Symptoms & Causes of Iodine Deficiency

Symptoms of iodine deficiency are often similar to those with Hashi's, Grave's, Fibromyalgia, CFS & other auto-immune disorders. This is because iodine deficiency plays a large part in those conditions & symptoms too. As Dr. Brownstein mentions in his book, 'Iodine, why you need it, why you can't live without it', 95% of the 4000 patients he tested, were deficient in this essential mineral, iodine. Chances are high if you're not eating brown kelp or supplementing with Lugol's or potassium-iodide, you're deficient. Since most of the soils & hence foods don't contain iodine, you'll be hard pressed to find some in your diet. I've heard it said, there is no iodine deficiency in the US & Canada because we iodize our salt. When the iodization of salt was started in 1924 in the US & 1929 Canada to prevent the continued trend of thyroidism from occurring in the population, our air & world was not so populated with toxins like; Fluoride, Chlorine & Bromine, which leaches it from the body & competes for storage with iodine. Physicians of that day were regularly prescribing Lugol's Solution for depression, infection, arthritis, cysts, menopause & more. The overall depletion of iodine experienced in the population was endemic in nature, occurring mostly in the Great Lakes region, where the area was named, 'The Goitre Belt'. Currently, we still see lots of endemic goitre & hypothyroidism in the Goitre Belt today and with added occurrence, since physicians today don't prescribe Lugol's or potassium-iodide anymore. This iodine deficiency is compounded even further with the additions of Fluoride, Chlorine & Bromine into our foods, air, drinking water, swimming pools, fast-food, soda pop, fire-retardant & more....

A short list of common symptoms of iodine deficiency include:

Cold hands and feet

Low basal temp.(taken first thing in the morning)

Low immunity (catching colds & flu's)

Dry skin & hair

Brittle hair & nails

Inability to sweat (hypohydrosis)

Proneness to weight gain

Hypothyroidism

Hyperthyroidism

Hashimoto's Disease

Graves Disease

CFS

Fibromyalgia

Alzheimer's

ADD/ADHD

Any Auto-Immune condition

Any Cancer, especially breast, ovarian, brain, thyroid, skin, prostate & leukemia

Heart Disease (arteriosclerosis)

Poor memory

Trouble concentrating

Headaches

Cystic conditions of the skin, breasts, ovaries

Prostate enlargement & cancer

Edema

Muscle cramps

Constipation

Our Biological Ocean Connections

I think that if women knew that using whole, raw brown kelp, that is grown indigenously in Canada & the US as a food, in a bath or in a bodywrap spa therapy, would provide them with enough bio-available vitamins, minerals, enzymes, essential amino acids, polysaccharide sugars, protein, fibre that would; strengthen their immune system, prevent & help to treat breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer & all cancers, irregular menstrual cycles, fibroids, ovarian cysts, infertility, fibro-cystic breast disease, menopausal problems, hormonal imbalance, water retention, emotional freak-outs, chills and hot flashes, fatigue, lack of lubrication, loss of calcium & general irritability, they use it. Not only use it, they would tell every woman they know about it. Some think, this is too good to be true, how can seaweeds do this for me? When you understand the biological connection of the design of our bodies & the ocean as explained by Dr. Rene Quinton at the turn of the 20th century and what cultures from around the world know & practice including; Japan, Korea, China, Iceland, Denmark, Wales, Scotland, Hawaii, France & the South Pacific Islands. Everyone who traded goods with these peoples & cultures knew about the healing aspects of the ocean, that's why there was trade. Since most of our modern doctors in North America don't recognize the healing effects of the ocean, you'd have to travel to France today, where the medical system regularly prescribes & covers costs for patients to partake in ocean-therapy (aka, thalassotherapy) for helping to deal with many modern ailments like, fatigue, stress, depression, obesity, arthritis & overall lack of zeal for life. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine told his patients to, go to the ocean to heal, to soak up the ocean minerals. Plato said, “The sea cures all ailments of man” & Euripides said, “The sea washes away all mens's illnesses” And from Herodotus, “Sun & sea are sovereign remedies for most diseases and particularly for women's ailments”. We will do well to listen to those ancient remedy's, for what is old has become new again. For many in Canada & the US who have ears to listen, this can be just the news you're wanting to hear.

