Thermography Technician, Cache Valley Thermography
Cache Valley, Utah
Shayla Shearer reads infrared heat maps for women in Northern Utah, and she is careful to explain that thermography points toward questions rather than handing out answers.
In this conversation
Shayla Shearer is a thermography technician with Cache Valley Thermography, a woman-focused thermal imaging service in Northern Utah. She is also a certified breastfeeding specialist, and her interest in breast health is part of what drew her toward this work. Her husband is a chiropractor, and their household leans holistic, which shaped her interest in offering women another way to learn about their bodies beyond simply assuming everything is probably fine.
Her day-to-day work is hands-off by design. Thermography uses an infrared camera to read the heat a body naturally gives off, creating a map that reflects blood flow, metabolism, muscle activity, and nervous system patterns rather than structure. Shayla handles camera setup, positioning, and acclimating clients to the right room temperature so readings are not falsely skewed. A trained thermographist then interprets the images, answers questions, and recommends what type of clinician to see next.
On Healing at Your Core, Shayla talked with Bree Allred about what thermography can and cannot tell you. She described why symmetry between the right and left side matters, why a baseline scan can be useful before pregnancy or perimenopause, and what an appointment involves from the 24-hour preparation list through results. She was equally direct about limits: thermography is not diagnostic and does not replace a mammogram, ultrasound, MRI, or X-ray.
EP. 13 · Oct 8, 2026
Thermography technician Shayla Shearer explains what infrared heat mapping can and cannot show, how scans work, and when to follow up with your doctor.
Watch, listen, and read the episodeA few grounded takeaways from Shayla’s conversation with Bree.
An infrared camera picks up the heat a body naturally gives off, reflecting blood flow, inflammation-related activity, metabolism, muscle activity, and nervous system patterns. It does not show structure the way an ultrasound, mammogram, MRI, or X-ray does.
She says she cannot look at an abnormal heat pattern and name it as a cyst. A scan can flag that something is worth evaluating, but a physician or blood test is needed to verify what is actually happening.
One side of the body should generally resemble the other. Shayla compares it to rolling an ankle, where blood flow increases and the area warms, so a baseline scan makes later shifts easier to notice.
Clients are asked to avoid caffeine, skip hot drinks, stay off heated car seats, and avoid wearing a bra for four hours beforehand, since each can alter surface temperature and create misleading readings.
Nothing touches the body and there is no compression. After a 15-minute acclimation period, breast imaging takes roughly six images and about five minutes, with results typically returning in seven to 10 days.
Explore more guest features or hear the full episode with Shayla Shearer.
