Radiation Sickness

You really do not want to get sick from radiation exposure and that is why the supreme rule in dealing with radiation is to avoid exposure. You want to move as far away from the danger as possible and you surely do not want to eat radioactively-contaminated foods.

There is great individual variation in how people respond to radiation and the process is not fully understood.

If you are feeling sick from radiation exposures, be assured this is not a figment of your imagination. Radiation syndrome, radiation toxicity, radiation illness and/or radiation damage will make you and your children very ill possibly to the point of causing death in one of a number of different ways.

The New York Times says, "Experts hesitate to predict where the radiation will go. Once harmful radioactive elements are released into the outdoors, their travel patterns are as mercurial as the weather and as complicated as the food chains and biochemical pathways along which they move. When and where radioactive contamination becomes a problem depends on a vast array of factors: the specific element released, which way the wind is blowing, whether rain will bring suspended radioactivity to earth, and what types of crops and animals are in an exposed area. Research related to the 1986 Chernobyl accident makes clear that for decades, scientists will be able to detect the presence of radioactive particles released by the crippled Japanese reactors thousands of miles away."

The CDC tells us: The first symptoms of ARS are typically nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. These symptoms will start within minutes to days after the exposure, will last from minutes to up to several days, and may come and go. Then the person usually looks and feels healthy for a short time, after which he or she will become sick again with loss of appetite, fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and possibly even seizures and coma. This stage of serious illness may last from a few hours to several months.

People with ARS typically also have some skin damage. This damage can start to show within a few hours after exposure and can include swelling, itching, and redness of the skin (like a bad sunburn). There can also be hair loss. As with the other symptoms, the skin may heal for a short time, followed by the return of swelling, itching, and redness days or weeks later. Complete healing of the skin may take from several weeks up to a few years depending on the radiation dose the person's skin received.

The chance of survival for people with ARS decreases with increasing radiation dose. Most people who do not recover from ARS will die within several months of exposure. The cause of death in most cases is the destruction of the person's bone marrow, which results in infections and internal bleeding. For the survivors, the recovery process may last from several weeks up to two years.

There are many types of radiation exposures we can be confronted with, such as X-ray exams that are seemingly harmless or cancer radiation therapy that may result in nausea, anemia, hemorrhaging and fibrosis. Getting CAT scans and PET scans involving the injection of radioactive dyes and other substances for medical diagnostic purposes results in exposure to very high levels of radiation. Even living at high altitudes or taking frequent airplane flights results in higher exposure to ionizing radiation.

Living near a nuclear power plant, a coal-burning plant or an old government radiation testing ground (such as in Nevada or New Mexico) exposes you higher than normal levels of radiation. If you've worked in uranium mining, uranium or plutonium processing or in weapons manufacturing, your contaminant exposure is definitely above normal and ill effects are not far behind. Plenty of Gulf War veterans have been exposed to "depleted uranium" military sources and believe strongly that their health problems are due to this exposure.

Working at a nuclear power plant, in a submarine, or with certain types of diagnostic medical equipment are all ways to become sick from radiation exposure even if there is not an accident.

"If you don't heal yourself of the effects of radiation exposure and if you don't bind radioactive particles and flush them out of your body if you've ingested them, then they'll just stay there and slowly work at destroying your health. Eventually you will succumb to unexplained symptoms of fatigue, lethargy, a weakened immune system, tumors, unexplained illnesses, anemia, excessive bleeding, genetic damage, cancer, leukemia, cataracts, or possibly having children with severe birth defects. You can develop all sorts of conditions that just don't seem to respond to medicine... and for which there doesn't seem to be any explanation," writes William Bodri.

If you have been exposed to radiation fallout you will know it through a change in your health status. If the levels are extraordinarily high then people all around you will be feeling and sharing similar changes and discomforts including:

Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea
Skin burns (skin reddening)
Weakness
Lethargy and fatigue
Loss of appetite (anorexia)
Fainting
Dehydration
Inflammation of tissues (swelling, redness or tenderness)
Hemorrhages under the skin
Bleeding from your nose, gums or mouth
Anemia (low red blood cell count)
Hair loss (usually from just the scalp)
Decrease in platelets

Nausea and vomiting are typically the earliest symptoms of radiation sickness. The higher the dose of radiation, the sooner these symptoms appear-and the worse the prognosis. Someone who starts to vomit within one hour of exposure is likely to die.

Sometimes people with radiation sickness feel bad at first and then start to feel better. But often new and more serious symptoms appear within hours, days, or even a few weeks of this "latent" stage.

What you need to get out of this book right away is the basic items you will need to stockpile in your dispensary, along with the protocol for use of these items. This book covers a lot of ground, yet few people will, for a number of reasons, not even bother to acquire all the essentials for an almost perfect protocol that is very effective, safe and devoid of dangerous pharmaceutical substances. You will find an old chapter of mine in this book, "The Science of the Pure," that explains the importance of the purity of substances we take into our bodies. When dealing with things as impure as plutonium and all the radioactive particles, we need pure substances like clay, magnesium chloride and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to help us confront an adversary of nuclear proportion. Now is the time to take out your best, purest water because it too will make a big difference as to how your body will navigate its way through toxicity.

