A few weeks ago, I indulged in one of my addictions, which is shopping for health and beauty products online at my favorite site, Lucky Vitamin. I put one of my “can’t do without” products in my cart and found out a week later that it was on hold. As of this writing, it hasn’t arrived yet, but I think I figured out why. But before I realized this, I searched online and found that other online stores were completely ruled out as well. What I found out was that people have been buying excessive amounts of iodine due to the recent earthquake in Fukushima, Japan. If you have been aware of the news, you know that the earthquake affected a nuclear power plant that released massive amounts of radiation into the area. Iodine prevents the thyroid from absorbing radiation and may even prevent thyroid cancer in the future. People in Japan and on the west coast of the US decided to turn to potassium iodide (also known as iodine) to protect themselves. I have been taking this miracle substance for a while and was lucky to find two bottles at my local nutrition store. Glad I called and begged the guy to put them on hold for me! So why do I take iodine?
For years I had a problem with my weight and I never thought my thyroid was to blame. More recently, I started experiencing dry skin, hair loss, and depressed ends. Have you ever felt unhappy and didn’t know why? That was me and I found out exactly why. I went to a local naturopath and had a Bio-meridian evaluation done. BMA measures the body’s energy meridians and can provide information on organ and nutritional deficiencies. My doctor told me that my thyroid was out of control. As you can see, this not only affected my weight loss, but also my external appearance. If you feel some of the same symptoms as me, it is likely thyroid related … so do you know if your thyroid is slow or fast and how can you tell?
Cause and treatment of hypothyroidism
What was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, I did not understand what it was. Hypothyroidism means that your thyroid does not make enough hormone … in other words, low thyroid function. Why is this important? The thyroid controls the body’s metabolism … if your metabolism is slow (and you have a hard time losing weight), you may have hypothyroidism. More than 10 million Americans and up to 10% of women may be suffering from this problem and not even know it. Hypothyroidism is caused by an inflammation of the thyroid gland. This inflammation damages cells, preventing them from producing enough hormones. If you have thyroid problems in your family, it can run in families, but I tend to believe that environmental factors play a bigger role.
Some of the symptoms that you may experience if you have hypothyroidism are:
- Tired
- Soft spot
- Rough and dry hair
- Dry and pale skin
- Depression
- Irritability (I definitely had that one!)
I felt all of these and believe me, I felt desperate, nothing would help me get over them. Besides depression, one of the worst effects was hair and skin problems. No matter what shampoo or face cream I used, my hair was dry and unmanageable (and was falling out) and my skin looked dull. However, I did find something to help, which I will discuss later in the article.
Treatment for hypothyroidism is thyroid replacement, which can be natural or synthetic. I prefer to use natural options, so my doctor suggested a glandular hormone (bovine origin) and bioidentical hormones. This can be of great help … I highly recommend consulting your doctor for diagnostic and treatment options.
Hyperthyroidism treatment
Hyperthyroidism is the opposite of Hyper; in this case, the thyroid produces too much hormone. The immune system can attack the thyroid gland (this is called Grave’s disease) and to defend itself, the thyroid increases its production of hormones. Some of the effects include:
- Weightloss
- Nervousness
- Bad mood
- Perspiration
- Rapid heartbeat
Some treatments include beta blockers, radioactive iodine, and antithyroid medications.
Speaking of iodine …
I’ve been hinting at my miracle cure for hypothyroidism a bit. It’s iodine! Today, people are extremely deficient in iodine. In the past, breads and salt contained iodine, and people could get their iodine through the food they ate. Today, most salts do not contain iodine and most breads are made with bromine, which filters iodine from the body! Lack of iodine in the diet plays a key role in the development of serious diseases. Areas with low iodine intake have higher rates of breast cancer and mental deficiencies. It can also cause goiter or an enlarged thyroid gland. To make matters worse, fluoride is added to the water supply and absorbed into the thyroid. In years past, fluoride was used as a treatment for hyperthyroidism … until later it was discovered that it impaired thyroid function. In reality, fluoride is a toxic poison that does not have to be in our water or in our toothpaste. It has no other function than to harm. So where does the iodine come in? Iodine plays a key role in thyroid function. If you take an iodine supplement, it can counteract the fluoride and help “push” it out of the thyroid so it can function properly. However, a note of caution … talk to your doctor or naturopath before starting an iodine supplement, as too much iodine can be detrimental to your health.
Get iodine naturally through food
There is a reason why women in Japan have a much lower incidence of breast cancer than in the US Their iodine intake is off the charts! People who eat sea vegetables, seaweed, or chlorella get healthy amounts of natural iodine through the foods they eat. People in the US don’t typically eat these foods … but with thyroid problems on the rise, maybe it’s time to start! In addition to eating sea vegetables, you can use salts like real salt, a salt that does not bleach like most commercial salt products. You may also want to eat seaweed noodles … which may sound gross, but it’s actually white pasta-like noodles. You can substitute them in your favorite recipes and get all the health benefits. I made a plate with seaweed and chicken and it was delicious! Here are some foods rich in iodine:
- Kelp
- Seaweed noodles
- Chlorella
- Royal salt
- Seaweed
- brown algae
- red seaweed
When I started integrating more iodine-rich foods into my diet, as well as supplementing them with iodine, I felt better. Do you know what else happened? My hair and skin also improved. It is true that what you put in your body affects the outside. You could be the healthiest person ever, but thyroid problems can still affect you. Sometimes we cannot control the environmental factors that influence our health. If this is the case, you should take charge of your health and use supplements and good nutritional practices to combat them. Through my research for this article, I was also reminded of another thyroid helper: coconut oil. I mean the unrefined organic variety. There are many testimonials online about its thyroid strengthening power. You can cook or bake with it or just take it as a supplement every day (3 tablespoons a day). Have you been affected by thyroid disease and how have you managed it? Let’s share our experiences. I would love to hear your story and know what you think of mine.
