healingways Breast Thermography Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging Radiation-free Screening Complements Mammography


by Bernarda Zenker, MD, and Valerie Zumbusch, CCT


Most doctors agree that until its causes can be identified and prevented, early detection is the best way to avoid dying from the disease.


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ccording to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women ages 20 to 59. Most doctors agree that until its causes can be identified and prevented, early detection is the best way to avoid dying from the disease. In recent years, the recommended screening for women at average risk has included an annual clinical breast exam (CBE), monthly self- examination and a baseline mammogram at age 40, followed by annual screening mammograms. Last year, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force aroused


controversy when it issued a statement that for women ages 40 to 49, the risks generated by having mammograms (includ- ing low-dose radiation, false negative or false positive readings and unnecessary additional testing) outweighed the benefits, and that a mammogram every other year was sufficient for most women ages 50 to 59. The American Cancer Society and most medical centers have not adopted these recommenda- tions.


As research about the risks and benefits continues, breast


thermography, or digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI), is gaining recognition as a complement to CBEs and mam- mography. DITI is a clinical screening test—free of radiation, compression and contact—appropriate for women of all ages. It can be a very effective part of early breast disease detection and has been shown to find signs of breast changes up to 10 years before they would have been noted with conventional mammography. DITI has limitations, however, and is an adjunct, not a competitor, to the appropriate use of mam- mography. Unlike mammography, DITI is completely safe and


14 NA Twin Cities Edition natwincities.com


comfortable for women that are pregnant or have implants or large, dense or sensitive breasts.


How Thermography Works Using an infrared medical camera, the unique DITI technology cre- ates a map of the infrared (heat) patterns of the body. Thermography can detect subtle changes in the breast temperature that indicate a variety of breast abnormalities. If abnormal patterns are detected, follow-up procedures may include a physical exam, mammography and/or ultrasound. A biopsy, in which a surgeon removes tissue for examination by a pathologist, is the only test that definitively diagno- ses breast cancer.


DITI is aimed at screening for change over time and detecting


developing pathology at an early stage. Thus, the initial screening is limited to creating a baseline. DITI technology is not as effective as physical examinations, mammograms or ultrasound for detecting the well-established blood supply, encapsulation and type of pathology of advanced tumors. Finally, DITI does not show any cancers from a structural or pathological perspective. However, DITI is unique in its capability to show physiological


change and metabolic processes, making it a useful complement to other diagnostic modalities that can catch issues such as active angio- genesis—the development of new blood vessels to a specific area (a hallmark of cancer). Unlike mammography, thermographic imaging can detect estrogen dominance, elevated nitric oxide, lymph abnormality and inflammatory processes.


DITI breast imaging costs approximately $170 and is not usually cov- ered by insurance. Bernarda Zenker, MD, is a family physician at Trinity Integrative Medicine PA, in Burnsville (TrinityIntegrativeMedicine. com). Valerie Zumbusch, CCT, is a thermographer and the owner of Picture of Health, in St. Louis Park (PictureMyHealth.com). An expanded version of this article with additional information can be found at PictureMyHealth.com/docs/ValeriesArticleOnDITI.pdf.


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