Thyroid gland produces two important thyroid hormones, T4 and T3. Both of them contain Iodine. In other words, you cannot make thyroid hormones without Iodine, just like you cannot make hemoglobin in red cells without iron.
Iodine is mostly found in the ocean, so fish, seaweed and other sea creatures contain iodine. But, when it comes to soil, you won’t find much iodine there.
As a result, many people are deficient in Iodine. In fact, some areas of US have so little Iodine that many people living there used to develop goiter, a condition when the thyroid gland becomes enlarged and appears as a big lump on the neck. They used to call those areas “goiter belts.” The area included the entire north half of US, where 30-40% of people developed goiter.
This is the reason why sometime in the 1920s the US government has decided to add Iodine to salt, to prevent Iodine deficiency. That’s why we have iodized salt. But with all the warnings about salt being bad for the heart, many people have reduced their salt intake and agan become iodine-deficient.
Iodine is an important mineral, it is not only essential for thyroid hormone production. Most other organs need Iodine, for instance glands that make saliva (salivary glands), stomach to produce acid, ovaries that produce female hormones, lungs, heart, prostate gland and pretty much all the organs need a little bit of Iodine.
Besides the thyroid gland, the biggest consumers of iodine are mammary glands (breasts). They need quite a bit of iodine for normal growth and development. As a girl goes through puberty, her breasts start growing and they consume whatever iodine they can get, competing with the thyroid gland for this important mineral. In fact, they (the breasts) need so much iodine that they do not always get as much as they need. This may lead to a condition called fibrocystic breast disease, where breasts have lumps that can be painful. This condition is quite common in women in the US. It may also have some connection to breast cancer.
So, in essence, what happens to many American women, when their breasts start developing, they “steal” iodine from the thyroid gland, which leads to decreased production of the thyroid hormones, which leads to hypothyroidism. Not only that, but it also increases the risk of fibrocystic breast disease and even breast cancer.
US has the highest incidence of hypothyroidism in the world. Which countries have the lowest incidence? Japan and Iceland, where they consume a lot more seafood and seaweed. They also have much lower incidence of fibrocystic breasts and breast cancer. The incidence of breast cancer in US is more than 3 times higher than in Japan. Scientists explain it by the fact that Japanese women get a lot more iodine in their diet.
In my practice I find that almost every woman is low in iodine.
There is an easy way to check whether you have iodine deficiency. All you need is a topical iodine solution, sold in pharmacies under the names Povodine, Betadine, and others. It’s a brown liquid that is applied to wounds, scrapes, and other skin injuries as an antiseptic. it kills bacteria and fights infection. It is usually located in “first aid” isle.
So here is what you need to do. Take a cotton ball and soak it with the solution of iodine. Then use this cotton ball to paint a circle about the size of a tennis ball anywhere on your skin – abdomen, chest, thigh, buttock, forearm - you choose the spot.The location does not matter, because all you want to know is how long it will stay on your skin.
If you have enough iodine in your body, the stain will stay on your skin for at least 24 hours, probably longer, maybe 2-3 days. But if you are deficient, your body will literally “suck the iodine in” and it will disappear within hours.
If you are deficient, you will need supplements of iodine. They have all kinds of iodine supplements, liquids, pills, creams, etc. Some supplements are only available by prescription. If you are low in iodine and need to take a supplement, I prefer that you do it under a doctor’s supervision. Because if you take too much iodine that’s also not good, because it can actually suppress your thyroid.
The bottom line is that many women, especially hypothyroid women, are deficient in iodine and they would benefit from iodine supplements. Especially if they also have fibrocystic breast disease.
If you think you may have hypothyroidism, if you have the symptoms, and your doctor refuses to treat you because your blood tests are “normal”, of if you are being treated with Synthroid and still do not feel well, just give me a call.
I have treated literally thousands of patients with hypothyroidism, and I think I can help you become healthy, energetic, vibrant and vigorous, as you deserve to be.
My number is 718-769-0997.
Also, if you or someone you know have fibrocystic breast disease please sign up for my comprehensive thyroid seminar to learn how to help it. There is a method that is very simple and often very effective that can get rid you or your friend(s) of lumpy and painful breasts.