It’s Mammogram Time Again!

November 2, 2010 by @MichelleRodulfo
Filed under Body Wellness

Well it’s that time of the year again. Time for my annual physical exam and all that goes with it. And in my case, we’re talking about the dreaded mammogram.

For those of you that have to endure what can only be described as “breast torture” annually, I empathize with you. And for those of you that don’t, I’d liken the experience to that of slamming your breasts in the fridge door a few times. And that’s no exaggeration because our breasts are compressed with a force equal to some 50 pounds during a mammogram! In fact when I told my sister that I was going for a mammogram she asked whether I had practiced before hand using the fridge door. lol.

But breast health is no joking matter. And screening and early detection is key. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, except for skin cancers, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women.

And the most recent estimates for breast cancer in the US for 2010 aren’t pretty:

About 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women.

About 54,010 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).

About 39,840 women will die from breast cancer

Mammography and self breast examination have been the mainstay of breast cancer detection for years. These procedures detect breast cancer – they confirm the existence of what already exists – cancer.

But what is there was a way to detect very small changes within the breast – at the cellular level – pre-cancerous changes? That would appear to be the optimal position, wouldn’t it?

And that’s exactly what digital breast thermography is. It’s a pictorial measurement of heat generated in the body and in particular, in our breasts. It allows for a careful analysis of skin and tissue temperatures.

Medical practitioners are therefore able to pick up abnormal chemical and blood vessel activity in breast tissue because they generate greater heat.

Areas of greater heat are therefore, often seen as red flags – possible pre-cancerous sites. Christiane Northrup, M.D. (ob/gyn) and bestselling author, wrote a brilliant article recently about breast heath and thermography in the Huffington Post. She noted that thermography may be able to detect cancer activity 8 to 10 years earlier than any other screening method. And that’s huge.

This would give women time to make changes to their diets, possibly ramp up on certain supplements and herbs, do some inner work – all in an effort to transform these cells before they became cancerous. Breast cancer prevention at its best.

And if all of this is possible with thermography and it’s also pain and radiation free, why aren’t we embracing this technology which incidentally is FDA approved? Or is that a rhetorical question, after all, cancer treatment is hugely profitable?

Like any technology, thermography is only as good as the thermologist. You can find a qualified thermologist in your area by visiting the International Academy of Clinical Thermology website at http:// iact-org.org

And just to be clear, I’m not advocating thermography over mammography. I think women need to know what’s available, do their own research and make choices that are best for them.

Resources

http://www.breastthermography.com/breast_thermography_mf.htm

http://www.healingwell.com/library/breastcancer/article.asp?author=cockburn&id=1

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christiane-northrup/the-best-breast-test-the-_b_752503.html

http://iact-org.org/