- Rheumatology
- Pediatric Care
- Family Practice
- Irritable Bowel SyndromeThe Long Answer: There are certain specific diagnostic applications for thermology that are established by basic medical science and clinical experience. There is a respectable body of substantiating peer-reviewed clinical studies in the medical literature that is necessary for a legitimate diagnostic claim. Beyond this are some other applications that may be considered investigational when there is some level of basic medical science indicating the application and some objective clinical experience but then only in the context of an experiment. Some providers offer unsubstantiated diagnostic infrared imaging studies for “Visceral Health†, “Digestive Disorders: Irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis and Crohn’s disease†, “Immune Dysfunction†, “Nutritional disease (alcoholism, diabetes)†, “Chronic Fatigue†and “Gingivitis†. Thermology is not a legitimate diagnostic tool for
- GynecologyIn 1972, a group of pioneering American scientists and physicians formed the American Thermographic Society as a non-proprietary academy with the expressed purpose to share their research and develop the medical applications of infrared imaging. In 1988, the most accomplished and august among them formed the American Board of Thermology to train, examine and certify the competence of professional thermologists in medical thermology generally and in certain subspecialties. Board Certification from the American Board of Thermology is awarded only after an applicant achieves high standings as a scholar, educator, and practitioner and demonstrates competence before the Board during an oral examination. This is an achievement consistent with the certification process of other medical boards, such as the American College of Cardiology, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American College of Radiology or the American College of Surgeons, and is unmatched in the field of medical thermology. Board Certification by the American Board of Thermology provides a peerage among medical professionals and certainty to regulators and the public of excellence.
- Obstetrics
- Pregnancy
- Neurology(2). The early thermologists of the modern era were accomplished and comprehensive experts in their respective fields of breast oncology, vascular medicine or neurology. These pioneering thermologists worked in specialty centers with a multi-modality approach to diagnostic medicine. They discovered that the thermograms of women with breast cancer characteristically presented aberrant high-energy blood vessels overlying the tumor
- Depression
- Diabetes Care
- HypothyroidismThe thyroid gland is located at the base of the neck, just above the clavicles, and just beneath the skin. The thyroid gland produces hormones that regulates metabolic rate that strongly effect body weight, energy level, immune competence and fertility. The symptoms of thyroid disorders usually develop so slowly that most people don’t distinguish them from ageing. Common symptoms include unexplained gain or loss of body weight, intolerance of cold or heat, loss of hair, pain of joints and muscles, heart palpitations, poor memory/concentration and depression. Women are more likely to develop thyroid disorders, especially hypothyroidism and the most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s disease. Family history, radiation exposure and pregnancy seems to initiate Hashimoto’s, a degenerative disease of the thyroid gland caused by the body’s own immune system. Graves’ disease is another manifestation of an immune disorder in which abnormal antibodies stimulate the production of unusually high levels of thyroid hormones.
- ThyroidThe dense vascularization and superficial location of the thyroid gland enable an evaluation of its metabolic activity by high-resolution infrared imaging. Thermology can provide a valuable adjunctive modality that complements laboratory assessment of hormone levels and antibody titers, clinical examination and symptoms in the diagnosis of thyroid disorders, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease, goiter as well as thyroid cancer. Thermology findings are well correlated with clinical symptoms and provide an objective indication for laboratory determination of thyroid hormone levels and antibody titers. Thermology also provides a simple and non-invasive means of screening cancer from benign thyroid cysts. The imaging process is completely passive (non-contact and non-radiation) and involves only a few images of the base of the neck. Thermology can also provide a useful monitor of the effectiveness of treatment programs for thyroid disorders.
- Thyroid CancerKamardin LN, Kuz’michev AS, Vestnik Khirurgii Imeni I, Grekiva I. “Thermography in the differential diagnosis of nodular goiter and thyroid cancer†. Europe PMC plus 130.5 (1983) 70-74.
- UltrasoundDoppler ultrasound can evaluate the luminal thickness and restrictions in the common carotid arteries up to and including the important bifurcation but not the internal carotid artery as it goes deep into the head. The superficial distribution of important branches of the internal carotid arteries in the face are easily evaluated with thermal imaging as a means to detect diminished blood flow in the common and internal carotid arteries and risk for stroke. Thermal imaging can detect hemodynamically significant stenosis of the carotid arteries with a very high sensitivity as compared to arteriography. Additionally, thermal imaging can also reveal indications of arterial compensation (natural bypasses) in the carotid artery networks that can be important to decisions in treatment. Thermal imaging is completely harmless, non-invasive, relatively inexpensive and quantitative.
- MRIThe Long Answer: Skin temperature is a result of blood-flow and metabolic activity near the surface of the body. Medical thermology provides a means of evaluating skin temperatures for specific abnormalities in patterns, levels and behaviors that are characteristic of certain disorders and diseases. Medical thermology is completely different from all other forms of diagnostic imaging as it evaluates features of body function (physiology) rather than structure (X-ray, ultrasound or MRI).
- RadiologyTH-6 is a specialized classification applied to thermology in a non-screening and non-diagnostic role, specifically when breast cancer has already been established by tissue biopsy and no conventional form of treatment has been applied. The TH-6 parallels the BI-RADS® (Breast Imaging-Reporting And Data System developed by the American College of Radiology) category 6 LOS (Level of Suspicion).
- X-Rays
- MammographyThermology is sometimes referred to as digital infrared imaging, diagnostic infrared imaging, infrared mammography or tele-thermology and involves the use of highly resolute and sensitive infrared (thermographic) cameras.
- ChemotherapyThe post-surgical woman receives special abalysis as applied to the third category of the Marseille system on an initial study when any atypical thermal features are evident. The surgical procedures and radiation/chemotherapy treatments typically produce significant tissue inflammation, edema, abnormal tissue metabolism, nerve damage and revascularization that will likely impede the normal regulation of blood flow in the breast and results in artifact of the thermal patterns. These forms of artifact limit the value of thermology for approximately three months post-procedural when their influence usually has abated. Radiation treatment to the breast or mastectomy site may results in a lasting vaso-regulatory disorder that typically causes a diffuse and significantly hyperthermic artifact. Our experience indicates thermology has been a useful means of monitoring the post-surgical woman for indications of persistent or recurrent breast cancer, especially in the axillary or sternal regions. The initial study may be of limited value and its best value obtained as a baseline for comparative restudy in 90-120 days.
- OrthopedicsThermology has established applications in breast oncology, vascular medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, neurology, occupational medicine, orthopedics, pain management and veterinary medicine.
- Breast Reduction
- Breast SurgeryYou must wait at least three (3) months after breast surgery, including any biopsies, the completion of chemotherapy or radiation before a thermology examination.
- Dermatology
- Cyst
- LesionsParisky Y.R, Sardi A., Hamm R., Hughes K., Esserman L., Rust S., Callahan K. Efficacy of computerized infrared imaging analysis to evaluate mammographically suspicious lesions. AJR. 2003;180:263-269.
- Rashes
- Sports MedicineHigh-sensitivity digital radiometric focal plane infrared cameras are coupled with powerful computers and sophisticated software to enable a quantum step as a diagnostic technique in functional medicine. Thermology interpretative standards necessarily involve a quantitative analysis of the data. Thermology has established diagnostic effectiveness in rheumatology, neurology, physiotherapy, sports medicine, orthopedics, pediatrics as well as oncology. Furthermore, the high sensitivity of thermology often makes an invaluable monitor of the effectiveness of some patient treatment programs.