Radiation Health Alert - Potassium Iodide's Potential Dangers

Radiation Health Alert - Potassium Iodide's Potential Dangers!

Brought to you by LINKS 4 LIFE

Dear Friends:

All of us are concerned about the possibility of radiation poisoning - we have been hyper-vigilant since the as yet unresolved catastrophe in Japan. Every atomic power plant throughout the US and the entire world is being looked at with increased scrutiny; shoppers are avoiding the purchase of products which may have come from areas or raw materials which may have been contaminated by radiation. These reactions to the fear of radiation poisoning are natural, and not wholly inappropriate.

There is a real danger associated with taking POTASSIUM IODIDE as a preventive measure (as it can help prevent irradiation of the thyroid gland in situations of very high radiation exposure risk). It should not be taken unless it is absolutely proven (by health experts) that the potential for exposure to seriously high levels of radiation is absolutely imminent.

The following information is provided by the US CDC (Centers For Disease Control):

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Potassium Iodide (KI)

Key Facts

• You should only take potassium idodide (KI) on the advice of emergency management officials, public health officials, or your doctor.
• There are health risks associated with taking KI.

What is Potassium Iodide (KI)?

Potassium iodide (also called KI) is a salt of stable (not radioactive) iodine. Stable iodine is an important chemical needed by the body to make thyroid hormones. Most of the stable iodine in our bodies comes from the food we eat. KI is stable iodine in a medicine form. This fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gives you some basic information about KI. It explains what you should think about before you or a family member takes KI.

What does KI do?

Following a radiological or nuclear event, radioactive iodine may be released into the air and then be breathed into the lungs. Radioactive iodine may also contaminate the local food supply and get into the body through food or through drink. When radioactive materials get into the body through breathing, eating, or drinking, we say that “internal contamination” has occurred. In the case of internal contamination with radioactive iodine, the thyroid gland quickly absorbs this chemical. Radioactive iodine absorbed by the thyroid can then injure the gland. Because non-radioactive KI acts to block radioactive iodine from being taken into the thyroid gland, it can help protect this gland from injury.

What KI cannot do

Knowing what KI cannot do is also important. KI cannot prevent radioactive iodine from entering the body. KI can protect only the thyroid from radioactive iodine, not other parts of the body. KI cannot reverse the health effects caused by radioactive iodine once damage to the thyroid has occurred. KI cannotprotect the body from radioactive elements other than radioactive iodine—if radioactive iodine is not present, taking KI is not protective.

How does KI work?

The thyroid gland cannot tell the difference between stable and radioactive iodine and will absorb both. KI works by blocking radioactive iodine from entering the thyroid. When a person takes KI, the stable iodine in the medicine gets absorbed by the thyroid. Because KI contains so much stable iodine, the thyroid gland becomes “full” and cannot absorb any more iodine—either stable or radioactive—for the next 24 hours.

Iodized table salt also contains iodine; iodized table salt contains enough iodine to keep most people healthy under normal conditions. However, table salt does not contain enough iodine to block radioactive iodine from getting into your thyroid gland. You should not use table salt as a substitute for KI.

How well does KI work?

Knowing that KI may not give a person 100% protection against radioactive iodine is important. How well KI blocks radioactive iodine depends on

• how much time passes between contamination with radioactive iodine and the taking of KI (the sooner a person takes KI, the better),
• how fast KI is absorbed into the blood, and
• the total amount of radioactive iodine to which a person is exposed.

Who should take KI?

The thyroid glands of a fetus and of an infant are most at risk of injury from radioactive iodine. Young children and people with low stores of iodine in their thyroid are also at risk of thyroid injury.

Infants (including breast-fed infants): Infants need to be given the recommended dosage of KI for babies (see How much KI should I take?). The amount of KI that gets into breast milk is not enough to protect breast-fed infants from exposure to radioactive iodine. The proper dose of KI given to a nursing infant will help protect it from radioactive iodine that it breathes in or drinks in breast milk.

Children: The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that all children internally contaminated with (or likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine take KI, unless they have known allergies to iodine. Children from newborn to 18 years of age are the most sensitive to the potentially harmful effects of radioactive iodine.

Young Adults: The FDA recommends that young adults (between the ages of 18 and 40 years) internally contaminated with (or likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine take the recommended dose of KI. Young adults are less sensitive to the effects of radioactive iodine than are children.

Pregnant Women: Because all forms of iodine cross the placenta, pregnant women should take KI to protect the growing fetus. However, pregnant women should take only one dose of KI following internal contamination with (or likely internal contamination with) radioactive iodine.

Breastfeeding Women: Women who are breastfeeding should take only one dose of KI if they have been internally contaminated with (or are likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine. Because radioactive iodine quickly gets into breast milk, CDC recommends that women internally contaminated with (or are likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine stop breastfeeding and feed their child baby formula or other food if it is available. If breast milk is the only food available for an infant, nursing should continue.

