Digital Thermal
Imaging
William Cockburn, D.C., B.C.F.E.
Just say that word T H E R M O G R A P H Y, and about as many definitions, ideologies, axioms are brought to mind as there are with the word subluxation. This is in my opinion,one of the greatest weapons in the war on disease that any clinician could ever use. It is also perhaps, the single, most devastating device at proving autonomic nervous system damage available, and I witnessed the highest awards ever by the evidence provided with this tool. The all out war against thermography has virtually ruined it as a court admissible tool, and that is unfortunate.
As a diagnostic tool, I simply viewed thermography as a device that could reliably tell me something about the neurophysiology of my patient as that physiology related to trauma and the VSC. AND IT DID!
Approved for workers compensation, medicare, general insurance - thermography quickly became my favorite instrument. I studied, published papers (even in peer reviewed European medical literature) and was amazed at this devices ability to differentially diagnose a host of ailments. From vascular damage in the lower legs mimicking a dermatomal low back related finding, to toxic headache as opposed to cervical spine related, this tool was incredible.
By measuring very fine differences in heat (.1C) and by providing highly graphic and objective data output that was easily explainable, thermography soon became a course in some chiropractic colleges, and remains to this day, a wonderful outcome assessment tool.
Pitfalls include tremendous adverse literature, on the whole taken out of context. Also vendor wars and competition damaged the procedure as did the use of untrained individuals in courts of law defending or promoting the procedure in litigation cases.
When utilizing appropriate equipment (unfortunately the cost exceeds 40K) and by following rigorous protocol, thermography remains a highly objective and useful clinical tool for the neuropathic component of the vertebral subluxation complex.