Thermography is the utilization of thermograms to measure heat distribution and identify cellular “hot spots” within the body. Why? Cancers start as a single cell. To grow, they need to continually recruit blood and nutrients, often creating their own blood supply through a process known as neogenesis. Utilizing yearly thermography can aid in early detection, as your thermograph is like a map and changes in this map might signal a need for a more in-depth look. The procedure is both comfortable and safe and utilizes no radiation.
As more evidence mounts about the amounts of radiation in the MRI technology used for mammography, often people believe this to be a replacement. “It is not a replacement,” says Kristine Blanche, director of Integrative Healing Center, in Port Washington. “It is what we call adjunct therapy or in addition to.” When used as part of a multimodal approach (clinical examination + mammography + thermography), 95 percent of early-stage cancers will be detected.
Thermography and its heat-detecting ability is said to detect cancerous cells up to eight years earlier. In patients without cancer, the examination results are used to indicate the level of possible future cancer risk. Consequently, in the absence of other positive tests, an abnormal infrared image gives a woman an early warning. By maintaining close monitoring of her breast health with serial infrared imaging, self-breast exams, clinical examinations, and other tests, a woman has a much better chance of detecting cancer at its earliest stage and preventing invasive tumor growth.
As a practitioner, Blanche doesn’t want patients taking a passive role. So, not only does she utilize the thermography for screening and watching, Blanche utilizes it to create a proactive and preventative plan. “If we see that a young woman has a spider pattern on their thermography report indicating a fibrocystic breast or something signaling a potential problem in years to come, then in addition to watching them more carefully, we also immediately put them on our breast program.” For many, this program is as easy and as inexpensive as utilizing a prescribed amount of topical iodine and a prescribed amount of essential oils.
Source: IACT-Org.org and Kristine Blanchard, director of Integrative Healing Center, in Port Washington. For more information, call 516-676-0200 or visit IntegrativeHealthManhasset.com
