This reminds me that I need to restart my Lugol's Iodine solution regime. Great post and I agree that most Americans are deficient in iodine. When I was researching it a few years ago, I ended up telling my neighbor about it one night and she got some Lugol's solution and within a week she was buzzing around, full of energy, clear thoughts...and she was able to stop taking her thyroid medication....after 10 years of taking it daily. Very interesting, also, is that it seems to be getting harder to find 'iodized' salt...most store shelves have an abundance of sea salt, which does not contain iodine.

That pink salt is full of lead. Steer well clear.

Also, salt is really bad for you., and we get WAY more than we need on a daily basis.

That's sodium salt - nobody should have that. Salt is essential, but not just sodium salt, other salts too. Something like sea salt which contains them all is relatively ok.

Source?

Here's one calling bullshit on you: https://blog.bulletproof.com/is-pink-himalayan-salt-toxic/

It states clearly in your link 'contains 100 ppb'. You feel free to eat it but lead is not safe at any level. Also, why are you so abrupt and argumentative? Perhaps you would do better changing your circle of associates?

He's just another product of reddit - a know it all ass who really knows very little.

this site is great at creating them.

What's the solution?

Factory salt is artificial and made with chemicals.

Sea salt comes from oceans which are highly polluted (likely even more lead).

And salt is necessary. Animals lick salt for a reason.

Make your own with chemistry! Just be careful of the chlorine...

Factory salt is mined. All salt is NaCl, the same as if you did make it in chemistry lab. Pink salt contains infinitesimal amounts of lead. Here is an analysis:

https://themeadow.com/pages/minerals-in-himalayan-pink-salt-spectral-analysis

Yeah stay away from the weird yet pretty jars of it at your local Ross style discount bed bath beyonds

NaCl is all the same regardless of its source, be it mined or evaporated. If one makes it in a chemistry lab, it's still the same. Sea salt may be enhanced by included bits of whale shit or seaweed particles, but otherwise it's the same chemical.

I believe it relates to the structure and the presence of preservatives... sea salt and even “pickling salt” have no added iodine or preservatives and thus dissolve in solution readily, table salt does not. Also has to do with the crystalline structure, manufactured salt is in tiny cubes because by manufacturing it in ideal settings it take the most stable structure. If you notice natural salt is basically flakes, a much less stable structure. I am not deeply knowledgeable about chemistry but you can read about crystal structures and molecular stability from a variety of sources.

Or just see it yourself... get two glasses of room temp water. Measure out table salt in one and sea salt in the other. Observe how much sea salt vs table salt dissolved readily without agitation or heat. Now think about the fact that your body absorbs things by dissolving them into solution.

Salt is a preservative, so it doesn't need preservatives. It naturally forms cubes when coming out of solution due to its molecular structure. As far as dissolving, with it all being exactly the same chemically, I would expect it to dissolve the same. Regardless, except for pretzel topping, all the salt I eat is already dissolved in the food.

Well, generally iodine and some other chemicals are added to prevent clumping (more-so than preservative) and importantly to prevent excess water absorption. Think about that one.

Second, and I don’t know who you are or what your education level is, so don’t take this as condescending or snarky, it is usually taught in elementary chemistry or “general science/physical science” (in high school) that there are two factors that affect any given substances solubility. The chemical ability to dissolve in a given solvent (water in the general case) and crucially the physical properties of the substance. More surface area=greater solubility, if you think about this it is pretty intuitive: if you put a 10 gram block of something (salt for example) in water and also put 10 grams of the same substance in powdered form, which dissolves faster? Salt dissolves in water by attraction of polar molecules (the dipole property of the H2O molecule gives it the title in chemistry “the universal solvent”). For this to work, water molecules must contact salt molecules. The larger the surface area of the salt, the more water molecules may come in contact with salt molecules and “pull them away”. Cubes have a very low surface area by volume compared to, say, irregular flakes (as sea salt is shaped) therefore despite the chemistry being the same, physical differences change the solubility (just like how hot water dissolves more solute, temperature is a physical, not chemical, property).

Another angle to think of this from is that commercially manufactured table salt has a design spec. That design spec is not on solubility, thus bioavailability, but rather the opposite. Commercial table salt is optimized for packaging and storage, which essentially means it is designed with the manufacturer and seller’s interest in mind, not the consumer. This means that it is designed, as much as possible, to resist solubility in water.

Regarding solubility, the food we eat is not crunchy. Commercial salt dissolves well enough. Maybe this pragmatic viewpoint comes from being a degreed engineer :-)

Crunchy? I am confused by what you mean there.

