MARCH 1, 2012 IODINE

"Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care."
-Theodore Roosevelt

I love this quote. I do care about a lot of people: patients, family and friends. As a physician it does not matter how much I know, it matters how I care for the patient. It is how I approach disease. It really is how I approach my patients. I have been chosen by G.O.D. for this profession. I really love what I do. I find it a little hard to believe that Teddy Roosevelt said the quote, although I am not totally surprised. He was an amazing man-Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919) was the 26th President of the United States of America (1901–1909). A statue of Teddy sits in front of the Museum of Natural History in NYC . In Part I of A Night at the Museum, Teddy depicted by Robin Williams comes alive at night. A great portrayal.

Iodine is a mineral which is discussed a lot. Since Teddy suffered from asthma he could have benefited from iodine. It was first discovered in kelp in 1812. It is given its name due to the violet color when extracted. It is important for the thyroid gland which lies in the neck. It is the location of the throat chakra. In the United States we are deficient in both iodine and Vitamin D.

Many individuals with low or under active thyroid would rather take iodine than thyroid hormones like nature, armour, or westhyroid, or even the conventional drug called synthroid or levothyroxine. Synthroid is only T4. There is another thyroid hormone called T3. I like to balance T4 first, and then balance T3 later if needed. More than 210 million people suffer from some type of iodine deficiency. In high doses iodine is toxic and I have seen this cause acne, and more importantly interfere with the thyroid gland regulation.

Cruciferous vegetables that we all should eat like cabbage, brussel sprouts, and broccoli contain substances which can cause hypothyroidism ( low thyroid) by interfering with iodine. If you eat plenty of these great greens then think about having your iodine level checked and supplement this mineral.

The best source of iodine is seafood and seaweed. It is better in sea salt than iodized salt (like Morton's). But there is a catch 22 as seafood contains lots of mercury. Have had your mercury level checked yet? Did your physician even discuss mercury? Iodine is a natural antiseptic, loosens mucous in the respiratory tract and protects the body against other toxic exposures. Check your iodine level today! I bet the level is low.

Do you remember Mercurochrome as a child when you scraped your knee or elbow?

Until tomorrow...