Medical imaging has many benefits, but also numerous side effects.
X-rays, CT and PET scans all aid doctors in diagnosing an illness or abnormality, however they also use harmful radiation that can cause serious, long-term damage.
An article published in the New York Times yesterday drew attention to the downside of using these medical imaging devices.
The article said radiation from these machines has “the ability to damage DNA and, 10 to 20 years later, to cause cancer.”
Also noted in the New York Times, was that CT scans are “believed to account for 1.5 percent of all cancers that occur in the United States.”
Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman, a specialist in radiology and biomedical imaging at the University of California, San Francisco, commented on the increasing use of CT scans in the United States.
“There’s clearly widespread overuse. More than 10 percent of patients each years are receiving very high radiation exposures,” she said in the article.
At our private medical clinic in Vancouver, our MRI machine uses NO radiation.
Dr. Raj Attariwala, the medical director at AIM Medical Imaging, wants people to consider their options when it comes to medical imaging.
“The benefit of MRI is it has no radiation, and in most cases provides more information. So if your doctor ordered a CT scan, but you would rather avoid the radiation call us and we can determine if MRI would be a better test for you,” said Attariwala.
Before your next medical imaging appointment, research your options. Call us at 604-733-4007 to find out more about the advantages of using MRI today!
Read the article online on New York Times here: Radiation soars, with risks often overlooked