RadProtection Co., Ltd., Singapore (2025)

08/12/2025

Many people take medications and supplements without fully understanding the biology behind them—or how they interact with each other.

Ten years ago, after being diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, I started studying the underlying mechanisms and interactions of the various drugs and supplements I was taking. Such as how statins suppress cholesterol synthesis and deplete CoQ10, and how Ezetimibe works through the dual action of reducing both cholesterol production and intestinal reabsorption.

By matching treatment to mechanism, I brought my ApoB, cholesterol, blood pressure and Hba1c into a low-risk range. Of course I also addressed the foundations of health such as exercise, diet, sleep and attempt at stress reduction.

Today, even after discontinuing statins, I continue CoQ10 due to age-related declines in natural production. My current longevity-focused stack includes:

Half a high-quality multivitamin
Vitamin D3
CoQ10
Magnesium + melatonin before sleep
Omega-3s
Vitamin K2

I'm just sharing this to encourage others to not take supplements without understanding mechanisms and interactions with other drugs and supplements, as well as your current levels.

What I take is very likely not best for others.

Please check with qualified healthcare professional based on your individual risks and profile.

Stay safe.

06/12/2025

In Penang, Malaysia, combining some incredible local cuisine with work, gave a talk to OT and Cath lab personnel on radiation safety and how to reduce risk.

After the talk, a young radiographer caught me off guard with a question I've never been asked. He asked what I personally fear most at this stage in my life.

After thinking a bit, I said it's losing my mind and my memories. The scariest aspect of memory loss and neurodegeneration is the inability to gauge your own regression. It was only the last few years that I started protecting my head during procedures.

Cancers and CVD we can detect and track quite well now. Our brain remains a huge mystery and each time I forget where my keys are, or left my phone somewhere, or a person's name, I wonder how much radiation has affected the aging of my brain.

Multiple studies have estimated interventionalists receive the equivalent of 10,000 to 100,000 chest x-rays to the left side of their head over a 20 year career, this number is probably increasing with more procedures and more complex procedures. Yet many people still believe the brain to be radiation insensitive, probably due to low replication rate of neurons. We now know the brain is very sensitive to radiation, especially the mitochondria and microvasculature.

It wasn't until 2007 that the ICRP regulatory body began recognising the brain as having some risk to radiation. They gave it the lowest weight of 0.01 whereas breast tissue is 0.12. This has not changed since even though there is more and more data showing radiation effects to the brain. It may not be until 2027 or 2028 before updated guidelines come out reflecting our accumulated data.

This is the huge problem with our system where guidelines and protocols lag decades behind the data, true for most aspects of medicine not just radiation exposure. In the meantime, it will be up to us as individuals to protect our brains during procedures and some of those who don't will unfortunately likely contribute more negative data.

People still laugh when they see me wearing different head protection equipment. I hope the day comes soon when it's normalised to want to protect your brain.

Stay safe.

04/12/2025

Statins Cut GLP-1 Levels by Nearly 50%

I and about 200 million other people have taken statins to control cholesterol levels. My personal experience and that of most of my family and friends is that many healthcare providers do not understand this topic deeply and it is the #1 cause of death in the world. For instance 10 years ago, when I was first at risk with metabolic syndrome, very few doctors knew about ApoB, lp(a) and optimal treatment plans for these type of patients.

I have been fortunate to be weaned off of statins now but when I was on it, I did notice a slightly elevated Hba1c.

A study published in Cell Metabolism (She et al.) has uncovered a striking finding: statin therapy reduced active GLP-1 levels by approximately 50% over just 16 weeks — the same GLP-1 that drugs like Ozempic are designed to boost.

The mechanism:
Statins disrupt the gut microbiome by depleting Clostridium species—bacteria that produce ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a beneficial bile acid. This disruption leads to:
→ Reduced GLP-1 secretion
→ Increased insulin resistance
→ Impaired glucose homeostasis

Potential fix:
Both mouse experiments and a human pilot showed that UDCA supplementation restored GLP-1 levels and improved glucose metabolism—without interfering with the cholesterol-lowering benefits of statins. While the study tested UDCA, it requires a prescription, TUDCA is a supplement you can find on Amazon and it appears to have higher bioavailabilty and has some clinical evidence in small studies and has also shown to be possibly more effective than UDCA.

For patients on statins showing signs of glucose intolerance, UDCA or TUDCA co-therapy may warrant a conversation with your healthcare provider.

Stay safe.

03/12/2025

Validating my hypertension protocol with new data.

Like many others, I have familial hypertension. For the past 5 years, I’ve settled on a combination of an Angiotensin Receptor Blocker (ARB) and a Calcium Channel Blocker (CCB).

