Integrative Health Blog

Additional Uses for Breast Thermography

by Dr Rind

I was originally interviewed in Jan 2009 for WUSA9  on using breast thermography as an additional screening tool for breast cancer. Thermography is an imaging of the temperatures on the surface of the breast and can be used as an indicator of breast health. See the first Breast Thermography interview. 

Recently WUSA9 conducted a follow up interview with the patient, who made lifestyle and dietary changes. Click for the follow up Thermography story in February 2010 to see the results.

As you can see from the previous information, Breast thermography is an excellent tool for preventive breast health. Unlike mammography whose function is to detect a tumor after it has already formed and grown big enough to be seen by the mammograpn (typically 1-2 years), the function of the breast thermogram is to allow prediction of risk of breast cancer. It shows changes typically associated with the formation of cancers. Thus, the clinical use of breast thermography is preventive (allows you to take action before the cancer) while mammography is corrective (take action after the cancer is already there).

The thermogram is rated according to risk (level 1 to 5) with levels 1 and 2 yielding a 99% confidence that there is no breast cancer present. A level 5 risk suggests a 90% risk of cancer already present (even if it just recently started and is microscopic). As the pattern suggestive of declining breast health evolves and becomes more pronounced, the risk level rises. Another way of looking at this is that the pattern shows a gradual decline in breast health, i.e., statistically getting closer to having cancer. Similarly, if no change is taking place year after year, this suggests a stable breast health condition. It is always nice to know that no new vessels or hot spots are developing.

It is even more rewarding to see that the pattern is improving suggesting that whatever the woman is doing is (statistically) reducing her risks. With 1 in 8 women at risk for breast cancer, it is comforting to know that what we are doing is helping our health. We don't have to be sitting ducks waiting for bad news. It's a great feeling to know we can have some control here.

Thus, the added uses of thermography are:

Monitoring breast health
Monitoring changes (improvement as well as decline) in breast health
Monitoring for adverse changes after treatment of breast cancer
Monitoring to see if the breast health program is working (i.e., is the pattern appearing like a healthier one or is it evolving into a higher risk pattern)
Helping to monitor hormone replacement therapy (see below)

Another interesting use for the breast thermogram is to help monitor hormone replacement therapy. When estrogen dominance is present (an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone which favors a stronger estrogenic expression), we begin to see a pattern suggestive of higher risk. I use this to help me adjust the dosages so that the thermographic image remains as healthy as it can. At times, I even see a healthier appearance after starting the BHRT (I only use bio-identical hormones). If the thermogram starts to look ‘worse', I adjust the hormone level down until it looks healthy again.

It is imperative that a high resolution camera be used (at least 80,000 pixels) and both colorized as well as grey scale be depicted. The color shows regional heat patterns while the grey scale is excellent for demonstrating vascular patterns.

In the next blog, I'll describe some of the methods I use for improving breast health. This approach tends to make the breast tissue more uniform and less lumpy as well as tending to make the thermographic image healthier looking. The advantage of the thermogram is that if the image does not appear to be getting healthier, we try a different approach until we (hopefully) find what does work to improve breast health.

For more information on Dr. Rind or to schedule an appointment for a breast thermogram in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia metropolitan area, please see Breast Thermography at National Integrated Health Associates.

 

 

 

NIHA Sponsors Breakfast for Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Washington, D.C.

National Integrated Health Associates, NIHA, is proud to be a Breakfast Sponsor for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer to be held in Washington, D.C. on May 1-2, 2010.

The annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer is held in cities around the country in order to raise awareness and money to fight breast cancer. 

NIHA'S sponsorship will help educate women about the use of Breast Thermography as an adjunct assessment to mammography to monitor breast health. This non-invasive, painless, digital technology is an imaging of the temperatures on the surfaces of the breast, and a  risk assessment tool for cancer.

If you are participating in this event, please stop by the Breakfast Tent on Saturday morning. Sign up to win a FREE breast thermogram, valued at over $400, which will be given to one lucky woman. The NIHA staff would love to meet you, feed you breakfast and encourage you on your walk!

