Is That Scan Or X-ray Really Worth It?

Is That Scan Or X-ray Really Worth It?
© By Lena Sanchez

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The medical worlds own admission speaks better than I can! It's important to understand that many medical procedures are not an exact science, and this includes CT scans and X-rays.

To establish the necessity of a heart scan Hopkins researchers reviewed 18-months of medical records for 2,000 subjects. Half of the group received a CT scan, while the other half received a standard checkup.

Subjects in the CT scan group were given more heart procedures, more follow-up tests, and more medications (primarily statins and aspirin) than subjects who didn't get scanned.

And what was the benefit of all that extra treatment?

Nothing but side effect dangers from the medications!

Rates of heart attacks, heart disease deaths and other cardiac events were the same in both groups.

Lead researcher, Dr. John W. McEvoy, told the Chicago Sun Times that CT testing in patients with low or intermediate risk of atherosclerosis doesn't appear to be useful, especially when excessive radiation exposure, unnecessary follow-up procedures, and drugs with unhealthy side effects become part of the package.

Chest X-rays and Lung Cancer

A study done of 264 lung cancer patients it was found that 25% of lung cancer patients had negative chest x-rays within the prior year to be diagnosed. Is that good? Not if you are the lung cancer patient.

CT Cancer Detecting Seriously Flawed

In the case of CT scans for lung cancer, this new study showed that radiologists reviewing images of the same patient taken just minutes apart found substantial "changes" in the tumors, in some cases noting they had gotten up to 31 percent bigger or 23 percent smaller. How’s that for inconsistent?

Yes, that is minutes apart showing changes and doctor’s make life altering changes in treatment based on those flawed scans!

As the study's lead author pointed out in Reuters, changes of up to 10 percent can happen simply because of expected variations in the imaging tests, which is a large discrepancy considering many oncologists rely on these tests to make treatment decisions. Further, what this means is that lung cancer patients may be exposing themselves to the risks of the CT scan for nothing, as if the test result is unreliable, indicating a tumor has grown when it really has not, or vice versa, the test was a waste.

Becoming aware of the risks of medical scans is part of becoming a smart consumer and knowing your health care options. With that in mind, the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter offers some good suggestions for questions you should ask before undergoing a CT scan!

There is dangers in testing, so think twice before undergoing any scan or xrays!

***Lena Sanchez a happy Retired Medical Office Nurse/Administrator, Medical Office Consultant turned Alternative Health Consultant took charge of her life in 1992 substituted healthy drug-free alternatives getting actual pain relief after 30 years with fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Meinere's Vertigo and never ending illnesses all kinds never solved with conventional medicine . Now committed to helping others do the same by educating on truly treating illness and disease rather than masking symptoms. See http://www.antibiotic-alternatives.com Other informative health articles regarding prevention and steps to take to be the healthiest you can be found at Free Healthy Natural Alternatives To Drugs Articles