Saturday, March 19, 2011

Fallout Foods That Block Radioactivity

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Fallout Foods That Block Radioactivity


The powerful Jet Stream has just delivered radioactive fallout from those damaged Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan to America's shores.

And while the officials say we "have little to worry about," I'll be taking a few extra precautions on protecting my health and my family, thank you very much.

You see, my home was only an hour down the road when Three Mile Island began to "experience problems" back in 1979 -- although Lieutenant Gov. William Scranton assured Pennsylvania residents that the radiation escaping the cooling towers "wasn't dangerous."

That official proclamation was all the motivation I needed to get my pregnant wife and our three-year-old daughter into our Toyota Land Cruiser and join the snaking exodus past Hershey, Pa., a town once known for chocolate until understatement stole its rep.

32 Years Ago Almost To the Day

"It's déjà vu all over again," as Yogi Berra once quipped-- but there's no driving away from this fallout, folks. Meteorologists say the entire US will be blanketed in a matter of days. Just what we need, eh?

With spring allergies now beginning to rage and BPA plastic turning up in the entire food chain, the last thing my besieged immune system needs is another boogeyman to scare it into a shutdown. How about you?

Fortunately, protection is as near as your local supermarket.

The editors and I here at MyHealingKitchen.com want to tell you about an easy, effective way to keep yourself and your family safe from the fallout overhead: That's by eating more iodine-rich foods in the days and weeks ahead.

If you've been consuming the healing superfoods and "meals that heal" which we spotlight on our website every week, you're already getting a healthy dose of natural cancer protection.

But because "unusual times require unusual precautions," this Special Report will clue you in to the special foods and supplements that shield you from radioactivity and the harm it can do. But first, let's start with the basics...

Japanese Fallout 101

Most of the nasty radiation from Japan right now is in the form of radioactive iodine-131, which lodges in the thyroid glands of mammals -- especially humans whose diets are deficient in protective iodine (That's about 95% of Americans, according to Soram Kalsa, MD and professor of clinical medicine who practices at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.)

While there are hundreds of other possible radioactive contaminants that may appear in much smaller particles, iodine-131 is the bad guy you should be most concerned about. That's because it lodges in the thyroid of mammals and can lead to cancer.

Potassium-iodide (KI) supplements, called "thyroid blockers," are the go-to emergency treatment, says Dr. Soram.

"Consuming KI before and during exposure to radiation is the accepted way to prevent radioactive form of iodine from lodging in your thyroid (as well as ovaries, uterus, prostate, and breasts) and keep it moving until it exits your body," he explains. So iodide supplements are usually administered."

"Consuming KI before and during exposure to radiation is the accepted way to prevent radioactive form of iodine from lodging in your thyroid (as well as ovaries, uterus, prostate, and breasts) and keep it moving until it exits your body," he explains. "Which is why iodide supplements are usually administered."

Although the federal government claims you only need a one-time dose of iodide just before or after exposure, this strategy is inappropriate if you're exposed over a longer-term or from farther away.

And this seems to be the case today.

Supplement Shortages and Price Gouging

But finding a reputable KI supplement may be difficult right now. That's because the Japanese nuclear disaster has triggered a massive demand for these tablets. And there is outrageous price-gouging happening online.

And that's not the worst of it. Unscrupulous manufacturers are cranking out worthless placebo tablets labeled as KI and charging exorbitant prices.

Although we haven't investigated them, here are two well-reviewed products with a good reputation for quality KI tablets...

Source Naturals Potassium Iodide

Thyro Shield Potassium Iodide Solution, Black Raspberry

But we aren't recommending that you run out and buy KI tablets (unless you just want the security of having a stash).

Supplements are only necessary for those contaminated within a 100-mile radius of the meltdown zone.

For everyone else, a much easier way to protect yourself is to boost your consumption of foods rich in natural iodine and antioxidants (nutrients that disarm the carcinogens that can cause various cancers).

Pass the Seaweed, Please

Even without a KI supply, you can protect yourself and family by eating more of what I call "fallout foods," which are rich in natural iodine.

These foods help ramp up your body's natural iodine supplies so that you're not vulnerable to radioactive iodine-131 getting into your organs.

Remember: When you're deficient in iodine, your body will soak up any iodine it encounters -- even if it's the radioactive kind. But if you're "topped off" with healthful, food-sourced iodine, the radioactive stuff can't lodge in your body.

The best food sources of iodine come from the oceans -- and topping the list is seaweed and other sea vegetables. These are the very best food source of iodine on the planet.