Iodine protects you from skin cancer

Our bodies store about 20% of our total iodine supply in our skin. This became most apparent to me last summer while I was enjoying some warming summer rays of sun by the pool for a couple of hours without sunscreen. I wondered why for so many years I had burned & now I wasn't, even after more than 2 hours of exposure. The sun hadn't changed, it was still as hot as ever, so it must have been me. Realizing that I have been supplementing with Lugol's solution for almost 2 years at that point, my whole-body sufficiency was reached & hence my dermis & epidermis contained enough iodine in my cells to produce enough melonin to protect me from UV exposure without sunscreen applied.
Utilized in every cell, every organ & concentrated in our blood-serum levels, iodine helps to keep a strong cellular immunity & proper functioning of skin cells within the body.

'Iodine is detected in every organ and tissue in the body'
~ Dr Guy Abraham

Iodine also helps to keep our cells healthy & clear of disease by working with our lymphatic system to clean out the damaged cells, mutated viruses & providing a mechanism for melanin development, thereby protecting the body from conditions like skin cancer. Melatonin is produced by the body to provide the skin pigmentation & protection from harmful UV rays of the sun. Without iodine being available to be utilized by the cells in the skin, harmful UV rays cannot be completely dissipated by the melanin and inflammation in the form of sun burn or worse skin cancer shows itself. Since most of the population of North America is iodine deficient, this poses a problem for the immune system in the prevention of skin cancer. You can reduce every form of skin cancer by achieving whole-body iodine sufficient and protecting yourself from the inside out from harmful UV rays this summer.

Macrobiotic Diet Saves Lives from Radiation Exposure

Seaweeds have been used for generations in the preparation of Japanese cuisine, a regular part of their daily diet. The health benefits that obtained by eating ocean vegetables are reflected in the overall health & wellness of the Japanese & Korean populations. Most notably the lowest rates of cancer, especially reproductive cancers like breast, ovarian & prostate cancer, due in large part to the role that sea-vegetables nourish & detoxify the body. The power of these ocean vegetables, have long been recognized for centuries, especially in ancient medicines & remedies. After the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki & Hiroshima in 1945, the response from the medical community to those left alive was to eat seaweed to avoid radiation poisoning. Dr. Tatsuichiro Akizuki was director of the Department of Internal Medicine at St. Francis Hospital in Nagasaki during the bombing. Dr. Akisuki demanded a strict macrobiotic diet of brown rice, miso soup, wakame & other seaweeds, Hokkaido pumpkin and sea salt. He prohibited the consumption of sugar & sweets and as a result saved everyone in the hospital, while many other survivors in the city died from radiation sickness.
Dr. Akisuki remembers,“I gave the cooks and staff strict orders that they should make unpolished whole-grain rice balls, adding some salt to them, prepare strong miso soup for each meal, and never use sugar. When they didn’t follow my orders, I scolded them without mercy, ‘Never take sugar. Sugar will destroy your blood!’. . .
“This dietary method made it possible for me to remain alive and go on working vigorously as a doctor. The radioactivity may not have been a fatal dose, but thanks to this method, Brother Iwanaga, Reverend Noguchi, Chief Nurse Miss Murai, other staff members and in-patients, as well as myself, all kept on living on the lethal ashes of the bombed ruins. It was thanks to this food that all of us could work for people day after day, overcoming fatigue or symptoms of atomic disease and survive the disaster free from severe symptoms of radioactivity.”
As Dr. Brownstein notes, 'the CDC recommends using iodine to prevent injury from radioactive iodine fallout'. Dosages for adults and women who are breastfeeding should take 130mg of potassium iodide. For children who are between 3 and 18 years of age, they should take 65mg of potassium iodide. Children who are adult size should take the adult dose. Infants and children between 1 month and 3 years of age should take 32mg of potassium iodide. Newborns from birth to one month of age should be given 16mg of potassium iodide.'
Now please understand that these larger dosages are for in case of emergency of radioactive fallout or contamination, not everyday dosages. Dr. Abraham & Brownstein agree that between 13mg to 50mg are needed daily to prevent approximately 96% of radioactive iodine from binding to the thyroid gland. That is the approximate dosage of iodine ingested daily by the Japanese. This is over 100x the average daily dose ingested by North Americans due to the modern processed 'fast-food' diet, modern farming depleting minerals from the soils & competing halogens that are so affluent in our modern lives, like fluorine, chlorine & bromine.
As Dr. Brownstein points out, it's not just the thyroid gland at risk for exposure to radioactive iodine, it's every cell & every organ in the body. He states, 'For overall immune health & optimal functionality, iodine is stored in the brain, breasts, ovaries, uterus, prostate, our skin, muscles & fat'. Since exposure to radiation is cumulative, our bodies continue to accept & detoxify from exposure to all types of radiation, especially when given the tools like seaweeds to do this naturally. For if the body is sufficient in iodine, the health risks of radioactive iodine & radiation exposure are largely avoidable.

