A doctor friend of mine gave me a CD by an authority on the subject, Dr. Brownstein, M.D. Dr. Brownstein has spent the past 17 years investigating iodine, in the clinical setting as well as doing research. He has found a much higher incidence of goiter and low iodine levels in the general population than most other doctors, and, in fact, calls the current levels of low iodine an ‘epidemic’. Dr. Brownstein said that in medical school, doctors are rarely taught how important adequate iodine intake is. Without proper iodine, the thyroid gland cannot function properly, and since the thyroid affects a huge list of functions in the body, a host of problems is occurring in much of the population. Iodine is a mineral similar to calcium and magnesium. It is associated with the ocean and is found in large amounts in seaweed and other plants and animals from the sea. Countries that depend on a large part of their diet from seafood and seaweed, such as Japan, boast a much higher intake than many landlocked countries (there is very little obesity in Japanese people). It is estimated that over 1 billion people worldwide are deficient in iodine. This has huge implications since iodine insufficiency is associated with mental retardation, ADHD, MS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and other nervous system diseases. Many doctors feel that iodine deficiency is increasing. This is due to a lack of iodine in the die and because certain minerals may be blocking iodine from doing its job in the body. Iodine is in the same mineral family as two other halides (elements), fluoride and bromide. Fluoride is added to many water supplies, and bromide is in many chemicals and pesticides, as well as in cereals and breads. Clinically, many people experiencing the common symptoms of low thyroid function such as fatigue, cold hands and feet, weight gain, dry skin and weak nails find benefit with iodine supplementation. Often these patients have normal thyroid tests but still feel something is way out of balance. Why do the thyroid tests appear normal? (I’ll get into a little chemistry here-sorry) When testing thyroid function, levels of the hormones T3 & T4 are checked. T4 is thyroxine, and contains 4 iodine atoms; T3 triodothyronine. T3 is actually T4 that is converted into a more useful form in the liver and other tissues, such as the brain. In the process, it loses one of its iodine atoms, thus it’s called T3. When these test appear normal but aren’t, it’s because the iodine has been replaced by bromine or fluorine, giving the test a false positive. Proper supplementation should be a combination of iodine and iodide, so please do it through a qualified physician. Iodine supplementation has helped many who may have struggled with weight loss, cysts, chronic infections, thick secretions in the lungs, or other symptoms of low thyroid yet still had normal tests. You may want to check it out….
Leech update. My foot feels about 50% better-I’m hoping for more improvement.
I also want to give props to my former wife, who received a new liver a week ago. She is doing extremely well and was due to go home yesterday. Please keep her in your thoughts. Thanks.
Stay well, John R Blilie, M.S.