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Body Heat to Diagnose
Health Conditions
Taken from HealthNewsDigest.com
February 2003
Dr. Meschi Ph.D., ND, CNC
Laguna Hills, CA
Thermography:
Non-Invasive Technique Uses Body Heat To Diagnose A Host Of
Health Conditions
Two of the most
exciting, yet overlooked diagnostic procedures of this
century, are Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging (DITI), and
Contact Thermography (CRT), otherwise simply termed
thermography. Dr. Ali Meschi is a board certified
naturopathic physician who has been at the forefront of this
technique. As he explains, “Thermography is a
non-invasive, objective, non-radiative tool that uses the heat
from the body to diagnose the causes of a host of health care
conditions. Thermography is completely safe and uses no
radiation. Utilizing high speed computers and a very
accurate thermal imaging cameras, body heat is processed,
recorded, and translated through a computer into an image map
which can be then analyzed on screen, printed, or sent via
email."
Thermography can be
used as a diagnostic technique for the following:
Breast
Thermography: The utilization of thermography as a screening
tool in the detection of breast cancer has been for the past
decade a very controversial topic within the health care
community. However, the technology has gained in
scientific acceptance, has been approved for screening
purposes and is clearly a powerful tool in the early detection
of breast cancer. As Dr. Meschi explains, “The concept
is quite simple. Thermography measures the heat coming
from one’s body. Metastatic cancers create heat, which
can be imaged by digital infrared imaging. This is due
to two separate, yet connected factors. The first is the
metabolic activity of the tumor tissue as compared with the
temperature of tissue adjacent to the tumor, and in the
opposite breast. By comparing the breast in question
with the normal breast which acts as the patients own control,
abnormal heat signatures associated with the metabolism of the
tumor can be detected easily.
Cancerous tumors
produce a chemical, which actually promotes the development of
blood vessels supplying the area where the tumor
resides. Also, normal blood vessels that are under the
control of the sympathetic nervous system are essentially
paralyzed, causing an increase in the size of the blood
vessel. The increase in blood in the region simply means
no more heat, recordable with thermal imaging
procedures. He adds, “As thermal imaging has been
demonstrated in numerous studies to be capable of measuring
these heat signatures years before conventional technologies
can see a mass, and as the procedure uses no radiation,
compression of breast tissue and is totally safe.
Thermography or DITI/CRT provides for a safe early warning
detection system.”
Extra-Cranial
Vessel Disease: Thermography has the ability to measure heat
related to blood flow through the blood vessels in the breast.
In a similar way, a variety of conditions, which relate to
flow of blood through the vessels of the neck and head are
readily accessed through thermal imaging. As the blood
vessels in the face and scull are coursing through very thin
tissue between the bones of the skill and the skin covering
the skull, they are readily and easily visualized with thermal
imaging. As the vessels of the neck are very large
caliber vessels, they too are very easily visualized through
thermography Clues to the potential of developing vascular
disease, which might lead to stroke, are a consideration when
performing thermography.
Jaw and Teeth: The
ability of thermal imaging to safely indicate heat from
sources in the jaw and teeth, is providing a very exciting
opportunity to screen individuals for dental decay and
cavitation, without routine screening x-rays. Dr. Meschi
states "we have seen a number of patients with heat
signatures in their jaw related to amalgam fillings which
might be toxic for that particular patient. This area of
thermal imaging is very promising."
Neuro-Musculo-Skeletal:
This is one of the clearest examples of thermography's ability
to accurately diagnose patients with a host of back, neck, and
extremity disorders. In fact, it was the use of thermography
by chiropractors, neurologists, and orthopedists in the late
70's and 80's in spinal injury cases which really launched the
clinical interest in this diagnostic tool. Back pain
produces very consistent heat patterns which not only tell us
the source of probable spinal injuries, but can also tell us
about areas of spinal compensation. In effect, a low
back may be treated by a chiropractor, when the mid back or
neck is actually the source of the problem.
Lower Extremity
Vessel Disease: Dr. Meschi states that, "many times a
patient comes to our whole person screening and we detect a
vascular disease on the lower extremity that the patient was
completely unaware of. The ability of thermography to
detect the presence of deep vein thrombosis and other
circulatory disorders of the lower extremities is a very
exciting application procedure as it allows us to painlessly
and safely detect possible disease that if unchecked, could
cause the loss of a limb, or in some cases, add the
possibility of stroke,":
There are a host of
other conditions for which thermography had application.
These are only some of the most common uses for thermography,
which has been well documented as a safe, non-invasive and
non-radiation tool for disease diagnosis.
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