What is Iodine, and Why Do We Need It?
Let us introduce you to the 53rd element on the periodic table.
- Iodine is a vital nutrient that must be consumed daily.
- 95% of the population does not take enough iodine.
- Full thrival is severely compromised if there is not enough iodine in the body.
As a building block for hormones, iodine is a vital nutrient required by every single cell in the body for optimal function.
Iodine is also responsible for:
- Healthy thyroid and hormone function
- Regulating metabolism
- Boosting energy levels
- Fighting infection
- Regulating blood sugar
- Reducing body odors
- Improving cognitive function
- Proper development in children and expectant mothers
- Normal immune function
- Purifying water
- Killing parasites, bacteria, mold, yeast, protozoa, viruses
- Detoxifying heavy metals, halogens, and radiation
Iodine is super important!! It regulates cellular nutrient uptake and waste expulsion, yet 95% of Americans are deficient in iodine.
Almost the entire population is operating at sub-optimal levels for health and wellness day in and day out because they are not providing proper inputs like iodine for their bodies!
While the body needs iodine to optimize every single chemical reaction that takes place, it does not make iodine. You have to include it in your diet--but the standard western food supply is no longer a reliable source of proper amounts of iodine. Modern agriculture practices have stripped the soil of iodine, and health-optimizing levels of this nutrient have not been abundant for decades.
Uncooked, unprocessed sea vegetables are one of the only reliable food sources of iodine anymore...but we don’t know a lot of Americans who are consuming raw seaweed on a daily basis.
(A note on iodized salt: Morton began marketing iodized salt to prevent goiter in the 1920s. However, it is not a form of iodine that is very accessible to the body. Additionally, the manufacturing process actually adds toxic substances! While goiter rates did decrease as people consumed Morton's salt, A) more healthful sources of iodine are available, B) many people are encouraged to follow low or no salt diets, and C) even if one takes iodized salt, generally the population is still not consuming the optimal form or amounts of iodine to maximize health.)
The FDA recommends 150 mcg of iodine per day, but this is only the bare minimum to prevent goiter, NOT the amount one needs for real thrival!
Plus, women and expectant mothers need significantly higher amounts, as iodine is vital for proper brain development of the unborn fetus and growing children.
Given the rampant deficiency within the population and its importance to full health, proper iodine supplementation is imperative!
The Japanese population regularly consumes 5,000-13,000 mcg on a daily basis because of their ocean-centered diet, and they enjoy superior health to Americans with lower rates of obesity, cancer, diabetes, thyroid disease, and cystic conditions.
There are many forms of iodine! Some are absolutely vital to health as the body can uptake and integrate them immediately, and others (like elemental iodine) are actually toxic to the human organism.
While we’re here on Steemit, we’re dedicated to helping as many people as possible. We offer our years of research and hundreds of testimonials to the efficacy of NASCENT IODINE and its power to optimize health and eradicate disease!
We’ll expand on many of these issues in upcoming posts and address specific diseases and conditions that iodine supplementation benefits.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/25/how-to-protect-yourself-from-nuclear-radiation.aspx
http://www.laurapower.com/page26.html
Dr. David Brownstein. Iodine: why you need it, why you can’t live without it. 3rd Edition. Medical Alternatives Press, 2008.
Iodine Deficiency and Endemic Goiter: A National Tragedy.
Tina Kaczor, ND. Iodine and Cancer: A Summary of the Evidence to Date. Natural Medicine Journal.
W. H. Shetaya, S. D. Young, M.J. Watts, E.L. Ander, E. H. Bailey. Iodine dynamics in soils. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Volume 77, 15 January 2012, Pages 457–473.
www.intothegardenofeden.com
Good stuff. I'm a believer. I have it in hand at my house and in my truck for when I cut my self working!
Sweet, @queeneleanor! Excellent point that iodine is also a powerful antiseptic for wounds.
cool man
👍
@gardenofeden I am repeatedly impressed with the quality, accuracy and readability of your articles. What would you say is your primary goal in creating posts like this one?
Thanks for your comments, @cahlenlee!
We're here to inspire a life of thrival with easy, accessible, sustainable solutions!!! We want to remind people that they have many options for activating lasting wellness, and we seek to provide that in an easily digestible format. Health is wealth!
You inspire me @gardenofeden
That's really great to hear, @cahlenlee--we're happy to spark some life!! :)
Excellent article filled with such important information. I "sneak" nascent iodine into the smoothies I make my kids. We also sprinkle dried, crushed kelp over our salads.
Nice! We don't recommend taking iodine orally for anyone who has metal fillings, and instead we drop it directly on the body where there is good veinage, like the inner wrists or elbows. Ladies can drop it right on the breasts. It absorbs very nicely!
Very interesting. Fortunately, my kids have no fillings. My experience made sure of that. It's insane dentists are putting mercury (or as they call it "silver"), a neurotoxin, in people's mouths just inches away from their brains. I do, however, have mercury fillings because when I was a kid the dentist I went to was dishonest, I learned, and drilled and filled everyone's teeth. I've considered having my fillings replaced with composites, but I don't feel there is a great dentist in Tucson who knows how to do that properly, and, as you must know, mercury is dangerous and it takes a very competent dentist to properly remove mercury fillings.
So, I detox daily. I feel healthy and energized, so I feel my health protocol is working. Interesting that I never heard that one should not take iodine orally if she has mercury fillings because I thought that iodine was a chelator. Why should someone only take iodine topically if she has mercury fillings? I always like learning new things. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing, @weq! The mouth tissues are so sensitive that pulling mercury out into them, especially so close to the brain, doesn't feel healthful, especially when dropping it directly on the skin is an easy way to get it in the system. It is a recommendation that anyone is free to heed or ignore to find what works best for them!
Thank you for your reply. That makes perfect sense. I'm going to change the way I've been taking it. Thank you, again. This is very helpful.
Nice mommy tricks for the well being of all!
So true!
Yup, got me some:
Wise investment, @krnel!
Yea thats pretty high quality Nascent Iodine. Good Job!
Thanks for the post, your article have informative idea. Very well said @gardenofeden upvote and follow you
Thanks, @crisgojar!
enjoyed your article .. glad you are getting information out.. we use seaweed... :) keep up the good work
Awesome, glad to hear you're taking responsible action regarding your health!!
Great article, nice work, keep informed our community. Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome, @melowd!
Thanks for reminding me to buy Kelp tablets, I'll do it first thing in the morning!
To your health!
Thank you, following!
Thanks, @nutela!
Great post! 😊😊 iodine really is a neglected part of our diets when we consider it, yet as you said it is so vitally important! The thyroid hormones (active form triiodothyronine) is used to generate is so important to metabolism - breaking down fats and carbohydrates, so definitely something we all want! I look forward to following more of your posts!
Thank you, @cryptocj! :)
Yes, iodine has been seriously neglected but is of supreme importance. It has so many functions in the body, from regulating metabolism to detoxing heavy metals. We encourage everyone to consider the iodine sources in their diet!