A week after the largest earthquake in to hit Japan in history, four of the six nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station are still in various stages of meltdown and continue to deteriorate. The unbelievable disastrous chain of events triggered by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent Tsunami that devastated the northeast coast of Japan has raised concern for the possible ramifications of radiation swept into the jet stream that have arrived on the US West Coast.
According to the New York Times, even the best case scenario could mean that radioactive release of steam from the crippled plants will continue for weeks, months or even years.
The first signs and symptoms of treatable radiation sickness are usually nausea and vomiting. The amount of time between exposure and when these symptoms develop is an indicator of how much radiation a person has absorbed.
• Stage 1 (N-V-D stage): The classic symptoms for this stage are nausea, vomiting, as well as anorexia and possibly diarrhea (depending on dose), which occur from minutes to days following exposure. The symptoms may last (episodically) for minutes up to several days.
• Stage 2 (Latent stage): In this stage, the patient looks and feels generally healthy for a few hours or even up to a few weeks.
• Stage 3 (Manifest illness stage): In this stage the symptoms depend on the specific syndrome and last from hours up to several months.
• Stage 4 (Recovery or death): Most patients who do not recover will die within several months of exposure. The recovery process lasts from several weeks up to two years.
Indeed, virtually all suppliers of potassium iodide have sold out, the U.S. Surgeon General recommended that West Coast residents stock up.
• Iodine leaves your body within 24 – 72 hours after taking it
Where can I buy Iodine?
• Potassium iodide can be found in many health food stores and drug stores.
Elaine R. Ferguson, MD
Since the emergence of this nuclear crisis, I’ve received queries from across the country as to what to do from a medical perspective. First and foremost, I think it is critical for everyone to be informed and to make intelligent decisions, based on credible information.
The jet stream is carrying radioactive material that ‘s already reached the West Coast and is heading east. According to government reports thus far the levels are so low that they will not impact us. But there are unknowns, such as to how long this crisis will last, and the cumulative impact of radiation.
This is the first of a series of reports that will address the major health issues surrounding this global crisis. Today we will focus on acute radiation exposure, poisoning and using potassium iodide, the only FDA approved treatment intervention.
Where Can I Get Reliable Information About the Nuclear Crisis?
Here are a few resources to keep you informed:
You can visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)and get information radiation.
Also, the radiation network http://www.radiationnetwork.com provides current radiation levels in the US.
Here’s the link to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with answers to numerous questions about radiation and nuclear power plants nuclear power plant accidents.
CNN has a page on Twitter for the latest information on the nuclear power plant crisis in Japan.
What are the Symptoms of Radiation Poisoning?
The sickness first presents itself with nausea, vomiting, rashes and diarrhea, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The symptoms may follow just minutes or even days after exposure.
After the first round of signs and symptoms, a person with radiation sickness may have a brief period with no apparent illness, followed by the onset of new, more serious symptoms.
A time of serious illness – marked by the loss of appetite, fever, and extreme fatigue – can be relatively brief or continue for a long period of time. Death is often the final outcome.
The severity of signs and symptoms of radiation sickness depends on how much radiation you’ve absorbed. How much you absorb depends on the strength of the radiated energy and the distance between you and the source of radiation.
There is a measurement known as radiation absorbed dose (rad), that gives an idea about the effects of radiation that bombards a human body. 50 to 150 rad causes alterations in the blood with symptoms like nausea, fatigue and vomiting. In case of exposure between 150-1100 rad amount, if not treated immediately, an exposed person can die in 30 days. For all levels above this, the central nervous system of the body fails, and causes the lose of control over all of the body’s functioning, and can trigger death to happen rapidly, within a few hours or days.
In general, the higher your radiation exposure, your symptoms will occur quicker and more severely. Radiation poisoning also known as radiation sickness is an acute illness caused by irradiation of the entire body (or most of the body) by a high dose of penetrating radiation in a very short period of time, usually in a few minutes.
Radiation poisoning usually severely damages 3 major organ systems.
Bone marrow syndrome (sometimes referred to as hematopoietic syndrome) The bone marrow cells destroyed, resulting in impairment of the immune system, and blood, resulting in bleeding and infection.
Gastrointestinal (GI) syndrome: Survival is extremely unlikely with this syndrome. Destructive and irreparable changes in the GI tract and bone marrow usually cause infection, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance. Death usually occurs within 2 weeks.
Cardiovascular (CV)/ Central Nervous System (CNS) syndrome: Death occurs within 3 days. Death likely is due to collapse of the circulatory system as well as increased pressure in the confining cranial vault as the result of increased fluid content caused by swelling, inflammation of the blood vessels, and meningitis.
The four stages of Acute Radiation poisoning are:
So it is critical to take healthy proactive measures to protect yourself and your family.
Can I Protect Myself From Developing Acute Radiation Poisoning?
Yes, depending on the level of radiation you are exposed to. Fortunately, regarding this particular crisis, for those of us outside of Japan, currently the answer is a resounding yes. And tomorrow I will share with you an amazing discovery that protected people near ground zero in Nagasaki from developing radiation poisoning while thousands nearby died from it!
Residents of the US West coast are understandably very concerned for a good reason about their exposure to the nuclear radiation emitted from the plant. Because it is 5,000 miles away, the likelihood of developing acute radiation poisoning are extremely low and currently are non-existent.