Seaweeds That We Love

If you're like most Americans, chances are the only seaweed you've swallowed was wrapped around a sushi roll. But seaweed and sea veggies are a mainstay in the Japanese diet (they consume more of it than any population on Earth), so they're getting as much protection as these foods can provide.

Here's a rundown of the most popular types of seaweed available...

Kelp has an amazing 12 mg of iodine per teaspoon of granules. Sprinkle it onto any meal--salads, soups, and whole grains.

Kombu is a type of kelp that comes in strips. Add one 5" strip to every pot of soup, grains and beans you cook (iodine is not affected by heat). It's painless and flavorless, and you can remove it after cooking so squeamish family member won't have to see it.

Dulse and wakame are other good sources of iodine, and one sheet of nori provides 70% of your daily recommendation.

Because iodine content varies greatly according to growing conditions, it's impossible to know for certain how much you're getting. But if you start adding it to you diet today, your thyroid will thank you -- even if radiation levels remain safe.

Once you start to appreciate the many health benefits that seaweed provides, it will be much easier to include it in your diet frequently.

And your health will really benefit because, in addition to protecting you from radiation, sea vegetables actually remove it from the body.

According to a 1964 McGill University study published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal, kelp reduces intestinal absorption of radioactive strontium-90 by up to 80% (thus it passes through the body instead of sticking around).

Seaweed Salads and Other Delights

Curious to see if we could make "seaweed snacking" more appealing to Western taste buds, we've been experimenting with new recipe ideas in our My Healing Kitchen Test Kitchen. Here are the winning favorites as voted by our Taste Panel...

Nori-Wrapped Crab Rolls with Wasabi and Roasted Red Pepper

Seaweed Cucumber Salad

You can also enjoy seaweed in the form of Annie Chun's Seaweed Snacks (or the many house brand offerings at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods). Around the MyHealingKitchen offices, we're finding them to be quite addictive.

Other Radiation-Blocking Foods to Munch

No way that you'll ever, ever eat seaweed?

You'll be happy to know there are several other foods that pack a big wallop of iodine, including asparagus, garlic, lima beans, mushrooms, sesame seeds, soybeans, spinach, summer squash, Swiss chard and turnip greens. Just know that these veggies are nowhere near as potent as the sea-faring sisters.

And forget that urban rumor about getting your iodine from iodized salt. You'd have to swallow a half a cup of salt to get a scant 13 mg -- and your blood pressure wouldn't appreciate that very much.

So have a bowl of miso soup instead.

The Japanese consume a lot of miso -- a savory, fermented soybean paste frequently used as a base for soups. Soybeans provide ample iodine on their own, but studies shown that miso strengthens people's resistance to radiation poisoning by up to five times, according to 1990 Hiroshima University research. And this review of miso studies shows phenomenal anti-cancer activity.

The fallout-fighting benefits of miso were first observed by Dr. Tatsuichiro Akizuki, M.D., who discovered that his staff and patients failed to develop radiation sickness, even though they were terribly near the atomic blast in Nagasaki. He attributed this to their unusually high daily consumption of miso and wakame seaweed soup.

Miso is incredibly versatile, too. You can use it as a bouillon or stock, put it in sandwich spreads, or sip it with grated ginger as a hearty tea.

Some mornings, I fill a quart jar with hot water, add 2 teaspoons of grated ginger with a tablespoon of miso, and enjoy it for hours. It's quick, easy, nourishing -- and very low-cal. Add a bit of kelp, call it a soup, and you've got twice the protection.

Other Radiation-Fighting Warriors

Radiation causes cancer by creating free radicals molecules that damage DNA. So it makes sense to eat more foods and supplements that are rich in antioxidants these days -- and research backs this up.

Choose foods loaded with the antioxidants vitamin C (papaya, kale, red bell peppers, broccoli, strawberries and kiwis), vitamin E (sunflower seeds, almonds, olives and spinach) and selenium (Brazil nuts, salmon, shrimp and turkey, and brown rice). All of these are cancer-blocking heavyweights. Let your eyes guide you: Fresh, brightly-colored foods tend to be antioxidant treasures.

You also should consume more whole grains, especially brown rice. They are rich in fiber, phosphorus, antioxidants and selenium, all of which help escort toxins from the body.

And don't forget herbal aid--Spanish researchers published research in the British Journal of Radiology demonstrating that nothing fights the free radicals created by radiation like rosemary. Since rosemary's essential antioxidants are fat-soluble, they provide critical protection in areas water-based antioxidants can't reach.

