• Don’t take your breasts for granted…

    Posted on May 8, 2013 by in Breast Health, Cancer Prevention, Hormonal Balance

    In honor of MomsIn honor of Mother’s day, I’ve a special guest blogger this week, Daina Rozitis, from Thermography West.    Enjoy…

    Do you ignore the messages your body is sending out about your breasts? Perhaps you have noticed an unusual feeling or a thickening or even a lump in your breast.  Is it a cyst, hormonal changes, or something worse? Ignoring it will not make it go away. 

    Yes, we all get busy: the dog needs walking, reports are due at work, and the house is a mess. Our lives are simply too complicated to think about our breast health!  But consider the fact that most of these feelings in and around the breast area could simply be your body’s method of giving you an early warning that something is not right. It could be anything from hormonal imbalances, improper diet, toxicity, too much stress or perhaps not enough physical activity. All of these things can add up and create havoc on our health and even set the stage for eventually developing breast cancer.  

    Fear of getting breast cancer has made too many women afraid of really paying attention to their breasts.  In fact, I have seen articles and telling women not to self-examine as it could lead to excess worry. But did you know that breast self-examination is the best way to understand your own normal? A deviation from this normal could be the first indication that something is going on. Always mention any changes that you may notice to your health care provider.

    Most women do not realize that a mammogram is an x-ray, similar to one you would get when you’ve broken a bone.  The x-ray simply confirms the break and guides your doctor on the treatment. Very valuable information, but it does not help to prevent the broken bone in the first place.  Similarly, a mammogram looks for structure – if something is found on a mammogram – it is already there!

    Infrared Thermography is a technology that takes a more proactive approach to your breast health. It considers the fact that breast cancer could be developing in the breast long before a lump can be detected. Infrared Thermography combines a high tech infrared (heat sensing) camera with imaging software and certain procedures to capture images of the breasts. These images are then analyzed by a Board Certified Thermographer and given a rating, or risk assessment.

    These images are like a fingerprint – your patterns and blood vessels are unique to you, and should stay the same throughout your lifetime.  In the case of breast cancer, blood vessels will develop to feed the malignant cells. This creates extra heat and patterns asymmetrically in the breasts. Cysts, hormone imbalances, inflammation and lymphatic drainage issues all create different heat patterns. Once a baseline is established, one can see both positive and negative changes occurring in the breasts. Any negative changes could be the first possible warning that something is going on, and positive changes can confirm that you are doing something right.

    Prevention is key. Don’t ignore the messages your body is sending out. Take the time to really get to know what is normal for you and consider monitoring the health of your breasts with Infrared Thermography. 

    Daina Rozitis, B.A., CMA, CTM has been passionately involved in Clinical Infrared Thermography for over 13 years. As co-founder of Thermography Clinic Inc. in Toronto, Daina has helped to train and educate other Thermographers in Canada and the US. She now calls Victoria, BC home and is owner/operator of Thermography West, bringing thermography services to various locations across Victoria and Vancouver. Find her online at www.thermographywest.com, or call 250-590-7457

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