Insulin dependance is reduced with Iodine Therapy for Type 1 & 2 Diabetes

I always find it very interesting to share 'new' health information with people who can really benefit from the therapy, if they choose to take it. It's very rewarding, from my perspective, to see the lights go on as the dots get connected, much the same way it happens for myself. And still does as I 'realize' the positive effects of thalassotherapy & iodine have on the body & connect that in so many different ways to my life experiences. In Dr. Brownstein's book, Iodine, why you need it, why you can't live without it, he discusses the many successes their group of doctors have experienced clinically with iodine therapy.

Doctors, Abraham, Flechas and Brownstein belong to the Iodine Group of MD's in the US who are actively educating their fellow physicians & patients on the correct use & long history of use of iodine in medical practice. Together, they have tested more than 4,000 patients taking
iodine in daily doses ranging from 12.5 to 50 mg, and in those with diabetes, up to 100mg a day. These investigators found that “iodine does indeed reverse fibrocystic disease;their diabetic patients require less insulin; hypothyroid patients, less thyroid medication;symptoms of fibromyalgia resolve, and patients with migraine headaches stop having them.” We can expect even better results when iodine is combined with magnesium chloride. "In the Type 1 diabetics that we have been following we have noted that if C-peptide is measurable, this would suggest that the individual is making their own insulin. I have been able to help this group of patients to get off insulin or to greatly reduce the amount they need for good glucose control with Iodoral at 4 tablets/day (50 mg). If C-peptide is absent, then we feel there is no insulin being produced and we have not been able to help this particular group of patients to get off their insulin. We have been able to help these patients lower the total amount of insulin needed to control their glucose."

The C- peptide test is done by doctors to measure the amount of insulin that is being produced by the pancreas. This gives a good indication to observe if the pancreas is functioning normally or to what extent it's working. Since the endocrine system in the body includes the pancreas, the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, adrenal glands, ovaries and testes. This system is responsible for hormone production in the body & hormones are the chemical messengers that are released directly into the bloodstream to help the body communicate it's needs. With insulin being a hormone released by the pancreas to regulate the glucose levels in the bloodstream & help muscle tissue with the absorption of glucose & amino-acids. When a deficiency of the essential mineral iodine exists within the body all hormone production is slowed, including insulin production. So when iodine is introduced into a diabetic body that is experiencing iodine deficiencies, it seems like common sense that the insulin levels will also show an increase in production. This is what the Iodine Doctors have shown clinically with their diabetic patients, an overall improvement in the pancreas formation of insulin. And with Type 1 or 2 diabetes, when your pancreas responds to the call for more insulin in the bloodstream, that is a good thing, as the dependency on insulin is lessened. It sometimes takes up to 2 years for the body to completely re-absorb iodine & reach whole body sufficiency. So starting with slow with iodine supplementation & moving up to larger dosages of 100mg/day for diabetics has worked extremely well for the Iodine Group of Doctors.