Should I Take Potassium Iodide?
Potassium iodide, a mineral formulation composed of potassium and iodine is the recommended treatment by the FDA. It is used to protect the thyroid gland from being damaged by radioactive iodine. Thyroid damage is irreversible, if the thyroid isn’t protected. .
Potassium Iodide can only protect the thyroid gland, should be taken as soon as possible after exposure to radiation. One dose lasts 24 hours.
Potassium iodide is the only drug recommended by the CDC to protect the thyroid gland against radioactive iodine. It does not protect against all types of radiation exposure. And it’s protection is short term, as is the exposure to radioactive iodine as it deteriorates in a few days.
You don’t need a doctor’s prescription. Most health food stores and drug stores carry over the counter Potassium iodide. And there are online sources. BUY IODINE, CLICK HERE NOW
Experts agree that it is safe for a pregnant woman to take potassium iodide when instructed to do so by a doctor. The dosage apparently also protects the thyroid of the baby.
Fortunately, an easy form of protection is potassium iodide, a simple compound typically added to table salt to prevent goiter and a form of mental retardation caused by a dietary lack of iodine.
If ingested promptly after a nuclear accident, potassium iodide, in concentrated form, can help reduce the dose of radiation to the thyroid and thus the risk of cancer. In the United States, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission recommends that people living within a 10-mile emergency planning zone around a nuclear plant always have access to potassium iodide tablets.
You must have adequate iodine levels BEFORE this radioactive fallout reaches your location.
The CDC recommends using iodine to prevent injury from radioactive iodine fallout. BUY IODINE, CLICK HERE NOW
While the focus on taking Potassium Idodide is critical, it should be noticed that it only protect the thyroid gland and do not provide protection from any other radiation exposure! Taking it protects the thyroid gland only against the impact of radioactive iodine but it will not protect other parts of the body from other radioactive materials that may be released.
Only a few companies manufacture Potassium Iodide and every time there’s a nuclear emergency somewhere, their inventory stock becomes instantly depleted so you have to order it ahead of time and keep it in ready storage yourself. Potassium Iodide tablets can be stored for at least 5 years without losing their potency, and LIO3 even longer. BUY IODINE, CLICK HERE NOW
Don’t try to drink or swallow iodine such as iodine water purification tablets, tincture of iodine, or Povidone-iodine solutions (like the Betadine® brand solution). If you do that you are going to get sick because iodine is a poison. That’s why iodine bottles are marked poisonous!
If you do not have any potassium iodide, DO NOT TAKE IODINE TABLETS OR TINCTURE OF IODINE. It is poisonous.
Please understand that Potassium Idodide is protective only against the absorption of radioactive idodine. Frankly, you don’t want to be exposed to any type of radioactive cloud whatsoever and when exposed, KI is not going to do everything … just protect your thyroid a bit.
There is no medication that will effectively prevent nuclear radiations from damaging the human body cells that they strike. Potassium iodide is only protective against radioiodines for the thyroid — and only if taken in time. It has no impact on the uptake by the body of other radioactive materials and provides no protection against external irradiation of any kind.
The FDA emphasizes that the use of Potassium Iodide should be as an adjunct to evacuating a contaminated area, sheltering away from any radioactive clouds (that’s why you close your windows), and controlling the foods you eat so as to eliminate the likelihood of eating products that are contaminated with Iodine-131.
Potassium iodide should only be taken in a radiation emergency that involves the release of radioactive iodine, such as an accident at a nuclear power plant or the explosion of a nuclear bomb.
If radioactive iodine is not present, then taking Potassium Iodide will not protect you. If radioactive iodine is present, then taking Potassium Iodide will help protect your thyroid gland from the radioactive iodine.
Remember, taking Potassium Iodide will not protect you from other radioactive substances that may be present along with the radioactive iodine. I will share with you tomorrow information about powerful radioprotective foods, that helped save lives after the nuclear bombing in 1945 was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
If public health officials tell you to take Potassium Iodide, then take it as soon as possible after the announcement. The regular dose is 130 mg every 24 hours. BUY IODINE, CLICK HERE NOW
What’s the Best time to take Iodine?
• Immediately before the radiation reaches your area
You can also get it through this link:
What people usually overlook is the fact that there will also be many other types of dangerous radioactive material released along with the radioiodine in an atomic explosion or nuclear meltdown. The thyroid blocking activity of potassium iodide tablets is geared to just one type of radioactive contaminant — iodine-131.
As to adverse reactions, based on the FDA adverse reaction reports and an estimated 48 million, 300-mg doses of potassium iodide administered each year the NCRP (National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements) estimated it has an adverse reaction rate of from about 1 in a million to 1 in 10 million doses.
If you haven’t already, sign up for my free Holistic Medicine newsletter, in the box on the right hand side of the page, and you’ll receive the latest updates on the health related issues surrounding the nuclear crisis.
Tomorrow, I will share with you more information regarding how to naturally protect yourself from acute radiation with certain foods that protect against acute radiation. Our third report will explore protection from long term low level radiation exposure, perhaps an even greater danger, several natural remedies that have been proven to counter the impact of radiation exposure.
Yours in good health,