Radiation Information

RADIATION INFORMATION:

Chances are you have been hearing conflicting messages as I:  "Where heading for a disaster cause of Japan", "Stock up on iodine", "Don't worry about it; you won't need it", "It's dangerous and can cause further problems", "It will protect you from radioactive fallout" and "It won't hit the US (or will it?) ".   It leaves you wondering what to believe.  After hearing some people's concerns here in the valley, I hope to present both sides of the issue on the back side of the Nuclear Meltdown in Japan.  May I encourage you to always pray about any information for you and your family.

     There is reason for such confusion and even distrust. Nuclear mishaps over the last few decades have shown government's response to such measures being questionable at best. One might say the walking the line between preventing public chaos and a national health incidence has become too thin.

We live in a radioactive world--humans always have.  Radiation is part of our natural environment.   We are exposed to radiation from materials in the earth itself, from naturally occurring radon in the air, from outer space, and from inside our own bodies (as a result of the food and water we consume).

This radiation is measured in units called millirems (mrems)

The average dose per person from all sources is about 620 mrems per year.  It is not, however, uncommon for any of us to receive less or more than that in a given year (largely due to medical procedures we may undergo).  International Standards allow exposure to as much as 5,000 mrems a year for those who work with and around radioactive material. (This is from the American Nuclear Society)
  For an interactive version of the dose Chart which is based on the internationally recognized units (Sieverts and millisieverts) go here.  

 

What is radiation?

When people talk about dangerous radiation they mean ionizing radiation at levels far above the ‘background radiation’ levels we experience every day.
      Non-ionizing radiation such as visible light, radar, microwaves and radio waves is largely harmless. Ionizing radiation, however, has the power to break molecular bonds in living tissue, causing damage and in extreme cases death.
   Ionizing radiation is the excess energy or mass produced by unstable atoms. It comes in two forms; waves such as X-rays and gamma rays, and particles such as alpha and beta particles. When these pass through living tissue, or are ingested, they can remove electrons from atoms turning them into positively charged particles, or ions, which may damage the body’s cells.

Effects of Radiation Exposure on Human Health 

Although a dose of just 25 rems causes some detectable changes in blood, doses to near 100 rems usually have no immediate harmful effects.  Doses above 100 rems cause the first signs of radiation sickness including:     

• nausea
• vomiting   
• headache                                      
• some loss of white blood cells

Doses of 300 rems or more cause temporary hair loss, but also more significant, internal harm, including damage to nerve cells and the cells that line the digestive tract.  Severe loss of white blood cells, which are the body's main defense against infection, makes radiation victims highly vulnerable to disease.  Radiation also reduces production of blood platelets, which aid blood clotting, so victims of radiation sickness are also vulnerable to hemorrhaging.  Half of all people exposed to 450 rems die, and doses of 800 rems or more are always fatal.  Besides the symptoms mentioned above, these people also suffer from fever and diarrhea.  As of yet, there is no effective treatment--so death occurs within two to fourteen days.  In time, for survivors, diseases such as leukemia (cancer of the blood), lung cancer, thyroid cancer, breast cancer, and cancers of other organs can appear due to the radiation received.


Thyroid, the organ to protect from Radiation exposure, WHY?

The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident, the post-9/11 fears of terrorist attacks on nuclear facilities, and the March 2011 disaster at the Japanese Fukushima nuclear plant are all situations that have focused attention on protecting the thyroid gland from radiation. 

   One of the most carcinogenic nuclear fission products found in fallout is radioactive Iodine (Iodine-131).  Iodine-131 is very dangerous because the thyroid gland readily absorbs it just as it would the natural, healthy form of iodine.  If humans or animals are deficient in iodine, they are at a substantially higher risk of thyroid damage including thyroid cancer as a result of exposure to fallout. Nuclear fallout literally "falls" from the sky and can eventually end up in our soil, our water, and our food supply.  While the Japanese are perhaps one of the best prepared cultures for such a tragedy due to their high intake of iodine from seaweed, the majority of others are not.   The Japanese typically ingest 100 times the amount of daily iodine.

