Okay - this radiation cloud may or may not hit us (West Coasters, that is) - supposedly if it is - it is happening today - thus far - the sacramento monitor registers minimal radiation particles. According to the news - people are buying Potassium Iodide to take to prevent Thyroid exposure. The Potassium Iodide binds with the receptors in the thyroid which blocks the harmful radiation (which can lead to increased incidences of thyroid cancer). The problem with this is - is your thyroid is fine - taking Iodine (which can be helpful for thyroid hypofunction) will mess up your thyroid!
   What to do? What to do? Well TCM (traditional chinese medicine) practitioners and other holistic doctors will recommend a natural source of iodine such as Kelp (Kenshin has a good one) which has a similar effect of binding with thyroid receptors to block radiation - while reducing the potential side-effects of the iodine.
So if push comes to shove - and radiation arrives - the recommendation is 10 tablets of kelp, twice a day - no more, no less - according to the doctor at Kenshin.
   For that matter- what about the radiation we get from Mammograms (alot!), Dental X-rays, Infra-scans, etc.?
Well, I for one take and give my family - a dose of kelp (kids half the amount) 2-3 hours prior to exposure (ex. annual dental x-rays) so that the receptors have been saturated and block the thyroid from longterm effects. As it is not a long-term treatment protocol - I am not afraid of potential side-effects of taking something like Iodine - that could throw off thyroid function (that is a whole other blog posting).
Think about it, do the research, and maybe this posting will alleviate a little bit of fear/anxiety some of you may have.
Of course what the radiation does to the rest of the body....