Radiation exposure from CT scans

[Roman57]

Five days ago I had CT scan of the neck. Then, the next day, I read on the internet that radiation from one CT scan is 200 times larger than from the exray, so now I regret it. In addition to the current CT scan of my neck, I also had CT scan of my abdomen 2 years ago. Here are the things I am concerned about:

1) Cancer risk

2) Whether I will be aging faster since both radiation and aging has the same mechanism (mutation and free radicals)

3) Whether my IQ will decrease since the radiation hit part of my brain even though it was directed at the neck

4) It said "do not stare" yet I did, so I qm wondering about developing vision problems

Since the way radiation damages my body is through free radicals, is there some medicine that can get them out of my system?

 

[Josheb]

Five days ago I had CT scan of the neck. Then, the next day, I read on the internet that radiation from one CT scan is 200 times larger than from the exray, so now I regret it. In addition to the current CT scan of my neck, I also had CT scan of my abdomen 2 years ago. Here are the things I am concerned about:

1) Cancer risk

2) Whether I will be aging faster since both radiation and aging has the same mechanism (mutation and free radicals)

3) Whether my IQ will decrease since the radiation hit part of my brain even though it was directed at the neck

4) It said "do not stare" yet I did, so I qm wondering about developing vision problems

Since the way radiation damages my body is through free radicals, is there some medicine that can get them out of my system?

Do you think doctors get CT Scans?

1. Extremely little
2. No, none
3. Absolutely not
4. Oh, man, you're screwed. You're going to be blind yesterday . Just kidding . If you weren't specifically getting your eyes examined, then the likelihood of adverse effect on the eye is extremely small (less than 1%. Most eye problems related to CT scans have to do with the imaging reagents used, not the radiation itself.

Antioxidants are beneficial in ridding the body of free radicals. Among the fruit and vegetables containing antioxidants are the orange ones (carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash and cantaloupe) which are especially helpful with the eye (due to the carotenoids). Berries and grapes, green and white tea, chocolate (cocoa), and the spices cinnamon, oregano, ginger, turmeric and rosemary all contain antioxidants. Vitamins and minerals A, C and E, copper, zinc and selenium are all antioxidant so if you take a multivitamin and eat fruits and veggies then you've gotten plenty of help tackling any free radicals.



More circumspectly, are you aware the human body absorbs radiation on a daily basis? While a CT scan may be five times the amount an x-ray emits, it can be several days' worth of daily radiation we'd all otherwise normally absorb every day of our lives. I'll bet the article you read did not mention that. A head CT can be significantly more powerful than other CTs, as much as eight months' worth of background radiation when measured that way but the level of radiation is still low. This may all sound alarming, but consider this chart:

A head CT is about 6-8 mSv (micro-sievert). you have to get into the 50-100 mSv range of short-term exposure before observable effects on health occur, and even at that level the adverse effects are usually minor, short-term, and easily treated. I used to work a job where the risk of exposure to radioactive material was routine. We all had to wear radiation measuring devices, dosimeters, and have them checked daily (in some environs they were checked hourly). The company for which I worked manufactured radioactive implants for cancer treatment, and my chief task was assembling and installing irradiators used for medical testing and sterilization of lab specimens. My memory may have some of what follows a little incorrect, but I believe the daily limit was 15 rads, and the entire time I worked there I never registered more than one or two. 1 Sievert = 100 rads. CT scan radiation is measure in micro-Sieverts. That is 1/1000 of a Sievert. You got 6-8 one-thousandths of a Sievert, and it takes 15 thousands of those in a short period of time to have observable effect on a person's health. So go get a few thousand more scans .



You'll be fine.




.

 

[Roman57]

Do you think doctors get CT Scans?

1. Extremely little
2. No, none
3. Absolutely not
4. Oh, man, you're screwed. You're going to be blind yesterday . Just kidding . If you weren't specifically getting your eyes examined, then the likelihood of adverse effect on the eye is extremely small (less than 1%. Most eye problems related to CT scans have to do with the imaging reagents used, not the radiation itself.

Can you explain why the answers for 2 and 3 are no? Because 2 and 3 is actually what I am the most concerned about.

As far as 2 goes, when I asked AI, it told me that there are some studies shows that there telomers can shorten by 1-2 years from CT scan. Did AI mess it up? If not, are there any counter-studies to that?

