See Yourself in a New Way!
Want a safe and pain-free way to monitor breast health and other conditions? Medical
Thermography, also known as Digital Infrared Thermal
Imaging (DITI), is a non-invasive clinical imaging procedure that can detect and monitor numerous
diseases and physical injuries by showing the abnormal temperature variations
present in the body.
Thermography of Houston, located in beautiful northwest Houston, offers
several scanning options, depending on your needs. Later in this article,
the scanning options as well as other aspects of thermography are explained.
During a thermography scan, images are taken with a special digital camera and the
results are useful for "visualizing" pain in the body.
Thermography is used for detecting and monitoring many conditions including:
- Breast issues
- Artery conditions (stroke scan or inflammation, for example)
- Vein conditions (deep vein thrombosis, for example)
- Pain
- Pre-Diabetic screening
- Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, and other Auto-Immunes
- Inflammatory Pain
- Carpal Tunnel
- Arthritis
- Nerve Damage
- Sports Injuries
- And much more
Once these conditions are
seen through a thermal scan, you and your health practitioner can have a better
understanding of how to handle treatments. Medical thermography is
cost-efficient, and risk-free. The technology is registered with the
FDA. There is no radiation, no pain, and no
contact with the body.
Breast cancer and other breast issues are a major concern today, but not just
for women. Approximately 1% of all breast cancer occurs in men but it is
often not detected until later in its development. Thermography's role in
breast cancer and other breast disorders is very helpful in detecting abnormal
conditions early, oftentimes well before they can be felt or seen with other
imaging technology. Since it takes years for
tumors to grow, detecting abnormalities as early as possible helps with the earliest possible treatment and intervention.
Images or "thermograms" can be taken of the whole body or just an area of
concern. At Bridge to Better Health, these are taken by trained
thermographers that are certified by the American College of Clinical Thermology
(ACCT). (For more information on this professional organization, see
www.thermologyonline.org.)
We are pleased to be able to provide this type of imaging for you at Bridge
to Better Health and we want to make it clear: you do not have to
currently be a client at Bridge to Better Health, nor do you have to
become one to get a scan. In fact, the thermography scans and
reports can be a wonderful tool for your doctor to use and that way you are able to get the care and treatment that you are
most comfortable with.
Thermography fills a gap in clinical diagnosis. X-rays, ultrasound, and MRIs are all tests that provide information on the structures found within the
body. Thermography is the only imaging technology at this time that is
capable of showing physiological changes and metabolic processes.
Medical thermal imaging is a useful tool that can help you and your health
provider better understand your condition, formulate a program to help you with
it, and then monitor the progress of the program and your improving health.
There is more information below on Medical thermography
scans as well as the doctors that interpret them and the reports they provide.
For a quick view of some actual Breast Cases,
click here.
Sherri answers questions about Thermography:
 Thermography, as mentioned above, is a clinical imaging procedure that can
detect patterns created by temperature differences within the body. It is a
combination of ultra-sensitive digital photography and specialized computer
software that perceives and records these differences. This
technology has been perfected over the years and is now recognized by leading
doctors as a valuable tool for many health conditions. In fact, doctors use thermography for
nerve and pain issues as well as
deep vein thrombosis, inflammation, and breast disease.
Thermography is growing in popularity. Since medical doctors analyze these images and report
on their findings, word is getting out and more and more doctors are seeing the benefit of this type of
imaging. Women are finding thermography to be an excellent choice for
breast screening, and since it is pain-free and non-invasive, people of any age
are seeing how it helps with sports injuries, pain of all types, and more.
With Thermography, you can "see" into the body like never before.
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 For those unfamiliar with Thermography, this is a great question!
In reading over the examples below, you'll be able to see some of the wide
applications for Thermography:
- Significant fibrocystic and other breast conditions can be detected with
Thermal Imaging, benefiting especially women younger than 50 years of age.
- Other conditions such as auto-immune and estrogen dominance can be
detected and monitored.
- Some women just prefer to scan their breast yearly with thermography
- A football player suffered with a stress fracture that went undetected
with an x-ray but was detected with Medical Thermography.
- Thermography can guide treatments for pain conditions, bringing
better results.
- Thermography helped to confirm the diagnosis of TMJ and the appropriate
specialist could be sought out.
- A painful ankle injury can be monitored throughout treatment and
rehabilitation to "see" which treatment is most effective.
Thermography scans are a smart way to take your whole health to another
level.
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With thermography, you can come because your doctor recommended you come, or
because you are interested in finding out more about your health.
You do not have to be a client at Bridge to Better Health, nor do you have to
become one. Just like other types of imaging done in the Houston area, you
can come to these facilities for this service, get your scans and report, and
then work with whatever doctor or form of treatment you feel comfortable with.
We respect your choices in how you care for yourself.
Also, having the follow-up at Bridge to Better Health does not make you a
client. These follow-up appointments are not health consultations but
instead present the report of findings written by the interpreting doctor along
with copies of your images.
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At our office, we offer several types of scans:
- One Area of Interest (breasts, knee, lower back, etc)
- Two Areas of Interest (two unrelated areas)
- Well Woman Scan (breasts, thyroid, uterus, ovaries, and more)
- Full Body Scan
- Breast Scan Package
For a complete explanation of these packages, continue reading.
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 Thermography sessions are quick and easy.
