There I was in the doctors office, 18 years old, and scared to death. My mom had just gone into remission with her Hodgkin’s disease and I was demanding a mammogram. I was terrified that I had (or would have) breast cancer. The doctor poo-poo’d my request a) because I was young, and b) because I was “out of line” with my request. No 18-year-old should have to worry about breast cancer.
But I won. I got that mammogram I thought I needed — and got no feedback from it. It was cold and impersonal and got me no where with my health.
Why did I do it? Because at the remission appointment for my mom’s cancer, her oncologist said this to her: “Now, symptoms you’ll need to be on the lookout for include heart attacks, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and blood clots.” I remember thinking he was crazy, because even at 18 I knew these were very large problems with many a symptom leading up to diagnosis. It felt like a set up to me.
All I heard was breast cancer. And I just went through two years of thinking my mom was going to die. Of turning her over every two hours in her hospital bed at Mayo, of swabbing her mouth because her saliva glands had been zapped, of giving her sponge baths and helping to change dressings.
And then her blood clots happened, and instances of what looked like mini strokes happened, and lots of ambulance rides happened, and at the age of 43, a heart attack happened.
Fast forward to 2007, while working in a functional medicine clinic, I was introduced to thermography and was fascinated. I was also busy dreaming up my someday healing space and knew this would be a great fit.
As much as I wanted to give thermography a try, being pregnant and/or nursing for 10 out of 15 years puts a damper on things. I was finally able to get my own scan complete back in November and was fascinated by the results. But I’ll stop sharing for a moment and educate you on what thermography is.
What is thermography?
Medical digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI) is a non-invasive, safe, diagnostic tool that pictures and analyzes changes in the skin’s surface temperature without the use of radiation. While X-rays, ultrasound, and mammography show us the structure of the body, they will miss such things as active inflammation and increased blood supply as found in many illnesses. DITI is a unique technology that takes a picture and creates a map of the infrared patterns of the body. It is different from other screening tools because it helps you to see how your body functions.
DITI detects heat to measure the physiological activity in your body. This clinical test is supported by 30 years of research and over 8,000 published medical studies. This procedure requires no physical contact, is 100% safe, includes no radiation, and is FDA approved.
Thermography has been clinically proven to detect potential abnormalities as much as 8 years earlier than a mammogram according to numerous studies. As a routine screening tool, it has been shown to be 97% effective at detecting benign vs. malignant breast abnormalities.
A tumor that is just under the range of detection and missed can double 4 to 5 times in one year in a younger individual. This is why it is important to detect dysfunction in the early years by adding thermographic screening to your health care regimen.
The Benefits of Thermography
- Scanning by body region — from areas of interest to half or full body scanning, this service can be tailored to your needs and interests. (I chose full body to get a baseline due to past traumas and suspected autoimmunity.)
- You receive a written interpretation of your findings by an M.D. certified in thermology, along with your digital images.
- It’s non-invasive. There is no bodily contact, no bloodwork, and no injections.
- It can be used to assess pain and pathology anywhere on the body, and is very helpful in monitoring therapy.
- Thermography can help detect disease and injury by revealing the thermal abnormalities present in the body.
- Risk-free
- Radiation-free
I brought thermography into the office of My Healthy Beginning because I am committed to connecting women with services, modalities, and therapies to support their quest for total health. This scan was a gift I blessed myself with. It gave me the information necessary to make the next best step in my self-care routine by pointing me in the direction where we needed to look more deeply.
Book Your Screening
Thermography screening occurs at My Healthy Beginning quarterly (provided by Picture My Health). Book online or call our office to schedule: 612-418-3801.
Need more research? There is a great resource online at the Research Center for Thermography.
