Last week, the American Cancer Society changed their recommendations on how often and at what age women should obtain mammograms.  Many contend that this less aggressive approach is a reflection of the actual efficacy of mammograms, including the fact that they often lead to false positives.  

When I turned 40 earlier this year, my own doctor said there was really no reason, meaning no evidence in my health history or family's health history, that led her to believe I would be a good candidate for a mammogram before the age of 50.  Even then, she cautioned, in her experience, they were not all that reliable at early detection.

Given the confusion around the ACS's guidelines, what are we women to do?  Is there an alternative?  While the FDA has said thermal imaging is not approved for cancer detection screening, it has approved the method as what it calls an adjunct method.  Thermal imaging uses infrared images of the body to detect abnormal or irregular blood flow.  Often it is used to detect inflammation in the body.   From this standpoint, thermal imaging may be a good idea for some people seeking to understand the whereabouts of inflammation in their own bodies.

I recently talked with M.J. Holt of Thermal Imaging of SoCal and asked her to share with you what Thermal Imaging is, how long it's been available as a medical device, and how it compares to mammography.

Here is what M.J. shared, in her own words:

Clinical Thermography is a simple test of physiology that relies on the sympathetic nerve control of skin blood flow and the ability of the sympathetic nervous system to respond to and react to pain, pathology, injury or dysfunction anywhere in the body.

Many think that thermography is a new technology or have never even heard about thermography at all. Thermography has a long history. Breast thermography was discovered in 1956 in Montreal, Canada and rapidly became popular throughout the world. It was FDA cleared and then certified by the American Medical Association as an adjunctive screening procedure for breast cancer in 1982.​

Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging or Thermography is often "compared" to other modalities such as Mammography.  The fact is, Thermography cannot be compared to Mammography because they are looking at two completely different things in the body.  Thermography looks at the physiological parts of the body (the tissue) and Mammography looks at the anatomical parts of the body (skeletal or structure).

I wish for everyone to know that medical thermal imaging exists.  I wish for our MD doctors to give the patients the option of non-invasive early detection.  I want all women to know that one mammogram is equal to 1000 (one thousand) chest xrays of radiation.  I want men to know that if you have placqueing in your mouth you probably have placqueing in your heart.  And that there is early, non-invasive detection for prostate cancer.  Men and women to know that DITI can see what is going on now, that you can prevent something from ever getting worse.  Don't wait for symptoms!

Nearly four weeks ago I flew to Florence, Italy to be reunited with one of my best friends who I hadn't seen in five years.  Kate is warm and generous and an amazing cook and the kind of person you want to pick you up at the airport after you have been traveling for 18 hours.  She is terrific at taking care of people.  Kate did many things to take care of me upon my arrival.  She gave me a beautiful place to stay, stocked the fridge, and helped me obtain an Italian SIM card (something that turned into a weeklong ordeal).  

Above all these generous actions, Kate fed me and that is something that I view as one of the ultimate acts of love.  To feed another person, even if that person is a stranger, is an act of love because you want them to feel good eating your food.  The food I had that first night in Florence has stayed with me.  The first course was a salad of arugula, carrots, avocado, pine nuts and feta.  It awakened my senses and made me realize that I have been phoning in my salads recently.  Served with just balsamic vinegar and olive oil, it sang in the mouth, and I wanted to lick the bowl. This was followed by zuppa di zucca (pumpkin soup) with white beans.  It tasted earthy and sweet with a smooth texture.  The beans were filling.  It felt healthy in the way you wish to feel after traveling long distances but so often don't.  That meal was so memorable that three weeks later when I returned to the States, I made both the salad and the soup within 48 hours of being home.  

The salad looks fancy while being incredibly simple to prepare.  It would be equally welcome at a holiday meal as it would be at a weeknight dinner. 

Insalata da Kate
Serves 4

7-8 ounces of arugula, washed and dried

2 medium sized carrots, washed, ends trimmed, outer layer peeled

1 avocado, pitted and diced

4 ounces feta, diced or crumbled

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Divide evenly the arugula among four salad bowls.  Using a vegetable peeler, peel the carrots onto a cutting board or plate into long, beautiful strips.  Divide the carrots evenly among the bowls of arugula.  Divide the avocado evenly among the bowls of arugula and carrots.  Sprinkle 1/4 of the feta into each bowl of salad.  Lastly, top each salad with 1 tablespoon of pine nuts (4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup).  Serve with Brian's Balsamic Vinaigrette.  

Nutritional awesomeness:  Arugula is an excellent source of Vitamin K, a fat-soluble compound essential for blood clotting.  It has many other great properties, including augmenting bone health.  Carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin A, which promotes vision health, bone growth, and immunity.  Avocados provide over 20 vitamins and minerals and contain monounsaturated fat which can help lower bad cholesterol (LDLs).