Radiation is a subject most of us know little about. Most folks know that the sun produces radiation, x-rays have radiation, nuclear weapons have radiation, and that The Incredible Hulk, Spiderman, Daredevil, The Fantastic Four, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles all got their superpowers from exposure to radiation.
And of course, CT and PET scans use radiation. Everybody knows that right?
Apparently not.
One-third of people getting a CT scan didn’t know the test exposed their body to radiation.
In a study from a U.S. medical center, researchers found that 85% of patients also underestimated the amount of radiation delivered by a CT scan, and only 5% of them thought the scan would increase their chances of getting cancer again in their lifetime.
CT scans are high-powered X-rays that expose patients to between ten and 100 times more radiation than a normal head or chest X-ray for example.
The radiation dose from one CT scan typically ranges from a level comparable to yearly background radiation from natural sources (like the earth and sun) – to close to 20 millisieverts, which is the annual exposure limit for nuclear industry employees.
One study from the National Cancer Institute estimated there would be about 29,000 future cancers related to scans done in 2007 alone. That year, Americans had about 72 million total CT scans.
The most common cancers thought to be caused by radiation exposure are lung, breast, thyroid, stomach and leukemia.
Ionizing radiation from CT scans is powerful enough to damage DNA
And if the DNA damage is not repairable by the body it can lead to cancer.
Now the last thing I want to do is scare anybody, but it is important to be fully informed about medical procedures that could be potentially harmful. As is evidenced in the study above, most patients were not fully informed about the risks associated with ionizing radiation in CT scans. A third of them didn’t even know CT Scans used radiation!
Even though this study was only conducted at one medical center, I don’t believe this is an isolated problem. I believe that this lack of disclosure from the medical industry and ignorance among patients is the norm. I was definitely not informed about the radiation risk from CT scans. I knew that CT Scans were stronger than x-rays, but I really didn’t have any clue as to how much until I researched on my own.
This post will arm you with some powerful radioactive knowledge.
But First, Back to Science Class…
The impact of radiation on the body is easier to grasp once you understand how it’s measured. I’m going to try to keep this as non-technical as possible.
Radiation exposure is measured in two units of measurement:
the gray (Gy) and the sievert (Sv).
One gray is the absorption of one joule of energy from ionizing radiation, per kilogram of matter. A gray measures the actual absorbed dose to a specific area, like to your brain or prostate, for example.
One sievert is a measurement of the equivalent dose of total body exposure. Like comparing a dose to your prostate with the same dose equally spread across your whole body. The sievert is a more appropriate measurement for exposure of nuclear workers or bomb victims, which is why it was used in the article above. 1 gray = 1 sievert. They are interchangeable.
Ok so how much is one gray? Let’s put it in perspective:
If your whole body was exposed to 5 gray of high-energy radiation in one blast you’d be dead in about 14 days.
For cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy:
Radiation therapy ranges from 20-80 gray depending on the cancer.
Remember only 5 gray over your entire body will kill you, but because they only target a small area, it doesn’t.
1 gray will cause hair loss in the radiated area, over 10 gray can make it permanent.
Saliva glands, tear glands, sweat glands and vaginal mucosa glands can be permanently damaged by radiation over 30 gray, leading to chronic dry mouth, dry eyes, dry skin
and dry “other parts” for the rest of your life.
8 gray to the ovaries causes permanent infertility.
The amount of radiation used in diagnostic procedures is much less, so it is measured in milligray (mGy).
Radiation from CT scans compared to a chest x-ray:
Standard Chest X-ray 0.01-0.15 mGy
Head CT 56 mGy (373 x-rays)
Cardiac CT 40-100 mGy (266-666 x-rays)
Mammogram 3 mGy (20 x-rays)
Neonatal Abdominal CT 20 mGy (133 x-rays)
Barium Enema 15 mGy (100 x-rays)
Abdomen CT 14 mGy (93 x-rays)
Chest CT 13 mGy (86 x-rays)
Chest/Abd/Pelvis 12 mGy (80 x-rays)
PET/CT Scan whole body 11mGy (73 x-rays)
PET/CT Brain 64mGy (426 x-rays)
PET/CT Babies/Children 4-6mGy (26-40 x-rays)
FYI: Pilots and flight attendants get 4-9 mSv per year (26-56 x-rays) from atmospheric radiation. Frequent flyers will also have increased exposure, but not quite as high as aircrew members.
