Thyroid Problems Caused By Deficiency Or Toxicity?

By Patricia Stokes

Recently an article in the Sunday Telegraph, May 7, 2009, by health writer Sharon Labi caught my attention. Here is the article in its entirety.

“IQ’s going down.”

Iodine deficiency among pregnant women has reached such alarming levels that they will produce a generation of dumber children, an expert warns.

Endocrinologist Professor Creswell Eastman has just completed a study of 400 pregnant women at Westmead Hospital and found 60 to 70 percent of them were iodine deficient- up from 50 percent a few years ago.

Iodine is a trace element essential for brain growth in a developing fetus, but few women are getting enough of it.

It is also necessary to maintain normal thyroid function, growth and metabolism.

Professor Eastman, vice chairman of the International Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders said women involved in the study were only getting half the iodine they require.

“If you’re mild to moderate iodine deficient, then your risk of miscarriage and premature labour goes up three-fold” he said.

“Children born to mothers moderately iodine deficient have lower IQ’s. It is dumbing down our population.”

Overseas studies have shown populations with iodine deficiency have lower IQ’s. When deficiency is severe a child can have an IQ 15 points below average.

A study by the Cancer institute found the number of NSW women being diagnosed with thyroid cancer skyrocketed by 84 percent over the past decade.

” We could solve the problem if we could convince the government that all salt for human consumption should be iodised” Professor Eastman said.

“So far Food Standards Australia has agreed that all salt going into bread from October this year must be iodised.”

“Thats good for adults and children, but wont fix the problem for pregnant women who would have to eat a couple of loaves of bread a day

Despite these efforts , the rate of iodine deficiency is getting worse. In 1992, the Medical Journal of Australia reported that the mean urinary iodine excretion level in Sydney residents was 180 micrograms per litre. Professor Eastmans studies found the figure was 70 micrograms per litre.

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“IN THE TOXIC 21ST CENTURY, THE QUESTION MUST BE RAISED, WOULD WE HAVE SUCH SEVERE IODINE DEFICIENCY WITHOUT BROMIDE/FLUORIDE/CHLORINE DOMINANCE?”

 IODINE belongs to a elemental family called Halides . These 4 halogens are called Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, and Astinine , which are all antagonistic elements to iodine, meaning they will block the absorption of iodine. Iodine is the only halide that has any function in the body. Heavy metals get stored in the same receptors that are looking for iodine.  Almost all of us are exposed to bromine, fluorine and chlorine and are storing these toxic halides in our iodine deficient receptors. Cells are not able to distinguish iodide from other anions of similar atomic or molecular size, which may act as “pseudo-iodides”

 In the 1960s iodine was removed from commercially made bread and “pseudo-science” substituted BROMINE, a bio-poison in its place. Therefore if a person’s diet is deficient in iodine, the iodine receptors in the thyroid and stomach, for example, may fill up with bromine which is common in grains, bleached flour, sodas, nuts and oils. Brominated vegetable oil is use to hold the colour in suspension in lemon squash soft drink.

Iodine is depleted by bromine, which is used as a spray on fruits and vegetables, in baked goods, as a fumigant, and in Prozac, Paxil and many other pharmaceutical drugs. Bromine is also used in spas and hot tubs as an antibacterial agent. Chlorine and fluoride are chemically related to iodine, and compete with it, blocking iodine receptors in the thyroid gland. If the thyroid gland cant absorb iodine it cannot produce thyroxin, , the thyroid hormone.

FLUORIDE . Most of us would be very familiar with fluoride and it has been surrounded in controversy, but how many of us are aware that fluorides are cumulative and build up steadily with ingestion of fluoride from all sources, which include not just water but the air we breathe and the food we eat. The use of fluoride toothpaste is a substantial sources of fluoride intake. The body can only eliminate half of the total intake, which means that the older you are the more fluoride will have accumulated in your body. Inevitably this means the ageing population is particularly targeted. And even worse for the very young there is a major element of risk in baby formula made with fluoridated water. The extreme sensitivity of the very young to fluoride toxicity makes this unacceptable. Since there are so many sources of fluoride in our everyday living, it will prove impossible to maintain an average level of 1ppm as is suggested. 

