Resource Center > Chiropractic> Diagnosing Health Problems > Radiologic Imaging

Radiologic imaging is one of the most common means used to help doctors determine the cause of health problems. X-rays are one of the oldest and most reliable procdure performed in a broad range of physical conditions.

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1500 Children Die Every Year From CT Scans
by Dr. Gary Farr 11/29/2001
Each year, about 1.6 million children in the USA get CT scans to the head and abdomen - and about 1,500 of those will die later in life of radiation-induced cancer.

Body Scans Offer False Reassurances
by Dr. Gary Farr 11/29/2001
From Beverly Hills to Baltimore, free-standing scanning centers, some located in shopping malls and many owned by radiologists, have sprung up in affluent metropolitan areas. But critics - including prominent radiologists, health economists and officials at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - say that the practice of indiscriminately scanning healthy people is unproven, ill-advised and potentially dangerous.

Bone Scan
by Dr. Gary Farr 4/22/2002
A bone scan is sometimes performed to rule out an inflammatory process (such as a tumor or infection) or an occult fracture (small fracture not seen on an x-ray).

Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT Scan)
by Dr. Gary Farr 4/22/2002
A computerized axial tomography scan is more commonly known by its abbreviated name, CAT scan or CT scan. It is an x-ray procedure which combines many x-ray images with the aid of a computer to generate cross-sectional views and, if needed, three-dimensional images of the internal organs and structures of the body. A CAT scan is used to define normal and abnormal structures in the body and/or assist in procedures by helping to accurately guide the placement of instruments or treatments.

Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT Scan) with Myelography
by Dr. Gary Farr 4/22/2002
When combined with a myelogram, a CT scan provides for excellent nerve detail. The myelogram adds some additional risk and expense to the CT scan but provides substantial information about the nerve roots.

Discogram
by Dr. Gary Farr 4/22/2002
Similar to an SNRB and facet joint block, a discogram is a test to determine the anatomical source of low back pain for the patient. This procedure is most frequently used to determine if degenerative disc disease is the cause of a patient’s pain (discogenic low back pain). Discograms are also performed to assist in preoperative planning for candidates for a lumbar spinal fusion.

Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (Dexa scan)
by Dr. Gary Farr 4/22/2002
A dexa scan is used specifically to assess a patient’s risk of fracture by detecting osteoporosis of the vertebral bodies, which is a thinning of the bones as we age.

Free Newsletter
by Dr. Gary Farr 7/21/2003
Sign up for our FREE health newsletter from BecomeHealthyNow.com. The Healthy newsletter brings the latest research, news and ideas you can use, fun mini-quizzes and a listing of the live events and happenings on the BecomeHealthyNow sites and communities. You'll always be up to date on current health topics as the BecomeHealthyNow.com web site is continually updated.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
by Dr. Gary Farr 4/22/2002
An MRI (or magnetic resonance imaging) scan is a radiology technique which uses magnetism, radiowaves, and a computer to produce images of body structures.

Mammography
by Dr. Gary Farr 4/22/2002
Mammography is a specific type of imaging that uses a low-dose x-ray system and high-contrast, high-resolution film for examination of the breasts. Successful treatment of breast cancer depends on early diagnosis. Mammography plays a central part in early detection of breast cancers. Mammography can show changes in the breast up to two years before a patient or physician can feel them. However, several studies question the validity of the test.

Myelography
by Dr. Gary Farr 4/22/2002
This X-ray helps evaluate back injuries and persistent numbness, low back pain, or weakness. It is used to detect herniated discs, tumors, injuries, enlarged blood vessels, and other abnormalities, especially compression of the spinal cord. It is also used to evaluate problems in the spinal cord before surgery and to detect injuries to the nerve roots branching off the spinal cord and tumors in the lower part of the brain.

Spinal Health Forum
by Dr. Gary Farr 9/26/2001
Share your experience and learn from others on this forum. Health professionals also get involved and provide responses to your questions.

X-Ray Examination
by Dr. Gary Farr 4/22/2002
A gentleman by the name of William Roentgen discovered x-rays in 1895, which by the way was the same year that D.D. Palmer discovered Chiropractic. Roentgen was experimenting in his laboratory and by happenstance placed his hand in front of a plate and he saw his hand and its movements. Thus the first fluoroscopy was brought into the world. It was shortly thereafter that the first imaging plates were available on the market.

X-Rays, Cancer and Heart Disease
by Dr. Gary Farr 11/29/2001
John Gofman, M.D., Ph.D., is one of the leading experts in the world in these issues. He is a nuclear physicist and a medical doctor. The evidence presented in his book, Radiation from Medical Procedures in the Pathogenesis of Cancer and Ischemic Heart Disease, strongly indicates that over 50% of the death-rate from Cancer today, and over 60% of the death-rate from Ischemic Heart Disease today, are x-ray-induced.