What evidence can you provide to strengthen each of your classmates' arguments? Constructively criticize their evidence-based rationale for the models they advocate.

Radiation Sickness

According to the Mayo Clinic:

Radiation sickness can be caused by an overexposure to radiation. There are several ways in which this can occur but no matter the reason for the exposure, certain steps must be taken.

The first step would be to get an idea of how long the exposure was and how far away the person was from the exposure. If unsure about the length or distance, there are other ways to get an idea of the exposure amount. Monitoring of the patient for certain signs begins as soon as the person arrives and the quicker certain signs, such as vomiting, are noted then the higher the exposure. A person must be thoroughly cleaned as soon as possible so that they do not continue to be exposed to radiation and do not expose others.

A device is used to check to see if a person has removed all signs of contamination prior to entering a medical facility. The doctor will run tests to check the severity of damage due to the exposure. Part of this is through monitoring of the white blood cell count which can give an idea about the internal damage done by the exposure. Once complete, it may be necessary to receive medication to repair damaged bone marrow or receive blood transfusions. There may be other medications available depending on what type of radiation a patient is exposed to.

Other issues associated with the exposure are treated symptomatically (Mayo Clinic, 2015).

Conventional medicine has the best approach to deal with radiation sickness and the symptoms that often accompany the exposure in the short term. After a while, some other treatments may help with strengthening the body and organ recovery.

Will Davis

References

Mayo Clinic. (2015, September 29). Radiation Sickness. Retrieved from Mayo Clinic website: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/radiation-sickness/basics/treatment/con-20022901.