X-rays – How safe are they?

Three decades ago x-rays were the only way to see inside the body and find out what was going on. Nowadays there are many other forms of medical imaging, but people can be concerned about their safety and if there are any harmful side effects.

Every day we are exposed to natural radiation. This may be the food we eat, the air we breathe, from the ground and the building materials around us.

Each medical x-ray or nuclear medicine examination adds to this and the dose depends on the type of examination. The most common (and small dose) x-ray examinations are those of the teeth, chest and limbs.

Examinations that involve x-ray pictures and fluoroscopy such as barium meals or barium enemas and CT scans involve higher doses but are only a fraction of our lifetime dose from natural radiation.

Effects of radiation

Re-assuringly radiation doses from x-ray examinations are extremely low to produce instant harmful effects such as skin burns or radiation sickness. The only effect possible at these low doses may be a slight increase in the chance that cancer (radiation induced)can occur many years or even decades after the exposure.

Forms of x-ray

• Nuclear medicine (isotope scan) – small amounts of radioactive material is injected into a vein, swallowed or inhaled. The radioactivity falls to insignificant levels in a few days.
• Ultrasound and MRI(magnetic resonance imaging) – these do not use x-ray or gamma rays and (so far) no ill side effects have been seen from ultrasound or from the high magnetic fields used in MRI examinations. Although there are less concerns and risks they are expensive and are unable to replace all types of x-ray examinations.
• Radiography –a picture is produced onto film of the structures the x-rays have passed through the body, usually used for broken bones, chest or teeth. These simple radiographs involve extremely low amounts of radiation.
• Fluoroscopy – these involve higher radiation doses. Often used to look at the gut, for example a barium meal where you swallow a drink of barium which can then give moving pictures of the stomach and intestines.
• CT scan –this is where you lie on a table which slowly passes through a circular tunnel and a fan shaped beam takes x-rays in slices of your body. The images are then displayed on a screen and are often 3D.

Benefits of medical imaging

The hospital radiology department and doctor want to get the right diagnosis and treatment, and this will outweigh any small risk involved. By not having the examination and getting true findings will result in a risk to your health more than the radiation itself.

Visit www.backblog.co.uk to read more about the benefits of x-rays.

Radiation risks

The older you get the more likely you will need x-ray examinations and for older people there is less time for radiation-induced cancer to develop so the risk is lower. For babies and children, the risk is higher so there needs to be a clear medical benefit for the x-ray, hence why you may be asked if pregnant.

Remember, if it helps to make the correct treatment decision for the patient it will usually outweigh these small radiation risks. The higher dose examinations are normally used to diagnose a more serious condition when a greater benefit to the patient is expected.

Telling the doctor of any other x-rays or scans may make further examinations unnecessary and it does not make any difference whether the number of x-rays are in one day or spread over many years, the risk is the same.
If you are interested in finding out more about chiropractic self-help tips and hints or chiropractic treatment and x-rays, why not visit www.lushingtonchiropractic.com