Fickes Holistic Care Corp

Dr. Linda Fickes, D.C., Board Certified Medical Thermographer, Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist

824 Hahaione St.,

Honolulu, Hawaii 96821  USA

Phone:  808 395-6800      Fax:  808 396-0919

Radiation and Its Affects on the Autonomic Nervous System

as Identified and Monitored by Infrared Imaging

Ionizing and Non-Ionizing Radiation

Radiation emitted from our cell phones, cordless phones, computers, wifi, even the antennas on the elementary school down the street is called non-ionizing radiation.  This form of radiation causes an excitation of the electrons in our bodies, but not enough for our atoms to release or "ionize" an electron.  Ionizing radiation, such as an x-ray or nuclear radiation, is strong enough to release or ionize an electron from an atom. 

Non-Ionizing Radiation and Heat

It is well-known that ionizing radiation causes severe burning and heat damage.  It is the purpose of this study to examine the heat related effects from the non-ionizing radiation we are exposed to in our homes and workplaces.

 It is known that the excitation from non-ionizing radiation, or from any electrical field, increases the rotation of oppositely charged molecules.  The increase of rotation causes heat.  There are heat receptor molecules in our cells that, according to German biophysicist, Roland Glaser, can activate a cascade of second and third messenger systems in our bodies.  He also found that the cell's thermoreceptors affect gene expression mechanisms, and activate the hypothalamus to produce Thyrotrophin Releasing Hormone (TRH). TRH causes the thyroid to release more heat and bring the body back into heat balance. The hypothalamus also affects the autonomic nervous system.  In addition, heat receptors on the cell membrane produce Heat Shock Proteins to defend the cell against the stress caused by heat.  Since nerve fibers have less blood flow than many parts of the body, they are anatomically more sensitive to damage from increases in temperature.  A cell or cordless telephone, computer or wifi can cause enough excitation, heat and autonomic stress to see it and measure it with infrared imaging.

What is Infrared Imaging?

Medical Infrared Imaging, also called Thermology or Thermal Imaging, is the imaging of the surface temperature of the skin by a non-contact infrared camera.  It has been used for over forty years, beginning with use in breast cancer detection, but also used to detect infections, nerve injury and reactions, microvascular circulatory disorders, organ dysfunctions such as hypothyroid  and especially problems with the autonomic nervous system such as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.

What Causes the Heat Seen in an Infrared Image?

When an infrared photo is captured of the skin emissions, it will show heat and cold patterns. Skin temperature may be influenced by many factors, both physical and physiological.  The pattern of temperature distribution across the body results from five major possibilitites.

1.  Local skin blood flow.  The autonomic nervous system is in charge of the blood flow in capillaries, arterioles and venules.  This system is called autonomic because it is out of our conscious control.  It has two branches.  The sympathetic branch makes us respond to perceived threats or stresses by increasing heat rate, respiration and decreasing blood supply to the skin and digestion.  The parasympathetic nervous system nurtures our digestive tract and a sense of calm while increasing blood supply to the skin.  Infrared imaging shows the hot and cold skin patterns that occur when the autonomic nervous system is healthy or damaged from radiation, infections, toxins, stress, shock, and/or nutritional depletion.  Infrared imaging can also identify stresses to the autonomic nervous system and also what helps heal and stabilize it. 

2.  Underlying tissue temperature.  The skin can be heated by warm underlying structures that conduct heat to the surface. Infrared imaging uses this principle to assess inflamation in joints, discs and nerves, acute injuries or spasm, detect early breast tumors, increased circulation to potential tumors, increased or decreased heat over an organ, or infections.

3.  Damage to skin that causes inflammation can show heat.  For example, a cut, recent scar or sunburn.

4.  Nerve damage can be seen in the infrared image by heat or cold patterns locally or in skin areas supplied by that nerve, called a dermatome.

5.  Heat related therapies applied to the skin surface cause heat seen in the infrared images due to increased local circulation and metabolism, such as a hot pack, infrared treatment or low level laser.

 Heat Patterns After Talking on an Unprotected Cell Phone

The following infrared images show a woman's face after a standard 15 minute cool down in a 72 degree room.  The image below and right shows her face after talking on an unprotected cell phone for 15 minutes.  There is an increase of heat in the cheek area of 1.9 degrees C.  An increase of more than .5 degrees C is significant.  In infrared images, it is normal to show a cold nose, symmetrical eye heat, even forehead heat and no mouth heat.

More About the Autonomic Nervous System

The branch of the autonomic nervous system known as the sympathetic nervous system has the job of maintaining a normal level of constriction in the blood vessels.  This is known as sympathetic tone.  A  stress to the sympathetic nervous system, such as plunging the hands in ice water, will cause additional blood vessel constriction and a cooling affect will be seen in a healthy sympathetic nervous system.  The sympathetic nervous system may be stressed and overreactive, causing more vasoconstriction than optimal for a longer period of time than usual.  The other branch of the autonomic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system may also become damaged or stressed and be unable to overcome the sympathetic tone or overreaction and this may also contribute to excessive cooling for a long period of time or permanently.  Exhaustion of the sympathetic nervous system from repeated severe stresses (physical and/or emotional) will be seen as a dilatation of the blood vessels and a heating effect, because the sympathetic nervous system is too depleted to maintain tone.

Autonomic Cold Challenge

If the autonomic nervous system is stressed by radiation inducing heat, thermography can be used to test autonomic response.  The Cold Challenge has been used for many years in thermography to shock and activate the autonomic nervous system by putting the hands in ice water for one minute.  Other autonomic challenges that have been tested are:  holding ice packs for one minute, another is asking those being imaged to think about something stressful.  A normal response is sympathetically induced vasoconstriction, decreased blood supply to the skin, seen on the images as cooling.

 The following images show radiation stress followed by autonomic cold challenge.

There is a decrease in sinus heat of .9 degrees C following the cold challenge.  The decrease in heat indicates the sympathetic nervous system is functioning, but it is a large decrease suggesting that this person's sympathetic nervous system is stressed.