Iodine (urine) = 21, Range: 100 - 199 ug/L. Genova Diagnostics.
I'm waiting to see an Endocrinologist to discuss this result, and some other typical hypothyroidism results: low T4, high TSH.
In the meantime, I've decided to take one nascent iodine drop each day. (Each drop equates to about 650mcg of iodine.) I don't have hashimotos, and wondered if this action was a good idea?
Thanks a lot.
How good to hear from someone in similar situation to me. I also had very low Iodine of 20 when tested last year and I also have Hashi's. There is a lot of debate about whether to take Iodine or not. I have read 2 books-Iodine, why you need it by David Brownstein and The Iodine crisis by Lynne Farrow. Because of the Hashi's I tried a gluten and lactofree diet, which did help. With hindsight I wonder if the lacto free (rice milk only) affected my Iodine level as I now use Arla lactofree milk, butter and cheese and my last Iodine test was 80! I did try 1 drop Lugols iodine per day, recently to see if I reacted in any way, but haven't had any reaction, so I might try again as I do have issues with breast pain. reading the books suggests that low Iodine is implicated in breast health issues!
I will be very interested to hear how you get on at your endo visit. I would be very surprised if they even understand that Iodine is needed by the thyroid. Using Lugol's is definitley not mainstream and they do not like going "off the beaten track" even though the books will tell you that Lugol's was used a lot in the past. What is your TSH level?
Hi, you say:
>> I also had very low Iodine of 20 when tested last year and I also have Hashi's
But please note that I don't have Hashimotos. That's why I reckon it's safer for me to take iodine. If I did have Hashi's, I think it might be riskier.
I'm also gluten and dairy free. In fact, I only occasionally take krill oil capsules, and other than that, I'm vegan. I've found the avoidance of gluten and dairy to have no effect on my low energy levels, and constant knee pain, which I put down to the inability of my body to heal itself after sustaining a minor injury. (I'm thinking this might be due to a pituitary gland issue.)
For the nascent iodine, I'm trying the InfoWars' "Survival Shield x2" product.
>> I will be very interested to hear how you get on at your endo visit. I would be very surprised if they even understand that Iodine is needed by the thyroid.
I'll certainly let you know. My appt date is this Monday. Apparently this doc is a pituitary gland specialist, which is where I'm guessing the problem might be.
>> What is your TSH level?
TSH (serum) 3.58, Range: 0.4 - 4.0 mIU/L. Value considered to be high, but not completely off the scale and consequently not "out of range".
Also:
Thyroxine T4 (urine) 90, Range: 347 - 1994 pmol/24h. Low value!
(Both tests Genova Diagnostics.)
I can't remember what the T3 and reverse T3 values were, but they were both in range, and nothing to be concerned about.
>> I will be very interested to hear how you get on at your endo visit. I would be very surprised if they even understand that Iodine is needed by the thyroid.
Well, the endo person himself was unimpressive, as he just came across as lazy, but he did say "well done for having your iodine checked", and he went on to say "continue with the iodine supplementation, and then get your iodine level and also your thyroid levels retested in 6 weeks time. Then, if the iodine has managed to stabilise your thyroid levels, then that's all well and good. If it hasn't managed to correct your thyroid levels, then we might try some T3 medication, as you don't tolerate T4 medication."
So, that's what I'll do. Carry on with 1 drop of nascent iodine (at about 650mcg per drop), and get my iodine and thyroid levels rechecked in 6 weeks time, and take things from there...
Well at least he wasn't dismissive of you trying Iodine. I wonder if he would have thought of suggesting an Iodine test if you hadn't already mentioned you were taking Iodine!
Is the nascent iodine same as Logol's Iodine? Look forward to hearing about your next test results
My guess is that he wouldn't have suggested it, because he started off the consultation by talking about taking T3 instead of T4, and when I mentioned the iodine test results, he kind of came across as rather surprised that I had taken it.
The nascent iodine was bought online from a website called InfoWars, and is called Survival Shield x2. Unfortunately I don't know if it's similar to Logol's. I'm guess nascent iodine drops are much of a muchness. It's probably best to check how many mcgs are in each drop, and ensure that you are not going over the WHO's upper tolerable limit of 1100mcg per day. I think if you exceed that on a regular basis, you increase the probability of developing Hashimoto's, as this was one conclusion that was reached when some studies were done in to high Kelp consumption in some Japanese coastal towns.
I anticipate that my next Genova results will be due mid March. These will be iodine, and I might do a thyroid test too. The reason I say "might" is that I might try and get them done on the NHS instead. Incidentally, I am expecting some NHS thyroid results back in less than 3 weeks time. I would have only been on nascent iodine for about 10 days just prior to that blood draw, but it still might be interesting to see where I'm at with things. I'll post those too, when I get them..
