It has been estimated by experts that up to 2 percent of all cancer cases are caused by exposure to medical x-ray tests. Although it is believed that there is no completely safe level of exposure to x-rays, it is well known that exposure to increasing doses of x-rays, as well as undergoing repeated x-ray examinations, increases the risk of cancer formation.

The increasing use of CT scanners (which can expose patients to significant doses of radiation) to screen asymptomatic patients for coronary artery disease has been a source of growing concern among many cancer experts. While the detection of coronary artery calcifications and coronary artery narrowing (stenosis) on multi-detector CT scanners are powerful predictors of future cardiac disease events, it remains unclear, at this time, whether or not this approach to coronary artery disease screening offers any significant clinical benefits to otherwise asymptomatic patients.

A newly published clinical research study, which appears in the current issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, further quantifies the potential cancer risk associated with the use CT scans to screen for coronary artery disease.

Because there are no nationally standardized protocols for CT scan cardiac screening examinations, the authors of this study considered several commonly used CT scan protocols, and then calculated the actual dose of radiation delivered to patients with each of these scan protocols. Using long-term data derived from Japanese atomic bomb survivors, the researchers then estimated the added cancer risk to patients receiving coronary artery screening CT scans.

One important (and concerning) finding from this study is that radiation doses delivered to patients vary by more than 10-fold among the different CT scan protocols in common use throughout the United States.

Based upon existing screening recommendations, the authors calculated the added cancer risk associated with adult patients undergoing coronary artery screening CT scans every 5 years between the ages of 45 and 75 years for men, and every 5 years between the ages of 55 and 75 years for women. Using the very conservative assumption that all patients are exposed to a dose of radiation equivalent to the average of all commonly used CT scan protocols, the authors calculated that the lifetime increased incidence of cancer was 4.2 new cases of cancer per 10,000 men, and 6.2 new cases of cancer per 10,000 women. Based upon the known effects of radiation to the organs contained in the chest area, approximately 71 percent of the cancer cases caused by CT scans of the heart would be in the form of lung cancer, while 20 percent of these "excess" cancers would be breast cancers induced in women. Another 12 percent of these radiation-induced cancers would be in the form of leukemia in men, while 4 percent of these otherwise preventable cancers would manifest as leukemia in women.

Unfortunately, there is currently no scientific consensus regarding the clinical benefit, if any, of using CT scanners to detect coronary artery disease in asymptomatic patients, as there is no high level clinical research data available to prove that this screening approach reduces cardiac disease events, or cardiac-associated deaths. Therefore, all that can be confidently said, at this time, about the routine use of CT scans to screen for coronary artery disease is that it is, undoubtedly, associated with a small but not insignificant risk of otherwise preventable cancers. Moreover, when you consider that the authors of this study used very conservative estimates regarding absorbed radiation doses in patients undergoing coronary artery screening, the actual cancer risk associated with many of cardiac screening CT scan protocols in current use is probably significantly higher than what this study predicts.

In my own case, I underwent two separate CT scans, to assess for both coronary artery calcifications and coronary artery narrowing (stenosis), as part of a "VIP Physical" in 2006. At the time, there was great enthusiasm for the routine use of CT scanners for this purpose. However, based upon the available data (including the data from this study), I have recently decided that I will not undergo any additional heart screening CT scans until and unless compelling clinical data comes along to suggest that the benefit from such scans outweighs their potential risks. If you have been considering undergoing a routine cardiac screening CT scan, my advice is to first discuss the data contained in this clinical study with your Internist or Cardiologist, and ask them to clarify both the potential risks and benefits, in your particular case, of undergoing a coronary artery screening CT scan.

Meanwhile more research is needed to clarify what, if any, health benefits can be reasonably claimed for routine coronary artery screening CT scans in asymptomatic patients. Finally, in view of the immense variation in radiation doses associated with the various CT scanning protocols in common use today, professional radiology societies and boards should quickly work to reach a consensus on standardizing these protocols in such a way that unnecessary radiation exposure is minimized.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Wascher

Finding a natural cholesterol treatment can be difficult since you probably have eating and exercising habits that you've held strong for that past 20 years or so. For this reason, many people are unable to break their eating habits and start exercising, even though these are the best ways to reduce bad cholesterol and increase good Cholesterol.

