Seems there's growing disquiet in the US about the vastly increased use of powerful CT scan technology, for a range of procedures, some that previously were done manually.They're increasingly being used to check for bowel cancer and look at gastric ulcers, as well as map blood flow to the brain.
Research suggests that this trend has increased the average lifetime dose of diagnostic radiation by a factor of seven, which is approximately equivalent to the radiation received from 400 chest X-rays.
The New York Times has a story about this situation, and in fact been following this trend for some time and earlier this year, published a series of articles related to excessive radiation harm.
I found it quite astounding to read that there are an 'estimated 70 million CT scans performed' in the US every year. In the early '80's it was around 3 million, but the real kicker is that researchers estimate there could be as many as 14,000 deaths a year now, from radiation-induced cancers.
Add in mammograms to the mix, and women are really faced with some sobering choices these days.
Obviously we have a much smaller population here in Australia, but it's a statistic that certainly gives reason to think twice about the wisdom of having a mammogram, for basic screening purposes, unless you absolutely have to! The more low dose ionising radiation a woman is exposed to, the greater the risk of possibly developing breast cancer as a result of it.
Having said that, it's still an important issue to be able to monitor breast health, and digital infrared thermal imaging ( DITI) definitely provides that option in a painless and non-invasive way, with the added bonus of NO radiation!
If you'd like further information about this technology, visit my site, and feel free to contact me with any questions you might have.
In Good Health
Patricia
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