with her practitioner to improve her breast health.
How do you convey the findings of the breast thermography?
The Marseille System of classification provides strict criteria for rating Breast Thermography scans. The
scans are reported on a scale of TH-1 to TH-5.
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TH -1 - normal tissue
TH-2 - some changes
TH-3 - suspicious cell activity with higher heat areas
TH-4 - abnormal cell activity
TH-5 - severely abnormal cell activity
What options are available to me if my thermography report shows something?
At your follow-up appointment, our practitioner will explain the report to you. If there is cause for
concern, she will recommend your next steps. We, at Sunleite Integrative Health Centre, are here to assist
people of all ages in healing naturally and to maintain health. We will assess the total body, mind and
spirit and recommend natural ways for you to achieve balance. With a holistic approach, Natural
Medicine stimulates the body’s natural healing processes. We believe most physical and emotional
dysfunction is caused by an energy imbalance or blockage at the cellular level. The energy imbalance can
be caused by one or a combination of the following: environmental, emotional, or nutritional toxins,
electromagnetic disturbances, trapped mental and emotional stresses, interference with the body’s ability
to absorb nutrients, and past generational cell memories of disease or dysfunction.
BE PRO-ACTIVE
GET YOUR BASELINE THERMOGRAM NOW
229 Mary StreetPort Perry, Ontario L9L 1B7 call: 905- 985-3303
www.sunleitehealth.ca
[email protected]