Musings of a Huntington Beach Acupuncturist

Musings of a Huntington Beach Acupuncurist

Radiation--The Evil Qi
How Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can help reduce the side effects of Radiation Exposure

A little over a month ago the world witnessed Japan's triple crises of earthquakes, a tsunami, and a nuclear meltdown. As an Acupuncturist in Huntington Beach, California, this has affected me personally and professionally, as I help myself and my patients integrate and move through our responses to these traumatic events. Once the tsunami danger was over for us on the West Coast, we now face the potential of some level of nuclear fallout.

Our hearts are opened to the pain and loss of the Japanese people. Our bodies and psyches resonate with grief and fear for ourselves and others. We are in shock and helplessness at the enormity of their suffering. When life events overwhelm us, we tend to go into default mode and rely on habitual compensatory mechanisms, whether or not they are good for us in the long term. Do we cope by over- or under-eating, over- or under-sleeping, or do we hibernate and isolate or do we indulge in a flurry of mindless distractions?

Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture offer natural solutions to the physical side effects of radiation exposure, and they can also help restore our inner balance and resilience so we can move through these emotions to a better place.

Wind is the vehicle of transmission of environmental disorders. Pathogens carried on the Wind are called Evil Qi (Xie Qi). Radiation sickness would be considered an external invasion of toxic wind heat. This heat and toxicity is drying and can damage the yin (blood, fluids, hormones.) It can invade deeper, causing internal damage to the organs (thyroid), blood and DNA (cancers, reproductive issues, multigenerational.)

Many people ask how I know which points to use and how I even know what to do for a specific condition. As an Acupuncturist I make a Chinese Medical differential diagnosis for all conditions. This enables me to put even the most complex medical conditions (and never before seen illnesses) into a logical, reproducable treatment paradigm.

While we are now more aware of radiation exposure, we forget that people have always been exposed to toxins in their food, water, and work. We forget that we are also exposed to radiation from the sun, airplane travel, medical diagnostics and procedures. Over thousands of years history, Chinese Herbal Medicine and Nutritional Therapy have found time-honored antidotes to address the Evil Qi.

The treatment principles I might use to counter the Evil Qi of Radiation poisoning would typically include:

Release the Exterior (diaphoretic herbs like Yarrow and/or Salt baths to induce sweat, release toxins

Clear Heat & Detoxify the Fire Toxins ("Green Drinks" with spirulina, algae, chlorophyll, etc., Milk Thistle, N-Acetyl Cysteine, Alpha Lipoic Acid)

Support the Upright Qi & Guard Essence (Immune System & DNA: Ginseng, Astragalus, Pantothenic Acid, Siberian Ginseng, Vitamin D, Reservatrol from red wine & grapes

Nourish Yin (Aloe Vera and Sea Vegetables)

The treatment strategy would be specifically tailored to the individual needs of each patient.

Potassium Iodide is the antidote to protect the thyroid in the event of direct exposure. It must be taken within 3-4 hours of exposure and then daily until the risk is over. The adult dose is 130 mg and the child dose is 65 mg. Potassium Iodide may have adverse effects on people with thyroid problems and allergies to iodine and shellfish. According to a public notice from the California Department of Health, high doses can also cause abnormal heart rhythms, nausea, vomiting, electrolyte imbalances, and bleeding. Therefore it should not be used prophyllactically.
More information can be found at www.fda.gov/Drugs/EmergencyPreparedness/BioterrorismandDrugPreparedness/UCM072265.htm

Potassium Iodide is only one part of the detoxification from radiation poisoning. Diet and nutritional supplements may offer the best help for radiation exposure in the long term. Many Japanese have used a macrobiotic diet in the past (Nagasaki and Hiroshima, 1945) to minimize the damage due to radiation exposure. The macrobiotic diet emphasizes brown rice, miso, tamari soy sauce soup, wakame, laminaria and other sea vegetables, along with eliminating sweets and sugars. It is important to keep the detoxification pathways of the skin, lymph, colon, and kidneys open and moving.

May you and yours walk in Peace and Prosperity-----------Lisa Gibilie, L.Ac.

Disclaimer-- this information is to share the opinions of Lisa Gibilie, and is not meant to be taken as a substitute for medical advice or in lieu of medical advice. This information should not be used in place of a call, visit, or consultation, or the advice of your physician or other health care provider. All medical conditions should be handled by your physican of choice.