Thermography is gaining ground as a valid alternative to mammograms given that more women are seeking non-radiation alternatives for identification of breast anomalies amid a very x-ray happy medical community that seems unconcerned with long term exposure risk. But, are the benefits of thermography for real?
I myself have never had a mammogram. I’ve followed in the footsteps of my wise 86 year old mother who once said, “Why look for breast cancer with a test that can actually cause breast cancer?”
If only our conventional medical community made decisions using this much common sense!
By some estimates, up to 20% of all breast cancers diagnosed in the United States annually are actually caused by the cumulative radiation effects of mammograms. This data point makes the recommendation for annual or semi-annual mammograms after age 40 absolutely ludicrous!
If you don’t have breast cancer when you start screening with mammograms, you probably will years later after all that cumulative ionizing radiation exposure!
Another major problem with mammograms is the compression factor. This sometimes painful aspect of mammograms risks the spread of any breast cancer that may be present. This from Dr. Samuel Epstein MD, one of the world’s top cancer experts:
As early as 1928, physicians were warned to handle “cancerous breasts with care– for fear of accidentally disseminating cells” and spreading cancer. Nevertheless, mammography entails tight and often painful compression of the breast, particularly in premenopausal women. This may lead to distant and lethal spread of malignant cells by rupturing small blood vessels in or around small, as yet undetected breast cancers. (1)
So, what to do if you need to safely screen for breast cancer?
Thermography, or Medical Infrared Imaging, has been heralded by many in the alternative health community as a safe option to mammograms. Indeed, thermography is a very safe and effective breast screening technology. It very accurately identifies the vascular changes associated with breast cancer well in advance of when a mammogram would identify a problem. (2)
In addition, thermography is a much better choice than mammograms in these instances:
- Women on hormone replacement
- Mothers who are nursing
- Fibrocystic breasts
- Large breasts
- Dense breast tissue
- Breast implants
In these situations, there is much difficulty in reading mammograms accurately. When using thermography, however, breast differences do not cause any interpretation difficulties.
Here’s what Christiane Northrup MD, a fan of thermography, has to say:
“The most promising aspect of thermography is its ability to spot anomalies years before mammography.”
“Today, women are encouraged to get a mammogram, so they can find their breast cancer as early as possible. With thermography as your regular screening tool, it’s likely that you would have the opportunity to make adjustments to your diet, beliefs, and lifestyle to transform your cells before they became cancerous. Talk about true prevention.” (3)
Before you run to the phone and schedule your thermogram, however, there are a few more things you need to know.
Time for the reality check.
Thermography Pitfalls You Need to Know About
While thermography is definitely a helpful and nontoxic approach to detecting breast cancer at any stage, it is not the perfect alternative to mammograms as it is frequently portrayed.
First of all, thermography is rarely covered by medical insurance. As a result, the typical fee of several hundred dollars for the initial screen with a required followup screen costing an additional one or two hundred dollars within 3-6 months is completely out of pocket for the vast majority of patients. A single thermogram each year after the initial 2 screenings is recommended – another expense. For many women, this large personal expense is simply out of the question especially in the current economic environment.
Even in my home state of Florida where the law stipulates that all medical insurance providers provide policyholders with a free mammogram every 2 years for women aged 40-50 and an annual mammogram for women over 50 with no deductible or co-pay required, women still must pay out of pocket as no substitution of a thermogram for a mammogram is permitted.
Thermogram? You Might Be Forced to Have a Mammogram Anyway
A second very real problem with going the thermography route is that you frequently get forced into getting a mammogram anyway. All that money out of pocket and you still end up getting doused with radiation!
The reason is that thermography detects any breast anomalies not just cancer. An example is a benign cyst. So, women frequently end up at the gynecologist after having a thermogram which identified anything that looked remotely suspicious. This could be something as simple and common as a clogged milk duct.
Once at the gynecologist, women are shocked to learn that a mammogram is almost always required. Substituting a simple breast ultrasound as the first line diagnosis test to examine the anomaly is not allowed. You have to get a mammogram first even though mammograms are far less effective at identifying breast cancer!
It’s such a racket – I call it the Mammogram Mafia. Those mammograms are such a nice residual moneymaker for (some) GYNs. The situation is much like the kickbacks doctors receive for prescribing certain drugs. You didn’t actually think they would let you bypass it so easily did you?
A large out of pocket expense for a thermogram only to end up forced to have a mammogram is a source of extreme frustration for women trying to avoid mammograms in the first place.
UPDATE: Good news! Women can now get a annual breast ultrasound without a prescription. This means you can skip the mammograms FOREVER! And, a breast ultrasound is about half the price of a thermogram. More on how to schedule this service in this article about the benefits of breast ultrasound instead of mammograms.
Are Thermograms Helpful At All?
Given these very real pitfalls, does it make sense for women to use thermography at all? In my opinion, yes, thermograms are an extremely beneficial test.
However, a woman needs to go down that road with her eyes completely open knowing that her battle to forgo mammograms is not necessarily over!
Be sure to have a discussion with your chosen thermographer before the appointment. This will ensure that he/she has a way for you to get only a breast ultrasound and not a mammogram if a suspicious area is detected.
