Department of Anthropology, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834, USA.
Dose Response. 2006 Sep 23;5(1):48-62. doi: 10.2203/dose-response.06-007.Erickson.
There is a growing recognition in the United States and Europe that health care is driven to a significant extent by an emphasis on consumer choice and demand. As consumers, people regularly choose their own solutions for health promotion and maintenance, solutions which may or may not be sanctioned by mainstream medicine. Radioactive radon therapy exemplifies a non-sanctioned treatment eagerly sought by certain patients, but scorned or dismissed by many physicians. This is certainly the case in the United States, where well-publicized Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warnings portray radon as a potential carcinogen. Between 1997 and 2001, I worked with a population of arthritis sufferers who expose themselves to radon gas in Montana radon health mines in order to alleviate their symptoms. In this paper I discuss the decision-making process involved in using radon, and compare the Montana radon health mine facilities with selected radon mines and spas in Europe.
在美国和欧洲，人们越来越认识到，医疗保健在很大程度上受到强调消费者选择和需求的驱动。作为消费者，人们经常为促进和维持健康选择自己的解决方案，这些解决方案可能得到主流医学的认可，也可能没有得到认可。放射性氡疗法就是一个例子，某些患者非常渴望接受这种未经批准的治疗，但许多医生却不屑一顾或不予理会。这种情况在美国肯定是存在的，因为环境保护署(EPA)广为人知的警告将氡描绘成一种潜在的致癌物。在 1997 年至 2001 年间，我与一群关节炎患者合作，他们在蒙大拿州的氡气健康矿中暴露于氡气，以缓解他们的症状。在本文中，我将讨论使用氡的决策过程，并将蒙大拿州的氡气健康矿设施与欧洲的一些氡矿和温泉进行比较。
