Many people with Graves’ disease and other hyperthyroid conditions are told to avoid iodine. Not only are they generally advised not to take iodine supplements, but they are also told to avoid foods that contain a lot of iodine, such as certain types of seafood. The reason for this is that many doctors assume that people with an overactive thyroid have an excessive amount of iodine. This might make sense, because iodine is essential for thyroid hormone production, and so if the thyroid gland is producing an excessive amount of thyroid hormone, as is the case with Graves’ disease, then it is easy for someone to naturally assume that there is also an excess of iodine.
I’m a medical professional, and when I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, I thought the same thing. But after seeing a natural endocrinologist and doing my own research, I realized that many people with Graves’ disease and other hyperthyroid conditions were lacking in iodine. Personally, I was iodine deficient, so I started an iodine loading protocol. The quality of the supplement is important and I used an iodine supplement called Prolamine Iodine which is made by Standard Process.
Keys to starting an iodine loading protocol
When starting an iodine loading protocol, it is important to understand that it is a slow process. I visited a blog recently, and someone was talking about using the iodine patch test to determine whether or not they have iodine deficiency. To be honest, I like the iodine patch test, but I think it’s best used as a follow-up test rather than an initial test to determine if someone is iodine deficient. If you are unfamiliar with the test, it involves using a 3% tincture of iodine (the orange color) and painting a 2 x 2 square on your forearm, then measuring the time that it takes to disappear.
Ideally, you want this “patch” to stay on your forearm for at least 24 hours. If it disappears between 12 and 24 hours, then according to this test, you are slightly deficient in iodine. If the iodine tincture disappears in twelve hours or less, the iodine deficiency is more serious. Either way, the “blogger” used the iodine patch test to determine he was iodine deficient, then ingested a large amount of iodine daily for about two weeks, then did an iodine patch test. tracking iodine. When re-tested after two weeks, he noticed no significant difference in how long it took for the patch to wear off.
However, one thing he didn’t realize is that you can’t force your body to “compensate” for an iodine deficiency in two weeks by ingesting large amounts of iodine. It’s not that easy, because it usually takes months to fix such a deficiency. Personally, I started by taking one 3mg tablet daily for a week, then added an additional 3mg tablet each week. According to “iodine expert” Dr. David Brownstein, you can take up to 50 mg of iodine per day, and even more if you have an extremely severe deficiency.
Testing for iodine deficiency with the iodine load test
A more accurate way to determine iodine deficiency in someone is to take an iodine load test, which is a urine test that involves taking 50 mg of iodine over a 24 hour period and seeing the amount excreted (normally iodine excretion should be 90% or more). ). I think it’s a good idea to do both the iodine loading urine test and the iodine patch test initially, relying more on the urine test results, but then using follow-up iodine patch tests every month or so to measure your progress. It’s certainly cheaper than doing a urine test every month, although it’s not a bad idea to have a follow-up urine test 3 months after starting such a protocol.
Dr. David Brownstein wrote a book called “Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It”. Although this may seem like a boring book to read, it is actually very interesting, plus it is an easy to read book. Anyway, Dr. Brownstein did a lot of research on iodine and determined that most people are iodine deficient. And this deficiency can lead to many different conditions, including certain types of cancer, as well as autoimmune diseases, such as Graves’ disease. I promise you will be amazed at how important iodine is and also learn why most people are deficient in it.
Consider Seeing a Natural Endocrine Doctor
Rather than putting yourself on an iodine loading protocol, it’s a good idea to speak with an expert. More and more people with Graves’ disease are consulting natural endocrinologists, as most endocrinologists and general practitioners would not recommend such a protocol, or any natural treatment method for that matter. But even though Graves’ disease is considered curable, many people including myself have been restored to normal health through natural treatment methods. So, whether you are iodine deficient, I strongly recommend that you consult with a knowledgeable natural endocrine physician to find out if you are a candidate for a natural treatment protocol.
In summary, just because you have Graves’ disease or another hyperthyroid condition doesn’t mean you aren’t iodine deficient. Rather than making assumptions, the best thing to do is get yourself tested to see if you have an iodine deficiency. And whether you’re iodine deficient or not, you really should consider seeing a natural endocrine doctor to see if you’re a candidate for a natural treatment protocol. Although Graves’ disease is a serious autoimmune thyroid disease, in many people it is possible to return to normal health, rather than taking antithyroid drugs or resorting to radioactive iodine.
