healingways
Solutions for a Sluggish Thyroid
Keying in on Iodine by Kathleen Barnes
I
t seems that a common mineral supplement that costs just pennies per day can stimulate an underactive
hi l
thyroid, restore metabolism to normal levels, curb excess appetite, banish fatigue and generally improve everyone’s health. Mounting scientifi c evidence shows that iodine may be an answer to many such health woes, especially for women. “The thyroid acts as a throttle, the gas pedal for all metabolic functions in the human body,” says Dr. Richard Shames, of San Rafael, California, author of Thyroid Mind Power. If the thyroid is a driving force of human physiology, then iodine is its key fuel, says Dr. Robert Thompson, of Soldotna, Alaska, author of What Doctors Fail to Tell You About Iodine & Your Thyroid. “Every single cell in your body depends on thyroid hormone, and the thyroid depends on iodine for proper functioning.” “Without suffi cient thyroid hormone, we have low energy, slower metabolism, lower immunity to illness and impaired repair and maintenance of bones and joints,” explains Shames. After testing thousands of patients in
his practice, Thompson estimates that 90 percent of North Americans are
30 Central Florida natural awakenings
iodine defi cient, citing what he calls “epidemic proportions” of hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) with symptoms comprising obesity, fatigue, brain fog, irregular or absent menstrual periods, hair loss and heat and cold intolerance.
Major Culprits Estrogen: Hypothyroidism is
overwhelmingly a women’s disease, with women fi ve to eight times more likely to suffer from it than men, according to the American Thyroid Association. “Estrogen inhibits the body’s natural ability to absorb and utilize iodine,” says Dr. Jorge Flechas, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, who specializes in thyroid disorders. “We fi nd three periods in life when women need more iodine: at puberty and during both pregnancy and perimenopause or menopause. It’s because estrogen levels tend to fl uctuate wildly at those times, neutralizing the ability of iodine gained through select foods to balance thyroid and other hormones.” Flechas prescribes iodine supplements for most women at all three stages of life. Toxic halogens: Iodine belongs to a group of halogens that includes chlorine, bromine and fl uorine, three chemicals that are both toxic to the human body
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