Natural Detox After MRI and CT Scan Contrast: What Earth Clinic Readers Use

Ideally you would be taking melatonin for a few days before the CT and at least a week after the CT to help ameliorate the negative effects on the body. The effects of oral melatonin last approximately five hours, so taking melatonin two hours before the CT would be good. Two hours gives the melatonin time to get into the circulation. Although melatonin itself is done in about 5 hours in the body, its indirect effects are still active such as its upregulation of some of the bodies own potent antioxidants such as SOD, GPX, glutathione and catalase. This is the reason for taking melatonin days ahead of the CT, to help boosts the bodies antioxidant system which also offer protective effects.

If melatonin is unavailable where you are, another consideration for protective effects would be N Acetyl Cysteine (NAC).

NAC can offer some protective effects in regards to a CT scan as discussed here :

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1769030/#:~:text=The use of NAC for, NAC administration compared to placebo.

Here is a relevant quote from the link :

' The use of NAC for the prevention of RCIN (radio contrast induced nephropathy) gained widespread interest after a study by Tepel and colleagues demonstrated that the incidence of RCIN after radiocontrast enhanced computed tomographic (CT) scanning was significantly reduced by oral NAC administration compared to placebo.³ '

Another consideration is R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (R-ALA) which can also offer some protection against the radiotherapy.

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Melatonin has shown itself to help prevent DNA damage related to CT scans as discussed in this randomized controlled trial (RCT) using 100 mg of melatonin:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32208125/

Here is a relevant quote from the RCT :

' Compared to the control group, the use of melatonin 1h before the CT examination caused a significant reduction in γH2AX-foci, indicating a reduction in DSBs. In addition, no side effect was observed in patients following 100mg melatonin administration. '

This next human study suggests that melatonin is an effective protective agent against damage caused by contrast media :

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3998990/#:~:text=Conclusion: Melatonin is an effective, to use contrast media agents.

Here are two relevant quotes from the human study :

' Contrast media significantly increased the creatinine and BUN and renal injury (p<0.05). Melatonin prevented and reversed the injury induced by contrast media (P<0.05). Pretreatment with melatonin reduced the renal injury induced by contrast media (P<0.05). '

' Melatonin is an effective drug to prevent contrast–induced renal injury. Therefore its usage (especially pretreatment) might be beneficial in patients who are planning to use contrast media agents. '

The following literature review suggests that melatonin also has protective effects against radiation :

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4037598/#:~:text=Since 1993, when melatonin (a, damage [5, 10].

Here is a relevant quote from the review :

' Since 1993, when melatonin (a pineal gland hormone) was first identified as a free radical scavenger [13], a large number of papers have been published confirming the ability of this radioprotective agent to shield against radiation-induced damage [5, 10]. '

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Sodium Bicarbonate Prevents Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in Addition to Theophylline
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4902357/
https://examine.com/supplements/sodium-bicarbonate/?srsltid=AfmBOora7gIdOuk2Y4EO6eCFCjHk5MVFXtlFtibrVNMSVGYnLfXJmWx1&show_conditions=true

N-acetylcysteine, theophylline, sodium bicarbonate and statins show some promise as potentially efficacious agents for preventing CIN**, but more high-quality studies are needed before they can be recommended for use in routine practice