Harvard Health Content API

The concern about radiation exposure is an increased risk for developing cancer later in life. Ionizing radiation from tests such as x-rays or CT scans have the potential to damage tissue in the body, including cell DNA. Getting a diagnostic test once in a while is likely to provide crucial information to guide treatment, and it isn’t believed to pose much of a cancer risk. But frequent diagnostic testing may slightly increase cancer risk and should be weighed carefully.

To reactivate an old memory, one must think about the perceptions that were engaged as the memory was being recorded. These perceptions include images, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, thoughts, or feelings of an experience. To trigger such recorded perceptions, one can look at old photographs, read a familiar poem, hold an old article of clothing, read an old letter, listen to a favorite old song, cook a family recipe, or watch an old movie or TV show.

Memories are stored in pieces in various regions of the brain. The different pieces contain information such as the sight, sound, and emotional reactions that occurred during an experience. The pieces are then linked into a coherent combination called a memory engram. Some research in mice suggests that if the brain is temporarily impaired, access to a memory may be temporarily lost, but it’s still there and has the potential to be retrieved later. It’s not clear yet if lost memories can be restored in humans.

Many chronic conditions seem to be related. Examples include obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease; hearing loss and dementia; obstructive sleep apnea and high blood pressure; various autoimmune diseases; and obesity and joint problems. People with chronic conditions should ask their doctors about the risk for associated diseases.In some cases, they should have certain health screenings to check for them. In other cases, additional screening isn’t automatic.