Radiation Poisoning is avoided with Seaweeds & Iodine

Seaweeds have been used for generations in the preparation of Japanese cuisine, a regular part of their traditional daily diet. The health benefits that obtained by eating ocean vegetables are reflected in the overall health & wellness of the Japanese & Korean populations. Most notably, they have the lowest rates of cancer, especially reproductive cancers like breast, ovarian & prostate cancer in the world. This is due in large part to the role that sea vegetables play to nourish & detoxify the body. The power of these ocean vegetables, have been recognized for centuries, especially in ancient medicines & remedies. After the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki & Hiroshima in 1945, the response from the Japanese medical community for those left alive was to eat seaweed to avoid radiation poisoning. Dr. Tatsuichiro Akizuki was director of the Department of Internal Medicine at St. Francis Hospital in Nagasaki during the bombing. Dr. Akisuki demanded a strict macrobiotic diet of brown rice, miso soup, wakame & other seaweeds, Hokkaido pumpkin and sea salt. He prohibited the consumption of sugar & sweets and as a result saved everyone in the hospital, while many other survivors in the city died from radiation sickness.
Dr. Akisuki recalls,“I gave the cooks and staff strict orders that they should make unpolished whole-grain rice balls, adding some salt to them, prepare strong miso soup for each meal, and never use sugar. When they didn’t follow my orders, I scolded them without mercy, ‘Never take sugar. Sugar will destroy your blood!’... “This dietary method made it possible for me to remain alive and go on working vigorously as a doctor. The radioactivity may not have been a fatal dose, but thanks to this method, Brother Iwanaga, Reverend Noguchi, Chief Nurse Miss Murai, other staff members and in-patients, as well as myself, all kept on living on the lethal ashes of the bombed ruins. It was thanks to this food that all of us could work for people day after day, overcoming fatigue or symptoms of atomic disease and survive the disaster free from severe symptoms of radioactivity.”
As Dr. Brownstein notes, 'The CDC recommends using iodine to prevent injury from radioactive iodine fallout. Dosages for adults and women who are breastfeeding should take 130mg of potassium iodide. For children who are between 3 and 18 years of age, they should take 65mg of potassium iodide. Children who are adult size should take the adult dose. Infants and children between 1 month and 3 years of age should take 32mg of potassium iodide. Newborns from birth to one month of age should be given 16mg of potassium iodide.'
Now please understand that these dosages are used in case of emergency of radioactive fallout or contamination, not everyday dosages. Dr. Abraham & Brownstein agree that between 13mg to 50mg are needed daily to prevent approximately 96% of radioactive iodine from binding to the thyroid gland. That is the approximate dosage of iodine ingested daily by the Japanese. This is over 100x the average daily dose ingested by North Americans due to the modern processed 'fast-food' diet, modern farming depleting minerals from the soils & competing halogens that are so affluent in our modern lives, like fluorine, chlorine & bromine.
As Dr. Brownstein points out, it's not just the thyroid gland at risk for exposure to radioactive iodine, it's every cell & every organ in the body. He states, 'For overall immune health & optimal cell functionality, iodine is stored in the brain, breasts, ovaries, uterus, prostate, our skin, muscles & fat'. Since exposure to radiation is cumulative, our bodies continue to accept & detoxify from exposure to all types of radiation, especially when given the tools like seaweeds to do this naturally. For if the body is sufficient in iodine, the health risks of radioactive iodine & radiation exposure are largely avoidable.

Seaweed for a Strong Immune System

If you consider your healthy immune system to be a large cushion that protects you from discomfort & disease around your body. With a big cushion, ie strong immune system, conditions that we experience in life such as, stress or bacterial or viral infections will bounce off us if our cushion is big enough. A weakened immune system, with a small cushion, which catches everything that goes by, is constantly battling the next cold or flu bug, this small cushion will not be enough to absorb the impact of the cold, flu or stress that we've all experienced in daily life. Since the therapeutic response from the body is built into it's programming, in that we are self healing, we don't need to learn how to join cells to fix a cut, form a scab or grow skin, this comes pre-programmed into our genetic makeup. Our bodies know exactly what to do, when given the tools they need to do it with. In other words, if the body is getting the vitamins & minerals that it needs to rebuild & strengthen cells & the immune system, it will do just that, strengthen cells and rebuild the immune system. The best way to intake these essential nutrients is through trans-dermal absorption, through the skin and directly into the bloodstream thereby bypassing the GI tract. What's really amazing with thalassotherapy is that since the body's chemistry is so similar to the ocean, the balancing of nutrients occurs very easily with the body and in correct proportions to what our bodies can assimilate & require. Afterall, our vitamins & minerals work best in the body in conjunction with the availability of each other for support and a strengthened synergy experienced. During a thalassotherapy body wrap or bath, the mind/body balancing that is experienced is a result of the correct balance of nature's vitamins & minerals brought into the bloodstream through trans-dermal absorption and moving the body into balance, otherwise known as homeostasis. This physiologically response by the body is physically felt for a few days to a week afterwards with less aches & pains, reduced inflammation, a strengthened immune system & increasing the natural detoxification of the body.
So what is missing from those with a weakened immune system or small cushion as compared to those with a larger cushion of immunity? This seems to be the question from many people when it comes to auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, heart disease, eczema, psoriasis, cancer & more. So how do you build your cushion of immunity? It all starts with mineral sufficiency in the body & specifically Iodine sufficiency. If we look to the East we see Japanese & Korean people eating indigenous diets that are high in ocean-vegetables & living long healthy lives with some of the lowest rates of cancer in the world. Since brown kelps are the mildest tasting, having 10X-100Xthe iodine, calcium, magnesium, potassium and over 50 other minerals as compared to land vegetables, our best source for immune health comes from the ocean. As Hippocrates said, 'Go to the ocean to heal', these words of wisdom still hold truth today thousands of years later.

