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Thermography.... |
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| Breast
Thermography is a desirable
alternative to a mammogram. In
thermography, there is no
contact, no x-rays, no pain--it
is completely non-invasive. A
patient can have multiple
screenings done every year to
track changes without concern
about side effects. To
understand the difference
between a mammogram and breast
thermography, one needs to
understand how tumors develop: |
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| Tumors need a
blood supply to exist. When a
tumor develops, it creates
vascularization (blood vessels)
around itself. This is a |
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| physiological
process. This physiology can be detected in the
earliest developmental stages with heat sensing
imagers. A mammogram is a screen of anatomy, it
looks for the actual evidence of a tumor. A
breast thermograph is a screen of function, it
looks for the reflection of physiological
happenings. When a mammogram identifies a tumor,
the tumor has likely been forming for a long
time. In comparison, a thermography image
detects breast temperature differentials and so
often can identify the beginning stages of a
potential problem. Therefore, a woman can be
proactive in addressing the situation in a
non-invasive manner. |
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| During a
thermograph, a woman stands in
front of the imager and then an
infrared heat scan is taken of
her breasts. If adverse
physiology is present (such as
increased vascularization
involved with tumor
development), it will be
evidenced by temperature
differentials in the image of
the breasts. |
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| Thermobiological diagnostics
were first found in the writings of Hippocrates
around 480 B.C. Mud was spread over a patient
and where an area dried first, it was thought to
indicate underlying organ pathology. Diagnostic
thermography was first used in 1957. |
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| In 1982, the Food and Drug
Administration published its approval and
classified thermography as an adjunctive
diagnostic screening procedure for the detection
of breast cancer. Many medical centers and
independent clinics have used thermography for a
variety of diagnostic purposes since 1970. |
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| Statistically, 15% of all
breast cancers occur between 20 and 44 years of
age. |
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| DITI (Thermography) Scan
Frequency Guidelines: |
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- 20
years age — initial scan
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- 20-30
Years age — every 3 years
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- 30
Yrs and Over — Every year
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| Breast Disease is a fifteen-
to twenty-year disease process. Breast
thermography enables women to detect a possible
disease process 8-10 years before other
conventional procedures or methods. Early
detection of breast disease will enable you to
make the best choice for treatment. |
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- A
patient will be asked to fill out a health
history questionnaire.
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- The
patient will be escorted to a room maintained at
20-22 degrees Celsius.
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- The
patient will disrobe from the waist up, remove
jewelry and shoes, and cool down in the room for
15 minutes before the first scan (a series of
scans taken at different angles) is performed.
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- A
second scan will be performed (Stress Series)
after the body is cooled down again.
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- All
the images will be stored in the computer and
are available for future comparison studies.
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- Standardized
protocols are followed when measuring and
interpreting Breast Thermography (DITI) Studies.
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| Before a Breast Thermography
Study, avoid the following: |
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- Exercise
4 hrs prior to exam
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- Deodorants,
Antiperspirants
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- Any
extreme hot/cold treatments
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- Bathing/showering
1 hr prior to the exam
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- No
sun exposure 10 days prior to exam
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- Patients
who are menstruating need to schedule Breast
Thermography five days after menstruation.
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| Information was compiled from
the following work: Catherine Hume 2001 “Bras
that bind”. For more
information on Breast Thermography,
click here. |
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