What does the thyroid gland do?

The thyroid gland produces hormones that work as messages to other parts of the body, telling them how to function properly.  The two major hormones are thyroxine (T4), and triiodothyronime (T3). 

The thyroid is the only organ that can absorb iodine, a vital mineral found in food.  In turn, the iodine combines with T3 and T4 to produce hormones.  These hormones help with proper functioning of the metabolism, the heart and blood pressure.

Normal thyroids produce 20 percent of T3 and 80 percent of T4.  When there is a disruption of the iodine needed to produce hormones, thyroid disorders can develop.  If left untreated, these disorders can lead to more serious health issues, such as heart problems.

  

People worldwide are stocking up on potassium iodide, but experts are warning that K1, as it is also known, can be dangerous if used improperly. Potassium iodide helps prevent some of the damaging effects of radiation.  The thyroid gland in the neck is one of the most sensitive organs in the body to radiation. Exposure to high levels of radiation — as occurs during a nuclear plant meltdown — can lead to thyroid cancer.

So how does potassium iodide help?

The thyroid uses iodine normally to make thyroid hormone. The radiation from a nuclear event releases radioactive iodine into the air. When the radioactive iodine enters the body, the thyroid quickly scoops it up.

    Taking potassium iodide pills temporarily stops the thyroid. If taken prior to radiation exposure, the iodine pills counter the effect of the radioactive iodine on the thyroid. This helps prevent the development of thyroid cancer down the road.

    Usually, only one dose of potassium iodide is needed since a single dose protects the thyroid gland for 24 hours — assuming you remove yourself from the exposure area.

    It’s important to note that potassium iodide pills protect only the thyroid. They don’t prevent your body from taking in the radiation and don't help prevent radiation damage to other parts of the body.

    Potassium iodide is available without a prescription as pills or drops. It is also found in radiation exposure kits. But taking iodine pills is not something you want to do unless instructed by your doctor or emergency management officials.

     There are also other medicines that help if exposed to various radioactive substances. They treat contamination from various radioactive substances, including plutonium, by increasing elimination from the body.

    It’s important to remember that experts are not suggesting anyone in the U.S. take potassium iodide, and of course there is no current risk of radiation exposure from a nuclear meltdown in the U.S.

      Additionally, experts say, all the predictions so far have pointed to any such KI purchases as being unnecessary. Dr. Leonard Wartofsky, an endocrinologist at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., and a past president of the Endocrine Society, said "All of the predictions are that there will not be enough radiation reaching Hawaii or the West Coast to be of any concern." He added that radiation needs to be in the 50 rad region before KI should be ingested, saying, "It's not going to be anywhere near that in the United States. It's hitting the panic button unnecessarily."

    Taking KI can also be harmful to certain people. For example, the CDC notes that potassium iodide can be harmful to people who are allergic to the substance or who have the skin disorders dermatitis herpetiformis or urticaria vasculitis.

     That's not all. People with thyroid conditions can worsen them by taking potassium iodide. If such patients do need to take KI, they do so under a doctor's supervision.
     Additionally, women who are pregnant, as well as infants should not be given potassium iodide as infants could suffer a serious thyroid disorder.

But we need Iodine.  What's an alternative to K1?

   Iodine is probably one of the most misunderstood nutrients of our time; although as the realization of its importance for whole body health grows, the volume of understanding is becoming much greater. When people think of iodine, they think of the thyroid gland because it accounts for approximately 60% of thyroid hormone production. This has led the CDC to create its daily recommendation of iodine to be just 150 mcg (micrograms) for the average adult for general thyroid health, which does not take into account the need in other areas of the body.
   Iodine plays a major role in the health and wellness of the entire body.  Aside from preventing thyroid goiters and nodules, iodine has proven to be critical for other iodine dependent tissues such as the breasts, prostate, reproduction organs, digestive tract and essentially all tissues of the body exposed to microbes and pathogens.  This partially due to iodine's antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic and antiviral effects.  This has led practitioners making recommendations of daily iodine considerably higher than the current 150 mcg daily.

