Dr. Oz had a very interesting discussion on his TV show about a growing disease amongst women. This ailment is called thyroid cancer. Before we discuss the further details about this episode, let’s share some brief information about thyroid cancer.
According to the WebMD website, thyroid cancer is a disease that you get when abnormal cells begin to grow in your thyroid gland. It is shaped like a butterfly and is located in the front of your neck. It is an uncommon cancer and most diagnosed people normally do well with it. This is the case because it is usually found early.
It is unclear what causes the disease, however experts say that people who are exposed to radiation or family medical history often have a great chance of being diagnosed. Changes in the DNA of your cells also could play a role.
But did you know that requesting the thyroid guard when going to your next doctor appointment could be life-saving? According to the three-part Dr. Oz episode, “Thyroid Guards: Do You Need One?” the famous doctor shares his controversial advice on requesting thyroid guards during mammograms or dental x-rays. In the first part of the informative series, he brings up a large study about people who have more than five dental x-rays had a four time greater risk of being diagnosed.
His advice on protecting your thyroid is to ask for a thyroid guard when going to your next dentist or doctor’s appointment. Although there isn’t any data to support Oz’s advice, he does feel this guard could help in protecting ourselves against the amount of radiation from a mammography.
However, two powerful medical societies, American College of Radiology and Society of Breast Imaging, reacted to this program by calling it “erroneous.” They also state this concern is not supported by scientific literature.
Even one of the experts who was on this episode, Daniel Kopans, M.D., a Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School, argues that thyroid cancer has been going up in males around the same rate it’s been going up in females. He also argued that the thyroid has limited exposure to radiation in a mammogram test.
Whether you follow this advice or not, you must take every measure possible to protect your thyroid gland. This ailment is on the rise and it is especially affecting the female population. For more information on the Dr. Oz three-part episode, “Thyroid Guards: Do You Need One?,” visit the show’s website www.doctoroz.com.
