Radiation Threat
----- Original
Message -----
From: Kevin Straub
To: Kevin Straub
Sent: Tuesday, March 15,
2011 12:05 PM
Subject: IODINE, TOCOTRIENOLS, BERRIES, AND LIPOIC
ACID TO PROTECT AGAINST RADIATION EXPOSURE
Tuck this away in your
files, just in case you might in the future be living under a drifting cloud of
radioactive poisons. ~KS
č
IODINE, TOCOTRIENOLS, BERRIES, AND LIPOIC
ACID TO PROTECT AGAINST RADIATION EXPOSURE
By Byron J. Richards, CCN
March 15, 2011
NewsWithViews.com
The unfolding events relating to
Japan’s damaged nuclear reactors is raising the concern in the U.S. of a
worst-case scenario of a meltdown with a consequent cloud of radioactive
particles following the jet stream over to the U.S. The prevailing jet stream
winds would impact Los Angeles to Alaska, and would include Hawaii. Radioactive
pollution would reach the U.S. within 36 hours. It would then travel the
typical jet stream across the U.S that you see on
your daily weather programs. While we all hope this problem does not happen,
and various experts may debate the severity of public health issues involved if
it should, it never hurts to have a better understanding of the subject. What
would you do if such a cloud was headed your way?
Japanese health authorities are
passing out iodine tablets to those in the vicinity of these reactors – as it
is common knowledge that the thyroid gland is a weak spot when it comes to
radiation exposure. By flooding the body with iodine it is taken up by the
thyroid which then blocks radiation uptake into the thyroid, reducing the risk
for future thyroid cancer (which is already an epidemic form of cancer in the
U.S. in part likely due to excess CT scans).
Such iodine saturation should occur
24 hours prior to exposure and be maintained during the duration of excess
exposure. This solution is not without risks, especially when potassium iodide
is used. That is because excess iodine can clog thyroid function, inducing
either hypo or hyper thyroid. However, that risk is trivial compared to acute
radiation exposure – thus iodine makes sense. I like water-soluble iodine that
in my experience is much less problematic when higher doses are used. Liquids
can be applied directly over the neck region or taken orally, and reapplied as
desired based on concerns.
Protecting the thyroid with iodine
seems to be about all public health officials are willing to recommend to the
public. However, there are other important steps every person should consider.
Radiation interaction within your body generates massive amounts of damaging
free radicals, in turn potentially inducing DNA damage that may lead to future
cancer – often manifesting a decade or two later. This means it is a good idea
to maximize your overall antioxidant defenses. Ideally, this system of defense
should be bolstered in advance to provide maximal defense. Unfortunately the
antioxidant defense systems of a majority of Americans are in shoddy condition.
Many nutrients contain antioxidants
and many of these behave in your vital antioxidant network to protect your DNA
from damage. In your diet these nutrients come from fruits, vegetables, whey
protein, and whole grains. Additionally, almost any nutrient supplement with
antioxidant properties, such as vitamin C, will help bolster your antioxidant
team. I would suggest to everyone a broad base of antioxidant support as the
minimum. Indeed, a cocktail of antioxidants (selenium, vitamin C, N-acetyl cysteine, alpha-lipoic acid,
alpha-tocopherol succinate,
and co-enzyme Q10) started 24 hours after a lethal
level of radiation exposure has been show to be highly protective.
I would like to highlight three
specific nutrients that have science showing they can protect your body against
radiation damage: tocotrienols, berries, and lipoic acid.
Tocotrienols are a unique form
of vitamin E that offers protection that regular vitamin E does not. In a
recent animal experiment carried out by the U.S. Armed Forces Radiobiology
Research Institute it was shown that gamma tocotrienol can protect
against whole body radiation exposure.
Excessive radiation exposure damages
DNA, especially DNA relating to the system in our bone marrow that produces all
the red and white blood cells that are vital for survival. Therefore radiation
exposure has adverse consequences on circulatory health and immune system
competence, disturbing energy balance and increasing the risk for cancer. Of
particular importance are the haematopoietic stem
cells (HSCs) that constantly rejuvenate blood and can
become any of the white or red blood cells, as well as the haematopoietic
progenator cells (HPCs)
that transform into specific blood cells. Both HSCs
and HPCs are the life force of blood cell rejuvenation
and essential to your good health.
In this armed forces experiment mice
were exposed to non-lethal amounts of whole body radiation, there was a control
group and a group fed gamma tocotrienol. Stem cell
colonies (HSCs) were 80% - 86% maintained in the
gamma tocotrienol treated mice, while they were 50%
reduced in controls. Similarly, progenator cells (HPCs) had recovered completely within 7 days in the gamma tocotrienol treated mice, while they remained at 30% for
weeks in the controls. A detailed analysis of the bone marrow showed that gamma
tocotrienol maintained the regenerative integrity of
bone marrow cells. The authors concluded that gamma tocotrienol
“protected hematopoietic tissue by preserving the HSCs
and HPCs and by preventing persistent DNA damage.”
Another recent animal study shows
that gamma tocotrienol can offset the
adverse effects of radiation exposure, including the reduction of peroxynitrite, the most damaging free radical. This is
important because as free radicals begin forming their reactions can cascade
into producing large amounts of the most damaging of all free radicals, peroxynitrite. Short-circuiting peroxynitrite
formation in response to radiation exposure is of immense importance to
protecting DNA.
Lipoic acid is a very
small and versatile fat- and water-soluble antioxidant. Animal studies show
that it helps maintain the antioxidant defense system in multiple body
tissues upon radiation exposure, especially protecting the brain, liver,
spleen, kidney, and testis.
The health status of some 6,000 workers from Latvia who went to clean-up the
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant has been followed for several decades. These
workers suffered higher-than-normal rates of problems in their nervous,
digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine system (especially thyroid)
and immunological systems.
A study conducted on some of these
workers 10 years after the fact showed that 600 mg of lipoic acid for two
months was able to normalize many, but not all, of their lab abnormalities. Too
bad they didn’t have protection prior to and during exposure. Pretreatment with lipoic acid has
been shown to significantly reduce radiation exposure damage to the brain.
Recent animal research conducted by
the United States Department of Agriculture showed that blueberry and strawberry extracts helped prevent brain
damage from radiation exposure. Interestingly, the polyphenols
of each fruit protected different areas of the brain – supporting a variety of
dietary berry intake and/or supplements with multiple berries.
Having an adequate antioxidant
defense system for more optimal health is common sense. During times of
increased stress your needs for antioxidants rise – and this relates to any
type of stress. Radiation exposure is simply one more type of stress – a rather
nasty type. The demands in your life or existing health concerns may already be
testing your antioxidant bank account. Bolstering you antioxidant defense
system to compensate for a potential challenge is also common sense.