Iodine link to fibrocystic dx

cp418

This appears to be an older article I stumbled upon and wondered what you thought?

http://thyroid.about.com/library/derry/bl1a.htm

Rosemary44

I think it's facinating.  Just getting enough iodine and we might not be here?  Something to look into further.

Anonymous

Don't we get iodine from salt?  I didn't read the entire article.  How much iodine do we need?

Shirley

Rosemary44

There does seem to be a connection:

http://breast-cancer-research.com/content/5/5/R110

Shirley,

It might be better to eat seaweeds with iodine like they do in Japan.

That's another project.  Which seaweeds? 

Rosemary44

Low zinc intakes exacerbate the effect of low iodine intake. Some otherwise healthful foods contain goitrogens - substances which can interfere with iodine uptake or hormone release from the thyroid gland. These foods are generally only a concern if iodine intake is low. Consumption of brassicas, such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower, increase the requirements for iodine, especially if consumed raw. Soybeans, raw flaxseed, cassava (used in tapioca), sweet potatoes, lima beans, maize and millet also increase the requirements for iodine. 

http://www.purifymind.com/Iodine.htm

There we go.  It figures, eat healthy and then we find out we need more iodine.

dash

I've been wanting to post about iodine so this is great. I've noticed Iodine added to several breast support supplements. I am in the process of finding an Iodine or Kelp supplement but wondered what thoughts you all had on it.  Dr Ronald Hoffman's breast support formula contains 150mcgs iodine from kelp.

Rosemary44

This isn't good:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070406140955.htm

How do we find good kelp that's tested for arsenic levels? 

Rosemary44

I hate being my own Dr. and medicating myself without first getting tested, but I do eat all those vegetables raw and I don't use any salt in cooking, nor hardly any salt at all when I think about it.

Anyway, I found this product.  It's just iodine:

http://www.wellnessresources.com/products/iosol_iodine.php?source=yahoo&group=Iodine&OVRAW=Iodine&OVKEY=iodine&OVMTC=standard&OVADID=3728385022&OVKWID=33080426022

Anonymous

Rosemary, I have been using salt.  I've try to cut down a bit because my primary wanted me to to see if that helped my elevated BP instead of giving me another med.  This I was happy to do.  It's kind of difficult (like drinking sweet tea) to cut salt once one's used to it.  However, it's more doable than eliminating sugar from me tea.

I take Synthroid.  While on chemo it had to be increased.  I talked to my onc about increasing it because I didn't know whether or not it was the chemo.  He said fine tuning the thyroid was normal..something like that.  However, it was decreased sometime after finishing chemo.  What a darn headache!

About being our own doctor...oh, how I agree.  The problem is they don't know squat about this stuff other than prescribing more drugs.  Or they look at us like were nuts.  I'm sure not many docs like for us to bring in stacks of material to read..LOL

Damn, I'm getting close to hanging a shingle on my door.

Shirley

Anonymous

"Iodine is essential for brain function and intelligence. Since 2001 there have been numerous studies showing the importance of iodine during pregnancy, not only to help the mother's thyroid work better, but specifically for the cognitive and neurological development of the child.*"

Okay, now I know what happened to my cognition.   My momma didn't get enough of the stuff.

"Adequate iodine tends to keep your head more awake during the day, helps support your energy level, and helps you warm up (if you are cold).* Many people take 1-5 drops of Iosol per day, using enough to feel warmer and more energetic. While this can be taken all at once in the morning, some like to split the dose and take some in the afternoon as well."

Darn, I need more energy, but I don't need to warm up! 

Rosemary44

Shirley,

If you don't need to warm up, something tells me your getting enough iodine.  You can't do this anyway since your taking a thyroid med.  I haven't read enough yet about it, but this sounds like a CAM to use instead of going on synthroid.  But I'm guessing.

I want to do it because I have the other symptoms and I want to see if it will help, if so it might keep me off the med.  One drop of iodine daily couldn't hurt just to see what the outcome is.  I hope.

Rosemary44

Bay,

That Breast support product contains soy.  And you'd have to check how much green tea that has.  Some of those green tea pills have way too much of it in there.  It didn't sound like a lot though.

dash

Rosemary,

I see that lecithin is listed under 'other ingredients' I always assume those other ingredients are in tiny inconsequential amounts. (What's your thoughts about that?)

