Iodine
*Can you get too much iodine?
That depends upon whom you ask. There’s a lot of misinformation floating around out there. The US government has set the RDA for iodine at 150 mcgs/day, supposedly the amount to keep goiter from developing. (By the way, it takes 1,000 mcgs to make 1 mg.) 150 mcgs is supposedly the amount of iodine in ½ teaspoon of iodized salt.
Many medical professionals have been trained to believe that if one consumes more than 200 mcgs/day of iodine, the thyroid gland will shut down. According to Dr. Abraham, such thinking stems from a study done in 1948 that showed that if you inject too much iodine into a rat, it slowed down its thyroid function.(5) This was called the “W-C Effect”, named for the two men, Wolff and Chaikof, who conducted the study. Later that same year, further studies showed that this same effect does not happen in humans. Seems that W. and C., and the people they continue to influence, have not paid much attention to that second study.
At the same time, other studies have been conducted that estimate that the amount of iodine required in the female body to protect against breast cancer is 20- 40 times what has been established as the RDA. As much as 3,000-6,000 mcg or the equivalent of 3-6 mgs each day. (6) Dr. Abraham observes: “The W-C Effect, combined with medical stupidity may have caused more human misery and death than both world wars combined, by preventing meaningful clinical investigations of optimal levels of iodine on physical and mental health. Today, the optimal requirement of iodine for whole body sufficiency is still unknown. We have attempted to calculate this amount based on a review of the literature and it turns out to be 100 times the RDA.” (7)
It’s of interest to note that the average citizen of Japan consumes almost 14 mgs/day of iodine (almost 100 times the RDA in the US). Their diet draws heavily upon foods from the ocean. Japan, as a nation, has the lowest incidence of cancer overall, and particularly cancers of the female reproductive organs. It’s a well documented fact that when Japanese women move to Hawaii, leaving behind their national diet high in iodine, and start eating the American diet, their incidence of breast cancer skyrockets.
So, can you get too much iodine? The average American isn’t getting enough, and looks to need far more than the RDA--somewhere between 3 to 14 mgs/day.
*But can’t too much iodine cause hyperthyroidism--over-activity of the thyroid gland?
Whereas some in the medical field hold to the misguided notion that too much iodine will shut down thyroid function (hypothyroidism)--a myth I hope I’ve helped to dispel--others contend just the opposite, that too much iodine will actually make the thyroid gland over-active (hyperthyroidism). It’s often a surprise for folks to learn that over-activity of the thyroid gland is actually due to lack of dietary iodine. Iodine is the thyroid balancer. It brings under-active thyroid function back up into balance, and over-active function back down into balance. Folks suffering from hyperactive thyroid always test as low in iodine. In this regard, Jim Howenstine, M.D. observes:
“When iodine no longer binds to thyroid cell membranes (in other words, lacking in the diet), enzymes called peroxidases are able to damage these membranes and produce autoimmune diseases such as Hasimoto’s Thyroiditis and Hyperthyoridism (Graves’s Disease)…For more than 100 years, high doses of iodine have been known to benefit both under-activity (hypothyroidism) of the thyroid gland, and over-activity (hyperthyroidism). Iodine therapy allows the sluggish thyroid gland to resume normal production of thyroid hormone, leading to resolution of hypothyroidism. Provision of iodine stops the peroxidase injury to the thyroid membranes in hyperthyroidism, which permits hyperthyroidism to be resolved.” (8)
Dr. Bruce West concurs: “…iodine is the treatment of choice for hypo- and hyperthyroid problems…Doctors could get as high as a 90% cure rate with hyperthyroid by using what would be considered high doses of iodine daily.” (9)
What about taking a supplement?
I believe that in today’s United States, taking iodine-supplying supplements on a daily basis is of fundamental importance. Increasing food sources isn’t enough. For instance, Dr. Derry estimates that a person would need to chow down on 10-20 pounds of fish a day to get the same amount of iodine a day that the Japanese get! “Fish is helpful,” he says, “but sometimes it is not appreciated how little iodine it contains.” (10) Nor should we expect that we’re going to be able to eat enough seaweed and related products on a daily basis to ensure sufficient stores.
At HealthQuarters Ministries we’ve used the MRT testing technique to evaluate the bio-electric impact on the thyroid gland of many different iodine supplying supplements over the years, and on thousands of clients fighting breast cancer. Be warned. Just because a supplement contains a source of iodine doesn’t mean it will test well as strengthening a starving thyroid gland. All products are manufactured differently. The process by which a supplement is produced may help or hinder its bio-electric impact on your bio-electric body. Many folks, recognizing their need iodine, are taking iodine products that aren’t working to meet the need. There are some products on the market that test well, and some that don’t. In fact, some in the field of nutritional healthcare might find surprising what products we’ve found unhelpful, despite all the hype they’ve received. Such bio-electric testing (MRT) is sorely missing in the world of nutrition where billions of dollars are spent every year on supplements that may not be addressing the needs of their purchasers. If you’d like up-to-date information about the products we’ve found helpful, give our HQM office a call.
Copyright by Dave Frahm, ND
HealthQuarters Ministries
http://www.facebook.com/l/ebc03dkyHXX1u17lnWe0uqZX1ZA;www.healthquarters.org
Renee Waters ND
920 922-8950
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