Breast Health
We are is dedicated to empowering women and men at risk with information and tools to prevent and defeat breast cancer. Our vision is the reduction of the ever increasing cancer burden in South Africa.
Our mission:
- Making use of Infrared thermal imaging technology to help women and also men assess their breast health and breast cancer risk.
- To help those at high risk reduce their risk and prevent breast cancer
- To make the earliest detection possible for more people
- To provide support and integrative cancer care for those undergoing treatment and those living with breast cancer helping them improve their health, quality of life and longevity
Are you at risk?
Low Risk
Right breast at high risk
Breast Cancer Risk
Most people believe that genetic inheritance and family history are the most important factors in developing breast cancer. But the truth is 85% of women diagnosed with breast cancer DO NOT have family history.
Right now, breast cancer statistics are grim, showing more women being diagnosed with breast cancer than ever before. More money is poured into researching new drugs and treating the increasing numbers of cancer patients and very little attention is given to prevention. Early detection and treatment is good but cancer prevention is paramount. It is crucial to stopping the suffering and the agony. Prevention is key to winning the cancer battle and preventing breast cancer is what everybody really desires.
Reducing Risk – Preventing cancer
Scientific research has revealed lifestyle strategies that provide powerful protection against cancer. Identified anti-cancer strategies includes anti-cancer diet, exercise, stress reduction, restful sleep and targeted nutritional supplementation and herbs that can all be used to lower breast cancer risk and raise the odds of defeating cancer.
Breast cancer is preventable
Do not wait and see if it happens to you
Take charge- Assess your risk- lower your breast cancer risk
What is thermography?
Thermography (Infrared Thermal Imaging) is a tool that can detect hidden inflammation in the body.
Chronic hidden inflammation has been proven to be precursor to many diseases such as cancer, Arthritis, Heart disease, Stroke, Diabetes, Alzheimer, Depression, etc. With Thermography, hidden inflammation can be detected before disease manifests. Nutritional and lifestyle changes implemented at this stage could avert serious problems down the road.
Breast Thermography
Tshono Wellness is one of the very few clinics in the country that offer breast thermography for cancer risk assessment.
Widely used in Europe and fast gaining popularity worldwide, thermography (Infrared Thermal Imaging) is an FDA registered tool for adjunctive breast cancer screening that is used as an additional tool to mammography and other screening tools for breast health.
Breast thermography identifies heat abnormalities -unexplained inflammation – that could be signs of existing cancer in the breast or signs of cancer that is still developing.
Thermography is an important early warning system that can alert you of heat abnormalities up to 8 years before a sizeable and detectable lump can be formed thus affording women opportunity for risk reduction and prevention.
Thermography detects inflammation of Angiogenesis.
What Is Angiogenesis?
- Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels that a tumor needs to develop.
- It is essential and key to tumor growth.
- Without angiogenesis there will be no cancer growth.
- Thermography can visualize angiogenesis of cancer that is already existing or still forming
Studies Have Shown That:
- An abnormal infrared image is the single most important marker of high risk for developing cancer.
- A persistent abnormal thermogram carries with it a 22x higher risk of future breast cancer.
- An abnormal thermogram is 10 times more significant as a future risk indicator for breast cancer than a first order family history
- When added to a woman regular health check-ups, a 61% increased survival rate has been realized.
Themorgraphy is:
- SAFE and RADIATION FREE
- QUICK – about 15 minutes
- NO CONTACT, NO PAIN
Who Needs Thermography?
Thermography is an excellent screening tool for men and women of all ages.
Especially useful for:
1. Young Women (Under 40 years)
Breast cancer incidence is rising at an alarming rate in this group. And the breast cancers are usually more aggressive with poorer survival.
Thermography has unparalleled accuracy and reliability in detection of abnormality in this group for whom mammography is not recommended as a routine screening tool (due to the cumulative radiation exposure risk and the fact that mammography is less effective for screening in younger dense breasts).
2. Women between 40 and 50 years
There is worldwide controversy on harms vs. benefits of screening mammography for women in this age group.
