Japanese Radiation

BHN has received many emails and phone calls from people concerned about the radiation leaking from the Japanese nuclear reactors. There is no question that dangerous amounts of radioactive particles have been released and have been carried in the prevailing jet stream winds impacting the west coast from Los Angeles to Alaska and the rest of the world as well. While government officials try to play down the danger, radiation researchers say there is no such thing as a safe level of radiation. Radiation generates massive amounts of free radicals, which do oxidative damage to DNA and cause cancer years later. This is why it is a good idea to maximize your overall antioxidant defenses. The problems with radioactive iodine are well known. Japanese health authorities are passing out iodine tablets to those in the vicinity of these reactors. Because most Americans are deficient in iodine, absorbing the radioactive iodine isotopes can be a real problem. The body will absorb the isotopes when it is in need of iodine. Satisfying your iodine needs by taking supplemental potassium iodide prevents the uptake of the radioactive isotopes and helps to prevent thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer is already epidemic in the U.S., mostly because of medical x-rays such as dental, chest, and CT scans, but also because of previous exposure to radioactive iodine. Everyone should know their iodine status and be supplementing if they are deficient, regardless of radiation leaks. Beyond Health has kits available to measure your status. First and foremost, like any toxin, radioactivity harms the unhealthy first and most. Healthy people will be less affected; those who are more nutrient deficient and more toxic will suffer far more damage from radiation. Staying healthy is something we should be striving toward anyway, not just when there is a disaster. Since radiation does oxidative, free-radical damage to DNA and body tissues, giving your body lots of antioxidants will offer protection. Because of our poor diets, most Americans have poor antioxidant defense systems. In addition, be sure to provide your DNA repair system with all the nutrients it needs to do its job. To protect yourself, first have your iodine status measured. If you are deficient, and most of us are, you need to supplement. Optimize your antioxidant status and DNA repair capability. Eat plenty of organic, fresh fruits and vegetables. Take vitamin C to bowel tolerance. Supplement with other antioxidants like vitamin E, N-acetyl cysteine, curcumin, quercitin, selenium, co-enzyme Q10, alpha lipoic acid and tocotrienols. Tocotrienols may be more important than previously known. A recent animal experiment at the U.S. Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute found that gamma tocotrienol can protect against radiation exposure. A previous study of clean-up workers at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power found that 600 mg of lipoic acid per day for two months was able to normalize many abnormalities in these damaged people. Pretreatment with lipoic acid, prior to radiation treatments, has been shown to significantly reduce radiation damage to the brain. In addition, support your DNA repair with vitamins B3, B6, B12 and folate as well as zinc and L-carnitine. The most important thing you can do is what you are supposed to be doing in the first place—keeping yourself healthy. When you are healthy, all of your defense mechanisms will be operating at peak performance. To be healthy you cannot consume the Big Four (sugar, wheat, processed oils and dairy/excess animal protein). Eat a primarily vegetarian diet with lots of fresh vegetables. Get on a high quality supplement program, get regular exercise, take regular saunas, get adequate sleep, regular sunshine and engage in regular stress reduction exercises such as meditation. These are the foundations of good health and they will protect you from disease, aging and radiation damage.