Doctors' recommendations for those considering a body scan Doctors' recommendations for those considering a body scan (February 09, 2005)

Here is a summary of recommendations by Dr. Judy Illes and Dr. Scott Atlas for people who are considering undergoing a body scan:

** Consult with your primary health-care provider throughout the process -- before you make the decision, once you get the results, and through any follow-up. ** Be wary of advertising claims; there is currently no regulation of direct-to-consumer advertising for self-referred CT scans. ** Be aware of the possibility and consequences of false-positives and false-negatives. ** Understand that there is no data from clinical trials yet proving the value of CT for screening healthy people. ** Know your radiologist. ** Remember that radiation exposure could be an issue if you have repeat scans over time. ** Keep in mind that the FDA has not approved the use of CT technology to screen healthy individuals for any disease.

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