Re: Hormesis - medical benefits?

[Franz Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>]

At 10:59 27.01.2000 -0600, you wrote:
>Jim,

>I have always been intrigued about the individuals who spend time in the 
>radon mines "spas" in Montana and then report improvement of their arthritic 
>symptoms, lupus, etc.  Since rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, 
>it almost makes me wonder if their radon exposure is suppressing their
immune 
>system in some fashion rather than boosting it.
>
>Do you have any insights into this?
>
>Regards, Bill Field
>College of Public Health
>University of Iowa
>bill-field@uiowa.edu
>

This is a very good example that one should not see any measures or effects
isolated. We have in Austria a few spas with high radon concentrations both
in water and in mine shafts - I do not want to go into details. Nobody goes
there just to inhale or drink otherwise prohibited amounts of Rn-222 or
drink Ra-226 in amounts high above the maximum permissible intake.
Nevertheless according to the now current legislation medical application
is exempt from radiation protection legislation. 

People get a lot of physical therapy there, they relax from everydays
stress and during taking their baths or whatsoever they have to leave the
phone and the mobile phone at home. 

Since I know myself, how much physical therapy can do (without
radioactivity!) and how helpful a situation with no stress is, I would be
rather inclined to refer the positive health effects not to radioactivity.
No chance to claim hormesis!

Franz


Franz Schoenhofer
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: +43-1-495 53 08
Fax.: same number
mobile phone: +43-664-338 0 333
e-mail: schoenho@via.at

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