Dr. Peter Attia

So let's talk about how these are measured. How do we quantify them? Because people on the podcast have heard me talk about this, I suspect. We talk a lot about calcium scores and CT angiograms and PET-CT. I think the frequent listener will have been somewhat familiar with how we talk about how to dose those things.

So let's talk about how these are measured. How do we quantify them? Because people on the podcast have heard me talk about this, I suspect. We talk a lot about calcium scores and CT angiograms and PET-CT. I think the frequent listener will have been somewhat familiar with how we talk about how to dose those things.

What's the relationship between a gray and a millisievert? Is it a one-to-one relationship?

What's the relationship between a gray and a millisievert? Is it a one-to-one relationship?

Correct. Correct. So when you give 70 gray, you're giving 70 sieverts or 70,000 millisieverts over the course of the treatment? That's correct. Okay. Just so people can kind of anchor this to things that are familiar. Living at sea level exposes us to one to two millisieverts of ionizing radiation a year.

Correct. Correct. So when you give 70 gray, you're giving 70 sieverts or 70,000 millisieverts over the course of the treatment? That's correct. Okay. Just so people can kind of anchor this to things that are familiar. Living at sea level exposes us to one to two millisieverts of ionizing radiation a year.

If you live in Denver, it's easily double that or triple that, correct? Just another thing for comparison, a pilot who spends a lot of time traversing The North Pole, which is typically how they're going to fly, they're not going to go all the way around the center of the Earth, might get another three or four millisieverts of radiation.

If you live in Denver, it's easily double that or triple that, correct? Just another thing for comparison, a pilot who spends a lot of time traversing The North Pole, which is typically how they're going to fly, they're not going to go all the way around the center of the Earth, might get another three or four millisieverts of radiation.

Now, the NRC recommends that a person not be exposed to more than 50, I believe, 50 millisieverts of radiation in a year. Now, someone like me, that's easy unless I'm out there getting a lot of diagnostic radiology or, of course, undergoing therapeutic radiation treatment. But for someone like you who has to set patients up or one of your techs Are you guys approaching that level of exposure?

Now, the NRC recommends that a person not be exposed to more than 50, I believe, 50 millisieverts of radiation in a year. Now, someone like me, that's easy unless I'm out there getting a lot of diagnostic radiology or, of course, undergoing therapeutic radiation treatment. But for someone like you who has to set patients up or one of your techs Are you guys approaching that level of exposure?

Let's talk about some types of x-rays that people are familiar with and give a sense of radiation dose. I'm also curious as to how much this depends on the size of the individual. In other words, does a person that is larger receive more radiation for this same test, like a chest x-ray?

Let's talk about some types of x-rays that people are familiar with and give a sense of radiation dose. I'm also curious as to how much this depends on the size of the individual. In other words, does a person that is larger receive more radiation for this same test, like a chest x-ray?

But let's take something like a chest X-ray. So chest X-ray, people should anchor to this idea for what it's worth. And we can come back to this. NRC says, hey, limit your annual radiation to 50 millisieverts. You've got 2% of that just being alive because you happen to go outside and be exposed to the sun. So the other 98% might come through flying diagnostic. Let's say you fly a lot.

But let's take something like a chest X-ray. So chest X-ray, people should anchor to this idea for what it's worth. And we can come back to this. NRC says, hey, limit your annual radiation to 50 millisieverts. You've got 2% of that just being alive because you happen to go outside and be exposed to the sun. So the other 98% might come through flying diagnostic. Let's say you fly a lot.

That might get you up another 10%. So let's talk about a chest X-ray. You got a cough, you go to your doctor, they do a chest X-ray. That's how many millisieverts for a normal size person?

That might get you up another 10%. So let's talk about a chest X-ray. You got a cough, you go to your doctor, they do a chest X-ray. That's how many millisieverts for a normal size person?

Tell people what that means because that's obviously going to come back later in our discussion.

Tell people what that means because that's obviously going to come back later in our discussion.

When I think about where, for example, something like a CT angiogram used to be, that would easily have exposed a person to 25 millisieverts to do a CT scan of the heart. You're doing it, slowing the heart down, getting the contrast in there, et cetera. Today, the really fast scanners, the best of the best scanners are somewhere between one and three millisieverts for that same procedure.

When I think about where, for example, something like a CT angiogram used to be, that would easily have exposed a person to 25 millisieverts to do a CT scan of the heart. You're doing it, slowing the heart down, getting the contrast in there, et cetera. Today, the really fast scanners, the best of the best scanners are somewhere between one and three millisieverts for that same procedure.