Those of us taking the actions we have been advised to take, like quarantining in our homes, distancing ourselves from others and wearing gloves and masks when we go out, has reduced and is reducing some of the fear of getting the COVID-19 virus.

Yes, this pandemic is literally about the spread of disease from this virus, but the real pandemic we are dealing with is the spread of FEAR.  Fear is a negative emotion which can elicit a fight or flight response, just like extreme stress.  Fear can also paralyze us to take no action.  Whether an action step is a right one or a wrong one, taking no action can keep us in a state of paralysis, which increases fear and deepens feelings of not having any control.  When this happens, your immune system is suppressed making you more susceptible to contagious disease and other disease.

In the 8 years I’ve been doing Breast Thermograms and educating others about the value of this screening for risk assessment, I’ve seen the fear women have when their Breast Thermogram indicates higher risk.  I’ve also seen the reduction of fear when the proactive steps a woman takes to reduce risk are working.  When her fear is reduced, she feels more in control and is incented to continue doing what she is doing and to take further actions steps that will keep her at lower risk of getting breast cancer.

Educating women about the action steps that they can take to reduce risk is a passion for me and a priority at Holistic Breast Health.  So is supporting women through the process, which may take months, since what we see in the higher risk thermograms didn’t happen overnight and reducing risk will not happen overnight.

So what does it look like when a woman takes some action steps following a high risk thermogram? There are many examples, but I chose the example below because there was such fear on the part of this woman when she came for her first thermogram.  With a history of breast pain and cysts and having many cysts aspirated and removed, this 60-year old woman had been told by one doctor many years prior that “it was only a matter of time before she had breast cancer.”  From that moment on, she never touched her breasts and would not let anyone else touch her breasts.  She wore tight bras because of the pain and lived in fear, from mammogram to mammogram, that the doctor’s prediction of her getting breast cancer would come true.

First Thermogram:

Subsequent Thermogram a Year Later after Taking Action Steps:

Note the cooler colors in the Rainbow image and the lightening of the thermovascularity (dark veins) compared to her first thermogram.

The main action steps she took to make improvement included learning how to do lymphatic breast massage and doing it regularly, reducing bra wearing, and balancing her hormones.  Seeing the improvement she made by taking these action steps has reduced her fear and her journey with her breast health is now one of prevention.

Who should consider getting breast thermograms?  Any woman age 20 and older who wants to know if her breasts are healthy and more importantly, if she is ready, willing and able to make the necessary changes to reduce risk.  Women aged 20-39  are not normally advised to have any breast screening and there is an increase in the number of women in this age group who are being diagnosed with breast cancer.  To educate and make Breast Thermography accessible to more women, Holistic Breast Health is now offering a “Test Drive” of a Breast Thermogram called a ThermoGlimpse.