As multiple nuclear reactors in Fukushima exhaust their particles into the ocean and atmosphere, certain species and categories of life prove their greater or lesser cellular vulnerability. Radiation affects cells that are in vulnerable phases of their life cycles.
If you want quick solutions, go here. The most vulnerable times of life are in the pre and peri-natal stages, and therefore women who are pregnant. It is CRUCIAL that we understand that everything that happens to a pregnant mother, whether it be radiation exposure, drugs prescription or otherwise, alcohol, emotional trauma… are felt and IMPRINTED into the fetus. The child’s physical and emotional health will then be influenced by those factors. It’s a miracle we all aren’t sick or insane. On the other hand, we have one crazy planet on our hands. If you or someone you know has been affected by birth trauma, we have a miracle-worker therapist that comes to our clinic.
The remaining population with great vulnerability is those that are already compromised by weakened immune systems such as in HIV, post-chemotherapy patients and some auto-immune disorders. This article summarizes the reasons why pregnant women and infants through pubescent individuals are more likely to be affected by radiation, and what can be done to optimize their own protective mechanisms besides adding challenges to their immune systems such as dietary toxins (artificial sweeteners, sugar, processed meats, toxic fats).
Children grow rapidly. There are more cells dividing and a greater opportunity for radiation to disrupt the growth process than in adults. Fetuses are even more highly sensitive to radiation. The resulting effects depend upon which systems are developing at the time of exposure.
Radiation causes several destructive processes to occur at the cellular and organ-functional levels:
- Rupturing of the cell membrane, allowing for fluids that should be kept outside the cell to come inside as ions and nutrients from the cell are lost.
- Disruption to the mitochondria, this interrupts the cells food supply (ATP). If the cell has a large reserve of ATP it can repair the damage and continue to produce ATP. The cell will eventually die from starvation if the dose of radiation is great enough or the cell is vulnerable enough.
- Lysosomal destruction. A lysosome is a cellular component that is damaged with only 500 rads, and by this disruption, enzymes are released within the cell and then start digesting structures within the cell itself. In the case of large doses of radiation, even digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas and stomach are rendered inactive.
- Nucleus Impairment. Perhaps the most sensitive part of the cell to radiation is the nucleus. There is a wide band of sensitivity for cell nuclei, quantifying a dose range is difficult. The major effect of radiation here is the inhibition of DNA replication. This means the cell is unable to prepare for division. Before a cell divides it produces a complete set of chromosomes which carry all the information needed to reproduce the organism. With damaged DNA, duplicate chromosomes cannot be manufactured. If this process is delayed long enough, the cell dies and the death can be compared to death in childbirth.
- In pregnancy, radiation damage to mitotic processes. This involves the replacement of stem cells with somatic cells that form our organs.
In 1906, Bergonie and Tribondeau exposed rabbit testes to X-Rays and observed the effects on the testicular reproductie cells. They determined that radiosensitivity (vulnerability to radiation) is a function of the metabolic state of the cell being irradiated. The degree of damage and mutation is exactly proportionate to the level of metabolism and division of that cell. Therefore fetuses and infants are much more vulnerable to lower amounts of radiation than those with normal rates of cellular processes and development. Stem cells are the most vulnerable, since they are not yet differentiated and have a very high mitotic rate.
Another effect of radiation passing through living cells is the direct ionization or excitation of atoms and molecules in the cell structure. These changes affect the forces that bind the atoms together into molecules. If the molecule breaks up (dissociates) the fragments are called ‘free radicals’ and ions and are not chemically stable anymore. Free radicals are electrically neutral structures with one unpaired electron. When a free radical interacts with healthy cells, they become unhealthy.
Most effects from radiation are of course from chronic exposure of a low dose over years.
The systems of the body most affected is the hematopoietic systems that include the bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen and thymus glands. The diseases associated with radiation exposure are Cancers of the bile ducts, bone, brain, breast, colon, esophagus, gall bladder, liver (primary site, but not if cirrhosis or hepatitis B is indicated), lung (including bronchiolo-alveolar cancer), pancreas, pharynx, ovary, salivary gland, small intestine, stomach, thyroid, urinary tract (kidney/renal, pelvis, urinary bladder, and urethra), leukemia (except chronic lymphocytic leukemia), lymphomas (except Hodgkin’s disease), and multiple myeloma (cancer of plasma cells).
