News reports are now claiming that trace amounts of radiation are drifting into North America from Japan….should we be afraid? While Americans stock up on potassium iodide tablets in a panic, scientists tell us we have no real reason to be concerned.

“Because of the nearly 5,000-mile distance from Japan combined with air diffusion, radiation reaching our state (U.S) is so diluted that there is no health risk here, making protective action unnecessary,” Gail Shibley, administrator of the Office of Environmental Public Health, Oregon Public Health Division, told The Oregonian.

The Environmental Protection Agency reminds us that radiation is, in fact, all around us – in bananas, rocks, bricks, the sun, cell phones, microwaves and x-ray machines. The average American is exposed to 3.5 millisieverts (mSv) – the equivalent of 94 chest x-rays — of radiation each year. In order to become sick, you’d need exposure to 1,000 mSv and 5,000 mSv to die from it. To put things into perspective, the EPA says we’re exposed to radiation in our every day life that’s 100,000 times higher than what is coming from Japan. We have become somewhat adapted to survive mild exposure to radiation. After all, the sun is a ‘controlled’ source that releases a lot of radiation.

Solutions for Protecting yourself, Naturally!

Whether you are worried about the radiation from a mammogram, dental x-rays, or nuclear fallout and this leaves you sleepless at night, there are several natural ways to reduce your body’s radiation load and keep you healthy, all at the same time…
•    Consume Chlorophyll and Mineral rich foods (containing iodine) that prevent radiation from damaging your thyroid gland. Examples: Chlorella, Seaweeds, Kelp, Algae, Spirulina, kombu.
•    Eat plenty of Orange and dark Green veggies (sweet potatoes, winter squash, beets, carrots, kale, collards, chard, and spinach, for example) will protect you from radiation-induced cancers.
•    Envision yourself and all your cells protected from damage.
•    Add Antioxidants of every color to your diet as these help your body flush out toxins and free radicals. Examples: Cherries, Blueberries, Sweet Potatoes, and Pomegranates.
•    Take Vitamins C, D and E to help assist antioxidant processes.
•    Protect your cells from damage by taking alpha lipolic acid supplements.
•    Drink 8 glasses of filtered water to flush out your system.
•    Detoxify and cleanse your liver.
•    Miso broth is the classic food used to prevent radiation damage. You can double your protection by adding a quarter-ounce/5 grams of dried kelp seaweed to your soup. In scientific studies, seaweed was able to neutralize radioactive isotopes in the human body. Researchers at McGill University observed that radioactive strontium binds to the algin in brown seaweeds to create sodium alginate, a compound easily and harmlessly excreted from the body.

Miso Soup Recipe!
Ingredients:
•    6 cups dashi stock
•    4-5 thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
•    3 tablespoons miso paste (from barley, brown rice, soy: choose a high quality one that is unpasturized)
•    1 tsp tamari sauce
•    3 ounces cubed tofu
•    1 green onion, sliced thinly

Preparation
•    Heat stock gently on medium low in soup pot.
•    Add mushrooms and cook for three minutes
•    Ladle a small amount of dashi into a bowl. Add tamari sauce & miso paste. Stir together.
•    Serve topped with sliced green onion.

Consult your Naturopath for more personalized advice,

Cheers to health safety!