Iodine & Health

Essential Nutrient & Epidemic Deficiency

Iodine is an element found in our environment, just like iron, gold, and oxygen. Iodine is found in every cell of your body and you need a constant intake of iodine to ensure proper functioning. Iodine is also one of the world’s most common deficiencies. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1/3 of the worldwide population (over 2 billion people) is iodine deficient.

IODINE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SUPPLEMENT I RECOMMEND, and is one of the LiveLikeTim Essential Supplements along with vitamin D, omega-3 fish oil, and chlorella.

What are the health benefits and risks associated with iodine?

In the 1920s iodine was discovered as the cure to numerous medical conditions. Most importantly the epidemic goiter, which is an enlargement of the thyroid gland in the neck, was caused by a severe lack of iodine in the body. The US Government recognized iodine’s importance, and in 1924 iodine was added to table salt to successfully end the goiter epidemic. As noted below, the amount of iodine in table salt is not nearly enough to feed the rest of your organs.

Iodine is a natural antibiotic, antifungal, antiseptic, antiparasitic, and antiviral. It inhibits the multiplication of cancer cells and induces cancer cell death. Iodine helps control yeast and mold in the body as well. It is a more powerful antioxidant than vitamins C and E. Iodine also flushes out toxic pollutants from the body, such as heavy metals like mercury or lead and chemicals like fluorine or bromine.  Iodine supplements like LiveLikeTim Lugol’s Solution will help you think clearer, feel more energetic, lose weight, and avoid long term health problems.

There is a long list of illnesses associated with iodine deficiency. It is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation and cretinism in the world. Pregnant or nursing mothers who don’t pass enough iodine to their child stunt mental and physical development. Iodine deficiency is also a leading cause of infertility and miscarriage.

The most widely recognized problems associated with iodine relates to the thyroid gland. A main function of the thyroid is to control the speed of your body by secreting hormones. Iodine performs a critical role in the production and regulation of thyroid hormones. About 10-15 million people in the US have severe thyroid diseases, while millions more suffer from less severe thyroid dysfunction.

Most doctors aren’t aware of the critical importance of iodine. There is a misconception that most of the iodine in your body is concentrated in your thyroid gland. In fact, the thyroid only contains 3% of the body’s supply. The skin contains about 20%, muscles 33%, fat 35%, and other tissues share the rest. Each tissue uses iodine for different purposes, and presents its own symptoms from deficiency.

The range of symptoms of iodine deficiency varies greatly depending on how low the body’s supplies are, the tissues that are affected, and how long the deprivation has lasted. Severe deficiency can lead to terrible diseases like:

• Thyroid- Graves, Hashimoto’s, hypo- or hyperthyroidism
• Cancer- breast, ovarian, prostate, thyroid, stomach, esophageal
• Reproductive- ovarian disease, polycystic ovaries, Peyronie’s, endometriosis
• Arthrosclerosis
• Liver disease
• Cognitive disorders- low IQ, ADD/ADHD, autism
• Glaucoma

Less severe symptoms are a sign that your iodine levels are low, including:

• Infections- especially sinus and vaginal
• Cysts
• Fatigue
• Fibrocystic breasts
• Excessive scarring
• Low mental alertness
• Poor memory and concentration
• Depression
• Elevated cholesterol
• PMS and irregular menstrual cycles
• Slow heart rate
• Constipation and hemorrhoids
• Hair loss
• Dry skin
• Slow nail growth
• Cold hands and feet
• Horse voice
• Gaps between teeth

Health and Medical Facts

• The medical community has stayed away from iodine therapy because of a very old and misunderstood study performed in 1948 by Drs. Wolff and Chaikoff. However, this scientific blunder occurred because of several complicating factors, which is detailed by Dr. Abrahams from the UCLA School of Medicine (see the resources page for a link).
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has known about the importance of iodine for thousands of years. Patients with goiter were treated with burned sea sponge or seaweed, which released iodine vapor for inhalation.

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