Key Takeaways
- Low iodine may play a role in fatigue and thyroid problems, especially in women.
- Most iodine supplements are bound to potassium, which Dr. Parsons says the body has to work harder to break apart.
- If you have Hashimoto's or another autoimmune condition, talk to your doctor before taking iodine.
If you're a woman dealing with fatigue, thyroid problems, or health issues no one can explain, Dr. Parsons says low iodine could be part of the picture. In this part of her iodine series, she explains why not all iodine supplements are created equal.
Why Iodine Matters for Your Thyroid
Your body uses iodine to make thyroid hormones. Many people with low thyroid function can't make enough of these hormones, which is why they're on medication, and Dr. Parsons notes that an iodine deficiency could be one reason.
The Problem With Potassium-Bound Iodine
Most iodine supplements are bound to potassium. According to Dr. Parsons, the body has to work harder to break that bond apart, and for people with thyroid problems, that can trigger inflammation. It's one reason practitioners often avoid iodine for people with Hashimoto's and other autoimmune thyroid conditions.
A Different Form of Iodine
Dr. Parsons uses Thyroid Warrior, an iodine product that isn't bound to potassium. She explains that because of how it's made, the body can break it down and absorb it more easily, and excrete it more easily, without triggering the same inflammation or toxic buildup.
A Word of Caution
If you have an autoimmune condition, Dr. Parsons advises talking to your doctor first, because iodine may not be appropriate or safe for you.
Next in the series, Dr. Parsons shares a simple at-home test for iodine levels: The Iodine Patch Test. To find out whether low iodine is affecting you, learn more about our functional nutrition services.
Read the full video transcript
Attention, women with fatigue, health problems, and thyroid problems: it could be that you are actually low in iodine. I'm Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, founder of the Natural Path Health Center, and we're doing a series on everything you ever wanted to know and didn't know about iodine. If you didn't catch the symptoms, make sure you go back and watch that previous video. Today, we're going to talk about why not all iodine supplements are created equal. For those of you who fall into that Hashimoto's autoimmune thyroid category, there is some truth to that. Part of that is because most iodine is bound to potassium. When it's bound to potassium, the body has to work harder at breaking that apart, and especially if you've got a thyroid problem, that can then trigger inflammation. That's why, for autoimmune, inflammatory, Hashimoto's people, we tend to shy away from using iodine. But that doesn't mean that some of you may not need it. Now, the beautiful thing is there's a company that makes iodine not bound to potassium, so it is excreted much more easily. Easy, breezy. And it's because of how it is made. It is a monatomic type of formula, so the body can break it apart. Because it's not bound, it is easier to absorb, it doesn't trigger that inflammation, and you don't get the toxic buildup that sometimes happens. For everyone's thyroid, we have to convert iodine to make our thyroid hormones, which we kind of need. Many low-thyroid people can't make enough, which is why you're on medication. So if iodine is deficient, that could be a component of why you're not making enough of your thyroid hormones. With this particular product, Thyroid Warrior, you don't have to worry about the toxicity, because there's no potassium in it, and it is more easily absorbed. Now, stay tuned for a quick test that you can do at home to determine how low you are. I want to caution: if you're autoimmune, talk to your doctor first, because it may not be appropriate or safe. But if you're not autoimmune, I encourage you to do this test. You've got to watch the next video to find out what that is.
Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, DC, CCN, DACBN, DACNB
Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, DC, CCN, DACBN, DACNB is a Doctor of Chiropractic, certified clinical nutritionist, and brain wellness expert with 34+ years serving Fresno families at The Natural Path Health Center.
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