In my local area, there are thermographers that can provide this service, and others that cannot. Be sure to ask!
My Thermography Adventure
Here’s what happened to me. I got a routine thermogram which discovered a suspicious area which turned out to only be a clogged milk duct (my daughter was weaning at that time) but since we didn’t know what it was when the thermography was done, I was referred for a simple breast ultrasound.
I then discovered to my dismay that no one in town would give me just a breast ultrasound. Unless of course, I had a mammogram first!
Fortunately, coming from a medical family, I was able to circumvent the mammogram madness. I obtained a script for a breast ultrasound with no mammogram. Even then, the battle wasn’t yet over! When I went in for my breast ultrasound, I was read the riot act about forgoing the mammogram by the attending physician. This, after she admitted that a mammogram was not even an appropriate test for me as I have dense breast tissue!
She also denied that each mammogram (4 films per breast) exposes a woman to approximately 1 rad (radiation absorbed dose) of exposure. This is about 1000 times more than a chest x-ray. Amazing that she so vehemently denied this fact even though this information is clearly documented by the Institute of Medicine (4).
These people are so brainwashed! It’s really sad and downright dangerous for those who don’t research for themselves. Clueless, misinformed docs. They are everywhere my friends!
In summary, thermography is a fantastic diagnostic tool that is clearly superior to mammograms. But, be sure to have your ducks in a row about what you will do if anything suspicious is found before you pay all that money out of pocket!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
More Information
170 Scientific Studies Confirm the Dangers of Soy
When Breast Cancer Isn’t Bad News
Komen (Not) for the Cure: The Complete and Utter Pinkwashing of America
The Dangers of Estrogenic Foods, Herbs, and Supplements to Breast Health
Mammograms causing breast cancer!? That’s insane!
There has to be more to it than just mammograms causing breast cancer. What about all these young women who have never had one and end up with cancer in their 30’s? I know at least three who have. Breast cancers have been reported even before mammos were invented. Heck, even John Adams’ daughter had breast cancer back in the late 1700’s!
Mikki, no one ever suggested that all, or anywhere near all, breast cancers could be caused by mammograms. Obviously your statement that breast cancers in women who have not had mammograms could not have been caused by them is useless. However, the rising number of breast cancers in younger women who are not even of age to be recommended for mammograms is in fact WHY thermograms can be such an important screening tool – without the risks of mammograms.
when i grew up (60s & 70s), breast cancer was “old women’s disease”
we had never heard of anyone younger than 60 who had breast cancer.
now i hear young women getting it.
(oh, well, same thing can be said about colonrectal cancer. now i have heard as young as 27 years old getting it 🙁
this is crazy. something is very wrong (methink is the diet)
You always write about things I am thinking about. It’s like you read my mind.
Unfortunately I have a different story than the other ladies who have commented here.
Like many others, I was unhappy with mammograms- radiating something that you are trying to keep cancer free just didn’t make sense. I read about thermography and thought it sounded like a wonderful solution. I had a whole body thermogram done in March of 2011 and then just a breast thermogram again in June of 2011 to “establish a baseline”. There were a lot of red areas in the images but the person who wrote my report attributed it to my dense breasts and said I was fine. The doctor at the thermogram clinic knew that I had not had a mammogram since 2004 and she still was satisfied with the written report saying I was fine.
I wasn’t. This year when I went to my Gyn, she recommended that I have a mammogram because my breasts were really dense and she couldn’t tell for sure what she was feeling. I agreed and on June 29th of this year I had a mammogram and an ultrasound. I had a big cluster of calcification and the radiologist was really concerned. He scheduled me for a biopsy and found that the mass was DCIS cancer and my lymph node biopsy also showed invasive breast cancer. I had lots more tests done and spoke to 2 different surgeons and 2 different reconstructive surgeons when the concensus was that I needed a mastectomy because the tumor was too large for a lumpectomy.
I had a double mastectomy on September 6th and when I got my pathology back I found out that I had 3 tumors on the “bad” side and 1 tumor in my “good” breast. The only tumor that had been visible on all of the tests that I had was the original tumor from the first biopsy. I also had to have the lymph nodes taken out on the “bad” side. If I would have been diagnosed a year earlier, maybe it would not have spread to my lymph nodes.
I am starting chemo this coming Thursday and then I will have to have radiation because one of the margins was not good. There was a small tumor on top of my chest muscle and there could be more cancer cells that my surgeon was unable to get.
I still believe in thermography but I know now that I went to a bad clinic. I should have been advised to have a mammogram and an ultrasound at the same time as my first thermogram to establish a real baseline of cancer free breasts.
Luckily I have come through all of this really well so far and hopefully my chemo won’t be too bad. I have been lucky to have had some of the nicest and most caring people help me during all of my medical procedures and surgery.
My best advice is to thoroughly research the thermogram clinic that you are thinking of using after you learn all you can about what constitutes a “good clinic”. Also, don’t think that because you do not have breast cancer in your family or if you are tested and don’t have the genetic markers for breast cancer, that you won’t get it. My surgeon told me that 80% of ladies who get breast cancer have no genetic markers and no family history (I had neither).