Antioxidants are beneficial in ridding the body of free radicals. Among the fruit and vegetables containing antioxidants are the orange ones (carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, squash and cantaloupe) which are especially helpful with the eye (due to the carotenoids). Berries and grapes, green and white tea, chocolate (cocoa), and the spices cinnamon, oregano, ginger, turmeric and rosemary all contain antioxidants. Vitamins and minerals A, C and E, copper, zinc and selenium are all antioxidant so if you take a multivitamin and eat fruits and veggies then you've gotten plenty of help tackling any free radicals.

That sounds like suggesting I keep healthy habbits. But you see, i could have kept healthy habbits without CT scan and then I would have been even better off. So I would like something to actually undo CT scan, as opposed to "add" healthy habbit to it.

The above healthy habbits, do they actually get rid of the free radicals, or are you just speculating? If they do, can you recommend a medical test I can take on free radicals and telomere length, so that I can actually see to what extend the above healthy habbits would be helping me?

More circumspectly, are you aware the human body absorbs radiation on a daily basis? While a CT scan may be five times the amount an x-ray emits,

I read it is 200 the amount. Thats why I got so scared. If it was 5 times the amount, its no big deal. I am sure there were times when I got more than one ex-ray at a time. But 200 times the amount is shocking.

it can be several days' worth of daily radiation we'd all otherwise normally absorb every day of our lives.

I read it is 7 years worth of background radiation, not several days.

A head CT can be significantly more powerful than other CTs,

I read that head CT is less powerful than others: head CT is 2 milliservients and other ones are 10 milliservients.

But then again: I got neck CT, not head CT. So neck one might be more powerful. Speaking of that, I am also wondering whether my thiroid gland will get damaged by neck CT.

Actually, if you go to the second line from the bottom on this chart, you will see what makes me worried. Namely, that living in less contaminated parts of Chernobyl zone for a year would give me less radiation than CT. Since living there for a year is unhealthy, CT has to be even more unhealthy.

However, the third line from the bottom tells me something new. It turns out annual exposure in US is more than annual exposure in less contaminated parts of Chernobyl zone? How is it even possible? And if thats the case, why don't they move back and live there?

Now, if I am missing something (as evident by the latter question) then maybe I will feel better once you clarify to me what it is I am missing. Maybe by answering me why in US the radiation is higher than parts of Chernobyl exclusion zone, you can help me answer the question about safety of CT scan.

A head CT is about 6-8 mSv (micro-sievert). you have to get into the 50-100 mSv range of short-term exposure before observable effects on health occur,

But my main concern is not about observable effects. My main concern is whether I will be aging faster and whether my lifespan will be shorter by few years. This is not observable in a sense that if I do age faster, I won't be able to prove its due to CT scan. Yet maybe statistically it would be.

and even at that level the adverse effects are usually minor, short-term, and easily treated.

I am a lot more concerned about long term.

 

[Josheb]

Can you explain why the answers for 2 and 3 are no? Because 2 and 3 is actually what I am the most concerned about.

As far as 2 goes, when I asked AI, it told me that there are some studies shows that there telomers can shorten by 1-2 years from CT scan. Did AI mess it up? If not, are there any counter-studies to that?

Why are you consulting AI? That is new technology demonstrably proven unreliable. You may as well ask Wiki .

I have already explained the answers to questions 2 and 3. The dosage is not sufficient to cause permanent damage. You'd have to have 15,000 CT scans over a brief period to time to shorten your lifespan. The fact is you and I absorb radiation every single day of our life. We could not live without it.

That sounds like suggesting I keep healthy habbits.....

No, it doesn't.

The effects of antioxidants on free radical are well established. Free radicals don't last long in the body. The problem is not their existence, the problem is their effect because they do not last long in the body. A healthier lifestyle would have positive effect but a wholesale change in lifestyle is not necessary to address the problem of CT scan-induced free radicals. A permanent lifestyle change provides ongoing treatment for free radicals but free radicals do not persist in the body for extended periods of time. Therefore, short-term changes can have benefit.

The above healthy habbits, do they actually get rid of the free radicals, or are you just speculating?

Everything I have posted can be objectively verified with very little effort. If you do not believe then take these posts to the doctor.

If they do, can you recommend a medical test I can take on free radicals and telomere length, so that I can actually see to what extend the above healthy habbits would be helping me?

No. No such test exists. There is, however, a test called the "Oxidative Stress Test" and that analyzes analyze blood and urine for the presence of indicators of free radicals, the balance of in the body. It's like a "snapshot" of current conditions. If you took the same text eight hours later the results would probably be different. The results would definitely be different after a long sleep or an intense gym workout. Restful sleep decreases free radicals, intense exercise increases them.

