Should you be taking potassium iodide?

With fears that radiation from Japan could reach the West Coast of the United States, sales of potassium iodide (KI) have soared. This chemical will protect the thyroid from radiation, but whether you need to buy it or take it is a real question.

In California, U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin said it would not be an overreaction to buy it. On the other hand, Kelly Huston of the California Emergency Management Agency. Huston said state officials, along with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the California Energy Commission, were monitoring the situation and people don't need to buy the pills.

What should you do? The one thing you shouldn't do is to start taking the stuff because of what you read in the news. Here is some guidance from the Centers for Disease Control. The fact sheet at the link describes who should take it and the proper doses. It also warns about side effects. So don't take it without instructions to do so from public health officials and/or advice from your doctor.

Here's more about potassium iodide at Wikipedia.

I learned that kelp is a natural source of KI, although the iodide content can range from 89 µg/g to 8165 µg/g in Asian varieties, making prepared foods content difficult to estimate.

If you have to go to the emergency room

You should know that patience will get you nowhere. Smart Money reports:

As nurses and doctors struggle to look after everyone, sometimes "somebody who doesn't know they're having a heart attack, who thinks they're just having shoulder pain, might not get noticed," says Dr. William Mileski, director of the emergency department at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

In fact, sitting quietly and respectfully could kill you, doctors say. In 2007, 200 emergency physicians nationwide said they knew of patients who died while waiting in the ER for hospital beds, according to the latest figures from the American College of Emergency Physicians. The moral: Speak up if you think the nurse or doctor has misunderstood your symptoms and don't be afraid to ask them to repeat what you said back to you to make sure your message is clear, says Dr. Mileski.

Giving your doctor a heads up before you get to the ER, especially if he or she has privileges at the hospital, might get you through the door quicker. Your doctor might also suggest another hospital that is better equipped to treat you, says May. Or he may make an exception to see you after hours.

Speak up! More advice in the article, and more here.

Medical bracelets: a new look and more power

Not your father's medical bracelet

And not just looks, but the ability to carry a load of medical information that might be useful in an emergency. Laura Landro at The Wall Street Journal reports:

New bracelets and other medical-identification systems can fill in first responders on practically a patient's complete health history. They're a far cry from the simple identification bracelets of the past, which with a few engraved words informed medics that a person was, perhaps, allergic to penicillin. They can steer first responders to a secure website or toll-free phone number, or initiate a text message, to get the medical and prescription history of a patient who may be unconscious or unable to talk about their condition. 

If you're not the jewelry type, you can carry a specially marked USB flash drive loaded with emergency data that medics can read from any computer in an emergency.

Engraved on bracelets issued by MedicAlert are a patient's member number and a toll-free number to access a 24/7 hot line for information. The service costs adults $39.95 for the first year and $30 annually after that; children's fees are less. MedicAlert has added services like notifying family members in an emergency. 

Other options:

For people whose doctors don't keep electronic medical records, companies like MedInfoChip sell software programs for about $50 that help consumers set up their own health records on a computer and load them onto a USB device. American Medical ID offers a flash drive in a dog-tag style pendant for $44.95 that can be engraved with basic medical information and loaded with a patient's medical records.

Another program, called Invisible Bracelet, does away with the need to wear a bracelet or carry a device. The program allows members for $10 a year to upload personal medical data to a secure website and receive a personal identification number. Members get cards to place behind their driver's license, key fobs and stickers that can be put on, say, a bike helmet that show their identification number and the website address.

Also posted at My Skunkworks