Breaking the Chains: Empowering Lives Affected by Radiation-Linked Ailments

Radiation as well as radioactive materials are always part of the environment. They come from both radioactive materials, which occur naturally, and cosmic radiation originating in outer space. Radioactive materials are often produced in particle accelerators and nuclear reactors, while radiation is often produced by an x-ray machine as well as a particle accelerator often used in medicine and research.

How Radiation Often Affects Cells

According to experts at UEW Healthcare, radiation primarily impacts our health through DNA molecule breakage. DNA often comprises two chains of nucleotides, which are twisted to create a double helix. Radiation is capable of breaking those two long chains. When it achieves this, three main things happen:

  • DNA great repaired properly – Cells get repaired properly and continue working well. Then, DNA breakage happens after every second and cells have the capability of repairing the damage in a natural way.
  • DNA damage is very severe to kill the cells – When DNA and other cell parts get radiation exposure, the cell can either get damaged or die. If that kills many cells in an organ or tissue, early effects of radiation might occur. According to healthcare experts, these are deterministic effects, and their severity differs based on the received radiation dose. These may include skin burns, hair loss, acute radiation syndrome, and in extreme situations, death.
  • Cells incorrectly repair themselves, but they continue living – In some situations, radiation can damage the cell’s DNA, but this damage doesn’t cause the death of cells. The cells might continue living and reproducing themselves, but those cells as well as their descendent won’t work properly anymore.

Health Effects of Radiation

Generally, there are two major health effects that low doses of radiation cause. These include non-threshold and threshold effects. Non-threshold effects appear later in the future. They may happen in an individual who gets the dose of radiation or in that individual’s offspring. These may include fetal effects, genetic effects, and cancer. On the other hand, threshold effects are noticeable immediately after being exposed to high doses of radiation. They may include sterility, hair loss, skin radiation burns, minimized thyroid function, cataracts, death, and radiation sickness.

Improving Lives That Got Affected by Radiation

Empowering lives includes in-home nursing and therapeutic services. Professional healthcare providers understand the struggle, which former employees endured from radiation. Because of that, they are dedicated to helping people who are affected by radiation get the care they need and ensure they have access to benefits. Through in-home healthcare, patients exposed to radiation get specialized care. Healthcare providers work with the patient’s families to formulate individualized plans, which accommodate their concerns. Healthcare providers also offer therapeutic services that help to alleviate all the challenges of living with the problem. These services include respiratory therapy, occupational, speech, and physical therapy. Apart from therapeutic services and in-home nursing, empowering lives may also involve the following:

  • Supplemental assistance
  • Nursing care services

In conclusion, radiation has side effects on people who are exposed to it. However, the benefits exceed those risks. Clinical research and studies are still ongoing to help minimize the risks associated with radiation, most of which show positive results.