I read it is 200 the amount.

Source?

Thats why I got so scared. If it was 5 times the amount, its no big deal.

Exactly.

I am sure there were times when I got more than one ex-ray at a time. But 200 times the amount is shocking.

200 times 0.001 is still a very small number. The human pupil can dilate from 2mm to 8mm. that's a 400% increase. Still a very small whole in the eye. Multiple the weight of a care by 400% and there's not an engine powerful enough to move it down the highway. Numbers have to have context to have meaning.

I read it is 7 years worth of background radiation, not several days. I read that head CT is less powerful than others: head CT is 2 milliservients and other ones are 10 milliservients. But then again: I got neck CT, not head CT. So neck one might be more powerful. Speaking of that, I am also wondering whether my thiroid gland will get damaged by neck CT.

Actually, if you go to the second line from the bottom on this chart, you will see what makes me worried. Namely, that living in less contaminated parts of Chernobyl zone for a year would give me less radiation than CT. Since living there for a year is unhealthy, CT has to be even more unhealthy.

That is a whole body scan, not a neck scan.

However, the third line ...

If you are looking to die soon then I can tell you how to make that happen quickly. If you're not looking to die soo then live the best life you can happily because that is the best way to prolong your life (physiologically speaking).


I was born with a heart condition. When I was eleven years old, I had some tests run and it was determined I needed open heart surgery to replace the pulmonary vein. It turned out the tests were wrong and the surgery wasn't need but I was told I could never again participate in competitive physical activity. The doctor showed me the x-rays and explained to me how, under exerted condition, the blood did not make it adequately through the heart valve and spurted into the chest cavity where it was later absorbed by the body. He told me, and I quote, "You are going to die any day now. It could be when you're forty-two or when you're 22. But don't worry about it because you'll be dead before you hit the sidewalk."

I am not exaggerating.

Those words have been scripted and rehearsed over and over in my brain for the last 54 years. I'm 65 years old now. I ignored the doctor, and I lived my life to the fullest, believing if I was going to die tomorrow then I was going to enjoy what remained of it. In my late teens and early twenties, I ran 5 to 10 miles every day. I started college late but in my mid-twenties I started lifting weights. I did not weigh more than 100 pounds until I was a sophomore in high school. In college I grew to bench press 305 pounds, squatted 750, leg-pressed 1100 and curled 100 pounds with one arm. I'm 65 and just had a complete physical last month (that include a cardiologist consult and testing) and got a clean bill of health. The doctor that spoke to the 11-year-old was wrong.

Or maybe all the doctors I just met are all wrong and I am going to die any day now .

Stop living with fear. Trust God and the body he gave you. Pick up a copy of "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made," by Paul Brand and Philip Yancey. Read it. If persistent anxiety is common in your life, then go talk to a therapist and commit to treatment because anxiety is a very solvable problem.

 

[Roman57]

Free radicals don't last long in the body. The problem is not their existence, the problem is their effect because they do not last long in the body.

So could it be that, instead of free radicals, it is mutated genes? So free radicals caused the mutation while they were there, and then the mutated genes alter other biological functions that would, over the years, cause damage. Now, one evidence for this is that the cancer rate increases by 1 out of 1000. Of course, I realize 1 out of 1000 is tiny. But the point is: it is an evidence that genes did mutate. So the question is: can their mutation cause other effects, besides cancer, such as increased rate of aging?

So are there any supplements that would drive out all the cells with mutated DNA?

No. No such test exists. There is, however, a test called the "Oxidative Stress Test" and that analyzes analyze blood and urine for the presence of indicators of free radicals, the balance of in the body. It's like a "snapshot" of current conditions. If you took the same text eight hours later the results would probably be different. The results would definitely be different after a long sleep or an intense gym workout. Restful sleep decreases free radicals, intense exercise increases them.

If the results would be different at different times of the day, then it won't give me what I want. What I want is my biological age, and biological age doesn't vary within hours. I do, however, hope to alter biological age over months, and thats why I want that test for before and after.

Source?

I didn't find the page I was looking at back then, but I found a different page that shows even more drastic numbers How Much Do CT Scans Increase the Risk of Cancer? It says "But a single CT scan subjects the human body to between 150 and 1,100 times the radiation of a conventional x-ray"

200 times 0.001 is still a very small number. The human pupil can dilate from 2mm to 8mm. that's a 400% increase.

