Holistic Business
Breast Cancer Breakthrough:Moving From Detection To Prevention
by Elyssa Paige
Nearly 41,000 women die of breast cancer every year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. If that doesn’t boggle your mind, consider that almost 187,000 women are diagnosed annually. Put another way, The National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately one out of every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives.
What can be done to prevent this disease? Most people are familiar with mammography as the main screening method used to detect tumors. Despite discomfort and the use of radiation, most women over the age of 35 have this procedure done every year. However, by the time a mammography picks up on the existence of suspicious tissue in the breast, it’s often too late and the cancer has already set in.
If we are to see a reduction in breast cancer mortality rates, we need to shift from cancer detection to cancer prevention. Fortunately, the technology is already out there. First used in the world of sports medicine, Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging, or Thermography, can pick up on tumors eight to ten years prior to a mammography. It can detect 256 cancer cells (equivalent to the head of a needle), while a mammography will only detect the presence of cancer cells once they have multiplied to over four billion (approximately the size of a dime).
Painless and FDA-approved, thermal imaging is completely non-invasive and never comes into contact with your body. The procedure is safe, painless and can be performed in a matter of minutes. Thermography simply involves taking a series of photographs with highly sensitive medical infrared cameras. These high definition cameras record images of skin thermal patterns revealing hot and cold areas in the body which are invisible to the human eye and even x-rays. This advanced technology is the earliest system of breast cancer detection known.
Significantly, there is no use of radiation with thermal imaging. This is especially beneficial considering the National Cancer Institute’s research pointing to radiation exposure as a risk factor for cancer—making the widespread use of mammography questionable and quite possibly counterproductive.
Rather than waiting until age 35 to being screening for breast cancer, women can take the preventative step of receiving Thermography at any age, even in their teenage years. Imagine how many lives could be saved if breast cancer screening were performed at this stage of life.
The value of thermal imaging goes beyond the capacity to prevent breast cancer. It’s common knowledge that the number one killer of Americans is cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association suggests thermal imaging as an initial screening for heart disease. Thermography can provide early detection and possible diagnosis for 64 diseases and ailments, including stroke, TMJ, periodontal disease, skin cancer, headache problems, hormonal imbalances, weight disorders, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, acid reflux, and even unexplained pain.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a perfect time to tell your loved ones about thermal imaging and how it can literally hold the key between life and death. An abnormal thermal image may be the single most important marker of high risk for developing breast cancer. The path to achieving optimal health and wellness lies in disease prevention. This can only come through knowledge and taking responsibility for our own wellbeing. What better time is there than now?