Historically, the debate has always been ACE Inhibitors vs. ARBs. ACE inhibitors were often considered the "gold standard" for mortality benefit, while ARBs were viewed as the "better tolerated" cousin.

A new study published in Hypertension (AHA) "Comparative Effectiveness of ACE Inhibitors Versus Angiotensin Receptor Blockers," analyzed real-world data from over 328,000 patients (via UK Biobank and China Renal Data System) seems to contradict previous recommendations. Researchers compared the effectiveness of ACEis vs. ARBs.

The findings were significant: Those starting on ACE inhibitors had a 12–13% higher risk of all-cause mortality compared to those on ARBs.

Medicine evolves. It’s a good reminder to keep auditing your own health protocols against the latest data. Good discussion to have with your doctor if you have hypertension.

Stay safe.

02/12/2025

Not all cats are the same.

I was discussing cataracts with a young vascular surgeon today, and he—like many others—thought radiation-induced cataracts were the same as age-related cataracts. They're not.

Age-related cataracts typically develop in the nucleus or cortex of the lens and progress slowly over years, often decades. Surgery is generally straightforward with predictable outcomes.

Radiation-induced cataracts are different. They characteristically form in the posterior subcapsular region of the lens. The actively dividing epithelial cells at the lens equator are radiosensitive. When damaged, they migrate abnormally to the posterior pole, creating that distinctive PSC opacity.

Why does this matter surgically?

I had PSC cataract surgery on my left eye last year. My eyes are now constantly red and extremely dry. I also had to have subsequent YAG surgery. These aren't minor inconveniences; they're daily reminders that radiation-damaged tissue doesn't behave like healthy tissue.

I also have two interventional radiology friends who developed PSC cataracts from radiation exposure. Both underwent surgery. Both ended up with detached retinas—in both eyes. They now face long-term vision problems that may never fully resolve.

Radiation cataract surgery has higher complication rates and uncertain wound healing compared to standard cataracts. We need to do more to protect our eyes during procedures.

But my biggest worry is If radiation is causing this kind of damage to the lens—a structure we can see and measure—what is it doing to the unprotected brain sitting just behind those eyes?

Stay safe.

29/11/2025

We Haven't Evolved in the Past Century to Be Resistant to Radiation Damage

In the 1950s, Dr. Alice Stewart made a discovery that would revolutionize our understanding of radiation safety—and cost her career advancement for decades. Her pioneering research revealed that a single X-ray during pregnancy doubled a child's risk of developing cancer. The medical establishment resisted her findings for nearly 25 years before finally accepting them and curtailing X-rays for pregnant women.

Stewart's work taught us a fundamental truth: there is no safe threshold for radiation exposure. Our bodies haven't evolved protective mechanisms against ionizing radiation in the century since we began widespread medical imaging.

Recent 2025 studies are confirming what Stewart discovered 70 years ago—that medical radiation carries real risks, particularly for developing children:

**Childhood Cancer Risks:**
- A September 2025 UCSF study of 3.7 million children found a significant dose-response relationship between cumulative CT radiation and hematologic malignancies
- A Korean nationwide study published in July 2025 demonstrated clear dose-response relationships between pediatric CT exposure and cancer development, with children's rapidly dividing cells making them especially vulnerable
- Research published in April 2025 suggests CT scans may eventually account for 5% of all cancers annually, with infants and children at greatest risk. Estimates of over 100,000 new cancers from the CT’s performed in 2023 in the US alone.

**Preconception Risks:**
- A September 2025 study of over 5 million pregnancies in Ontario found that women who had CT scans before conception showed increased risks of miscarriage (rising from 8% with one scan to 19% with three or more) and congenital anomalies (rising from 6% to 15%)

Stewart faced fierce opposition because her findings challenged powerful interests during the nuclear arms race.

Today, we face similar pressures—the convenience and diagnostic power of CT imaging versus the biological reality that children's tissues remain exquisitely sensitive to radiation.

The takeaway isn't to avoid medically necessary imaging. Rather, it's to remember Stewart's lesson: we must carefully weigh each exposure, minimize doses where possible, and prioritize alternatives like ultrasound and MRI when appropriate—especially for children and women of childbearing age.

Our genes haven't caught up to our technology.

But unlike 60 years ago when there was a huge reduction in pregnant women being x-rayed, the past few decades have been seeing large increases. I don't see any chance of the numbers decreasing regardless of what these articles or future publications tell us about dangers of X-rays.

X-rays have been normalised and integrated into our healthcare systems and profit systems. Like microplastics, forever chemicals, heavy metal poisoning and many other public health problems, the genie is out of the bottle.