Radiation Explosion
Radiation exposure to the US population from diagnostic imaging has increased 6-fold in the last 30 years, primarily due to the rapid increase in CT scans from 1 million per year to 80 million per year. It’s a big money maker for the medical industry.
Dr. Amy Berrington de Gonzalez has spent the last 15 years studying medical radiation exposure. She made a presentation of her findings at the NIH on January 11, 2013 entitled, “Medical Radiation and Cancer Risk: Assessing the Price of Progress”. Here are some takeaways.
Medical radiation is one of the top 10 known cancer causers in the US.
1) Smoking 20%
2) Diet 10%
3) Obesity 6%
4) Alcohol 5%
5) Infections 3%
6) Medical Radiation 1-3%
7) Physical Inactivity 1%
8) Post-menopausal Hormone Drugs .05%
Note: If those percentages seem low it’s because it is very difficult to “prove” what causes cancer and researchers can only report statistically provable links. Cancer is the number two killer in the U.S. and there is evidence that diet and lifestyle cause much more than 42% of cancer cases. I think it’s double that.
Currently, diagnostic radiation (CT Scans, etc.) is attributed to causing 1% of all cancers. Dr. Berrington projected that if we keep using diagnostic radiation at the current levels, the number of radiation-related cancers will triple in the coming years.
She also states that radiation treatments are in the top five causes of secondary cancers for cancer survivors.
On average, cancer survivors have a 14% risk of recurrence, which researchers attribute to three factors: lifestyle, treatments, and genetics. (We know from the field of epigenetics that gene expression is influenced by your lifestyle and toxic exposure including cancer treatments. In other words, your genetics do not ultimately determine your fate. Your diet and lifestyle choices play a significant role in your fate.)
8% of secondary cancers (on average) are related to radiation therapy.
The percentage is a bit higher for prostate (11%), cervix (18%) and testicular (25%).
Keep in mind, again, that this 8% figure is conservative and only represents what can be statistically proven.
After only one CT Scan, the risk of radiation-related cancer remains elevated throughout the rest of your life. Dr. Berrington estimates that the risk is 1 per 10,000 to develop cancer within 10 years and 1 per 1,000 to develop cancer in their lifetime.
So one CT Scan doesn’t seem very risky but keep in mind that the risk increases significantly with every scan.
Also, it should be noted that the risk of cancer from CT Scans is much higher for babies, children and young adults. The risk decreases significantly after age 25 and stays consistent from there to age 80.
The obvious way to reduce this is by avoiding unnecessary diagnostic radiation and radiation treatments.
If you find yourself requiring attention in a hospital, ask if an MRI can be used instead of a CT or PET scan, MRIs do not expose you to radiation.
Toward the end of her presentation, Dr. Berrington stated that she still believes “the benefits outweigh the risks.”
She also mentioned that the new backscatter x-rays used in airports are 10,000 times weaker than a standard x-ray. Good to know, but I still opt for the pat down. It’s like a little mini-massage before your flight!
Radiation makes cancer more aggressive
In this study published in the July 2012 Cancer Journal, researchers from the Department of Radiation Oncology at UCLA reported that radiation treatment actually drives breast cancer cells into greater malignancy.
They found that even when radiation kills half of the tumor cells treated, the surviving breast cancer stem cells (iBCSCs), were up to 30 times more likely to form tumors than the non-irradiated breast cancer cells. And they became resistant to further treatments.
When radiation shrinks a tumor everyone thinks it’s working, but that can be very misleading. What may be happening is that the radiation is only increasing the ratio of highly malignant cells to benign cells inside the tumor, which reproduce rapidly. Many of the cells in a tumor are not actually cancerous. Destroying those benign cells with radiation will shrink the size of the tumor but not necessarily affect the cancerous cells.
There was another similar study published in 2012 in the journal Stem Cells entitled,
“Radiation-induced reprogramming of breast cells”.
