What is iodine?
Iodine is an essential trace element (a member of the halogen family on the periodic table of elements). Iodine comes from ocean vegetation like seaweed (kelp), seafood, eggs, some dairy products, and can also be extracted from salt deposits from mountainous regions. There a few things to note when it comes to the different types of iodine and iodine quality. Aside from the medical grade iodine (sometimes used to sterilize wounds and injection sites), there are three main types of iodine used as a dietary supplement. Atomic iodine or nascent iodine is the most pure and the most bioavailable form because true nascent iodine isn’t bound with any additional compound other than the iodine itself. There are also iodine tablets also called “Iodoral” that contain elemental iodine as well as iodide(iodide is elemental iodine bound with another mineral to make it water soluble, usually potassium). Many people purport to have better luck with bioavailability with the capsules and the ease of using the tablets, rather than the liquid iodine.
Selenium is an essential trace mineral that is a co-factor to convert T-4(inactive thyroid hormone) to the active form of thyroid hormone (T-3). Eating a few Brazil nuts each day is an excellent way to get adequate amounts of selenium through the diet.
The most common iodine is Lugol’s solution iodine and although the strength may vary(2% – 5%), it is made of 1/3 of molecular and 2/3 potassium iodide. The final form of iodine are in tablet form called potassium iodide. This form of iodine is commonly used in thyroid medications to combat thyroid disorders.
If you live in a non-coastal region, (like the Midwest) then I implore you to look into adopting an iodine supplementation program. There is a book called “the iodine crisis: what you don’t know about iodine can wreck your life” by Lynne Farrow and Dr. David Brownstein.
This book gives insight to the impact of the iodine deficiency epidemic is having on our modern society. I just started reading it and may add more information to this post if I feel it is pertinent. In the opening chapter, the author explains how severely deficient she was in iodine despite eating a good amount of seafood.
Dr. Brownstein urges people that start an iodine regimen, to do what he calls a “salt loading protocol”. Using a high quality salt like Redmond’s sea salt, Celtic sea salt, or pink Himalayan sea salt. Adding salt to filtered water encourages that harmful halogens are purged from the body. This will also help mitigate detoxification side effects tremendously.
Important note: iodine is critically important for a mother trying to conceive a pregnancy and especially important for a baby in utero. Having a prenatal vitamin as well as iodine is essential to ensure your baby has all the critical nutrients for proper development.
Additional note: The thyroid is responsible for the regulation of body temperature. So if you’re constantly feeling cold all the time, you could be iodine deficient! Iodine is not only needed by the thyroid, but every cell of the human body needs and uses iodine. Iodine is also necessary for the immune system in the creation of white blood cells.
Yet another note: Iodine is a co-factor for insulin, so diabetics can add some iodine to encourage the pancreas to produce insulin to be able to stabilize their blood glucose levels. Iodine is also a heavy metal chelator. Iodine binds to toxic metals and are purged from tissues and excreted from the body.
Benefits of iodine
Iodine is an important mineral for proper function of the thyroid gland, increased energy levels, hormone regulation, repair and growth of tissue, cellular repair, and cellular apoptosis (destruction of harmful disease causing cells like cancer). In addition, iodine increases IQ, mental clarity (reducing brain fog and improves mood), and influences healthy metabolic function (aides in weight loss), as well as blocking the other harmful disease causing halogens like bromine (found in bread and processed foods), fluoride (tap water and toothpaste), and chlorine (tap water, swimming pools, and hot tubs) from absorbing into the thyroid gland. Some foods can be classified as goitrogenic and can block the absorption of iodine as well as causing goiter if the food isn’t cooked. Many cruciferous vegetables are goitertrogenic and some fruits are as well. Here is a healthline article talking more on the subject of goitrogens.
Iodine is essential to have available in the event of nuclear fallout (like the Fukushima reactor leaking, affecting the Pacific Ocean). Use of iodine for preventing radiation absorption works similarly to the blocking of harmful halogens from being absorbed. The iodine blocks levels of radiation from entering the thyroid which can be a safeguard from cancer. For an expecting mother and for a mother who is breastfeeding, iodine is crucial for a healthy baby. Here’s an article that details the importance of iodine in those situations.
Iodine deficiency dangers
Hypothyroidism (Hashimoto’s disease) is a condition which the thyroid gland is under-performing and is unable to make an adequate amount of thyroid hormones for the body to function properly. On the other side of the road, hyperthyroidism (graves disease) is equally as serious when the thyroid is making too many thyroid hormones and causes bodily disfunction. In 1924 there were many cases of goiter (inflammation and swelling of the thyroid gland) and the U.S. government intervened by telling table salt companies to add iodine to table salt in order to stop the epidemic.
Cancers are a very common occurrence in those that are severely deficient in iodine. Since iodine is a regulator of the endocrine system, many of the cancers from iodine deficiency are gland related. Iodine deficiency can compromise the function of thyroid, prostate, ovarian, pineal, pituitary, adrenal and salivary glands.
Hypothyroid symptoms (Hashimoto’s disease)
Tiredness
Memory impairment
Skin and hair dryness
Brittle nails
Constipation
Weight gain
Muscle cramps
Menstrual cycle irregularity
Depression
Goiter (enlarged thyroid)
Hyperthyroid symptoms (Grave’s disease)
Increased body temperature
Excessive sweating
Insomnia
Concentration problems
Racing thoughts
Memory impairment
Sped up heart rate
Weight loss
Anxiety
Irritability
Muscle weakness
Tiredness
Thyroid panel test
If you suspect you have an abnormally functioning thyroid gland, go to a doctor to have a thyroid panel conducted. It’s always better to have a test done and find out your thyroid is functioning properly rather than suffering in silence without doing anything to improve your condition. When you have the test done, be sure to ask for them to check for the following test markers: a TSH(thyroid stimulating hormone) with a healthy range of 1.5-2 mU/L (milliunits per liter) if the TSH levels are higher than 5 then it is indicative of an underactive thyroid. (An interesting thing about thyroid stimulating hormone is that it is produced by the pituitary gland). Other markers to consider would be the free T3(triiodothyronine) and free T4(thyroxine) numbers. The optimal range for these numbers can vary depending on age and gender. If you do happen to have a thyroid dysregulation, instead of opting for prescription drugs try adding a good quality iodine supplement to your daily regimen. It is very possible to reverse an autoimmune disease using a high quality source of iodine and eating a healthy diet.
A more accurate test would be the 24 hour iodine urinary test. During this test, a lab collects urine samples in a 24 hour span. The test reveals how much iodine is excreted in the urine and provides data to determine how much iodine is being absorbed and if iodine levels are sufficient.
Points to take home:
Iodine is part of the halogen family on the periodic table of elements
Iodine is an essential trace element found in some foods and is also extracted from ocean vegetation and salt mines in mountainous regions
Iodine protects the endocrine system by purging harmful halogens (fluoride, bromide, and chlorine) from your glands
Iodine can be used as a cancer prevention supplement
The powerful antioxidant selenium aides in the absorption of iodine in the body
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