Posted on 08/27/2009 11:32:43 AM PDT by Innovative
Skyrocketing numbers of expensive medical imaging procedures - from CT scans to nuclear stress tests - are not just straining the nation's health care system, but are exposing patients to significant amounts of potentially cancer-causing radiation even though little research has been done into whether those tests actually make people healthier, a new study suggests.
The tests, say the study's authors, may be doing more harm than good.
"One reason why these tests are being used more is they're getting better and better and they're an extremely helpful part of diagnosis and treatment," said Dr. Reza Fazel, a cardiologist at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and the lead author of a study in today's New England Journal of Medicine. "But just because we have them doesn't mean we should use them. ... There's a cost with these tests, and it's not just dollars but radiation risk."
(Excerpt) Read more at baltimoresun.com ...
Note the "potentially" -- there is no evidence that these test are harmful, they are just trying to provide justification with no evidence, to ration these test.
It will be much more cost effective to deny people the tests, that way severe diseases won't get discovered early, then they can say it's too late to treat them and look at all the money they will save by letting the patient just go away and die.
Why don't we just stop any high-tech medical care, give people two aspirings nnd they will either get better or die, in any case, look at all the money we can save on healthcare.
Look for taxpayer money going into healing crystals in the future.
You get more radiation flying in a plane than an exposure during these tests.
But O says we need to do these preventative tests to uncover problems before they become expensive problems to fix.
Exclude congress, and that's pretty much the plan.
Congressional attidude on Healthcare:
Oh for crying out loud. This is pure fear mongering. So called 'radioactive iodine isotopes do not expose people to "significant amounts of radiation", and CT scans expose a person to about 2 years of the same radiation you get from the atmosphere.
So here we go. Good medical care is actually bad for us. Those evil doctors are behind it. /s
The red pill or the blue pill is the healthcare, and you better answer that question properly or you are dead meat.
We need to start a list of medical treatments and/or medicines they are or are trying to take away:
The global warming goons really screwed over us asthmatics by forcing the change in the rescue inhalers, so now I guess when we get pneumonia due to the lack of medication from said inhalers, we’ll be denied the cat scans to see where/how bad the infection is.
Ain’t life great!
Personally, I’d rather take a little extra radiation prior to my surgery than end up with undiscovered, unremoved, bone shards floating around in my body. I know from personal experience that exploding tibias leave “shrapnel” behind.
“So no CT scan because its to expensive but exploratory surgery for diagnosis is ok?
“
Don’t worry, you are not going to get exploratory surgery under obamacare either.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/46425/title/Isotope_crisis_threatens_medical_care____
CT Scan Overuse May Up Cancer Risk Radiation From Scans May Affect Future Health
This is from November, 2007, for instance.
"In a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York estimate that CT scans could cause as much as 2 percent of all cancers in the United States in the next 20 to 30 years."
Really, as a general rule avoid anything except that first colonoscopy that you don't need. The more drugs you take, the more procedures you have, etc, the more risk you put into life.
Exercise, eat high fiber with lots of fruit and vegetables, and laugh as often as possible.
Just my two cents.
Obviously the debate is over and the science is settled. No more XRays or CT scans...
hh
Don't laugh. Holistic medicine/therapy is already getting some taxpayer dollars in Canada.
Just last week I moved 75% of the funds in my retirement account into healing crystals futures, so I should be in good shape.
You know, the federal government of the usa is the ABSOLUTE LAST entity that I want trying to advise me or anyone else on how to save money. Got to be effing kidding me...
Good point.
you KNOW this is TRUE!!!
how?
because you see millions of people who’ve availed themselves of said tests, hair falling out, dying in the streets every day!!!!!
oh...wait. that’s right, i don’t see evidence of their claim..............
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