CHLORINE is a well known chemical, it is used to sterilise municipal drinking water supplies. Chlorine vaporises as a gas and is inhaled while showering and in heated swimming pools. Chlorine gas is used in a variety of ways to sanitise raw meat during production and reduce harmful bacteria, unfortunately chlorine is harmful to the environment and toxic to humans depending on the amounts ingested or inhaled or absorbed.

SO WHAT CONNECTION DOES THIS ALARMING IODINE DEFICIENCY HAVE WITH TOXICITY?

Heavy metals poison us by disrupting our cellular enzymes, which run on nutritional minerals such as magnesium, zinc, iodine and selenium.  Toxic metals are like big bullies, they compete with, and displace essential minerals, then enter receptor sites belonging to essential minerals and block their absorption. A myriad of symptoms that mimic disease states can then arise.

When we look at the amount of halogen toxins we are exposed to every day, is it no wonder we have an epidemic of underactive thyroids? We need to take to immediate action ; detoxify and replenish . One of the simplest things to do is to begin the use of Activated Liquid Zeolite. It will help remove the toxins that were never meant to be in our bodies and which compete for receptor sites in the thyroid if iodine levels are low.

There have been reports of improved thyroid function in people who are using Activated Liquid Zeolite and its easy to see why this could happen. Zeolites do not put anything into the body and no claim is made that they cure any disease but they have the amazing ability of removing disruptive toxins, giving the body a chance to heal and repair. This repair work can be further enhanced if we are prepared to support the body with quality food based nutrition, clean (halogen free )water, fresh air, quality sleep and rest and simple exercise.

My own experience using Activated Liquid Zeolite has prompted me to write on this subject after many years of fluctuating thyroid function. 15 years ago I had painful Thyroiditis, and underwent radioactive testing which showed small nodules on the thyroid. Often my blood reports would show thyroid levels in the low end of normal, but not low enough to warrant medication. My Dr would tell me the levels were not low enough to make me feel as unwell as I did.

I tried numerous Drs , therapist and supplements , some of which helped to a degree. A few months before I was introduced to zeolite my Naturopath in conjunction with my Dr decided we would try Natural Porcine Thyroid , and this made a difference to my energy and some areas general wellbeing.

After taking zeolite for 4 months and feeling so more energy than I had known in 25 year,s we decided to gradually wean off the Porcine thyroid supplement and my thyroid levels have stayed perfect ever since. This is certainly not advise for anyone to stop their thyroid medication, but just be aware that as you use zeolite it may remove toxins and allow the thyroid to better absorb iodine and you may need to get your Doctor to monitor your dosage of thyroid drugs.

Breast tissue is another area of the body that concentrates significant amounts of iodine, so we must ask what happens if we have bromine, chlorine and fluoride collect in the iodine receptors there? Hmm… something to think about?

Patricia Stokes

About the Author.

Patricia Stokes is a fully qualified Bowen Therapy Practitioner registered with the BAA. She has operated her own clinic for 10 years and has a keen interest in natural health options. Because of her own health issues with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia and allergies over a 25 year period she has researched looking for solutions, and is very passionate about looking for the underlying causes of ill health.

After having amazing personnel results using Activated Liquid Zeolite in 2007 she is committed to helping others understand the effects of toxins and safe removal from the body.

 

Patricia can be contacted on 0269757233 or 0427757233 stokes40@bigpond.com

Or take a look at her website www.liquidzeolitenow.com/patricia.htm

 

Pregnant? Like Fish? Read This First!!!

By Angie Smith

Becoming a parent is no small choice. If you and your partner are planning this life-changing event, then congratulations! Planning in advance is an ideal situation for more than one reason. It gives a wannabe-mom plenty of time to detox. How important is this? Why do it? Is it safe? We’ll get to that later.

Nutrition Alone Is Not Good Enough!

What we know today is that nutrients aren’t the only things passed from mommy to baby through the umbilical cord and placenta. Some of the first things modern medicine advised against were the consumption of alcohol and smoking, while also avoiding secondhand smoke. For obvious reasons, even centuries ago, women were advised against drinking during pregnancy. Old Doc giving a pregnant woman the go-ahead to light up seems ridiculous now, but just a few decades ago, some doctors simply told their patients to “cut back” and just not smoke as much. I heard of one case where the doctor lit up while examining a pregnant woman, and after her exam, they both smoked together during the end of the visit! I know, it sounds insane, but it happened. So, humanity has progressed….or has it?

