Kelp Powder - Barley grass powder - Spirulina -... - Thyroid UK

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Kelp Powder - Barley grass powder - Spirulina -Organic Atlantic Dulce bad for thyroid!?

ThyroidObsessed profile image
33 Replies

Hi there everyone 😊

So I have started adding a teaspoon of all 4 of the above 👆 to my breakfast smoothie…

As they contain iodine is this safe to take!?…

Iv never been tested for iodine deficiency, but started these powders after reading the medical medium book….

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ThyroidObsessed
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33 Replies
RedApple profile image
RedAppleAdministrator

ThyroidObsessed, What exactly are you hoping to achieve with this approach?

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply toRedApple

I’m trying a healthier way of eating and living, and all these are packed of vitamins and protein and iodine, recommended by the medical medium, should I be staying clear!? Any advice is very much appreciated 😌

RedApple profile image
RedAppleAdministrator in reply toThyroidObsessed

Personally, I'd steer clear of these powders. Human beings have thrived for umpteen centuries without packets of 'powders'. The ingredients you can buy in your local supermarkets, butchers, greengrocers, fishmongers etc. are all packed with vitamins and protein! Spend your money on 'proper food', not packets of powders.

The medical medium book talks about 'healing your thyroid'. Again, in my opinion, it's all mumbo jumbo. Your thyroid isn't gong to be healed by following this mumbo jumbo diet, really, it's not!

This is probably not what you wanted to hear 😊

Lalatoot profile image
Lalatoot

No. You should only take iodine if you have been tested deficient and only then under medical supervision.

I took a supplement for years not knowing it contained iodine and it played havoc with my thyroid.

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply toLalatoot

was it the same as the above? powder form added to drinks? Or did you take tablet? ..what symptoms did you get, did it change your thyroid levels?

Many thanks 🙏

Lalatoot profile image
Lalatoot in reply toThyroidObsessed

it was a multi vitamin. It made me very ill as it put my thyroid out of kilter.

greygoose profile image
greygoose

Iodine is anti-thyroid - as strange as that may seem - and used to be used to treat Grave's disease before anti-thyroid drugs were invented.

Many people - including a lot of doctors - seem to think that iodine is some magic potion that will make your thyroid 'work better'. It won't. In fact, if your thyroid is failing it will hasten its demise. Iodine is just one of that ingredients of thyroid hormone. But, as I always say, no point in adding extra eggs to the cake if your oven is on the blink, you still won't get a result!

It's a trace mineral that is recycled in the body, which is why we only need small amounts even when our thyroids are working well. But, if they're not making as much hormone as they should - or none at all - we use less iodine, so don't need more. Excess iodine can be dangerous, causing problems like thyroid cancer. And it looks like there's a lot of iodine in that supplement. You are taking 100 mcg levo and 5 mcg T3, I believe. So, you will already be getting about 68 mcg iodine from that. Plus what you get from your food. Very doubtful that you need any more than that.

Ingesting more iodine than you need is in no way 'healthier'. And, I speak from experience here, having been prescribed iodine by an ignorant GP, without any blood tests, or physical examintion, or even any questions being asked. And, believe me, when the revolution comes, he will be the first one up against the wall! All the vague symptoms that I was having, not knowing I had Hashi's/hypo, got ten times worse! And, I'm convinced I wouldn't be as bad as I am today if I hadn't taken that iodine. Doesn't matter if it's in a pill or a powder or seaweed sandwich, excess iodine is excess iodine and it's bad. If I were you, I'd drop that supplement in the dustbin, where it belongs, and the 'Medical Medium' book with it! Quite how you can still be going along with this after the replies you got to your last post, beats me. The man's a quack.

Mugs19 profile image
Mugs19 in reply togreygoose

So where do we stand with the investigative devices the medics use in conjunction with scans and X- rays which contain iodine to highlight your system? Do we need to avoid them or can we tolerate a one-off dose?

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toMugs19

As a general rule, those are well tolerated and don't cause problems. I've had one or two myself, with no undesirable side-effects. It's the daily dosing of iodine supplements that cause problems.

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply togreygoose

The barley grass powder does not seem to contain iodine but the other powders I have do… so can I still use the barley grass powder in my drinks? Don’t want to waste money that’s all, I have already binned the others and that’s £30 down the drain 😣

Barley grass powder
greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toThyroidObsessed

Well, they haven't mentioned it, but barley grass does actually contain iodine. But, probably not enough to have much effect. But it isn't gluten-free - don't know if you're on a gluten-free diet. And it could slow down digestion - yours is probably slow anyway, as you're hypo - so could cause bloating.

I wouldn't take it myself, but as you already have it, take it and see how you go on it. I doubt it will do you any good, but at least it shouldn't do too much harm.

