
Lethbridge Physical Pain & Injury Specialists

ALL WOMEN, at any age, can benefit from Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging Breast Screenings. It is not a substitution for mammography but it can be an invaluable tool for earlier detection of breast cancers as this chart below reflects. It also detects breast abnormalities that do not show on mammography such as inflammatory breast disease, skin cancers, cancers close to the chest wall, fibrocystic disease or breast infection.
Thermography is a vital screening tool for younger women (20-50 years) whose denser breast tissue makes it more difficult for mammography to be effective. There is a rise in cancers in younger women and thermography offers a safe alternative without harmful effects of radiation for this age group.
 


The chart on left (average 50 year old woman) shows that signs of abnormalities can be visually indicated as early as the second year with thermography. Younger women are at increased risk as breast cancer tends to grow at a significantly faster rate.
It takes years for a tumour to grow. The earliest possible indication of abnormality allows for the earliest possible improvements in health and lifestyle and/or treatment and intervention.

This 37 year old woman presented for routine thermographic breast screening. She was not in a high risk category and had no family history. No breast exams had been performed previously. The vascular asymmetry in the upper left breast and the local hypothermia was suspicious.
Subsequent clinical investigation indicated a palpable mass at the position indicated. A biopsy was performed and a growth of 2 cm was diagnosed.

Fibrocystic breast affects 30-60% of women. The condition is characterized by non-cancerous lumps. Thermography will indicate suspicious activity and in most cases upon further clinical investigation the condition is benign. As a routine breast screening tool it can give ease of mind to monitor one’s breast health over time.

Breast cancers in all are found in men at a rate of 1%. Survival rate for men with breast cancer is low as men do not have regular breast screenings and the cancer is usually detected at a later stage. Although women are more commonly screened with thermography, men are also candidates for this non-invasive, no body contact method of breast screening.
Normal Breast Thermograms In Two Women
Establishing a normal baseline is the first step as each person has their own unique thermal pattern.
Thermography is a study of change over time. An initial breast thermogram is taken and then in 3 months a second thermogram is scheduled for comparative purposes. If there is no suspicious activity then annual thermograms are recommended.


Breast Screening is a simple procedure. The screening begins with your medical history being taken to provide pertinent information to the specialized doctors who interpret and read the scans.
At STAMINA Clinic your privacy is important. You will be in a private room with a certified thermographer who is specially trained in taking thermograms. A curtain is drawn to ensure your privacy during the screening session.
The images are scanned with the thermographic camera and the whole procedure takes approximately 15-20 minutes.
The digitized images are sent electronically to a specially trained MD Thermologist (certified doctor) for interpretation and reporting.
A consultation appointment is scheduled in 3-7 days to review your report with you. A copy of the report complete with full color scans is given to you and a copy can also be sent to your doctor or other health care provider.

Most reports show no suspicious activity. Future thermograms are then used as comparisons to monitor your breast health.
If suspicious findings are noted on a thermogram then further investigation is recommended which most often result in benign findings.
If a malignancy is discovered with the aid of thermography then you have valuable information for your doctor to assess and monitor your condition for treatment at a much earlier stage.
Dr. Christiane Northrup, a visionary pioneer in women’s health states that “many early cancers go away on their own.” She is an advocate of thermography as a tool for early detection and monitoring of breast health.
Christiane Northrup, M.D., highly respected author of, Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom, recommended Thermography on a PBS special:
“Let me give you a wonderful tool as an alternative to mammogram and that would be thermography. Thermography simply measures the amount of heat given off by our breasts and we know that cellular inflammation is the beginning of cancer. With thermography, a woman has her own unique heat pattern and usually it would be years before she actually developed the cancer. What if you knew how your breasts were doing and you had a test that could show you, functionally, what was going on moment by moment — and you could make lifestyle changes and take various nutrients that change the pattern, and that’s what thermography holds out as the promise. I predict it will become mainstream within the next decade, it simply must.”
Thermography is 100% safe. There is no radiation emitted from the camera. A person could have unlimited of thermograms taken with no side effects.
With thermography there is no physical contact with the body which means no compression or potential tissue damage.
Medical doctors with specialized training in thermography interpret the thermographic scans. The reporting involves correlation with patient history and clinical concerns. It is an interpretation based on patterns that correspond to different conditions or pathologies, and not a diagnosis.
Thermographic scans can be taken of the whole body or specific areas. Besides breast screening it can be beneficial in detecting and monitoring a wide range of health conditions.
To schedule your first appointment please phone our receptionist 403-320-2177 at STAMINA ® Clinic. She will be pleased to set up your initial appointments.
Once you are registered on our computer system you have the option to schedule with our “user friendly” Online Booking Calendar through our website to make updates to any future appointments. If you are not online or prefer to call in then we’ll set up the appointments or make changes for you.
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