Wheat-free pumpkin bread

25. December 2010 William Davis (5)
Try this recipe for a wheat-free, gluten-free yet healthy "bread." Unlike many gluten-free foods that send blood sugar skyward, this will not.

Ingredients:
2 cups ground almond meal (Buy it from Trader Joe's--70% cheaper than other grocery stores.)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup sour cream (full-fat, of course)
15 oz canned pumpkin (Trader Joe's is bisphenol A-free)
2 medium to large eggs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg or allspice
Dash of salt
Choice of non-nutritive sweetener (I used 3 teaspoons Trader Joe's stevia extract powder, the one mixed with lactose. Two tablespoons of Truvia, 1/2 teaspoon of the more concentrated stevia extract, or 1/2 cup Splenda are other choices. You can taste the mixed batter to gauge sweetness if in doubt.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking pan (e.g., 10 x 6 inch). The pan should be big enough so that the mix will not be more than 2 inches deep, else it will require much longer to bake. (If you have only smaller pans, you will need to cook longer while the pan is covered with aluminum foil.)

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. Pour mix into greased baking pan.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for additional 30 minutes or until inserted toothpick or knife comes out dry.

Serve with cream cheese or as is.

(I'd have some pictures, but the kids and I ate it up before I thought to take any photographs.)

Vitamin D: Deficiency vs optimum level

19. December 2010 William Davis (20)
Dr. James Dowd of the Vitamin D Cure posted his insightful comments regarding the Institute of Medicine's inane evaluation of vitamin D.

Dr. Dowd hits a bullseye with this remark:

The IOM is focusing on deficiency when it should be focusing on optimal health values for vitamin D. The scientific community continues to argue about the lower limit of normal when we now have definitive pathologic data showing that an optimal vitamin D level is at or above 30 ng/mL. Moreover, if no credible toxicity has been reported for vitamin D levels below 200 ng/mL, why are we obsessing over whether our vitamin D level should be 20 ng/mL or 30 ng/mL?

Yes, indeed. Have no doubts: Vitamin D deficiency is among the greatest public health problems of our age; correction of vitamin D (using the human form of vitamin D, i.e., D3 or cholecalciferol, not the invertebrate or plant form, D2 or ergocalciferol) is among the most powerful health solutions.

I have seen everything from relief from winter "blues," to reversal of arthritis, to stopping the progression of aortic valve disease, to partial reversal of dementia by achieving 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels of 50 ng/ml or greater. (I aim for 60-70 ng/ml.)

The IOM's definition of vitamin D adequacy rests on what level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D reverses hyperparathyroidism (high PTH levels) and rickets. Surely there is more to health than that.

Dr. Dowd and vocal vitamin D advocate, Dr. John Cannell, continue to champion the vitamin D cause that, like many health issues, conradicts the "wisdom" of official organizations like the IOM.

Large LDL counts, too

15. December 2010 William Davis (0)
Chad is a 43-year old father of five kids.

Earlier this year, he developed chest pain that got worse and worse. He ended up with a total of five stents in all three coronary arteries. After a devastating experience with Lipitor that resulted from a ruptured tendon, he came to me for an option.

Chad's lipoproteins:

Slow Burn works

14. December 2010 William Davis (55)
I have been impressed with the results I've been obtaining with Fred Hahn's Slow Burn strength training technique.

Because I have limited time to hang around the gym, any technique that provides outsized results in a limited amount of time, I have to admit, appeals to me. In past, I'd be lucky to squeeze in one or two strength training sessions per week, devoting the rest of the time to biking outdoors, biking on a sedentary bike (while playing XBox), jogging, or doing strenuous yard work like digging trenches and planting shrubs.

Over the years, I've gradually lost muscle, since the strength training effort suffered with my time limitations.

So Fred's time-efficient Slow Burn idea struck a chord. Having now done it with some regularity, usually 1-2 times per week since mid-September, I have gradually added back visible muscle. My Slow Burn workouts, involving 8-10 different movements, seem to have restored the muscle I've lost, with a very modest time effort.

