Gainesville Thermography, LLC
What's New
In November 2009 The United States Preventive Services Taskforce, an independent panel of experts in prevention and primary care appointed by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, changed the recommendations for women receiving screening mammograms. They advised women to start at age 50 (not 40) and to undergo mammography every 2 years (not annually). Dr. Diana Petitti, vice chairwoman of the task force and a professor of Biomedical Informatics at Arizona State University, said the guidelines were based on new data and analyses and were aimed at reducing the potential harm from overscreening. She was quoted in a N.Y. Times article “While many women do not think a screening test can be harmful, medical experts say the risks are real. A test can trigger unnecessary further tests, like biopsies, that can create extreme anxiety. And mammograms can find cancers that grow so slowly that they never would be noticed in a woman’s lifetime, resulting in unnecessary treatment.”
One third of all breast cancers occur in women below the age of 45. In this pre-menopausal age group mammography is less accurate in picking up cancers because pre-menopausal women have denser breast tissue than post-menopausal women. Dense breast tissue is not an issue with thermography. Thermography is an FDA adjunct to mammography and can be used safely at any age.
Many women at risk for breast cancer in this country are under insured or do not have any health insurance at all. Gainesville Thermography has been approved by the United Breast Cancer Foundation to provide screening to eligible women. This foundation provides grant monies to cover the costs of a breast screening and any necessary follow-up work for women who otherwise would not be screened. The program will resume in the Fall of 2010. Please contact us at 352-332-7212 for further information.
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This site is dedicated to providing information on thermography (both for breast health and pain evaluation), risk assessment, breast cancer early detection, and risks from radiation exposure from mammography. The information provided through this web site is intended for educational purposes only. Although this information may assist you in making informed decisions about your health, it is not a substitute for profession care nor is it intended as medical advice. The authors, editors, and contributors shall have no liability, obligation or responsibility to any person or entity for any loss, damage, or adverse consequence alleged to have happened directly or indirectly as a consequence of this material. If you have a health problem, you should consult with your health care provider.
Gainesville Thermography, LLC, is dedicated to offering a safe, effective and painless way to assess a woman's breast health and in assisting patients and physicians in the diagnosis of painful conditions. We offer state of the art equipment in a Meditherm 2000 unit, which is an FDA approved unit identical to the equipment being used at major medical centers such as Duke University and the University of California. All staff at Gainesville Thermography are certified clinical thermographers and all thermography scans are interpreted by qualified doctors. Gainesville Thermography, LLC is owned by Judith A. Erickson, R.N., M.Ed. who is the wife of Robert A. Erickson, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.. Dr. Erickson is the medical director of both Gainesville Thermography and the Preventive Medicine Center of Gainesville. We are also members in good standing of ACCT (American College of Clinical Thermology).
What Does Breast Thermography Offer?
• THE EARLIEST BREAST CANCER DETECTION AVAILABLE
Breast thermography has the ability to warn women (or men) up to 8 - 10 years before any other method currently available that a cancer may be forming. This allows prompt diagnosis and early treatment before invasive tumor growth has occurred.
• NO RADIATION
Radiation causes damage to DNA and chromosomes. There is no “safe” level of radiation according to the Nuclear Regulatory Agency.
• NO COMPRESSION
Mammography requires compression of a woman's breasts and this is often uncomfortable or even painful. There is no body contact with Thermography.
• ACCURACY
Thermography is as accurate as mammography at 90%. It is more accurate in younger women with dense breast tissue, overweight women, and in women with fibrocystic breasts or breast implants. It also evaluates all areas of the breasts and regional lymph nodes, whereas mammography misses portions of the breast tissue. Approximately 1/3 of all breast cancers occur in women under 45, where mammography is not recommended.
• ESTROGEN EFFECT ON BREASTS SHOWN
The single greatest risk factor in the development of breast cancer is if a woman has an estrogen dominant effect on her breasts. Thermography can provide information on estrogen effect that a doctor can use to treat and decrease a woman's breast cancer risk. Even more important, Thermography can demonstrate whether treatment is having a beneficial effect.
What Does Thermography Offer for Evaluation of Pain?
• THERMOGRAPHY VISUALIZES PAIN
Thermography is the only method currently available for visualizing pain in the body. It can assess pain and pathology anywhere in the body.
• NO RADIATION
Radiation causes damage to DNA and chromosomes. Radiation is a known causal factor in the development of some cancers. Thermography does not use radiation and is risk-free.
• WHOLE BODY EVALUATIONS
A thermogram of the entire body can be taken. This is not safely possible with CT scans due to high radiation exposure.
• FILLS IN THE GAPS IN DIAGNOSIS OF PAIN OR INJURY
X-rays, CT, Ultrasound, MRI are all tests that look at anatomy or structure. Thermography is complementary to these tests and is unique in that it looks for physiological change. It can visualize painful areas when X-ray or MRI has not demonstrated the cause, such as in a hairline fracture, soft tissue injury, or neck pain from a whiplash.
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