I read an article yesterday and according to that..... treating hypothyroidism with thyroid hormones when the patient is iodine deficient is not a good idea as it raises changes of getting breast cancer in future.
I know that iodine for treating hypothyroidism is risky ,too much or too little both can create problems.
Can pls others have a look at this link and comment?
I hope I am not violating any rules by posting this link here.It's just for educational purpose.
What I understood from the link above is that doctors should check iodine levels before prescribing thyroid hormones to patients.I also learnt from different sources that taking iodine supplement while on thyroid hormones is not good and it can create many problems.
And also Iodine therapy can only be done under the supervision of a doctor who is an Iodine expert.As the body would get rid of the accumulated toxins and this can make the patient sick in the beginning .TSH would also get high and will remain high for few months(6 months if I remember correctly) but then normalize and T4 and T3 will get in mid ranges.
After reading this article,I am feeling scared as I never got my Iodine levels tested.I can't stop thinking ....if I am iodine deficient and causing more harm then good by taking thyroid hormone?
I also noticed that iodine deficiency has all the symptoms that are similar to hypothyroidism so what if I only needed Iodine and not any thyroid hormones?
I also read about an anti aging doctor from Germany who treats hypothyroid patients with high doses of iodine.
I am scared if I am killing myself slowly
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sa1234
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I've had breast cancer twice (age 35 and 37) and started levo 6 weeks ago... no one has tested my iodine levels. I was supposed to see doctor this morning for my first follow up... so would be interesting to ask... but apparently he is ill. Oh ... the irony...
I have talked to many endocrine and internal medicine doctors and they know nothing about importance of nutrients and the role they play in our body.But I read about many holistic/integrative medicine doctors who are treating patients by correcting their nutritional deficiencies.When the body regain it's balance,it heals itself and we get cured of all diseases.
Iodine deficiency is related to many forms of cancers esp.in women.Vit.D also plays a very important role in protecting us against different types of cancers.You can google integrative medicine doctors or alternative cancer treatment or cancer coach and learn about different cancer treatments.and discuss with your doctor about those treatments.
The day a doc tests Iodine levels in this country I will know there has been a revolution in healthcare!! However, even if they tested Iodine levels most would not be able to interpret the results. There is a consensus on here that if you are taking levo you are getting enough Iodine. I don't subscribe to that but I am very cautious. Your thyroid needs Iodine to function and all sorts of things such as halides can prevent your body having sufficient Iodine.
The best thing I can suggest is that you read the following books and make up your own mind! "Iodine why you need it, why you can't live without it" by David Brownstein MD, he is well respected. Also "the Iodine crisis" by Lynne Farrow.
Sa1234, it dépends what sort of hypo you have. Hypothyroidism can be caused by low iodine, no doubt about it. But most cases of hypo are caused by an autoimmune disease - Hashimoto's - where the anitbodies destroy the gland, and that has nothing to do with iodine. It would be far easier to get your anitbodies tested than to get an iodine test! And, I agree that, if you do have iodine deficiency hypo, then you would need an expert to help you raise your levels. But such experts are almost impossible to find.
You're right, doctors know nothing about nutrition. Which is why we have to do our own research and ask to have the tests. But even when they've done the tests, doctors Don't understand the results. They just Don't do it in med school.
Please Don't be scared. Nobody has their iodine levels checked! Unless they do it privately. And do take this article with a pinch of salt. It was written in 2006. Since then, a study has been done to check this theory about breast cancer - which crops up from time to time - and they found there was no conclusive evidence to say that taking thyroid hormone replacement causes breast cancer. And, it's my opinion that, given the number of people who do take it, we would know by now if it caused breast cancer - numbers would be much higher. Personally, I think you're at greater risk of getting breast cancer from having a mammogram than you are from taking thyroid hormone replacement. But very few people scream about that because it's all about money.
As to getting a sufficient dose of iodine from thyroid hormone replacement, I can't speak for everybody, but I know that my iodine levels were high when tested just from taking THR, I Don't supplement and Don't eat a lot of iodine rich food. I guess it just dépends on your dose and how long you've been taking it. One molicule of T4 contains 4 atoms of iodine. When T4 is converted to T3, one atom is removed and recycled. And I often think that recycling is something that is missed out of the equation when talking about iodine. So, I Don't think you are doing yourself more harm than good by taking thyroid hormone replacement.
Symptoms of iodine deficiency are obviously the same as low thyroid, because being iodine deficient means you can't make enough thyroid hormone. Iodine is like most minerals and hormones - and some vitamins - not enough is bad, too much is bad, you need just the right amount. So, I really wouldn't trust a doctor that tried to treat my hypo with high doses of iodine. Sounds like playing with fire to me.
Low vit D and iodine are possible precursors to breast cancer, but I don't think levo has anything to do with it. Of course, if you are hypo BECAUSE of iodine deficiency that might be different. I think any autoimmune disease can predispose to certain cancers as the immune system isn't functioning, so that could explain a link between cancer and people taking levo. Correlation is not causation.
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IODINE!!!
Breast Cancer and thyroid levels linked to poorer outcomes 
