October brings National Breast Cancer Awareness month, reminding us to look for spooky things that may be lurking in the breasts we love.

In 1982, the FDA published its approval and classification of thermography as an adjunctive diagnostic screening procedure for breast cancer and several other health risks.

If you’re considering thermography, you should know what characterizes safe, helpful thermography from unsafe thermography, which could sabotage your health.

Safe Thermography Characteristics

As with any medical assessment, thermography has protocols and procedures. For starters, an acclimation period of at least 15 minutes is required by the IACT (International Academy of Clinical Thermology) prior to imaging. During this time, you are placed in a temperature controlled room that is draft free and strictly held within a narrow range of temperatures.

According to my mentor, Dr. William Amalu, a board-certified clinical thermologist for over 30 years, director of the Eagle Institute of Clinical Thermography and principal chapter author of Infrared Imaging of the Breast, thermograms capture and depict the body’s emitted infrared light waves to assess physiological information detected through heat signatures that are produced by the increased blood vessel circulation and metabolic changes associated with a tumor and its growth. 

“By detecting minute variations in normal blood vessel activity, infrared imaging may find thermal signs suggesting a pre-cancerous state of the breast or the presence of an early tumor that is not yet large enough to be detected by a mammogram,” says Dr. Amalu 

Thermograms assess the physiological information of the body and they should be performed in conjunction with at least one type of structural imaging—ultrasound, MRI or mammogram. This approach may provide the highest detection rates possible.

Quality breast thermography includes close-up views along with vascular patterns that may represent excess hormonal activity—a significant known risk factor for breast cancer. Reports also assess asymmetrical vascularity (extra blood vessel activity), and the presence of hot spots in each breast.

Unsafe or “Fast Food” Thermography

Poor quality clinics usually deliver fast reporting times, many in as few as 48 hours.

These “fast” findings are unfortunately reported in general terms and don’t specify the quadrant of the breast. Close-ups are rarely taken, and hormonal pattern analysis is rarely present.

Be wary of clinics that ask you to schedule another thermography session in 90 days to determine if the first results are reliable or claim one must have two scans to establish a baseline.  

Sub-quality reports often mention ‘lymphatic congestion’ or ‘nonspecific lymph congestion’ when areas are warm. Practitioners may even recommend strategies they supply to ‘improve’ patterns. Actual lymphedema gives a cool signal, according to Dr. Amalu.

Many reports lack signatures and questions are often routed to a central figure or help desk, rather than the doctor whose name is on the report. Additional fees may exist for reading images or speaking with the doctor.

Other characteristics of lesser quality clinics are acclimation periods under 15 minutes and the range of temperatures in which techs are permitted to image may also be outside IACT standards (68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit).  Imaging genitals uncovered is another red flag.

Pick Your Pink 

As October arrives and the pink ribbons begin to fly for breast health awareness season, be sure to practice discernment when seeking advanced thermographic imaging.

Thermography provides a sensitive test that identifies risk markers early and safely. Fortunately, at Radiant Body Thermography, located in Fort Walton Beach, we provide high-quality thermal imaging read by board certified thermologists, including Dr. Amalu. We also provide mobile thermographic clinics.

Candace Parmer, CTT, practices advanced thermographic imaging at Radiant Body Thermography in Fort Walton Beach. For more information, visit RadiantBodyThermography.com or call 850-374-3712.