Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) lives up to the image on the Arm & Hammer’s box; it is the ultimate heavyweight workhorse medicine that every healthcare professional and parent should use to diminish toxic poisoning from the Gulf disaster. Combining this with other strong but basic natural substances like magnesium chloride, selenium and iodine offers us the best chance of weathering the toxic storm that continues to build over the Gulf region.

Sodium bicarbonate is the number-one item in any protocol to treat exposure to harsh chemicals coming from the oil disaster. The government should step in to direct supplies of bicarbonate into the area. Millions of pounds should be immediately distributed and stockpiled since supplies at the local supermarket are not going to last long when the public catches on to the danger and what to do about it. The very best treatment, when one first notices a foul smell, foul taste or flu-like symptoms, is to jump into a bath with several pounds of bicarbonate and magnesium salts.

So deep are the protective, buffering and neutralizing properties of bicarbonate that it is used even with radiation exposure to protect the kidneys and other tissues. In a world that is already overexposed to uranium and mercury, sodium bicarbonate becomes even more important because mercury and uranium oxide directly attack the nuclear material and mitochondria of the cells.

The oral administration of sodium bicarbonate diminishes the severity of the changes produced by uranium in the kidneys.  And it does this for all the heavy metals and other toxic chemicals including chemotherapy agents, which are highly lethal even in low dosages. Since depleted uranium weapons were used starting in the first Gulf War, the United States has polluted the world with uranium oxide and it is showing up more and more in tests doctors perform. With a half-life of several billion years we had better be prepared to get used to dealing with the toxic effects and help our bodies clear it more easily through the kidneys.

What does bicarbonate really do? Baking soda is like a strong janitor mopping up the messes and carrying the poisons away. This janitor protects tissues and leaves an alkaline film or trail behind to make sure everything stays safe. In medicine, sodium bicarbonate is like the cleaning and security man proven loyal through decades of faithful service and it can be brought in to provide some sort of protection in cases where people are suffering from radiation toxicity.

So useful and strong is sodium bicarbonate that at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, researcher Don York has used baking soda to clean soil contaminated with uranium. Sodium bicarbonate binds with uranium, separating it from the dirt; so far, York has removed as much as 92 percent of the uranium from contaminated soil samples.

Blaise W. LeBlanc, a former research chemist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, identified the toxic byproduct hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) of high fructose corn syrup, which is fed to honey bees, as a potential culprit in colony collapse disorder of bees. LeBlanc has a solution to minimize HMF toxicity: By adding bases (such as sodium bicarbonate, lime, potash or caustic soda) to HFCS, the pH rises and HMF levels drop.

Sodium bicarbonate can safely remove paint, grease, oil, and smoke residue, decreasing workers’ exposure to harsh chemicals and eliminating much of the hazardous waste associated with other cleaners. “Sodium bicarbonate is able to clean in areas where other substances pose fire hazards because baking soda is a natural fire extinguisher,” says Kenneth Colbert, a general manager for Arm & Hammer. This is the reason it’s used by oncology centers to control chemo agent spills, and it’s actually used intravenously to protect patients from the hazardous toxicity of chemotherapy.

Sodium bicarbonate is found in various places around the world in the form of mineral deposits. The uses of this natural cleaner are endless. It can be used to treat illnesses as well as clean a variety of household items. Sodium bicarbonate is often found in household cleaners and laundry detergents because of its ability to lift dirt and grime and its efficacy in eliminating unpleasant odors. It is no surprise that this magic powder is the most effective and economical way to clean oil-stained clothes.

Bicarbonate and Magnesium Emergency Medical Baths

Simply put, there is nothing like a hot soak in a magnesium chloride bath with bicarbonate before bed. Such soaks are heaven on earth for people who suffer from insomnia and the feelings of restlessness in the limbs. The same goes for what I call magnesium massages where someone rubs magnesium oil directly into the body. It turns out that these kinds of casual treatments can be intensified to the point of being full-blown medical treatments. For emergency purposes, 1 to 5 pounds of bicarbonate (for children much less) can be used as long as that amount is balanced with magnesium salts found in Dead Sea salt, Epsom salts and magnesium chloride bath flakes (1 to 5 pounds as well).

The point is that if you are feeling any of the symptoms being reported in the Gulf region emergency, sodium bicarbonate medical baths should be immediately initiated if you want to neutralize the hazardous toxicity. The United States government should organize a worldwide effort to provide to the citizens of the Gulf area large tonnages of sodium bicarbonate and magnesium salts. Clay also should be provided for both internal and external cleansing. The same goes for glutathione suppositories, which should also be taken instantly upon symptom onset, and plenty of spirulina should be on hand and taken regularly. The key to avoiding long-term harm is to help the body deal with the chemical assault at the very moment one notices foul smell, foul taste or flu-like symptoms.