The length of your appointment depends on the type of scan you desire. One
area of interest, such as a stroke scan, would require 4-7 images and may
take 15 minutes to complete. A session for two or three areas of interest, such as a Well Woman's appointment, would include the
all of the images for the breast area plus the neck (scanning for thyroid
and carotid artery), face, sinus and dental areas, ovaries and uterus. This could take 30
minutes to complete. A full body scan, with many images, may take 60
minutes to complete.
These non-invasive and pain-free sessions start with you filling out a simple
form on your medical history. At the time of the scanning, you must remove all
jewelry and you will be
partially disrobed. A hospital gown is provided.
You will be working with a technician that has been certified by ACCT, a
professional organization for medical thermographers. This technician will
take the images using a digital camera designed expressly for this type of
imaging.
Your images are sent electronically to a specially trained medical doctor that
interprets the images. Within a few days, this doctor sends a report of findings including recommendations for follow-up
that he or she
may feel are necessary.
These reports can be sent to your referring physician so that he or she can
review them with you. Or someone at Bridge to Better
Health can review the report with you. These follow-up visits are included in
the cost of the screening and are appreciated by most clients.
In the case of initial breast thermograms, a second appointment must be
scheduled in three months to confirm the baseline. After that, annual
appointments are usually all that is needed.
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There are some things that we recommend you avoid prior to your appointment.
Things such as lotions, powders, essential oils, and deodorant that can alter
your heat patterns, and massage, chiropractic adjustments and saunas can affect
your circulation.
After you make an appointment, we will send you a letter letting you know
what you can expect and a list of things to avoid before your appointment.
Reading over this letter carefully will help you get the best scan possible.
Also, the thermographer must be informed of any recent skin lesions, scars, or surgeries
as these may cause misleading results.
Please note: If you are pregnant or a nursing mother, it is recommended that you
wait three months after weaning before getting a thermography scan.
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When you arrive for your thermography scan, you will be given some paperwork
to complete. The actual time it takes in front of the camera is listed
below:
- One area of interest is scheduled for 15 minutes.
- Two areas of interest is scheduled for 20-25 minutes.
- A Well Woman scan is scheduled for 30 minutes.
- A full body scan is scheduled for 60 minutes.
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Thermography
sessions are billed by the number of areas you are concerned about, not the
number of images we take.
For example, one area of interest such as the breast area, may have seven images
taken that the doctor will report on. It is still one area of interest and
is billed at $175.
The various charges are described below:
One Area of
Interest*
Examples: Breast scan, Lower back
pain, Carotid Artery Scan (a scan for stroke), Specific sports injury, TMJ scan, etc.
-
Initial screening session at Bridge to Better Health
with a certified ACCT Thermographer
-
Interpretation by a licensed
medical doctor
-
A written report by the doctor
complete with images
- A Report of Findings session
- Cost $175
- Note: For your first breast scan, or if you have not had a scan
in several years, it is important that you schedule the initial scan and
then another one three months later. Because this is so important, we have a
special Breast Scan Package that can save you money. See below for more
details.
Two Areas of
Interest*
Any two separate areas to be scanned.
Example: Scanning for Stroke and Lower back pain, or Breast area and Carpel
Tunnel.
-
Initial screening session at Bridge to Better Health
with a certified ACCT Thermographer
-
Interpretation by a licensed
medical doctor
-
A written report by the doctor
complete with images
- A Report of Findings session
- Cost: $275
- Note: For your first breast scan, or if you have not had a scan
in several years, it is important that you schedule the initial scan and
then another one three months later. Because this is so important, we have a
special Breast Scan Package that can save you money. See below for more
details.
Well
Woman Scan*
Includes scanning of the following
areas: Face, Dental, Neck, Carotid Artery scan, Thyroid, Both Breasts, Ovaries and
Uterus
-
Initial screening session at Bridge to Better Health
with a certified ACCT Thermographer
-
Interpretation by a licensed
medical doctor
-
A written report by the doctor
complete with images
- A Report of Findings session
- Cost $325
- Note: For your first breast scan, or if you have not had a scan
in several years, it is important that you schedule the initial scan and
then another one three months later. Because this is so important, we have a
special Breast Scan Package that can save you money. See below for more
details.
Full
Body Scan*
The Full Body Scan includes the following areas: face, sinus, dental, stroke
scanning, thyroid, breast, back, artery and vein issues, pulmonary scan, cardiac
scan, circulation, “hot spots”, hidden pain, arthritis, auto-immune,
pre-diabetic scan, and more. In this scan, we can focus on multiple areas
that you are concerned about.
*Baseline Scan
In thermography, it is vital that
the initial breast scan be followed in three months by a Baseline Scan.
The interpreting doctor compares these two scans and
looks to see if the patterns are stable or suspicious patterns developing. Since breast cancer cells can multiply
quickly, this scan is critical. This second scan is the most
important scan taken.
Breast Scan Package - SAVE $25!
For your first breast scan, or if you
have not had a scan in several years, it is important that you schedule the
initial scan and then another one three months later. Because this is so
important, we have created this Breast Scan Package. Normally a breast scan
would be $175 and since you need two scans when you are establishing a baseline,
the total for both scans would be $300. Because we want to do what we can
to encourage you to make that second appointment and keep it, we are offering
you a savings of $25 when you schedule and prepay for your second scan at the
time of your first visit. Then, the day of your appointment, all you need to do is come in for a quick
15-20 minutes and you're done!
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If you are interested in scheduling a thermography appointment or contacting the office, please click here.
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