People may have heard of thermography or even have tried it before, but with so many terms circulating around, including camera thermography, medical thermography and infrared thermography, they may be wondering what the differences are and how thermography can help them. There are currently two widely available forms of thermography. Infrared thermal imaging is commonly referred to as camera thermography. Computerized regulation thermography, or whole body thermography (WBT), also utilizes infrared technology but there are several important differences.

Camera thermography collects photon impulse data from the skin surface using a camera placed in front of the patient. Pictures are taken of specific body areas such as the head/neck and breasts. The pictures from the camera use five or six colors to show temperatures differences on the skin. These pictures need to be interpreted by a trained and certified practitioner to show risk of disease. Many clinics specialize in only pictures of the breast area from a front view, left and right sides. The side pictures are needed to decrease false positives and false negatives found with only the front view. The colorful images are used to show areas of increased blood flow that may indicate inflammation or risk of disease

WBT uses a handheld wand sensor designed with a germanium crystal to filter the readings. The sensor is also held at precisely the same angle and distance from specific points the skin surface. The collected temperature data is then submitted to highly sophisticated mathematical software to produce a seven-page report of findings. This report does not have the problem of human error and the process has been verified by more than 30 years of research, including blood tests, imaging and biopsies. The WBT report shows signature patterns of more than 40 diseases, their severity and priority to help guide treatment decisions.

Although there are key differences between camera thermography and regulation thermography, both play key roles in health assessment. Regulation thermography can confirm camera thermography results and reveal underlying diseases.

Dr. Rebeca Gracia is the center director for Thermography Center of Dallas, located in Addison and Rockwall. For more information or to schedule a thermogram, call 214-352-8758 or visit ThermographyCenter.com.