Shelley Lesar, BCTT - (916) 784-9355 - info@iwcwellness.com

Thermography Procedure

  • The breast thermography procedure takes 30-40 minutes to complete.
  • The procedure does not require contact with your body and does not involve radiation or invasive techniques.
  • You will be asked to fill out the intake forms, disrobe from the waist up and sit comfortably while you allow for the surface temperature of the body to acclimate with the room. This process takes approximately 15 minutes.
  • All of this is done in a professional, private and confidential setting, with a female technician to take your images.
  • Interpretation and report generation is performed after you leave the office.

Preparation

  • Prior to your visit you must follow these instructions that prepare you for your visit so that accurate heat readings from your breasts can be obtained by the camera.
  • These instructions include certain limitations as well as restrictions on physical activity prior to your appointment.
  • Some of these instructions require action 5 days prior to your appointment (such as tanning sprays)  so please read them early.
  • Following these instructions assures you of  an accurate and high quality infrared image.

Upon Arrival:

    Your visit with us is a thorough process.  Please arrive approximately 10 minutes prior to your appointment time.  You will be asked to fill out the following forms:

- History, including areas of concern regarding your breasts

- HIPPA-mandated items (concerning patient privacy)

- Patient consent form

- Patient disclosure form

You will then meet with our female thermography technician who will go over the procedure with you.

Acclimation:

  • The exam room has a controlled temperature where you will disrobe from the waist up and you will sit and relax for 15 minutes, in order for your body to reach a steady temperature state.
  • During this time it is important that you do not touch your body from the waist up, especially the breast or chest area.
  • You will keep your upper arms away from your chest to avoid heat conduction.
  • For those of you with long hair that hangs below shoulders you will be asked to tie the hair back.
  • The skin must be at a stable temperature prior to imaging.  If not, the images may be affected by the transfer of heat from other objects and parts of your body, as the camera is ultra-sensitive.

Screening: After acclimating, you will be positioned in front of the imaging camera so that all of the surfaces of the breasts, upper chest, and under arms are imaged by a female thermography technician. This takes less than 5 minutes.

Interpretation:Your images will then be sent electronically in a secured format to Dr. William Amalu, a Board-Certified Clinical Thermologist, who brings more than 21 years of experience reading thermal images.  Your images will be read and interpreted and a full report will be sent to you within 2-3 weeks of the screening.  Included in the report will be recommendations for further testing and follow up thermogram scanning to monitor the health of your breasts. Remember, you follow-up screenings are the ones that allow the doctor to interpret changes in breast tissue betweeen scans and he will be able to notify you of your current breast health.  If you have copies of any other test results (e.g. mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies) please bring them with you.  Please contact our office should you have any further questions.

Thank you for choosing Early Breast Screen at Integrative Wellness Center

An abnormal thermogram is the single most important marker of high risk for developing future breast cancer, 10 times more significant than a family history of the disease.

Breast thermography plays an unprecedented role in breast cancer prevention due to its ability to detect increased estrogen activity in the breasts.

Breast thermography offers women under 40 an accurate, non-invasive method of monitoring their breast health, beginning with baseline screening at age 20.

DITI is especially appropriate for younger women under 40 years whose denser breast tissue makes it more difficult for mammography to pick up suspicious lesions. This test can provide a "clinical marker" to the doctor or mammographer, indicating that a specific area of the breast needs closer examination.

Most cancers are detected by mammography when the tumor is approximately 1 cm (about the size of a dime) and contains over 4 billion cells.

Thermography has the ability to warn women up to 10 years before any other procedure that a cancer may be forming, thus allowing for prompt and timely treatment.