MRI - Still Safe, But With Caution:
06/02/07
By Nurse Mark Regular
readers know that we at the Wellness Club have little good to say about the
wanton use of "medical imaging" as is seen in Conventional Medicine's obsession
with mammograms, x-rays, and full-body CT scans. We must admit though that there
are times when it is important to get a picture of "what's going on inside" and
we tend to steer our patients toward non-damaging forms of imaging such as
thermography, ultrasound, and MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
It seems though that there is nothing so effective
and free from harm that "improvements" can't be made that put patients at
risk... The following is excerpted from the FDA newsletter:
'Boxed Warning' Requested for Contrast Agents
Used in MRIs
FDA has asked manufacturers to include a "boxed warning" on the product labeling
of gadolinium-based contrast agents, which are used to enhance the quality of
magnetic resonance imaging. The warning would include a statement that patients
with severe kidney insufficiency who receive the contrast agents are at risk of
developing a debilitating, potentially fatal disease called nephrogenic systemic
fibrosis.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01638.html
Our advice? MRI is still a fine imaging
method, as far as we know. The contrast agents, whether used for MRI or other
scans tend to have a not-very-good safety profile, and we would avoid them at
all cost. Here's a test: When your
radiologist wants to do some procedure that involves giving you some sort of a
"contrast agent" ask him if he will guarantee in writing that the substance will
not harm you in any way, now or in the future. I'm betting he won't do it...
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