Medication
The NRC's system includes regulations for the following aspects of radiation protection:
- Dose limits for radiation workers and members of the public
- Monitoring and labeling radioactive materials
- Posting signs in and around radiation areas
- Reporting the theft or loss of radioactive material
Procedures
Minimize Your Exposure
- Time, Distance, and Shielding. Time: For people who are exposed to radiation in addition to natural background radiation, limiting or minimizing the exposure time reduces the dose from the radiation ...
- Containment. Radioactive materials are confined in the smallest possible space and kept out of the environment. ...
- NRC's System of Radiation Protection. ...
Therapy
- your skin might look darker than it was before in the treated area – as if it is suntanned
- your skin in the treatment area will always be slightly more sensitive to the sun
- your skin might feel different to touch
- your hair might grow back a different colour or texture in the treatment area
- you might have permanent hair loss within the treated area
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- Experiencing a radioactive accident or attack
- Mourning friends or family who haven't survived
- Dealing with the uncertainty of a mysterious and potentially fatal illness
- Worrying about the eventual risk of cancer due to radiation exposure
What can we do to reduce exposure to radiation?
How to reduce your exposure to radiation?
What are the long - term effects of radiation treatment?
How to prevent exposure from too much medical radiation?
What is the goal of radiation sickness?
The treatment goals for radiation sickness are to prevent further radioactive contamination; treat life-threatening injuries, such as from burns and trauma; reduce symptoms; and manage pain.
What is the diagnosis of radiation?
Diagnosis. When a person has experienced known or probable exposure to a high dose of radiation from an accident or attack, medical personnel take a number of steps to determine the absorbed radiation dose. This information is essential for determining how severe the illness is likely to be, which treatments to use and whether a person is likely ...
What is the device that measures radiation?
Dosimeter . A device called a dosimeter can measure the absorbed dose of radiation but only if it was exposed to the same radiation event as the affected person. Survey meter. A device such as a Geiger counter can be used to survey people to determine the body location of radioactive particles. Type of radiation.
How accurate is the time between radiation exposure and the onset of vomiting?
The time between radiation exposure and the onset of vomiting is a fairly accurate screening tool to estimate absorbed radiation dose. The shorter the time before the onset of this sign, the higher the dose. The severity and timing of other signs and symptoms also may help medical personnel determine the absorbed dose. Blood tests.
What is the treatment for bone marrow damage?
Treatment for damaged bone marrow. A protein called granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, which promotes the growth of white blood cells, may counter the effect of radiation sickness on bone marrow. Treatment with this protein-based medication, which includes filgrastim (Neupogen), sargramostim (Leukine) and pegfilgrastim (Neulasta), ...
How long does it take for a person to die from radiation?
Depending on the severity of illness, death can occur within two days or two weeks. People with a lethal radiation dose will receive medications to control pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
What information is important for determining an absorbed dose?
Information important for determining an absorbed dose includes: Known exposure. Details about distance from the source of radiation and duration of exposure can help provide a rough estimate of the severity of radiation sickness. Vomiting and other symptoms. The time between radiation exposure and the onset of vomiting is a fairly accurate ...
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Radiation sickness primarily affects the skin, the stomach and intestines, and the bone marrow. Bone marrow is the spongy inner part of the bone responsible for producing red blood cells, infection-fighting white blood cells, and platelets that help a person clot.
Decontaminating Your Environment
The most important immediate action to take after a radiation event is to leave the environment to reduce further exposure. Decontamination requires removing any contaminants from your body and environment.
Hospital Treatment
After a significant radiation event, a person will require further evaluation at a hospital or with a healthcare provider to determine the extent of their injuries.
Prescriptions
There is one prescription medicine used to treat radiation sickness called Prussian blue. Otherwise, all other prescribed medications are used to treat just the symptoms associated with radiation sickness, such as bone pain and vomiting.
