Let's Start Screening For Breast Health

In the United States, American women are told to begin annual
mammographic screening for breast cancer at the age of 40. Long
before we’ve reached this age, we are advised to perform a
monthly breast exam and see our doctors for a clinical breast
exam (CBE) annually as well. However, the detection rate of
breast cancer for CBE is only 47% when the tumors are less than
1 centimeter while mammography has given us a 70% detection
rate. By the time a tumor is detected by palpation or found
mammographically, it has already been growing and developing for
8-10 years.

Mammography has a high false positive rate. Only 1:6 biopsies
are found to be positive for cancer when performed due to a
positive mammogram or CBE. This places additional stressors on
women who undergo these procedures.

Other risks of mammography include the radiation that each
breast is exposed to during a mammogram. During a chest X-ray, a
person receives 1/1000 of a RAD, or radiation absorbed dose.
This type of X-ray is a high energy X-ray. During a mammogram,
however, the X-ray used is a low energy X-ray and results in 1
RAD or a 1000-fold greater exposure than a simple chest X-ray.
It has been suggested that the low energy X-ray used may cause
greater biological damage which is cumulative over time. In a
journal entitled Radiation Research and published in 2004, the
author concludes that the risks associated with mammography
screening may be FIVE times higher than previously assumed and
the risk-benefit relationship of mammography exposures need to
be re-examined.

In 1982, the FDA approved thermography as an adjunctive tool for
breast cancer screening. Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging, also
known as DITI measures heat emitted from the body and is
accurate to 1/100th of a degree. Certified Clinical
Thermographers follow strict guidelines and transmit their scans
for interpretation by board certified thermologists. DITI
examines physiology, NOT structure. It is in this capacity that
DITI can monitor breast HEALTH over time and alert a patient or
physician to a developing problem; possibly before a lump can be
seen on X-ray or palpated clinically. There are no test
limitations such as breast density. Women with cosmetic implants
are great candidates for thermography which emits no radiation
and no compression. Contact is never made during a thermographic
scan.

Clinical research studies continue to support thermography’s
role as an adjunctive tool in breast cancer screening and the
ONLY tool that measures breast health. There are now more than
800 publications on over 300,000 women in clinical trials. A
recent finding published in the American Journal of Radiology in
2003 showed that thermography has 99% sensitivity in identifying
breast cancer with single examinations and limited views.
Scientists concluded that a negative thermogram is powerful
evidence that cancer is not present.

In conclusion, women need to begin breast health screening
early; as young as age 25. This can provide women with the
earliest possible indication that further investigation is
necessary. It takes approximately 15 years for a breast cancer
to form and lead to death. If “early detection is the best
prevention,” let’s start using technology that truly allows for
the earliest possible alert to a developing problem.

Thermographic screening is not covered by most insurance
companies but is surprisingly affordable for most people. For
more information or to find a certified clinic in your area, go
to www.proactivehealthonline.com.