The Smart Bra
The Smart Bra
Women, if your bra doesn’t alert you that you may have breast cancer, you might want to upgrade to a Smart Bra.
But don’t bother searching through your latest Victoria’s Secret catalog – the Smart Bra isn’t ready for the marketplace just yet.
According to a report on a gadget site called Gizmodo, Professor Elias Siores of the Centre for Research and Innovation in the UK has invented a bra that uses thermography to detect temperature changes in breast tissue – a red flag that indicates a tumor may be redirecting blood flow, prompting a subtle rise in temperature. When the Smart Bra senses a suspicious change, a discrete alarm will alert the wearer of the bra that it’s time to make a doctor’s appointment.
This is a good idea. In fact, it’s so good that you don’t need a Smart Bra, which, let’s face it, will cost a bundle and will probably be less than comfy.
I first told you about the use of thermography to detect breast cancer years ago in the e- Alert “and 4” (8/6/03). Also called digital infrared imaging (DII), this breast cancer detection method doesn’t subject you to the two key drawbacks of a mammogram: exposure to radiation and painful compression of the breasts.
For more information about DII, and to find a qualified DII breast cancer screener in your area, you can visit the International Academy of Clinical Thermology website at iact- org.org. But note that some insurance programs still don’t cover this relatively new technology.
You can find more information about thermography and two other safe and effective mammogram alternatives in “and 4” at this link: http://www.hsionline.com/ealerts/ea200308/ea20030806.html
Source:
“Medical Gadgets: Smart Bra to Detect Breast Cancer Rapidly” Haroon Malik, Gizmodo, 10/13/07, gizmodo.com
