Iodine deficiency: Testing yourself, and treatment
Posted on: September 16, 2006 | Posted in: Hypothyroid Supplements
Apparently, from what I’m reading now, iodine deficiency is more common than you might think. It is also incredibly easy to test for basic iodine deficiency at home. Now, this test is not very precise, so if it indicates a serious deficiency, you may want to talk to your doctor about getting what is known as an “iodine loading” test done. But, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, no?
So, you’ll need a bottle of tincture of iodine (2%), the standard orange antiseptic liquid from grandma’s medicine cabinet (You may need to ask at the pharmacy. My local store doesn’t stock it in the first aid/band-aid aisle). Swab a silver-dollar sized circle on the inside of your arm, and watch it for the next 24 hours. If you are not iodine deficient, the circle should keep a strong orange color for the whole 24 hours. If it fades before then, you could use iodine supplementation.
HOW to go about getting that iodine in your diet is where things start to get tricky.
A classic iodine supplement, Lugol’s Solution, which combines potassium, iodine and water, is available from Amazon.com. Now sold primarily for use in fish tanks and as a slide preparation stain, Lugol’s Solution can also be used as an antiseptic, a treatment for questionable water while travelling, and (of most interest to us), an iodine supplement, when taken 2–4 drops in a glass of water twice a day. (I chose to link to a large bottle of Lugol’s, sold for non-medical use, because it was $25/16oz, compared to $15/3oz for the bottle of the *same solution* sold through the Health category … it is the same stuff, just less expensive under that labeling.)
Iodoral, basically a pill form of Lugol’s Solution, is a somewhat more expensive option. Many natural health sites recommend both Iodoral and Lugol’s. Iodoral is often taken 2–4 pills per day, morning and night. (The Iodoral I linked to also includes a coupon for iodine testing … if you don’t want to trust the accuracy of swabbing your arm with iodine!)
If you eat a lot of seafood and seaweed in your diet (sushi lovers, rejoice!), you will get a reasonable amount of iodine through these sources. Seaweed supplementation is an option, but most seaweed found in the US market has highly variable iodine levels, so it’s not a very reliable supplement by itself.
Some sites recommend simply repeating the iodine patch test on your arm every day until the stain does last for 24 hours. However, who knows how long you’ll be walking around with a big orange circle on your skin (you can also do the test on your leg or stomach) before you apparently reach a healthy level again? Also, not all metabolic functions in which iodine is needed can properly utilize iodine absorbed through the skin, so some oral supplementation seems wise.
Now, I have read that too much iodine in the diet can also cause thyroid problems. So, another important question is how MUCH iodine to take? The aforementioned “iodine loading test” operates on the premise that your body flushes out excess iodine in the urine, so patients are given 4 iodoral tablets, and then their urine is measured for iodine content over the next 24 hours. Also, the US RDA recommendation of 150mcg of iodine daily is based on the minimum a healthy thyroid needs for minimum function, completely ignoring your body’s other iodine needs. So, it seems that the doses I mention here, especially if you stay on the low end (2 drops Lugol’s or 2 pills Iodoral, 2x/day), is unlikely to cause problems if the patch test indicates a deficiency.
Personally, I am planning to buy some Lugol’s Solution, do a patch test on myself, and then try supplementing with the Lugol’s, while repeating the patch test weekly, until I get a 24hr. stain.
If you are the more cautious type though, and your patch test indicates a significant deficiency, you may want to talk to your doctor about doing a formal iodine loading test, and then prescribing a recommended supplement schedule/dose. However, if there’s one thing hypothyroid patients learn fairly early on, it’s that doctors don’t always like being asked to give tests and prescriptions they didn’t think of themselves. So, that’s why I gave enough information for you to start an iodine supplement regimen on your own, if your doctor doesn’t seem to think iodine is important to worry about.
For more information, this site has a whole LONG page about iodine, which you might want to read. It gives more information about iodine loading tests, including a doctor who will analyze iodine loading tests, if your doctor recommends one.