Assuming you are not a computer engineer, I must question you on your claims based on what you say your degree is. Maybe not all universities are the same, but as I have a BS in Civil Engineering and took the FE, how are you questioning very simple principles of chemistry? While not all engineering divisions at my university required progressing into organic chemistry, all required a full course of general and the FE exam tests it for all concentrations (that is from a US perspective but I am of the understanding all countries have a fairly similar threshold).

I do not know whether or not table salt is not adequately bioavailable, but the discussion is about how it would differ from natural forms being the same chemically. I would assume you understand that the perfect cube structure of table salt is a combination of molecular proclivity to that form and ideal conditions to do so. Naturally formed salt is crystalline in structure due to its molecular properties but rarely in perfect completion of this. Further, it the solubility should be no surprise at all.

I mean that in the food I eat, the salt is already dissolved, not crystalline. It doesn't matter that (or if) it might have taken a few seconds longer to dissolve.

Oh, well yeah, like I mentioned, I don’t know enough about biology to make any judgement there. I was only discussing why there could be an issue. Personally I use sea salt, not for any health reason other than that it has a stronger flavor and so I use less of it.

Hey what iodine supplement should I buy then? Is there one I can get at a store like Whole Foods?

I think buying an osmosis filter is the best route anyone can take if they can make the investment. Buy that and a couple of Yeti tumblers (or the sams club knock offs as the yetis are ridiculous) and you'll never buy bottled water again.

Also, personally I use kosher salt because I figure if it's good enough for them prone good Enough for me.

Supplemented with iodine solution before. Felt unsure about longterm use so I stopped.

2% or 5%?

How many drops of Lugol's iodine do you use daily? I have always been confused by that.

I normally do 2 drops. I wonder if there is a conversion chart as I don't want tooooo much, and definitely not too little.

2% or 5%?

The problem with thyroid meds is that it actually shuts down (takes over the work) of the thyroid. People with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's have a sluggish thyroid or one that won't work at all, so doctors throw synthetic thyroid at them. They very often kill the gland and going off the meds is worse. Your neighbor sounds lucky. Another thing that helps keep the thyroid healthy are the D vitamins, but doctors would rather throw the synthroid at you. I know several people who have kept their deficient thyroid gland fit by just taking an larger dose of vitamin D3. I think the US doctors vitamin D daily dosage is too low. Thanks for the tip too, I will have to give it a try.

Truth. Thank you

I can't even...

YOU need to go to school.

Why do you think that though? You can't just do him like that

How about you read a book 😎

Could you provide sources, please?

Yes but it's your claims without sources. Don't be lazy.

Makes 2 tiny comments on a page long sourced submission, one accusing the OP of being lazy.

Yeah I'm an idiot. Sue me.

TL;DR statement?

I’m getting my thyroid levels tested for the first time in my life as I suspect my super slow metabolism has a root cause. Been taking iodine recently. I suggest anyone who is sluggish, lacks motivation, has dry skin, and irregular movements (heh) get blood work done with your next physical.

I honestly believe a good portion of North Americans now suffer from hypothyroidism and it isn’t just “overeating”

Yes, you have to ask for T3/T4 and Tsh levels

Take vitamin D and also Selenium - both good for keeping your thyroid healthy. If your T3/T4 are good but your TSH is a little elevated, don't let them just stick you on synthroid. Do the research first. Also know that even physicians are changing the norms for TSH because they're not sure. Fun Fact: selenium, which helps keep a healthy thyroid, comes from soil rich in selenium. The northern part of the US has little to no selenium in its soil. Many other states are low in it as well. No selenium soil, no selenium in plants, no selenium makes its way into our meat products, etc.

I have a bottle of 2% Lugols Iodine solution. How would people recommend I use it to supplement my Iodine?

I think Lugol's comes in 2% and 5%.

Amazon has 2-5% in their store.

You can buy 20% right from the source.

https://www.lugolsnaturals.com/collections/lugols-solution/products/lugols-solution-20-4oz

While I agree wtih you, and regularly supplment iodine... this bit is bullshit: "Currently one in seven women (14%) has breast cancer and one in three men (33%) has prostate cancer."

Cancer rates are no where near that level...

The best form of iodine is nascent iodine (and no I didn't learn that from alex jones, it's a fact that many already know)

Alex seems to be good at researching the best, it's just his stuff is overly scare tactic commercial and 3x-5x the price it needs to be.

I take iodine (check your thyroid first) but the fact that its not sold in your regular vitamin supplement section (you have to special order it over the internet) tells you something (although some gummie multivitamins have some iodine..check the label).

Hmmmph, I'm sold.

