Iodine loading test in UK

[bobsmydog]

Hi, if anyone knows where I can get the 24 hour iodine loading urine test done in the UK, please could you let me know

Thanks x

[shaws Administrator]

I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for but you can phone and enquire.

bluehorizonmedicals.co.uk/e...

[bobsmydog in reply to shaws]

Thanks Shaws, but it's the urine test I'm looking for as I've read it's supposed to give a more accurate result

[shaws Administrator in reply to bobsmydog]

This is a link re iodine:

naturalendocrinesolutions.c...

[bobsmydog]

Thanks, that's interesting they say blood tests are quite accurate!

I have just found somewhere to get urine tested, in case anyone else is interested in this, here's the link:

pulsescreening.co.uk/genera...

[gabkad in reply to bobsmydog]

bobs, you can just take a look at your diet as well. If you do not drink milk, do not eat seafood, do not use iodized salt or very little and do not eat a bit of dulse every day, then your iodine will be low.

Some people put a small piece of kelp or kombu into their soups or stews. Even when cooking rice. This will add iodine although it's not accurate. iodine evaporates from dried seaweed so depending on how long it's been stored, it may not be a reliable way of adding iodine to the diet.

Iodine also de-gasses from salt. Salt needs to be kept in a sealed plastic type container.

[bobsmydog]

Yes I do eat milk and seafood.

I'm just looking for the cause of my hypothyroidism as I don't have the autoimmune antibodies so it would be good to know if I am deficient.

[greygoose in reply to bobsmydog]

And you take thyroid hormone replacelent - Levo or whatever - Don't you. That will be giving you iodine on top of what you get from your diet.

[bobsmydog in reply to greygoose]

I want to find out my iodine status in case my hypothyroidism was caused by a deficiency. The iodine taken in with the thyroid replacement doesn't make that iodine available to the rest of the body which needs it so I think it's important for me to look at this.

[greygoose in reply to bobsmydog]

Ummm I'm not with you there... The iodine that is released by the thyroid replacment goes to the thyroid. If it was a shortage of iodine that cause your hypo, it wouldn't be caused by a shortage in 'the rest of the body that needs it'. It would be caused by a shortage in the thyroid gland. So, I rather think you're muddling the two things up here.

But why do you say it isn't available to the rest of the body? You're thyroid won't be need ing much of it, because you are taking thyroid hormone replacement - therefore your gland isn't making as much hormone as it used to.

That said, in no way am I saying you shouldn't get it tested. I was just reminding you that you do have several sources of iodine already : milk, seafood, and thyroid hormone replacement. Sounds like quite a bit to me, given that we really Don't need that much because iodine is recycled in the body.

[bobsmydog in reply to greygoose]

What I mean is that I could still be deficient despite receiving enough for my thyroid (if I ever get on to the right dose!)

Something caused my thyroid to stop working properly - it wasn't autoimmune which is the most common cause in this part of the world so I need to now to look at the the most common cause of hypothyroidism worldwide.

[crimple]

Have you also thought about having your Selenium levels checked- blood test.

[bobsmydog in reply to crimple]

Thanks I might follow up with that

[Flower3]

I was tested for iodine (24h urine test) and had a severe deficiency. Just like you hypo and at the moment no antibodies. I took a lot of iodine for a couple of months (besides the levo) and got tested again last week and have now perfect iodine levels.

Which is great but it didn't solve anything for the thyroid. Actually I think the combination of high dosed iodine and the levo was the solution for me because since stopping the iodine I started to feel ill again. I will get a blood test tuesday, just want to warn you that if you are going to take iodine it can make things a bit more difficult.

It's good to get it tested though, not just for the thyroid. Other cells need iodine too so a deficiency can be a problem.

Good luck!

[bobsmydog in reply to Flower3]

Thanks, Flower3, I'll get it tested next week and take from there depending on the result