What is Thermography you ask? Medical Thermography done correctly with a Meditherm Infrared Camera, is a digital map of your body’s cells activity visualized through heat patterns. These thermal images (heat patterns) are analyzed by a medical doctor called a Thermologist, for abnormalities (irregular heat patterns) that may signal the onset of disease in your body, such as breast cancer. The most common use of thermography is for breast health screening. In short, thermography is a tool to monitor breast health, not just a way to find disease. Is this not the true definition of “screening”; to assess the body’s cell health; and insure no potential for upcoming morbidity and mortality?
Look at the below table. As you can see, breast cancer that was found with our Meditherm Infrared camera at 2 years of inception, was not detected until 8 years with a mammogram! Why wait? Early Detection saves lives. An ultrasound done after this abnormal Thermogram below would be the next step.
In addition to breast cancer screening, Thermography screens the body for so much more. The following is only a sampling of conditions:
- Benign breast disease (avoid “false positive” breast cancer scares so common with mammography)
- Early signs of vascular inflammation such as in the carotid arteries or in the veins (varicosities)
- Sinus inflammation
- Mouth (periodontal, teeth and bone disease) as well as TMJ issues
- Differentiate Pain: arthritis vs. tendonitis vs. neurological vs. vascular disorders in the upper and lower extremities, neck and spine (examples: carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, disc disease, bursitis, fibromyalgia, and nerve impingement, etc)…
The list goes on – the point is … anyone – male or female – can benefit from FULL BODY Thermography. Let’s look at some examples.
- Underactive Thyroid
This picture demonstrates an UNDERACTIVE THYROID or HYPOthyroidism. This is a condition which often does NOT show up well in patient blood work but that I treat routinely with Natural Thyroid due to patient symptoms and thermogram findings.
The hands below belong to a man who presented with numbness and tingling in the right hand. He did not know he had Diabetes until AFTER the thermogram found this Neuropathy in the right hand.
- Early carotid artery inflammation is a precursor to plaque in the arteries everywhere.
The woman below came in for her annual Breast Thermogram and decided to get a FULL BODY Thermogram that year instead. Without this thermogram, our patient would never have known that she has early carotid artery inflammation. Plaque begins to build in our arteries AFTER they become inflamed. WHY WAIT for plaque to build in the arteries, when you can screen for early inflammation in the vessels with Thermography AND eliminate it naturally before it becomes a problem?
These two thermograms demonstrate why you want to get an annual breast thermogram even if you decide to get a mammogram that year. Remember, it is your decision whether to get a mammogram each year, depending upon the risk/benefit ratio for YOU to get a mammogram. To learn more about this topic, please take a look at our April 2014 blog “Medical Research Against Annual Mammograms”.
- This woman has an early cancer growing at 12:00 in the left breast. Can you see it?
This woman has normal breasts on thermogram. Different than the thermogram to the left, isn’t it?
The woman who belongs to the thermogram on the left has an early cancer. This same woman had just had a normal mammogram. Remember our table above? Natural Medicine can really support a woman’s breast health and early breast cancer detection saves lives!
We at Charleston Integrative Medicine want to provide you with both the medical services as well as the knowledge to feel ready to embark upon or build upon your already Health conscious lifestyle.
To learn more about The Thermogaphy Center of Charleston or schedule a thermogram, please email or call Karen Gadol PA-C at:
843-813-4575
To learn more about The Integrative Medical Services that Dr. Cometa offers the Greater Charleston area, please email or call her at:
ariane@cometawellnesscenter.com
443-804-1970
Of course, please check out the various pages of this blog/website, to learn more about both Karen Gadol PA as well as me, Dr. Ariane Cometa, Integrative Family Medicine!
We look forward to working with you!
Ariane Cometa MD, the holistic doc
Charleston Integrative Medicine 