Over-the-Counter (OTC) Therapies
Potassium iodide is the most commonly used medication that counteracts some effects of significant radiation exposure. All other recommended OTC treatments control the symptoms associated with radiation exposure, such as burn and bone pain.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
There is a range of complementary and alternative medicine treatments that can possibly help treat radiation sickness, but they have not been tested in clinical trials or proven to be effective. These treatments should not replace standard recommendations and should only be pursued under guidance from your healthcare provider.
Summary
Radiation sickness is a serious illness that occurs after high-dose exposure to penetrating radioactive materials. Since these events are rare, there are only a few treatments that are proven effective. Decontamination is the most critical step to take after exposure. Most other treatments are available in a hospital.
What is the treatment for internal contamination?
Treatment of internal contamination is based on the isotopes involved and may include saturation of the crucial organ, dilution therapy, isotope displacement, or use of chelating agents. After a survey to ensure that no residual contamination remains, the patient is transferred to a care unit.
What is the treatment area after clothing is removed?
After clothing has been removed, the patient's medical condition is assessed, stabilized, and treated.
Can contaminated patients be exposed to radiation?
Exposed patients have sustained either partial or whole-body exposure but do not carry radioactive material; contaminated patients have also been exposed, but they have radioactive material either externally or internally and thus are continually exposed to radiation until the contaminant is removed.
What is the best way to prevent radiation exposure?
Sources recommend using organic Brewers use for prevention of radiation exposure. The cell walls of yeast contain glucans, which have strong antioxidant properties. One study found that glucans increased the regeneration of hemopoietic stem cells in mice after radiation; these are young cells that can turn into any type of blood cell. [ 28] Combined with selenium, glucan had an even greater effect on cell regeneration. Some sources recommend that 5 mg to 15 mg should be given to children, and 25 mg to 50 mg can be given to adults. For cases of direct exposure, these amounts can be doubled, or tripled. Brewer’s yeast may aid the body in repair after exposure, as well as protection.
What are the best natural remedies for radiation?
Below are 13 of the best natural remedies for exposure to radiation. 1. Nascent Iodine.
What is the effect of radiation on the thyroid gland?
1. Nascent Iodine. Radiation has a direct effect on the thyroid gland, inhibiting its ability to create thyroid hormones that require iodine, an imperative player in healthy DNA integrity, immune function, metabolic and endocrine balance, as well as cardiovascular health.
What is the best form of potassium to use for radiation exposure?
According to the CDC, potassium iodide can play a major role in protecting the body and thyroid gland after internal contamination, as in the example of the Japanese nuclear reactor explosion. Potassium iodide is the best form of potassium to use for radiation exposure. 3. Calcium and Magnesium.
Why is the reproductive system vulnerable to radiation?
Having fewer lymphocytes puts you at a greater risk of infections. The reproductive system is also vulnerable to radiation, and long-term exposure can lead to sterility, birth defects, and still-births. [ 3] Exposure to high levels of radiation can cause acute radiation syndrome, or mild radiation sickness. [ 4] .
What are the effects of radiation?
Common signs of low-level radiation exposure include fatigue, headaches, nausea, scalp tenderness, scalp discoloration, and dry/itchy skin. [ 1] In extreme cases, continued low-level exposure to radiation may also cause brain damage, memory concerns, mood changes and reduced listening capacities, psychomotor abilities, and information processing times. Exposure to low levels of radiation over a long time may increase the likelihood of developing leukemia and lymphoma in the future. [ 2]
Does bee pollen help with radiation?
Initial evidence suggests that bee pollen may significantly lower the negative side effects of radiation exposure. Bee pollen has antioxidant properties, which allows it to scavenge the free radicals in the body that are generated by radiation. Studies on rat brain cells found the application of bee pollen plus beta-carotene halted the effects of ionizing radiation. [ 20, 21] Because exposure to radiation lowers many of your body's natural vital substances like white and red blood cells and antibodies, bee pollen is a natural way of boosting these vital functions. [ 20]
How to reduce radiation exposure?
