There have been a lot of articles lately questioning the value of routine mammography. You might have heard about the recent study done in Canada about mammography and its ability to save lives. The 25 year study, following 90,000 women ages 40-59, was published in the British Medical Journal. The study compared breast cancer incidence and mortality in those women who either had or didn't have mammography screening.

Some of the conclusions of the study were that regular mammogram screenings do not reduce breast cancer death rates and that women in the mammography group were more likely to be misdiagnosed (or over diagnosed) with breast cancer that wasn't there.

If you think about it, exposing healthy breasts to radiation, year after year, as a form of early detection and prevention makes no sense--especially since radiation has been shown to cause cancer! According to the American Cancer Society (cancer.org), one of the cancers included in the list of those most strongly linked to radiation exposure is breast cancer.

So what are women to do? Why should we take a healthy part of our bodies and expose it to danger year after year? Could the so called "cure" be part of the cause? Women need a safe way to monitor breast health!

Breast thermography is definitely part of the answer! Thermography provides the opportunity to detect changes at any stage in the development of a breast tumor. Signs of breast cancer can be seen as early as the first year and onward. With mammography, tumors aren't dense enough to be seen until around the 8th year. This very early detection though thermography provides the chance for early intervention. Preventative treatment, which includes lifestyle changes and vitamin/mineral optimization, have been shown to improve breast health when it is caught in the earliest stages. 

You might suffer from aches and pains in your breasts, especially around the time of your period, and wonder what is causing it. Usually characterized by lumpiness and discomfort in one or both breasts, fibrocystic breast changes are due to small cysts or masses in the breast. In some women it can be very mild and only cause pain during the premenstrual period while in others there can be constant pain and tenderness. Although fibrocystic breasts become less of a problem after menopause, it is common in 60% of women and most common between the ages of 30 and 50.

So what causes this pain and tenderness in the breast? It's a response of the breast tissue to the natural hormones produced by the ovaries. The lumps felt are either fluid filled sacs (cysts) or swelling of the milk producing glands. Although these changes are benign and not dangerous, they can cause routine breast exams and mammograms to be very painful.

Fibrocystic breasts make it more difficult to palpate and identify a new lump among the existing ones and can also make it more difficult for doctors to identify breast cancer with a mammogram. Since some of the cysts can look or feel like cancerous lumps, a biopsy is usually performed to rule out cancer.

According to the Breast Cancer Coalition, "as early as 1928, physicians were warned to 'handle cancerous breasts with care – for fear of accidentally disseminating cells' and spreading cancer."

Today, all of the probing, squishing, x-rays, and routine biopsies may result in more trauma and increase the risk of developing and/or spreading cancerous cells.

Thermography is ideal for breast screening in women with fibrocystic breasts. It is radiation free and compression free. It can detect changes in the breast tissue as many as 8 years before a tumor can be seen on mammogram. 

Dr. Christiane Northrup, a leading surgeon and medical consultant in the area of breast cancer suggests, "instead of just screening for breast cancer, a thermogram can tell you how healthy your breasts are." Using thermography as part of an annual breast health screening can help make prevention of breast cancer a reality.

There's a website called "AreYouDense.org" that was created by Dr. Nancy Cappello. It's not talking about intelligence or common sense. It's talking about breast density. Statistics show that 2/3 of premenstrual women and 1/4 of post-menopausal women have dense breast tissue. Dr. Cappello calls dense breast tissue the best-kept secret! While it can be detected during a routine mammogram, the medical community isn't sharing the information with us. Do you know if you have dense breast tissue?

Dr. Thomas Kolb, a radiologist who specializes in breast cancer detection, studied thousands of women with dense breast tissue that showed mammography missed 60% of cancers that were subsequently found on ultrasound. Breast tumors can be hidden from view in dense breast tissue because they both show up as white on mammography.

There is legislation going on in many states to ensure that all women are informed of this important breast health information. Fortunately for us, Tennessee is one of those states! Being told we have dense breast tissue gives us the option of adding other breast health screenings to our yearly routine.

Thermography is an important screening that should be added to annual wellness checkups for women of all ages. It can identify and assess the status of our breast health by detecting abnormal changes in the breast tissue. As a society, we are so focused on breast cancer awareness. Instead, let's focus on keeping our breasts healthy and preventing cancer in the first place. This can be accomplished by adding breast thermography to your yearly health screenings. 

To learn more, call 901-249-8642 or visit our breast health page.

When I talk with people about the uses and benefits of Thermography, I have found their responses to be very interesting. It's as if they assume it is good for others but not important for themselves. Thermography has many uses throughout the body but I am referring specifically to breast thermography.

What each and every woman needs to know is that breast thermography is not just for others! Breast thermography is important for every woman starting in her early twenties. Thermography is important for YOU, and can offer information not available with other screenings.

I'm not suggesting giving up other screening methods. I'm suggesting adding a safe and easy screening that can only benefit women with increased information. With all of the money and attention being used to research cures for breast cancer, how far have we really come? Every day we are still touched by a friend or family member that has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

What makes us so resistant to taking things into our own hands and becoming proactive in our own health care? 

Don't we want to use every resource available to us to prevent this disease?
 
Why wouldn't every woman want to take every step possible to increase her chances for prevention and early detection of breast cancer?

Must we resort to thinking that cutting off our breasts is a normal act of prevention?

Please take this disease seriously! According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Don't be part of the statistic! Take care of yourself! YOU DESERVE IT!

Why does the medical community think it's okay that young women don't have a yearly screening
option for early detection of breast cancer? Why don't they tell women about the availability of thermography as a safe and accurate screening? The latest media discussion about breast cancer, in response to a study published this week, is eye opening.

