Ive just received my Iodine (Urine) test result from Genova via Thyroid UK and the result is 91 mcg/l (Range 100-199), hence classed as "Slight Deficit". Any views on way forward e.g. should I maintain or increase my iodine supplementation (below)? Note:
1. Ive not been diagnosed with thyroid disease and antibodies indicate no hashis; TPA = 6 (0-34), TGA <10 (0-115) in Dec 2016.
2. Every day for ~1 year, Ive been taking a 400mcg drop of Nascent Iodine and other supplements e.g. Tyroplus containing 300mcg iodine. No specific co-factor supplements taken since assume either in other supplements or diet e.g. selenium.
3. A Blue Horizon blood test in Dec 2016 showed 46 mcg/l (40-80).
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userotc
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Given that the RDI for iodine is 150 mcg, that's an awful lot of iodine. And yet, your iodine level still manages to be low? That's strange. But, whatever your iodine level, you should not be self-medicating. It should be done under the supervision of an experienced practitioner, because iodine is a tricky substance. In excess it can be anti-thyroid, and used to be used to treat people with hyperthyroidism. It can also trigger Hashi's.
One negative antibody test does not rule out Hashi's. Antibodies fluctuate, and you can even have Hashi's without ever having high antibodies. What are your thyroid hormone tests like: TSH, FT4, FT3? And how do you feel? Do you have hypo symptoms?
No specific co-factor supplements taken since assume either in other supplements or diet e.g. selenium.
That makes it sound as if you are taking a lot of supplements. What exactly are you taking? With iodine, you should take selenium, and you're not likely to get much of that from food. Although you do get some in Tyro Plus.
However, the problem with Tyro Plus is that it contains copper. If you were hypo, you would probably have high copper - and low zinc - so taking more copper would not be a good idea. Have you had that tested? Have you had anything tested apart from iodine? Why are you taking all these supplements?
Thanks for replying and please see my responses below:
1. I agree that it is strange that my iodine level is low despite my supplements but I was originally expecting Thyroid UK (or Genova) to at least provide some explanation for that and/or guidance e.g. increase or decrease supplementation - without having to pay a further £195 for it! I'm tempted to ask one/both for some feedback (any experience of that?). Otherwise, as youve demonstrated, the test raises more questions than answers.
Note. My parents recently received Medichecks doctors' advice for a cheaper, insulin-R test - maybe I should have had their iodine test (despite advice on this forum to use Genova)?
2. I realise the RDI is 150mcg but various, online sources suggest that is low and my dosage is approx 50% of recommended upper limit of 1100mcg. And the implication is that my level may fall further if I go to 150mcg?. I take the iodine dosage as part of a protocol used by other sufferers of PFS (side-effect of prescription drug, as per my profile).
3. I have worked with an experienced nutritionist (mainly focused on gut healing) who seemed unconcerned that I was taking iodine. Indeed she suggested I also take Tyroplus along with most other supplements listed below. I dont know an iodine practitioner.
4. In blood tests since 2016, my TSH (ignoring v low fig after juice-fast) generally in range 1-2 (N= 0.3-5), FT4; 8-14 (N=9-25), FT3; 3.7-4.4 (N= 2.5-5.5). No copper test but many others.
5. Full symptoms in my profile for this forum. Some improvements since the outset but still includes fatigue, depression, brain fog, muscle twitch, ED, low libido.
6. Full list of supplements taking: Biokult probiotic, Mg glycinate; Iodine (intermit); Vit D; Dig enzymes; Tyroplus; Ecobalance; Taracyn, HCl pepsin; Androgenic herbs (cycled). Also BPC and TB500 for injuries and recently herbal a/biotics e.g. oregano oil, for gut repair.
I have just had a look at your past posts, and have found that I replied to you 2 years ago. You responded to my reply, but did not click on the blue 'Reply' button, so I never saw it. I will reply to it, now:
"Greygoose, thanks for your replies. My approach/strategy so far has been to:
(i) Deal with cause rather than effect - ideally naturally. Regarding healing the pituitary, please note organiclifestylemagazine.co... This includes many of the herbs that I have or have ordered. I realise that the medical approach for the pituitary is to manage the effect by increasing thyroid hormone.
OK, so I’ve looked at that link, and to say I’m not impressed would be an understatement. First of all, have you ever had any of these other hormones tested – other than the TSH? Do you know for certain that your problem is the pituitary? It certainly looks like you have Central hypo, but it could be the hypothalamus at fault. Have you ever discussed any of this with a doctor?