Adults: Adults older than 40 years should not take KI unless public health or emergency management officials say that contamination with a very large dose of radioactive iodine is expected. Adults older than 40 years have the lowest chance of developing thyroid cancer or thyroid injury after contamination with radioactive iodine. They also have a greater chance of having allergic reactions to KI.

When should I take KI?

After a radiologic or nuclear event, local public health or emergency management officials will tell the public if KI or other protective actions are needed. For example, public health officials may advise you to remain in your home, school, or place of work (this is known as “shelter-in-place”) or to evacuate. You may also be told not to eat some foods and not to drink some beverages until a safe supply can be brought in from outside the affected area. Following the instructions given to you by these authorities can lower the amount of radioactive iodine that enters your body and lower the risk of serious injury to your thyroid gland.

How much KI should I take?

The FDA has approved two different forms of KI—tablets and liquid—that people can take by mouth after a nuclear radiation emergency. Tablets come in two strengths, 130 milligram (mg) and 65 mg. The tablets are scored so they may be cut into smaller pieces for lower doses. Each milliliter (mL) of the oral liquid solution contains 65 mg of KI.
According to the FDA, the following doses are appropriate to take after internal contamination with (or likely internal contamination with) radioactive iodine:

• Adults should take 130 mg (one 130 mg tablet OR two 65 mg tablets OR two mL of solution).
• Women who are breastfeeding should take the adult dose of 130 mg.
• Children between 3 and 18 years of age should take 65 mg (one 65 mg tablet OR 1 mL of solution). Children who are adult size (greater than or equal to 150 pounds) should take the full adult dose, regardless of their age.
• Infants and children between 1 month and 3 years of age should take 32 mg (½ of a 65 mg tablet OR ½ mL of solution). This dose is for both nursing and non-nursing infants and children.
• Newborns from birth to 1 month of age should be given 16 mg (¼ of a 65 mg tablet or ¼ mL of solution). This dose is for both nursing and non-nursing newborn infants.

How often should I take KI?

A single dose of KI protects the thyroid gland for 24 hours. A one-time dose at the levels recommended in this fact sheet is usually all that is needed to protect the thyroid gland. In some cases, radioactive iodine might be in the environment for more than 24 hours. If that happens, local emergency management or public health officials may tell you to take one dose of KI every 24 hours for a few days. You should do this only on the advice of emergency management officials, public health officials, or your doctor. Avoid repeat dosing with KI for pregnant and breastfeeding women and newborn infants. Those individuals may need to be evacuated until levels of radioactive iodine in the environment fall.

Taking a higher dose of KI, or taking KI more often than recommended, does not offer more protection and can cause severe illness or death.

Medical conditions that may make it harmful to take KI

Taking KI may be harmful for some people because of the high levels of iodine in this medicine. You should not take KI if
• you know you are allergic to iodine (If you are unsure about this, consult your doctor. A seafood or shellfish allergy does not necessarily mean that you are allergic to iodine.) or
• you have certain skin disorders (such as dermatitis herpetiformis or urticaria vasculitis).

People with thyroid disease (for example, multinodular goiter, Graves’ disease, or autoimmune thyroiditis) may be treated with KI. This should happen under careful supervision of a doctor, especially if dosing lasts for more than a few days.

In all cases, talk to your doctor if you are not sure whether to take KI.

What are the possible risks and side effects of KI?

When public health or emergency management officials tell the public to take KI following a radiologic or nuclear event, the benefits of taking this drug outweigh the risks. This is true for all age groups. Some general side effects caused by KI may include intestinal upset, allergic reactions (possibly severe), rashes, and inflammation of the salivary glands.

When taken as recommended, KI causes only rare adverse health effects that specifically involve the thyroid gland. In general, you are more likely to have an adverse health effect involving the thyroid gland if you

• take a higher than recommended dose of KI,
• take the drug for several days, or
• have pre-existing thyroid disease.

Newborn infants (less than 1 month old) who receive more than one dose of KI are at particular risk for developing a condition known as hypothyroidism (thyroid hormone levels that are too low). If not treated, hypothyroidism can cause brain damage. Infants who receive KI should have their thyroid hormone levels checked and monitored by a doctor. Avoid repeat dosing of KI to newborns.

Where can I get KI?

KI is available without a prescription. You should talk to your pharmacist to get KI and for directions about how to take it correctly. Your pharmacist can sell you KI brands that have been approved by the FDA.

Other Sources of Information

• The FDA recommendations on KI can be reviewed on the Internet at Frequently Asked Questions on Potassium Iodide (KI) .
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emergency Response Site is available at CDC Radiation Emergencies.