How You Can Limit Contamination 1 Get out of the immediate area quickly. Go inside the nearest safe building or to an area to which you are directed by law enforcement or health officials. 2 Remove the outer layer of your clothing. If radioactive material is on your clothes, getting it away from you will reduce the external contamination and decrease the risk of internal contamination. It will also reduce the length of time that you are exposed to radiation. 3 If possible, place the clothing in a plastic bag or leave it in an out-of-the-way area, such as the corner of a room. Keep people away from it to reduce their exposure to radiation. Keep cuts and abrasions covered when handling contaminated items to avoid getting radioactive material in them. 4 Wash all of the exposed parts of your body using lots of soap and lukewarm water to remove contamination. This process is called decontamination. Try to avoid spreading contamination to parts of the body that may not be contaminated, such as areas that were clothed. 5 After authorities determine that internal contamination may have occurred, you may be able to take medication to reduce the radioactive material in your body.
How to avoid getting radioactive material in your body?
Keep people away from it to reduce their exposure to radiation. Keep cuts and abrasions covered when handling contaminated items to avoid getting radioactive material in them. Wash all of the exposed parts of your body using lots of soap and lukewarm water to remove contamination. This process is called decontamination.
What is radioactive contamination?
Radioactive Contamination. Radioactive contamination occurs when radioactive material is deposited on or in an object or a person. Radioactive materials released into the environment can cause air, water, surfaces, soil, plants, buildings, people, or animals to become contaminated.
How to limit contamination?
You can take the following steps to limit your contamination. Get out of the immediate area quickly. Go inside the nearest safe building or to an area to which you are directed by law enforcement or health officials. Remove the outer layer of your clothing.
Can you be exposed to radiation from a contaminated body?
People who are internally contaminated can expose people near them to radiation from the radioactive material inside their bodies. The body fluids (blood, sweat, urine) of an internally contaminated person can contain radioactive materials. Coming in contact with these body fluids can result in contamination and/or exposure.
Can a house be contaminated with radioactive materials?
Homes can also become contaminated with radioactive materials in body fluids from internally contaminated people. Making sure that others do not come in contact with body fluids from a contaminated person will help prevent contamination of other people in the household.
Does Radiation Make You Sick?
People who are in the business of radiation will tell you it is safe. Yet, they wear space looking suits, and wear radiation monitors. Medical Doctors put lead over parts of you, and run and hide behind a thick lead wall before they zap you with radiation.
Radiation Causes Cancer
Radiation causes cancer and is lethal short-term as well as long-term. Modern medicine uses surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment to kill cancer.
How to Cure Radiation Poisoning and Sickness
Fortunately, nature herself has a natural remedy that is powerful enough to deal with nuclear radiation poisoning, and can treat radiation sickness fairly quickly. This miracle substance is called Zeolite. It is the number one radiation protection substance known to humankind.
Treatment for Radiation Poisoning
Here are the best natural remedies for radiation sickness, exposure and poisoning. Listed in the order of importance:
What oils can you drink after radiation?
Olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil and other healthy oils offer some protection during and after radiation exposure. Lipids in the oils offer protection to individual cells, lining the cell membrane and binding toxins before they can cause cell damage. Animal studies show that mice fed oil are protected from doses of x-rays ranging from 300 to 2,400 roentgens and can survive lethal doses. The recommendation is to drink ½ cup of oil as soon as possible after exposure.
What is the best potassium supplement for radiation?
Rich potassium sources in the diet is a good first line of defense, but it may not be enough. Potassium Orotate is the best form of potassium supplements to use for radiation exposure. Follow dosing guidelines on the product you choose, since too much potassium can have ill effects.
What is the best way to reduce toxins in the body?
Papain. Papain is a natural enzyme found in papaya fruit and known for its ability to reduce toxins. Studies in mice show that it helps exposed mice survive lethal radiation doses. Early research suggests that papain reduces skin reactions and other side effects following radiation therapy.
What are the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables after a nuclear attack?
Eating fruits and vegetables containing high amounts of antioxidants will help protect the body from the harmful effects of radiation. Obviously, do not consume plants that have been exposed to fallout or grown in contaminated soil, but frozen, dried, freeze-dried and safe fresh produce are healthy and give the body systems a boost.