If you would like more information please see Avon Walk for Breast Cancer or National Integrated Health Associates, an integrative medicine and dental clinic serving the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia metropolitan area.

Breast Thermography: An alternative to mammography?

by Bruce Rind MD

    Many women are concerned about the recent recommendations to limit mammography to women over age 50. On November 16th, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent panel of doctors and scientists that make recommendations to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced a change in their mammography screening guidelines. The new guidelines recommend several changes. The most controversial change was that screening mammograms be taken every 2 years for women age 50-74 versus their old guidelines which recommended screening mammograms every 1-2 years starting at age 40.
   This may actually be a blessing in disguise since women might now be motivated to look at other options. There is an option which is non-invasive and very accurate. Thermography! Breast Thermography looks at a woman's risk for developing cancer (i.e., best use of thermography is before the problem) while mammography is used for identifying a problem after it is present and has been there long enough to start becoming visible. If these technologies were to be compared to working with the weather, then a thermogram would tell you what the chance of rain is and if over time the weather is getting better or worse. The mammogram would be there to tell you how many inches it already rained. In other words, the thermogram is best used in the 'preventive' mode (before the cancer comes) while the mammogram is best used in a 'corrective' mode (it only begins to give information about a cancer once the cancer is there). Each has a different purpose. A colleague of mine put it this way, "using a mammogram for preventive care is like trying to drive forward by using the rear-view mirror". Similarly, using a thermogram to image a tumor is not an appropriate use of that technology. The assessment for tumor location and size would be obtained with a mammogram, ultrasound or MRI.
   In a car analogy, the thermogram is there to let you know that a rough road is coming up, likelihood of potholes etc. and provide time to make a course change. The mammogram lets you know how big the pothole was that you already hit.

    An additional benefit to thermography is that it is a sensitive indicator of change in the vascularity and general health appearance of the breast. It can show increased/decreased vascularity (see the grey scale images above), thermal symmetry or new hot spots that were not there before. It can show unhealthy changes in the breast years before a cancer may form in that breast. This allows for monitoring of those changes in response to health and lifestyle changes. If the right things are being done, then we see an image indicative of a healthier breast.

Using thermography to monitor progress in cancer therapy (as a feedback tool)

This patient (image below) had poor results with previous cancer therapies for three years. She wanted to know if a new therapy would help, but felt she didn't have much time to wait for the answer. We decided to try thermography as another form of feedback.
The red here corresponds to normal body heat (e.g., under the breasts, on the neck, and in the armpits). Over the chest where this (red) heat doesn't belong, it is produced by a cancerous tumor. Notice how the heat shrinks and breaks up as she receives a new and successful therapy for her cancer. 

 

It is important to remember is that not all thermographic equipment is equal. The resolution should be no less than 80,000 pixels. Also, the unit should be able to not only take color but also black and while thermal images. The color images are best for demonstrating regional differences and changes while black and white image is much better for seeing the vascular pattern. Each has a different but equally important function.

   It is also important to work with a doctor knowledgeable in breast health improvement, and as with any health concern, these decisions are best made between you and your physician. 

For more information see NIHADC.com Breast Health and Thermography and watch Dr. Rind's Breast Thermography video interview. 

Bruce Rind MD is a holistic medical doctor at National Integrated Health Associates, NIHA, an integrative medical and dental center serving the Washington DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia metropolitan area.

Best kept secret about breast health: Breast Thermography

by Bruce Rind MD

Why a Breast Thermogram may save your life! 

