What is Thermography?
Thermography is a non-invasive clinical imaging procedure that captures heat patterns from the surface of the body. The infrared thermal images are evaluated for abnormalities which may be signs of body dysfunction. Instead of using harmful radiation, this process uses an imaging camera to measure temperature differences in your body. By taking thermographic pictures of your body, we gain important insight into changes in metabolism, blood flow, and inflammation.
Inflammation, which may show up as an increase in heat release, is a precursor to many diseases such as cancer, arthritis, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Early detection of inflammation may help you prevent many negative health conditions from developing. Annual thermograms allow you to map changes in the body’s heat patterns over time which can alert you to any changes that might indicate disease.
Schedule a thermography visit with one of our technicians. All of our thermography technicians are female, to reduce any discomfort associated with the assessment. During this in-person assessment, you will undergo a set of non-invasive thermographic images to assess the patterns of heat released from your skin. You can choose to do thermography with or without the follow-up 40-minute appointment.
Early Detection Is Key to Prevention
Thermography can be used as an aid for diagnosis and prognosis, as well as monitoring therapy progress for conditions and injuries, including but not limited to:
- Breast Cancer
- Breast Disease
- Back Injuries
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Arthritis
- Headache
- Disc Disease
- Vascular Disease
- Inflammatory Pain
- Nerve Damage
- Skin Cancer
- Unexplained Pain
- Sprain or Strain
- Fibromyalgia
- Stroke Screening
- Dental & TMJ
- Digestive Disorders
- Artery Inflammation
- Thyroid Disease
Schedule Your Thermography Assessment Today
What to Expect During Your Thermography Session
The thermography study is performed in our office by our friendly, knowledgeable technicians. A female technician will be provided for all female patients.
In order to obtain accurate images, there is a 15-minute acclimation period prior to the study being performed. This allows your skin to reach a normal temperature prior to the pictures being taken. For both the acclimation period and imaging study you will be asked to disrobe the areas of your body that will be imaged. In most cases this means disrobing either completely or above the waist. We will supply disposable undergarments when appropriate.
The pictures that are taken during the thermography study does not look like a normal picture that you would take with a camera. Our top-of-the-line thermographic sensor gathers only infrared heat information. The images are interpreted by our certified thermographer under standard privacy and HIPAA regulations.
After the images are interpreted you will go over the results with one of our team members and receive a written report that will include the images, study results, and recommendations.
Benefits of Thermographic Breast Health Assessment
All women can benefit from this infrared screening procedure. It is especially useful for women between the ages of 30 to 50 whose denser tissue makes it more difficult for mammography to be effective. It is also beneficial for women of all ages who are unable to undergo routine mammography, such as women with breast implants, radical mastectomies, and other health issues. Full body thermal imaging can also provide a ‘clinical marker’ to a medical doctor showing specific areas which need further evaluation.
Besides being non-invasive and painless, thermography offers early detection of any physiological changes that are a part of breast pathology. Thermography will often show changes 5 to 10 years before a mammogram will spot anything. This often gives the client an opportunity and time to make changes in lifestyle and nutrition to improve breast and general health. Consider the fact that only 25% of all breast cancers are genetically related. That leaves 75% of breast cancer related to our environment.
Breast thermography scans completed yearly offers us insight on changes we may need to balance overall health. This includes hormonal, thyroid, and heart health. It is also a safe non-invasive means to monitor breast lumps, breast inflammation, breast pain, fibrocystic / dense breasts, and cystic breasts.