It took a little getting used to. After Fred showed me how to do the movements--slow motion movement in both the "positive" and "negative" directions, with smooth, non-jerking transitions, one set per muscle group, each taken to muscle exhaustion--it left me unusually tired and sore the next day. This surprised me, given the limited time involved. Breathing is also very important; the usual exhale-during-the-positive, inhale-during-the-negative pattern is replaced by breathing freely during the entire set. I didn't get this at first and ended up with headaches that got worse with each set. Breathing freely relieved me from the effect.

I have strength trained since I was around 15 years old. Back in the early 1970s, I had about 2000 lbs of barbells and dumbbells in my garage in New Jersey, while also driving back and forth to the Morristown, NJ, YMCA to train with friends. The Slow Burn movements forced me to break habits established over nearly 40 years of conventional strength training.

I've also played around with mixing conventional movements with Slow Burn movements to keep it fresh. This also seems to work.

If you're interested in giving it a try, here's an animation that demonstrates what Slow Burn movements look like. Fred has also produced an excellent 3-DVD set of videos that more fully describe the practice.

Do your part to save on healthcare costs

13. December 2010 William Davis (37)
While many of the factors that drive the relentless increase in health care costs are beyond individual control, you are still able to exert personal influence over costs. Just as in political elections, your one vote alone may not count; it's the collective effort of many people who share similar opinions that results in real change.

I just got the new monthly premium for my high-deductible health insurance: Up $300 per month, putting my family's total premium over $2000 per month---for four healthy people. (My son fractured his wrist playing high school hockey earlier this year; that may explain at least some of the increase.)

I'm going to shop around for a better deal. However, shopping is likely to only stall the process. It will not address the systemic problems with healthcare that continue to drive premiums up and up and up.

So what can you do to help keep costs down? Here are a few thoughts:

Never accept a prescription for fish oil, i.e., Lovaza. Just buy far less costly over-the-counter fish oil. I treat complex hyperlipidemias, including familial hypertriglyceridemia, ever day. I NEVER use prescription fish oil. A typical 4 capsule per day Lovaza prescription adds around $280 to $520 per month to overall health costs (though your direct out-of-pocket costs may be less, since you shove the costs onto others in your plan).

Never accept a prescription for vitamin D. Prescription vitamin D is the mushroom or invertebrate form anyway. Just buy the human (cholecalciferol, D3) form from your health food store or "big box" store. They yield consistent increases in 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels, superior to the prescription form. And they're wonderfully inexpensive.

Eliminate wheat from your diet. If there is a dietary strategy that yields unexpected and outsized benefits across a wide spectrum of health, it's elimination of this thing we're sold called "wheat," you know, the genetically-transformed, high-yield dwarf mutant that now represents 99% of all wheat sold. Blood sugar drops, pre-diabetics become non-prediabetics, diabetics reduce need for medication or become non-diabetic, cholesterol values plummet, arthritis improves, acid reflux and irritable bowel symptoms improve or disappear, just to mention a few. Wheat elimination alone, I believe, would result in incalculable savings in both healthcare costs and lives saved.

Be sure to obtain iodine. In the fuss to cut salt use, everyone forgot about iodine. Lack of iodine leads to thyroid disease, usually hypothyroidism, that, in turn, causes cholesterol values to increase, weight to increase, and heart disease risk to double, triple, or quadruple. Iodine supplementation is easy and wonderfully inexpensive.

Over time, I hope that all of us can help develop the effort to self-direct more and more of our own health. Our Track Your Plaque program has shown me that, not only can people take the initiative to direct aspects of their own health, they can do it better than 99% of doctors.  

I'm sure there are many, many other ways to help reduce costs. Any suggestions?

Fish oil: What's the difference?

10. December 2010 William Davis (27)
Ultra-purified, pharmaceutical grade, molecularly distilled. Over-the-counter vs. prescription. Gelcap, liquid, emulsion.

There's a mind-boggling variety of choices in fish oil today. A visit to any health food store, or any "big box" store for that matter, will yield at least several, if not dozens, of choices, all with varying and often extravagant claims of purity and potency.

So what's the real story?