In this study researchers found that ionizing radiation reprogrammed less malignant (more differentiated) breast cancer cells into iBCSCs (breast cancer stem cells).
Basically radiation creates cancer supercells, that are treatment resistant. Kind of like the superbugs you hear about in hospitals that are resistant to antibiotics.
And this study showed that radiotherapy increases cancer stem cells in the prostate, ultimately resulting in cancer recurrence and worsened prognosis.
Chest radiation, especially when treating breast cancer can also cause significant damage to the heart and arteries leading to heart disease. Some breast cancer patients end up dying from the heart damage caused by radiation treatments to their breasts.
What can you do to protect yourself?
In my interview with Dr. Jenn Simmons, we discussed some helpful protection protocols that can help minimize the damage from medical radiation and MRI gadolinium exams. I’ve included her suggestions below.
Radiation Protection Protocol for PET/CT and mammograms:
-Melatonin: Take 100mg (5 capsules) one hour prior to radiologic study. If you are worried about sedation, do a trial run prior to see how you respond. This is not a sleep dose. Take along with vitamin C.
-Vitamin C: Take 2-4 tsp (2000-4000mg) one hour prior to radiologic study along with melatonin. Warning, vitamin C at this dose may give you diarrhea or loose stools.
-Nanoemulsion D3K2: Take eight pumps daily BEFORE 3:00pm starting the day before your study and continue for three days following your study. Hold under tongue for 30 seconds before swallowing. (Five days total).
-Liposomal Glutathione: 2 Pumps, twice per day. Take two pumps daily starting the day before your study and continue for three days following your study. Hold under tongue for 30 seconds before swallowing (Five days total). Best taken on an empty stomach.
Preferred supplements for this protocol can be found here
MRI Gadolinium Protection Protocol:
Take 60mg of zinc one hour before your MRI with contrast study as zinc competes with gadolinium. This helps prevent your body from absorbing the gadolinium. Continue to take 60mg of zinc per day for three days. Be sure to hydrate really well, drink at least half a gallon of water per day, to help flush out the gadolinium.
Note: MRIs require an empty stomach, no food the day of the scan. It makes sense to do a trial run with zinc a few days before your scan. Take 60 mg zinc on an empty stomach to make sure it does’t cause you any discomfort or nausea. If 60 mg is too much, try again with a smaller dose, like 30 mg. Some zinc is better than none.
Radiation-Free Breast Imaging:
There is a new imaging technique called QT Imaging that is radiation-free and painless (no breast compression), that uses sound waves to create a true three dimensional reconstruction of the breast. This new technology has 200,000 times more data points and 40 times the resolution of an MRI.
References:
Reuters Health
Computed tomography–an increasing source of radiation exposure
Chapter on Amenorrhea in: Bradshaw, Karen D.; Schorge, John O.; Schaffer, Joseph; Lisa M. Halvorson; Hoffman, Barbara G. (2008). Williams’ Gynecology. McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 0-07-147257-6.
Columbia University Nuclear Medicine Dose Estimates
…
Beat Cancer Kitchen: Deliciously Simple Plant-Based Anticancer Recipes Get it on Amazon here
Beat Cancer Daily 365 Days of Inspiration, Encouragement, and Action Steps to Survive and Thrive Get it on Amazon here
Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan for Healing Naturally Get it on Amazon here, or anywhere books are sold. I've interviewed over 70 people who've healed all types and stages of cancer. Check them out here. Or use the search bar to find survivors of specific cancer types.
I also created a coaching program for cancer patients, caregivers, and anyone who is serious about prevention called SQUARE ONE. It contains the step-by-step strategies used by myself and many others who have healed cancer with a holistic approach using nutrition and natural non-toxic therapies.
Watch SQUARE ONE Module 1 for free here
(((c)))
Chris Beat Cancer is ad-free and reader-supported. If you purchase a product through a link on this site I may receive compensation from an affiliate partner (like Amazon). Your support helps fund this blog and my mission so my team and I can continue to do the work that we do. Thank you!
