Reality TV star Kim Kardashian is still struggling to pass her bar exam. Last month, she revealed that she’d failed the test, a major setback in her journey to become an attorney, and she’s even accused ChatGPT of making her “fail tests all the time.”
Now, in a recent episode of “The Kardashians” her doctor told her that she has “holes” in her brain, based on recent scans, which are related to “low activity” and caused by chronic stress.
Don’t necessarily take it at face value. In a recent piece for The Conversation, Curtin University neurology senior research fellow Sarah Hellewell warned that there’s little merit to the tech used by Kardashian’s physician, and that we should take his diagnosis with a massive grain of salt.
While “holes” in the brain and “low activity” sounds “incredibly sad and concerning, doctors and scientists have doubts about the technology used and its growing commercialization,” Hellewell writes.
Recent MRI scans led to Kim being diagnosed with a brain aneurysm earlier this year. However, the tech on display in the latest episode of her hit TV series shows a different type of imaging being used.
Single-photon emission tomography, or SPECT, “involves injecting radioactive chemicals into the blood and using a special camera which creates 3D images of organs, including the brain,” Hellewell explained.
It can be used to track and measure blood flow and diagnose brain, heart, and bone conditions.
But “while SPECT has some clinical use under limited circumstances, there is not good evidence for SPECT scans outside these purposes,” Hellewell cautioned.
Proponents have claimed that SPECT can be used to diagnose a number of conditions, including Alzheimer’s, ADHD, and eating disorders. However, the scientific community remains skeptical of these claims, arguing that the imaging technique is largely “snake oil” based on unfounded scientific evidence.
“Scans could potentially show changes in blood flow, though these may be common across conditions,” Hellewell writes. “Blood flow can also vary depending on the area of the brain examined, time of day, and even how well-rested a person is.”
The “holes” in Kardashian’s brain are likely areas of reduced blood flow, which could indicate a number of things. According to Hellewell, there’s no credible evidence that these changes have anything to do with chronic stress, as her doctor claims.
Worst of all, doctors have warned that diagnoses based on SPECT scans could lead to patients being recommended the wrong or at least an entirely ineffective treatment plan.
Patients also have to shoulder the full expense of a scan since it’s not “not recognized as a medical requirement,” per Hellewell, which can cost “upwards of $3,000.”
In short, wealthy individuals like Kardashian may be taken advantage of by being roped into expensive SPECT scans that give them muddy medical advice.
“While imaging tools such as SPECT and MRI may be genuinely used to diagnose many conditions, there is no medical need for healthy people to have them,” Hellewell concluded.
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