According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 40 and 44. The risk of breast cancer at age 25 is less than one in 19,000, whereas by age 35 it is one in 217. Yet, the statistic people are most familiar with is that one in eight women will eventually develop breast cancer.
Identifying Reversible Risks
Imagine a tool that could detect early changes in the breast that could lead to cancer. This tool would see these risks years before they would be found by other screening tools. Now consider that if these risks were found early, you could reverse them by changing your diet, removing toxins and naturally balancing your hormones.
This is exactly what Medical Infrared Thermography does and more than 800 research citings support it.
If you have never heard of breast thermography, I would not be surprised. After decades of evolving and battling through layers of opposition, breast thermography is still one of the most misunderstood technologies in medicine. It is not uncommon that the medical community will vehemently oppose any technology or new test for decades before they accept and embrace its value. In the meantime, the public will not know about breast thermography or, worst case, will be discouraged from using it.
A 50-Year History and FDA Approval
Breast thermography is has been around for more than 50 years, and the FDA approved the first medical thermography system more than 20 years ago. Medical Infrared Thermography (MIT) provides a crucial entryway to preventive medicine as a method of controlling the diseases that we currently only recognize at advanced stages.
MIT Reveals Silent Warnings
MIT uses an infrared camera to see and measure thermal energy emitted from the body. Thermography reveals a fascinating and reliable pattern of thermal activity that discloses a silent warning. These patterns can see the root of such conditions as headaches, allergies, dental pathologies, carotid artery disease, breast cancer, digestive dysfunction, liver/gallbladder disease, musculoskeletal conditions, pain, and immune dysfunction. It is most well-researched for its ability to detect risk factors for breast cancer. While there have been hundreds of peer-reviewed studies to support its use as a screening tool, it has been mistakenly denied as lacking evidence as a diagnostic device. This is correct. Breast thermography is not diagnostic. And that’s where the problem starts.
While it cannot be called a replacement for other types of screening it has many valuable advantages, including: earlier detection of suspicious patterns; an adjunct to inconclusive mammograms; improved detection for women with dense breasts or implants; and a reasonable alternative for women who refuse mammograms. What’s important is the earliest detection of risk, and breast thermography can do this.
The medical community opposes thermography mostly because of this statement by the AMA: “In view of the lack of sufficient proof of effectiveness, the use of thermography for diagnostic purposes cannot be recommended at this time.” There have been studies published in medical journals that show no benefit or accuracy for thermography – but they forgot to mention that the technology they tested was not the proven technology used by the thermography community, and that the studies they continue to refer to were done back in the 1980s when the most powerful computer was a Tandy 5000.
Updated U.S. Guidelines for Mammograms
While thermography is not perfect, women have very little in the way of optimal screening for breast disease. What you may not have heard is that, in 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated guidelines for mammograms. Here is what they said:
- The USPSTF recommends against routine screening mammography in women aged 40 to 49 years.
- The decision to start regular, biennial screening mammography before the age of 50 years should be an individual one and take into account patient context, including the patient’s values regarding specific benefits and harms.
- The USPSTF recommends biennial screening mammography for women between the ages of 50 and 74 years.
- The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the additional benefits and harms of screening mammography in women 75 years or older.
- The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the additional benefits and harms of clinical breast examination beyond screening mammography in women 40 years or older.
The Pros and Cons of Annual Mammograms
Basically, after the USPTF reviewed prevailing studies on mammograms, they concluded that there is little benefit of annual screening and it may lead to unnecessary risk such as radiation exposure as well as unnecessary or invasive medical treatment.
The controversy continued when another study published in Canada concluded that women in their 40s reap no benefit from mammography and have real risks of harm from unnecessary treatment. They presented the latest results from a study of more than 90,000 Canadian women. Dr. Cornelia Baines of the University of Toronto was quoted as saying, ”After 13 years, the number of deaths was the same in the group that had mammograms and the group that had normal medical care.” In addition, she said mammography was finding some cancers that would never have been detected and would never have caused any problem if the women had not been screened. ”Some women were getting mastectomies that they didn’t need,” Dr. Baines said, and she added that there was no benefit for younger women. She concluded, ”I think the message should be accepted by all rational people.”
The controversy marches forward as scientists bring out conflicting research in regards to the benefits of mammograms and breast cancer. It is important that women know that it is far from clear no matter how confident one’s doctor appears.
Thermography as a Risk Assessment Tool
After spending 10 years in integrative medicine, working with more than 5,000 patients and screening thousands of women with thermography, I would like to propose the most beneficial use of breast thermography. That is as a risk assessment tool. It is not in the realm of conventional medicine to prevent disease and reduce risk as much as it is to manage disease states. Therefore, it is up to those of us in Integrative Holistic Medicine to prevent disease, and we do it well. We reduce risks through diet, nutrition, supplements, herbals, and tools like acupuncture. Breast thermography only provides a doorway to restore health and balance; it does not detect or diagnose disease.
Here are six common misconceptions about breast cancer that every woman should be aware of.
Misconception #1: Breast Cancer is a genetic disease
The fact is that less than 3% of all breast cancers are genetic. The higher risks are related to diet, lifestyle, illness, hormone issues, stress and environmental toxins. In fact, no studies have been done to indicate whether those with a family history can change the outcome by natural interventions such as lifestyle, diet, etc. There is a very new and exciting field of study called epigenetics which has discovered that we have control over our genes and can change them. So we are not ‘doomed’ because of our genes. In fact the controversy around genetic testing is now heating up due to Angelina Jolie’s very public announcement about her double-mastectomy. This is a topic for another day, as the discrepancies in genetic testing are quite lengthy.
