and block its ability to absorb iodine, explains Thompson. “They’re everywhere, in our air, water and food. It’s nearly impossible to avoid them,” reports Shames, a longtime advocate in the movement against the common practice of adding fl uoride (a derivative of fl uorine) and chlorine to municipal water. Fluoride is also added to many brands of toothpaste. Bromide is part of almost all commercial fl our and fl our products, as well as soft drinks.
Nine in 10 North Americans may be iodine defi cient.
~ Dr. Robert Thompson
sterile in the 80 years since the report and, “Factory farming and the use of genetically modifi ed (GMO) crops, Roundup herbicide and synthetic chemical
fertilizers have undoubtedly worsened the situation.”
Shames offers an historic insight. “Fluoride was once used to slow down an overactive thyroid, as recommended by the physicians’ bible, the Merck Manuals. Now we’re putting it in the water supply and wondering why we have a mushrooming epidemic of low thyroid incidence.” Food: “So-called ‘iodized’ salt doesn’t contain much usable iodine, and neither does pink Himalyan sea salt,” Shames cautions. We’ve known that our soil is defi cient in essential minerals such as iodine since at least 1936, when a special U.S. Senate report concluded that our soil was already severely depleted. “This simply means that when we grow produce, the plants cannot extract these vital nutrients from the soil for us—including iodine—if those nutrients aren’t there in the fi rst place,” says Thompson. If anything, he adds, U.S. soils have become even more
Sources of Iodine It’s diffi cult to include suffi cient natural iodine in our daily diet unless we follow a Japanese-style diet that includes lots of seaweed and saltwater fi sh, says Shames. Other food sources are shellfi sh, turkey, cheese, yogurt, milk, eggs, legumes, cranberries and strawberries. There is little agreement about the optimal levels of iodine people need. The U.S. Department of Agriculture maintains that we need 150 micrograms a day, but iodine advocates are quick to point out that a person eating a typical Japanese diet (where hypothyroidism, or low thyroid activity, is rare) ingests 12.5 milligrams of iodine each day—83 times the amount recommended by the government. Shames recommends getting an iodine lab test (available without a prescription at
CanaryClub.org) to determine exact needs. Thompson recommends potassium iodide and sodium iodide supplements for thyroid health.
Kathleen Barnes is author of numerous natural health books, including User’s Guide to Thyroid Disorders.
Thyroid Toxins to Avoid
Fluorine/fl uoride n Fluoridated toothpaste n Unfi ltered municipal drinking water n Some bottled teas n Tefl on pans n Mechanically deboned chicken
Chlorine/chloride n Virtually all municipal water n Swimming pools, spas n Poultry chilled in chlorinated water to kill bacteria
n Chlorine bleaches and other conventional household cleaners
Bromine/bromide n Flour and fl our products, except those labeled “unbrominated”
n Soft drinks n Pesticides with methyl bromide n Plastics n Fire retardants in children’s nightwear and some furniture n Spa disinfectants
Source: What Doctors Fail to Tell You About Iodine & Your Thyroid, by Dr. Robert Thompson.
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