Years ago governments made the decision to add fluoride to our water and bromide to our flour (think bread). Both of these elements counter the Iodine in our systems.
“Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of preventable mental and developmental disabilities world-wide"
“Iodine deficiency has lead to breast/prostrate cancer, thyroid and other autoimmune related illnesses, and every year millions of children are born with learning problems, including ADD, because their Mothers did NOT get enough Iodine during pregnancy. Deficiency can lower a child's IQ by 10-15 points” (the accuracy of this info check and approved by Pharmacist Waheed Addurahman 2015).
The article below brings greater insight & begs the question to understand the connection between Iodine deficiency & thyroid-related issues.
Yes but to put things in perspective, we do not tend to suffer from iodine deficiency in the UK. Supplementation with iodine in any form is strongly not recommended unless you have been tested as iodine deficient.
Iodine was once used as a treatment for hyperthyroidism and can harm thyroid activity.
Interesting as I just visited the dietdoctor.com webpage which many here recommend for tips on how to eat a high fat low carb diet.In one of the forums, thyroid patients say they were able to cure Hashimoto´s by cutting back on carbs and adding kelp. It would even seem one Norwegian low carb doctor and best-selling author of low carb books recommends iodine to all her thyroid patients as a way of healing your thyroid back to health.
Like you say, I have always believed you should never take iodine unless deficient...not sure I like how it´s now presented as a panacea that can cure Hashi´s. But the fact remains - there are dozens of testimonies on dietdoctor.com where patients claim they could go off thyroid meds once they added iodine and cut back on carbs...I remain a bit skeptical TBH. I believe some of them may have had transient hypoT rather than primary hypoT. Anyway, I think it´s a bit risky to give people advice like that. What´s strange is that they claim that thyroid drugs made them fat. If you are undermedicated or on levo only and not converting well enough that can contribute to weight gain of course, but thyroid meds in themselves will not CAUSE weight gain...statements like that make the site less trustworthy IMO.
I hear what you’re saying. However, I’m a ‘root cause’ preventative person & belong to many forums where prescribed medications do not help. I also have to ask why, when global governments have known the dangers of fluoride & bromide’’s negative affects, this wasn’t taken more seriously. Especially when one looks at the prevalence of cancer & such like immune issues, as a response to the diminished Iodine. It begs the question does more money go into government coffers through medication? As an alternative, it seems history has shown the success of Iodine supplements & for some reason this is being poo poed - but why?
Bromide is not added to flour in the UK, it's been banned. I must admit I have no idea what purpose bromide is supposed to serve in bread, I haven't looked it up.
Bromide can actually increase the incidence of iodine deficiency.
When people exclusively ate food grown in their local area hypothyroidism caused by iodine deficiency was most common in Asia and other eastern countries. Hypothyroidism caused by autoimmune problems was most common in the UK, Europe and North America (I'm not sure about South America).
One thing that helped in the UK in the past was that cows' udders were disinfected with an iodine solution before milking. Inevitably some ended up in the milk. But iodine is no longer used for cleaning udders, and there is some evidence that iodine levels are now quite low in the UK, particularly in teenage girls.
Things weren't all wonderful in connection with iodine in the UK in the past though. Some areas of the Midlands are low in iodine and there was a condition called "Derbyshire Neck" that was quite common. It was a goitre.
It is possible to buy iodised salt in the UK, but it isn't that easy to get hold of in supermarkets in my experience - it doesn't seem to be stocked as standard. I would probably have to buy it online if I wanted to get some - Amazon has it for sale.
Brilliant response thank you. I think the fact that iodine helps kill pathogens & parasites like rickettsias is really important as these are at the root of many autoimmune diseases which are linked to thyroid. Covid is also an autoimmune disease so it would be interesting to see what the impact of Iodine supplementation under medical supervision would be with these issues. I don’t know if you’re aware of autoimmune hashimotos? This is where the immune system attacks the brain. Often people are wrongly misdiagnosed with mental illness. Makes me wonder with the global increase in mental health issues how much ties back to Iodine deficiency.
I don’t know if you’re aware of autoimmune hashimotos? This is where the immune system attacks the brain.
Do you perhaps mean hashimoto's encephalitis/encephalopathy ? This is a different and separate condition to 'hashimoto's thyroiditis' which attacks the thyroid gland not the brain.
Covid is also an autoimmune disease
is it ? .....references please , never heard this suggested before.
My understanding is immune ‘diseases’ are all inter-related as the immune system, which can be affected by the over/under-active thyroid, is a complex adaptive system (CAS). My interpretation is that this is one of the reasons why patients battle to find effective treatment as we are all +- 476 trillion times different to each other. So you are quite right, “Do you perhaps mean hashimoto's encephalitis/encephalopathy ? This is a different and separate condition to 'hashimoto's thyroiditis' which attacks the thyroid gland not the brain” these things manifest differently. I would argue the root cause is similar within these illnesses. What are your thoughts?
