We all know that radiation is not good for us but do you know how much radiation you are exposed to when flying in a plane? How much is too much? Better yet, what can you do to protect yourself against this radiation? You local Phoenix naturopathic doctors are going to share the answers with you our anti-radiation traveling secret, but first a little background on why this is important. 

So where does radiation come from anyway? X-rays, Cat Scans, and nuclear plants are all real sources of radiation that we are exposed to from time to time. We are also exposed to "background radiation" from the sun and other particles from outer space. For the most part, the Earth's atmosphere protects us from the sun's radiation and radiation from outer space. However, when we are flying we are closer to this radiation source and there is less atmosphere to protect us from the radiation.

Why is radiation bad for us?

The International Commission on Radiological Protection has established what amount of radiation is safe for humans to be exposed to. As an example the safe upper limit exposure for air crew members is 20 mSV/year. We are all exposed to some, albeit, small amounts of radiation on a daily basis, known as background radiation (described above). For comparison the average background radiation exposure at sea level is about 2.4 mSV/year. An average flight across the US (5 hrs) will give you about 3-5 mSV. While both are quite low compared to what a flight attendant gets, it is still radiation that the cells in your body is exposed to. So what does radiation do and why is it bad?

Radiation or radioactive particles are unstable molecules that can strip away electrons from molecules in our bodies making those molecules unstable. These unstable molecules are called free radicals and when they go unchecked, they can set off a host of other problems and damage in the body. For example, if a cell's dna is damaged in such a way that the codes are changed it can lead to cancer or mutations that are passed on to other cell lines. In the case of cancer, it could lead to uncontrolled cell replication if not kept in check by the immune system.

The risk of getting dna mutations from a single flight is very low and built into the limits set by ICRP. The reason the risk is low is because our bodies have build in defense mechanisms for containing or quenching the free radicals from our environment (toxins, radiation, heavy metals, petrochemicals, perfumes, etc), before they cause significant damage. Still at 30,000 feet in the air the amount of radiation we are exposed to is significantly higher than the radiation we get on the ground. The real health threat is quite small, for the average person. However we also shouldn't ignore that there is a toxic exposure occurring to our cells and DNA. Some that are more sensitive to these things may have symptoms like headaches, nausea, confusion, fatigue, etc. So the point of this article is to educate you on the level of risk and give you some ideas on enhancing your bodies inherent defense against this radiation.

Short of wearing a lead suit, what can you do to protect your cells against this exposure?

Enhance Your detoxification Systems like a Naturopathic Doctor

What we do when we fly is support the detoxification systems in our liver and through out our bodies to reduce the damage and exposure to the radiation. We also increase our antioxidant reserves by consuming concentrated antioxidant blends. Here is a simple effective way for you to do the same. The protocol is:

• Milk Thistle-300-600 mg the night before flying. This will reduce any burdeon on the liver preflight.
• NAC or N-Acytlcystine- 500 - 1000mg the day of flight will enhance glutathione production in the liver and throughout the body which will help with the added free radical production.
• Antioxidants- A concentrated berry extract and/or green tea the day of and throughout the flight. We use Dr. Mitchel's fruit anthocyanins. This is a concentrated berry extract formulated from by the co-founder of Bastyr University and 100% organic. When we don't have this we sip on copious amounts of green tea or make smothies with fresh or frozen berries.