Recently, I’ve been training to become a Certified Clinical Thermographer and here’s why…
This is me, three years apart. The top row is showing a rather inflamed jaw, face, neck and chest with an extra measure of lymphatic congestion thrown in. The bottom row is me three years later, after a dental procedure, detoxing protocols, lots of Kinesiology and a few lifestyle changes.
Back in 2017, I was getting very concerned about my health, pains, fatigue, lumps, bumps and various ultrasounds, mammograms and blood tests later, here I was in 2019 none the wiser. Then I heard that a thermal imaging company was visiting the island and after reading some brief overviews online, I thought, what the heck, I’ll give it a go!
What is Thermography?
Thermal imaging or thermography is a method of imaging the surface of the skin to detect how the sympathetic nervous system is functioning. The imaging does not detect any conduction of heat to the surface of the skin, instead, it captures the patterns that the fibres of the sympathetic nervous system send to the skin. In other words, it can show patterns of inflammation, pathology and central nervous system function/dysfunction of the body. Used as an adjunctive test alongside Ultrasound, 3D and 4D Ultrasound or other structure and anatomy imaging techniques, thermography can show another piece to the puzzle of what is happening with the body.
Widely used as a preventative healthcare protocol for breast health in women under 50, the most common question I hear about thermography is – does thermal imaging replace Mammograms? No! It’s an entirely different test!
Unlike Mammograms, X-Rays and Ultrasounds which show the structure and anatomy (bones and ‘masses’), thermography can see the physiology (body function) of pain and also indicate injury, inflammation, vascular, lymph and even neurological changes. So no, it doesn’t replace mammograms, it’s an adjunctive test.
So, what exactly is this thermal imaging picture showing?
My thermal imaging study in 2019 showed me something that I really wasn’t expecting.
The mouth! Dental inflammation was the first thing that caught my eye. Looking back, I seem to remember having an ongoing issue with a tooth, my body was grumbling about so many things back then, I may have been ignoring any dental issues, however here it was in the report in all its bright red glory. What was even more alarming for me, was that the inflammation appeared to be extending down my neck, collecting around the clavicle then spreading across and down into my chest area and into my lymph glands. The report also suggested that the patterns may be related to fibrocystic activity, which would account for some of the breast discomforts I had been experiencing.
The rest of the report was a blur because now my mind was panicking that I’d have to go and see the dentist! Not my favourite place to go. I’ve only just recently re-read the whole report last week and realised I ignored the warnings about rhinitis, unhappy knees and a liver complaining of too much sugar consumption.
In my search for a dentist who would be compassionate towards the very nervous patient, I came across a holistic dentist on the island. Anyone who has ever visited a holistic dentist will know how passionate they are about the mouth being at the forefront of our immune system. If something is not right with the mouth, the whole body will be affected, is their mantra. This holistic approach is in total alignment with how I work, so I knew this was the dentist for me.
My appointment was booked and after some EFT sessions to deal with dental phobia, I arrived at the surgery, thermography report in hand.
The dentist took one look at the report and said ‘I have an idea what’s going on here’. He tapped a tooth on the lower right jaw and a tooth on the upper right jaw responded with pain.
The troublesome filling
That tooth on the upper jaw had an old amalgam filling. It was a procedure that had been carried out in the UK when I was 4 years old, as part of a nationwide ‘experiment’ to prevent teeth from deteriorating in adulthood. The filling, which was within the red area of the upper jaw in the image, was now causing me issues and had to be dealt with.
The amalgam filling was removed in a special procedure and replaced with a less toxic ‘white filling’. My next task was to prepare to do a heavy metal detox.
I had done a heavy metal detox in the past, but only for about 9 months and I now know that it was pretty pointless, due to the source of the toxicity at the time being still in my mouth, leaking slowly into my system. I embarked on a 2-year heavy metal detox plan.
I started with a heavy metal detoxing protocol, went on a detoxification of environmental estrogens protocol, liver cleanse detoxes, and slowly cut out foods and liquids long-term that contribute towards internal inflammation (I last drank coffee on the 22 June 2020 – 905 days ago!), started sea dipping and exploring breathwork sessions. As a Kinesiologist, I’m always working with lymph and so it was easy for me to apply lymph-clearing techniques and test the exact nutrition that my body required. I may not have been able to return to my old gym routine yet, however, most of my old aches, pains and fatigue have started to alleviate, although I still need an afternoon siesta if I’m planning on going out after 9pm. Even with all the changes I have made, I still have a vice, and that vice is called a sweet tooth. One step at a time.
Fast forward to 2022, post lockup and an email was received from the thermal imaging company informing about the plan to take a well deserved early retirement. This caused concern amongst the island residents who had been using this service as part of their preventive health care over the years. So myself and another lady decided to train with the idea that thermography could always be available on the island for those who use it.
During my training, I took the opportunity to have a follow-up thermal imaging study to see how everything was progressing. Part of me was dreading the results would show little to no change and full-on fibrocystic breast issues and part of me was excited to see if there was any change. To my surprise, the image showed a HUGE difference compared to the first image two years earlier. My mouth, lymph and breast congestion have cleared up. There are still some pockets of inflammation shown that I need to work on, and then there’s the issue of rhinitis that I had better start looking at, however, back in 2019 I had no rhinitis symptoms, so I can cut myself a bit of slack on that.
As someone who is passionate about preventative health, thermography has been vital in my personal healthcare regime to flag issues before they become a bigger problem than I can handle. Its value as a health tracking tool, highlighting potential changes before noticing any symptoms, has become a real game changer for managing personal health and wellness. By showing how your body is currently functioning, your options in choosing which healthcare provider to support you, become clearer, placing the power of your health back in your hands.