You are going to want to learn the secrets of what I call "Natural Allopathic Medicine" in order to protect yourself and your loved ones from unexpected exposure to radiation. The heart of the protocol employs the use of heavyweight medicines used in emergency rooms.

Radiation sickness can cause bleeding from the nose, mouth, gums, and rectum. It can cause people to bruise easily and to bleed internally as well-and even to vomit blood. The problems occur because radiation depletes the body of platelets, the cellular fragments in the blood that are form clots to control bleeding.

So behind the mighty mallet of Arm & Hammer baking soda we bring in some other superhero emergency room medicines like magnesium chloride, iodine and vitamin C. We quickly assemble a nutritional arsenal of superfoods and super-concentrated naturally made medicinals like an omega-3s, spirulina- and chlorella-based nutritional food formulas, get some heavy metal natural chelator products, and pump in glutathione through a number of different avenues.

Dealing with radiation or heavy metal poisoning is tricky to say the least. Some people can manage massive amounts of it with no ill effects, others can't. The severity of symptoms and illness (acute radiation sickness) depends on the type and amount of radiation, how long you were exposed, and which part of the body was exposed. Symptoms of radiation sickness may occur immediately after exposure, or over the next few days, weeks, or months. Not everyone is going to die or even get sick from a given level of exposure.

Because it is difficult to determine the amount of radiation exposure from nuclear accidents, the best measure of the severity of the exposure are: the length of time between the exposure and the onset of symptoms, the severity of symptoms, and severity of changes in white blood cells. If a person vomits less than an hour after being exposed, that usually means the radiation dose received is very high and death may be expected.

Radiation "targets" cells in the body that reproduce rapidly-and that includes cells that line the intestinal tract. Radiation sickness causes major irritation of the intestinal lining, resulting in severe and sometimes bloody diarrhea.

Radiation can travel quickly in air currents. Students from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY measured radiation fallout in New York during atomic bomb testing over Nevada desert (2,300 miles away). Just a few hours after the explosion the students reported that the average radiation readings in nearby towns were 20-100 times higher. Radiation fallout travels quickly and is therefore dangerous.

A spokesman for the Geneva-based U.N. health agency said contaminated food poses a greater long-term risk to residents' health than radioactive particles in the air, which disperse within days. It was the strongest statement yet from the world body on radiation risks to ordinary people rather than nuclear workers. "They're going to have to make some decisions quickly in Japan to shut down and completely stop food from being used from zones they feel might be affected," Gregory Hartl told the Associated Press. "Repeated consumption of certain products is going to intensify risks, as opposed to radiation in the air that happens once and then the first time it rains there's no longer radiation in the air. A week ago we were more concerned about the radiation leakages and possible explosion of the nuclear facility itself, but now other issues are getting more attention including the food safety issue."

The initial symptoms reported by the Japanese and (later by American) observers were the loss of hair from the scalp, bleeding into the skin, inflammation of the mouth and throat, vomiting, diarrhea and fever.

Nausea and vomiting that appeared within a few hours after the explosion were frequently noted and while the vomiting usually subsided by the following morning, occasionally it continued for 2-3 more days. Diarrhea of varying degrees of severity was also observed and in severe cases, it was frequently bloody.

Radiation sickness can cause people to feel weak and out of sorts-almost like having a bad version of the flu. It can dramatically reduce the number of red blood cells, causing anemia and increased risk of fainting.

There were also observations of lesions of the gums, the oral mucous membrane, and the throat-these areas usually became deep red in color and in many instances began ulcerating and dying (necrosis) as the tissues began to break down. Leucopenia (low-white-blood-cell counts) were found on blood testing with extreme cases falling below 1,000 (normal levels are around 7,000).

The syndromes of acute radiation illness can be divided into three categories based on the amount of radiation dosage in total. The gray (symbol: Gy) is the SI unit of absorbed radiation dose of ionizing radiation and is defined as the absorption of one joule of ionizing radiation by one kilogram of matter (usually human tissue).

It is interesting to note that in radiation therapy, the amount of radiation varies depending on the type and stage of cancer being treated. For curative cases, the typical dose for a solid epithelial tumor ranges from 60 to 80 Gy, while lymphomas are treated with 20-40 Gy. Preventive (adjuvant) doses are typically around 45-60 Gy in 1.8-2 Gy fractions (for breast, head, and neck cancers).

Along with red cells, radiation sickness can reduce the risk of infection-fighting white cells in the body. As a result, the risk of bacterial, viral, and fungal infections is heightened.

The average radiation dose from an abdominal X-ray is 1.4 mGy, that from an abdominal CT scan is 8.0 mGy, that from a pelvic CT scan is 25 mGy, and that from a selective CT scan of the abdomen and the pelvis is 30 mGy.

It is again interesting to note that an abdominal and pelvic CT scan can cause symptoms similar to the category of cerebrovascular syndrome, even though this radiation exposure is supposed to be therapeutic.

