The Daily Herald from Suburban Chicago ran an article recently which is of great importance to anyone who might be considering getting a CT scan. That includes people with cancer and other diseaes as well as people in the general public who are interested in preventive imaging. The gist of the article is that there are media reports out there which try to link CT scans with cancer ... and that these reports are unfounded.
The author of the article had read a report of this kind warning about the dangers of the CT scan. She noticed that it did not cite scientific studies or use medical journals as a resource. She got in touch with a family member working in the field of preventive imaging and learned that that's because there have been no studies confirming the supposed dangers of the CT scan.
The medical advice in the article is to work with your doctor to make sure that you get the lowest possible dose of CT radiation. That's getting even easier now that new technology is being made which reduces the radiation exposure down to very low levels. In the meantime, you should make sure that you read reports in the media with a wary eye and ask yourself where their facts are coming from.
Question of the Day: Do you believe the fears about CT scans are hype or have some basis?