Other supplements that may be protective against radiation damage are vitamin D and vitamin K. Both support cell apoptosis, which is the programmed death of cells that accumulate various DNA errors (due to radiation and other causes). Vitamin D also supports DNA repair.

Time for Change

Following on the heels of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico just 13 months go, this is yet another wake-up call for us as global citizens, as well as Americans.

The terrible televised scenes from Japan re-emphasize the pressing need to transition to non-polluting, sustainable, renewable sources of energy immediately.

In the meantime, one thing each of us can do right away is conserve the energy available to us. Conservation is the cheapest form of energy we have.

The time for real alternative energy is here. The sooner we get working on it, the sooner we can pass a safer world on to our grandchildren.

SHIT

Radiation Exposure - What are the Health Risks?

Since the disaster events in Japan causing leakage of radiation from several nuclear power plants, we have had many of our clients contact us with questions about how to protect themselves from radiation poisoning. This is especially true for our friends in Hawaii. But even in California, Ted's wife, Patsy, who has relatives in Southern California, tells me that there are news reports telling folks to stay inside this weekend if there is rain.

The greater the shielding around a radiation source, the smaller the exposure. Shielding simply means having something that will absorb radiation between you and the source of the radiation. The amount of shielding required to protect against different kinds of radiation depends on how much energy they have.

(Alpha)
A thin piece of light material, such as paper, or even the dead cells in the outer layer of human skin provides adequate shielding because alpha particles can't penetrate it. However, the danger lies in inhaled or ingested alpha emitters.

(Beta)
Additional covering, for example heavy clothing, is necessary to protect against beta-emitters. Some beta particles can penetrate and burn the skin.

(Gamma)
Thick, dense shielding, such as lead, is necessary to protect against gamma rays. The higher the energy of the gamma ray, the thicker the lead must be. X-rays pose a similar challenge, so x-ray technicians often give patients receiving medical or dental X-rays a lead apron to cover other parts of their body.

Protection from Radiation Poisoning

When radioactive material gets inside your body, you have to wait until it decays or until your body can eliminate it. Alpha and beta particles are the main concern for internal exposure. Alpha and beta radiation concentrate in the thyroid. The thyroid needs iodine to function normally, and cannot tell the difference between stable and radioactive isotopes. As a result, alpha and beta radiation contributes to thyroid cancer more than other types of cancer. The key is to protect the thyroid. This is done by taking iodine/potassium supplements. If the thyroid is full of stable plant source iodine and potassium, radioactive isotopes cannot enter the thyroid. Kelp is an excellent source of both of these nutrients.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does radiation cause health effects?
Living tissue in the human body can be damaged by radiation in a unique manner. The body attempts to repair the damage, but sometimes the damage is of a nature that cannot be repaired or it is too severe or widespread to be repaired. The natural repair process can lead to cancerous cells.

What health problems does exposure to radiation cause?
Cancer is considered by most people the primary health effect from radiation exposure. Simply put, cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells. Radiation’s ability to break chemical bonds in atoms and molecules makes it such a potent carcinogen. Other serious health effects may also occur. Radiation can cause changes in DNA, the “blueprints” that bring about cell repair. These changes in DNA are called “mutations”. Sometimes the body fails to repair these mutations or even creates mutations during repair. Mutations may be passed on to offspring.

High-Level Exposure
Unlike cancer, health effects from high-level exposure to radiation usually appear quickly with health effects that include burns and radiation sickness. Radiation sickness is also called ‘radiation poisoning.’ High-level radiation can cause premature aging or even death. If the dose is fatal, death usually occurs within two months. The symptoms of radiation sickness include: nausea, weakness, damage to bone marrow, hair loss, skin burns or diminished organ function.

Is any amount of radiation safe?
There is no real basis for setting a “safe” level of exposure for radiation. In setting limits, the Environmental Protection Agency states that any increase in radiation exposure has a possibility of serious health concerns.

How do we know radiation causes cancer?
Scientists recognized as early at 1910 that radiation caused skin cancer. Scientists began to keep track of the health effects, and soon set up careful scientific studies of groups of people who had been exposed.

Among the best known long-term studies are those of Japanese atomic bomb blast survivors, other populations exposed to nuclear testing fallout (for example, natives of the Marshall Islands), and uranium miners.

Are children more sensitive to radiation than adults?

