NEW ULM – Maintaining a body’s health and wellness is a challenge.

Often people only realize there is something wrong when they feel pain or feel sick. Recently technicians have begun using thermal imagery cameras as a disease preventative.

Kristy Nelson, a Certified Clinical Thermographer, spoke during a CASTLE lifelong learning event Wednesday evening to discuss her work and the potential benefits.

Using a special thermal imaging camera, Nelson and other trained technicians are able to detect unusual heat sources in the body and inflammation to identify possible health risks.

“We’ve been trained to think we are fine until I feel sick and then we go to the doctor,” said Nelson. “With thermography we’re finding we can check for problems now.”

The Mobile Medical Thermography Imaging (MMTI) technology was approved by the FDA in 1982, but it is only recently becoming popular as an alternative to X-ray and MRI imaging.

Nelson said MMTI can detect the increased blood supply and inflammation found in cancer and cardiovascular disease, which could be missed by other scanning equipment.

Thermography is also used to identify the source of pain. Often where a person feels pain in the body is not the problem area. Nelson gave the example of foot pain that is actually caused by inflammation in the knee.

The MMTI equipment is able to detect the source of the problem rather than just the symptom, and that discovery leads to more effective treatment.

“It’s a good tool to let you know you are on the right track,” said Nelson.

Nelson and other clinical thermographers do not diagnose disease, but they submit the images to a physician for an opinion.

The MMTI is especially popular as an alternative to mammograms because the thermal images can identify breast cancer earlier and do not give off radiation.

Nelson’s interest in MMTI started a year ago. She said that for years she was afraid of cancer because the disease was prevalent in her family. “I didn’t know what to do, but I wanted to be proactive about it,”she said.

The MMTI gave Nelson the option to be proactive, and she uses the equipment to help others.

Right now the imaging equipment used by Nelson is rare in Midwest. Most MMTI specialists are located on the East and West coasts.

Nelson’s office is located on Minnesota Street above the New Ulm Chamber Office, but Nelson will travel across the state for appointments.