Given the analyses conducted over the years, along with my experience with dozens of different preparations, I believe that several conclusions can be reached about fish oil:

Fish oil is free of contamination with mercury, dioxin, PCBs, or furans. To my knowledge, only one fish oil preparation has been found to have a slight excess of PCBs. (This is different from cod liver oil that has been found by one source to have a slight excess of PCBs.)

Oxidative breakdown products differ among the various brands. Consumer Lab (http://www.consumerlab.org/), for instance, has found that several widely available brands of fish oil contained excessive oxidative breakdown products (TOTOX). You can perform you own simple test of oxidative breakdown products: Sniff it. Your fish oil should pass the "sniff test." High quality fish oil should smell non-fishy to lightly fishy. Rancid fish oil with excessive quantities of oxidative breakdown products will smell nasty fishy.

FDA approval does not necessarily mean greater potency, purity, or effectiveness. It just means that somebody assembled the hundreds of millions of dollars to obtain FDA approval, followed by lots of marketing savvy to squash the competition.

This means that there are a number of excellent fish oil products available. My favorites are the liquid fish oils from Pharmax, Nordic Naturals, and Barleans. Capsules from Carlson, PharmaNutrients, and Fisol have also performed consistently. The "big box" capsules from Sam's Club and Costco have also performed well and are wonderfully affordable.

Wheat-free pie crust

9. December 2010 William Davis (17)
I've been working on wheat-free yet healthy recipes these past two months.

You can buy wheat-free, gluten-free foods at the store, of course. But the majority of these products are unhealthy because cornstarch, rice starch, potato starch, or tapioca starch are commonly used in place of wheat. Recall that these are among the few foods that increase blood glucose higher than even wheat.

Here's a simple recipe for wheat-free pie crust that works best for cheesecake, pumpkin pie, and cream pies, but not for berry or other fruit pies like apple.

You will need:
?
1½ cups ground pecans
6 tablespoons melted butter?or melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract?
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 medium egg
2 tablespoons Truvia™ or ½ teaspoon stevia extract or ½ cup Splenda®

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in bowl. Pour mixture into pie pan and press onto bottom and sides.

Fill pie crust with desired filling. You can fill it with your favorite cheesecake recipe (e.g., Neufchatel or cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and stevia; add pumpkin for pumpkin cheesecake) and bake, usually at 350 degrees F for one hour. 

Yes, the butter provokes insulin and artificial sweeteners can trigger appetite. But, for the holidays, a slice or two of pie made with this crust will not increase blood sugar nor trigger the uncontrolled impulse eating that wheat crust will trigger.

Have a cookie

9. December 2010 William Davis (0)
Here's a great insight dating all the way back to 1966 from one of the early explorations in lipoproteins from the National Institutes of Health lab of Levy, Lees, and Fredrickson:

The nature of pre-beta (very low density) lipoproteins

The subject is a 19 year old female (among the total of 11 in the this small, diet-controlled study) who was first fed a low-carbohydrate (50 grams per day), low-cholesterol diet; followed by a high-carbohydrate (500 grams per day), low-fat (5 grams per day) diet.






To B or not to B

5. December 2010 William Davis (11)
Apoprotein B (apo B) is the principle protein that resides in LDL particles along with other proteins, phospholipids, triglycerides, and, of course, cholesterol.

There's a curious thing about apo B. Just like one child per family in China or one television per household in 1950s America, there is only one apo B for every LDL particle.

So measuring apo B, in effect, provides a virtual count of LDL particles. (Actually, VLDL particles, the first lipoprotein to emerge from the liver, also have one apo B per particle but LDL particles far outnumber VLDL particles.) While apo B structure can show limited structural variation from individual to individual, the effect on measured apo B is negligible.

One apo B per LDL particle . . . no more, no less. What about the other components of LDL particles?

The other components of LDL particles are a different story. Cholesterol and triglycerides in LDL particles vary substantially. Diet has profound effects on cholesterol and triglyceride content of LDL particles. A diet rich in carbohydrates, for instance, increases triglycerides in LDL particles while reducing cholesterol. This means that measuring cholesterol in the LDL fraction will be misleading, since cholesterol will be falsely low. LDL cholesterol is therefore a flawed means to assess the behavior and composition of LDL particles. In particular, when LDL particles become enriched in triglycerides, they go through a process that transforms them into small LDL particles, the variety most likely to cause atherosclerosis.