I don’t know about all the pituitary hormones, but I do know something about HGH, because I’ve had low HGH myself, without ever having a pituitary problem. They talk about raising HGH with enzymes and exercise, but the one thing they don’t mention is that you need to good levels of FT3 to be able to make HGH. And, that’s something you don’t have. Furthermore, exercising will lower your level of FT3. So, that advice doesn’t sound very helpful. Also, they say “A thirty-minute aerobic session can increase IGF-1 levels by more than 100%” Maybe, but IGF-1 is not HGH. Just because IGF-1 rises, doesn’t mean the HGH is also rising – as far as I know, they’re two different hormones. So, I’m really not impressed by that site. And, presumably, as you talked about it two years ago, you’ve tried the protocols, and presumably, they haven’t worked.
(ii) Follow as closely as possible a protocol established by others that have suffered (and recovered) from the same cause and symptoms as myself. This includes thyroid dysfunction but also various other symptoms - as listed in my introductory post on this forum.
Presumably, these protocols haven’t helped, either.
(iii) Seek to correct gut problems that I have. Re thyroid, it appears that gut can cause thyroid problems or vice versa.
Gut can cause Hashi’s. Do you have Hashi’s? How is your gut, now, two years later?
Do you have any comments on the viability of this approach?
If I do need to consider thyroid hormone replacement, hopefully it can be herbal eg from companies such as Cytoplan, and/or will only be temporary - see dummies.com/health/clearing... Any views on that?
Any views on that? Quite a few, actually.
So, temporary hypo:
• Subacute thyroiditis causes the temporary breakdown of thyroid cells and the release of thyroxine from the thyroid. As this condition improves, thyroxine begins to be made and stored again, and oral thyroxine is no longer necessary.
If this were the case, your thyroxine level would be high. Yours is low. So, I doubt this has ever been the case.
• Silent and postpartum thyroiditis also cause temporary loss of thyroxine, which is restored with time.
Hardly applies to you for obvious reasons.
• Acute thyroiditis occasionally requires temporary treatment with thyroid hormone.
As I said, you don’t have thyroiditis.
Herbal thyroid hormone replacement?
You cannot replace a hormone with an herb. Nor a vitamin, nor a mineral – not even iodine. As I’m sure you’ve found out. And, even if your iodine is low, it would not appear to be the cause of your hypothyroidism. Your TSH has never appeared to correspond with your thyroid hormone levels. Have you ever tried taking thyroid hormone replacement?
As for your present situation, I have no experience of doing these tests, I don't live in the UK. But, from what I've seen, the doctor's comments aren't worth the cyber-space they're written on.
1. Doctors know nothing about any of this. Yes, it is difficult to find a doctor that knows about iodine. My own health was ruined by one that thought he knew, but didn't. Which is why I'm so terribly anti-iodine.
That was around 40 years ago. No iodine tests were done at the time of being prescribed iodine. But, a few years ago, I did have an iodine blood test, and it was sky-high, way, way above the top of the range. Have you ever had a blood test for iodine?
Now, the point of a urine test is that excess iodine is supposed to be excreted. I'm not entirely sure how it's calculated but I question this theory of excess iodine being excreted in urine, because mine wasn't. It was still there in the blood. And, it could be that you have very high levels in the blood. They say that blood tests for iodine aren't reliable. But, it's my belief that no tests are reliable for iodine. What's more, it could be that all this excess iodine is part of your low thyroid hormone problem. Because, as I said above, iodine in excess can be anti-thyroid, meaning that it stops your thyroid producing hormone. So, I'm not a doctor, but you can make what you like of my theory.
2. No comment. Except that there appear to be people who are obsessive about iodine and think we all need tons of it. I would beg to differ.
3. I would not trust a nutritionist as far as I could throw him/her.
4. I don't think a juice-fast would affect your thyroid tests, TSH, FT4 or FT3 levels. Your TSH level is always low no matter what your thyroid hormone levels. That's what we call 'Central Hypo'. When did you have your last thyroid blood tests? What were the results?
5. And you still have hypo symptoms.
6. So, are all these supplements helping? I presume you didn't start them all at once, but adding to the list gradually. Is your digestion better? Be very careful of the effect of 'herbs' on your adrenals. Some, adaptogens, are supposed to balance hormones, but can actually reduce your cortisol levels. Have you ever had your cortisol tested?
but I was originally expecting Thyroid UK (or Genova) to at least provide some explanation for that and/or guidance e.g. increase or decrease supplementation - without having to pay a further £195 for it! I'm tempted to ask one/both for some feedback (any experience of that?). Otherwise, as youve demonstrated, the test raises more questions than answers.