Replenishing vital nutrients prevents dis-ease including Osteoporosis

Eighty-three (83) elements in the periodic table that are biologically absorbable & contained in the body, are found in sea water.  Over sixty (60) of these, including many important trace minerals are concentrated in seaweed, specifically in the brown kelps.  These trace elements are minerals which our body cannot produce for itself, but are to be absorbed through our food daily, to help with the many chemical & physiological reactions that take place in the body. Fifteen (15) are classified as “essential” because they act as catalysts and a deficiency of any one can lead to problems & dis-ease, since they work synergistically to balance our metabolism, immune system & cellular functionality.   Iodine was the 1st trace mineral classified as ‘essential for life’.  These minerals can be transdermally absorbed through the skin directly into the bloodstream in a seaweed bath or wrap.  Minerals are the driving force behind all cellular mechanisms, and as such, are vital for our body.  Since most of the vegetables & fruits these days we consume are grown in soils that are minerally deficient, the majority of the population is not getting optimal amounts & hence the chronic conditions many in North America are experiencing.   The action of all these vitamin & mineral ions naturally restores optimum performance to each cell.  In Korea, women learn the connection between the amniotic fluid that surrounds the growing baby and ocean water.  After child-birth it is tradition for the mother-in-law to prepare seaweed soup, known as 'Mi-yuk Gook' for the new mother who eats this 3X day for 100 days to replenish the nutrients lost during gestation.  Normally prepared with a mild tasting brown kelp known as Alaria or Wakame, it's delicious. 

OSTEOPOROSIS - De-calcification & de-mineralization of the bones is not a problem in primitive cultures who eat a largely indigenous unprocessed diet.  Osteoporosis is a disease of western civilization due to the imbalance of bone minerals not included in our foods.  As minerals are leached out for other body usages, the stability of bony tissue is eroded resulting in easy fracture.  Crumbling limestone is a good example of osteoporosis in the environment and all too common in North America. Doctors around the world who practice in countries near the ocean, like France, Portugal, Spain or Italy, regularly prescribe ocean therapy or walking on the ocean to combat this condition. As it is recognized for what it is, a mineral deficiency of one or more vital minerals.

Why doesn't every doctor know about 'The Universal Medicine'?

The simple answer to this question was answered by Dr. Brownstein in his book, 'Iodine, why you need it, why you can't live without it'. In it, he stated that in medical school, what medical students are taught about Iodine was specific to iodine deficiency & that is, 'table salt is iodized which is sufficient enough for the population as a whole and that additional supplementation was not needed & in fact could induce endemic goitre'. In his book, he goes on to prove that both of these statements are so completely wrong and in fact, without sufficiency in Iodine for the body, many chronic debilitating conditions, including hypo & hyperthyroidism are caused & or worsened. He has successfully treated both hypothyroidism & hyperthyroidism (goiter) with Iodine supplementation.

