Is there any reason why it would not be a good idea to start supplementing with potassium iodide?
I'm convinced I have thyroid issues, although my labs are considered "normal". Cannot gain weight, dry skin, thin/dry/brittle hair and nails.
I've read conflicting opinions on whether or not it's okay to supplement if you have Hashimoto's (which I don't know if I have??).
I will discuss this with my docs whenever I see them next, but in the meantime, I thought I'd check with my smart friends here.
Thanks!
Posted by MichaelTampa (Member # 24868) on :
Iodine is kind of a mild way to start treating thyroid. Other nutritionals it needs are copper (like all minerals, if you have parasite issues, they are gobbling it up which causes one to need to supplement) and tyrosine (I supplement this, parasites or not, as my vegetarian diet is low on tyrosine, but parasites steal protein as well). I believe copper sebacate is the best form of copper to take.
Really, the reason to not go ahead with that would be if you also need to treat adrenals concurrently, if they need help. Treating thyroid without providing needed help to adrenals (IF they are suffering from fatigue) will just put the adrenals further in the hole.
So many theories on the iodine, but Dr. K. recommends TriQuench as superior to Iodoral, believing Iodoral can mess with T3 conversion back to T4, or some such complicated thing. My doc has me on only 1/2 drop per day of TriQuench, stating that a full drop per day is the dosage that had long been used for people with autoimmune and needed to TURN OFF the thyroid from functioning. I believe Dr. K. also recommends being careful on the dosage amount.
Posted by GiGi (Member # 259) on :
My advice would be to not take any hormonal supplements of this type without being ART tested. Requirements can change rapidly. I became very aware of this when testing myself for anything I take or used to take.
Take care.
Posted by landerss (Member # 17732) on :
Tammy, I've been taking Iodoral and potassium iodide for the last year and a half, and it's been a huge help. Our Dr. S supports my taking a fairly hefty amount, though ART testing. After years of taking sustained release T3 and barely hitting the bottom of the range, my T3 shot up into mid-range after high-dose iodine. And I've had many other improvements, as well.
I also nebulize nascent iodine a couple of times/week.
Posted by hiker53 (Member # 6046) on :
The iodine test on the arm is not accurate.
1) iodine naturally fades if exposed to air and light
2) I can put iodine on a table top and it will fade pretty quickly--as a science teacher my students spill the lugol's once in awhile and are surprised how fast it fades.
Hiker53
Posted by Tammy N. (Member # 26835) on :
Thanks for sharing thoughts.
GiGi - I agree.
llanderss - thanks for sharing your experience. Glad it has helped!
hikers - could it be just that it evaporated? I've heard some people have it on their arm more than 24 hours, yet with others it can be sucked up within an hour. I wonder what makes it inconsistent from person to person.
At sea level it disappears faster than at 5000 ft elevation! Never through learning.
Posted by Razzle (Member # 30398) on :
I think it would also depend on the humidity level and oxygen level in the air...
Posted by hiker53 (Member # 6046) on :
Tammy,
The following quote is from the site that Gigi posted and indicates that the iodine skin test is not accurate.
"From the published data, the skin iodine patch test is not a reliable method to assess whole body sufficiency for iodine.
Many factors play a role in the disappearance of the yellow color of iodine from the surface of the skin. For example, if iodine is reduced to iodide by the skin, the yellow color of iodine will disappear because iodide is white.
In order to regenerate iodine on the skin, one needs to apply an oxidant such as hydrogen peroxide, complicating the test further. The evaporation of iodine from the skin increases with increased ambient temperatures and decreased atmospheric pressure due to weather conditions and altitude. For example, the yellow color of iodine will disappear much faster in Denver, Colorado at 5,000 feet above sea level then Los Angeles, California at sea level, irrespective of the amount of bioavailable iodine. The iodine/iodide loading test (4) is much more accurate and it is now available from two laboratories"
Perhaps you do need iodine--but the lugol's test won't be the proof.