Weighing the harms against the benefits led several health bodies including the World Health Organization, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force, the UK and various European countries to recommend screening mammography for women from age 50 rather than 40, leaving earlier screening before age 50 to individual choice and medical need.
3. Pregnant and breast feeding women who prefer to avoid radiation
Thermography is radiation free and completely safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding
4. Women with dense breasts
Studies have shown that 2/3 of pre-menopausal and 1/4 of post-menopausal women, that is (40%) of all women have dense breast tissues. Screening mammogram misses 40% of tumors in dense breasts.
Women with fibrocystic breasts and those on hormonal replacement therapy also have increased breast density. Additional screening methods can save lives in these women.
5. Women who have had mastectomies
Breast cancer can return to the chest area after mastectomy. Thermography can be used after mastectomy to monitor the chest wall for signs of recurrence.
6. Women with breast implants
Breast implants can obscure mammogram images, decreasing the ability of mammograms to detect breast cancer
7. Women with inconclusive mammograms
Thermography is a useful adjunct for additional information in case of an inconclusive mammogram.
8. Men at risk
Though breast cancer is rare in men, the fact is men do get breast cancer and all men are at risk. Men at higher risk include those with strong family history or certain genetic mutations.
This also includes men with certain conditions such as liver disease, testicular disease or surgery, those treated with radiation to the chest such as in lymphoma and heavy drinkers.
Assess your risk. Reduce your risk. Prolong life and quality of life
Thermography vs Mammography
Does thermography replace mammography?
Thermography does not replace mammography and neither does mammography replace thermography. Thermal imaging should be seen for what it is- a powerful complimentary tool not a competitive tool to mammography.
Both tests are looking for completely different signs of breast cancer. They both cannot detect cancer, only a biopsy can. A mammogram images the anatomy of the breast and detects a lump while thermography images the physiology of the breast and detects inflammation.
Thermography is a test of physiology that can visualize temperature changes due to altered blood supply and increased metabolic activity in cancerous tissue. This gives it the advantage of detecting heat abnormality at very early stages of cancer invasion- even years before a lump can grow and be big enough for detection by other tools including mammogram.
Mammography on the other hand is a test of anatomy that visualizes changes in breast tissue density and can thus identify existence of a lump. It is the gold standard used in medicine for detecting lumps and is also used to locate the lump for biopsy.
The technology of mammography and ultrasound allows them to pinpoint the exact location of a tumour and are thus important when there is a need for biopsy. Thermography on the other hand visualizes the activity in the abnormal tissue and its surroundings and thus cannot pinpoint the exact location of the tumour.
Both thermography and mammography are excellent tests but not without limitation, none of them is 100% sensitive and accurate.
Thermography has higher sensitivity in identifying, aggressive, fast growing tumours with high metabolic activity such as inflammatory cancer that mammography is more likely to miss.
Mammography has higher sensitivity in identifying slow growing tumours with low metabolic activity that thermography is likely to miss.
However both the tools have important roles to play in the detection of breast cancer. Studies have shown that survival rate is increased when both are used together appropriately.
Body Thermography
Thermography is useful tool for chronic, unresolved pain and health issues.
For people battling ongoing, health problems, thermography can give vital additional information that could help identify the root cause of pain or ill-health. Thermography does not diagnose disease in the body but can identify hidden inflammation which gives clues about the area of dysfunction. This can then be confirmed with further appropriate testing and treated accordingly.
This is great news for people suffering from unexplained pain, people undergoing treatment but still with unresolved issues and for people with muscle and ligament injuries.
Thermography is also useful in monitoring treatment progression and outcome.
Amongst others, thermography can detect abnormal heat patterns of:
- Arthritis and joint pain
- Vascular inflammation
- Neck pain and back pain
- Trigger points for generalized body pain (Fibromyalgia)
- Sinus pathology and dental pathology
- Phlebitis, deep venous thrombosis, lymph and blood flow abnormalities.
- Thyroid conditions