Ordered some Lugols.

bio-electronics if correct (which it would be from my personal observation) is relevant, the premise is ions turn our tissues into favorable environments for germs to thrive in by adjusting the proton and electron availability:

https://i.imgur.com/prMy9rs.png

Drink lots of as clean as possible water to dilute that stuff out, as clean as possible, forget the (non chelated) minerals, water is to clean the body not feed it, get your (chelated) minerals in healthy food.

Interesting that you mention this.... I had dominos pizza few weeks ago and got sorta sick from it, stomach ache and migrane. Was looking up possible reasons why, since it has happened more then once, and saw how bread that isn't baked properly can have bromine in it and cause you to have low iodine. I think this may have been the cause as well as explain some other issues.... they say if you have tiny red dots on skin it can be the reason why too, which I have noticed like 2-3.

I bought some iodine/kelp solution, its like 200mcg per drop. Supposed to drink water with a few drops every day. So you have tried this and seen good benefits from it? What all has improved? Any other important supplements?

I'm sure plenty of people have gotten confused and thought it was gluten allergy. Prob common in fast food places like subway or pizza shops where they store bread for long periods and have to bake quickly. I'm cutting down on my bread anyways... and corn. Its so hard to avoid corn syrup.

/r/theculling

Great post OP!

"The Guide to Supplementing with Iodine. http://jeffreydachmd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/The-Guide-to-Supplementing-with-Iodine-Stephanie-Burst-ND.pdf "

So then, what kind of Iodine do I need, and how much do I need to take daily? The answers seem to vary wildly and each have their own followings.

Good info, since I was a kid Chinese gov. forced salt producer to add iodine into it, probably that's we are so smart ! Later the gov. felt like "oops, we messed up, these peasants are too smart now" and then they regulated, restricted and discouraged the practice.

Why do you think that though? You can't just do him like that

How about you read a book 😎

I believe it relates to the structure and the presence of preservatives... sea salt and even “pickling salt” have no added iodine or preservatives and thus dissolve in solution readily, table salt does not. Also has to do with the crystalline structure, manufactured salt is in tiny cubes because by manufacturing it in ideal settings it take the most stable structure. If you notice natural salt is basically flakes, a much less stable structure. I am not deeply knowledgeable about chemistry but you can read about crystal structures and molecular stability from a variety of sources.

Or just see it yourself... get two glasses of room temp water. Measure out table salt in one and sea salt in the other. Observe how much sea salt vs table salt dissolved readily without agitation or heat. Now think about the fact that your body absorbs things by dissolving them into solution.

Well, generally iodine and some other chemicals are added to prevent clumping (more-so than preservative) and importantly to prevent excess water absorption. Think about that one.

Second, and I don’t know who you are or what your education level is, so don’t take this as condescending or snarky, it is usually taught in elementary chemistry or “general science/physical science” (in high school) that there are two factors that affect any given substances solubility. The chemical ability to dissolve in a given solvent (water in the general case) and crucially the physical properties of the substance. More surface area=greater solubility, if you think about this it is pretty intuitive: if you put a 10 gram block of something (salt for example) in water and also put 10 grams of the same substance in powdered form, which dissolves faster? Salt dissolves in water by attraction of polar molecules (the dipole property of the H2O molecule gives it the title in chemistry “the universal solvent”). For this to work, water molecules must contact salt molecules. The larger the surface area of the salt, the more water molecules may come in contact with salt molecules and “pull them away”. Cubes have a very low surface area by volume compared to, say, irregular flakes (as sea salt is shaped) therefore despite the chemistry being the same, physical differences change the solubility (just like how hot water dissolves more solute, temperature is a physical, not chemical, property).

Another angle to think of this from is that commercially manufactured table salt has a design spec. That design spec is not on solubility, thus bioavailability, but rather the opposite. Commercial table salt is optimized for packaging and storage, which essentially means it is designed with the manufacturer and seller’s interest in mind, not the consumer. This means that it is designed, as much as possible, to resist solubility in water.

Crunchy? I am confused by what you mean there.

Assuming you are not a computer engineer, I must question you on your claims based on what you say your degree is. Maybe not all universities are the same, but as I have a BS in Civil Engineering and took the FE, how are you questioning very simple principles of chemistry? While not all engineering divisions at my university required progressing into organic chemistry, all required a full course of general and the FE exam tests it for all concentrations (that is from a US perspective but I am of the understanding all countries have a fairly similar threshold).

I do not know whether or not table salt is not adequately bioavailable, but the discussion is about how it would differ from natural forms being the same chemically. I would assume you understand that the perfect cube structure of table salt is a combination of molecular proclivity to that form and ideal conditions to do so. Naturally formed salt is crystalline in structure due to its molecular properties but rarely in perfect completion of this. Further, it the solubility should be no surprise at all.