OMG, Poor Japan, ways to protect yourself from radiation....

Today's Post: Tuesday, 3-15-2011

So far the radiation release from Japan’s earthquake damaged nuclear reactors has not been high enough to send a lot of radiation across the Pacific.

It’s too early to tell if that will get worse. If it does, the jet stream will send the radioactivity along the coast of the United States from Alaska to Southern California-- getting to Southern California in 11 days.

It’s also too early to tell if foods from Japan will need to be avoided.

Meanwhile, I found two articles with things to do to protect yourself from radiation.

The good news is that almost all of them have other health benefits in addition.

One of the dangers from radiation is increased creation of cancer cells. Since your immune system removes many of these, keeping your immune system strong and avoiding things that cut it back makes good sense.

1. Unfortunately, sugar and refined grains tend to turn down your immune system. But between high fructose corn syrup and real sugar the average person has been consuming a bit over 7 Tablespoons of sugar a day. So cutting back sugary treats enough to get down to 3 Tablespoons a week or less makes good sense. The good news is that many people who manage this will lose well over 10 pounds of fat by doing this. Some can lose as much as 60 pounds over a year’s time. Not drinking any regular or diet soft drinks at all is a good start for many people as we’ve posted on before.

2. Potassium iodide can protect your thyroid gland if taken before radioactive exposure.

“The FDA has approved two different forms of KI—tablets and liquid—that people can take by mouth after a nuclear radiation emergency. Tablets come in two strengths, 130 milligram (mg) and 65 mg. The tablets are scored so they may be cut into smaller pieces for lower doses. Each milliliter (mL) of the oral liquid solution contains 65 mg of KI.

According to the FDA, the following doses are appropriate to take after internal contamination with (or likely internal contamination with) radioactive iodine:

Adults should take 130 mg (one 130 mg tablet OR two 65 mg tablets OR two mL of solution).
Women who are breastfeeding should take the adult dose of 130 mg.
Children between 3 and 18 years of age should take 65 mg (one 65 mg tablet OR 1 mL of solution). Children who are adult size (greater than or equal to 150 pounds) should take the full adult dose, regardless of their age.
Infants and children between 1 month and 3 years of age should take 32 mg (½ of a 65 mg tablet OR ½ mL of solution). This dose is for both nursing and non-nursing infants and children.
Newborns from birth to 1 month of age should be given 16 mg (¼ of a 65 mg tablet or ¼ mL of solution). This dose is for both nursing and non-nursing newborn infants.
The protective effects of a dose of KI is about 24 hours. KI is available without a prescription, and a pharmacist can sell you KI brands that have been approved by the FDA.”

Source Naturals also makes a potassium iodide supplement in the 32.5 mg size.

So, if you read of core meltdowns in Japan and much more radiation release than has yet occurred and live or will visit the West Coast or Hawaii, you might want to get a supply from your local pharmacy, health plan, or health food store.

The supply may run short. So if you see that news, make your purchases as soon as you can. In Hawaii, you’ll have a couple of days, five days in Seattle, Vancouver, and Portland, about a week in the San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley, and 11 days in LA and San Diego.

Buying a bit this week might make sense, just in case.

3. A substance called glutathione makes cancer from radiation less likely.

Detoxification benefits from boosted levels also helps cancer patients better tolerate their treatment.

Higher levels of glutathione also make all illness less likely and all kinds of mental decline less likely. The supplement NAC, n-acetyl cysteine, boosts glutathione release in your body. That supplement may also prevent mental decline in part because it also lowers homocysteine which a recent study found damages your brain.

Lastly, the amino acid Cysteine in NAC is a sulfur compound and taking it also protects you from radioactive sulfur to some degree. (NAC’s smell is from the sulfur.)

500 mg or two 500 mg a day of NAC is the usual amount. Jarrow and other companies make NAC supplement that you can buy at your local health food store.

4. Other supplements that have sulfur or may help boost glutathione include alpha lipoic acid. Alpha lipoic acid may help glutathione release, it helps your body get more use out of vitamin C and vitamin E and is itself an antioxidant. It also is protective to some degree against sugar intake. Deodorized garlic and eating garlic and onions fits here. Glucosamine sulfate and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) help many people avoid or have less joint pain. Sulfate of course has sulfur and the S in MSM is sulfur.

5. Dr Russell Blaylock also lists these supplements & foods.

“Gingko biloba can be protective even after exposure to radiation. Beta-glucan protects the bone marrow. Curcumin also can offer protection after exposure, particularly against breast cancer. He also suggests garlic extract, ginger, melatonin, and magnesium.”

Ginkgo is a blood thinner as is garlic extract. So people taking blood thinning drugs need to be careful. But 60 mg a day of Ginkgo is likely OK for most people and deodorized garlic supplements taken once a day is heart protective. There are beta-glucan supplements; but it is also high in oatmeal which is far cheaper. Curcumin and over 4,000 iu a day of vitamin D3 each tend to prevent cancer with or without extra radiation to combat. Ginger is related to turmeric, the source of curcumin. And taking magnesium supplements and eating foods from away from the affected areas that are high in calcium also is protective since your body will wind up with less of the radioactive versions.

6. The article I found online said that these ingredients also help (My comments are inside the parentheses.)

*”Green tea
*Miso soup (has an ingredient found to be protective from radiation)
*Spirulina, chlorella and the algaes (kelp, etc.) (& wakame and other seaweed foods also fit here.)
Brassica vegetables and high beta carotene vegetables (Cabbages fit here, other cruciferous vegetables fit here. Broccoli fits both there and high in beta carotene as does Kale. Carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes and dark greens such as chard are all high in mixed beta carotenes.)
Beans and lentils (High in non-animal protein if animal protein gets contaminated and high in fiber to move any contaminated foods more quickly out of your body. Also cheap and a good food for fat loss.)
Potassium, calcium and mineral rich foods (Safe supplements for potassium and magnesium exist; but calcium is far more safely gotten from foods.)
*High nucleotide content foods to assist in cellular repair including spirulina, chlorella, algae, yeast, sardines, liver, anchovies and mackerel
cod liver oil and olive oil (Vitamin D3 and retinol or animal derived vitamin A up to about 5,000 iu a day can substitute for cod liver oil.)
Avoid sugars and sweets and wheat (This likely means refined grain wheat; but cutting back on even whole grains except oatmeal may be wise also.)
A good multivitamin/multimineral supplement “

The foods I’ve starred* would be best bought this week or from locations other than Japan if their situation gets bad enough since these foods might pick up radiation.

But the article in which I found them noted that after the atomic bombs fell on Japan, the survival rate of people with radiation exposure who ate “brown rice, miso and tamari soy soup, wakame, kombu and other seaweed” and no sweets had a better survival rate than people with less exposure who did not.

It seems that sodium alginate, iodine, and fiber and other things in these foods is very protective.

Let’s hope and pray that the situation in the either Japan or the United States does not get anywhere near that bad.

But also note that things like the vegetables and beans and lentils recommended and taking supplements such as NAC, alpha lipoic acid, and minerals such as magnesium and avoiding sweets are protective of your health at all times. So taking that set of supplements, eating those foods, and dramatically limiting foods with sugar and eating no foods with high fructose corn syrup or refined grains will make you far healthier and less fat at any time.

So adding them now, just in case, is a great idea.