This Post Has 40 Comments
This is excellent information, now for those of us who have had secondary cancers from radiation therapy do you have any advice? Any information about reversing the effects of radiation? I sure hope so… Thanks in advance, Gretchen
calcium benotnite clay is supposed to help eliminate radiation from the body!
The radiation from a CT scan are x-rays. These are packets of energy that travel at the speed of light. Once they pass through you, they are gone forever.
X-rays don’t “pool” and stay inside you. Once the CT machine is turned off, it is no longer producing x-rays.
If you ate something that is radioactive, then you have cause for concern. There are several methods of eliminating radioactive contamination from the body, but nothing is always 100% effective
thanks for this info but how does calcium bentonite clay differ from regular bentonite clay. I never heard of this kind..will regular bentinite clay remove radiation from the body. I have more than normal 19 years ago when I did radiation,. My cancer has returned and more aggressive than ever.
I even took 153 capsules primarily of antioxidants like pycnogenal and grape seed extract, and various vitamin and minerals high in antioxidants which caused me to only have 1/2 of the 5 lifelong symptoms it was supposed to cause; staff was stunned as everyone else had this (the one that was 1/2 was he burning..it was supposed to give 3rd degree burns by week 2 and no burning at all till week 5; yet one week after stopping it I had a live blood cells test and every cell in that drop of blood form my finger had free radical damage.
Now they do not let you take antioxidants as it will not be as deadly to the cells and do what they want it to but please let me know about the calcium bentonite clay or if anyone knows other things that can remove it from the body.
gretchen, also medical ozone therapy, see http://www.o3center.org. ozone can do many things with no bad side effects! along with calcium bentonite clay to get the rads out!
My son was injured in football, and they did a CT scan to check for kidney damage. I didn’t realize how much risk there was from the scan.
I had radiation to the brain and am using the clay and ozone therapy to try and reverse the effects of the rads and keep disease away. I would say that ozone is the safest and most effective therapy i have ever seen, used in the home. Drinking ozone water, ozone saunas, ozone funneling, My friend even cured her dogs mouth cancer with ozone ear insufflations twice a day…visit the website http://www.o3center.org, i am sure i just helped to save a life by sharing this valuable information on ozone.
take care, Bob
how true this is and have been know for a long time…we are being mislead and had a CT scan on Tues…I do take benonite clay now..here is another article anyone may like also..http://www.brianpeskin.com/BP.com/commentaries/Commentary2-Radiation-Creates-More-Cancer.pdf
This is why I worry about my boyfriend who had his prostate removed and looks at radiation as his back up if his follow up PSA #’s go up. His buddies have had the radiation treatment and are fine so he thinks it works. However, they only had it done a few years ago. Give it time I say, then see. He knows that she should change his lifestyle but has yet to cut out the bad foods & pop, or increase all of the good foods he knows he should eat. I do not trust the PSA #’s as a good indicator for the cancer spreading again. He was already told they did not get it all after the surgery. And his 1st PSA reading will naturally be low, so I’m not sure why he thinks he is in the clear completely. I’m trying to be grateful, but at he same time I feel like he doesn’t get the big picture. Radiation is not a good back up. I feel if his PSA #’s go up, he will listen to the Docs who push Radiation and say it is safe. Even if his PSA #’s don;t go up, I can’t be sure that the cancer hasn’t spread elsewhere and is going undetected for a long period of time. This is why I wish he’d use what we have learned and do everything he can to eat right and stop acting like it’s all over with.When I see that pop and ice cream in the refrigerator I just want to scream.
Oh, and I myself have had 2 CT scans, 2 MRI’s, and numerous xrays and 2 mammograms and i’m not even 40 yet. :( I avoid all of it now, but at the time, I was ignorant. I get patted down at airports too
Chris, are you going through the airport scanners? What is your opinion about this for people who have had cancer. I had colon cancer, surgery and no chemo. I also followed a similar raw food diet as you have. It’s now 2 years since the surgery.
Great article!!
Want to have total proof that radiation is one criminal and crummy treatment ? Go visit the ex USSR Belarus and Ukraine not far from Tchernobyl exploded nuclear plant. The real numbers of cancers induced by Tchernobyl explosion in 1986 are absolutely staggering. About one million dead and counting ! Radiotherapy for about 95% of cancers is a total criminal sham !
