1. What is Breast Thermography? Back
It’s a painless, completely non-toxic, digital heat image. It digitally maps the vascular system of the breasts and notes heat changes often caused by high estrogen levels or breast cancers. Thermography can see capillaries as small as a human hair!
Blood vessels in the breasts are controlled by the sympathetic system of the body. So when the patient is cooled, the vessels to the breast constrict (get smaller and cooler). But the blood supply to a cancer is not controlled by the body or sympathetic system; therefore, the blood supply to a tumor will stay hot and stand out boldly.
2. Why would I want to get a Thermogram? Back
Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women. It is the leading killer of women between the ages of 25 – 45 and most women have a challenging time getting a mammogram before the age of 40. Thermography is the first test that is being offered to younger women that want to be proactive about the health of their breasts.
3. How is Thermography saving lives? Back
It’s saving lives three ways. First, it’s non toxic so it can be done on younger women, nursing moms and pregnant women. Second, it can give you a health risk index so even if you test negative for breast cancer, life style changes can be recommended to increase the health of your breasts and put you in a lower risk category for breast cancer. Third, because it’s non toxic, Thermographs can be repeated as often as every three months and compared to previous digital images to note small changes or advances.
4. What do we now know about breast cancer? Back
Breast cancers need blood supply to grow and an estrogen environment. Because the breasts are primitive glands, they can sometimes store 50 times the estrogen that is in the saliva or blood making saliva tests and blood tests ineffective in some women. Many doctors are now thinking that breast cancer is a direct result of the amount of estrogen the breasts have been exposed to over time. So your breast health can be directly affected by the amount of estrogen in your breast tissue.
The exciting thing about Thermography is that it not only sees the blood supply but can also note levels of high estrogen. So in addition to catching cancer 5 years before mammography, thermography can also give you a risk index based on the amount of estrogen.
5. How is Thermography different from Mammography? Back
First, Mammography is an x-ray so only well-advanced tumors of at least 1 cm can be detected. Mammography is only 40%-60% effective at finding these advanced large tumors. Thermography can detect tumors that are as small as the head of a pin. This is 5 years before Mammography! Thermography is 86%-96% effective and can also note high estrogen levels in the breast and give you a personal risk assessment.
Second, there is an important part of the breast located in the armpit that a mammogram never sees. Thermography captures the entire breast tissue. Third, Thermography is completely non toxic so the test can be repeated as often as necessary, compared to previous images and performed on much younger women.
Fourth, Mammography has a very tough time with fibrocystic breasts (30% of women have fibrocystic breasts), mammography can not be performed on women with augmented breasts and it is not recommended for post surgical breasts. These conditions do not affect the 86% - 96% accuracy rate of Thermography.
Finally, Mammograms have a very high error rate: 40% false positive and 20% false negatives. Thermography has a 4%-14% false positive ratio and it is incredibly rare to have a false negative. Because thermography catches tumors 5 years before any other test currently available, some doctors are questioning if these “false positives” are actually true positives. If women who test positive take action to improve their breast health, could these “false positives” be very small cancers that were avoided, prevented or reversed?
6. Should Thermography replace Mammography? Back
Absolutely not! It is important to understand that these are two completely different types of technologies. Thermography is another weapon against breast cancer that we are trying to add to the schedule in an effort to save lives. There is nothing as effective as Mammography for locating the precise location of a tumor. There is nothing as advanced as Thermography for detecting breast cancer in its earliest stages.
7. Why might my doctor say, “That’s been proven inaccurate”? Back
Thermography is very new. It’s FDA approved but not currently part of a woman’s schedule of prevention, yet! Because it’s so new and very different from the failed Thermography of the 70’s or 80’s some doctors just don’t know about the latest developments. Doctors are right about the Thermography of the 70’s and 80’s, but the Thermography of the 90’s has been proven to be a life saver. There are currently over 801 studies supporting Thermography. It’s our goal to make it available for all women in the early detection of breast cancer.
8. Will my insurance cover the cost? Back
Call your insurance and ask. All labs currently ask for up front payment although they will provide the paperwork for you to mail into your insurance. The test totals under $300 so it’s not expensive compared to an MRI, Ultrasound or Mammogram.
9. What do I do if I have a positive Thermogram, show a high estrogen level or show a high risk factor?
Because Thermography catches cancers 5 years before other tests, the treatment is very different. Exercise, diet, nutrition and stress reduction are often recommended. Progesterone cream is a common treatment and can reduce the estrogen levels in the breast. Additional tests such as digital Ultrasound, MRI, blood or saliva tests might be encouraged as well as a second Thermogram in 3-6 months to see the progression, stabilization or reduction.
10. Where can I get my Thermogram? Back
Gerken Family Chiropractic 88 E Bonita Road, Suite E, Chula Vista, CA 91910 Phone: (619) 422-3088 Email Us