Latest / Motherhood Alliance Podcast / Thermography: The Missing Piece in Breast Health w/ Tanya Voss | Keep Cool Thermography
Transcript
- Britney Suttner: Hi, I am Britt from motherhoodalliance.com and today I'm excited to welcome you to a three episode series with Tanya Voss, a certified thermography technician and the owner of Keep Cool Thermography. Through thermography, which is a pain-free and radiation-free imaging technique that uses heat and temperature patterns in the body, Tanya helps women and men identify areas of inflammation, increased estrogen activity, and other potential imbalances within the body. Outside of her work, Tanya is a wife and a mom of three who loves spending time at home with her family reading and she also loves hand embroidery. She and her husband are celebrating 10 years of marriage this year and together they're raising their three kids ages eight, five, and three. We are excited to dive into thermography in these episodes and I'm really excited to introduce you to Tanya now. Let's get started. Hello everyone, welcome back to the podcast. We are on episode number three with Tanya and she is a thermography expert. And in this episode, I'm really excited to dive into breast health specifically. So we've touched on breast health because it is a huge reason that a lot of people are going to see a thermographist now. But in our first two episodes, if you did not tune into those, I would recommend actually hitting pause because we covered a lot of foundational information about thermography in those two episodes. In episode one, really talked about what it is, who it's for. Episode two was more about like actually reading your results, maybe some lifestyle changes that you can do naturally. know a lot of people listening are more health minded and naturally focused and there's things that you can do in your own home to help change the way your body is handling things and the inflammation in your body, bring those down naturally. So those are some amazing episodes. In this one, we're talking specifically about the breast. So I guess my first question, Tanya, is what makes the breast tissue different from other tissues? Why? Why is breast cancer on the rise and why is thermography such a great like tool for helping with this? Why is the tissues different? Tanya: Demography is on the rise because I mean our environment is terrible. What we put on our bodies and in our bodies is so loaded with chemicals and I mean we're just we're surrounded by toxins and so they usually have to go somewhere. I mean it takes like I want to say it's like 28 seconds for or 2.8 seconds or something crazy but for when it's something touches your skin to get into your bloodstream and throughout your body. So it is just crazy. And so if you think about like, even your makeup and your deodorant and your lotions, like there's just and if it has fragrance, right, like there's just so much toxins. And that can all be so detrimental to your breast health. Britney Suttner: But if you put like a lotion on your hand, how is that? Does that impact your breast health? Or is it really just the things you put on your breast? Tanya: No, like especially from your feet. think it I think the feet is where it says like it's like 28 seconds or something for it to get from your feet into your bloodstream like your feet are so that like soak up everything and put it on your hands. It's still going to get into your bloodstream because it's your skin is an organ basically and so it's all interconnected. And so yeah, I mean it's just it's amazing even so if we breathe in like our perfumes and Just trying to be as organic as possible is going to be really, really helpful to kind of eliminate those toxins and fragrance free, but they do make some really great organicky non-taxic perfumes that are out now, which is really, really nice because, you know, just bringing down any exposure is going to be super helpful. Britney Suttner: Well, I mean, you say it goes into your bloodstream, obviously that's traveling throughout your entire body. like something that I think about with breasts is that they're oftentimes tied down in a bra, right? And so whereas the rest of our body is moving and flowing, so does that kind of make a difference in, in maybe that's a main area of cancer for women? Is that one of the reasons why? Tanya: Yeah, well, especially like when you put on deodorant, if you have like, you know, like a I don't want to name drop it. If you have like one that you see on TV, like a dove or a secret, typically those have metals in them. And so it clogs your lymph node, which is this is a direct lymph node into your breast. And so if that gets clogged, things can't drain or they get stuck or the metals go in there. Right. There's just an all the toxins leak in there. Also, too, with underwire in your bras, they like pinch off. you know, they don't allow the breast to drain and to breathe. So trying to go without underwire is going to be really important too. Britney Suttner: Okay, so then when it comes to thermography, we talked about in episode one, like what this actually looks like, what what thermography scan actually looks like. And you had mentioned that with the underwire, how it actually is creating pressure and it creates more heat in that area. And then now you're talking about lymph nodes and things not being able to drain our breasts draining through basically the lymphatic system. So the lymph nodes here are coming, you know, and our armpits are coming straight into your breast and then If they're, if the girls are kind of like tied down all day, they're not able to drain, which means they're kind of holding those metals and toxins. Is that right? Tanya: Yes. Britney Suttner: Okay. So if our breasts are kind of like holding onto these things, right? Like these metals from the deodorants and then the bras, the like underwire especially, but really even sports bras, a lot of women are just wearing