Radiation feeds the cancer and makes it even stronger afterwards. There are just a very exceptions where it helps but in the vast majority its total conerindicated.
Cancer is a disease in which cells are rapidly dividing. It turns out that different tissues in the body have different levels of sensitivity. For example, lung cancer is much more prevalent than brain cancer. The cells that exhibit the most sensitivity to radiation are those that divide the most often and the most rapidly, meaning cancer cells are especially sensitive to radiation treatment.
There are other factors to consider, such as oxygen concentration, but in no way does radiation “fees” the cancer cells.
Thanks Chris for this information and God bless :)
Thanks Chris for writing that article! As always, reading this information further gives me the confidence that I have made the right decisions in choosing alternatives to the standard treatment they were pushing for my breast cancer diagnosis. It’s been 10 months and I’ve never felt better! I am still fighting for my disability compensation because I did not follow doctors’ orders. Of course, the insurance company does not recognize alternative treatment. They only recognize the standard. I can add this information to my arsenal of reasons why I am choosing alternatives. (Hopefully some day soon ‘the establishment’ will begin to recognize the value of the alternatives.) Thank you for spreading the word. God Bless you, Marilyn
You Americans should organized and make a class action against insurance companies. If an alternative treatment works and insurance companies refuse to pay fot it, it is in reality accessory to murder. Seriously. And what is illogical is that most alternative treatment like nutrition and enzyme therapy cost about 10% of orthodox approach. The companies are accessory to murder,
And what is terrible is that what is in USA is also imitated in the rest of the world. To think of if we Canadians and Europeans should also sue our governments and our companies for being accessory to murder and ruining our health systems by INTENTIONNALY supressing scientific discoveries that work. Some of them really do work, and because they threaten Big Pharna, they are supressed.
Can you imagine and estimate how many people have had their lives radically shortened by bad medicine, pseudo science and YES absolutely by supression of people like Donald William Kelly, Doctor Burzynski and many many more. Tne numbers are in the hundred of millions on a 70 year period. And the crime is stil going on at the FDA, this mass murdering organization.
This is such good information. My daughter had a CT scan when she was 2&1/2 so they could put in cochlear implants. I do wish I had known and fought harder for them to focus on the MRI. Isn’t it crazy – the things they do in hospitals and they don’t ask you or warn you.. they just say they “have” to do it. Thanks for spreading the warning!
A LOT of doctors treats patients as if they were either mentally retarded or 5 years old. Arrogant contempt. A lot of them are trained to be arrogant and montruous egos because they have a little piece of paper on a wall and a big earnings. Reading about cancer and the numerous FDA NCI scandals related to cancer research opened my eyes about what I consider today almost like a mafia, a pharma medical TYRANNY.
Some very enlightening information.
Chris,
Thank you so, so much for educating people who trust their Dr.s. I have educated myself, too late for my brother, but I have seen the system in action. My husband had to have a kidney transplant ( he is doing extremely well – Dr.s are baffled) so we are somewhat limited because of the anti-rejection meds he MUST take,limiting the use of bentonite clay for example.
I am being pushed to treat my liver disease with Interferon & ribavirin and am resisting and doing supportive nutitional therapy, but cost is becoming preventive with husbands expensive anti-rejection meds.
Can you help (recommend) me natural liver tx ( support) that is not too expensive? NOT pharmaceutical!! He is a fully functioning, working, taxpaying American, but gets discriminated against, medically & financially.
Keep up your fantastic work and may God always protect you from the agencies which want those who educate truth re: SAD, SOC, etc.
I’m so grateful to you and other brave souls like you!!!
Many blessings & freedom!
With a transplanted organ you cannot do very much because if you go off of them, the organism rejects the foreign organ. It gets worst because these drugs suppress the immunitary system also. As a consequence they eventually provoke another cancer. Steve Jobs also got a whipple operation with a liver transplantation. Very bad choice by his doctor. The only thing is to try to build his immunitary system and counterbalance these drugs with a nutritionnal therapy filled with enzymes and antioxydants, vitamins and minerals.