It will by up to us as individuals to minimise the risk to ourselves.

Stay safe.

27/10/2025

Lost another friend and colleague to cancer today.

Paul helped me in the Philippines supporting radiation safety for more than 10 years.

He fought to live so vigorously, undergoing multiple rounds of chemo and radiation and more than a dozen surgeries to the side of his face over the past 2 plus years.

We would like to believe our lives are a roaring bonfire, strong enough to push back the darkness for a long, long time. Lately, I’m reminded more and more often that it’s a tiny fragile spark that we need to do as much as we can to protect and nurture. I feel this is even more true in the developing countries I work.

Not a new lesson but one so easy to forget and what I hope to convey in the talks I give on radiation risks.

For the radiation workers that have cancer, CVD, carotid disease, cataracts, neurodegenerative disease etc. I can’t know for sure if it was caused by radiation exposure, but I UNDERSTAND that radiation can cause all these diseases and for sure will INCREASE your chances of getting them. If we really value our lives and the people we work with as well as the patient, we must DO as much as we can to reduce the risks to all.

Wishing for peace and comfort to Paul’s family and friends, he passed away much too young.

Stay safe.

01/09/2025

Great to see many friends at this conference in Singapore this year. Over 1300 attendees and great food, fun and even my first chance to try Padl. Special thanks to Eddie, Glen, Tec and Peter for their support and opportunity to present on radiation. Best ASVS ever!

07/05/2025

At the recent conference in Egypt, I met doctors who had gotten our radiation protection hats at another conference in Bali last year. They said prior to using the hats, they had radiation induced headaches after doing 2 cases. This limited their work load but after wearing the hat they could do 3-4 cases a day without getting headaches. I believe this is radiation induced vasculopathy causing vascular narrowing leading to headaches. Another female doctor is using our hats to prevent radiation induced alopecia or hair loss.

For a long time, regulatory guidelines did not consider the brain to be radiation sensitive. This meant you could receive unlimited amounts of radiation to the head and it would not count towards your annual effective dose. Now that has changed to the minimum weight of 0.1.

We understand the biological and molecular mechanisms of radiation induced damage to the brain that can lead to cerebrovascular disease, brain tumors and neurodegenerative diseases. We should be doing more to protect the brain during procedures that use radiation. I wrote a paper on this topic a few years ago titled "Don't be Caught Half-dressed when Working with Radiation".

Studies have estimated lifetime occupational exposure to the left side of the head at 100,000 chest x-ray equivalents over the course of a career. If clinicians are getting acute symptoms such as headaches, think what decades of radiation exposure are doing to our brains. We need to change our culture to include protecting more parts of our bodies, especially the brain.

Stay safe.

05/05/2025

Back in Egypt after 30 years to attend conference. Thanks to Prof. Ayman for inviting me to speak on radiation safety. Some scenes from Cairo and Port Fouad near the Suez canal where the conference was held. I had forgotten that this is the line separating Asian continent and African continent.

Lots of fresh fruits which is great though the conference organiser said it hadn't rained this year where we were..

24/04/2025

10,000 NEW cancers in children and over 100,000 new cancers overall in the US resulting from diagnostic CT scans performed in 2023..

This headline from about a week ago has already disappeared from the news and I doubt there will be any actual changes as a result of this updated information.

18 years ago Brenner and Hall published on this topic and estimated that 2% of future cancers could be caused by the CT’s done at that time. The changes they recommended still have not seen widespread implementation as the lead author in this current study; Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman is recommending similar things. She estimates 5% of CT’s will result in cancers caused by the CT’s they analysed with the number of unnecessary CT’s around 33%.

In 18 years we’ve gone from an estimate of 2% of cancers being caused by CT’s to 5% and 103,000 new cancers being caused by CT’s in 2023. This number continues to go up yet we still will not implement the simple changes that were recommended 18 years ago and again last week.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle which very few people want to talk about is financial. There is huge money in these imaging tests and that is certainly a roadblock to some of the changes but not all. For instance, just adopting low dose protocols in appropriate situations could have a big impact, especially for children.

So now we are seeing CT’s potentially causing cancers at a similar rate to other factors like alcohol and obesity. The frustration is no one is saying don’t do CT’s or that CT’s aren’t important, the message is we can reduce the risks with a few simple steps yet there is no movement to do even that. 103,000 additional cancers a year aren’t a big enough number.

Stay safe.

RadProtection Co., Ltd.

08/12/2025

06/12/2025

04/12/2025

03/12/2025

02/12/2025

29/11/2025

27/10/2025

01/09/2025

07/05/2025

05/05/2025

24/04/2025

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