Can Iodine help with detox?
There are a number of supplements and compounds that can help you detoxify and prevent damage. Each acts differently and some, like Iodine, are specific to only one radioisotope, so plan to use all of these methods, or as many as possible, for best results.
Is bee pollen good for radiation?
Recent studies suggest that bee pollen is effective in preventing and relieving the negative effects of radiation therapies by boosting the body’s defenses and supporting natural functions and it could provide these same benefits after a nuclear event.
Is a nuclear bomb survivable?
Some nuclear events are survivable. Much depends on the type of event and your proximity to ground zero. Event possibilities range from dirty bombs that may distribute radiation over a small area, to nuclear accidents and nuclear weapon detonation that create large amounts of destruction and contamination. Your first goal is to avoid nuclear ...
What is iodine used for?
Iodine protects the thyroid, breasts, prostate and ovary glands as well as other tissues in the body from radiation if present in sufficient quantities. When treating life-threatening diseases we do not have months to fool around with low dosages. We need to zoom up iodine levels quickly.
How many drops of iodine should I take a day?
One hundred drops a day is a strong dose, but when treating life threatening diseases it would not be unheard of to use upward of 200 drops a day in divided doses, but if you get your iodine on the day the news is sounding the radiation alarm I would jump right to 100 drops or 50 drops in divided dosages for children.
When was iodine used in medicine?
And we need to get it concentrated to certain tissues or organs. Just to give you an idea of how high iodine dosages have been taken we have to revisit the 1930s when iodine was still a universal medicine present in the U.S. Pharmacopeia and used at much higher dosages than anyone even dreams of using today.
Does iodine protect you from radiation?
Iodine will do nothing to protect a person from uranium, cesium or plutonium radiation exposure so one has to turn to my full protocol and especially to eating clay and clay baths to try to remove these other particles as fast as possible. For the governments perspective on potassium iodide please go to the CDC site.
Can you tolerate iodine?
Humans tolerate large doses of iodine so the very high dosages recommended for protection for radioactive iodine are not usually a problem except for those who already have serious problems with their thyroids, which is quite a lot of people considering how many are deficient in this vital nutrient.
Is there radioactive iodine in the body?
Dr. Brownstein writes, “If there is enough inorganic, non-radioactive iodine in our bodies, the radioactive fallout has nowhere to bind in our bodies. It will pass through us, leaving our bodies unharmed.
How long after exposure to radiation can mice be treated?
Two drugs can block the deadly effects of radiation poisoning in mice when given up to 24 hours after exposure. The finding points to a possible new way to protect against radiation injury from environmental exposures or cancer therapy.
How does radiation affect the body?
Some of the most lethal effects destroy blood-forming stem cells in bone marrow tissues. These stem cells give rise to red blood cells and a wide variety of immune system cells.
How long after radiation can a mouse survive?
They found that mice treated with either drug were less likely to die than untreated mice. Treatment 30 minutes after radiation exposure allowed high numbers of blood-forming cells to survive and expand. With aPC, doses given 24 hours after radiation more than doubled mouse survival rates compared to untreated mice.
How long after radiation can you give a mouse?
With aPC, doses given 24 hours after radiation more than doubled mouse survival rates compared to untreated mice. “Current treatments for radiation exposure consist mainly of blood transfusions and growth factors,” says Hauer-Jensen. “We have discovered a new way to protect blood-making cells after they have been irradiated.”.
Can stem cells counteract radiation?
These stem cells give rise to red blood cells and a wide variety of immune system cells. Available treatments can counteract some aspects of radiation damage. These therapies, though, have side effects or other limitations.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Decontaminating Your Environment
Hospital Treatment
Prescriptions
Specialist to consult
Over-The-Counter (OTC) Therapies
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- The treatment goals for radiation sickness are to prevent further radioactive contamination; treat life-threatening injuries, such as from burns and trauma; reduce symptoms; and manage pain.
Summary
A Word from Verywell