Misconception #2: Breast cancer is not preventable
According to the American Cancer Society, 60% of all breast cancer is environmentally related. This means through detoxification and reduction of exposure to estrogens (which I do through corrective care integrative medicine in my clinic), you can significantly lower your risks. Since family history is such a low percentage of all cancers, we know there are numerous lifestyle and environmental links to the development of breast cancer.
Misconception #3: A normal mammogram means there is no cancer
While the mammogram is still valuable for detecting cancer, it is important to know that most breast cancers take 8 to 10 years to develop. That means that while you may have had years of negative mammograms, there may be microscopic cells growing that will need to get to a significant size before they will be picked up in your annual screening. In fact, if a woman who has who has diligently gotten her annual mammograms is diagnosed with breast cancer, she had years of false negatives before it was detected. If she had had a thermography screening it may have detected suspicious changes much earlier.
Misconception #4: Mammograms are harmless
There are clearly risks from mammography that are rarely discussed and not well known by doctors. A recent 700-page report issued by the National Academy of Science confirms what we already know, that cumulative exposure to radiation poses serious health risks. Another study published in 2004 showed that the radiation exposure risk from mammograms may be five times higher than previously thought. This means that annual mammogram screening between the ages of 40 and 50 years old may increase one’s risk by 50%. Again, mammograms save lives so we have to evaluate risk vs. value.
Misconception #5: Medical Infrared Thermography has no research behind it
For more than 20 years, Medical Infrared Thermography has been extensively studied. The overwhelming results concur that, as a screening tool, thermography has over a 90% predictive value of future breast issues. One of the clearest studies tracked a group of 1527 women with initially normal mammograms and physical exams but abnormal thermograms for 12 years. The study was stopped after only 5 years because 60% of the women had already developed malignancies.
Misconception #6: Medical Infrared Thermography should replace the mammogram
This is not true. Mammography and thermography are two totally different tools. While mammography can evaluate structures in the breast, thermography evaluates the activity that may indicate risks. In some studies, the combination of both screening tools provided a 99% predictive indicator of breast disease. The FDA has recognized thermography as an adjunct to mammography. I feel that thermography gives a picture of breast health that mammography may not and it does it safely and effectively. However, diagnostically, mammography has its rightful place.
What to Do if You Have an Abnormal Thermogram
Each case is individual and the recommendations are unique to your case. However, you don’t necessarily have to get breast cancer. As I stated above, we know that finding early warning signs can be reversed. On many women I have screened, the heat patterns indicated only that they were at risk for developing breast disease in the future. When we take immediate action and create an individualized plan that includes review of diet, supplements and lifestyle, we often are able to see positive changes in three to five months.
Many alternative healthcare practitioners may be capable of guiding you in reversing the risks of breast cancer. You can check with your healthcare practitioner. Here at SOPHIA Natural Health Center, I have spent hundreds of hours in research and study to develop protocols that are easy, affordable and effective at reversing the risks found in thermograms. The most important thing to know is that thermograms give you the early warning signs that can be reversed naturally. The earlier the detection, the easier it is. And of course, as always, we want you to involve your regular doctor.
Merging Technologies
One of the most common things I hear from women who are not sure about whether to get a thermogram is that they want to first check with their doctor. The problem with this is that 90% of doctors know nothing about the technology or the research to support it. The other 10% are dealing with flawed and biased studies published in their peer-reviewed journals. The other little known fact is that even well-meaning doctors will stick only to “standard-of-care” procedures; those that are approved by their boards, because they risk fines, sanctions and even losing their license if they deviate from the accepted tools and methods. Unfortunately, history has proven that life-saving procedures and therapies can sometimes take decades to become accepted.
This does not have to be the case with Medical Infrared Thermography. There is no need for a doctor’s referral, there is no risk and it only enhances any other screening tools. In fact, one research study found that when MIT was combined with mammography, 95% of early stage cancers were detected!!
In the ideal world, Medical Infrared Thermography is a tool for the natural care practitioner. It does not exclude any other screenings. It is a safe and effective way to help us restore health to our patients. It is not intended to diagnose disease but to enhance our ability to help you achieve optimal health. If you are interested in health not disease, this may be for you. My purpose as an Integrative Medical Specialist is to help as many people as I can to get well naturally. So I created a special report on Medical Infrared Thermography. You can call or email our office and we will send you an eight-page report including research and information to bring to your doctor. Just remember the best way to prevent disease is to stop it before it starts.
Kenneth R. Hoffman, L.Ac, D.Ac (RI), started private training under the tutelage of a Taoist medical and qi gong master in 1991 where he began learning the art of Chinese healing through Qi Gong, Herbology, Tui Na (Chinese medical massage) and Tai Qi. He graduated from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in 2004 and finished his clinical internship at St John’s Riverside Hospital.
He is the medical director for Sophia Natural Health Center in Brookfield where his specialties are hormone conditions, allergies, pain and medical thermography. It is one of the largest acupuncture and Oriental medicine centers in Connecticut. He can be reached at his new location at Brookfield Medical Center, 31 Old Route 7, Brookfield, CT or 203-740-9300. www.SophiaNaturalHealth.com