A Closer Look at Mammograms, Thermograms and Ultrasounds

A Closer Look at Mammograms, Thermograms and Ultrasounds

Hi, I’m Dr. Marie Starling

As your Functional Medicine specialist in Denver, we help people like you reach their full potential.

We specialize in adjunctive care for internal disorders, autoimmune conditions, IBS, thyroid symptoms, diabetes, and other complex health issues.

With October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month,  I am re-posting The Healing Center’s blog written by Mary Beth Gudewicz, which discusses a few different methods which screen the breast tissue. She includes a chart regarding what the different methods look at and their specificity.

But first, I want to share a couple thoughts regarding this increasing epidemic. Let’s look at the analogy of a fish in a bowl of dirty water. You can give the fish the healthiest form of fish food, put drops in it’s water, talk to it and love it, but it is going to continue to get sick unless you change the water!

We want the terrain of our bodies and environment to be a place that promotes health versus a place where disease flourishes. The perfect storm for cancer is: Low Nutrient, Low Oxygen, High Acid. Biochemically, if we change our terrain to a high nutrient, high oxygen, low acid, and high alkaline environment, it makes it difficult for cancer and other diseases to continue to grow.

In Health,

Dr. Caitlin Landerholm

A Closer Look at Mammograms, Thermograms and Ultrasounds

By: Mary Beth Gudewicz, CNTP, MNT

Mammogram, thermogram, ultrasound: which option to choose is a question we have been getting frequently here at The Healing Center.  Choosing the right one for you can be difficult.  So let’s break it down.

By definition a mammogram is a test that uses x-rays to produce an image that shows a shadow of dense structures.  It pinpoints the location of any suspicious area within the breast tissue. This procedure involves compressing the breast in the x-ray machine and taking several pictures from different angles. Once the image is captured, the technician will look for any areas that have a greater density (the degree of compactness of a substance, in this case a potential tumor) that stands out against normal tissue.

A thermogram is a functional test that uses infrared sensors to detect heat and increased vascularity related to angiogenesis (the development of new blood vessels).  The procedure detects physiologic changes but cannot locate the exact suspicious area inside the breast.  However, it can detect physiological changes many years ahead of other screening methods.  It is non-invasive and can detect fast growing, aggressive tumors. A positive infrared image means the highest risk for the existence of or future development of breast cancer.

An ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves, which bounce off breast tissue.  The “echo” will produce an image.  It can locate areas of suspicious tissue.  Although it cannot see fine detail, it can distinguish solid masses from fluid filled cysts.  This test is prescribed if something suspicious is found during a mammography, thermography or physical examination.

Below is a table that outlines further information about each test.1

Mammography,Thermography,Ultrasound

Cancer diagnoses,Cannot diagnose cancer,Cannot diagnose cancer,Cannot diagnose cancer

What captures image,Uses radiation,Uses infrared sensors,Uses high frequency sound

What it can detect,Can detect tumors in slow growing or pre-invasive stage,Can detect suspicious physiological changes many years prior to any other method of screening,Can detect tumors that are missed by mammography

Do hormones affect test?,Hormone use decreases sensitivity. Large dense and fibrocystic breasts can be difficult to read,Monthly hormonal changes can affect imaging but not to the point of abnormality,Monthly hormone fluctuations can influence the breast tissues

What can be seen,The upper portion of the breast including the Axillary region and tail of the breast cannot be visualized,All breast shapes conditions and areas are seen in the imaging,All areas of the breast including Axillary region can be seen

  • Specificity: 75%,Specificity: 90%,Specificity: 66%
  • False positive: 25%,False positive: 10%,False positive: 34%
  • Biopsy: 9 out of 10 initiated by this procedure are negative,,
  • Average Sensitivity: (women over 50) 80% – 20% of cancers missed,Average Sensitivity: 90% – 10% of cancers missed
  • Note: Most are slow growing tumors with low metabolic rate,Average Sensitivity: 83% – 17% of cancers missed
  • Average Sensitivity: (women under 50) 60% – 40% of cancers missed

 

Contact our Functional Medicine Doctor in Denver today to explore how a customized program can help improve your health and well-being.

Sources

Mostovoy, Alexander, H.D., D.H.M.S., BCCT. “What’s the Difference? Thermography, Mammography or Ultrasound?” Thermography Clinic Inc. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2014. <thermographyclinic.com/what-s-the-difference>.

“Mammography, Thermography, Ultrasound.” Mammography, Thermography, Ultrasound. Pacific Chiropractor and Research Center, 2005. Web. 29 Aug. 2014.
<breastthermography.com/breast-thermography>.

Tenpenny, Sherri, MD. “Mammograms vs. Thermograms.” HealthKeepers Magazine. HealthKeepers Magazine, 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 29 Aug. 2014. .

1 Mostovoy, Alexander, H.D., D.H.M.S., BCCT. “What’s the Difference? Thermography, Mammography or Ultrasound?” Thermography Clinic Inc. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2014. <thermographyclinic.com/what-s-the-difference>.