The biggest difference is breast thermography does not emit any radiation, and is free of pain. Mammography uses radiation to capture an x-ray of the breast. Breast thermography uses infrared heat emitted from the body to capture an image of the breast. Six images (for breast scan) will be captured to ensure all angles of the breast and lymph area are scanned. This is crucial as mammography is not able to capture the lymph area under the armpits where many cancers are located.

Mammography uses x-rays to differentiate normal tissue from physical tumors and other abnormalities based on their densities. In many cases tumors are already of significant size (>1cm in most cases) when detected. There can be difficulty in reading the mammograms of women who are on hormone replacement or have fibrocystic, large, dense, or enhanced breasts. These conditions do not cause difficulty in reading breast thermograms.

Yes! Breast thermography was FDA registered in 1982 for use as an adjunctive breast cancer screening procedure.

No risk! Because thermography is non-invasive, no radiation, no compression, or discomfort, there are absolutely no risks involved.

Considerations:

• One study concluded thermography for women who are morbidly obese with a breast size larger than DD may not be ideal candidates for thermography.
• If a tumor is very slow growing and not hot (metabolically active), it may cause decreased accuracy or failure to show up.
• No test is 100% accurate.  However, for example, a breast thermogram includes a series of six images from all the different angles, including lymph nodes. 

Relax, it is completely non-invasive, pain-free, and no radiation!

• First, you’ll disrobe down to the under wear only, and be given a gown to change into. You’ll sit in a temperature-controlled room so your body can cool from any external conditions. The thermographer will then come in and go over your intake forms before getting started. 
• Second, you’ll be positioned in front of a Thermal Digital Camera while a certified thermographer takes your images. Each view only takes a couple of seconds, so the camera portion of your session is very quick. You’ll be in your gown the entire time, with the exception of the image portion. *If you’re getting a breast scan* These pictures will be your Initial Thermal Scan.  We will also spend extra time with you sharing information you will never hear from other thermographers, woman to woman, about simple, low-cost, effective, natural, drug-free ideas on protecting and promoting your breast health.
• Next, we send your scans to a certified physician for analysis.
• Then, you will be emailed a report of findings, along with any recommendations/next steps.
• For breast exams, you will be asked to come back in 3 months for a follow-up scan to confirm your normal baseline and to make sure that there are no immediate changes. A yearly breast thermogram is recommended after your baseline is established.

In Preparation for your visit:

• Complete forms in advance if possible.  If you are unable to, please arrive 15 minutes prior to appointment.
• Do not smoke for at least two hours before the screening.
• Do not use ANY lotions, oils, or powder on your breasts or any area of your body the day of the screening.
• No physical therapy, chiropractic adjustments, or massage the day of the screening.
• Do not drink cold beverages before screening.
• Avoid sun exposure on the day of screening. If you have a sunburn, we will not be able to complete the screening
• Wear long hair up (hair accessories are available if needed).
• No diet changes are necessary.
• No medicine changes are necessary.

No. The majority of women diagnosed today with breast cancer have no family history.  No screening procedure is 100%, so the more resources available, the better chance of detecting a problem. Thermography is an important adjunct for women with or without a family history of breast cancer or for women who have a known genetic predisposition.

 Breast thermography was registered by the FDA in 1982.  Unfortunately, it is generally not covered by health insurance. 

You will get an emailed report within 48-72 hours.

Although IBC is very rare, (approximately 3% of all breast cancers) it is a very fast spreading and aggressive type of cancer. IBC is the most malignant form of breast cancer. It is more prominent in younger women where there are no guidelines for this age group of 25-40 years old. Due to the inflammatory nature of IBC, thermography is the ideal screening tool because of the high amount of heat emitted from this cancer. Mammography has limitations with IBC because there is no real detectable mass. Therefore, thermography is the first critical line of defense to signal this inflammatory cancer in the breast for younger women.

Our standard of care includes developing a proper breast baseline in order to properly diagnose various health conditions/concerns.  This also helps to determine if treatment protocols are working.  Each woman has her own individual,  unique breast thermal pattern which can be effectively monitored over time.  It’s like your fingerprint.  Her pattern will remain the same throughout the years unless there is a change in her breast health. This makes a baseline and follow up a key ingredient in overall breast health and in differentiating between cancers and benign conditions.  Without comparison, (recommend 90 days) it is difficult to know if the patterns are stable.  What may be questionable for one woman may be completely normal for another.  Only by rescanning and looking for trends and physical changes over a period of time can we establish what is normal for you.  Once a stable baseline is established in the first 90 days of breast thermography, we recommended an annual screening.  Only a yearly appointment thereafter, as long as stability or the baseline persists.  Don’t base your breast health on half the equation, establish your baseline. 

We use Meditherm, a medical camera designed specifically for clinical applications.  Meditherm maximizes the potential of thermography for the best possible diagnosis and treatment by delivering a higher degree of sensitivity and specificity than other systems.  It is the only thermography system specifically designed and calibrated for optimal operation in the narrow temperature range of metabolic heat.

• Meditherm has the largest network of doctors and technicians worldwide and is the industry leader with the longest established infrastructure covering manufacture, marketing, training and after sales support.
• Has the quickest turnaround of reports.
• Has the most accurate reading because each pixel is an individually referenced measurement which can be compared to any other pixel within an image and also image to image, and comparisons over time.
• Efficient thermoelectric cooling of the cameras and auto correction with unique agile processing technology of our camera eliminates the problems of thermal drift suffered by other cameras.
• Can focus on regions of interest from 2 inches to infinity, while detecting 100% of the body’s emitted infrared radiation.
• Permits less critical protocols in clinics without sacrificing accuracy and reliability.