I take every day 1/2 tsp of organic dandelion root powder for liver health. I ordered it from Harvest Haven. I am taking it in a little bit of water for general health and recovery from cancer.
I also have ordered (but did not need to try) L-GB formula from Dr. Schulze.
Such a good refresher on all of this, and so easy to read! Thanks Chris. (:
Thanks for doing this research, Chris, and especially thanks for citing the sources. VERY helpful
I am so disturbed by this information. My husband has just finished Chemo for a tumor at the base of his tongue. the tumor has shrunk to almost nothing, now he is waiting for the radiation treatment. What Now???? Seriously what does one do, ignore this info and go ahead or ????? please someone tell me.
Hi Chris,
I love your site and so happy you are cancer free and healthy. Intuitively I believe everything you say and initially found your site when friends were diagnosed with cancer. I’ve shared some of your insights with them but now my ex husband who is the love of my life not to mention the father of my children was diagnosed with “head and neck cancer” . The recommendation is surgery and radiation. I have started him on a healthy diet and will add cellect and other supplements you suggested but I am afraid of the radiation yet afraid to suggest that he forgo the radiation.
I keep looking for that sign and pray it comes to us both.
Will surgery, diet and supplements work for him?
Liz
I’ve had many xrays, ct scans, mris, uptake scan, etc. For this and that. Having melanoma in my history NOTHING can be just a simple lesion any more.
I am worried.
I have had a ton of the same. I had thyroid cancer and I worry everyday about getting a secondary cancer from all the radiation. I even had to DRINK radioactive iodine.:-(
Respond to Debbie.
Dear Debbie the more you will be reading about alternative cancer treatments on-line, the more strength you and your husband will gain, and bravery to say “no thank you doctor for that scan or chemo or radio”, the more you will start to apply that suppressed knowledge, because of your own understanding of natural non-toxic healing.
E.g. My father of 63 (in 2009)been suddenly diagnosed with stomach cancer stage IV, had an operation in feb 2009 followed by chemio and radio 3 months after the extraction of his stomach. At that time I knew nothing about alternative cancer therapies. While visiting him during his chemotherapy session, I met an another patient, a man who had pancreatic cancer, and been taking B17 and pancreatic enzymes. He showed me the tables he was taking and I made a note of the manufactures (Mexico). He looked healthy, been jogging and cycling, running business and he was to me a first testimony of the work of B17 therapy. I started my own research on-line (full time). It took me a few months to overcame my own anxiety of family/doctors pressure and investing in buying a stock of B17 tablets and pancreatic enzymes, and eventually persuading my father to start taking it. The things were made harder as my sister is a doctor (the irony). By that time his conditions were deteriorating and he was very weak. Seeing a deaths in his eyes he started to listen to me, (I am not a medical authority to him), and his health conditions and blood test started to improved one month after another. In addition to his diet regime he takes laxedseed oil (the best quality dr Budwick, keep in the fridge and used within 3 months of openning), turmeric tablets I make for him with black pepper, coriander cinnamon, manuka honey, and almond oil, he drinks brown flaxseed now (instead of golden grounded powder) he grounds it every time before the drink preparation, turmeric powder and milk thistle powder he adds to every bowl of soup he makes for himself, no fried food, no microwave, no white sugar, no refined oils. In addition a lot of fresh air, outdoor big grader and field work/ winter snow shuffling (he lives in Poland). He is feeling well and doing well. He is scheduled for one-a-year CT stomach scan now in March 2013. But I will try to persuade him to say “no thank you” to doctors. At the end this is his live and body, and willingness to listen/analysed and take responsibility of his own health now.
I wish sincerely everyone a good health and give a carriage to act independently upon the truth health knowledge available now on-line.