What's the difference between preventive and corrective therapy?
Preventive occurs before the problem while corrective occurs after the problem. Which approach do you prefer? If you said corrective, then this article is not for you. If, however, you prefer preventive care, then this article is what you've been looking for. Breast thermography can see a problem coming on years before it becomes a cancer. This gives us a chance to change the appearance of the thermogram using health giving approaches. Mammography is an important tool but unfortunately, it's best use is to catch the cancer only after it is present and has grown large enough to be picked up by the x-rays. For a woman over 50 years of age, this can mean a wait of 2 years in which the tumor is allowed to grow until it can be detected by this technology. Trying to use mammography for preventive breast health is like trying to drive forward by using the rear view mirror. This is not to say it is not a valuable tool. I use it when it is needed. A hammer is very valuable tool for getting a nail into a board but it is useless if one tries to use it to tighten a bolt. For preventive care, I find that thermography is one of the most valuable tools I have. It doesn't show you a cancer. Instead, it shows you the terrain (in this case, breast) and what is likely going on there, like a weather report. If we worry about rain, we can assess the risk or probability of rain by looking at the sky. If it is a blue sky without any clouds, the risk of rain is nearly '0'. If the sky is dark and we see flashes of lightning in the distance, the risk is very high. Similarly, the thermogram is a risk assessment tool (approved by the FDA for this). It can also monitor changes (i.e., improvement or worsening) in the thermographic breast image to help guide what we are doing.

Risk Assessment
Thermographic risk is assessed on a scale of 1 to 5. A risk level of 1 or 2 is considered very low (like the clear blue sky) and a woman can be assured with 99% certainty that breast cancer is not present. A mammogram can not tell you that you do not have breast cancer as it is designed to detect the cancer only once it is there and large enough to be seen. A risk level of 5 is associated with a 90% chance that the cancer is already there -- even if it is microscopic and just came on. The mammogram will detect the tumor with 85% accuracy once the tumor is large enough to be seen by it.

Monitoring Breast Health
One interesting characteristic of breast thermography is that it can be used as an ongoing monitor of breast health, like watching the sky for changes in weather. Typically, in my patients, the risk level may be changed by monitoring thermographic changes and making adjustments in the health program to promote healthy changes in the breasts. Thus a woman can, for example, start with a risk level of 4 and after taking action to improve her breast health, she may often see the thermographic image change to a risk level 3 or even 2. A woman starting out with a 1 or 2 is at very low risk and should consider simply continuing to do whatever she is doing since it (lifestyle?) is apparently working for her.

Is thermography invasive?
Thermography does not emit any radiation or x-rays and does not touch the body. It is 100% non-invasive. It simply takes an image produced by your body's own heat and converts it into data that our eye can interpret easily.

Does thermography replace a mammogram?
No, it does not. Thermography and mammography tell us different information about breast health.
---The mammogram is designed to take an image of an object such as a tumor. It tells us something about what the object looks like such as its size, shape or how strongly it blocks x-rays (e.g., if it contains calcium deposits).
---The thermogram gives a physiological description of that is going on in the breast. It can't see a tumor but (like the weather assessment) can tell you what the breast health is doing and monitor if it is becoming healthier or unhealthier over time. Hopefully, if unhealthier, then we do something about it and make it change in a healthier direction.
---An analogy of the above comparison is that if we take a chest x-ray, we can see an (anatomical) image of what the heart looks like. It can show us that there is a heart there, how big it is, where it is located. It can even pick up calcium deposits in the heart. An EKG (electrocardiogram) a physiological expression of 'what the heart is doing' as opposed to how it looks. It tells us if the rhythm is normal, or regular, if the beats appear healthy, certain electrolyte imbalances such as potassium can show up, a variety of electrical conduction disturbances can also be identified. As you can see, these do very different things. Similar to the thermogram, as the doctor initiates a therapy, s/he can monitor the effect or a drug or therapy by using the EKG and note if the heart is functioning healthier or not.

Important last note
Not all thermography systems are equal. Some cameras are not very sensitive and might have poor image resolution or poor thermal resolution. A camera should have an image resolution of at least 80,000 pixels and thermal resolution of no less then 0.1 degrees centigrade. It should have a variety of different palates such as color, grey scale etc. In addition, the thermographer may or may not have the experience and knowledge to guide you toward better health. Some are able to help in this regard. In the future, I plan to have more information on ways to improve breast health. Some of this information will be available on DrRind.com and some of the information will be on NIHADC.com.