sports bras around things are being kind of held in that area. So then let's move the topic back to thermography and what you're seeing on these scans. So you're going to be seeing some heat naturally in the breast area, or is it, should it really be like a dark area? Tanya: So you'll see you natural warmth underneath, like where your skin touches, And then also your collarbone's gonna have natural heat. Depending how much they come together, there might be some heat in here. So those are natural heat areas. so those you'll see on the color pictures, but you'll also get black and white images, which are super cool because those are your estrogen. Those are the estrogen pictures. You can see the estrogen. So the estrogen is really important because the greater the estrogen, the greater the risk. So somebody that has higher estrogen is going to develop something a lot faster than somebody that has a low estrogen. Now we are women and we need estrogen, but we don't need a ton. Now, obviously when you're pregnant nursing, you're going to have higher estrogen because you need that. But sometimes after we give birth, you know, have the baby nurse and are fully done with everything. And even years later, the breasts don't get the memo that they don't need that much estrogen anymore. So it just kind of hangs out in there. So a lot of times I see people in their fifties and even sixties and even late forties that have high estrogen in the breast for no reason. Like they're not on birth control. They're not, you know, they're not really in the menopause range. And if so, their estrogen should be dropping, but it's not. And then people are like, well, my doctor just made my hormones every year and they look great and I'm like, well, that's great. But you have a couple of different, you have three different estrus in your body. So you can have high in your breast and low in your blood and vice versa. You can have low in your breast and high in your blood. So say when you find out you're pregnant, right? It's high in your blood, but not necessarily in your breast yet. And then after you have the baby, it leaves your blood. Like you can't tell that you have high estrus in your blood anymore because it's not making the baby, but yet it's high in your breast because you're needing it to make, to produce milk. So. That's why the blood tests are helpful, but also the thermogram being able to see the estrogen is super important. And I know that there are some thermography companies that don't measure the estrogen level. And to me, it's just kind of not helpful because you could have a great scan, but you could have high estrogen and your numbers can be super low. But if you don't know that your estrogen is really high, you're not going to know that these numbers are going to rise quickly because they're essentially a food source for for cancer, right? Like it doesn't always start out as that, but say, you know, a cell starts and then like some attached to it and then it gets attaching and then it keeps, you know, like it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. And then eventually that's when it starts to show up as a lump or you can see it on a mammogram, but knowing that estrogen level in your thermogram is going to be really, really important, especially for just even moving forward. Britney Suttner: So thermography itself is a great preventative tool because it's going to show heat if there was already like a little mass starting, right? But the estrogen piece is taking prevention even one step deeper, the estrogen scan, because even if there's no heat present in an abnormal spot, it could still be higher creating that environment that's conducive for cancer cells to start. Is that an understanding? Tanya: then you're just basically waiting for the flip, switch to flip. You know what I mean? Like you're waiting for something Britney Suttner: Gosh. Tanya: to trigger it and then cells attached to it and then they keep getting hotter and then it creates more vascularity, which is what we see on the scans, which is just, it's very cool. Britney Suttner: Where are most women at when it comes to estrogen levels in their breasts? Let's just say, let's say women who have had kids, but their kids are maybe like, like they're done having kids. So their kids are maybe like school aged and they come in just for prevention. Where are their estrogen levels commonly at? Tanya: So on a range of one to four, most people honestly, I would say are between a two and a three, either a two or two, or two, two dash three, which is like 2.5 basically, or they're at a three, which is just, it's really high. A two is not terrible, but it's not a one. You know what I mean? A one is ideal. And it's just something, if you're at a two, you're like, and you have no hotspots or anything, he would. I'd recommend you to come back in a year, which is great. That's what you want. But it's just to kind of also be mindful, like, okay, is there anything I can be doing to kind of bring the restroom down just a touch? But I mean, there's so many factors that go into it. Like, what is it? What's your age? Like, what's your lifestyle? Like, are you doing all the other things to kind of keep your internal, I don't want to say cancer environment, but your environment healthy, right? Like, are you trying to do all of the things? I want to be careful with that too because if you have a glass of wine at happy hour or something, don't stress out about that because the stress of worrying like, oh my gosh, I had a glass of wine, now I've set myself back, that's essentially going to cause more harm than just having a glass of wine. Do you know what I mean? Britney Suttner: Mm-hmm. Tanya: So having balance is going to be really important because you're not going to want to just like anytime you do something bad or anytime you have a bite of dessert or a cookie, you're not, it's not like gonna push you over the edge. It's just having that