Study Adds to Debate on the Efficacy of Mammograms

    PHOENIX, AZ, February 13, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- A study published Tuesday in The British Medical Journal received wide coverage for the doubts it casts on mammography, currently accepted as a key test for the early detection and prevention of breast cancer. As reported in many national media sources, including on the front page of the New York Times, the study followed the health outcomes of 90,000 women over the course of 25 years. Randomly assigning some women in the study to have regular mammograms, and some to forego them, the researchers found no difference in the death rates from breast cancer (as well as other causes) in the two groups of women.

The study also adds evidence to the claim that mammography may lead to overzealous treatment. By detecting cancers that are too small to feel, the researchers found that one in five of subjects who got mammograms received aggressive and debilitating treatments, including chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation, for cancers that did not actually present a health threat.

Thermogram imaging, which uses images from a camera that measures skin temperature to look at blood flow and physiologic process beneath the skin, has been used as an augmentation procedure to mammography for many years. It has been used most notably in the early detection of breast cancer. Areas where tumors are growing also develop new blood vessels feeding the tumor, and this extra blood flow will appear in the thermogram as a warm spot.

"Valley Integrative Practitioners was the first practice in Arizona to offer Meditherm thermograms, which we began in 2001," explains Dr. Bruce Shelton MD, MD(H), DiHom, FBIH, founder of Valley Integrative Physicians. "Thermography is less invasive - the technology used neither touches the patient's body nor emits any radiation. A thermogram can also detect other abnormalities or issues, such as areas of clogged blood vessels or pinched nerves."

For women who are uncertain about this latest research, thermography can offer a middle ground between doing only physical breast exams and moving ahead with mammography. While patients still need to do other imaging procedures to actually diagnose issues like breast cancer, clogged arteries, or pinched nerves thermography is an excellent screening tool prior to more definitive studies like mammograms, CT scans, Ultrasounds, or MRIs. Indeed, in cases where a thermogram does detect an abnormality in breast tissue, further medical action is taken. A clear thermogram, however, offers strong reassurance for women concerned about breast health. To learn more about the benefits of thermography, visit www.drbruceshelton.com. More information is available on Meditherm equipment at www.meditherm.com.

About Valley Integrative Physicians
Founded by Dr. Bruce Shelton MD, MD(H), DiHom, FBIH, Valley Integrative Physicians is a primary care facility using integrative medicine and classic homeopathy, offering safe, alternative treatments for common ailments. Dr. Shelton brings over 30 years of experience as a physician and homeopath to find the issues that are at the root of patients' health struggles. To learn more about Dr. Shelton and Valley Integrative Physicians, visit www.drbruceshelton.com.

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