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Faithfully, and wishing you excellent health,

Douglas Castle
http://www.tnnwc.com/ and http://aboutdouglascastle.blogspot.com/

LINKS 4 LIFE - A free public resource for all.
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Economic Inequity and Revolution? Enter: Dysteamia

The dangerously growing gap between the rich and the poor. http://ping.fm/HfrJN.

My First Question: At what tipping point does the difference become so onerous and unconscionable to the poor majority that the seeds for revolution are firmly sown?

My Second Question: How close is the United States (one country among a number of others faced with the same disparity) to this theoretical "tipping point"?

My Third Question: What can be done to avert this type of  "theoretical" calamity? The answer will not come from large monopolies or government "programs". 

I believe that the answer lies in uniting and lobbying small businesses and in doing the same with consumer groups. That's the "hidden agenda" of TNNWC Group, LLC.  Go to http://www.tnnwc.com/ and click on the "JOIN US" button. Be a part of an organization that is truly greater than the sum of its individual Members...SYNERGY!...this is quite the opposite of what is going on inside of some of these corporate juggernauts and the back offices of government. They are actually parties to a phenomenon which I will refer to as (this is a bona fide Lingovation) "Dysteamia".

Dysteamia is the result produced by a group where the sum of the parts is far greater than the whole -- the loss factor has to do with massive waste, gross mismanagement, or some thievery justified by an unmitigated sense of entitlement and excessive greed. Yes: dys - Team - ia. 

news
economics
trends
buzz
TNNWC alerts
politics
revolution
degrees of inequality
rich versus poor
dangerous tipping point...

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle
http://aboutdouglascastle.blogspot.com/
http://www.tnnwc.com/

"Dysteamia Kills."

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Douglas Castle's INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS™ BLOG.

Internal Energy Plus™ is based upon a system of mind-body learning and entrainment originally founded by martial arts Headmaster Soke Joseph Droual. It continues to be a work-in-progress.

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Japan's Tragedy Is Everyone's Tragedy - Take Action - Now

Japan's Tragedy Is Everyone's Tragedy. Take Action. Now.

All of the compassionate peoples of this world, wherever you are, whatever you are doing... Please take a moment away from what you are doing to contribute whatever amount that you can -- we appreciate that these are challenging economic times -- to one of the socially-responsible and charitable organizations which are collecting and providing aid to the surviving victims of a tsunami which devastated much of Japan, a series of aftershocks (that may continue for months....or perhaps years), and now, the very real threat of a catastrophic nuclear meltdown of inestimable proportions.

Those of us at TNNWC send out our condolences, prayers and support to those who  have died or have lost loved ones in this catastrophe. Please join us by contributing as much as you can to the relief effort -- right now. Time is critical. The clock is ticking. Please help.

To find a list of organizations to which you can give your contributions, simply click on this link, or copy and paste it into your browser (TNNWC is not affiliated with any of these organizations):

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_newsroom/20110311/wl_yblog_newsroom/japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-how-to-help

Please be generous. Give Globally. Join the humanitarian effort to save lives. Every cent helps.

Please forward this post to everyone you know. If you need to download it so that you can attach it to a letter ot send to your email list, newsgroups or social media, you can download a copy of this exact document (as a .pdf download) by clicking on http://bit.ly/TNNWCJAPAN

Thank you.

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Join TNNWC – Become a Member (Your Membership is still absolutely free, and you can start receiving your benefits immediately. If you are a thought-leader, an entrepreneur, a small business, an emerging enterprise or an established entity on a fast-track for growth, either in the U.S. or internationally -- you'll want our publications, our intel, our alerts, our trend reports, and, of course, our unparalleled suite of services). Click on http://www.tnnwc.com/ and press the "JOIN US" button.

This Announcement and Request For Help is co-sponsored by:

TNNWC Group, LLC - http://www.tnnwc.com/ - Publisher of The National Networker (TNNWC) Weekly Newsletter
The Internationalist Page - http://theinternationalistpage.blogspot.com/
The Global Futurist - http://theglobalfuturist.blogspot.com/, and
LINKS 4 LIFE - http://lifelinksiep.blogspot.com/

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Douglas Castle's INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS™ BLOG.

Internal Energy Plus™ is based upon a system of mind-body learning and entrainment originally founded by martial arts Headmaster Soke Joseph Droual. It continues to be a work-in-progress.

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Are You Alive, Or Just Going Through The Empty Motions?

Are you truly ALIVE, or just going through the empty motions? Find out: http://ping.fm/0f9T6  #douglascastle #social #buzzology #TNNWC




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Douglas Castle's INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS™ BLOG.

Internal Energy Plus™ is based upon a system of mind-body learning and entrainment originally founded by martial arts Headmaster Soke Joseph Droual. It continues to be a work-in-progress.

