Natural Harmony LLC

Thermography

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended new guidelines for having mammograms.These guidelines were based on a 1999 meta-analysis published in The Lancet, the UKs premier medical journal in 2000. It stated that "Screening for breast cancer with mammography is unjustified." The study showed that "for every 1000 females having mammograms over a 12-year period, the life of one was saved, while the total number of deaths increased by six." The new U.S. recommendations did not get published until November 17 of 2009, nine years after the publication in The Lancet.

So what is a woman to do now? Since 1982 thermography has been FDA approved for medical imaging. Thermography is digital infrared imaging, a technology that uses an infrared camera that senses and records patterns of heat and displays the image on a computer screen. It does not use x-rays and your breast tissue is not squished between cold metal plates. No one touches you. It is much like getting your photo taken by a regular camera, except this one is sensitive to the infrared spectrum.

Mammograms detect structures while thermograms record the physiology of the breasts. Cancer can be found on a mammogram only when it has grown to a mass large enough to be detected (approximately 1 million cells). That means mammograms can only detect cancer already in progress. Wouldn't you want to know if you had the conditions brewing for the formation of cancer before you get it? Thermography can pick up breast disease eight to ten years earlier than mammography.

Dense breast tissue is not an issue with thermography as it is with mammography. Dense breast tissue is normal and healthy among younger women, but it is harder to get a good image through dense tissue using an x-ray. Thermography will detect fibrocystic conditions and is best at detecting inflammatory breast disease that mammograms can miss because they don't record inflammation.

How is a thermogram done? You sit in a warm room and undress from the waist up. You put on a medical gown and fill out health history paperwork. Then the gown is dropped to the waist and images are recorded at a distance by the camera and stored on a computer. These images are then emailed to medical doctors that are board certified to read thermograms and send reports. Reports are usually available in 24 hours.

If the report comes back with notations about an area of suspicion then the doctors that do the report will recommend that you follow up with diagnostic testing. You may then choose to get an ultrasound, MRI or mammogram for a diagnostic evaluation. Thermography is not for diagnostic use. It screens to let you know if you need a diagnostic test. The majority of women do not and are then spared unnecessary exposure to radiation that has a negative cumulative effect.

Sessions are payed for at the time of service and insurance or co-pays are not accepted. It is your obligation to find out if your insurance company covers the procedure and what you must be prepared to submit with your claim for reimbursement. You will be given a receipt with insurance codes and a copy of the report. A report will be mailed to your doctor or doctors at your request.

Costs: The charge for the first sitting is $200. A  second sitting within three to four months to establish a baseline for future comparison is $150. All sessions thereafter are $150. Yearly thermograms are suggested. If you can spot something early enough, there is the chance you can take steps to prevent a serious problem.

Thermography sessions can be scheduled by calling me directly at 973-838-7211 to schedule a session at Food for Thought, 123 Skyline Drive, RIngwood or at the Red Bank location.

Sessions are available Monday through Saturday.