In other words, when the worst situation of all--an abnormal abundance of small LDL particles develops--it is usually not signalled by high LDL cholesterol.

Because apo B is not sensitive to the composition of LDL particles--high cholesterol, low cholesterol, high triglycerides, etc.--it is a superior method to characterize LDL particles. While apo B doesn't tell you whether LDL particles are big, small, or in between, it provides a count of particles that is far more helpful than measuring this deeply flawed thing called "LDL cholesterol."

(Even better: Count LDL particles and measure LDL size, since size gives us insight into sensitivity to oxidation, glycation, adhesiveness, ability to trigger inflammatory pathways via monocyte chemoattractant protein, various interleukins, tunor necrosis factor and others. This is why cholesterol panels should go the way of tie dye shirts and 8-track tapes: They are hopelessly, miserably, and irretrievably inaccurate. Cholesterol panels should be replaced by either apoprotein B or lipoprotein measures.)
Iodine update

Iodine update

2. July 2010 William Davis (30)
As the iodine experience grows, I've made several unique observations.

Up to several times per day, I see people who are responding in some positive way to iodine supplementation. (See previous Heart Scan Blog posts about iodine: Iodine deficiency is REAL and The healthiest people are the most iodine deficient.)

Among the phenomena I've observed:

1) A free T4 thyroid hormone at the low end of normal, or even in the below normal range, along with a highish TSH (usually >1.5 mIU/L) are the most frequent patterns that signal iodine deficiency. Occasionally, a low free T3 value will also increase, though this is the least frequent development.

2) At a dose of 500 to 1000 mcg iodine per day, it requires anywhere from 3 to 6 months to obtain normalization of thyroid measures.

3) Reversal of small goiters also occurs over about 6 months.

4) Iodine intolerance is uncommon. If it occurs, using a low starting dose, e.g., 100-200 mcg per day, usually works. The dose can be increased gradually over the ensuing months.

5) Perceptible benefits of iodine occur only occasionally. The most common perceptible effects are increased energy and increased warmth, especially of the hands and feet.

6) Some people who have taken thyroid hormones for years will develop reduced need for their medication with iodine supplementation. In other words, their physician was inadvertently treating iodine deficiency with thyroid hormone replacement. Anyone already on any thyroid preparation(s), e.g., Synthroid, levothyroxine, Armour thyroid, Naturethroid, etc., should watch for signs of hyperthyroidism when iodine is added. But having your own thyroid gland make its own thyroid hormones is better and healthier than relying on the prescription agents. Just be sure to monitor your thyroid measures.

7) Iodine toxicity can occur--Two people in my clinic population developed iodine toxicity by taking 6000 mcg iodine per day for 6 or more months. (Both patients did it on their own based on something they read). Iodine toxicity is evidenced by shutting down your thyroid, i.e., marked increase in TSH, e.g., 15 mIU/L.


Most of the people in my clinic obtain their iodine from kelp tablets. Some use potassium iodine (KI) drops. A handful have used the high-potency Iodoral (12.5 mg or 12,500 mcg iodine per tablet); this was also the form that generated the toxic effects in the two females.

All in all, iodine deficiency is actually far more common than I ever suspected. Not everybody is iodine deficient. But a substantial minority of the Midwest population I see certainly are.
Tags :

Comments (30) -

  • GOJI BERRY

    7/4/2010 10:45:21 AM |

    Its really very much helpful.

  • google

    7/4/2010 12:41:31 PM |

    Initially by eating iodine-rich seaweeds daily, and then by taking 12.5 mg of Iodoral daily, my required T4 dose has decreased dramatically: from 165 ug per day to 100 ug per day so far. None of my doctors have every seen anyone reduce their T4 dose like this.