But it told me that it exposes me to the level of radiation one would accumulate over 7 years. So by the law of large numbers there can't be 400% increase on that scale. And, besides, 400% increase is the same as multiplication by 5, but I just shown you with CT scan it is multiplication by a number between 150 and 1100.

That is a whole body scan, not a neck scan.

No, they gave different numbers for different parts of the body. For brain scan they gave 2 mSv, for neck I think they gave 6 mSv.

I was born with a heart condition. When I was eleven years old, I had some tests run and it was determined I needed open heart surgery to replace the pulmonary vein. It turned out the tests were wrong and the surgery wasn't need but I was told I could never again participate in competitive physical activity. The doctor showed me the x-rays and explained to me how, under exerted condition, the blood did not make it adequately through the heart valve and spurted into the chest cavity where it was later absorbed by the body. He told me, and I quote, "You are going to die any day now. It could be when you're forty-two or when you're 22. But don't worry about it because you'll be dead before you hit the sidewalk."

I am not exaggerating.

Those words have been scripted and rehearsed over and over in my brain for the last 54 years. I'm 65 years old now. I ignored the doctor, and I lived my life to the fullest, believing if I was going to die tomorrow then I was going to enjoy what remained of it. In my late teens and early twenties, I ran 5 to 10 miles every day. I started college late but in my mid-twenties I started lifting weights. I did not weigh more than 100 pounds until I was a sophomore in high school. In college I grew to bench press 305 pounds, squatted 750, leg-pressed 1100 and curled 100 pounds with one arm. I'm 65 and just had a complete physical last month (that include a cardiologist consult and testing) and got a clean bill of health. The doctor that spoke to the 11-year-old was wrong.

Or maybe all the doctors I just met are all wrong and I am going to die any day now .

Stop living with fear. Trust God and the body he gave you. Pick up a copy of "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made," by Paul Brand and Philip Yancey. Read it. If persistent anxiety is common in your life, then go talk to a therapist and commit to treatment because anxiety is a very solvable problem.

Congratulations on proving your doctor wrong. I guess the difference between your situation and mine is that its not your fault, but it is my fault: I should have refused CT scan. Since radiation of CT scan is equivalent to 7 year background radiation, it means that I threw away the past 7 years of healthy lifestyle for nothing.

 

[Josheb]

So could it be that, instead of free radicals, it is...............

There are no end of anxieties and dreads you may imagine about what might happen. Whether you get X or Y or not, you must still live your life to the best of God's enabling.

Are you doing that???

Philippians 4:4-9
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything, worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Most Christians proof-text verse 6, but verse 6 is just one statement in a larger passage that should not be ignored. Start with joy,. Rejoice in the Lord. Let your gentleness be known. Anxiety and dread are violence against the self; they are not gentleness. Pray. Give all your concerns to the God who already knows everything about you and do it with gratitude. Then change the way you think. Think on the good and noble aspects of your life because no one can or will escape death. Do you think it is a coincidence our paths crossed?

1 John 4:7-21
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

No one can claim to love God and despise what He has made.


Do you know the difference between anxiety and fear?

 

[Roman57]

There are no end of anxieties and dreads you may imagine about what might happen. Whether you get X or Y or not, you must still live your life to the best of God's enabling.

Are you doing that???

Philippians 4:4-9
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything, worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Most Christians proof-text verse 6, but verse 6 is just one statement in a larger passage that should not be ignored. Start with joy,. Rejoice in the Lord. Let your gentleness be known. Anxiety and dread are violence against the self; they are not gentleness. Pray. Give all your concerns to the God who already knows everything about you and do it with gratitude. Then change the way you think. Think on the good and noble aspects of your life because no one can or will escape death. Do you think it is a coincidence our paths crossed?

1 John 4:7-21
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

No one can claim to love God and despise what He has made.


Do you know the difference between anxiety and fear?

Speaking of God, I am also wondering if CT scan is the mark of the beast. Because some people speculated that taking passport photo is the mark of the beast because the lazer from the modern camera changes DNA of the forehead. For that reason, I kept postponing renewing my passport since I wanted to arrange for taking photo from my cell phone. But now that i got CT scan which is probably thousands times stronger than passport photo I feel like I blew it. Why did i then spent all that effort avoiding passport photo if I threw it all out just like that?

Now I know you are probably going to say you dont think passport photo is the mark of the beast. But here is a question: the people who say it is, do they say the same thing about CT scan? If not, how is it logically possible for them to say it about passport photo and not about CT scan?