Anyway, he promotes this as a pre breast cancer supplement. I really don't know if it's recommended for us(those with breast cancer history)...it contains concentrated flax and I'm just not convinced that concentrated forms are beneficial or even safe(I'd be interested on your thoughts about this also). However I do want to incorporate some of the other ingredients into my regimen. Dim, lycopene, iodine, Vitamin D....green tea, that's another one...I'm a big drinker of it so really hesitate to supplement.

Rosemary44

Bay,

I was going to add that it looked great as a preventative before a BC dx.  I go out of my way not to take soy on a daily basis.  Dim I prefer to get in eating vegetables, but if you can't, I haven't seen any reason why you shouldn't take it.  We're taking an AI to do what Dim might help in doing, and by eating the Dim vegetables instead you get so much more.   I'm saving Dim to use after I'm off the AI and I get tired of juicing.  About the flax, I can't make up my mind on that either.  I don't shy away from it, but I'm waiting for more human studies.

I have to get convinced that powder forms of foods have the same antioxidants and benefits that the real thing has.  After all that processing?  I'm a skeptic.

Anonymous

Yes, Rosemary, you are so right.  I do get thyroid meds so I don't need to supplement with iodine and I do eat salt with it, but am trying to cut down. 

Good luck with your experiment if you decide to do it.

Shirley

Rosemary44

Shirley,

I've pretty much convinced myself that I'm iodine deficient.  I just have to do more reading, so I'll be going for it once I find some that I can trust.  We have to careful with what we find out there.   Arsenic in kelp?  That ended that for me.  There's other things to know, so I'm looking into it.

Anonymous

Rosemary, I'm sure you're watching the game by now.  I'm not interested. LOL  Anyway, I was just going through this thread again.  I also eat the veggies mentioned above, but really not as much as I should.  Plus, I do get some iodine as you know through my salt.

You are such a good girl...NO SALT!  I have cut back, but can't "kick" it all together...you know, like my sweet tea.

Shirley

Rosemary44

Shirley,

And what a game that was.  A really good Super Bowl for a change.  Those vegetables have to eaten raw all the time for them to be a problem.  Those are all my juicing veggies.  I really get a lot of them raw all the time.  

 Or should I say, I use to get a lot of them all the time.  I'm taking a break. 

Blundin2005

What Super Bowl?  Oh that one! 

Hi ladies,

I read the articles -- very interesting.

Rosemary -- about the kelp....I found a couple of references in the book that my son just sent to me.  Maybe you can contact them and learn more about the arsenic issue.  I was wondering where I can buy seaweed here.  This will be a challenge.  It's high on the list for calcium.

The references:  Main Coast Sea Vegatables.  Shore Road, Franklin, ME 04634 (207) 565 2907 and Mendocino Sea Vegatable Co. Box 372 Navarro, CA 95463 (707 937 2050.  

Audobon Living Oceans Islip NY 888-397-6649

www.audubon.org 

Marine Stewardship Council Seattle WA 206 691 0188

www.msc.org

Monterey Bay Aquarium 831 648 4800

www.mbayaq.org

Well Sherlock...good luck.  It'll be interesting to know what you find. 

Best wishes to all .... as always 

 

Blundin2005

CP418 -- thanks for that article....more than an interesting read.  I've shared it to many ladies and friends who I know will appreciate to know this and follow through.

Anonymous

Rosemary, I had the game on downstairs.  DH upstairs.  I was trying to figure out which team was who.  Finally, after the Giants won I figured it out.    The only reason I was "pulling" for them was because they were the underdog.  Other than that I didn't know crap.  And, I also changed over to the Animal Planet Station where they had a Puppy Bowl..then a kitty thing.  Put the puppies were cuter since they chased each other.  One puppy was protecting a water bowl.  Everytime a dog came near the bowl he bark at them and they'd walk away.  So cute.

Shirley

Harley44

Shirley,

I feel the same way!  lol  I was rooting for NY, too, for the same reason!  I don't know anything about football, and I usually really hate watching it, because I don't understand it.

Rosemary44

Marilyn,

I searched high and low for places that said they tested the kelp.  I did find one but they didn't have it at my local stores and that company doesn't sell to the public.  I asked my local store to find out if they can get it.  No reply from them yet.