    It may not be the case that dramatic TSH increase on 12.5 mg or more of Iodoral is a sign of iodine toxicity. The docs with the most experience with mg level iodine supplementation (Abraham, Brownstein, Flechas) seem to agree that sometimes TSH will rise a lot, temporarily, but generally without hypothyroidism. They  believe this is a  functional adaption to the correction of iodine deficiency--i.e., TSH appropriately upregulating various aspects of iodine and thyroid hormone metabolism, including the iodine symporter system. Quite a few people have supplemented with doses of 100 mg per day or more with apparently no signs of iodine toxicity.

    See Dr. David Brownstein's book, "Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It," and the articles by Dr. Guy Abraham, the pioneer of modern iodine orthosupplementation, at http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Research_I.shtml.

  • Anonymous

    7/4/2010 1:17:30 PM |

    Should iodine be taken with something (i.e. oil, etc) to help with absorption?

    -- Boris

  • Lori Miller

    7/4/2010 3:36:45 PM |

    Is iodine stored in fat or fluids? In other words, can a person eat a bunch of iodine-rich seaweed once or twice a week, or should it be eaten every day if you're going that route?

  • Dr. William Davis

    7/4/2010 10:46:22 PM |

    HI, Google--

    Read it. Know his stuff.

    I think he's got a lot of great lessons to teach us. But not in this case. This was a clear-cut instance of extreme TSH elevation with prolonged iodine. This was not the phenomenon that David Brownstein describes  of modest TSH increase in the face of early iodine supplementation, an effect I see every day with great frequency.

  • Anonymous

    7/5/2010 1:17:30 AM |

    Dr Davis

    Regarding your post "This was a clear-cut instance of extreme TSH elevation with prolonged iodine"

    Can you please explain more in layman's term?

    So iodine meds supplementation should not be whole year round?

    But iodine foods can be eaten everyday?

  • Garry

    7/5/2010 1:19:20 AM |

    Are there cases of patients being "allergic" to iodine?  I'm thinking of those who have reacted to some form of seafood in the past and now might be reluctant to try iodine supplementation.

  • Samantha

    7/5/2010 1:15:39 PM |

    What do you think about iodine and hashimotos´s? Should they supplement too? Regular medical advice seems to dissuade.

  • WilliamS

    7/5/2010 2:15:30 PM |

    Hi Dr. Davis,

    I'm curious if your patients with high TSH levels also showed clinical signs of hypothyroidism. I ask because I've read all the work I can find from the three docs most experienced with iodine supplementation (Abraham, Brownstein, and Flechas) and I don't recall any of them reporting any cases of iodine-induced clinical hypothyroidism—elevated TSH, yes, but clinical illness, no. And they use much higher iodine does than you do, in some cases ten to twenty times higher, for years.

    I'm also curious if you are aware of any plausible mechanism for iodine-induced hypothryroidism at the doses you are using. Other than than the mythical Wolf-Chaikoff effect (see http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-04/IOD_04.html), I'm not aware of any.

    Since, as with Vitamin D, iodine deficiency appears to be extremely widespread and perhaps just as dangerous, clarifying any potential for toxicity that might discourage supplementation seems worthwhile.

    Thanks.

  • Anonymous

    7/5/2010 7:38:05 PM |

    What advantage does kelp have over something like potassium iodide?

    Although kelp is natural, it also tends to collect lead, etc. from the environment, which may not be so healthy.

  • Dr. William Davis

    7/5/2010 8:33:27 PM |

    Hi, Garry--

    My understanding of the iodine allergy issue is that, not being a protein, there is no such thing as genuine iodine allergy.

    There is something called "anaphylactoid reactions" to iodine-containing x-ray dye, which is not iodine allergy, but a reaction to the osmolality of the solution.

    There also seems to be allergy to iodine-modified proteins that can occur in fish and shellfish. Most of these people, in my experience, can safely take an iodine supplement. After all, most of these people use iodized salt.

    Very rarely, for reasons I do not understand, there seems to be a genuine allergy to iodinated compounds. I have met one or two people like this.

  • rmarie

    7/5/2010 8:36:35 PM |

    I have been taking an iodine supplement in liquid form called 'Iosol' off and on for years. It has been around a long time yet I have never seen it mentioned in any blogs. It is said to be water soluable, that is if the body doesn't need it it is excreted...so it's fairly safe to take. Here are two links for more info.

