The leading cause of either hypoT or hyperT is autoimmunity. TPO and/or Tg antibodies cause Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which leads to eventual total destruction of the thyroid tissue. TSI antibodies overstimulate the gland into making excess hormone, leading to hyperT. Iodine is bad for either one of these, because a damaged gland can't make use of it, making a Hashi's sufferer feel even worse than they already do; and an overstimulated gland doesn't need any extra raw material to make even more excess hormone.
There are relatively few instances where iodine deficiency causes hypoT, I suspect. Bottom line is... Don't supplement with extra iodine unless you've had a blood measurement and have been proven to be deficient.
I don't have a deficiency in it. I had 2 blood tests. The first one showed a few of the thyroid levels to be a little elevated, and the 2nd showed all except one to be normal.
My doctor thinks having more will cause/worsen HYPER-T... meaning a deficiency would be a good thing for me who POTENTIALLY has an over-active thyroid...
So I still don't know what to think, and don't know whether or not I should avoid mult-Vs with iodine, or embrace them.
It's kind of like asking whether someone who is leaning toward hypothyroidism should avoid all raw cabbage-family vegetables. There's no clear cut, one-size-fits-all answer except this one: If it makes your symptoms worse, yes. Avoid it. If it seems to make no difference... There's your answer.
Your doctor is theoretically right. Beyond that, neither he nor you can arrive at a definite answer unless you push the iodine boundaries.
So say I wanted to test the effects of Iodine on my body. How long would I have to incorporate more of it into my diet, in order for it to effect my thyroid and bloodtest results?
I'm not having any "symptoms" other than the inability to gain weight, and slight weight loss.
So say I wanted to test the effects of Iodine on my body. How long would I have to incorporate more of it into my diet, in order for it to effect my thyroid and bloodtest results?
Why would you want to "test" this at all? If you know that it could make you very sick, why would you want to "incorporate" more into your diet in the first place? One thing is sure; it won't make your thyroid issue better. "How long? ... how much? "... no one can answer those questions, because it isn't a precise mathematical formula and because your body is unique. Bottom line is, it isn't a very precise method of hyperT treatment in the first place and isn't worth experimenting with.
Food's iodine content varies so widely based on the soil it's grown in that no one can really say what the iodine content of a cup of strawberries is, for example. It depends on too many agricultural variables. The same is true for fish; iodine content varies greatly between species and even among animals of the same species. You can't ever truly know the exact amount of iodine you're ingesting aside from any supplement you might take.
If you're asking whether you can eat seafood once a week because you like it, all you can do is to see what that does to you. Personally, I wouldn't drastically change my iodine consumption, because isn't likely to help and has the definite possibility to make things worse.
What I meant by test it is.... do I throw out all my vitamins that have iodine in them because it'll speed me up even more, or find ways of eating more because it will slow me down?
I don't know how much I get through food because I have no idea what foods even contain iodine.
I've found too many conflicting stories and don't know what I'm supposed to do..
I definitely wouldn't eat more of it. I don't know what kind of site you found that on; but as I'm sure you know, there is a ton of misinformation about every subject under the sun found on the Web. I believe this to be one such tidbit I'd disregard completely as without merit.
It wouldn't hurt to switch to a vitamin without iodine. Truthfully, though - if it were me - I'd use up the supply I have first and then set about finding one without iodine, because I just don't think you'll notice a whole lot of difference. Other than that, I wouldn't put too much effort into changing diet. If you want to try though, search for "low iodine diet". (There are a couple of legitimate reasons to use such a diet temporarily, not simply to "slow down" the thyroid.) You can get a good idea of which foods contain the most iodine that way. From what I remember, dairy products and commercial breads contain the most. And of course, iodized salt and seafood.
goiter is caused by iodine deficiency . if you take salt - most salts supply some iodine - thyroid disease is almost non existent in japan -which takes a liberal diet in iodine from its shellfish, seaweed and sea diet.
i can understand what your doctor is thinking.. but i think the association is incorrect. but i do agree that i wouldnt supplement with - other than what is in the normal diet through salt and fish etc....
there is a iodine skin patch test - that can be done to show if you are deficient. not sure how to do -but i think you can find instructions online. you will need some liquid iodine.
