In clinical practice, the number of women easily identifiable as thyroid deficient has grown to epidemic proportions. Many have gone to their doctors, have had the standard test; they are assured that they are fine, but they are not. It seems that the test is not reliable. Dr. David Brownstein in his book; “Iodine, why you need it, why you can’t live without it,” quotes from an NHAES study showing that iodine levels in the US health. Scarier, he also points out that low iodine levels in pregnant women have increased by 690%. Something is wrong, and we have to wonder what!
Despite the massive spending on healthcare; money that goes mainly to pharmaceuticals, health in general is declining. True, acute disease has decreased significantly, but chronic disease has increased. Perhaps many of the things we are told are good for us are not! As a population we have been misinformed, but why? Most people have never heard of the Georgia Guidestones. The structure, also known as “The American Stonehenge,” is located in Elberton, Georgia. The central group of stones was erected in 1980; the site is dedicated to “The Age of Reason”. Ten guidelines are written on the tablets in eight different languages. The first principle states: “Keep humanity below 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.” Today, the world population is just over seven billion; to reach 500 million, you have to sacrifice six thousand five hundred million! Conspiracy theorists tell you that this is the intention of the Illuminati or the New World Order. As I consider the drastic consequences of poor health, it seems the conspiracy theorists might be right after all!
They told us that the thyroid problem was solved with the introduction of iodized salt in the 1920s. Living far from iodine-rich soils, which are usually close to the life-giving influence of the sea, the women suffered from enlarged the thyroid. As the defective gland was overworked, it enlarged and produced a strangling goiter. They found that adding a 5% potassium iodine solution to table salt provided enough iodine to prevent goiter growth, but not enough to remedy more subtle thyroid dysfunctions. Unfortunately, refining also removed most of the minerals from the sea salt. Table salt is now widely found throughout the world. Seventy-nine percent of households in Thailand, for example, use it.
Until the 1950s, an underactive thyroid was treated with iodine supplements. No, this is not the product you buy at the drugstore to rub on wounds! This form is poisonous because it contains alcohol that should never be ingested. Instead, iodine and its relative iodide are available in liquid and tablet forms. Iodine’s popularity hit a brick wall when the “Wolff-Chaikoff” study emerged from the University of California, Berkeley in 1947. It flew against contemporary thought; any iodine intake indicating more than 2 mg was excessive and potentially harmful. They claimed that larger amounts caused hypothyroidism. This was not scientific fact because hormone levels were never measured to support the argument. This warning later entered the annals of medical knowledge. So doctors stopped prescribing iodine for thyroid conditions.
The other successful treatment option is through protomorphogens, this translates as a substance taken from an animal source, usually porcine. Armor Labs has been producing their animal-derived extract since the 1930s. When pharmaceutical companies began producing synthetic thyroid extract in the late 1950s, they flooded the market. Doctors stopped prescribing natural thyroid extract – it’s pretty hard to find now.
At the same time, bromide intake has grown enormously. Bromide is an iodine antagonist. It is found in soft drinks, white bread, toothpaste, fluoridated drinking water, beauty products, and hair dyes. Until the 1970s potassium iodide was added to bread, thanks to Wolff-Chaikoff the practice ceased; it was replaced by potassium bromide. No wonder the thyroid problem has inflated like a balloon. Oh, I haven’t mentioned rising radiation levels either! There is also the issue of fluoride and chlorine added to drinking water. These halogens are also iodine antagonists!
Given all this information, everyone needs to increase their iodine intake. Eating wakame seaweed is an excellent remedy, as is eating mussels and shellfish. But you need quite a bit as a RDA to prevent low thyroid and excessive radiation, it would be in the region of 30mg. If you have any concerns, it is never recommended to self-prescribe, but rather see your healthcare professional who will review the problem for you.