I’m not at Liberty to share the neurology conference I attended as it was for educational purposes only. The Prof who spoke on COVID-19 did suggest it is an ‘innate immune disease’ not a beneficial ‘adaptive immune disease’ which I believe (though I stand to be corrected) would indicate some parasites (the underlying reason our immune systems are under attack the way I understand it) help us build resistance & others don’t.
I found this which might help us both interpret to gain a better understanding:
my initial (sleepy headed ) reaction is that.... yes, i'm sure hashimoto's encephalopathy and hashimoto's thyroiditis, do share a similar set of root causes. ( probably a collection of genetic factors and environmental triggers, with one thing being the 'straw that breaks the camels back'....) but there doesn't seem to me to be much of a connection between them .. the encephalopathy is pretty rare , while autoimmune hypothyroidism is found on every street corner. ( and i think ? you can have the encephalopathy without any thyroid disease.)
the Covid ?..... I can't follow the Proff's logic..... it seems to me it must be an 'adaptive immune' situation , because that's how come a vaccine works to protect from it, and that's how catching covid causes antibodies to it to be found in the blood afterwards.
i know pretty much zero about parasites.. but i'm sure they are very important and complex... just not sure anyone knows enough about the whole issue to know 'what does what' though, or what is beneficial to mess with.
Could you send any references that says the vaccine works in all people & that we create antibodies once contracting it? I’m sure I’ve had a mild dose as I was exposed early. I’ve since had pain in both feet - can hardly walk in the morning, & in my elbow. People thk it’s as a consequence of being in lockdown, as the prevalence of this is being reported, but I walked for 2 hrs daily. I’m convinced it’s a manifestation of the pathogen reacting in my system.
i doubt there is anything in the world that works for 'all people' given that we are all infinitely different.. and i don't have references , but from hearing the reported outcomes of recent covid antibody studies ,from vaccine response ,and from covid itself.. it certainly seems that there are antibodies produced from both , how long they last and which is preferable (vaccine response or response to actual covid) is less clear.My two penneth is that nature is probably better at it than we are with vaccines... assuming the 'real' covid didn't kill you that is....
Lots of things will be blamed on lockdown, and it will have complex effects, but i agree with you .. if you walked a couple of hours daily its unlikely to be 'just lockdown' that explains your feet and elbow issues.
nonconventional .. i was just reading your old posts, and was interested in the connections you make between thyroid / menstrual cycle hormones/ 'mental illness' in families. Family history suggests to me that heredity is a huge factor in this , and in my family i know this goes back further than relatively recent issues about flouride , iodine, food additives would explain :-
............ My daughter in early 20's is developing severe issues with a few days of almost suicidal moods directly related to menstrual cycle, and resolving immediately period starts.
.............I went a bit hyper shortly following 2nd baby , then slowly hypo with high thyroid antibodies. (so autoimmune). Shortly after both my pregnancies i had periods of 'emotional instability'. I was sterilised in the end due to hating the emotional effects of hormone contraception. I had the Depo-provera injection for 2 separate periods of time on my life , when i had it the second time it immediately became blindingly obvious it was directly responsible for moods that became violent, and this never happened again when i stopped it. ( The first time i was on it ,i just thought i was a person who couldn't handle the added stress of parenthood)
............My mums sister developed a goitre around time of a pregnancy ,and had some thyroid removed.... no more info.
.............Their mum (my granny) in 1930 attempted to end her life and that of her newborn shortly after 2nd pregnancy , got committed for 5 yrs and had electric shock treatment . No info about thyroid , but they did say "it wasn't bi-polar , but they didn't really know what it was".... My abiding childhood memory of her was her mischief and sparkly eyes....whatever it was it came back in her 80's and she was re-committed and had more electric shock treatment... so that rules out 'post partum psychosis'... i do wonder about thyroid.. would anybody have checked in 1930 ?
..............Her mother (my great granny) died 1936... was described by my mother as having a mischevous streak and very 'sparkly' eyes .... further discussion with my mum revealed this was code for " apparently she was a bit of psychiatric handful sometimes, but lots of fun if you were 6yrs old"
.............Her mother (my great great granny) died 1880 , was described by someone in a letter i found as "she came from london ,and was a bit of a troubled lass... with a sparkle in her eyes...."
.............So personally...while i accept i could be making connections without enough evidence....... i recon i was probably doomed to have some hormone issues regardless of what modern life has done to mess up the food chain/environment.
This makes me so sad. I love your ability to trace back & it is so valuable. Based on Dr Amen’s work, I would guess in layman’s terms a parasite or pathogen, of which there are many in the gut, gets provoked during a hormone ‘storm’ - crossing the blood/brain barrier attacking the brain & causing the angry outbursts.
Thankyou for these . i will have a look later on .. have just gone off down a rabbit hole of reading up on what is currently known re. the encephalitis bit. It always interested me , and i suspect you're right .... it's probably not as 'rare' as they think it is .
Bromide compounds are used as dough conditioners. Even in the USA, in those states where it is legal (and that isn't all of them), it seems to be fading.
Although there is a significant area around the west midlands, the extent of fluoridation in the UK is actually modest. I think, from memory, none in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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