Iodine. 

To take or not to take.

A controversial subject when talked about in conjunction with Hashimoto’s, it seems.  People are either for or against.

For me personally (and this is purely my very own opinion based on what is currently working for my body), at this very moment in time, I’m all for it, as this is one of the most important minerals for my own thyroid health - helping my body to make thyroid hormones.  It’s also a mineral I am significantly deficient in, as shown by the results in my first iodine test when arriving on my naturopaths door 2 years ago.  Not even 1% of the iodine I was consuming was getting into my cells – my cheeky little body was blocking it.  For how long, I’ll never know, but this blockage unfortunately caused major destruction, from my body developing an autoimmune disease (hello Hashimoto’s!) and giving me the gift of an enlarged thyroid gland (goitre) - it may not be noticeable to other people, but I can see and definitely feel it myself.

Did you know that Iodine Deficiency is the most common worldwide cause of thyroid disorders? 

As written by Dr. David Brownstein, Author of Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, there seem to be 2 myths when it comes to Iodine and Thyroid Health . . .

Myth No. 1 - We get enough iodine in salt | This is the prevailing opinion of most endocrinologists and mainstream doctors. However, iodized salt is inadequate to supply the body’s need for iodine, particularly in our toxic environment as the miniscule amount of iodine found in it falls far short of the amount necessary for promoting optimal thyroid function. Furthermore, refined salt fails to provide enough iodine for the rest of the body’s needs.  Not only is iodized salt a poor source of iodine, but we have also been conditioned to avoid salt by the media and by mainstream medicine.

Myth No. 2 - taking iodine as a supplement will cause or worsen thyroid disorders | As iodine levels have fallen over 50% during the last 40 years, thyroid disorders (including hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s disease, Graves’ disease and thyroid cancer) have been increasing at near-epidemic rates.  After twenty years of practicing medicine, Dr Brownstein states that it is impossible to treat thyroid illness if there is an inadequate level of iodine in the body and this includes autoimmune thyroid disorders. 

More information about this newsletter can be found at: http://brownsteinhealth.com/newsletter.html.

Iodine is a mineral found in some foods with the largest amounts found in sea vegetables and ocean fish as well as dairy products and eggs.  Unrefined salt (Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt) are also a great choice.

As always, what I say here in these pages are what I am personally experimenting with, hand in hand with my holistic practitioner, and iodine supplements are working wonders for me and my thyroid health.  But please remember, everyone's body's are different and what works for one may not work for the other.  Thyroid disorders are complex conditions and it is important to find a good doctor/practitioner who can test for proper thyroid levels and iodine levels to know what the proper treatment plan should be.