Scans

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WHY WHOLE-BODY SCANS ARE A BAD IDEA This is the title of an article in the Center for Medical Consumer’s Health Facts newsletter. In the article, the authors point out that what has been a "...last-resort state-of-the-art method for diagnosing people whose symptoms require further investigation." is being pitched as a "high-tech medical check-up."

"The use of scanners as screening tests is a bad idea for two reasons: false alarms and too much radiation. . . many past issues of Health Facts have addressed other harms caused by screening, including unnecessary biopsies, unnecessary cancer treatment, and false reassurance. . . CT scans involve much higher doses of radiation than standard x-rays . . . .A CT scan of the abdomen or pelvis involves a radiation dose 500 times that of a chest x-ray."

Claims of "low-dose" equipment mean very little when we’re talking about radiation of such magnitude. Such enormous amounts of radiation not only contribute to the incidence of breast cancer, but scientists who are experts in the field of radiation say that it can cause damage to the heart, also.

Added note: When a child absolutely must have a CT scan for diagnosis purposes, the parent should make sure the dose is adjusted down. Children are often exposed to adult doses of radiation which are higher than necessary to produce a good image.

Jerry Mittelman, DDS, FAPM

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