Diseases of infants and children from radiation exposure is blindness, mental deficiency, coordination defects, deformation and physical subnormality. Most abnormalities of the fetus are produced from exposures during the first trimester, particularly in the 2nd to 6th week. Exposures as low as 25 rad have been shown to produce developmental changes. Less obvious effects can be seen in exposures at later periods of gestation.
Both the type of radiation and the pathway by which a person is exposed influence the overall effects. Different types of radiation vary in their ability to damage different kinds of tissue. Radiation and radiation emitters (radionuclides) can perfuse the whole body or expose certain tissues when they are inhaled or swallowed. Many kinds of ionizing radiation can cause cancer and other health effects. The main difference in the ability of alpha and beta particles and gamma and x-Rays to cause health problems is the amount of energy they can deposit in a given space. Their energy determines how far they can penetrate into tissue. It also determines how much energy they are able to transmit directly or indirectly to tissues and the resulting damage. Although an alfpha particle and a gamma ray may have the same amount of energy, inside the body, the alpha particle will deposit all of its energy in a small volume of tissue, where the gamma radiation will spread energy over a much larger volume. This is because alpha particles have a mass that carries the energy, and gamma rays do not.
As if that isn’t enough, radioactive elements/particles such as Uranium are toxic even when they are not radioactive. The same with many other heavy metals. There is research to suggest that the more heavy metal toxicity a person has (very common nowadays), the more likely that person is to absorb and retain radioactive nuclides.
In my practice we have determined that there is a pronounced upward trend in heavy metal toxicity that can result in cognitive disorders, ADD, chronic infections, cancer and many other syndromes. Europe and North America has seen rises recently in Lead, Mercury, Uranium, Cadmium, Arsenic, Aluminum and Lithium. For example, recently we have seen a rise in Uranium. This is not radioactive Uranium. The element alone has been studied and has been found to block the processes of metabolism of carbohydrates by the inhibition of enzyme systems, creating a strong effect of fatigue and lowered oxygenation of cells. Uranium is present in air, water, and food, and most people consume tiny amounts of it daily. Uranium is a heavy metal similar to tungsten, lead, mercury, and cadmium. As we said, its toxic chemical characteristics as a heavy metal are independent of its radiological characteristics.
More than a third of Britain is still contaminated by radioactivity from the Chernobyl disaster two decades ago, and children are getting cancer as a result.
Why are Children Really more Vulnerable?
Children are much more vulnerable to the harmful effects of radiation disasters than the general population because their bodies absorb and metabolize substances differently, and because they are more likely to develop certain cancers from such an exposure. They also are closer to the ground, where radioactive fallout settles. In addition to physical harm, children may suffer from loss of parents, separation from their homes, and post-traumatic stress.
Radioactive Iodine is the first isotope to consider in any nuclear fallout or disaster. The dosages are designed to block the thyroid absorption of radioactive iodine in order to prevent thyroid cancer. The treatment is normally harmless and should be only continued for acute exposures of high amounts of I-131 (see our Geiger counter page and our Radiation Protection I article) in the high levels usually found nearby a nuclear event. Do not take Potassium Iodide, the blocking agent, if there is an autoimmune thyroid disease or if you do not know whether the radioactive Iodine is highly elevated where you are exposed.
How it works: The thyroid is the only part of the body that absorbs and stores iodine. By taking FDA Approved potassium iodide prior to exposure of radioactive iodine, your thyroid will become saturated with safe, stable iodine. This will prevent your thyroid's absorption of any additional iodine (radioactive or not) long enough for the radioactive iodine inhaled or ingested to be safely dispersed through the kidneys. Outcome: No Thyroid Cancer
We treat mothers and children with non-drug precision supplements for many maladies from developmental disorders, digestive complaints, behavioral complaints, as well as allergies. In case of birth trauma, effects from anesthesia or drugs and other emotional trauma, we now have a trauma specialist on our team that uses a neurologically-based therapy called, “Somatic Experiencing” that is the treatment of the future, and is very affordable. Call Nicole for appointments at (831) 685-1125 or make your appointment through our website www.fortifyhealth.com.