By Dr. Matsen

With the threat of a possible meltdown of the nuclear plant in Japan, my office has received several calls and emails from concerned patients asking what they can do to combat the effects of radiation, should this situation occur. Rather than rushing out to buy potassium iodide, which is the common recommendation, there are other things you can do that may help, so here are a couple of suggestions.

Sea vegetables (seaweeds) contain substances, including iodine, which can bind to radioactive particles so they can be eliminated from the body. They also are high in minerals that can help to inhibit the absorption of radioactive elements. You can include sea vegetables in your diet and/or take kelp in supplement form, 1 or 2 capsules per day. Another food that has been shown to be useful is miso, which contains an ingredient that can help detoxify radioactive particles. It was found that those who included these foods in their diet suffered fewer harmful effects from radiation after the US Air Force dropped two atomic bombs on Japan in 1945.

For more information on sea vegetables, their health benefits, and how to include them in your diet, see this month’s Health Tip as well as the one for 10/1/2003. For recipes that include miso and sea vegetables, see the following Recipes: Egg Drop Soup with Nori, Ginger Chicken Wakame Soup, Miso Soup, and this month’s recipe for Miso Dressing.