Thermography FAQ
According to
Floyd H. Chilton, Ph.D. (2006) author of the
Inflammation Nation, "approximately
half of all Americans suffer from an
inflammatory disorder, and ever more of us
are at risk" (p. 16). Chilton goes on to
say, "Inflammatory diseases are debilitating
and, in many cases, fatal. And there is no
cure for these diseases."
(p. 7). Our treatment of these diseases has
improved but it often means expensive,
long-term medications with side effects that
often don't even work
[1].
Q.
What is an inflammatory disease?
A.
Inflammation is another word for heat.
Inflammation is a normal process. It is
generally accepted that many if not most
diseases have inflammation at their root.
Inflammatory diseases are all those disease
that occur when the body's own defense
system turns against itself. This includes
such diseases as arthritis, most chronic
pain conditions, asthma, allergies,
diabetes, cardiovascular disease, eczema,
inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), lupus,
Crohn's disease and psoriasis.
Inflammatory diseases are insidious in
nature and often go undetected for years
before their devastating symptoms appear.
Case in point is breast disease. A breast
tumor is slow growing, taking 8-10 years to
mature into a visible growth that can
finally be identified by traditional
mammography. Other times, we experience
inflammatory symptoms but chalk them up to
the normal aging process.
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Q.
If inflammatory diseases are so lethal,
how can I proactively identify if
I'm at risk?
A. Detection of inflammation requires a heat-sensitive device and is routinely missed by traditional imaging, which is not designed to be heat sensitive.
Medical Thermal Imaging or
Thermography is a proactive, scientifically
established and accepted means to measure
the quantity and patterns of heat emitting
from the human body. It's a highly technical
FDA registered device that actually detects
the infrared wavelength that is invisible to
human vision. We experience infrared energy
as varying degrees of temperature, so the
infrared picture can accurately distinguish
the variations of temperature on the body.
It creates a colormap that is easy for us to
read. So, the higher the temperature, the
more inflammation. It is a totally safe,
non-radiation, non-contact and low-cost
means to measure how well your body is
regulating its internal environment.
Medical Thermal Imaging proactively
identifies changes in your body's
functioning long before they threaten your
health. In addition, it can confirm
something you suspect but have previously
had no way to confirm or refute. It can also
identify inflammation that conventional
tests often miss. Examples are:
Damage to muscles and tendons
Nerve dysfunction
Organ dysfunction
Vascular disease like stroke
Sinus conditions
Dental pathology
Carotid artery health
Thyroid patterns
Lymphatic activity, and most
importantly
Breast changes
Medical Thermal Imaging, also known as
Thermography, is best known for breast
screening. Breast screening is one of its
highest and best uses. In fact, Medical
Thermal Imaging was FDA registered in 1982
as a completely safe method for breast
imaging. Because of the nature of the
development of breast, thermal imaging is
ideal to detect the highly visible vascular
activity that facilitates tumor growth, even
in its microscopic stages.
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Q. How effective is Thermography at
identifying inflammation?
A.
Numerous studies have been done
evaluating the effectiveness of thermography
at identifying inflammation. The majority of
these studies have focused on thermography's
ability to be a predicative indicator of
breast cancer. For example, Spilalier and
associates used thermography to screen
61,000 women over a 10 year period. They
found that 91% of non-palpable cancers were
detected by infrared imaging and that of all
the patients with cancer, thermography was
the first indicator of the disease in 60% of
the cases
[2].
In another study
consisting of almost 40,000 women. Hoberman
and associates used breast thermography and
physical examination to determine if
mammography was recommended. They discovered
that 30% of the cancers found would not have
been detected without thermography
[3].
By measuring changes in your body's
thermal radiant heat as small as 1/100th of
a degree, we see "bio-markers,
bio-fingerprints" or "risk indicators" that
published medical research confirms can
reveal tell-tale signs of tumors, toxins,
and disease, months or even years earlier
than traditional imaging procedures. You
then have time to pursue natural,
conservative treatment options.
Below are 3 thermal breast images. The one
on the left is an image of healthy
breasts. There is good thermal symmetry with
no suspicious vascular patterns or
significant thermal findings. The image
in the
middle is an image of breasts that
are positive for pathology, specifically in
the left breast. The
image on the right shows very significant
vascular activity which justified clinical
correlation and close monitoring and
returned an opinion of fibrocystic changes
taking place. These changes can be monitored
thermographically at regular intervals until
a stable baseline is established and is
reliable enough for annual comparison.
Thermal Imaging is not a stand alone
diagnostic device and does not replace any
other diagnostic device or examination.
Therefore, it should be used as an
adjunctive screening tool with other such
devices and examinations.
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Q.
What can be imaged and how long will it
take?
A.
The following is a list of regions of
the body that can be imaged and the time it
takes for each.
1. Full Body - 1 hour
2. Head/Neck - 15 minutes
3. Chest/Upper Back - 15 minutes
4. Breast - 15 minutes
5. Abdomen/Lower Back - 15 minutes
6. Shoulder/Arms/Hands - 15 minutes
7. Hips/Legs/Knees/Feet - 15 minutes
Allow 30 minutes to image 2 or more
regions.
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Q.
Who reviews my results?
A.
All images are analyzed by specially
trained and certified MD's. You will receive
a written report of their findings with your
original images.
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Q.
If thermal imaging identifies
inflammation in my body, what can I do
to
fix it?
A.
There are many ways to address early
stage inflammation in the body to help
prevent the development of unwanted disease.
The following are the most common:
Exercise
Diet
Detoxification
Hormone Balancing
Supplements and Herbs, and
Acupuncture
Thermal Imaging makes it possible to
easily identify the problem areas to assist
in the most direct, successful and reliable
treatment.
The image below clearly shows how
acupuncture can help to alleviate
inflammation in the body.
Nature's Balance Acupuncture mission is
to help as many people as possible in their
quest for optimum health. We are dedicated
to teaching clients how to improve and
maintain a healthy lifestyle through
acupuncture, nutrition, exercise and
supplements.
Plan ahead to stay healthy and live a longer, healthier and happier life!
Call Nature's Balance Acupunture of Crystal Lake at 815.788.8383 to schedule a Thermography Screening today!
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top
[1] Chilton, Floyd H. Inflammation
Nation. New York: Simon &
Schuster, 2006.
[2]
Spitalier H, Giraud D, et
al: Does Infrared
Thermography Truly Have a
Role in Present Day Breast
Cancer Management?
Biomedical Thermology, Alan
R. Liss New York, NY. pp.
269-278, 1982.
[3]
Haberman
J., Francis J., Love T:
Screening a Rural Population
for Breast Cancer Using
Thermography and Physical
Examination Techniques. Ann
NY Acad Sci, 335: pp.
492-500, 1980.
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This information, including but not
limited to opinions, links and/or
recommendations contained on this website
are for general educational informational
purposes only. Such information is not
intended to be a substitute for professional
medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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