Now here is my concern. Since my genes mutated from CT scan, I am no longer the same person. So how can God accept me into heaven if I am no longer the person He created me to be? Instead i am a dufferent person due to doctors "playing god"?

And, speaking of other ttype of joy, I am 44 years old, still single due to Asperger, but i want wife and kids. And my theoretical physics career wasnt made yet, despite it being my passion since i was 9. So i am running against the clock. But now i just learned that CT scan made me few years older. And since I had two scans i now have to assume i am 50.

 

[Josheb]

Speaking of God, I am also wondering if CT scan is the mark of the beast.

Take it to the eschatology board.

And, speaking of other ttype of joy, I am 44 years old, still single due to Asperger...

Ahhh.... that explains the fixation on stats and the difficulty moving on from what is otherwise a normal experience for which there is no need of alarm. When you get like this op you must train yourself to tell yourself, "This is just my Aspergers talking. There's no real danger here. I can let it go and move on."

And, speaking of other type of joy, I am 44 years old, still single due to Asperger, but i want wife and kids.

Who wants to marry a man who worries so intensely over a CT scan? Just how romantic do you think you can be worried about damaged genes, shortened life-expectancy and imminent death? These behaviors unnecessarily cut the pool of possible candidates drastically. I'm a retired mental health counselor and before I specialized in marriage counseling I worked with the developmental disabilities population for about 25 years. I can think of about a dozen men who married, at least four of them who had Aspergers. It's possible. A less worried, more optimistic disposition helps.

And since I had two scans i now have to assume i am 50.

Or you could assume God healed you of any and all damage and will extend your life an extra decade because you are such a faithful servant of His .

 

[Roman57]

Ahhh.... that explains the fixation on stats and the difficulty moving on from what is otherwise a normal experience for which there is no need of alarm. When you get like this op you must train yourself to tell yourself, "This is just my Aspergers talking. There's no real danger here. I can let it go and move on."

The part of Asperger you just referred to is that my thinking is different from majority. But what makes you think that majority is right? According to Matthew 7:13 majority is wrong. When majority will be taking the mark of the beast, should I also say "its just Asperger" when I will have doubts about it?

Anyway, how would you make sense of this article Ionizing Radiation-Induced Brain Cell Aging and the Potential Underlying Molecular Mechanisms. For me, my brain is important because I want to be a physicist. And it specifically mentions CT on Table 1.

And if I look at this other article https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167814022042232 it is even scarrier: it quantifies brain aging and says it accelerates 3 times.

However, the second article (that mentions tripling the rate) talks about radiation therapy rather than CT scan. But the first article (which doesn't seem to quantify it) mentions CT scan.

 

[timewerx]

Five days ago I had CT scan of the neck. Then, the next day, I read on the internet that radiation from one CT scan is 200 times larger than from the exray, so now I regret it. In addition to the current CT scan of my neck, I also had CT scan of my abdomen 2 years ago. Here are the things I am concerned about:

1) Cancer risk

2) Whether I will be aging faster since both radiation and aging has the same mechanism (mutation and free radicals)

3) Whether my IQ will decrease since the radiation hit part of my brain even though it was directed at the neck

4) It said "do not stare" yet I did, so I qm wondering about developing vision problems

Since the way radiation damages my body is through free radicals, is there some medicine that can get them out of my system?

20 years ago, I got involved in a physics experiment where my whole body was exposed to X-rays continuously for 1 hr / day, everyday for a year. This is far more x-ray exposure than anyone would undergo their whole life. I also got exposed to a much smaller dose of Gamma rays at the same time and also with electron radiation.

At same period, I also got exposed to microwaves and less frequently with EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse).

Last year I was cycling outdoors for 4 hrs continuously every Saturday where the sun is high enough to cause sunburn and I'm doing it without sunscreen, receiving lots of exposure to UV radiation. I didn't get any sunburn though. I'm probably immune to UV by now.

I actually turned out way more youthful and healthier than my peers of same age who had orders of magnitude less exposure to radiation their whole lives. I never had cancer my whole life. Now in my forties, the only time I got treated at a hospital was due to bone fracture. My cardiovascular health is still that of a teenager.

Junk, fast food, not exercising, and worrying will shorten your life far more than dozens of CT scans.