Yes, because children are growing more rapidly, there are more cells dividing and a greater opportunity for radiation to disrupt the process. Fetuses are also highly sensitive to radiation. The resulting effects depend on which biological systems are developing at the time of exposure.

If exposed to radioactive fallout, what should I do?

* Protecting your thyroid, the most vulnerable organ in your body
* Removing as much of the radiation as possible from your body, as quickly as possible
* Protecting your DNA from genetic mutation

Iodine

Radioactive iodine is released into the upper atmosphere after a nuclear event. This radiation can be carried great distances on high speed winds and then drop down into the lower atmosphere, where it may be breathed into the lungs. Radioactive iodine can also contaminate crops on the ground and get into the body through food and drink. The problem is that your thyroid gland has a tremendous affinity for iodine, radioactive or otherwise. In other words, the thyroid gland quickly absorbs radioactive iodine, where it can injure or even kill the gland.

To protect your thyroid from exposure to radioactive iodine, taking non-radioactive iodine just before, or immediately after, exposure will block radioactive iodine from being taken into the thyroid gland. It will thus protect this gland from injury. Taking non-radioactive iodine will not prevent radioactive iodine, or any other form of radiation, from entering your body. Taking non-radioactive iodine before exposure will merely “prefill” your thyroid with iodine so that there is no room for the radioactive iodine to be taken up by your thyroid; thus the need to take the non-radioactive iodine before or immediately after exposure.

Ideally, the best time to take supplemental iodine is an hour or so before exposure, or immediately upon exposure, for maximum protection. Take it too soon in advance, and it will begin to clear the thyroid before the radioactive iodine enters the body, thus diminishing its effectiveness. Iodine clears the thyroid in about 24 hours. Take it too late, and the radioactive iodine will have already been taken up by the thyroid, in which case there will be little benefit. The important thing is to have a supply of iodine on hand when you need it.

The standard form of iodine used in nuclear power plants to protect workers against radiation exposure in case of a leak is potassium iodide. But potassium iodide is not the only form of stable iodine. In fact, all living sources such as kelp are equally stable and may be used instead.

How much iodine should I take?

According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, the following doses are appropriate to take after internal contamination with, or likely internal contamination with, radioactive iodine:

* Adults up through age 40 should take 130 mg. Women who are breastfeeding should take 130 mg. Pregnant women should take only one dose. Nursing mothers should probably stop breastfeeding if they are exposed and use formula if available.
* Children between the ages of 3 and 18 should take 65 mg. Children who weigh 150 lbs or more should take 130 mg, regardless of their age.
* Infants and toddlers between the ages of 1 month and 3 years, either nursing or non-nursing, should take 32 mg.
* Newborns from birth to 1 month, both nursing and non-nursing, should be given 16 mg. Infants who receive supplemental iodine should have their thyroid hormone levels checked and monitored by a doctor.

A one-time dose at the levels recommended above is usually all that is needed to protect the thyroid gland. In some cases, radioactive iodine might be in the environment for more than 24 hours. If that happens, local emergency management or public health officials may tell you to take one dose of iodine every 24 hours for a few days. You should do this only on the advice of emergency management officials, public health officials, or your doctor.

Taking a higher dose of iodine, or taking iodine more often than recommended, does not offer more protection.

Also do not take iodine:


* If you are already taking medication with high levels of iodine.
* You are allergic to iodine.
* If you have a thyroid disease that is iodine sensitive such as Grave’s disease, do not take supplemental iodine without your doctor’s permission and guidance.

Is there anything else you should do?

Absolutely!

Iodine only protects the thyroid, and only protects against radioactive iodine (iodine-131 and iodine-134). It doesn’t offer any protection against plutonium, cesium-137, and strontium-90, which are also likely to be present. It doesn’t clear radioactive matter from your body. It doesn’t protect against damage to your genetic material. If worst comes to worst:

* Use supplemental iodine from kelp as described above.
* Use a good colon detox formula
* Use a good anti-oxidant formula to protect the body against genetic damage caused by exposure to radioactivity.

Again, remember!

* We do not have an emergency situation yet.
* You don’t want to take iodine prematurely since it clears out of the thyroid in 24 hours.
* Overdosing on iodine is a distinct possibility if you get carried away. Don’t get carried away.

The bottom line is that there is no need for panic. Outside of Japan, nothing has happened yet. Chill out. The odds of anything serious happening outside of Japan are very, very low. Your best bet is to make sure you have some iodine locked away for some future emergency.

Kelp Alfalfa Product Information Page

Resources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
United States Environment Protection Agency
United States Food and Drug Administration

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