Bad cholesterol (or ldl) is the kind of cholesterol that brings cholesterol from the liver to the rest of your body. This is the type that you should be most worried about because it keeps increasing cholesterol levels in your blood. Good cholesterol (or hdl) is the type of cholesterol that takes extra cholesterol and removes it from your body. This is the type you would like since it assists you in many ways.

Cholesterol is naturally produced in your liver and supplied to the rest of the body where it's used to in the cells for many different processes. Unfortunately, the foods we love most are packed with cholesterol because animals we eat follow the same cholesterol producing process.

Giving up your favorite foods and exercising can be a hassle and it's not a natural cholesterol treatment I recommend, so I will attempt to offer you some simple strategies anyone can use to reduce cholesterol without having to do too much extra work. Remember, the clock is ticking. Each day you keep the same habits is another day you bring yourself to heart disease.

Eat Whole Grain Bread

Most of us keep sliced bread in the house right? An easy step you can take is to buy whole grain instead of white bread. Do you buy whole grain bread already? Make sure to read the label. If the ingredients include "enriched flower" you were tricked. Companies sell white bread colored with molasses to make people think it's whole grain. The only real whole grain has ingredients like "whole grain" without the long string of vitamins and minerals listed next to it.

Whole grain bread is packed with fiber and has been proven in studies to improve cholesterol levels. This natural cholesterol treatment can easily be followed without extra effort. All ou have to do is replace one pack of bread with another.

Drink Red Wine

In France, the average breakfast includes 2 eggs, 2 pieces of sausage, 4 strips of bacon, and some pate. This meal probably contains about 400% percent of your daily requirement of cholesterol. Pate, or duck liver has a very high concentration of cholesterol. This may come as a shock to you, but France has very low levels of people with high cholesterol. Why is that? They drink at least a glass of wine per day.

The antioxidant and ldl lowering properties of wine work well to prevent heart disease. Of course, in excess, drinking wine can actually increase cholesterol levels probably because alcohol negatively effects the liver where cholesterol is produced. This is a very simple natural cholesterol treatment anyone can follow. All you have to do is drink a glass of wine per day.

Take a Cholesterol Lowering Supplement

One of the easiest natural cholesterol treatment methods is to take a natural supplement. Similar to vitamins in every aspect except they contain specific ingredients for people with high cholesterol. Most of the cholesterol lowering supplements work very well to reduce cholesterol levels because they contain these special ingredients:

Niacin - vitamin that raises good cholesterol

Policosanol - ingredient that reduces the production of cholesterol by the liver

Fish Oil - known to reduce cholesterol in the blood

Resveratrol - prevents levels of plaque and reduces cholesterol

These are the 3 top natural cholesterol treatment methods today. I want you to go out right now and purchase whole grain bread (if you don't have any), buy a bottle of red whine (if you don't have any), and purchase a cholesterol lowering supplement.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=George_Christodoulou

The Story

John was an average guy who ate a moderately healthy diet. Every day he would eat healthy cerea, for lunch he would chow down on some fast food because he rushed at work, and for dinner his wife prepare for him and the family a magnificent meal fit for a king. At his latest doctor visit, he was told his cholesterol was high. His doctor warned him of the dangers of the condition so he decided to naturally lower cholesterol levels on his own. The doctor smiled at him and said, "that's the spirit!". After all, John had a beautiful wife and teenagers in the house that needed a father. He didn't want to suffer a heart attack at this point in his life after he's worked so hard to attain everything he's always wanted.

The doctor then explained to him what he had to do. He went on to explain that John needed to lower his "bad cholesterol" (ldl). This was the cholesterol that transported fat to the rest of the body. At the same time, he needed to increase "good cholesterol"(hdl) which transported extra fat out of the body. After this little speech, his doctor gave him some tips to naturally lower cholesterol.

Exercise and Cardiovascular Health

The next day was a bright sunny Saturday afternoon and John decided that if he was going to reduce his cholesterol he was going to need to exercise. John read in a magazine that cardiovascular exercise held several health benefits:

* Improvement of heart and vessel function
* Decrease of bad cholesterol

John felt terrible after his run and this made sense to him because it was his first run since he was 18 years old. But John knew he had to stick with his regiment if he was going to naturally lower cholesterol in his body. He was confident that he was going to run every day for at least 30 minutes for the best results.

