I recently spent a long morning at the hospital for some medical tests (everything came back fine this time, if you’re wondering!) As part of this testing I had to have about 20 x-rays. I also had a nuclear medicine procedure that involved receiving an injection of a radioactive agent. Of course, the doctors and techs assure you that the amount of radiation is very low. However, they also give you a little card to carry around for 24 hours. The card explains that you are radioactive and may set off radiation detectors in hospitals and airports. Great. Plus, I was told I should not hug or cuddle my son until the next day. For anyone who knows my son, you know how hard this is — he is almost always cozied up on my lap! Given these warnings, I felt skeptical that even this “very low” dose of radiation could be truly safe.

So as soon as I returned home from the hospital, I made myself a cup of detox tea and started researching ways to quickly eliminate radiation from the body. These natural remedies for radiation exposure can be used by anyone who has been subjected to radiation, whether it is from dental x-rays and other medical x-rays, CT scans, a nuclear medicine procedure, mammograms, tumor radiation and cancer treatment, exposure to radon in the home, or work exposure to radioactive materials. If you are looking for ways to quickly eliminate radiation from the body or ways to minimize radiation’s effects on your body, read on.

Effects of Radiation

Depending on the type of radiation exposure, you may experience a variety of symptoms or none at all. Small, short doses of radiation — under 10 rem — have not been linked to observable health effects; however, even at this level, laboratory tests on cells outside the human body have demonstrated biological changes to these cells. Once the radiation exposure begins to exceed 10 rem, the risk of cancer starts to increase. As the dose climbs to 50-200 rem, recoverable effects begin to appear: changes in blood cells, nausea, and fatigue, plus a greater risk of cancer. Beyond this range, the cancer risk continues to increase, and effects such as vomiting and diarrhea will soon occur. Doses of radiation concentrated to specific body parts may lead to hair loss, cataracts, radiation burns, and internal bleeding. Half of people exposed to 300-500 rem will die without medical attention, and 500-1000 rem is usually fatal.

To put this in perspective, the average American is exposed to radiation in the amount of 0.62 rem each year. About half of this is from natural sources of radiation, while the rest is generally from medical procedures. A full-body CT scan exposes you to about 1 rem of radiation in a single day. A single chest x-ray exposes you to about 0.01 rem, while a mammogram gives a dose of 0.07 rem. While these might seem like small numbers, radiation is cumulative — it all adds up over the course of a year or the span of a lifetime, and that cumulative amount is thought to be potentially hazardous to your health. Even foods we eat and the air we breathe contain radioactive particles, so it makes sense to try to minimize “elective” radiation — ask for lower radiation medical tests when possible, for example — to mitigate the long-term effects of accumulated radiation, such as increased cancer risk. Here are some simple ways to quickly eliminate radiation from your body.

#1 Water

It sounds so simple and basic, but water flushes unabsorbed radiation out of your body quickly, so drink more than usual. You’ll be running to the bathroom all day, but it’s worth it to get all that radiation out of your body as quickly as possible. This is the one bit of advice that even the hospital recommends.

#2 Calcium and Magnesium

These two minerals can prevent more than 90% of strontium from being absorbed, so it may help to supplement with these before and after radiation exposure. GHC Intracal provides calcium orotate and magnesium orotate, and Natural Vitality Balanced CalMag provides calcium gluconate and magnesium citrate.

#3 Zeolites

Zeolite clay has been studied and shown to be effective in decontaminating animals exposed to nuclear waste in Chemobyl. Global Healing Center makes an organic supplement called Zeotrex that is rich in volcanic zeolites as well as other detoxifying compounds.

#4 Bentonite clay

Dissolve a teaspoon of bentonite clay in a small glass of water, and drink. The bentonite clay binds to toxins so that they can be safely eliminated from the body. Bentonite clay also provides minerals including calcium, magnesium, and potassium, which may be integral in limiting radiation effects.

#5 Iodine

Iodine protects the thyroid, which is one gland particularly affected by cumulative radiation exposure. Radioactive iodine prevents the thyroid from producing thyroid hormones, while a non-radioactive iodine supplement such as GHC Detoxadine nascent iodine supplement or Mercola Iodine from potassium iodide can aid in the elimination of radioactive substances stored in the thyroid gland.

#6 Coconut Oil

Take several spoonfuls of coconut oil throughout the day (or opt for coconut oil softgels if the idea of eating straight coconut oil is unpalatable!) when you have been exposed to radiation. One study on mice found that administering a vegetable oil to the mice allowed them to survive otherwise lethal x-ray exposure.

#7 Chlorophyll

Research has found that high-chlorophyll foods can decrease the effects of radiation by 50%. Get your dose of chlorophyll from Perfect Aquatic Greens, a blend of organically-grown chlorella and spirulina, two forms of algae that are quite high in chlorophyll and both effective detoxifying agents.

Radiation Detox

These supplements are safe, all natural, and most are from whole foods. I keep most of them on hand for general detox purposes, so once my medical tests were complete, I used them in combination to eliminate as much radiation as quickly as possible. After being exposed to at least 1 rem in a single day, I was so glad to be able to immediately counteract it with some healthful detox supplements and hopefully avoid some of the damaging effects of accumulative radiation!

 

By Ali Wetherbee