iThei mdcdaelcinfd o c elllllrllll do thlsdtcfdbhfenMy Personal Experience with Iodine
Since I have been my own human guinea pig, I tested iodine supplements
on myself, and unfortunately, I noticed an increase in thyrotoxic
symptoms following high iodine intake (thyrotoxicity results from
thyroid tissue destruction).
Others have reported an increase in TPO antibodies following eating
more iodine-rich foods. I personally had my iodine levels tested and was
in the mid-normal range at the time.
Based on my experiment, I concluded that while I fully agree with high-
dose iodine proponents that iodine is important for breast health and
breast cancer prevention, I disagree with the assertion that all thyroid
patients are deficient in iodine and need to be on high-dose supplements.
In a recent interview, Dr. David Brownstein, a proponent of high-dose
iodine and author of the excellent book Overcoming Thyroid Disorders,
stated that iodine can aggravate autoimmune thyroid conditions and can
be “akin to pouring gas over a fire.”
I suspect high-dose iodine does not actually cause Hashimoto’s but is
simply too much to handle for an overburdened system, and thus iodine
perpetuates the vicious cycle of thyroid destruction.
Perhaps once the other leaks are fixed (deficiencies, adrenals, gut),
the iodine will no longer proliferate Hashimoto’s. More about this in
upcoming chapters.