    The company that makes it http://www.tpcsdirect.com/

    and a good description on Byron Richard's site:
    http://www.wellnessresources.com/products/iosol_iodine.php

    Are you familiar with it Dr. Davis? Or anyone else?

  • William Trumbower

    7/5/2010 10:43:47 PM |

    I use Iosol quite frequently in my practice.  Particularly if the patient is on thyroid medication, as too high a dose can trigger hyperthyroid symptoms.  Some people will get acne on higher dose of I, probably due to excretion of other Halogens such as Bromine from the tissues.  I never use the 12.5mg dose to start.  My usual routine is Iosol 1drop daily increasing to 4 drops over 4-6 weeks (1drop=180mcg) and then switch to TriIodine capsules 6.25mg daily (available at our local health food store).  The only drawback to Iosol is that it does not contain Iodide as does Iodoral or TriIodine.  The other benefit to Iodine is the reduction in fibrocystic breast change and probably  breast cancer and prostate cancer.   I have only been doing Iodine for the past year, so I can't comment on cancer prevention results, but one of my pts. who was getting mammograms/MRI scans every 6 months for dense breast tissue with a terrible family history of Ca, has been on triIodine for 6 mon.  The radiologist asked to see her ID as her films did not look like they did 6 mon ago!   I also recommend VitD and correction of progesterone deficiency (estrogen dominence) to decrease breast cancer risk.

  • Anonymous

    7/5/2010 10:49:33 PM |

    Dr. Davis,

    Am I too presumptuous to assume that part of America's obesity crisis is due to our inefficient metabolisms caused, in part, by an iodine deficiency?

  • Catherine

    7/6/2010 1:17:02 AM |

    Anyone with a high Reverse T3 problem needs to be careful with iodine.  There are quite a few reports coming in on the thyroid forums that it increases RT3.  Apparently, if you have a problem converting T4 into RT3 instead of T3, it will sometimes encourage the RT3 conversion. Would love to hear any feedback/experiences from docs or thyroid patients on this.
    Warm regards, Catherine
    (I think we have 3 or 4 different Catherines posting here!)

  • MissPkm

    7/6/2010 1:21:07 PM |

    Great post, I am taking kelp at this point and you are so right - the energy I get from it is amazing! I am still very confused about the T3, T4, and TSH - what is normal, what is preferred and so on. What should I look for when I have a test done? If possible can anyone direct me to a easy to read basics on thyroid health and kelp/iodine supplement that describes the test results? I would like to go to the doctor to have some new tests done but if I can't understand the results then what good do they do?! Don't even know for sure that my doctor would be able to explain it to me...

  • Anonymous

    7/6/2010 2:04:03 PM |

    My two main concerns would be Hashimotos and potential pre-cancerous cells... both of which may be aggravated by iodine supplementation.  Do you make a point to rule both of these out before beginning supplements?

  • julianne

    7/7/2010 12:58:00 AM |

    I have Auto-immune thryroid disease, and have elevated anti-bodies, TSH,normal T4 and T3.
    I started taking a highish dose of iodine and my thryoid started enlarging and TSH shot up. As soon as I decreased the dose to RDI the enlargement stopped - in fact it's a little smaller.

    Can you explain more about your recommendations for AITD (Hashimotos)
    I am taking omega 3, vit D selenium, iodine, zinc, magnesium and doing strict paleo especially strict no gluten as I know there is a connection. I am not overweight, and have only mild thyroid symptoms sometimes.

  • Anonymous

    7/7/2010 4:11:00 AM |

    Hi
    I've been reading you're thyroid articles so I went out and bought a thermometer.
    Seems my temperature throught the day varies from 35.5C to 36.8C. (just measured today)
    That would sounds like possible hypothyroidism accoridng to your other articles.
    But reading arround I've seen lower body temperatures are typical when on calories restriction diets which I kinda do. And also that lower levels of T3 when under calorie restriction diet is one of the possible benefits of it.
    Anyway I'll go out and get some blood tests to get more information about my thyroid.
    But would like to know if you have data on body temperature of people on calorie restricted diets with healty thyroid.

