Infrared Cameras to Detect Cancer

Some medical doctors hope to be able to detect cancer in their patients simply by taking a picture of them with an infrared camera! Proponents of the new medical technology behind these special photographs made possible with the use of infrared cameras believe that not only will tumors be more easily and quickly discovered with these devices, they could even be used during surgery. Surgeons, before closing incisions, would simply photograph the area of the tumor with an infrared camera to ensure they have completely removed cancer.

The Special Crystal Behind this Proposed Medical Technology

A very unique and special crystal lies at the heart of the whole idea of using infrared cameras to detect cancer and to ensure complete removal of tumors to help increase the survival rate of cancer patients. How does it work? All objects, including living things--even ice cubes, "contain" heat to some degree; therefore, they give off infrared photons to some degree; photons are simply particles of light. These photons cannot be seen by the naked eye because they lie within the invisible spectrum of light.

Technological advancements, however, are aimed at making the invisible visible. The device being engineered to accomplish this contains a special crystal through which the natural infrared photons of the object or individual being photographed will pass. Photons or light particles from an infrared laser would also be directed at the same crystal, to pass through it as well. The interaction between the natural infrared photons of the object and those of the laser would alter the natural wavelength of this invisible light causing it to "shift" into the visible spectrum so that an image can be captured by a regular digital camera that had been modified to have an infrared flash. This would be the precursor to specially built and extremely expensive infrared cameras joining the equipment now being used in medical technology to detect cancer.

The Dark Side of Infrared Cameras

Although these special infrared cameras to be used in this manner would be considered the latest in medical technology, eventually, they would undoubtedly end up in the hands of the common people. High powered weapons designed for military use only have flooded the civilian market and taken many lives. Space travel has traditionally been reserved only for astronauts; however, civilian flights to the "final frontier" are already planned for the fortunate few who can afford them. The list could go on.

Infrared photons are radiation that perhaps man should not be attempting to alter or interfere with in any way. The invention of microwaves, cellular phones, wireless networks, and so many other technologies revolve around the manipulation of radiation; and cancer is more prevalent than ever in the United States where so many electronic devices are used constantly. Even radiation therapy in cancer treatment destroys so many cells that it usually only prolongs the inevitable. Perhaps it would be wiser to realize that no infrared camera or any other device of medical technology will ever take the place of returning to all natural living for the prevention of cancer so that it never has to be detected in the first place.

Sources:

Kate McAlpine
Infrared Addon Could Let Standard Cameras See Cancer
NewScientist.com