This alert went out to my patients last week, and several Qigong students have requested a copy, so I’m sending it out to people subscribed to the Qigong mailing list. I apologize for the duplicate to those of you on both mailing lists.
My motto is “empowering people to take charge of their health”. It’s time to put that motto into action as the nuclear disaster in Japan continues and the radiation keeps coming our way. I’ve been monitoring the situation every day since the disaster occurred, to figure out how we’ll be affected, and what action we can take to protect ourselves. I feel it’s absolutely necessary to take steps to protect yourself now. Below is some of the information that led me to write this alert and make the recommendations that follow. If you don’t want to read all of it, here’s the bottom line: radiation from Fukushima is already in our food chain. It’s going to continue entering the food chain for a long time. Radiation causes cancer. If that’s enough for you, you can skip to the recommendations at the end. Otherwise, read on.
Everyone knows radiation causes cancer. The government keeps saying there’s no risk to us, but what about the radioactive milk they found in Washington State, Phoenix and Los Angeles???
As I understand it, there are two main problems at the nuclear plant. One is that the nuclear reaction in the core keeps happening. It keeps going indefinitely until something stops it. And from what I’ve read, there isn’t really any way to stop it without a massive explosion. The second problem is heat and radiation from the fuel rods. Last week an expert predicted that it could take 50 – 100 years for the fuel rods to cool enough to be safely disposed of. They keep pouring seawater into the plants to try and cool them, and now they’re dumping tons of radioactive water into the ocean, and it will probably continue indefinitely.
I’ve spent quite a lot of time in the last several weeks learning about these issues so I could figure out how to advise you about the health implications, because without a massive explosion, this situation is not going to end any time soon.
The situation changes daily. When I wrote the first draft of this alert, there was only water leaking into the ocean. Now they’re purposely dumping tons of it into the ocean. That means radiation will start showing up in fish, seafood, seaweed, and anything else coming from the ocean. Last week radioactivity was found in 15 US states, and radioactive iodine in milk in Washington state. Iodine 131 (the radioactive kind from Fukushima) causes thyroid cancer. It also showed up in cabbages in Singapore. The good news is that it has a short half-life, which means that it goes away quickly. The bad news is that more of it keeps escaping in the air and being dumped into the ocean. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s website says that they’re picking up low levels of radioactivity from Fukushima every day. They say it’s no threat, which is ridiculous, especially when we’re looking at long-term, ongoing exposure. It’s already getting into food and milk.
So, we’ve got a long-term situation of radiation entering the environment and ending up in the food chain, and undoubtedly in us. Now you may think that I’m overreacting. The government says don’t worry, because they don’t want people to panic. I don’t want you to panic either. I want you to take precautions. The information I mentioned is all publicly available on the internet, CNN, The New York Times, and all from reputable sources. Because we’re not getting the information we need, I’ve researched all of this so I have a good understanding of the health risks, and what we can do to protect ourselves.
Recommendations
Here are my recommendations at this time:
1. Don’t buy any products from Japan. Avoid all fresh food products from Japan, starting now. Any packaged products that are already here and on the shelves may be OK for maybe the next week or two, since they probably would have been packaged and shipped before the disaster. Radiation levels are increasing in other areas of Japan, and there’s no way to know where in Japan a product came from. Until I believe that our government is thoroughly screening all imports from Japan, I think it’s a wise precaution. My heart goes out to the people of Japan and any of you that have friends and family there. I certainly don’t want to hinder their rebuilding; however, I’m not convinced that products being imported are being thoroughly screened at this time.
2. Don’t eat any fish, shellfish, seaweed, etc. from the Pacific Ocean, starting now. Sorry, this includes sushi. Even if you get Atlantic fish, avoid rolled sushi. The nori seaweed mostly comes from Japan, and possibly China. All of those waters may become contaminated.
3. Avoid milk and cheese, since they found radioactive milk in Washington State, Phoenix and Los Angeles. It had iodine 131 in it (the radioactive kind).
4. Avoid spinach. Spinach is showing up radioactive in several countries, and seems to absorb radioactivity easily.
5. Take kelp supplements. (See exceptions.) The radioactive particles they’re finding here is Iodine 131. It causes thyroid cancer. Foods high in iodine can “fill up” the thyroid gland so that it won’t absorb anymore, including the radioactive stuff. Kelp and seaweeds are high in iodine (and other good nutrients) and can help with this. Just make sure it doesn’t come from Japan. Some comes from Florida. I hear the health food stores have it back in stock. This is not a good long term solution, though, since they’re now polluting the ocean with radioactive water. I’ll be talking to the companies I buy kelp from to see if their sources will be safe longer term. Anything on the shelves now should be OK. A month from now, I have no idea. Exceptions: don’t take kelp if you’ve been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, or if your doctor’s told you to avoid foods with iodine. If you’re pregnant, or not sure if it’s OK for you, check with your doctor.
6. Do not take potassium iodide. It can potentially cause problems if you take it and don’t need it. It also has to be taken within a short and specific time frame after known exposure to iodine 131. The kelp will provide the same benefit without the risk.
7. Spirulina and chlorella have both been shown to help detoxify radiation and heavy metals from the body. Both are types of algae and are considered superfoods, because they’re high in chlorophyll (good for you blood deficient people), vitamins, minerals and have all of the essential amino acids, which is what we get from protein. I recommend everyone take one or both of these. It looks like we’re all going to be exposed to ongoing radiation, indefinitely. Please take spirulina and/or chlorella (and continue taking it) to get any radiation out of your system.
8. Take a combination antioxidant. Research has shown that antioxidants reduce damage to DNA from radiation. They also fight free radicals, are beneficial in cancer patients, and have many other health benefits. Look for one that has beta carotene (mixed carotenes are even better), Vitamins C, E, zinc, and selenium. Some may have other antioxidants in them as well, and that’s fine.
9. Medicinal mushrooms strengthen the immune system and have anticancer properties. There’s been a lot of research on the benefits of mushrooms. The most common and easiest to find are shiitake. Also reishi, maitake, etc. It’s easy to find dried shiitakes for cooking. Medicinal mushrooms also come packaged in supplements.
These are my recommendations at this time for protecting yourself. It looks like it’s going to take a very long time to get Fukushima under control. That means we’re all going to be exposed to radiation for a long time. I know it’s a lot of extra pills to take. It’s better than getting cancer, though. At the least, I think taking either spirulina or chlorella, and antioxidants make sense. I’m doing the same things to protect myself. I’d rather you take a few extra beneficial supplements than get cancer. You can find all of the supplements at health food stores, online, or I have some in the office. There are also some green drink powders that have many of the supplements I mentioned in them, so you can get most of it from one source. For example, I have a green powder in the office that has kelp, both spirulina and chlorella, and a bunch of antioxidants in it. Read labels on green drinks to see what’s in them. Don’t overpay online! Kelp and spirulina are inexpensive. Chlorella, medicinal mushrooms and good antioxidants cost a bit more. If you have any questions, please email or call me.
I will continue to monitor the situation so I can advise you on the best course of action. Avoid panic. Be proactive and take charge of protecting your own health. I will keep you informed of any further recommendations, as necessary. Please call me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Wendy S. Goldman, L.Ac.