Radiation exposure is not just a function of a catastrophic disaster such as Chernobyl. What about Cat Scans, otherwise known as CT’s? We have a plethora of technology available to us to look inside ourselves and see tumors, plaque, abscesses, hemorrhages and other maladies. CT has had a profound impact on the practice of medicine and had indeed been a terrific technology allowing us to avoid unnecessary exploratory surgery.
The Archives of Internal Medicine in December 2009 reviewed “Cancer Risks and Radiation Exposure form Computed Tomographic Scans.”The researchers found a 13-fold difference in radiation dose between the highest and lowest that occurred within and across institutions. “The articles in this issue make clear that there is far more radiation from medical CT scans than has been recognized previously, in amounts projected to cause tens of thousands of excess cancers annually. Also, as these scans have become more sensitive, incidental findings lead to additional testing (and often more radiation), biopsies, and anxiety. They question the need for screening CT’s as well as the frequency of follow up. “The one year change in Coronary Artery Calcification does no appear to be a suitable surrogate end point for treatment trials in patients with Cardiovascular Disease or chronic kidney disease. “ In the article “Projected Cancer Risks from CT Scans Performed in the United States in 2007, the overall conclusion was an estimated 29,000 future cancers could be related to CT scans performed in the US in 2007. Consider the risk of the screening scans for your entire body, your heart or other areas. While these may be valuable in select cases, yearly screenings could significantly increase your risk of developing cancer.
All of us want the latest technology and absolute assurances about our health and if a CT is not ordered, may feel slighted. Before you hastily jump to conclusions, consider the risks and benefits, especially when you are considering screening CT’s. So if you seek the assurance of an Executive Physical consisting of a full body CT scan and/or virtual colonoscopy to detect early cancer, you may want to consider your radiation exposure. There are many other ways to get screened. Seek the advice of a preventive medical expert.
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Radiation exposure for CT scans
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010Cancer – Could Broccoli be the Cure?
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010Eat your broccoli is on the lips of many parents and what’s good for your children is also good for adults. Why so much attention to this dense green flowerlike vegetable and the other vegetables in this Brassica family such as cabbage, radishes, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and daikon?
These cruciferous vegetables contain high levels of Indole- 3- Carbinol or I3C, which has been shown to suppress the growth of various tumor cells including breast, prostate, endometrial, colon and leukemic cancer cells as well as inducing death of these cells in experiments. It acts to transform estrogen in men and women to a protective rather than destructive form.
Estrogen is made internally in men and women and can also be ingested in our foods. We all have a unique way of “metabolizing” and estrogen can be metabolized into a 2 hydroxy (2-OH) or 16 hydroxy (16-OH) form depending on which enzymes that drive the reactions are activated. Xenobiotic estrogens are external compounds with estrogenic activity that may thereby affect the risk of breast cancer. They are found in pesticides and plastics as well as hormone treated meat and poultry. These tend to promote the metabolism of estrogen to the more toxic forms.
I-3 C drives the chemical reactions to form more 2-OH estrogen and some xenobiotic estrogens drives the chemical reactions to form more 16 OH estrogen. The ratio of 2:16 may be an important indicator of cancer risk. Many leading cancer centers found that higher levels of 2 OH estrogens protects against cancer, whereas higher levels of 16 OH estrogens increases the risk. You can measure your 2:16 ratio to determine how you metabolize estrogen.
So, give and take some good advice to maximize your metabolism to form protective compounds, eat your broccoli and Brassica vegetables, eat organic and don’t heat your foods in plastic to minimize exposure to xenoestrogens. In addition, have your 2:16 ratio measured. You may want to supplement with I-3-C or its active metabolite di-indole methane otherwise known as DIM. Find a good healthcare practitioner who can help guide your choices regarding high quality supplements, testing procedures and determining your unique metabolic profile to decrease your risks of cancer as well as other disease.
