3 minute read
Headache Evaluation
By Kenneth Hoffman, D.Ac(RI), LAc, CCH
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When dealing with any traditional medical technology or procedure that is outside the box, the question of legitimacy may come up. Ironically, in my natural medicine practice, I find that many people judge natural medicine procedures based on their beliefs rather than on facts.
In reality, many common procedures in both traditional and alternative medicine have little quality research to support their use. Dr David Eddy, who spent a lifetime uncovering the mysteries of modern medicine, was quoted in Business Week as saying, “the problem is that we don’t know what we are doing (in medicine)”. Combined with poor research methods, conventional medicine seems to have significant problems with its own research. An article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicated that “there is considerable evidence that many published reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are poor or even wrong, despite their clear importance”.
However, this is not the case with Medical Infrared Thermography. MIT is supported as a proven medical technology by a significant number of independent studies; it has one of the largest databases of research that support its use as an effective screening tool for disease. This database has been built for the last 20 years with some significant findings. The gold standard of medical research is large clinical trials and peer-reviewed publication. This clearly has been accomplished with MIT. To date, well over 500,000 women have been screened. The great majority of the research supports certain conclusions important to your continued good health: • An abnormal thermogram is 10 times more significant as a future risk indicator for breast cancer than a first order family history. • A persistent abnormal thermogram carries with it a 22x higher risk of future breast cancer. • When used as a multimodal approach (clinical exam + mammography + thermography), 95% of early stage cancers will be detected. • Extensive clinical trials have shown that breast thermography significantly augments the long term survival rates of its recipients by as much as 61%.
Even though much study has been done regarding breast imaging, there are other important applications of MIT supported by science. These include: • Inflammatory phenomena such as infection, musculoskeletal conditions, active arthritis, soft tissue injury or diabetic causes. • Neurological conditions such as RSD, Raynauds Syndrome, nerve root irritation and referred neurological syndromes (i.e. sciatica). • Arterial conditions such as blood flow, deep vein thrombosis and cardiac involvement.
Other clear research exists to use MIT for such conditions as:
1. Arteriosclerosis 2. Brachial Plexus Injury 3. Breast Disease 4. Bursitis 5. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome 6. Cord Pain/Injury 7. Deep Vascular Disease 8. Disc Syndromes 9. External Carotid Insufficiency 10. Frozen Shoulder Syndrome 11. Headache Evaluation 12. Herniated Disc 13. Inflammatory Disease 14. Internal Carotid Insufficiency 15. Infectious Disease Shingles 16. Leprosy 17. Low -back Injury 18. Ligament Tear 19. Lupus 20. Malingering 21. Morton’s Neuroma 22. Myofascial Irritation 23. Muscle Tear 24. Musculoligamentous Spasm 25. Nerve Impingement 26. Nerve Root Irritation 27. Neuralgia 28. Neoplasia 29. Melanoma, Squamous Cell, Basal 30. Nutritional Disease 31. Diabetes 32. Peripheral Nerve Injury 33. Raynaud’s 34. Referred Pain Syndrome 35. Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy 36. Ruptured Disc / Sprain/Strain 37. Stroke Screening 38. Sensory Loss 39. Skin Abnormalities 40. Temporal Arthritis 41. Trigger Points 42. TMJ Dysfunction 43. Tendonitis 44. Thyroid Disorders 45. Whiplash
With hundreds of research studies completed and more underway, MIT is here to stay as a clearly valuable tool to help prevent disease and evaluate certain health conditions.
Dr. Kenneth R. Hoffman, Director of SOPHIA Natural Health Center is a Doctor of Acupuncture, licensed in Rhode Island and Connecticut. He holds national certifications in Oriental Medicine and Chinese Herbology. He is a founding board member of the Institute for the Advancement of Medical Thermology (IAMT), where he trains doctors in this emerging technology. With many positive cases of treating suspicious thermographic patterns, he has developed specialized protocols and therapies to prevent and eliminate health risks. SOPHIA Natural Health Center, 499 Federal Rd., Brookfield, CT 06804 www.SophiaNaturalHealth.com. (203) 740-9300. See ad on page 21.
