In the United States, American women are told to begin annual
mammographic screening for breast cancer at the age of 40. Long before
we've reached this age, we are advised to perform a monthly breast
exam and see our doctors for a clinical breast exam (CBE) annually as
well. However, the detection rate of breast cancer for CBE is only 47%
when the tumors are less than 1 centimeter while mammography has given
us a 70% detection rate. By the time a tumor is detected by palpation
or found mammographically, it has already been growing and developing
for 8-10 years.

Mammography has a high false positive rate. Only 1:6 biopsies are
found to be positive for cancer when performed due to a positive
mammogram or CBE. This places additional stressors on women who
undergo these procedures.

Other risks of mammography include the radiation that each breast is
exposed to during a mammogram. During a chest X-ray, a person receives
1/1000 of a RAD, or radiation absorbed dose. This type of X-ray is a
high energy X-ray. During a mammogram, however, the X-ray used is a
low energy X-ray and results in 1 RAD or a 1000-fold greater exposure
than a simple chest X-ray. It has been suggested that the low energy X-
ray used may cause greater biological damage which is cumulative over
time. In a journal entitled Radiation Research and published in 2004,
the author concludes that the risks associated with mammography
screening may be FIVE times higher than previously assumed and the
risk-benefit relationship of mammography exposures need to be re-
examined.

In 1982, the FDA approved thermography as an adjunctive tool for
breast cancer screening. Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging, also known
as DITI measures heat emitted from the body and is accurate to 1/100th
of a degree. Certified Clinical Thermographers follow strict
guidelines and transmit their scans for interpretation by board
certified thermologists. DITI examines physiology, NOT structure. It
is in this capacity that DITI can monitor breast HEALTH over time and
alert a patient or physician to a developing problem; possibly before
a lump can be seen on X-ray or palpated clinically. There are no test
limitations such as breast density. Women with cosmetic implants are
great

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