The three categories are as follows:

* The cerebrovascular (brain) syndrome - This is when the total dose of radiation is extremely high, exceeding 20-30 Gy. A person with cerebrovascular (brain) syndrome rapidly develops confusion, nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and shock. Within hours their blood pressure falls due to heart and circulatory damage, accompanied by the inability to coordinate gait, seizures and coma. Patients often die within hours (usually within the first two days) after severe radiation exposure. In particular, the cerebrovascular syndrome has 3 phases: the first period of nausea and vomiting; then listlessness, drowsiness, apathy and confusion; and finally, tremors, convulsions, seizures, coma, with death usually within a few hours. Since the cerebrovascular syndrome is always fatal, treatment is geared toward providing comfort by relieving pain, anxiety, and breathing difficulties.

* The gastrointestinal syndrome occurs when the radiation dose is smaller but still high, and is due to the effects of radiation on the cells lining the digestive tract. Doses in the 10-20 Gy range affect the intestines, stripping their lining and leading to death within three months due to causes of vomiting, diarrhea, starvation, and infection.

Victims receiving 6-10 Gy all at once usually escape an intestinal death, but instead face bone marrow failure and death within two months from loss of blood coagulation factors and the protection against infection provided by white blood cells. The symptoms of people suffering from gastrointestinal syndrome include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea that can lead to severe dehydration, diminished blood plasma volume and vascular collapse that can result in death within 3-10 days. Severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea begin 2-12 hours after exposure to 4 Gy or more of radiation and the symptoms may lead to severe dehydration, but they usually resolve themselves after two days. After this period of feeling well, severe diarrhea (often bloody) returns, once more producing a state of dehydration.

As the intestines deteriorate, the bacteria inhabiting the digestive tract start to invade the rest of the body producing severe infections.People with the gastrointestinal syndrome require intravenous fluids and sedatives. They need to be kept isolated so that they do not contact infectious microorganisms. Oral antibiotics, such as neomycin, are given to kill intestinal bacteria that may invade the body and antifungal and antiviral drugs are also given intravenously when necessary. Radiation sickness can cause visible ulcers in or on the mouth. In addition, ulcers often form in the esophagus, stomach, and intestines.

* The hematopoietic syndromeis caused by the effects of radiation on the bone marrow, spleen, and lymph nodes, which are the primary sites of blood cell production (hematopoiesis). The hematopoietic syndrome is characterized by loss of appetite, apathy, lethargy, nausea and vomiting that usually begin 2-12 hours after exposure to 2 Gy or more of radiation and may be maximal within 6-12 hours from this yet smaller radiation exposure. The symptoms typically subside completely within 24-36 hours after the exposure, and the person typically feels well for a week or more.

However, during this symptom-free period the lymph nodes, spleen and bone marrow begin to waste away leading to a severe shortage of white blood cells, which are the body's main defense against infection, followed by a shortage of platelets and then red blood cells. This is the critical point where the person needs to be supported nutritionally to build blood cells and increase immunity, otherwise many hematopoietic patients die within 30-60 days after exposure.

Once again, the early symptoms of ARS typically involve nausea, vomiting, headache and diarrhea which will start within minutes to days after the exposure, last for minutes up to several days, and may come and go. The person will usually look and feel healthy for a short time-mistakenly thinking they are all well-after which they will become sick again with loss of appetite, fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and possibly even seizures and coma. This seriously ill stage may last from a few hours up to several months.

Areas of skin exposed to radiation may turn blister and turn red-almost like severe sunburn. In some cases open sores form. The skin may even slough off.

For all the references, sources and more articles on radiation and chemical toxicity please visit Dr. Mark Sircus blog.

About the author:
Mark A. Sircus, Ac., OMD, DM (P), is director of the International Medical Veritas Association (IMVA) http://www.imva.info/.

Dr. Sircus was trained in acupuncture and oriental medicine at the Institute of Traditional Medicine in Sante Fe, N.M., and at the School of Traditional Medicine of New England in Boston. He served at the Central Public Hospital of Pochutla in Mexico, and was awarded the title of doctor of oriental medicine for his work. He was one of the first nationally certified acupuncturists in the United States. Dr. Sircus's IMVA is dedicated to unifying the various disciplines in medicine with the goal of creating a new dawn in healthcare.

He is particularly concerned about the effect vaccinations have on vulnerable infants and is identifying the common thread of many toxic agents that are dramatically threatening present and future generations of children. His book, The Terror of Pediatric Medicine, is a free e-book offered on his web site. Humane Pediatrics will be an e-book available early in 2011 and then quickly as possible put into print.

Dr. Sircus is a most prolific and courageous writer and one can read through hundreds of pages on his various web sites.

He has recently released a number of e-books including Winning the War Against Cancer, Survival Medicine for the 21st Century, Sodium Bicarbonate, Rich Man's Poor Man's Cancer Treatment, New Paradigms in Diabetic Care and Bringing Back the Universal Medicine: IODINE.

Dr. Sircus is a pioneer in the area of natural detoxification and chelation of toxic chemicals and heavy metals. He is also a champion of the medicinal value of minerals and seawater.

Transdermal Magnesium Therapy, his first published work.

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