ThyroidUK clearly state on their website on the page about testing:
Please do not telephone the Thyroid UK office, Thyroid UK staff are not qualified to interpret the test results for you.
and as Genova don't deal directly with the public, which is why we need to order with ThyroidUK as our "practioner", they provide the results for you to discuss with your practioner.
I can personally confirm that the £195 consultation is not with a practioner experienced in iodine supplementation.
Precisely! I checked the experience of the practitioner before deciding it would probably be £195 wasted. It seems that interpretation of the results is effectively left to the patient.
It seems that interpretation of the results is effectively left to the patient.
No, as only a "practioner" can be used for ordering the their tests, Genova provide the information for the practioner to interpret as far as they are concerned.
Medichecks don't do a urine iodine test and from the quality of their comments we normally see all you'll get is it's in range or out of range.
"Genova provide the information for the practioner to interpret as far as they are concerned" seems to bring us back to the problem with this arrangement since the "practitioner" is Thyroid UK and I think we've agreed they cannot or will not properly interpret the results. Or am I missing something?
ThyroidUK are making it possible to get the test done, they tell us they can't interpret it. So it's up to us if we want the test to find someone to interpret the results if we can't interpret them ourselves.
Even with Medichecks tests - thyroid and vitamins - if we choose to have their comments they're only going to be the same as a GP because their doctors are going to be NHS trained or the equivalent.
Thanks. I always accepted the logic you clearly outline but decided to raise the question on the forum because that is one of the options suggested by TUK for interpreting the results (the other is pay £195 for the iodine-limited consultant!). Following your/my logic, I conclude: "Iodine level is marginally below range (slight deficit) so is OK with scope for at least maintaining a current supplementation rate of circa. 700mcg/day".
Whilst the above can no doubt be criticised, it is at least an interpretation. To-date, I have not received a clear alternative or a signpost to a recommended iodine expert.
To-date, I have not received a clear alternative or a signpost to a recommended iodine expert.
Who are you expecting to suggest an iodine expert? Iodine tests aren't mentioned that often on here and I don't ever remember seeing anyone mention that they actually have consulted with a practioner experienced in treating iodine deficiency. We do caution that there is a protocol when supplementing with iodine, but I don't remember seeing iodine deficiency discussed here so maybe no-one has tested deficient and needed an experienced practioner, or if they did they've not come back with any information to share.
Genova don't deal with individual people. They only sell their tests through 'practitioners'.
Thyroid UK registered with Genova as a practitioner, which lets us buy the tests. This is really useful if you want a test that you can't get elsewhere. However, no-one at thyroid UK is qualified to interpret and they make that clear.
Thyroid UK do however give contact details of a qualified practitioner. This is stated on their web page under Once You Have Your Test Resultsthyroiduk.org/tuk/testing/g...
The information is clearly there on the web page and therefore choice is yours to buy or not to buy the test.
userotc, Reading your previous comment and that of Seaside Susie, it seems that the mentioned practitioner is not iodine-qualified. I was unaware of that and if that is the case, then it is somewhat misleading
Thanks Red Apple, you illustrate my point that the system is at fault for iodine testing. I am aware of Genova's remit as Ive used them twice previously for microbiome tests via a relevant practitioner who advised me on the results (for £60). It appears that a relevant practitioner (and cost) for interpretation for the iodine test results is not available via TUK.
I guess the suggested practitioner might be qualified to interpret some/many of the other Genova tests, but is obviously not an expert in them all. Certainly agree that this practitioner's fee is unrealistic for most, especially if it's just to interpret one set of test results!
Red Apple. Thanks for the reply. After earlier contact from me, Ive just had a response from the suggested practitioner's PA indicating that a 30-minute consultation is more appropriate.....but the cost for that is £110! Apparently that includes "education about your supplementation so that you understand what you’re doing, why and for how long" - which seems to dispute Seaside Susie's comments (and mine based on the practitioner's profile).
In summary, I think I may have future urine iodine test done elsewhere e.g. Biolab (cheaper than Genova), with results going to GP who should then pass on to patient. Other iodine tests eg hair and/or blood serum, may also be considered.
with results going to GP who should then pass on to patient. Hmm, I hope you have a good surgery/GP who will co-operate on that! I can easily imagine them saying they don't/won't/can't handle non NHS test result paperwork etc.
Indeed, I did think of that. I would only proceed if I received a reassurance that they'd pass on. Failing that, I'd complain via the right channels. Not ideal but can't think of anything better.
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