The Need for Iodine and Salt in Our Diet
Two Misunderstood and Ignored Dietary Needs for Optimum Health
Dr. Brownstein is an MD who has been practicing holistic medicine for over 15 years. Since 2003, he has focused greatly on iodine therapy for over 3,000 patients. Here is an excerpt from the forward of his book, IODINE, Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It.
“The reason there is so much iodine deficiency present is not only due to inadequate iodine intake, it is also due to the toxicities we are exposed to on a daily basis. These toxicities include the toxic halides bromine, fluoride and the chlorine derivatives."
Misunderstanding Iodine and Salt
Iodine is very important for proper thyroid functioning. This is becoming a generally known fact. But Dr. Brownstein maintains that all glandular tissue, including prostate, breast, and ovary, as well as white blood cells, need sufficient iodine. It is a very essential nutrient for optimum health that many have thought unnecessary to supplement.
Nevertheless, it is a nutrient that is lacking in our diet, leaving a large percentage of the human population iodine deficient. Dr. Brownstein points out that iodine intake has dropped as people shy away from using iodized salt. Consequently, diseases that plague the organs mentioned have risen dramatically.
The iodine added to iodized salt is actually insufficient and difficult for our cells to assimilate. The type of commercial table salt to which iodine is added is toxic itself! Real unbleached sea salt or Celtic or Himalayan salts are very beneficial, however. They provide essential, normally unavailable minerals in abundance, but they are slightly gray or coral pink, not shiny white.
Dr. Brownstein recommends a healthy intake of unprocessed, unbleached salt and Iodine supplements. Celtic or Himalayan salts are available on line or in really good health food stores. Even popular brand “sea salts” sold in many stores are actually bleached white and processed. You may have to go on line to order one of the really true, unprocessed salts. Remember, it's the color that gives it away.
Increasing Iodine Intake
There are two types of iodine needed by various organs in our bodies. Some organs require both, and others utilize one or the other. Iodine and iodide are the two forms needed to provide sufficient iodine supplementation throughout glandular organs. Dr. Brownstein recommends Lugol's iodine or ladoral as a supplement that contains both forms, and has been used safely for 200 years.
Your thyroid gland needs selenium to sufficiently utilize iodine. Selenium is available as a supplement, but two to three Brazil nuts a day can provide all the selenium you need. Avoid these iodine killers: fluoride, bromine, and chlorine derivatives. That means avoiding fluoridated and chlorinated water as well as most popular soft drinks and refined flour products, which contain bromide.
Some Symptoms of Iodine Deficiency
Obviously, any swelling of the glands mentioned earlier is a red flag. Ignoring this symptom can lead to cancer of the thyroid, uterus, breast, or prostate. According to Dr. Brownstein, “The most common early symptoms of iodine deficiency include fatigue, a feeling of coldness, weight gain, muscle aches and pains, hair loss, edema, constipation and brain fog. Most of these symptoms are found in patients with thyroid disorders.”
Actually, the thyroid gland is the master distribution gland for your whole glandular system. A urinary iodine test can determine the amount of iodine deficiency. To determine who is best suited for this test or for more on iodine, consult Dr. Brownstein's website.
More Minerals
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Health & Wellness
Latest Articles