     Many of the recommendations of how much iodine one should take have been distilled from studying cultures that eat iodine rich foods such as sea vegetables including dulse and kelp.  It has been found that cultures such as the Japanese, where these foods are a regular staple to their diet, have lower incidences of breast and prostate cancer, as well as cardiovascular disease.
    The Japanese culture consumes at conservative estimates ten times more iodine than the United States averaging in between 1 1/2 mg to 6 mg daily, with some estimates going as high as 13 mg daily.  So does this mean that we should be taking daily dosages in these  higher amounts? 
   The recent nuclear scare should serve as a wake-up call.  The iodine you consume in foods and supplements gets released from the body in 24 to 48 hours, which means daily consumption or supplementation of iodine is critical for maintaining iodine dependent health.

     

Brownstein, David M.D. Iodine Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It

Zimmerman MB. Iodine Deficiency. Endocr Rev 2009;30(4):376-408.

Risher JF, Keith S. iodine and inorganic iodides; human health aspects. Concise international chemical assessment document #72:World Health Organization, 2009.

RADIATION STORIES: 

1-   In his book Macrobiotic Diet, Michio Kushi states: "At the time of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945, Tatsuichiro Akizuki, M.D., was director of the Department of Internal Medicine at St. Francis Hospital in Nagasaki.  Most patients in the hospital, located one mile from the center of the blast, survived the initial effects of the bomb, but soon after came down with symptoms of radiation sickness from the radioactivity that had been released.  Dr. Akizuki fed his staff and patients a strict macrobiotic diet of brown rice, miso* and tamari soy sauce soup, wakame and other sea vegetables, Hokkaido pumpkin, and sea salt and prohibited the consumption of sugar and sweets.  As a result, he saved everyone in his hospital, while many other survivors in the city perished from radiation sickness." 

* miso: paste made from fermented soya beans and barley or rice malt, used in Japanese/macrobiotic cookery

2. Combating radiation poisoning tips:  Chelating (detoxifying) excess ionizing radiation & destructive radioactivity from your body and treating radiation burns naturally
                                by Ulla, designer of Healing Cancer Naturally @2006 & 2007 

If you have submitted your body to ionizing radiation either for medical diagnostic purposes (fluoroscopy/mammography/other medical x-ray exams) or in the course of radiotherapy treatment, or if you are otherwise concerned by excessive radiation exposure, overload or poisoning (such as living near a nuclear reactor facility, working with diagnostic radiological equipment/in the nuclear processing industries/uranium mining/uranium or plutonium processing), or if you have been exposed to radioactive particles or higher ionizing radiation doses stemming from other sources such as depleted uranium (DU), testing of atomic weapons, frequent flights in higher altitudes, a nuclear disaster etc., here are a number of tips and suggested remedies how to naturally help your body excrete damaging radioactive elements (e.g. strontium and radioactive iodine) or detoxify (or scavenge) their noxious byproducts such as free radicals as well as deal with radiation burns by using dietary, nutritional, herbal and other naturopathic approaches and modalities.

Note: Healing Cancer Naturally does not endorse conventional cancer and tumor treatment by radiation therapy (radiotherapy/X-rays).

3- Baking Soda Baths (sodium bicarbonate)   "If you were near Chernobyl or if you had an x-ray or radiation treatments for cancer, my radioics practitioner said that you can soak your body in baking soda baths to help pull out the radiation from your body.  If you look all over the web, there is talk about patients who have had mouth cancer who were given radiation treatments to get rid of the cancer, and then told to gargle with baking soda mixed in water."