Posts Tagged ‘Thermography’
New Screening put my mind at ease after battling with Cancer
Sunday, April 2nd, 2006
A new quick and easy thermal scan can change the lives of thousands of Irish sufferers.
Mary Coleman has survived breast cancer but lived with the fear that it could return until she discovered a new high-tech screening.
The 50-year-old used to travel to London for the procedure, called Medical Thermography, despite her fear of flying.
Mum-of-two Mary from Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2005.
She says: “It was such a shock to discover I had abnormal, pre-cancerous cells. I’d had a mammogram 18 months earlier and I was fine.
“All the other women in work were fretting because they had to go for a mammogram but I thought I was home free.” (more…)
Top Harley Street Doctor Joins Naas Clinic
Wednesday, August 10th, 2005
By Sylvia pownall
A top doctor from london’s harley street has joined the team at a Naas clinic to help meet demand for a new cancer screening service which is the first of its kind in Ireland.
Dr Harald C Gaier will practise three days a week at the Irish Centre of Integrated Medicine on Pacelli Road, Naas, to assist with two of its most successful treatments – medical thermography and live blood analysis.
Dr Gaier has held the position of director of Medical Research at two major clinics in London, the Hale Clinic and the Diagnostic Clinic, and is one of the world’s leading authorities on homeopathy and non-orthodox medicine.
“It’s a fixed arrangement and it suits me very well,” said Dr Gaier, who is a registered homeopath, osteopath, herbalist, acupuncturist and naturopath. “It will keep me very busy, but I’m happy to be working here because they are genuinely passionate about what they do.”
Having written the Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Homeopathy for Harper Collins and numerous papers for a variety of scientific journals, Gaier’s name is synonymous with modern contemporary medicine.
“I always like to see success and they do it with such care and devotion so it’s lovely to be a part of that,” he remarked of the centre’s directors, Felipe Reitz and Jean FitzGerald.
“I’ve taken some of the workload so hopefully that will make a difference. It was needed to cope with demand which has been phenomenal.”
Felipe said it was a further endorsement of the clinic’s pioneering work to have such a respected figure associated with ICIM. “This is a very important medical and health gain to County Kildare,” he added.
Medical thermography, which uses infra-red imaging to detect the increase in heat produced by cancerous tumours, is already widely used in America and across Europe and can play a vital role in early detection of all forms of cancer.
Specialised infra-red cameras photograph the breast, or other soft tissues in any area of concern, and there are no risks or side effects associated with the non-contact procedure.
Thermography is especially useful in detecting breast cancer, long before it would show up on a mammogram, since it spots metabolic changes within the breast tissue itself which suggest the beginnings of a possible tumour.
Cells can begin to turn cancerous long before they turn malignant, the increased blood supply causing abnormal heat activity which a specialised infrared camera can detect at up to 0.001 degrees.
Thermography has been given a cautious welcome by Dr James Geraghty, one of the leading oncologists and breast cancer specialists in Ireland. He said if used in tandem with traditional methods it can help with early detection of cancer.
The service is fully booked weeks in advance, as is the centre’s live blood analysis which is invaluable in the early detection of serious health conditions by using a high definition microscope and state-of-the-art computer technology to analyse just on drop of a patient’s blood.
You can contact the Irish Centre of Integrated Medicine at 045-844819 or log on to http://www.icim.ie/.
New thermal technique may detect cancer earlier
Tuesday, June 28th, 2005
Iva Pocock
A new technology to Ireland has been greeted with caution by a breast care consultant surgeon in Tallaght hospital. Mr James Geraghty, who leads the breast care unit in the hospital, said the technology which uses infrared imaging to identify possible tumours “may have its uses in the futures as a non-invasive means of detecting cancer”.
However, medical thermography is “still largely in the area of research” and is not standard practice in teaching hospital in Ireland.
The technology has been introduced by the Irish Centre of Integrated Medicine in Kildare, run by acupuncturist Felipe Reitz and homeopath Jean FitzGerald. They say studies suggest that thermography can detect early cancer cells 10 years before any other examination.