balance and just make it like 80-20. You know what I mean? Now obviously if your environment is already really, I don't want say bad, really, talk to us not the way I'm looking, yeah, really Britney Suttner: I'm healthy. Sure. Yeah. Tanya: unhealthy, then you know those things can add up even quicker than someone who just has them every once in a while. Britney Suttner: Do you think that these numbers of kind of an average of two to three are based on, you know, women having kids and then that estrogen just hanging out? it typically more lifestyle based? Like what is the cause of most of us having this higher level? Tanya: couple different things. So there are three things that impact estrogen, sugar stress and soy are the top three biggest ones. So sugars, if you can try and switch to more honey or maple syrup, like just kind of getting off the like table sugar is going to be really helpful. And just even just cutting back, being mindful of that stress is huge. So I often tell women if they're like, I don't like if their scan comes back and it looks okay, but they're still nervous about something. I tell them, you being worried about that and having that low key stress, just like replaying in your mind is going to cause more harm to your body than just going in and having the actual scan done and like being exposed to the five minutes of radiation. Like it's okay, but the stress is going to cause more harm. It, it raises your estrogen level. just, it can cause inflammation and affects your digestion. mean, stress is huge. So when it comes to your health. So being able to do things to also keep your stress levels low, like there's Ashwagandha, there's different things that you can do to kind of help that as well. And then it just kind of is all like a piece of the puzzle. Britney Suttner: Mm-hmm. Gosh, it's so interesting. And this is where it can feel a little bit scary to your point. It can like make us feel stressed out that, that there's a decent chance that our estrogen levels are probably higher than they should be, which is a great reason to come see you. but when it comes to the breast itself as well, and then the estrogen levels, how often is it healthy to get a rescan? Is this, I think now correct me, cause I actually don't know yet. What age do mammograms start? And then how often are you supposed to get mammograms and then flip side to thermography? At what age would you recommend a woman start doing thermography and how often would she do that? Tanya: I would say any age for a thermogram, I'm sorry, for a thermogram to be honest with you, because it gives us that baseline, right? So I always say that your first scan is important, but that second scan is always the most important because it gives us a picture of what your body's doing. So is it heating up too quickly? Is it not? Like that second scan, even the ones after that, because your body can change, seeing what it's trending is going to be important. Like I said, are you heating up too quickly? Is it not? Because thermography can detect things seven to 10 years before ever showing up on a mammogram. So being able to kind of watch how your numbers are looking and like what your body is able to do. And even if you're trying different things, like for me, when I cut out my food sensitivities, I didn't bring in any supplements. didn't bring in any. I mean, I was in my early 20s. Like I didn't really know what I was even doing, you know? So was like, well, this is easy enough. I'll just start with this. And for me, it worked. Like it brought my estrogen from a three to a one in one year, just by cutting out my food sensitivities. there's just kind of playing around with it and seeing what's gonna work for your body is important. And if you're able to monitor the scans to kind of see how it's working is also really helpful. And then it just kind of gives us that, not a crystal ball, but you know what I mean? It just is seeing what your body's doing. And then also to answer your other question from mammograms, I wanna say it's 50. It was 40, but now I think it's 50 years old or 10 years before your family member had it. So like Britney Suttner: Mm. Tanya: my mom was in her early 40s, so I should have had a mammogram a couple years ago. you know, I've been on thermograms for the last 13 years and they've been amazing. I've probably had over 100 because, you know, you just like, just... want to see like how are they looking like they've been really sore you Britney Suttner: Yeah, prevention. Tanya: know like they just never know so just being able to see that is really great and then also too when you get your results back from the doctor he will give you like three months six months or annual so and then you can kind of use that as your guide too so it's not going to be six months forever especially if you are working on making lifestyle changes that is going to get better because I get it there's a cost in this too like it's expensive it's It's, you know, even even like if you're going to do more health related stuff, that's expensive too. and like I said, the other episodes, your health is totally worth it. And think of it as it's expensive right now, but you're essentially saving your life in the future, you know, from like things that you can control. You obviously can't control like outside factors, but what you can control putting on your body and your body can essentially change your life. Britney Suttner: Yeah, I feel like this is almost just like a secret looking glass into what's happening in your body when we naturally have no idea, right? So it's almost like peace of mind. It almost can bring the hypochondriac type stress down of wondering what's happening in your body. Out of curiosity, when you dropped from a three to a one, that was with your estrogen scan. So that was the black and white one, right? Tanya: Correct, yep. Britney Suttner: When you were at a three, did you have any hotspots on your thermography Tanya: