Worldwide fears of radiation poisoning are looming with the escalating nuclear disaster caused by the Japan earthquake.
Who knows how bad the leaks are or how far the winds will carry the Japan radiation?
Even if the authorities have accurate information are they going to be truthful about it?
Radiation is energy in the form of particles that travel in waves. When the energy is high enough it can ionize atoms or molecules. In other words it causes electrons to detach. Ultimately free radicals are created and pose a risk to biological systems. Prolonged exposure or high dose exposure to ionizing radiation is a serious health risk. It damages tissue, shuts down organs and can cause cancer.
Unless it causes heating, non-ionizing radiation is thought to be harmless.
You may be surprised to know that we are surrounded by something called background radiation. It occurs naturally in outer space (cosmic), the ground (terrestrial) and naturally occuring metals and minerals.
And from computers to mobile phones, microwave ovens, televisions, electricity towers, x-rays, medical procedures and other environmental sources: we are bombarded with small quantities of different types of radiation every single day!
There is an ongoing debate about the health effects of being exposed to daily quantities of the type of electromagnetic radiation emitted by your mobile phone or by your computer screen.
But there is no question about the damage that excessive ionic radiation can do to your body or how it can affect your health. Ionic radiation is the type that is emitted by x-rays and nuclear accidents.
In light of the looking Japanese disaster, it is ironic that in the aftermath of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki it was a Japanese doctor who discovered that miso protects against radiation.
While treating victims in Nagasaki, Dr Akizuki and his staff ate miso soup together every day. Dr Akizuki and his staff never experienced radiation sickness despite their daily proximity to the fallout. Dr AKizuki lived to be 89 years old.
Miso belongs to the highest class of medicines, those which prevent disease and strengthen the body through continued usage.
Dr. Shinichiro Akizuki, Director, St. Francis Hospital, Nagasaki
Dr Akizuki's observations led to the discovery that dipicolinic acid...an alkaloid found in miso...binds with heavy metals and carries them out of the body.
Miso is a paste traditionally made by fermenting soybeans but it can be made with any legume including barley and chickpeas. And to get the true benefit you want unpasteurized miso with all of the live friendly bacterial enzymes.
Use miso to make a classic and comforting miso soup or use it as a seasoning in other soups, salad dressings, casseroles, sauces, dips and spreads. When used in soups you add it last and simmer it briefly. Boiling miso will destroy the healthful bacteria.
Learn to make your own miso. Read: Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz
In my opinion the best miso soup is made with a fish stock as the base. Classic miso soup calls for the addition of seaweed such as kelp, kombu, and wakame. Don't be afraid to experiment. Just cook your soup first, then add miso last and simmer for just a few minutes to incorporate the miso flavor but do not boil!
Like dipicolinic acid, alginic acid also has the ability to remove heavy metals from the body. A polysaccharide, alginic acid is a fiber molecule found in Kelp (Kombu, Wakame et al) a highly nutritious seaweed. The compound fucoidan found in brown seaweed such as hijiki, a black wiry seaweed, kombu and wakame destroys cancer cells within as little as 72 hours.
Kombu is also an excellent flavor enhancer because it contains a natural form of MSG. Add one dried strip of Kombu to any soup stock or bean pot. It is that easy. Be sure to add it to Miso soup.
The US Atomic Energy Commission recommends consuming two to three ounces of seaweed per week or two tablespoons daily to protect against radiation toxicity.
In the aftermath of Chernobyl, children suffering from radiation sickness recovered after taking 5 grams of spirulina per day for 45 days.
Spirulina is a super green sea algae. The effects of spirulina include enhanced immune systems, improved T-cell counts, regeneration of bone marrow, spinal fluids, blood and liver and reduced radioactivity levels.
High in antioxidants, Spirulina is extremely nutritious while highly digestible making it easy for the sick to absorb nutrients when the digestion is impaired by radiation.
It is thought that the high concentration of metallothionine compounds in spirulina is responsible for its radiation detoxifying effects.
Chlorella is another algae that is highly healthful.
In relation to radiation protection, chlorella detoxifies heavy metals. It also boosts the immune system, fights cancer, and its high chlorophyll component detoxifies the liver, bowel and blood. Chlorella has the highest chlorophyll content in the plant world. It is also high in protein and like spirulina is easy to digest providing rapid nutritional absorption which aids in the recovery of radiation illness. And like all of the seaweeds and algae Chlorella is abundant in anti-cancer antioxidants.
See Enerfood which contains almost 50% Chlorella, Spirulina, Kelp and Dulse
Radiation causes cell-destroying free radicals. Antioxidants counteract free radicals. So in addition to eating foods that bind to and eliminate elements of radiation make sure you are eating a healthy diet of antioxidant rich foods to get natural protection against disease causing free radicals.
All fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices contain beneficial antioxidants. The minute you eat overly processed foods, you deprive yourself of daily protection from the free radical scavengers that originate from many environmental contaminants.
As a general rule, the color of a plant food indicates the presence of antioxidants. Seemingly the more vibrant or brilliant the color the higher the antioxidant value. But the best bet is to get a wide variety of fresh foods in your diet. It can be as simple as eating raw food or learning how to make liquid meals in the form of delicious smoothies.
It is possibly necessary to take nutritional supplements from time to time. But I personally prefer to get my nutritional needs met with a healthy, natural and varied diet.
The people at EnerHealth suggest taking a tincture of kelp and bladderwhack a fucus algae that binds1 to radiation because it contains natural iodine and other polysaccharides that detox radiation.
Since radiation attacks the immune system and may ultimately cause cancer, you should eat foods that boost the immune system.
Foods that do boost the immune system are also typically cancer fighters.
The following list of foods are proven to be high in antioxidants and especially effective in boosting the immune system.
Each of these foods also provide one health benefit or another including things like lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, lower blood sugar, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-spasmodic, anti-fungal.
Add to the list
You can download a PDF Version of Radiation Protection
See also: US Map of Radiation Levels
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