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Personal Thank You Notes -- A Rare And Powerful Touch

Personal Thank You Notes -- A Rare And Powerful Touch

If you're a hardened business-minded cynic, as I am, you'll probably think that this is going to be one of those sissy "conventional wisdom" puff piece articles. But you'd be wrong. So there.

Dear Friends, Readers, Colleagues and Fellow TNNWC Members:

A personal note (as a follow-through to a conversation or a meeting) is becoming increasingly rare. A personal thank you note is even rarer. This makes it all the more precious.

A thank-you note, whether it is a small hand-written sticky note or a more formalized email casts a gracious and dignified light on the sender.

When the Founder of TNNWC Group, Adam J.(whatever that stands for ) Kovitz mails me anything, he always encloses a small post-it note saying "thank you." It is one of the things that makes him outstanding in an increasingly hostile and de-personalized society. It is more than a gesture - it's a statement about the character of the sender. I have kept all of Adam's post-it notes [well, to be completely candid, it had occurred to me that they might fetch a high price at auction some day in the not-to-distant future when Adam comes to great fame and fortune...]

I have to start to send more thank you notes to people. They are a rare and personal touch that builds a stronger bridge of friendship and trust between the sender and the recipient. I know how wonderful I feel when I receive one.

I would suggest that you endeavor to do the same.

It will set us apart in an all-too-often indifferent world. It might even (at the risk of sounding mercenary) help win us better social and business relationships.

That is my entire message. If you'd like to go further, there is a personal story, but even if you stop right here, I've given you something to think about.

In fact, I'm going out to buy several quill pens and some fancy stationery right now.

- DC

The Story

Some years ago, during a particularly difficult time in my life, I decided to distract myself by delving into something new; something that would engage me physically, intellectually and emotionally.

I found my needed distraction when I decided, after interviewing several martial arts "masters," to study Jiu Jitsu under the instruction of Soke Joseph Droual of New York Martial Arts Hombu.

Soke (a term of mastery, which some translate to the "Founder," of a unique style, or "The Inheritor" of special teachings) intuitively knew what I needed, and trained me well. I thoroughly enjoyed our sessions. I earned my black belt due to our dedication to each other. Teaching and studying are two parts of a whole process - it truly requires a partnership between at least two persons to make learning possible. We established a close bond.

Over the years, our friendship has grown, and we have very often confided in eachother, exchanged warped jokes, groanworthy puns and musical metaphors. We speak on the telephone briefly (as we are both busy), but with incredible frequency.

Soke recently honored my Colleagues and myself by becoming a Member of TNNWC Group and one of our Advisors.

He is a master of four different martial arts, The Founder of The Internal Energy Plus System, a Member of the US Martial Arts Hall Of Fame, and an anti-bullying and anti-crime advocate and activist working in conjunction with Curtis Sliwa (of Guardian Angels fame), and a number of other organizations chartered to make children safer from the increasingly prevalent bullying and gang activities at schools, as well as organizations which are charged with the mission of empowering and protecting women from violence and abuse, such as NOWSA and has participated in such events as Voices For A Cause.


He's been interviewed numerous times on Long Island's WGBB Radio, as has had numerous mentions in The Long Islander, a popular Long Island newspaper.

This man of accomplishment recently took the time out to send me an email expressing his gratitute for our enduring friendship and for "all that I have done for him." It's ironic. From my perspective, he's done everything for me. I will not publish his letter here, as it was very personal, but I will publish my response:

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Honored and beloved Soke Joe:

Thanks are appreciated, but are highly unnecessary. You are my friend because we were brought together by a greater force to unite our efforts toward a greater and higher purpose.

If anything, I am indebted to you for teaching me some lessons about strategy and courage which have helped save my life (both literally and figuratively), and which have truly transformed me -- You were, and continue to be, the principal inspiration for the way in which I can take a stand in this world when others choose to retreat, to just turn the other way or to simply lie down.

Your teachings and trainings have changed me and have helped me to grow from within -- to strengthen my resolve and commitment to the things which I believe to be right.

Your training, insights, experiences and acumen have become a permanent part of the person whom I've become -- and I never could have accomplished so much without having walked into the dojo that day and asked you to be my teacher.

I will always stand with you.

Thank YOU, Soke.

With great love and respect,

Douglas

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More Info: http://douglascastleiep.blogspot.com/


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Douglas Castle -   THE DAILY BURST OF BRILLIANCE .001™
http://aboutdouglascastle.blogspot.com/ 
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Douglas Castle's INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS™ BLOG.

Internal Energy Plus™ is based upon a system of mind-body learning and entrainment originally founded by martial arts Headmaster Soke Joseph Droual. It continues to be a work-in-progress.

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