As we see it, the easiest way to consume a huge portion of antioxidants is by drinking a homemade cup of chai tea. Take a look at this list of highly protective spices/herbs that chai tea contains: clove – has the highest antioxidant levels of any spice! cinnamon – is a close second to clove in terms of its awesome antioxidant power ginger – helps to raise glutathione activity to absorb free radicals before they damage cellular DNA turmeric – is a heavy hitter that provides multiple benefits For example, turmeric reduces any damage to our DNA and at the same time protects healthy tissue from radiation damage. Let’s give a quick shout-out to our HealThy Mouth Blend for including some of these big hitters as well! Here’s a link to our blog entry that explains what’s in the HealThy Mouth Blend and why it’s so effective turbine air compressor. Of course, the problem with getting antioxidants from clove and cinnamon is that we truly can’t consume very much of these very powerful spices unless we take them in capsule form. However, turmeric is a fabulous way to get tremendous protective support, and it’s pretty easy to consume, too. Perhaps the simplest herbal supplement to take for massive antioxidant support… We recently published a fun, informative expert interview with our new friend, Dr Kulreet Chaudhary. In the interview, I asked her if she were stranded on a deserted island and could only have one supplement, what would it be. She easily answered, ‘Triphala’. If you aren’t familiar with Triphala yet, we’ll happily introduce it to you. Triphala is a combination of 3 dried berries (amla, haritaki, and bibhitaki) that are commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine, the ancient healing tradition of India scian nebulizer. It turns out that Triphala has some of the very highest antioxidants and protective capacity known to science! Everyone in our home takes Triphala regularly. Here’s the one we use. How much simpler does it get than supplementing with the powder of 3 dried berries, right? Do antioxidants help after the dental x-ray? Definitely. In fact, one study stated, “Naturally occurring antioxidants also may provide an extended window of protection against low-dose, low-dose-rate irradiation, including therapeutic potential when administered after irradiation.” Food-based supplements to optimize protection against x-ray damage There are both naturally occurring and synthetic compounds that provide our DNA with substantial protection against radiation damage. In the spirit of brevity, let’s cover just a few of the best natural versions today. One type of naturally occurring antioxidant is polyphenols. Polyphenols are found in many foods, and they are a big reason why the foods we mentioned earlier are helpful for mitigating the damage of x-rays. Three main polyphenols have been extensively studied for their protective capabilities: Resveratrol is a compound found in many fruits and tree barks. The resveratrol in red wine is one of the reasons why our culture says a glass of red wine is health-giving. (Side note, just make sure the wine is organic, as many pesticides used on grapes are fluorinated compounds.) Studies show that resveratrol protects bone marrow, liver and small intestine tissues from the damage caused by excessive radiation. Given that dental x-rays are pointed at our teeth and jaw bone, protecting the bone marrow in our jaws could prove helpful. Quercetin is a plant pigment called a flavonoid, which is a type of polyphenol. As a pigment, quercetin is one of the beneficial plant components that demonstrates the wisdom of the ‘eat a (plant) rainbow’ concept. Studies suggest that quercetin protects DNA from damage, and that it also prevents mutagenic changes to white blood cells after radiation exposure. Green tea extract or Epigallocatechin gallate is a polyphenol found in green tea that has exhibited life-extending benefits in animal studies. While it’s hypothesized that drinking green tea helped protect Japanese victims of radiation exposure, no conclusive data has shown solid causal evidence of this yet. (Note: conventional green and black teas can contain 0.3 to 0.5 mg of fluoride per 8 ounces of tea. So, just like with other foods and drinks, it’s always a good idea to drink only the highest quality, organic green teas. In fact, the best option would actually be to choose organic white tea, which is produced from the youngest leaves water picker. The youngest leaves contain less fluoride in their plant tissues. Here’s our take on the safety of fluoride.)