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply togreygoose

oh dear 🤦🏻‍♀️, off in the bin it goes then 😅…

I shall stick to my cucumber and spinach juice then and fruits smoothies (only way I can get healthy things down is if I juice them)

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toThyroidObsessed

You mean vegetables? Vegetables are not necessarily healthy. Don't be duped by that idea. Spinach, for example. It contains high levels of oxalic acid, which - when consumed in excess - can form calcium-oxalate, which can lead to kidney stones. And, if you're consuming it for the iron content, don't bother. The oxalic acid will stop you absorbing it. Can't you eat a mixed salad?

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply togreygoose

yes I can eat a mixed salad but get bored of it, I also eat vegetables, and with the rave about spinach I thought I would add a little to my morning cucumber smoothie drink I prefer to blend fruits and have as a drink as always feel sicky if I eat them whole.. plus the cucumber juice is hydrating and I am trying to get more fluid as I have had a constant UTI mildly for months, I refuse antibiotics, all my symptoms are leading to peri menopause as I suffer around my period s I have about 8 days a month where I’m great, so I am pushing for HRT

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toThyroidObsessed

There's a lot of misinformation about food out there, and spinach is a good example. It's ok in its place, but you can have too much of a good thing - more is not necessarily better. And, you don't need fruit in your diet. Plenty of people do very well without fruit. And if you feel bad when eating it, could be your body trying to tell you something. Fruit is very high in sugar. And too much sugar is not healthy.

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply togreygoose

Thank you for all your knowledge, I really appreciate it 🙏 I have read your story and it made me cry, u are a real trooper for sure!

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply togreygoose

can I ask wot vitamins u take and what u eat?

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toThyroidObsessed

I take iron and vit C; B complex and magnesium at the moment. But, it varies according to how I feel.

I'd be hard put to tell you what I eat. I don't stick to any specific diet. I eat what I fancy, really. If it's a plate of egg and chips then I eat a plate of egg and chips. Sometimes a mixed salad containing things like lettuce or other salad leaves, cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, celery, raw beetroot, hard boiled eggs, chicken - or even fish fingers. Whatever I have in the fridge. Or maybe a veggie curry and rice - love veggies in a curry or stew. Or pasta with chopped chicken, stewed tomatoes and cream. Or perhaps just a sandwich, according to my whim - my favourite is brown bread with butter, cream cheese and tomato, with a sprinkling of salt. I'm not a great fan of cooking. However, in the winter, I will make a big pot of vegetable soup. My favourite is bortsch (spelling?).

But, there are a hell of a lot of things I don't like. And, I don't believe in forcing oneself to eat things one doesn't like just because they've been labelled 'healthy'. I believe that if you don't like something, it's for a reason, and one man's 'healthy' is another man's poison.

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply togreygoose

ooh I love a curry 😋 uuum chips and eggs

To be honest I have always thought the same, that if something is making u feel sick or doesn’t agree with you than surely your body is telling u something, I get awful nausea if I eat an apple!! Even apple juice does the same! So I avoid it, also bananas give me bad belly ache but there fine in a smoothie!? if I were to drink a big milkshake my stomach would be in agony.. so I feel I’m either lactose intolerant or dairy intolerant.. I was actually allergic to milk when I was born so was breast fed….

I currently take the same as you, I have the better you B13 spray and a Bcomplex, but my B12 is around 800 now so I read on here to just take the B complex now!? I take slow release vitamin C and zinc and also the ferrous fumarate iron 210mg 1 a day, my ferritin level is at 80 now….

I’m not sure if I need magnesium or not? What would be the symptoms? I take it on and off, I used to take 2 at night to calm my anxiety..

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toThyroidObsessed

I hate apples - especially cooked. They don't do anything to me, I just don't want to eat them. So, I don't. I don't eat much fruit at all, just doesn't seem worth the effort of chewing! 🤣 I'd rather have a carrot. But, I did have some figs last week, from my daughter's garden, and really enjoyed them. They were so sweet. Can't be bothered with milk, either - rarely have any in the house. But, I do love my butter!

Yes, once your B12 level gets that high, you'll be fine with just a B complex - with methylcobalamin and methylfolate - as a maintenance dose.

Cramps are a sure sign that you're low in magnesium. But, most people are, anyway. Blood tests for magnesium aren't reliable, but excess magnesium is excreted, so you might just as well take it, anyway. Take it at night because it can make people sleepy.

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply togreygoose

I love carrots dipped in houmous 🤤, I agree not worth the chewing though I live a good veg stew and dumplings, and funny enough I love butter too especially lurpak on a baked baguette!

I don’t really get cramp to be honest..

Can I ask which B complex u buy and also which iron vitamin c and magnesium you buy too…I struggle to choose… I currently take the ferrous fumerate one 210mg 1 a day ferritin is at 80…

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toThyroidObsessed

Oh, I'd sell my soul for a dumpling! lol

For the B complex, I get Thorne's Basic B. It has the methyl types of B12 and folate, and no vit C, like some of them do. Vit C should be taken at least 2 hours away from B12.

