Perhaps the most well known use for Thermograms is the early detection of Breast Cancer. When used with other procedures the best possible evaluation of breast health is made. This non-invasive test is a valuable procedure for alerting your Doctor to the possibility of underlying breast disease.

Areas of the body where tumors are growing are undergoing angioneogenesis or the growth of new blood vessels, to feed a growing tumor. This extra blood flow will show up as warm spot on the image with certain typical features. Typically these warm spots will show up as much as 18 months before either a manual exam or a mammogram will detect an abnormality. The faster a malignant tumor grows, the more Infrared radiation it generates. For younger women in particular, results from Thermographic screening can lead to earlier detection and ultimately, longer life.

In the instance where a breast abnormality is detected, it is still considered medically appropriate to obtain a mammogram as well and if something is found to take all appropriate traditional care up to and including surgery. But, in the instance where Thermography detects something and a physical exam and Mammography is negative the patient has been given a valuable head start to go forward with a vigorous detoxification and Integrative treatment program to stop processes that will result in a malignancy later on. A negative Thermogram in the absence of detectable physical findings while not a

100% certainty (nothing in medicine is 100% certain) can give a woman at risk a strong degree of reassurance that things are going very well.

Doctors do not yet know how to prevent breast cancer. However, you can increase your chances of detecting breast cancer in its earliest stages by understanding the need for, and participating in, an early detection program.

Current Early Detection Guidelines

There may ultimately be a single method for the early detection of breast cancer but until then, using a combination of methods will increase your chances of detecting cancer in an early stage. These methods include:

• Mammography for all women who are aged 40 or older
• Regular Thermographic screening for women of all ages
• A regular breast examination by a health professional
• Monthly breast self-examination
• Personal awareness for changes in the breasts
• Readiness to discuss quickly any such changes with a doctor
• These guidelines should be considered along with your background and medical history.
• Breast cancers tend to grow significantly faster in younger women under 50:

AVERAGE AGE and TUMOR DOUBLING TIME
Under 50 80 days
Age 50-70   157 days
Over Age 70   188 days

Source: Cancer 71:3547-3551, 1993

Only about 20% of biopsied breast lumps are cancerous. If cancer is found early, there are choices for treatment. With prompt treatment, the outlook is good.

I found this article in Homeopathy Arizona and Thermography certainly seems like a good choice, particularly for women over 50 who are concerned about the advice we have received so far – mammograms every year which exposes us to a high degree of radiation from the x-rays and a high rate of false positive findings.

Fiona