Odds Are You’ve Already Suffered Damage, So Here’s How To Fix It
Did you know 5 billion people – a little more than 2/3 of the world – are expected to suffer from one of the costliest nutrient deficiencies in the world?
That’s according to the World Health Organization.
Look, I know I talk a lot about nutrient deficiencies.
And honestly, I wish I didn’t always have to talk about them.
But, as you know, most of these deficiencies didn’t exist until 75-100 years ago. And now we’re dealing with them every single day in our office, helping people diagnose them and fix these issues.
All of these deficiencies happened when Western societies decided it was better to make food fast and cheap than it was to keep it pure and healthy. In the race to the bottom, we’ve (well, them) actually made it harder to get enough vital nutrients.
And the fact 5 billion people aren’t getting enough of this one nutrient is pretty disturbing.
Especially since deficiencies in this nutrient can lead to some serious health problems for hormone health, and can even contribute to brain function.
If y’all have read my blogs and e-mails, you know how much I love talking about hormones. That’s because they’re crucial for total health – and, based on our varying ages and diets, many of us have wacky hormone levels.
Fortunately, reversing deficiencies in this nutrient (its iodine, if you’re wondering) is not difficult, and doing so can quickly change your health.
First, I’ll show you to find out if your body’s being damaged by an iodine deficiency.
Then, I’ll give you the simple steps to ensure you never have to deal with this deficiency again.
Easy Ways to Figure Out If You Might Be Iodine Deficient
The #1 reason to be concerned about iodine deficiency is because low iodine levels will damage your thyroid.
If your body runs low on iodine for long enough, this can seriously jack up your body, your mind, and your car. OK…that was a lie. Your car’s (probably) fine.
In all seriousness though, damage to your thyroid has wide-ranging and negative effects.
Remembering back to biology, you might recall the thyroid controls your metabolism.
So if you’re thyroid’s not running right, it means your metabolism will suffer the effects.
And that can really make things rough for you.
While the list below isn’t meant to diagnose an iodine deficiency, you can bet that having several of these symptoms probably means it’s an issue for you:
- You’re frequently depressed
- Your menstrual cycle is irregular or complicated
- You constantly feel drained
- You deal with frequent/constant headaches
- Your extremities are often cold
- Your body can’t fight off infections
- Your hair is thinning, even at a young age
- You’ve been shown to have hyperlipidemia
- You’re short of breath without much exertion
- You suffer from recurrent brain fog
- You are always constipated
- You have super stiff joints
- Your muscles are always sore
And more.
As you can see, most of these symptoms have something to do with how your metabolism affects your health.
So now that you’ve got the list of symptoms (which may indicate if you’re iodine deficient), it’s time to discover some of the strange reasons why you might be deficient.
Strange But Serious Reasons That Contribute to Iodine Deficiency
- You Drink Chlorinated Or Fluoridated Water: My guess is 90 something percent of people reading this can place this on their list of potential causes.
I already don’t recommend drinking water with these chemicals in it due to the effects they have, but it also turns out these chemicals can even prevent your body from absorbing iodine.
This is likely one of the main reasons iodine deficiencies have climbed in the past few decades.
Scientists were interested to see how these chemicals affected iodine absorption; so, using a test called the Wechsler Intelligence Test, they measured the IQs of children living in 16 villages who were known to have low iodine levels.
Nine of the villages in the study had high levels of fluoride and chlorine, and the other seven did not. Measuring the villages’ differences in IQ, the scientists concluded the children living in the high fluoride and high chlorine villages had lower IQs than their counterparts.
So, drink water without fluoride and chlorine whenever possible. Hint: this is only accomplished with reverse osmosis filters and other advanced filtration symptoms – BRITA filters and fridge filters can’t do this. - You Eat Raw Veggies: Well, not just any raw veggies – ones with goitrogens in them.
Sure, I know everyone thinks veggies are healthy….and generally, they are. However, if you’re iodine deficient and you’re eating raw goitrogenic foods (i.e: cauliflower, broccoli, kale, cabbage, soy, and brussels sprouts) you’re adding to your risk of succumbing to health damage.
Here’s how this works…
These veggies contain substances known as goitrogens. Goitrogens are a problem because they interfere with an enzymatic process essential to helping create thyroid hormones.
Fortunately, when you cook these foods you reduce the number of goitrogens in them, which helps alleviate their effects on iodine levels. - The “Healthy” Food You Eat Isn’t High In Iodine: Another misconception about eating healthy is all-natural foods are high in iodine.
Not true.
Your food is supposed to pull iodine from the soil it grows in and deliver it to your body. However, because of lax agricultural practices, we’ve figuratively farmed the iodine out of the soil.
Sad, right? I think so.
The problem is, some soils are worse than others, and have way less iodine than we need. Some of the worst offenders of this are foods grown in mountain regions and areas exposed to frequent floods.
So while it is possible to get iodine from your diet, the fact is it’s getting a lot harder to do so. Keep that in mind next time you go to the grocery store. - Exposure To A Very Common Chemical:
Whether you know it or not, there’s a chemical all around you that’s very similar to chlorine, and is likely causing an iodine deficiency.
It’s called bromine (or bromides).
Here’s what Dr. Mercola says about this awful chemical:
“Bromides are a menace to your endocrine system and are present all around you.
Despite a ban on the use of potassium bromate in flour by the World Health Organization, bromides can still be found in some over-the-counter medications, foods, and personal care products.
The use of potassium bromate as an additive to commercial breads and baked goods has been a huge contributor to bromide overload in Western cultures.
Sodium bromate can be found in products such as permanent waves, hair dyes, and textile dyes.
Benzylkonium is used as a preservative in some cosmetics. Even trace amounts of bromine can trigger severe acne in sensitive individuals. And who needs skin care products that cause acne?
Bromine is also found in fire retardants used in carpets, mattresses, upholstery, and furniture and some medical equipment.”
Stupidly Simple Ways to Fix Iodine Deficiency
The good news is, fixing iodine deficiencies isn’t hard at all.
One of the best ways is knowing where your food comes from and buying organic foods. Eating more seafood will also boost your iodine levels.
Another way (which is also the most common) is using iodized salt. Truth is, the recent use of iodized salt in some of the poorest countries in the world has helped improve iodine deficiencies dramatically.
Of course, iodized salts do have some issues, including the fact many of them are missing out on key nutrients needed for great health.
However, what I recommend to anyone with subprime thyroid function (or those just worried about iodine deficiency) is Lugol’s Solution Iodine.
Just a few drops of this solution per day is guaranteed to deliver the amount of iodine your body needs to fight off a deficiency.
Lugol’s is amazing for all kinds of reasons; it’s been shown to fight infection, protects against nuclear radiation, restores iodine deficiencies, disinfects contaminated water, and so much more!
In fact, the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines states it’s the most effective and safe medicine needed in a health system.
Dr. Lantelme also swears by Lugol’s, so if you want your own bottle just click here or on the image below to get yours.
Talk Soon,
Dr. Wiggy
www.HealthAsItOughtToBe.com