This is unbelievably perfect timing. This past Saturday my mom went to the emergency room with mini stroke like symptoms and was given two CT scans – one head CT Scan and on CT Scan with angiogram. She was alone, older, scared, and doesn’t speak good English. No one informed her (and us) of the potential risks – I only learned about it later this week. The worst part was that she didn’t even know she and our family didn’t even know she got a second CT scan until another doctor told us days later. This in addition to a whole slew of other testing. The confusing part is that some of the doctors told me these CT scans wouldn’t show up a mini stroke but rather a large stroke, so the CT scans didn’t show anything – only after getting a neck ultrasound did we find some narrowed arteries. Worse still, today a Vascular Surgeon recommended to my mom to get a CT angiogram (to which I had to interject by speakerphone) to NOT give her a third CT scan in one week! Only after I posed my concerns over radiation did he recommend another ultrasound rather than a CT scan. Very very disturbing, and now I’m concerned about my mom’s potential future cancer risks. Any advice on ways for my mom to try to flush out some of this radiation she was bombarded with this week? I read some of the commentors’ suggestions for taking Calcium Benotnite Clay. What is this and what are risks, side effects concerns? They put my mom on aspirin, blood pressure medicine (which can increase risk of heart attack), and Simvastain – a cholesterol lowering medicine and said this is the only option for now and that she had to take these for the rest of her life. I don’t feel good about this but the medical establishment seems to only have invasive solutions like invasive test, procedures, and medications. For people like our family who can’t afford best medical care, we feel stuck without even being able to afford to get a second opinion. We as a country really need some serious overhaul of our medical system and help each other out more with these complex medical issues. Sorry for the long comment. My mom’s one of the nicest, hardworking people on the planet and I feel like she received inadequate and troubling care. Any advice on flushing out her toxins would be greatly appreciated!
Since your mother received a CT scan, there are no toxins to be flushed out. Radiation generated from a CT scan is not a chemical and passes through the body. Also, cancers take several years to form and so the risk of cancer to older patients is lower than younger patients.
Oh my goodness. How scary but great information. I have thyroid cancer and they treat you with radioactive iodine. I am terrified my cancer will come back in the same place or other places. .. Chris, do you have any information on i131 rai or alternative treatments for thyroud cancer?
The radioactive iodine will kill all of your thyroid cells. Because the thyroid is where the cancer is, the iodine will also kill your cancer. Once your thyroid cells have been killed, you will not receive thyroid cancer again.
Chris, I’m glad you added a section on medical radiation because alot of cancer sites usually focus exclusively on the effects of chemo. But I think you should also add a section on the things you can do to reverse the affects of medical radiation — though strong anti oxident diet etc, for those who have gone through radiation treatment. Otherwise, as a cancer survivor who has already undergone that kind of treatment it just fills you with more fear and anxiety (which we know is not anti cancer) and a sense of dread. I think people will make different choices of treatment but the healthy diet and lifestyle you talk about is key in prevention, fighting of recurrence and also eliminating the toxic affects of treatment. Thanks for your site. You are an inspiration! I just bought my first juicer!
Like many others I find this quite disturbing. I have just had 1 x CT Scan and 1 x PET CT Scan as part of the diagnosis of esophageal cancer. Not one medical or other person ever gave me any information on the potential harm that these diagnostic exams might have caused – or even an assessment of the risks (at the time I was just pleased with the high speed reaction to the ‘discovered by chance’ cancer)
I am stuck between a rock and a hard place with the treatment – the tumour has grown from non-existent (unknown) to almost blocking my esophagus in less than 6 weeks – requiring me to take on a totally liquid diet for the last 3 weeks (at least I am now eating (well drinking) sensibly now) but I need the chemo and radio therapy to shrink the tumour and open up the esophagus sufficiently to be able to swallow – and then get onto a 100% whole raw food diet and try and take over the treatment from there
Brilliant site – I keep finding more and more information – gives me renewed hope for the future – Thanks Chris
So I guess the question that I have is what is the best way to have doctors check for canceR?
I was wondering what to do if you have already had a cat scan in the past to help decrease the probability of cancer later on or even to detox. My son had a scan when he was 2 1/2 (a year and a half ago) after he hit his head and he was throwing up. It luckily turned out to be a virus that coincided with his hitting his head, but he had the scan. At the time this occurred, i had no knowledge of alternative ideas of medicine. I’ve only come to know about them in the last nine months or so. Now, I am sick to my stomach when I think that he had this scan.
Comments are closed.