 

[Roman57]

20 years ago, I got involved in a physics experiment where my whole body was exposed to X-rays continuously for 1 hr / day, everyday for a year. This is far more x-ray exposure than anyone would undergo their whole life. I also got exposed to a much smaller dose of Gamma rays at the same time and also with electron radiation.

At same period, I also got exposed to microwaves and less frequently with EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse).

Last year I was cycling outdoors for 4 hrs continuously every Saturday where the sun is high enough to cause sunburn and I'm doing it without sunscreen, receiving lots of exposure to UV radiation. I didn't get any sunburn though. I'm probably immune to UV by now.

I actually turned out way more youthful and healthier than my peers of same age who had orders of magnitude less exposure to radiation their whole lives. I never had cancer my whole life. Now in my forties, the only time I got treated at a hospital was due to bone fracture. My cardiovascular health is still that of a teenager.

Junk, fast food, not exercising, and worrying will shorten your life far more than dozens of CT scans.

How many participants were involved in that study? Did they all have the same experience you did, or was your experience an outlier? How would you reconcile your results with the fact that living in Chernobyl isn't healthy?

 

[Josheb]

The part of Asperger you just referred to is that my thinking is different from majority. But what makes you think that majority is right? According to Matthew 7:13 majority is wrong. When majority will be taking the mark of the beast, should I also say "its just Asperger" when I will have doubts about it?

Anyway, how would you make sense of this article Ionizing Radiation-Induced Brain Cell Aging and the Potential Underlying Molecular Mechanisms. For me, my brain is important because I want to be a physicist. And it specifically mentions CT on Table 1.

And if I look at this other article https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167814022042232 it is even scarrier: it quantifies brain aging and says it accelerates 3 times.

However, the second article (that mentions tripling the rate) talks about radiation therapy rather than CT scan. But the first article (which doesn't seem to quantify it) mentions CT scan.

I tend to be the kind of poster who does not want or like going far afield of an op. Most forums, including this one, have rules stating topical discourse is expected and required and I like to abide by that rule. It keeps conversation focused and helps prevent others from hijacking a thread or trolls exploiting it. This op is about the prospective dangers of a CT scan and I have provided enough information sufficient to understand the scan will not do any of the worries expressed and you have provided information sufficient to understand this op is not actually about CT scan radiation but how you handle information in unhelpful, potentially self-sabotaging, ways due to a very real developmental disability that is both normatively and statistically an outlier condition.

Since the answers asked in this op have been answered and no one here can or should help you with the other conditions I'll be moving on so as not to contribute further to the problem. You are free to live your life in fear and anxiety. I understand that may not entirely be a matter of choice given the different neurology with which you have to work but, as I clearly stated, anxiety is an easily treatable condition, and you should get help for that. Fear and anxiety will hurt you much more than one or two CT scans and definitely shorten your life. I have said my piece, see no need to repeat myself unnecessarily, or belabor the salient points so I'll be moving on. Thank you for the time and patience extended to my posts.

Junk, fast food, not exercising, and worrying will shorten your life far more than dozens of CT scans.

ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!!!!!

But take note: he's not really interested in addressing or resolving the matter of a CT scans potential harms. Post accordingly .

 

[Roman57]

But take note: he's not really interested in addressing or resolving the matter of a CT scans potential harms. Post accordingly .

What makes you think I am not interested in resolving the matter of CT scans? Yes I am! Being anxious about something doesn't imply lack of interest. Exact opposite in fact.

Arguing with the answers also doesn't imply lack of interest. The reason I am arguing with answers is that I am looking for the answers that would CONVINCE me. So if they don't, I ask further questions.

 

[timewerx]

How many participants were involved in that study? Did they all have the same experience you did, or was your experience an outlier? How would you reconcile your results with the fact that living in Chernobyl isn't healthy?

I'm the only one working in close proximity to the test setup. Others were far away enough to receive 100x less dose of radiation than I did. Others did not receive electron radiation at all (stopped by 1 meter of air).

I ended up being the healthiest today but I'm the only one who's eating right, fasting regularly, and exercising 10 hrs each week.

I did have extensive vascularization way above average and this is crucial in preventing cancer in the body, unwanted DNA mutations, and possibly increased resilience from ionizing radiation. I don't get sunburned at all nor wrinkly skin, cycling many hours under the sun in the tropical latitudes close to the equator without using any sunscreen.

Improving vascularization is mainly done with exercise and restricted feeding schedule. It can also be achieved (controversially) with restricted hydrating schedule.