I am still not thrilled with mammograms but I know that my life was saved by having one.
Andrea- Love, thoughts and prayers to you as you embark on your healing journey!
Almost exactly my mom’s experience during the last couple years, right down to the DCIS that turned invasive and went into the lymph nodes. Multiple thermograms showed nothing. She was desperate and did chemo and had a double mastectomy one year ago. On the encouraging side, she did as well as could be expected and is trying her best to recover from all that, though she has many lasting side effect from the chemo. I hope it will go well for you!
I have concluded that thermography cannot be trusted and mammography is dangerous. Honestly, the only thing I’m going to do is have the best possible diet (including plenty of iodine), almost never wear a bra, and try not to worry too much about it.
Unfortunately, thermography doesn’t catch DCIS. I was told why, but I can’t remember. Dr. Northrup says that most women will die with DCIS–in that it doesn’t typically kill or spread. They call is stage 0 cancer.
The truth is that not every test is going to catch everything. Thermography warns you when there are issues or could be issues. Mammograms tell you when there are issues.
I too really wish you had changed the title of this blog post. It makes it sound like there is some redeeming quality to mammograms.
To everyone out there, the two are different and I think people should realize that. I don’t plan on having a mammogram unless something looks really suspicious on a thermography. Also, it’s important to know that the person who reads the thermography report will send you to have a mammogram to cover his/her butt. Just because they suggest it doesn’t mean you have to have one.
Hi!!
I am enjoying your site, thanxs for all the information. I have my sister and loads of friends reading now! I wanted to say to you and everyone posting that the way of the breast is
to use iodine and b-12. Go to amazon and get the book “Could It Be B-12” it is urgent that all women understand their breasts and how to protect and care for them. The breast has specific needs for iodine and B-12. Get the book. The next thing all women need to know is that bras are a big issue for breasts! The breast lymph nodes need to drain!!! They cannot drain in a bra, in fact the entire upper body is a pump that drains the lymph nodes!! What is supposed to hang on a women or a man for that matter should hang, that’s why the body was designed that way. I do not wear a bra unless I have to ever.
If you hinder your body from doing the job it was meant to do, which is keep you healthy
through specific actions on it’s part you can plan on having extremely poor health including cancers. Help your body, make sure you get plenty of iodine and b-12 as well as organic non-gmo foods! And clean non fluoridated water ! Lastly learn to meditate, even if it’s just sitting enjoying the view of green grass with a herbal tea before and after work !
Good luck and good wishes to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i think the title is very misleading. the issues addressed are related to the typical insurance/doctor system-not thermography itself.
I’m in Canada and the pitfalls you expressed were not an issue at all. Thermography is covered by many insurance companies up here (not government socialized coverage…private). Unfortunately, we do not have private coverage so we had to pay. I paid $250 and that was it – there were no follow up visits or fees. After the test was read by a doctor in the US, the results were mailed to me and my doctor. That was it. Recommended once a year. According to the information that came on my results, it did not recommend mammograms at all. I tend to think it really depends on the company and/or doctor that does the thermography when it comes to cost and recommendations. So I would tend to be cautious in assuming all thermography companies operate the same. People should research the company (clinics, doctors, etc) that do the test and read reviews. I was absolutely happy with my experience!
Meant to write “large galactocele (milk filled cyst) above”
…and I still have it now but not as large.
I could write a book about the run-around with thermography, ultrasounds and mammograms. I developed a large (milk filled cyst) a couple years ago. The story behind that can be found on my blog if you are interested in reading that ongoing ordeal or share information if you have one yourself.
Because I was nursing at the time, the thermography appointment I went to was a bust. Even after I asked on the phone and was told nursing was “okay”, I arrived at the appointment to be told it would be worthless. The technician said that all nursing breast tissue appears inflamed on a thermography scan so it was pointless to proceed.
I refused to get a mammogram even though my first doctor said I had to have one to get an ultrasound. I found a gyn who said that wasn’t an issue and because I was nursing, a mammogram would have showed the same problem–all those milk ducts, etc would give an incorrect reading with a mammogram on a nursing mother. She said an ultrasound was the only option.
For what it’s worth, a galactocele shows up as a cancerous mass on the u/s but because mine developed so quickly, we just made the assumption it wasn’t cancerous and I allowed them to drain it. HUGE mistake. It was horrible and got worse afterwards. In my gut, I didn’t like the fact that the big needle kept prodding around in my breast tissue but I let myself be talked into draining it right at the appointment. Anyway, that’s another story….
My point is that if you are nursing, an ultrasound is your only option and at least you have an excuse not to get a mammogram.
I believe that if one goes to a very experienced reader of breast thermography data, there won’t be confusion regarding things like “plugged milk ducts” versus cancer. I am large breasted, have a calcified cyst & am breastfeeding. Instead of doing more frequent u/s & spot mammograms for it, I went to George Chapman in San Diego, a guy who was doing this before most everyone, and he was confident when reading the results. http://clinicalthermography.com/
Seems like a better title for this post would be “Thermograms are worth it but you have to navigate the cost and doctors’ ignorance.” 🙂