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
Hi Sarah, I really hope you see this message.
I have a hard lump in one of my breasts that came about suddenly, a few months ago, when I was leaning over the tub washing out an over-application of hair gel. I shifted my weight bc I have a bad back and it was starting to hurt, when I felt a pop or click or something of that nature in that breast. It hurt a little bit but I just knew it was gonna hurt the next day.
And oh my stars did it ever! For two solid weeks it was very swollen, very hot, very red and excruciatingly painful! I couldn’t wear a bra or touch at all. After that, it calmed down quickly over two days’ time. However, the lump has remained, though smaller, and it tends to change over time. One week it’s small, the next it’s bigger. Sometimes it’s painful and sometimes I don’t feel a thing.
So…..I went through Herscan and had an ultrasound. They literally told me what I told them – I had a lump and to see the doc asap. Ugh. Did I seriously just pay $300 to be told I have a lump? That I already knew about? Grrrr.
My questions to you are:
1) how did you find out your lump was a clogged milk duct?
2) how did you treat it?
I see several comments on a few articles that go unanswered so I’m not sure you’ll answer but I just have to try. I’ve tried doing research about what else this lump could be and have tried therapies without any success or change. If you’d rather not answer here, in a public forum, I will gladly give you any of my contact info.
I am desperate to find out what it is through trial and error but I just can’t do another mammogram. I have fibromyalgia and dense SMALL breasts. The pain is unbearable and sends me to bed for days. Not to mention the 16 films they take and then the ultrasound.
Please, please share how you found out and what you did about?
Thank you so much for all the research you do and information you share with us. I often share that information and tell ppl to follow you on Telegram and your website. So glad to have good, healthful information.
The doctor doing the ultrasound told me it was a benign lump from a clogged milk duct and I never treated it.
I believe some practitioners do a breast MRI instead of a mammogram, which would be a better option in my opinion if you need a breast exam beyond an ultrasound.
I appreciate the article and the comments. I have had breast pains and swelling, and my doc wants me to have a mammogram. However, I lost a customer who had a lump, and that lump exploded and grew into a giant mass, (results of the mammogram) that eventually took her life. I have implants and already have had a lot of xrays the past year due to mystery pains. I do not want a mammogram, and am very interested in alternative healthier methods.
Really please stop spreading disinformation! Mammograms save lives. A mammogram session is .4 mSv of radiation- a little less than if you hopped on a jet 10x in one year. We get 3 mSV total per year. This page is a scare tactic! They’ve proven getting a mammogram does not squish your boobs so cancer spreads! That is a lie. Same with getting a biopsy! Getting a mammogram saved 3 of my relatives lives. Thermograms are not approved by the FDA and more recently have come under more scrutiny. The reason is they are not reliable as indicators of disease.
It appears that you are ignoring the sound research that demonstrates that a significant portion of breast cancer is CAUSED by repeated mammmography. That is, of course, your choice! But, don’t come here and sound your horn just because you don’t agree with the message.
MRI breast imaging is great and shows great detail of the breast tissue but most insurance companies will not cover them unless you have had a mammogram. The cost is prohibitive.
Caw, when u say u had both tests done which 2 r u speaking of ??
They get kick backs for each referal.
Yes, mammogram centers are quite the racket.
Thank you for the writers info and others comments. At almost 40, I had a breast scare, an area that seemed hardened and painful so I was issued a mammogram. The imaging technician didn’t get “some good photos” so she had to retake some (great I thought). Then the MD who was reading the images wasn’t entirely sure, thought he saw a suspicious area so I had to go through a breast biopsy and metal clips inserted for “future detection”. The biopsy came back normal, I have dense breasts, little body fat, etc. so my breasts are hard to read. I think it was at least $1,000 out of pocket for all the procedures. They put me on needing a yearly mammogram but I wasn’t comfortable with all the radiation because I knew that with dense breasts I’d likely be going through similar situation. Fast forward 3 years later, hardened area on other breast that felt more noticeable than the other area few years prior, so again MD requested mammogram. I asked if I could just skip the mammogram and go straight to the ultrasound, he inquired and hospital (breast care center) said no. Another 2 rounds of images and then not entirely certain so sent for…you guessed it an ultrasound. It was there that the MD said it was dense fibrous breast tissue, no biopsy needed. I’m all done with mammograms. I hate the run around I get and all of the extra mammogram exposure, therefor I’m going to ask about thermograms/sonograms and pay out of pocket. Thank you for your insights/advice.
I had both tests done and both results came back the same ..I had a Mastectomy this year, and will never be having a Mammogram Again nor will my daughter ..I feel for me they are definitely not a good thing ..but you have have to go with how you feel ..
Good luck xx
My Dr. recommended a mammogram after I found a lump in my right breast. I requested a sonogram instead and he complied. The radiologist couldn’t see anything on the sonogram and wants me to have a mammogram. I read a few articles stating that an MRI is more accurate. Which is better?
Thanks!
I had a thermagraphy. I went to a primary doctor, told them I would be paying for the tests she orders out of pocket, that I wanted an ultrasound and not a mammogram. She then prescribed an ultrasound. I am going to a hospital in which I applied for their charity and will get an ultrasound. No mammogram.
What happened…..I just had this experience also.