Actually, I'm going off on a right tangent here, but I did get a couple of other Genova tests done, and they revealed bacterial overgrowth and parasites. For that, I'm taking various herbs, and also a couple of drops of wild oil of oregano a day. I must say that I think that oil is working, because I do feel better. The oil is super strong stuff, and what I do is put 2 drops in to the water I use to cook my rice in, so that kind of dilutes it out over the course of a meal.
Just got my result. My iodine has risen from 21 to 44. That's an improvement, but I'm still way off the range of 100 - 199.
Since that first test I did, when I scored 21, I have been taking nascent iodine, but only a small amount. About 1 drop a day, which is about 650mcg of iodine. In fact, I stopped taking it after 8 weeks, and switched over to just eating celtic sea salt with every meal.
Now that my 2nd result is in, where I scored 44, I think I will continue with the celtic sea salt, but also go back to taking 1 drop of nascent iodine again.
I will then get my iodine rechecked in 6 months time...
Thyroid 123, thanks for keeping me up to speed with your iodine experiment. Interesting that there has only been a small increase, but I see you stopped the Iodine but are now going back on it. (I think Celtic sea salt is good for minerals but has minimal Iodine- but more than table salt) I also stopped taking my 1 drop of Lugols per day because of various blood tests coming up. I will restart it. My bloods showed I had almost completely got rid of TPO antibodies. (I put that down to being gluten and lacto free.) The only result that was a bit low was folate and of course my T4 and T3 scraping along the bottom as per usual.
A lot going on in my life at the moment and stress definitely does not help me, but when I think back 3 years, how I felt then is a world of difference from now. Finding this site and all the helpful people on it has been the best thing for me. Good luck with your experiment and keep us posted
what are the symptoms of low iodine?
Don't think there are symptoms as such, but low thyroid function/symptoms because without iodine the thyroid cannot do its job. You get some Iodine in levo tablets, but not enough if you already have low thyroid function. The books i mentioned are very good for explanation of how Iodine works in the body.
I have the same. Having abnormal thyroid blood results for years, last year an urine test and iodine, t4 and t3 were all very low.
I started supplementing 400mcg iodine a day with selenium and zinc. Also take levothyroxine. I don't notice anything and my blood doesn't change (only change because of the levo).
I posted this 2 months ago:
gabkad, please can you tell me how I click and go on to this link? There are 3 dots at the end of it, and the link is truncated. Thanks a lot.
endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/...
This should work.
Yep thanks. BTW, I don't have a goitre.
Also, and this is puzzling, I eat like a horse, don't exercise, but don't gain weight. I can easily scoff down 4000 cals a day, and not put on weight. In fact, my upper torso and arms look skinny. I absolutely never eat rubbish though, only eating huge platefuls of buckwheat groats, porridge (made with mineral water and nothing else), boiled potatoes, rice, and also some berries.
How's your bowel movements? You get enough fibre that things should be passing through smoothly. Potatoes and oats are actually good sources of protein. Oats and buckwheat = excellent soluble fibre.
There is such a thing as the 'potato hack'...... people lose weight on an all potato diet, so unless a person adds a lot of high calorie stuff to potatoes, weight does not go on.
Just the problem with today's potatoes is the traditional fertilizer sources are not being used: seaweed, manure. What the potato has in it depends on what is in the soil. Depending where they are grown, potatoes can be an excellent source of dietary iron.
The spuds I buy are organically grown, sometimes from the UK, other times from Egypt. I'm guessing that they are probably a bit better than the average non organic spud.
Bowel movements are once every 36 hours, which I appreciate isn't optimal. Also, and this is odd, the stools are consistently pale. Shape wise, they're normal.
A recent Genova Diagnostics stool test revealed candida inconspicua, and blastocystis hominis. I'm tackling those with some herbs and probiotics: Oregon grape root, goldenseal, astragalus, tiny amount of wild oregano oil, and also Prescript Assist, Bio Kult advanced, and saccharomyces boulardii.
Your diet does not stimulate much in the way of bile secretion.
What happens if you add more fat? Hemp hearts are high in fat.
Good point. Regarding hemp, unfortunately I break out in hives when I go near that stuff, and my reaction to it was confirmed with a blood test.
I do sometimes mix in a good helping of acai berry powder in to my porridge. That's got good fats in it. Also, I think that oats have got fat in them, but perhaps not enough. I am beginning to mix in pumpkin seeds in to my buckwheat groats porridge. That might help. I've also tried sunflower seeds, but I think I prefer pumpkin.
I'll keep thinking about how to add more fat in to my diet. You raise a good point. Thanks.
"We have been sent various observations concerning the danger of the use of iodine, even when prescribed by careful physicians and with the appropriate precautions. From these observations it appears that some constitutions are severely affected at the same dose that other take without any untoward effect."
Jean-Francois Coindet in 1821
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