As I explained to a few close friends, I would never have been able to get this web site up and running so fast except for the fact that I had been thinking about radiation for many years: nuclear fallout from testing, depleted uranium from military use, Chernobyl from many visits to Europe, including clinical exposure to some members of the teams that flew relief to Chernobyl, and medical use of radiation. Going back more than two decades, I had made copious notes on food and herbs that would support recovery from radiation exposure so while not in the slightest emotionally prepared for the events in Japan, the mental — and perhaps even the spiritual — infrastructure was in place. I mention the latter because I have spent many years thinking about the purpose of life and how life is maintained in the physical realm.

The impetus for starting the site began with an inquiry from a Japanese osteopath, Dr. Yuri Hiranuma, who asked permission to translate some material from posts that had been forwarded to her. I then asked Dr. Kathryn Gardner, a radiologist, to confer with us to make sure we had our facts right. If errors slip in, the fault is mine, but if you find them, please contact me so we can make the necessary corrections.

Ingrid Naiman

It's very hard to write about oneself, but my interest in herbs began about forty years ago. Such a journey can never end because herbs are teachers and healers with a more direct connection to spirit than people. They can conceal or reveal, but one of the wisest inheritances from my family was a single sentence from my uncle, Dr. Franklyn C. W. Olson: "If you wish to understand Nature, do not disturb Her."

As an undergraduate, I was torn between anthropology and philosophy. As an adult, the interests take the form of indigenous and ethnobotanic medicine, most especially Ayurveda, and spiritual practice which involves a mixture of passion for the environment, study, and an unending search for meaning.

At this juncture, my life's work is still incomplete, but I wrote a book on botanical approaches to cancer and host about 40 web sites. Ironically or perhaps fatefully, the research that went into the book is now proving useful in that the longer-term consequences of radiation exposure involve a higher risk of cellular mutation and cancer, conditions that many herbs are capable of addressing.

Yuri Hiranuma, D.O.

I was born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, which was an imperial capital of Japan from 794 to 1868.
I came to the United States to attend college, first going to University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Realizing my English was not going to improve unless I went to a place with fewer Japanese people, I moved to Oregon.

I also missed having distinct seasons. However, my first month in La Grande was a huge culture shock: I had never seen actual cowboys and cowgirls. I graduated from Eastern Oregon State College with Bachelor of Arts with High Honors in Chemistry and Biology.

Almost accidentally discovering osteopathic medicine, I went to Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri. Very nervous on the first day of school, I wondered if I could keep up with schoolwork with my language skills. However, medical terms turned out to be just as foreign to the rest of the class as me! Without having prior knowledge of osteopathic manipulation, I was happy to discover that the fate had put me where I really needed to be: this was exactly what I wanted to do, and I didn't even know it when I got there. Osteopathic philosophy was right in line with my way of thinking and living.

After receiving a Doctor of Osteopathy degree, I did a year of traditional internship at Richmond Heights General Hospital in Richmond, Ohio, and two years of residency in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine at University of North Texas Health Sciences Center at Fort Worth/Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Ft. Worth, Texas. I am board certified in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine. I have a small private practice in Portland, Oregon.

My interest in natural healing is mostly personal, trying to heal myself from years of physical and mental stress as a medical student/intern/resident. To be honest, I didn't know about Ingrid's work until 5 days after the earthquake/tsunami in Japan. Recognizing how valuable her information was and how badly people in Japan were going to need it, I began to translate it into Japanese for my friends. Then one e-mail exchange with Ingrid asking for permission transformed it into a bigger project and eventually the Zerorads Japanese version. We have been literally going nonstop since that day which was exactly a week after the earthquake/tsunami.

My hope is that the Zerorads information will help people to become proactive and to take charge of their health and keep on living despite this involuntary radiation contamination.