So this morning I decided to buy from the company I posted above.  Just one drop in 2 ozs of water and I can go back to eating raw veggies again.  I'll ask my Dr. to test me for thyroid problems. 

If thyroid problems might come after getting radiated, why aren't they testing us all for thyroid problems after some time goes by?  Some of the symptoms I've been reading about could be the mantra for alot of complaints I read about on these boards that could have something to do with thyroid.

Fatigue Depression Modest weight gain Cold intolerance Excessive sleepiness Dry, coarse hair Constipation Dry skin Muscle cramps Increased cholesterol levels Decreased concentration Vague aches and pains Swelling of the legsBlurry vision 

Blundin2005

Rosemary,

I agree completely ..... that there needs better follow up for us.....that so many problems we are dealing with may be rooted in the thyroid.

The endocrinologist I saw asked me if the hospital protected my thyroid during treatment.  They didn't.  And my history of hypothyroid was well known.  Maybe there is a good explanation, but I would like to hear it.  Recall that I needed an increase in my meds when last year.

I have no idea why they leave us to suffer through it all.  Oh wait....yes I do....money.  The insurance company's mantra "don't ask, don't tell".  Ok I'm being smart a$$.  There is also a huge disconnect between providers.  If it isn't their particular area of specialty, the trail ends at their door.

Holistic is not in the mind set of many who practice western medicine I'm afraid.  I hope that changes. 

I hope that you feel better soon.  It's a dramatic difference when they thyroid functions properly.

Best wishes,

Rosemary44

I've been reading some more about this.  I've just read that those who are on synthroid should be making sure they get enough iodine in their foods.   Keep salting... if you don't have high blood pressure.

We can't eat the seaweed daily because we don't know how much iodine is in a serving and we can overdo it, as they do in Japan.  So ask your Dr.'s about getting in enough iodine if your on synthroid.  If you hear stammering and throat clearing, that means they don't know, or a quick change of subject.   

Blundin2005

Thanks Rosemary.  Added salt tonight.

I admit that I pulled back from the salt...first because my DH has high blood pressure...but also because I thought it was the "right thing to do".  

How nice not to feel quilty about salt again...I like salt.

O/T....There is a road in Rome called Salaria (salt).  It is named after the salt trades that were done there.   Imagine...salt was valued to be traded.  What goes around, comes around.

Salute,

Anonymous

Thanks, Rosemary, for the continued research you do so very well.

HAHAHA!!..about asking the doctor ANY question.  Most of them do no have a clue.  That's where I would think an endo would be more beneficial....a GOOD endo.

I'm still using salt, but trying to use less of it.  And my salt has iodine in it.

Shirley

Anonymous

Just wanted to add an article.

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20080201/can-us-shake-iodine-deficiency-risk?ecd=wnl_din_021108

Shaky Amount of Iodine in U.S. Salt

Some 'Iodine-Fortified' Table Salt Falls Short of Recommended Levels of the Nutrient, Study Shows By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Feb. 1, 2008 -- There are fewer food sources of iodine in the American diet than there were just a few decades ago, raising the risk of iodine deficiency in a growing number of people. So says a researcher who calls himself an "iodine activist."

Even people who buy and use iodine-fortified table salt may be at risk, says Purnendu K. Dasgupta, PhD, a chemistry professor at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Dasgupta and colleagues recently tested 88 samples of iodized salt and found that 47 of them, or 53%, did not meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recommendations for iodine levels.

Iodine levels tended to decrease in individual containers with exposure to humidity, but light and heat had little effect.

The findings are published in the latest online issue of the American Chemical Society journal Environmental Science and Technology.

"We certainly are not saying that people need to eat more salt," Dasgupta says. "But if we had mandatory iodization of all salt used in food, that would solve the problem."

Most Salt Has No Iodine

Iodized salt is now the main source of iodine in the American diet, but only about 20% of the salt Americans eat contains the micronutrient, Dasgupta says.

Increasing popular "designer" table salts, such as sea salts and Kosher salts, usually do not have iodine, and neither does salt used in most fast foods and processed foods.

Add to this the fact that iodine is no longer used in the production of commercial breads and dairy products, plus the ever-present public health warnings about restricting dietary salt, and iodine deficiency becomes a real threat for some people in the United States, Dasgupta says.