What of our “normal” environment? Each person has what’s called the “body burden”, or the collection of chemicals and toxins we accumulate over a lifetime. How does this affect the unborn? We now have years of research and findings to back up the theory that not-so-nice things, like toxins, heavy metals, and other unwanteds, reach the unborn fetus. We’re just now discovering the results of this disturbing occurrence.

What Do Studies Say About Toxicity In Pregnant Women?

Harvard University’s Medical, Dental, and Public Health Schools recently concluded an 18-year study of more than 800 children. Their mothers ate seafood containing mercury while pregnant. The study concluded that the toxic effects of exposure to mercury in the womb were permanent, and affected brain function. Even very low levels of mercury consumption produced slower hearing-related signals in the brain in children who were tested at age 14. The teens also had irregular heart rates, which is a sign of mercury toxicity in the brain stem.

Some the other nasty effects of mercury on the human body are:

• Psychological Disturbances (Remember the “Mad Hatter” character in “Alice in Wonderland”? He was called so because hat-makers oftentimes eventually “went mad”. Later, we found out that the cause was the mercury used in the hat-making process.)
  
• Oral Disease
  
• Heart Conditions (irregularity, low pulse, pressure or chest pain)
  
• Neurological Problems (headaches, slowed motor skills, ringing in ears)
  
• Immune Disorders (allergies, asthma, eczema, swollen lymph nodes)
  
• Endocrine Disorders
  
• Memory Loss
  
• …And too many more to list here. 
  

Where Does The Mercury Come From?

So having said the above, it’s safe to say that an informed expectant mother would want to cut back on seafood and/or fish during her gestation period. But why is there mercury in our fish to begin with?

It goes something like this:

Mercury gets into the air from industry, garbage incineration, coal power generation, metal recycling, and among others, mining and manufacturing processes. Then, the airborne mercury deposits on land and in water, where microorganisms convert it into a more biologically active form, methylmercury. The methylmercury then works its way up the food chain, and since organisms tend to store mercury instead of excrete it, concentrations of mercury get higher as larger, longer-living creatures gobble up smaller ones. By the time you get to a top predator fish like a swordfish, albacore tuna, or shark, the concentrations are quite high. So when you open up a can of albacore tuna (like I did yesterday….yikes!), you are likely getting a pretty hefty dose of a nasty toxin, mercury.

Not only is the mercury bad for you, it can wreak havoc on baby’s delicate, forming brain.

I got conflicting advice when I was pregnant with my first baby over 11 years ago. The Internet was in its infancy, only a select few in my rural town had access, and the information that was out there in cyberspace was probably a 1000th of what it is now. So, I relied on my doctor’s advice and that of pregnancy books. My doctor told me to eat lots of tuna (“protein….it’s brain food…” he said), while the few pregnancy books I had did mention the mercury connection, and how a woman should be cautious about fish and seafood intake. I went with my gut instinct and almost entirely avoided fish while pregnant. Today I have two strong, healthy boys.

Leap ahead to the latter part of the first decade of the new millennium. Moms-to-be are so blessed now to have the wealth of information available at their fingertips!

Many women are now choosing a detox program before they take the plunge into mommyhood. And some moms who got a surprise visit from the stork are wondering how they can safely detox while pregnant.

Most obstetricians would advise against a colon-cleansing-type detox program for mothers who are already pregnant. This is not the most pleasant way to detox, as you can imagine!

A Better Way To Rid Your Body Of Heavy Metals Including Mercury

A newer, better way to detox with a patented mineral called zeolite has been making waves in both traditional and holistic medicine circles as of late. If you have read any of my articles or blog entries, you already know all about zeolite and its amazing properties.

Dr. Gabriel Cousens M.D., a doctor who wrote an amazing report on liquid zeolite, said, “In my work to develop a detoxification system for prospective mothers to enable them to bring non-toxic babies into the world, I have searched for a simple, natural remedy that could serve as a practical antidote for toxicity.” He goes on to recommend liquid zeolite for anyone wanting to start a detox routine, but especially for moms-to-be. Liquid zeolite has been shown, in anecdotal testimonials, to have also been safely used in women who were already pregnant.

Angie Smith is a Freelance Journalist who lives in Kentucky and has a keen interest in keeping her family in good health. Angie can be contacted by e-mail at angiesmith74@gmail.com and she will be glad to personally answer any questions you may have about liquid zeolite.