X-ray – Hello Doctor

Can WiFi and Bluetooth make me sick?

June 27th, 2020 by The Hello Doctor Team

We can’t deny the great convenience of being able to access the internet anywhere and anytime. We’re now easily able to log in from home, school, work, shopping centres and even public transport.

Despite this convenience, almost all of these environments that we are exposed to on a daily basis filled with Electromagnetic radiation (EMR).

What is the impact of this exposure on our health?

Radiofrequency

Wireless networks used by cell phones, computers, Bluetooth speakers, and other WiFi-powered devices stream invisible radio waves through the air. This is a form of radiofrequency radiation.

Radiation is the energy that comes from a source and travels through space. For instance, an electric heater functions by heating metal wires, which then radiate that energy as heat.

Radiofrequency radiation is a type of electromagnetic radiation, a combination of electric and magnetic fields that move through space together as waves. Electromagnetic radiation falls into two categories:

Non-ionizing radiation: Usually known to be harmless to humans through Cell phones, Bluetooth, light bulbs, computers, Wi-Fi routers, FM radio, GPS, and TV.
Ionizing radiation: High energy radiation with the potential for direct cellular and DNA damage, through X-ray machines, radioactive material, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, and particle accelerators

How does it work?

Radio frequencies aren’t visible to the human eye and are measured in units called hertz. This represents the number of cycles per second a radio wave is transmitted.

One hertz equals one cycle per second. Radio waves range from thousands (kilohertz) to millions (megahertz) to billions (gigahertz) of cycles per second.

How can radiofrequency radiation affect your health?

The radio frequency signals from cell phones, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, are considered nonionizing forms of radiation. Thus, they don’t carry enough energy to directly break or alter your DNA, one of the risk factors for cancer. Thus far, there are no studies or evidence of the dangers of radiofrequency radiation. The WHO is still evaluating and continually updating data on how radiofrequency might affect our health.

That said, it is advisable to practise caution when regularly exposed to radiofrequency radiation devices, for their effect may not be as drastically, or clearly noticed as extreme radiation (such as

Reduce the dangers

Keep your cell phone at a distance, especially away from your head and body
When you do use your phone, try texting or video-calling, use the speakerphone on your device or a wired or Bluetooth headset rather than holding the phone to your ear
Carry your phone in a bag instead of putting it in your pocket.
Avoid resting your tablet on your body for a long period of time.
When you go to bed store your phone away from where you sleep, switch it to aeroplane mode, or turn it off entirely.

Protect your home

Unplug appliances when not in use to avoid wasting energy and to reduce the levels of EMFs emitted in your home.
If you spend a lot of time in your room, be sure to clear it of as many EMFs as possible. Technologies can affect your sleep as well as your DNA.
Avoid halogen and fluorescent lighting.
If you do use Wi-Fi, unplug it when it’s not in use and be sure to keep the router away from areas where you or family members spend a lot of time. Avoid unnecessary wireless technologies around your baby, many generations have survived without these, you can too!

Eat a healing diet

Protect your body from the possible effects of EMFs by eating nutrient-rich foods. High Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) foods can help to support your body in preventing EMF-related DNA damage

Add these beneficial options into your diet:

Cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, rosemary, asparagus, blueberries, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, pecans, prunes, cinnamon, dates, and cilantro.
Vitamin D3, spirulina, B-complex vitamins, melatonin, holy basil, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium and zinc.

References:

Do I need an X-ray for my ankle sprain?

September 18th, 2018 by The Hello Doctor Team

You’re carrying your groceries up the stairs when BAM! You miss a step, tumble down the steps, and feel a shooting pain up your ankle. Is it a sprain? Or worse, a fracture?

Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries. They can be very painful, and make you wonder if something might be cracked. Most of the minor ankle sprains don’t need X-rays or surgical treatment, but with more serious injuries, there can be fractures of the bones of the ankle as well as the foot.

Here is a quick way to figure out if you need an X-ray after an ankle sprain:

Ankle X-ray screening questions

Can you take four steps? (It’s okay if you limp)? No? Get an X-ray.
Do you have tenderness/pain around your medial or lateral malleoli (the little bone bumps on either side of your ankle) – specifically the back side of these bones? Yes? Get an X-ray.
Do you have tenderness/pain around the base of the fifth metatarsal (bump on the lateral/outside portion of your foot; halfway between your heel and your little toe)? Yes? Get an X-ray.
Do you have tenderness/pain around the navicular bone (bump on the inside portion of your foot?) Yes? Get an X-ray.

The Ottawa ankle rules

The Ottawa ankle rules are a set of guidelines for doctors to help them decide whether a patient with foot or ankle pain should be offered X-rays to diagnose a possible bone fracture.

Before these rules, most patients with ankle injuries had x-rays taken. But the problem was, a lot of patients with unclear ankle injuries didn’t have fractures. This meant many unnecessary X-rays, which were costly, time-consuming and risky due to radiation exposure.

What happens during an X-ray

This procedure is a form of radiation like light or radio waves. It’s most commonly used after an injury to look for fractures, dislocations or bleeding in the joint.

Make sure you wear clothing that can be removed or pulled away from the joint being X-rayed.

Once an x-ray machine is carefully aimed at the part of the body being examined, it produces a small burst of radiation that passes through the body, recording an image on photographic film or a special detector.

Your doctor will place you on an X-ray table and put the x-ray film holder or digital recording plate under the table in the area of the body being imaged.

An x-ray may also be taken of an unaffected part of the body, for comparison purposes. A bone x-ray examination is usually completed within five to 10 minutes.

While a bone x-ray examination is a painless procedure, you may experience discomfort from the cool temperature in the examination room. You may also find it uncomfortable to hold still in a position and lying on the hard examination table, especially if you’re injured. Don’t worry much; your doctor will help you find a comfortable position that will help produce quality x-ray images.

After the X-ray

Depending on your condition, your doctor may advise you to go on with your daily activities or rest while you’re waiting for your results. Your results may be available on the same day as your procedure, or later.

References:

X-Ray, MRI, CT Scans – necessary or not?

April 25th, 2015 by The Hello Doctor Team

House M.D., ER, Grey’s Anatomy: whatever your choice of medical show may be, the actors would have mentioned MRI, CT scan or X-ray at some point. But, do you know what they really do and why they are necessary for diagnoses? Well, let us tell you! Continue reading “X-Ray, MRI, CT Scans – necessary or not?”