Having moved from BC to Ontario in 2007, I was so blown away with all the thyroidism & chronic conditions like; arthritis, fibromyalgia, eczema, psoriasis, cancer & more that so many people suffered with here in Ontario. Every doctor in North America used to learn about & use Lugol's solution, potassium-iodide or one of the 1700 pharmacopeia options available to doctors in their practice available until the 1950's. After that, pharmaceutical drugs were marketed as the best choice for a doctors prescriptions and Iodine was left out of their teaching curriculum, except in very small references. It was known as the 'Universal Medicine' or universal nutrient and a well known panacea, 'for all the ails the human condition' from the early 1800's through to the 1950's. Nobel Laureate Albert Szent Gyorgyi, the physician who discovered Vitamin C in 1928, commented, "When I was a medical student, iodine in the form of KI was the universal medicine. Nobody knew what it did, but it did something and did something good. We students used to sum up the situation in this little rhyme:

'If ye don't know where, what, and why, prescribe ye then K and I'

The medical community had great enthusiasm for Iodine, which started just few short years after Iodine's discovery in 1811. In Switzerland, a physician named JF Coindet had been using Sea Sponge very successfully to treat goiter. He thought that the active ingredient in Sea Sponge might just be Iodine, so in 1819, he tested tincture of iodine at 250 mg/day, in 150 goiter patients with great success. He found he could reduce significantly the size of goiter within a week in his patients and published his results in 1820. Currently the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for iodine is 150 micrograms over 1000 times less than Dr. Coindet used in his day.
Physicians & surgeons in the early 1800's would use it for everything that didn't respond to regular treatment, it's documented history, treating everything from: croup, lupus, chorea(a genetic neurological disease0 (Folk singer Woody Guthrie died from this), scrofula (a tuberculous infection of the lymph nodes in the neck), hip-joint disease, syphilis, acute inflammation, gout, gangrene, dropsy, whitlow(infection of the finger or thumb caused by herpes simplex virus), burns, catarrh (inflammation of the mucous membranes in the nose), asthma, ulcers and bronchitis.

We've had clients & friends reverse their rheumatoid arthritis of 17 years, help their eczema, cancer, anaemia & more with seaweed & iodine. Doctors around the world regularly prescribe going to the ocean to treat the symptoms of arthritis as it's recognized as known mineral deficiency. Since all minerals work synergistically in the body, having them all together in a bio-available from in seaweed does the body good!

Seaweed Soup for Post Natal Care

This is a delicious way to enjoy the healing benefits of eating seaweed. Japan & Korea have the lowest rates of reproductive organ cancers in the world, due to their high intake of brown kelps. This soup is served traditionally to new mothers in Korea, made by the mother-in-law for the new mother. She then eats the soup with every meal 3X/day for 100 days, to replenish the nutrients lost during childbirth. More women in North America would benefit from this ancient practice and avoid health complications after childbirth like thyroidism, anemia, fatigue, baby brain & more, by eating this healing soup full of nutritious & delicious brown kelp known as wakame or alaria. Enjoy!

Ingredients (enough for 3-4 servings, ready in 15 – 20 minutes)

* 35g dried brown seaweed (Alaria/Wakame)~half a package
* 70g sliced organic beef/venison shank/chicken (optional)
* 2 cloves minced garlic
* 3 tbsp soy sauce
* 1 tbsp Korean sesame oil (or extra-virgin coconut oil)
* 1 tsp of Organic Miso (optional)
* 4-6 cups water
* 1/2 tbsp sesame oil (or extra-virgin coconut oil) and ground black pepper & sea salt to season the meat

Prep

1. Soak the dried brown seaweed in cold water for 15 minutes. (Use excess water on plants for an amazing fertilizer)
2. Drain the water. Cut the seaweed with scissors thinly to little finger lengths(bite size pieces).
3. Season the beef with 1/2 tbsp sesame oil or extra-virgin coconut oil and sprinkles of ground black pepper & sea salt.

Steps

1. Pre heat the sauce pan (or pot) for about 30 seconds.
2. Add 1 tbsp of sesame oil or extra-virgin coconut oil, the brown seaweed, and brown the sliced beef for 2 – 3 minutes.
3. Add the water then boil it on medium heat until the seaweed and the meat cook (about 5- 10 minutes).
4. Add the soy sauce and garlic, simmer for 15 minutes then serve. (You can adjust the taste with some unprocessed sea-salt)
5. Additionally rice or noodles, carrots, celery, onions & other vegetables can also be added.