I did. Britney Suttner: scan? Tanya: I did, yeah. And especially right around my nipple and areola. And so those virtually went away. I think by the time Britney Suttner: Hmm. Tanya: I was in one year, two of them had fallen off. they were no heat at all. And then one was like at 0.25. So was like barely there. And then after, you know, when I had my next scan, it was like gone. and now... Britney Suttner: Yeah, so that's nice to know is that you saw results on both of those types of scans from just your lifestyle changes. Tanya: Yes, definitely. And also too, if you are pregnant, nursing, have implants, anyone can have a thermogram. Like sometimes people, especially when you're nursing, you can feel like different lumpy things and you're like, ah, I just want to make sure what this is. for me, one time I was super duper itchy. Like, I mean, it's the point that I was like bleeding because I was itching it so much. Like, oh my gosh, like do I have cancer? Like that's just, that's just how my brain works. And I don't, 10 out of 10 don't recommend that, but it's just how my brain works. I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm so like, I. I had my husband help me scan myself and it was just, you know, it was ending up being fine. But you know, you just get in your head about it. And I'm like, I said, it's stressing. I can just come in and do this. And I was, I mean, I think my daughter was only three months old. So mean, I was nursing, you know, like, I don't know, pretty much around the clock and it was perfectly fine. Obviously your estrogen level is going to be elevated and you can mark that on your paper. Like last time I nursed was two hours ago, you know, and just so that he's aware. And he takes all of that into consideration, like where you're at in your period and when was the last time you nursed? If you are nursing or how far pregnant are you? know, like all of that plays a factor, but none of it, like it doesn't matter. You'll still be able to see if you have hotspots. Your estrogen will just be elevated if you're any of those things. But if you're pregnant nursing, it's going to be elevated, but that's okay. Like that's normal. Britney Suttner: That's so interesting because I'm glad you brought those ones up because I would imagine that a scan would look a little bit different when your breasts are engorged with milk or when you have implants. But you're saying that, not only is it safe for those populations, but the scan itself is still accurate where it's showing the hotspots, regardless of that, additional stuff being in there. Tanya: Yeah, for sure. Yep, especially implants. does not matter if you have dense tissue, that does not matter. We basically see through all of it because you're looking for heat and there's so many layers to your body. So it's we're just we're looking for heat, especially with implants. Seeing around that nipple and areola is going to be really important because that's where we tend to see things start. You know what I mean? But yeah, there's no squishing. So you don't get worried about, you know, Britney Suttner: Mm. Tanya: breast implant illness or anything like that. Like there's it's just really a cool tool. Britney Suttner: Yeah, no, that's amazing. Tanya: Something else interesting to note is you'll get your estrogen scale and where you fall on there. But then below that, each breast will have its own risk rating. So on a scale of one to five, what is the risk for that breast? It can be anywhere from a one to a five. It can be one plus, it can be three plus, it can be two minus. Like it's just not quite a one, but not, you know, it's not quite a solid two. So. Each breast will have its own rating and they can be different. You can have a level five on your left and a two plus on your right and that's okay. But also too, what's important is when your estrogen is high, that increases each risk, each breast's risk rating. So say you have a level three and a four estrogen, automatically, like your risk is always gonna be elevated for each breast. And then if you were to have some hotspots, say on your right, that then increases it too. So you could be at a four in your right and is a solid two on your left. And then on the second page, it will go into what was found. So if you have high estrogen, it'll typically say something like symmetrical upper breast vascular warming. And anytime you see the word vascular on your scan, that means estrogen. So when it says symmetrical upper breast vascular warming, that's where that risk rating came in, where you were at a three or whatever. And then each breast, if say you have more on your outer lower quadrant, it will say right upper outer, right lower outer quadrant vascular, vascularity, and then it will say how much. So it'll say like at 1.5 degrees. and normal is there to chew. So he'll have your rating, your numbers, and then he'll have the range for that part of your breast. So if the right lower outer quadrant had more vascularity than your left lower outer quadrant, he's gonna put that down. Now how he gets the temperature differences is basically he cuts your body in half and measures each part from side to side. So that's how he knows that that left lower outer or the right lower outer quadrant is has more estrogen than this side and it's at 1.5 degrees. And then same with like your nipple and areola. It could be left nipple warming and then right areola at two o'clock. So then you'll be able to see and then if it's like the right areola two o'clock, it can be like at 0.98 degrees. So then you know that that right areola at two o'clock is 0.98 degrees hotter than the left areola at two o'clock. So that's how he gets those differences. And then even if it falls into the normal range, that's good. It's just still a difference. So he's still gonna put it down. and it's great to be able to watch. then having that follow-up scan to make sure that things aren't getting hotter is really, really