What is Medical Thermology?
The Tummy Temple is a clinic of female practitioners, and we treat many female clients, so breast health is a big deal at the Tummy Temple. Many women we see are struggling with various breast challenges, such as pain, cysts, fibrous tissue, and even breast tumors. We have many offerings to help care for these clients, including Decongestive Electro-Lymphatic Drainage and massage therapies, and of course our amazing Naturopathic team. We offer self-care recommendations to empower women to take their health into their own hands and diets, but we struggle when the topic of detection tools comes up, as most of what is commonly offered can be invasive, painful, or expose us to radiation. Typical clinical detection options are mammograms, ultrasounds, MRIs, and biopsies. But now there is another option that includes none of the discomfort or exposure: Medical Thermography.
Thermography (the study of heat) uses infrared cameras to show body heat using color contrast and grayscale. Based on the fact that abnormal cell growth gives off more heat and requires more blood flow to the area, thermography images show areas that are hotter than the surrounding area, which can indicate an area of concern. Some thermography centers can take photos that show where the blood vessels are and can indicate if vessels are multiplying and grouping together around an area of quickly growing cells.
Thermography is an excellent starting point for tracking one’s health because it requires no physical contact or discomfort and can detect cellular and vascular heat changes long before mammograms or ultrasounds can detect structural changes, which require areas of concern to be a certain size before they are visible. Thermography can also show areas of concentrated estrogen, as well as show any link between dental issues and breast health. This then empowers women with knowledge so they can make lifestyle changes and receive treatments that can increase their health and decrease their chances of future breast problems.
How You Can Learn More
Medical Thermography Technician and Educator Suzy Grace Selin of BodyLife Imaging will be at Tummy Temple on Wednesday April 18 from 7:30-8:30pm to share information about thermography, such as what information can and cannot be gathered from a scan, how thermography compares to mammograms and ultrasounds, and who can benefit the most from them. I will be sharing the stage with Suzy to talk about how our offerings such as Decongestive Electro-Lymphatic Drainage and massage therapies, and Naturopathic therapies can help clients who are using thermography as part of their health tracking.
More information about thermography can be found through the International Academy of Clinical Thermography (iact-org.org).
Information about BodyLife Imaging and Suzy Grace’s work can be found at BodyLifeImaging.com
Please contact Tummy Temple at 206-729-6211 to RSVP for our Thermography education event Wednesday 4/18/18 from 7:30-8:30pm in the Serenity Lounge.
Yours in (breast) health,
Catherine is the Director of Massage Therapy at the Tummy Temple and has trained other Temple practitioners on breast health and treatment. Her treatment offerings include Massage, Decongestive Lymphatic, and Craniosacral therapies, all of which work beautifully in conjunction with thermography scans and self-care work for breast health. She has experienced a thermography scan herself and looks forward to sharing her results and treatment plan at the event on April 18.
Catherine Oliver, LMT is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Craniosacral Practitioner with a special passion for supporting women’s health through all stages of life. As Tummy Temple’s Director of Massage Therapy, she combines clinical expertise with deep empathy to help clients feel powerful and at ease in their bodies. Catherine brings over a decade of experience in massage, craniosacral therapy, and intraoral work, and she also serves as a mentor and teaching assistant at Bastyr University. Her approach is rooted in the body’s natural ability to heal and is guided by a commitment to education, empowerment, and compassionate care.