Stop Smoking

After his run, John went back to the house and reached for a cigarette but then remembered what his doctor said, "John, you have to stop smoking, it is the cause for a large portion of cardiovascular health and heart attacks."

John knew it was a bad idea to smoke, but he was addicted. He lit the cigarette up and brought it to his mouth but as it climbed closer and closer, his wife squirt him in the face with the sink hose and stopped him from sucking on the suicide stick.

His wife, Betty, knew from research online that by quitting smoking he was going to increase he good cholesterol and instantly lower the bad cholesterol. This information came from studies published in all kinds of journals. This is the only way you can naturally lower cholesterol without having to add anything to your lifestyle.

John hugged his wife, thanked her, and went to take a shower.

Eat The Right Foods

After his shower, John was very hungry; running sure builds up an appetite. He went to the kitchen to find something good to eat, but he found nothing but fruits, vegetables, and nuts of all kinds. He really wanted to have something cheesy and fatty like one of those microwave instant cheesy meals. Fortunately for the sake of naturally lowering his cholesterol, his wife threw away all the bad food and stocked up on good food.

She read that food that contained Sterols were very good at naturally lowering cholesterol. She read that Sterols were found in many plant foods such as:

* Brocholli
* Apples and
* Peanuts

In addition, she read that people with high cholesterol should eat plenty of antioxidants because little critters called "free radicals" that float around in the body have the ability to break down cholesterol in the blood and transform it into plaque, the leading cause of heart attacks. To prevent this from happening, Betty stocked the fridge with:

* Blueberries
* Purple Grapes and
* Other dark colored fruits

He left the kitchen and found his son Phillip playing X-box. He begged him to find him something good to eat but being the snarky teenager that he was, he went into the kitchen cam came out with a pile of vegetables between two pieces of bread and said, "here, have a veggie-burger Dad."

Cholesterol Lowering Supplements

John realized that he had to eat healthy from now on. He couldn't do it cold turkey like he wife wanted him to, but he knew with his family's support, the project would be much easier. After 6 weeks of this improved lifestyle, John went to the doctor and was told his cholesterol was still high. His doctor informed him that this was normal. It takes time to lower your cholesterol back to a normal level.

Then the doctor asked him what he was doing and John explained all the ways he was working to naturally lower cholesterol levels:

* He exercised
* Quit smoking,
* And ate healthy foods.

With great joy, the doctor said he was proud of John because those are difficult life style changes to make. He then asked if he was taking any cholesterol lowering supplements. John said he didn't know there was a such thing.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=George_Christodoulou

One of the major stumbling blocks for individuals with high cholesterol is the fact that they think they do not enjoy cholesterol reducing foods. Well, if that is the case for you, this article should eliminate that excuse.

Consuming good cholesterol foods is undoubtedly the best thing you can do to improve your health and extend your life. High fiber foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains are the most effective when it comes to lowering cholesterol. In addition to their fiber content, many contain high levels of plant sterols which have been shown scientifically to reduce cholesterol.

Cholesterol reducing foods that contain plant sterols actually compete with cholesterol for absorption into the bloodstream. This is due to the fact that the molecular makeup of phytosterols is almost identical to that of cholesterol.

So what are some of these foods that are effective at lowering cholesterol and yet are enjoyable? Many of them are vegetables which are most enjoyable when prepared in conjunction with a main dish of fish, turkey or chicken.

One thing I find very enjoyable is a vegetable stirfry with a small amount of chicken mixed in. another idea is salmon served over a bed of spinach. These are just a couple of ideas that I found very helpful.

However, the most helpful thing that I did was to use a structured diet plan. The South Beach diet or the Mediterranean diet, although not specifically designed as cholesterol lowering diets, have some wonderful, extremely enjoyable recipes that include many cholesterol lowering foods.

I still enjoy many of the recipes that came from the South Beach diet, even though I am no longer dieting.

This really is the best way to find good cholesterol foods. Using this type of natural approach to improving your cholesterol readings has many long-term benefits. My website includes a thorough discussion of cholesterol reducing foods and diets that are very effective at bringing down cholesterol readings.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Van_Crawford