“When a cancer is forming, it develops its own blood supply in order to feed its accelerated growth, a process known as malignant angiogenesis. And cells can start this process well in advance of when they turn malignant,” said Mr Reitz. “When they do, the increased blood supply causes abnormal heat activity in the breast, which a specialised infrared camera can pick up.”
For this reason it is a useful non-invasive, preventative tool, for women in their 20s and 30s, he said. “In the absence of any other positive tests, an abnormal breast thermogram indicates a 22 times greater risk for future breast cancer. This gives a woman time to act.”
However, medical thermography is not a substitute for mammography, the standard breast tumour detection technology used in Ireland, said Mr Reitz.
“I’m not saying the thermography machine is the only thing. It’s a compliment to help people be preventative. I agree with mammograms but we still lack preventative method. The two technologies should work together.”
Breast thermography has a false positive of 10 per cent (10 out of 100 women who are shown to have no problem will actually have a breast abnormality whereas mammography has a 15 per cent false positive rate, said Mr Reitz.
Mr Geraghty urges patients with symptoms such as lumps, nipple discharge or change in skin colour to see a specialist clinic. At the Irish Centre of Integrated Medicine, patients whose breast thermography show any sign of heat spots are referred to their GP or specialist consultants.
Kildare firm pioneers Breast Cancer Detection system 10 years ahead of present methods
Wednesday, June 15th, 2005
Exclusive by Sylvia pownall
A breakthrough technology which can detect cancer 10 years before normal screening methods is being pioneered by a Kildare clinic.
The Irish Centre of Integrated Medicine (ICIM) in Naas is the first in Ireland to introduce medical thermography, which uses infra-red imaging to detect the increase in heat produced by cancerous tumours.
Thermography is already widely used in America and across Europe and can play a vital role in early detection of all forms of cancer. The ICIM’s thermogram waiting list is already booked solid until mid-July, and the department of Health has contacted the centre to find out more about it.
“This will increase by 22 times your chance to prevent a cancer because you can see it so early,” said Feilipe Reitz, head of the adyanced microscopy research department at the ICIM.
“What this camera can detect on the surface of the skin is a sign of what is happening below the surface. It can be felt, and up to 10 years before it shows up on a mammogram.”
Most of Felipe’s clients are referred on to their GP, and doctors and consultants are already endorsing the work done at the clinic. Cancer associations and insurance companies have also been in touch with Felipe, with a view to liaising on more formal footing in the future.
“If people are really interested in prevention the best methods are self-checking and medical thermography,” said Felipe. “It is non-invasive, there is no radiation involved as with some screening methods, and it has a more than 90 percent success rate.”
Thermal imaging was first used for observing battlefield troop movements at night. The technology was later adapted for medical purposes, and the screening procedure is now used to detect not just cancer but other conditions.
Specialised infra-red cameras photograph the breast, or other soft tissues in any area of concern, and there are no risks or side effects associated with the non-contact procedure.
Thermography is especially useful in detecting breast cancer since it spots metabolic changes within the breast tissue itself which suggest the beginning of a possible tumour.
Cells can begin to turn cancerous long before they turn malignant, the increased blood supply causing abnormal heat activity which a specialised infrared camera can detect up at up to 0.001 degrees.
“If you do this once a year it gives you peace of mind,” said Felipe. “This can detect problems long before any other method can.
“It can also detect respiratory, digestive, neurological, circulatory and skin diseases. Women in their 20s and 30s are booking in with us. It can be used on infants from three months old and has detected umbilical hernias and other obscure complaints.”
A thermogram cost £300 sterling in London, but the ICIM charges €150 for a consultation and screening women all over Ireland who were travelling to England for the service are now booking appointments at the Naas clinic.
For further information contact The Irish Centre of Integrated Medicine on St. John’s Grove, Johnstown, Naas, Co. Kildare at (045) 844819 or check out their Web Site at http://www.icim.ie/.