Last edited by pitcherred; 08-16-2009 at 12:25 PM.
Another interesting aspect to this discussion is fluoride and its presence in our tap water and toothpastes. Here is an article about this and how it displace iodine:
"Fluoride competes for the receptor sites on the thyroid gland which respond to the thyroid stimulating hormone; so that less of this hormone reaches the thyroid gland and so less thyroid hormone is manufactured.
These damaging effects, all of which occur with small concentrations of fluoride, have obvious and easily identifiable effects on thyroid status. The running down of thyroid hormone means a slow slide into hypothyroidism. Already the incidence of hypothyroidism is increasing as a result of other environmental toxins and pollutions together with wide spread nutritional deficiencies."
Another interesting aspect to this discussion is fluoride and its presence in our tap water and toothpastes. Here is an article about this and how it displace iodine:
"Fluoride competes for the receptor sites on the thyroid gland which respond to the thyroid stimulating hormone; so that less of this hormone reaches the thyroid gland and so less thyroid hormone is manufactured.
These damaging effects, all of which occur with small concentrations of fluoride, have obvious and easily identifiable effects on thyroid status. The running down of thyroid hormone means a slow slide into hypothyroidism. Already the incidence of hypothyroidism is increasing as a result of other environmental toxins and pollutions together with wide spread nutritional deficiencies."
fluoridated water is a criminal in my opinion.. its mass medication .. and its has huge ramifications on health of the whole population.. its probably the biggest reason for low thyroid in the US.. the EU has banned this a decade ago.. but ofcourse - you know how they US is..
Another interesting aspect to this discussion is fluoride and its presence in our tap water and toothpastes. Here is an article about this and how it displace iodine:
"Fluoride competes for the receptor sites on the thyroid gland which respond to the thyroid stimulating hormone; so that less of this hormone reaches the thyroid gland and so less thyroid hormone is manufactured.
These damaging effects, all of which occur with small concentrations of fluoride, have obvious and easily identifiable effects on thyroid status. The running down of thyroid hormone means a slow slide into hypothyroidism. Already the incidence of hypothyroidism is increasing as a result of other environmental toxins and pollutions together with wide spread nutritional deficiencies."
I have been reading a fluoride action network site, very informative. I have begun to locate a distiller for our home, or SOME type of filtration - reverse osmosis? and am trying to eliminate as much fluorine as possible: black teas, toothpaste, etc.
I take cause with the fact we, as citizens, have no choice in whether we want this harmful chemical in our bodies. What right do they have?? Is it really to keep us calm? Or am I just getting paranoid and thinking there is a conspiracy in this country??
Last edited by starryGal09; 08-18-2009 at 06:01 AM.
My Doctor has me add iodine to offset frequent exposure to pool chemicals. I'm not sure how this is supposed to work. I have hashis. It doesn't seem to be making any difference in how I feel.
There are various methods of testing for iodine deficiency. The first test i did was a urine sample as i was told by my then doctor that blood tests for iodine deficiency were not as accurate as urine. My now thyroid doctor has done a 24hr iodine load test where i drink a certain amount of iodine in the morning and then collect all urine over a 24hr period. The total urine is then taken to the lab and they do a calculation of (i think) how much iodine was lost in urine. Depending on the uptake of your iodine they can then determine how much your body is using and whether you need to supplement. I take one pure iodine drop a day.
Iodine is very beneficial, the list is endless on what symptoms it can cause if you don't have enough. By the same token you can be doing yourself harm by taking extra if you don't even need it.
I've also read of people doing their own iodine patch test, but i'd prefer something done by a doctor/lab rather than a DIY job at home.
My doctor retests my iodine levels as he does my adrenals, full thyroid panel, full hormone and DHEA-s, ACTH, ferritin and vitamin d levels and various other things depending on the situation or state of my labs.
I stopped using all iodized salt in my diet and the hyperthroidism completely went away. If you are a salt-a-holic like I was, I think this can cause hyperthyroidism
