Diagnostic imaging is a staple in today’s medical world. When it comes to your health or that of your family, it is imperative to have access to safe and extremely accurate methods of diagnosing health issues. There is no better way for a physician to diagnose a disease or injury than by literally seeing inside the human body. Technological breakthroughs are bringing about more enhanced and more accurate diagnostic tools every day. Imaging has come a long way over the years, bringing about essential new options for patients who are in need of a precise, safe diagnosis of potentially serious and chronic conditions.

Though it has been around for over 30 years, digital thermography is emerging as a diagnostic technology being used more and more frequently as its technology improves. It is an imaging tool that detects heat to measure physiological activity in the body in both women and men. It is a noninvasive tool that pictures and analyzes changes in the temperature of the skin’s surface. It provides color images that make it easy to see changes in temperature, which are then transmitted to a monitor for viewing and storing. Our bodies are thermally symmetrical, making our normal thermal patterns constant and equal. Subtle abnormal temperatures are easily detectable through digital thermography, allowing for easy and early diagnosis of disease. If your doctor has recommended X-ray, mammogram, or ultrasound as diagnostic methods to determine the cause of a health problem, you might want to ask whether digital thermography is a viable alternative.

While thermography is not a replacement for such tests as mammograms, it is a safe tool that provides advanced detection of potentially cancerous tumors before a mammogram can see them. It can improve the chances of finding cancer earlier when coupled with other diagnostic tools like mammogram. Since digital thermography contains no radiation or health risk exposure, it is an addition to your health care plan that will not put you at any additional risk simply by having the test performed.

There are many exciting facts about digital thermography, but a couple of the biggest ones are that it uses no radiation whatsoever and that it has been approved by the FDA. Digital thermography can be used to diagnose conditions including breast disease, skin cancer, vascular disease, fibromyalgia, nerve damage, back injuries, ruptured discs, muscle tears, inflammatory disease, and strokes.

As a screening tool, studies have shown that an abnormal thermogram is the most significant marker for a high risk of development of breast cancer. Women and men under age 50 receive the most benefit from digital thermography as an advanced screening tool because younger individuals often have more dense breast tissue. This makes it more difficult for a mammogram to detect potential cancerous lesions.

Digital thermography not only diagnoses diseases and injury but also assesses pain anywhere on the body. The fact that it does not touch the body is vital for anyone experiencing chronic pain so as to not aggravate the condition. Digital thermography is also used to monitor a patient’s recovery from surgery, allowing physicians to monitor the healing process and current pain levels. For those who have endured nerve damage, this can be a great feature that can help a physician fully understand pain levels in a patient who cannot otherwise accurately communicate what they are.

We as individuals are more active in our health care decisions than ever. In years past, we typically would see our physician when a health concern arose, take the prescribed medicine or endure the recommended tests, and not really question our alternatives. This is one small, yet significant area in which we can take some control over our health care and limit our exposure to radiation over our lifetimes. Children who have chronic diseases that require a lifetime of radiologic testing could benefit from digital thermography by reducing their lifetime exposure to radiation.

Certified clinical thermographers conduct thermogram imaging. As with all health care professionals, it is always best to get a referral if possible. If you don’t know anyone who has used digital thermography and you need help locating a certified thermographer in your area, contact the American College of Clinical Thermography for a list of local professionals. Once a thermogram image has been conducted, it is transmitted online through a secure server to Electronic Medical Interpretation professionals. This group of physicians is trained in the protocols of reading thermal images. The images are saved on a secure server and archived for future use. Subsequent images can be compared to previous ones to help more closely monitor the status or progression of a given condition.

Those who suffer from chronic diseases or have a family history of serious diseases might want to incorporate digital thermography as a screening tool for advanced detection of any potential health concerns. The benefits of the lack of radiation and its noninvasive and pain-free nature are all good reasons to request digital thermography. It can also be a more economical alternative to other traditional diagnostic tests, especially for chronic conditions.

As an individual in charge of your health care or as a loved one of someone who requires diagnostic imaging for disease or injury, you might want to request that your doctor explore whether digital thermography is appropriate for your diagnostic needs. It is said to be accurate, safe, and noninvasive.

It’s not often that we have the opportunity to have such stress-free medical evaluations. You might want to encourage your doctor to order these types of diagnostic tests whenever possible and appropriate. Each opportunity you have to avoid exposure to radiation is another point in your favor for a more healthful lifetime.

Sources for this story included www.radiant-healthimaging.com and www.herbtime.com.



 

Diagnostic Imaging
By Tonya Masters