For iron I get Solgar Gentle Iron. It's not the strongest, but it suits me. And, for vit C I like SimplySupplements with Rosehip.

Magnesium is Nu U Magnesium Citrate. :)

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply togreygoose

haha me too! 🤤

Thank you this is all very much appreciated! 😌

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toThyroidObsessed

You're very welcome. :)

Buddy195 profile image
Buddy195Administrator

I would steer well clear of anything containing iodine unless you have been tested and know you are iodine deficient.

Sometimes I find it helpful to revisit posts I’ve written and re-read replies from members. I have learned so much from other members, both to optimise thyroid medication & to improve ferritin, folate, vitamin B12 & vitamin D. Following key forum advice has greatly improved my health.

Billycasper profile image
Billycasper

I would definitely not take those supplements. I had all the symptoms of low thyroid so visited a Naturopath who put me on iodine drops every day. I took them for three years along with many other supplements until one day , after still not feeling well, I decided to stop taking everything. A month later my thyroid went a bit crazy and I had high T3 and T4 levels and a TSH of 0.03. I’ve been on Carbimazole for 18 months now and about to come off it. It’s definitely a supplement I wouldn’t mess about with!

grumpyold profile image
grumpyold

Back in the 1990s I started taking kelp tablets because I had read that kelp was good for hair loss. My hair was falling like autumn leaves, so I decided to try it.

I had no idea about testing for iodine deficiency first and forums like this didn't exist in the 1990s. I took these kelp tablets for a couple of years.

They did seem to help slow the rate of hair loss but in 1999 I was diagnosed with hypothyriodism, which turned out to be Hashi's.

Knowing what I now know, I think I actually helped cause my own thyroid problem.😢

If I were you, I would ditch those powders.

Partner20 profile image
Partner20

Firstly, you should only take an iodine supplement, in whatever form, if you have been tested and shown an actual deficiency, as it can play havoc with your thyroid. Some vegans and vegetarians are now presenting with iodine deficiency, but it must be tested for before taking treatment into your own hands. Secondly, the "Medical Medium"????? Words fail me.

Popeye44 profile image
Popeye44

We can obtain all the iodine we need by eating a healthy diet such as that recommended by Professor Tim Spector. 30 plants per week at least, green vegetables being important and a variety of colours. If you want to be more healthy I would suggest you stop waisting money on heavily processed rubbish and information from frauds. Instead subscribe to the YouTube channel and podcasts from the Zoe Health Study and learn from up to date live research. Unless of course you believe that a voice who talks to a man's right ear can give you better advice....

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator

It might be highly relevant to your issues taking T3.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/213...

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply tohelvella

That is highly unlikely as I have only taken these supplements for 2 days, half a teaspoon in my smoothies, since reading everything on here I stopped after 2 days 🙂

Tina_Maria profile image
Tina_Maria

What do you mean by processed salt?? Salt is NaCl as in sodium chloride, no matter in what form or combination you ingest it, it still is sodium chloride. And if you are worried of getting too much, I would certainly not add sea salt to the water you are drinking, as we usually get plenty of salt through the food we eat (in sone cases even too much!).

I had a look at the claim regarding iodine deficiency and breast cancer, it is a very old publication and you need to remember a correlation is not necessarily equal to causation, meaning if there is an association between iodine deficiency and breast cancer, it is not necessarily the iodine alone that is the responsible agent. From what I can see in the literature, the iodine deficiency is a secondary factor, with the primary factor being thyroid dysfunction. The same is the case for prostate cancer, there is a correlation with iodine deficiency, but the primary factor is again linked to a thyroid dysfunction.

Like many have posted here, if you have a thyroid insufficiency, I would really stay well away from iodine supplementation, especially if you have not been tested to have an actual iodine deficiency.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toTina_Maria

What do you mean by processed salt??

Although all salts, table salt, road salt, sea salt, pink Himalayan salt, are (as you say) almost entirely sodium chloride, we see lots of concerns and claims.

First, table salt often contains an anti-caking agent such as Potassium ferrocyanide. Which, despite its stability and low concentration, does concern many.

Second, processed salts have often gone through some sort of brine extraction process which purifies the sodium chloride and lowers concentrations of most other substances. Regardless the actual substances removed, this is often claimed to reduce the "goodness" of the salt.

Third, unpurified salts are seen to be good without considering the extremely low levels of most identified substances they contain. Claims are made that because some salts have enough iodine to be detectable, that contributes a meaningful amount of iodine. Rather than appreciating the modern chemistry is incredibly good at detecting unbelievably low levels of substances!

I prefer sea salt because something about it has a more pleasant effect in my mouth! Could just be the shapes of the crystals.

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