important. So that's where those charts and numbers all come in. And then once we talk about your scan on the phone, like a week after your appointment, I'll explain all that to you and everything, but that's just a kind of a summary of what you'll get with your scan and your results. Britney Suttner: Okay, that's really helpful. And then so I think about, you know, if I was on a call with you and you're going over my results and you're like, yeah, this area, you have kind of like a risk level three. And then this area over here, we're seeing a little bit and you have like a risk level three and a half or three plus. You know, I'm getting the terminology wrong here. That would make me worried and nervous And so what is the next step? Like what, if somebody has things to work on in their breast tissue, they're say they're going to schedule another appointment for six months out. What are they doing? Give me like your top, maybe two or three things that they're, should be doing from scan one to scan two to hopefully have lower results on scan two. Tanya: It's going to kind of depend on each person for sure. And we can't give medical advice. So I would never say like, do this, do this, do this. I can say like, well, here's what I would do if it was me. And then they can take that for what it's worth. But there are different practitioners that I really like to send people to that can do different blood tests, even deeper blood tests than just the surface level, you know, normal hormone testing. Maybe it is something as simple as the food sensitivity. And maybe it's something also that your progesterone's super low and so your estrogen's trying to make up for it. There's a whole bunch of things it can be. So it's not gonna be a guessing game, but it's gonna be some more testing and it's stuff that I can't do, but I can tell you who I would recommend you go to. Britney Suttner: You mentioned in a prior episode artichoke extract is a supplement that some women have found success with. Is there something else tangible that they can be doing in their homes? Like should they be doing Tanya: Thank Britney Suttner: breast massages, Is there anything else they can be doing in their home that where they can feel us women, we like to try and feel like we're in control, right? And there's things that we can't control, but if there's things that we can be doing to help kind of know that we're working on this, that's really helpful. So is there anything else that comes to mind? Tanya: Yeah, definitely washing what you're putting on your body and in your body is going to be the number one thing. And keeping the sugar stress and soy down. mean, we're we live in a crazy world. Stress is almost unavoidable, but being able to support your body through stress is going to be super helpful. And like whether it's homeopathy or ashwagandha, there's different kinds of things to kind of just you're still you're always going to have stress, but just kind of making sure that your body is not reacting to that stress. Britney Suttner: Do you have any favorite deodorant brands Tanya: I like Salt and Stone. That one's awesome. Just Ingredients has some great ones. I don't really like native. I know they say that they're like natural, but I don't, I don't really think so. they put fragrance and I just don't know what their fragrance is. but there are a lot of local people that make it too. So like even at your local farmers markets, there's some really great people that sell awesome things with it or scented with like essential oils. and sometimes people react to baking soda. There are baking soda free ones. I used to carry some in my office, but the lady that I got them from stopped making them, but just know that, the you can get them without baking soda. So if you react to baking soda, don't give up. Like you can find ones that are baking soda free and ones that also smell good. Like the ones from Salt and Stone smells so good and just kind of play around with it. And trust me, you will get over the detox period. Britney Suttner: I think people always love direct recommendations so they don't have to spend their time researching. But okay. Well, my last question for you to finish out this episode is what are your non-negotiables? Like what are you doing on a daily or weekly basis for your own breast health? Tanya: For my breast up, I haven't worn underwire bras in probably 13 years. Now I did have one, like if I went to an event and I just needed, you know, a pick me up, but I don't anymore. There are some really great bras nowadays that are made with good materials, also have the support and the uplift that we may need after having children and being older. They just don't sit as nice as they used to, but there are some bras that really do help. And you don't need the underwire. That one for me is a non-negotiable for me personally. No shade Britney Suttner: Mm-hmm. Tanya: on you. If people like every once in a while you do it, that's okay. That's a non-negotiable. You know, my detox vitamins every day, even just my vitamins every day. My magnesiums, my vitamin Cs, my vitamin D, like just all of that is a non-negotiable. And I try to eat as clean as possible. We do like to go out to restaurants. but you know, it's all in balance and just making sure that you can be nice and kind to yourself about it. If you do have a glass of wine or, know, if you do something, be kind to yourself about it because the stress of it is worse than just doing it in moderation. Britney Suttner: Well, you forgot. Yeah. Yeah. And thermography scans. Perfect. Awesome. Tanya: Yeah. Britney Suttner: Well, thank you, Tanya. I enjoyed all three of these episodes. Thank you so much for sharing about thermography with our audience. I think that they learned a lot. And if someone wants to contact you to book a scan or just ask more questions, we'll make sure to put your contact info in the show notes. So thank you for joining us. Tanya: Thank you.