It doesn't prevent all DNA mutations but the bad mutations are are far more likely to be eliminated while allowing good mutations to get through. In this way, it may hasten positive adaptive mutation.

 

[Roman57]

I did have extensive vascularization way above average and this is crucial in preventing cancer in the body, unwanted DNA mutations, and possibly increased resilience from ionizing radiation.

What is vascularization and how is it done?

 

[timewerx]

What is vascularization and how is it done?

They are the network of blood vessels all over your body. Doing cardio exercises more than a few times each week will stimulate vascularization/growth of additional blood vessel networks. Strictly keeping to 3 or 2 meals a day without eating calories in between will further enhance the effect.

Your entire body will be oxygenated better with increased vascularization. Better oxygenation helps discarding and recycling of old/damaged cells and DNA. It can even help eliminate cancer cells at the very early stages OR prevent spread of cancer all over the body (stage 4 cancer).

Ironically, the reason why cancer spreads is the lack of oxygen supply to it. It will try to spread to get to other parts of the body where oxygen supply is plentiful.

 

[Roman57]

They are the network of blood vessels all over your body. Doing cardio exercises more than a few times each week will stimulate vascularization/growth of additional blood vessel networks. Strictly keeping to 3 or 2 meals a day without eating calories in between will further enhance the effect.

Your entire body will be oxygenated better with increased vascularization. Better oxygenation helps discarding and recycling of old/damaged cells and DNA. It can even help eliminate cancer cells at the very early stages OR prevent spread of cancer all over the body (stage 4 cancer).

I guess I can try and get back into running 1 hour a day. Because thats what I know how to do, but not always good at keeping up.

However the food restriction part is a lot harder, since its like I have nothing to look forward to.

Now, I realize that food restriction is something I have to learn to do anyway. But here is where the topic of CT scanners comes back. Consider the following possibilities:

Possibility 1: I have good diet and I don't have CT scan
Possibility 2: I have good diet, but I have CT scan
Possibility 3: I have bad diet, and I don't have CT scan
Possibility 4: I have bad diet and I have CT scan

So, if I understand you correctly (and correct me if I was wrong), all of my CT scan related fears still apply to Possibility 4, they just don't apply to Possibility 2. This means that the gap between 2 and 4 is far larger than the gap between 1 and 3. Therefore, this means that, having had CT scan, I get "punished" for bad diet a lot more than I would have been if I didn't have it. Now I realize that I were punished for bad diet anyway, even without CT scan (I was diagnosed with high cholesterol and I had some un-diagnosed glucose concerns). But did I just magnify the potential punishment supposedly for diet, by having CT scan? If so, then this can still be seen as a punishment for CT scan.

At least if I compare 1 and 3, then its a tradeoff between better health and enjoyable lifestyle. But if I compare 3 to 4, then I gained NOTHING by getting that CT scan. I could have just asked them to do ultrasound if only I were to research it ahead of time. Or if they were to tell me ultrasound wasn't possible, I would have refused CT scan regardless: at the end of the day, I needed them to treat my wound, so "knowing" about it from CT scan didn't really help other than alleviate my anxieties.

 

[timewerx]

I guess I can try and get back into running 1 hour a day. Because thats what I know how to do, but not always good at keeping up.

However the food restriction part is a lot harder, since its like I have nothing to look forward to.

Now, I realize that food restriction is something I have to learn to do anyway. But here is where the topic of CT scanners comes back. Consider the following possibilities:

Possibility 1: I have good diet and I don't have CT scan
Possibility 2: I have good diet, but I have CT scan
Possibility 3: I have bad diet, and I don't have CT scan
Possibility 4: I have bad diet and I have CT scan

So, if I understand you correctly (and correct me if I was wrong), all of my CT scan related fears still apply to Possibility 4, they just don't apply to Possibility 2. This means that the gap between 2 and 4 is far larger than the gap between 1 and 3. Therefore, this means that, having had CT scan, I get "punished" for bad diet a lot more than I would have been if I didn't have it. Now I realize that I were punished for bad diet anyway, even without CT scan (I was diagnosed with high cholesterol and I had some un-diagnosed glucose concerns). But did I just magnify the potential punishment supposedly for diet, by having CT scan? If so, then this can still be seen as a punishment for CT scan.

At least if I compare 1 and 3, then its a tradeoff between better health and enjoyable lifestyle. But if I compare 3 to 4, then I gained NOTHING by getting that CT scan. I could have just asked them to do ultrasound if only I were to research it ahead of time. Or if they were to tell me ultrasound wasn't possible, I would have refused CT scan regardless: at the end of the day, I needed them to treat my wound, so "knowing" about it from CT scan didn't really help other than alleviate my anxieties.