They go on to say...

Especially now, in light of this new information, younger women need a safe option for early diagnosis of breast cancer. Those evaluating the study say they don’t know what is causing this surge. Proper nutrition, exercise, and avoiding environmental toxins have definitely been shown to play a role in the prevention and reversal of breast disease. However, we are led to believe that safe and adequate screening is lacking. Experts say that beginning mammography screening at a younger age is not an option, which is a good thing, considering the fact that it would just increase the amount of radiation a woman is exposed to. Experts agree that radiation does increase the risk of developing cancer. But they don't offer young women any safe options!

The article says that... 

The information that they don't offer is that there is a safe and accurate breast health screening for women of all ages. THERMOGRAPHY! Also known as DITI (Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging), thermography is the best breast screening available to aid women OF ALL AGES in the early detection of breast cancer. It takes many years for a tumor to grow. Therefore, the earliest possible indication of an abnormality is needed to allow for the earliest possible treatment and intervention. Thermography can detect abnormalities 8 to 10 years before it can be seen on a mammogram. Breast thermography plays a significant role in monitoring breast health and in the early detection of abnormal physiology.

Don't leave it to chance! Don't let yourself become a statistic! Take an active role in your breast health today!

Women of all ages can benefit from breast thermography. This radiation-free screening is especially appropriate for women, ages 25 - 50, whose denser breast tissue makes mammography less effective. It fills the gap in this age group where women are left without a safe breast screening available to them. 

Thermography plays a role in early detection of breast disease by monitoring for abnormal physiological changes. Since it takes years for a tumor to grow, the sooner young women begin to make breast thermography part of their yearly health screening, the better their chances for early detection and even prevention.

Here is some information to help put it all into perspective...

Unfortunately, breast cancer is a reality among women of all ages. Presently, there is no miracle cure. The current screenings used have failed to provide women with early enough detection. Breast thermography makes up for these shortcomings by providing a screening that not only aids in earlier detection but can actually guide us toward prevention. All women should consider themselves candidates for this invaluable annual screening!

Learn more at our Breast Health page and schedule an appointment today!

A perfect example of what drove me to open Thermography Center of Memphis can be seen in a Washington Post article from November of this year (source). The story described illustrates how the fear of developing cancer has led people to take unnecessary and desperate measures. It seems that precautionary mastectomies are becoming a growing trend!

The headline reads, "Miss D.C. Allyn Rose on her decision to opt for a double mastectomy after Miss America pageant."

Out of fear, this Miss America contestant is going to have both of her breasts removed even though she doesn't have cancer! She said, "If I were to win [the contest]… I would have this incredible platform to speak to my generation." Is this the message we want sent to our children and grandchildren? Should the fear of developing cancer lead a person to "cut off" parts of his or her body in order to prevent it?

How about we try conveying a message of hope? Let's let women know that there is an annual screening available that aids in the prevention and early detection of breast cancer. Thermography is a screening that is available and safe for all ages--free of radiation and compression. With a specially designed digital infrared camera, a picture is taken of the heat being emitted from the body. These pictures can show physiological changes occurring in the body as many as 8-10 years before they would show up on a Mammogram. We, as women, must spread the word! It is in our hands and we must be proactive in the fight against breast cancer. Fear can't save lives... but knowledge can!

Please visit our Breast Health page to learn more.

I have been reading through a lot of breast cancer forums and have found story after story describing the fight of young women, in their 20's and 30's, being diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. Girls as young as 13 are going through mastectomy, followed by radiation and chemotherapy! The challenges faced by young women diagnosed with breast cancer are complex and many. They suffer, not only with self-esteem issues, but with the possibility of early menopause and fertility issues. Many wonder how long they will survive to raise the children they already have!

The American Cancer Institute recommends that women 40 and older have a mammogram every 1 to 2 years. What about women under the age of 40? Younger women have been overlooked in the fight for early detection and prevention. 

Here are a few facts about breast cancer in young women (source: youngsurvival.org)...

• Each year, approximately 70 thousand men and women ages 15 to 39 are diagnosed with cancer in the US. Breast cancer accounts for roughly 15% of all cancers in this age group.
• Women ages 15 to 34 die more frequently from breast cancer than any other cancer.
• There are nearly 250,000 women in the United States under the age of 40 currently living with breast cancer.
• Young women's cancers are generally more aggressive and result in lower survival rates.

In light of these statistics, what choices are available for young women? There IS a safe, radiation free screening available that can detect breast changes at a very early stage. It is safe for women of all ages and can detect abnormal activity 8-10 years before anything can be seen on a mammogram! An annual Thermography screening offers women of all ages a valuable tool to aid in the early detection and prevention of breast cancer. 

Please visit our Breast Health page or contact us to learn more about what Thermography can do for you!

The high incidence of breast cancer among woman has left us asking why there isn't a safer screening available that can provide earlier detection. In America, more women are diagnosed with breast cancer than any other cancer. We have come to a point where we understand the value of yearly mammograms, doctor exams, and monthly self-breast exams. What many of us don't realize is that there is another type of screening that can detect physiological changes in the breast at an earlier stage.

Thermography (digital infrared thermal imaging), is a safe and simple screening that can provide early detection of breast conditions that are unable to be detected by mammography or self-breast exam. It detects temperature changes associated with inflammation in the breast which provides the advantage of getting the earliest possible treatment. By educating ourselves and using a combination of available breast screenings, we as woman put our future into our own hands. By being proactive in our health decisions and empowering other women to take the journey along with us, we can reduce the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

Visit our breast health page to learn more about how thermography can help you take control of your future!