Iodine for Thyroid Problems?

If you have hypothyroidism, and you have been looking for alternative solutions, it's likely that you've come across someone trying to sell you iodine for thyroid problems. Iodine appears to be a great choice when you look at most of the literature out there today, but is it clinically the best choice? This article will explore this issue. The video below talks about the pros and cons of iodine for thyroid problems.

The thyroid gland plays a huge role in the metabolism of our body. Thyroid hormone is responsible for an almost countless number of body processes that are happening at each instant of the day. Iodine is necessary for the production of T4 which is one of our inactive forms of thyroid hormone. T4 is later converted to T3 (the active form) in areas such as your liver and your digestive system. It would seem that iodine would be a pretty good thing to take if you are having thyroid problems right?

To get to the answer, we have to look a little bit deeper. We know today that iodine is critical for the production of T4 (thyroid hormone) in the thyroid gland, but we also know that excess iodine can suppress the production of T4 (thyroid hormone). In other words if you are taking excess iodine into your body, it can actually begin to cut off the production of thyroid hormone. So iodine for thyroid problems may not be the perfect answer especially when you look at a few other facts.

In the US we use iodized salt. A great deal of the food that most Americans eat is loaded with sodium which contains this iodine. Because we know that the majority of Americans do not eat a balanced diet, it's safe to assume that most Americans today are getting more than their fair share of iodized salt from the processed foods they are consuming. Second to this, if a lack of iodine were the true problem, we would see that iodine for thyroid problems would be a miracle cure, and that has not been the case.

In fact, it has been our experience at the Orlando Thyroid Project that most of our clients that were taking iodine for thyroid problems actually got worse. Their thyroid problems had nothing to do with a lack of iodine and the excess iodine was causing more suppression of their thyroid hormones.

The Orlando Thyroid Project

There are times where iodine for thyroid problems can be the answer, but in the Orlando Thyroid Project we find that this is a rare circumstance. If we are going to be able to help a client with their thyroid issues, our doctors realize that they must first understand what the problem is and work at the source of the problem. Guessing with random nutrients is not the answer to this complex problem.

Each doctor at the Orlando Thyroid Project has been trained in functional endocrinology or functional medicine. Their functional endocrinology background allows them to achieve revolutionary results when it comes to thyroid dysfunction.

If you would like more information about the Orlando Thyroid Project at Integrative Health of Orlando, please call to attend one of our complimentary thyroid classes today. You deserve the very best!