Iodine is a Necessary Nutrient

I learn so much from my patients. And while the vast majority of my time is helping to rehabilitate very sick mouths, the fact is that a sick mouth can be an indicator of a sick body. So I was in a conversation about that very thing when a patient talked to me about iodized salt. And it was then that I knew my next column would be on iodine.

Iodine may help with baking. I’m a pretty good cook, but I don’t bake, so I can’t verify that. But I do know this: Iodine is added to table salt for health reasons. It was a government mandate in the 1920’s to add iodine to table salt because of a nationwide iodine deficiency that resulted in enlarged thyroid glands called “goiters.” People ate at home much more often, and salt had no stigma, was a commonly used condiment, and so was the best way for our government to help stop the goiter problem . And yes, the treatment of iodized table salt worked wonders to eliminate goiters.

Well, now we’ve forgotten the importance of iodine. Our use of iodized table salt decreased by 65% between 1971 and 1994 and it continues to drop. And what do you think is happening as a result? Goiters are increasing in the U.S.

You see, the thyroid gland acts as an iodine sponge, and when it doesn’t get enough iodine it gets sluggish and enlarges. And when your thyroid gets sluggish, so do you. Some of the problems associated with iodine deficiency include chronic fatigue, weight gain, low metabolism, bone loss, increased cholesterol levels, fat retention, depression, hair loss, intolerance to cold, enlarged thyroid, exhaustion, poor sex drive, poor circulation.

Other things have changed since the 1920’s. We’ve increased the amount of fluoride and chlorine in our water supplies. Both fluoride and chlorine are chemical antagonists to iodine. So we may need even more iodine now than we did then. And if you have some concerns about increased levels of radiation in our environment due to the recent Japanese nuclear disaster, one of the products of nuclear fission is radioactive iodine. Your thyroid doesn’t recognize the difference between a supplement of inorganic iodine and radioactive iodine. So if you’re iodine deficient, which many of us are, the thyroid will absorb what it can get. And radioactive iodine is not a healthy form of iodine.

At the minimum, I’d recommend buying iodized table salt and use it. Personally, I’m taking an iodine supplement. Make sure that it is the inorganic kind, the type that would be found as a supplement, not the kind that’s used as an antiseptic, which is poison.

And do some reading on the subject. Dr. Guy Abraham has made iodine his life’s work. You can find his material at www.optimox.com.