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 many are told to avoid foods that contain a lot of iodine, such as certain types of shellfish. 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, as iodine is essential for thyroid hormone production, and therefore if the thyroid gland produces 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 am a healthcare professional and when I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease I thought the same thing. But after consulting with a natural endocrine doctor and doing some research of my own, I realized that many people with Graves’ disease and other hyperthyroid conditions are actually iodine deficient. I personally was iodine deficient so I started an iodine loading protocol. The quality of the supplement is important, and I used an iodine supplement called Prolamina Iodine, which is made by Standard Process.
Keys to start an iodine loading protocol
When beginning an iodine loading protocol, it is important to understand that this is a slow process. I visited a blog recently and someone was talking about using the iodine patch test to determine if you were iodine deficient or not. To be honest, I like the iodine patch test, but I think it’s better to use as a follow-up test rather than an initial test to determine if someone is iodine deficient. In case you’re not familiar with the test, it involves using a 3% tincture of iodine (the color orange) and painting a 2 x 2 square on your forearm, then measuring how long it takes to fade.
Ideally, this “patch” should remain on the forearm for at least 24 hours. If it clears up in 12 to 24 hours, according to this test, you have a mild iodine deficiency. If the tincture of iodine wears off in twelve hours or less, the iodine deficiency is more severe. In any case, the “blogger” used the iodine patch test to determine that he was iodine deficient, and then ingested a large amount of iodine daily for about two weeks, and then did a follow-up iodine patch test. When he retested after two weeks, he didn’t notice any significant difference in the time it took for the patch to wear off.
One thing you didn’t realize, however, is that you can’t force your body to “make up” for an iodine deficiency in two weeks by eating large amounts of iodine. It’s not that easy, as it usually takes months to correct such a deficiency. Personally, I started by taking one 3mg tablet daily for a week and then added an additional 3mg tablet each week. According to “iodine expert” Dr. David Brownstein, you can take up to 50mg of iodine per day, and even more if you are extremely deficient.
Iodine deficiency test via iodine loading test
A more accurate way to determine a person’s iodine deficiency is through an iodine loading test, which is a urine test that involves taking 50 mg of iodine over a 24-hour period and seeing how much is excreted ( normally, iodine excretion should be 90% or more). ). I think it’s a good idea to do both the urine iodine load test and the iodine patch test initially, relying more on the urine test results, but then using follow-up iodine patch tests every month to measure your progress. This is definitely less expensive than having 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 has written a book called “Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It”. Although it may sound like a boring book to read, it is actually very interesting, and it is also an easy book to read. In any case, Dr. Brownstein has done a lot of research on iodine and has 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 conditions, such as Graves’ disease. I promise you’ll be surprised at how important iodine is, and you’ll also learn why most people are deficient in it.
Consider consulting with a natural endocrine doctor
Rather than undergo an iodine loading protocol, it’s a good idea to talk to 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. But even though Graves’ disease is believed to be curable, many people, myself included, have had their health restored to normal through natural treatment methods. So whether or not you are iodine deficient, I recommend consulting with a competent natural endocrinologist to find out if you are a candidate for a natural treatment protocol.
In short, just because you have Graves’ disease or another hyperthyroid condition doesn’t mean you don’t have an iodine deficiency. Instead of making assumptions, the best thing to do is get tested for iodine deficiency. And whether or not you are iodine deficient, you really should consider consulting with a natural endocrine doctor to see if you are a candidate for a natural treatment protocol. Although Graves’ disease is a serious autoimmune thyroid disorder, it is possible for many people to restore their health to normal, rather than taking antithyroid medications or resorting to radioactive iodine.