Though government nutrition surveys suggest that iodine deficiency is not a problem in the United States at the population level, Dasgupta says this may not be the case for the most vulnerable subgroups: pregnant and nursing women, babies, and young children.

Iodine is important in the production of thyroid hormones and critical to normal brain development in newborn infants and children. Iodine deficiency is the leading preventable cause of cretinism in the developing world. And at least one study suggests that children in developed countries born to iodine-deficient moms may have an increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Pregnant Women Need Iodine

Boston University Medical Center endocrinologist Elizabeth Pearce, MD, tells WebMD her research suggests that about half of pregnant and nursing women are not getting enough iodine in their diets.

In her latest study, published last May, sampled breast milk from 47% of nursing mothers did not contain sufficient iodine to meet their infants' nutritional needs.

One problem, she says, is that only about a third of over-the-counter vitamins recommended for pregnant and nursing women and two-thirds of prescription prenatal vitamins contain iodine.

In 2006, the American Thyroid Association published guidelines recommending that all pregnant and breastfeeding women take prenatal vitamins containing iodine, but Pearce says few women have likely heard about the recommendation.

"It is very difficult to measure iodine deficiency in individuals," she says. "Because of this, and because pregnant and breastfeeding women are particularly vulnerable, these women should make sure that they take a vitamin with iodine."

View Article Sources

SOURCES:

Dasgupta, P.K., Environmental Science and Technology, Feb. 15, 2008; online edition.

Purnendu K. Dasgupta, PhD, professor and chairman, department of chemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington.

Elizabeth N. Pearce, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Boston University School of Medicine.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2004.

ATA Iodine Supplementation for Pregnancy and Lactation, Thyroid, 2006; vol. 16.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, May 2007.

© 2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

BlindedByScience

My oncologist gave me seaweed capsules from naturespiritherbs.com. They claim to make sustainable harvests in (relatively) pollution-free water. Their website has a lot of information if anyone cares to look them up: www.naturespiritherbs.com

From one of their narratives, I pulled info on iodine content of various sea veggies--also a warning about seaweed/sea veggies from Japan:

SEAWEED SAFETY: When are seaweeds not safe for food and medicine? CAUTION: those rare individuals who are iodine-sensitive should avoid consumption of the large northern kelps often sold as: Kombu, Norwegian Kelp, or Icelandic Kelp; These brown algae, mostly Laminaria spp., can have up to 8000 ppm iodine. Nori tends to have the least iodine of the commonly eaten sea vegetables at 15 ppm. Although all seaweeds are innately safe to eat, they can become dangerously contaminated by sewage, industrial, mining, agricultural, and radioactive wastes where they grow. Infectious microbes and parasites are usually absent from        seaweeds in cold northern waters. In warm tropical seas, Cholera is
transmissible via topical seaweed contamination by feces from Cholera-infected humans. A few seaweed-sourced Cholera deaths were reported in the 1990s. The victims ate raw tropical seaweeds in salads. Palytoxin, the most deadly marine neurotoxin, has killed some seaweed consumers after the seaweeds were in rough contact with Palythoa sea anemones during harvest in tropical waters; the palytoxin is actually produced by endosymbiotic zooanthids (small unicellular brown algae). The genus Palythoa does not occur yet in
northern waters. In the mid-80Ìs, Australia and New Zealand banned importation of food sea vegetables from Japan due to unacceptably high contents of lead, cadmium, and arsenic. Japanese products dominate much of the wordwide prepackaged commercial sea vegetable market. These seaweeds could have originated anywhere; the packages sold in North America are labeled "Product of Japan" and do not indicate country or site of origin. 

Rosemary44

Thanks Kris,

I can't get over your Onc giving you this info.  I had my appt. yesterday with mine, and he knows nothing about iodine.  Are you taking the pill everyday?  I'm afraid to go over 150 mcg. 

I just finished reading one of the medicinal uses of seaweed, and came across this sentence:

"Selenium is present in all seaweeds in significant amounts. No selenium, no thyroid hormone production and no conversion of T4 to T3."

I've read that in another paper on iodine and started to eat 2 brazil nuts again.  It seems that if we eat the seaweed, we can forego the nuts.

FloridaLady

Here is a source that I use for Iodine.  Breastchoices.com

One this site tells you how to test if you have low iodine. 

Flalady