Generally, hormesis is any stimulatory or beneficial effect, induced by low doses of an agent, that can not be predicted by the extrapolation of detrimental effects induced by high doses of the same agent. The concept of radiation hormesis is usually applied to physiological benefits from low LET* radiation in the range of 1-50 rem total absorbed dose.
*Linear Energy Transfer (LET): Average energy locally deposited in an absorber resulting from a charged particle per unit distance of travel (MeV/cm).