Any negative effect you get from CT scan is only temporary IF you have good diet and exercise. The effects of radiation like unwanted mutations can be cured by biological processes called "Apoptosis" and "Autophagy". However, these work best with optimal oxygenation of the whole body which is provided by adaptations to exercise and disciplined eating habits.

At least if I compare 1 and 3, then its a tradeoff between better health and enjoyable lifestyle.

The last few decades of your life will be miserable if you neglect your health now.

Your long-term well being is far more important than short-term pleasure or enjoyment.

I guess I can try and get back into running 1 hour a day

Start with only 30 minutes / day or less. Running puts enormous forces on the leg bones. Start easy and increase duration only by small amount every week or so. If you start too hard, you can get injured.

Stationary bike or elliptical bike is a good alternative to running, it's much less forces on the bones with little to zero chance of injury.

 

[Roman57]

Any negative effect you get from CT scan is only temporary IF you have good diet and exercise.

But if its already been a week, and I didn't do good diet+exercize that week, can it still be temporary if I do it now?

Also: why did they evacuate them from Chernobyl? They could have simply asked them to do good diet and exercize, and saved a lot of resources. I mean, radiation from living in one of the less contaminated areas in Chernobyl zone is only 3 mCv a year, while radiation from a single CT scan is 10 mCv.

The effects of radiation like unwanted mutations can be cured by biological processes called "Apoptosis" and "Autophagy". However, these work best with optimal oxygenation of the whole body which is provided by adaptations to exercise and disciplined eating habits.

If you are talking about adaptation to disciplined eating, does it mean that eating lots of vegetables INSTEAD OF junk food isn't the answer since lots of vegetables make me still full so there is nothing to adapt to? But, on the other hand, the AI told me to eat leafy vegetables to detox from radiation. So what direction should I go to: less food overall, or more vegetables, less junk?

By the way, I like salads. I don't even understand why some people say they don't. My problem is: I crave sweets. So if health was not an issue, I would like to eat both lots of sweets AND lots of salads. But if health IS an issue, then quitting sweets is hard anyway, but replacing them with even more salads would make it slightly easier (although not easy).

On the other extreme, I was wondering two years ago, not in the context of radiation of course, but in the context of blood sugar, to do prolonged fasting for a month. What I was thinking was: if I could fast for a month and somehow permanently stabilize sugar this way, then this would be worth it since, after I am done with my fast, I would be able to eat all the sweets I want. Anyway, my mom interrupted my fast at 2 weeks point and told me it can be dangerous. So I have no idea what would have happened if I were to complete that fast.

Would you recommend prolong fasting for radiation? But then again, it would go contrary to the leafy vegetable advice.

Start with only 30 minutes / day or less.

In my experience, when I do an hour, even after a long break, I don't have any problems. I guess I had a long history of running in the past, so I can still do it regardless of how long I paused it for.

 

[timewerx]

But if its already been a week, and I didn't do good diet+exercize that week, can it still be temporary if I do it now?

Yes. You can even do it a year from now, and it still going to be temporary. But the sooner you do it, the better.

since lots of vegetables make me still full so there is nothing to adapt to?

It's okay to be full.

The key to disciplined eating habit is avoiding junk food, fast food, too much sweets, and avoid eating between meals. Also keeping to just 2 to 3 meals a day, no more.

On the other extreme, I was wondering two years ago, not in the context of radiation of course, but in the context of blood sugar, to do prolonged fasting for a month. What I was thinking was: if I could fast for a month and somehow permanently stabilize sugar this way, then this would be worth it since, after I am done with my fast, I would be able to eat all the sweets I want. Anyway, my mom interrupted my fast at 2 weeks point and told me it can be dangerous. So I have no idea what would have happened if I were to complete that fast.

Would you recommend prolong fasting for radiation? But then again, it would go contrary to the leafy vegetable advice.

Multi-day fasting is not needed. Exercising BEFORE any meal each day (like first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything) is just as effective as fasting when it comes to health.

In my experience, when I do an hour, even after a long break, I don't have any problems. I guess I had a long history of running in the past, so I can still do it regardless of how long I paused it for.

Excellent! Do as you please. But do pay attention to your legs if any bone in your leg is even slightly hurting then cut back on the duration or switch to elliptical bike or just ride a bicycle instead.