Re: Synergism, antagonism, discrimination

[RuthWeiner@AOL.COM]

Synergism is a condition in which the combined effect of two agents acting together is greater than the net effect of the two agents acting separately (alcohol and CO inhaled while smoking is a good example).  The only example of  adverse synergism involving radioactive emissions that I know of may be radon and cigarette smoking as carcinogens, but there is some doubt about that.  In order to make a judgment about synergistic action, one has to know what the effect of the agent is and at what dose or concentration, and we really don't know about the adverse effects of very small amounts of radiation. 


On the other hand, there are a number of example of synergistic benefits  Radiation may act synergistically with other drugs in enhancing bone growth and bone healing.  Ionizing radiation is used together with chemotherapeutic agents in post-surgical cancer treatment to prevent recurrence (but an oncologist would know a whole lot more than I do about that). 


Antagonism is when one agent acts to counter or oppose the effects of another agent; e.g., caffeine (a stimulant and vasoconstrictor) is an antagonist to alcohol (a depressant and vasodilator).  One might consider sterilization by radiation and food irradiation as using radiation as antagonist to infectious agents.


Just my thoughts


ruth


Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.

ruthweiner@aol.com