  • Jim

    7/7/2010 12:36:19 PM |

    @Julianne,

    There's a newly posted series about iodine and AITD over at The Healthy Skeptic.

    The first of the three is at http://thehealthyskeptic.org/the-most-important-thing-you-may-not-know-about-hypothyroidism

  • Daniel

    7/7/2010 5:54:15 PM |

    Your post contains opposite advice to that given in this blog post at healthyskeptic:

    http://thehealthyskeptic.org/iodine-for-hypothyroidism-like-gasoline-on-a-fire

  • J. Huggins

    7/7/2010 6:01:11 PM |

    William Trumbower recommended using Trilodine capsules after a few weeks of Iosol for people who are presently on thyroid medication. I am presently taking Synthroid and have been for many years now. I have tried to find the Trilodine but with no success.  Is there another name or product that will do the same thing, or could you advise me as where I can purchase it?

  • Maniek

    7/9/2010 5:13:48 PM |

    http://curezone.com/upload/_I_J_Forums/Iodine/Maniek/flechas_questions_answers_2006_lynn.doc

    http://curezone.com/upload/_I_J_Forums/Iodine/Maniek/Iodine_New_Member.doc

    Rread frends Smile

  • WilliamS

    7/10/2010 12:47:31 AM |

    I came across an account of Dr. Flechas's views on iodine-induced hyperthyroidism (he's one of the docs most experienced with iodine supplementation). Apparently it does happen on occasion, but it's not necessarily a reason to discontinue iodine. The source for this is:

    http://curezone.com/upload/_I_J_Forums/Iodine/Maniek/flechas_questions_answers_2006_lynn.doc



    What happens to thyroid hormone production in the presence of iodine supplementation?

    Iodine supplementations should be prescribed only when iodine testing indicates iodine deficiency. Iodine testing kits can be ordered from my office (828 684 3233) by individuals or by medical practitioners.

    Traditional medical literature indicates that patients who have thyroid nodules or thyroid goiter may have the potential to develop hyperthyroidism when supplementing with iodine. Hence, before commencing iodine supplementation, it would be advantageous for a person to have their primary care doctor order a thyroid ultrasound to rule out the possibility of pre-existing goiter or thyroid nodules.
    The primary care doctor should also order thyroid lab work (to be used as a baseline) before prescribing iodine therapy and this lab work should be repeated and followed at regular intervals during the patient's iodine therapy.

    For iodine therapy patients not also on thyroid hormone replacement therapy, adjustments to the iodine therapy should be made if signs of hyperthyroidism should occur.

    Should signs of hyperthyroidism occur in patients who are taking thyroid hormone replacement therapy as well as taking iodine supplementation, the physician should first recommend an adjustment in the thyroid hormone therapy rather than in the iodine supplementation.

    This adjustment in therapy is recommended because iodine is required not only by the thyroid but is required for the proper functioning of many other tissues.

    The presence of pre-existing thyroid nodules or goiter does not preclude the patient from iodine supplementation therapy. In fact, in the extensive research with iodine therapy done in my office, I have seen many case of pre-existing thyroid nodules and goiter shrink in the presence of iodine therapy.

    Hyperthyroid patients. Graves disease patients and other with autoimmune disease take iodine also but use lithium and copper among other minerals (he didn't say) to decrease the overproduction of thyroid hormones. Iodine isn't reduced because it's the neutralizer of the thyroid.  Patients in a thyroid storm with high heartbeats are given iodine to calm it down as normal medical practice.


    Goiters. In some patients with goiters the iodine will stimulate it to produce more thyroid hormone and the patient will suddenly look hyperthyroid with elevated T4 and losing weight. As the goiter shrinks this normalizes. 


    http://www.helpmythyroid.com/iodine.htm

  • WilliamS

    7/10/2010 12:48:03 AM |

    I came across an account of Dr. Flechas's views on iodine-induced hyperthyroidism (he's one of the docs most experienced with iodine supplementation). Apparently it does happen on occasion, but it's not necessarily a reason to discontinue iodine. The source for this is:

    http://curezone.com/upload/_I_J_Forums/Iodine/Maniek/flechas_questions_answers_2006_lynn.doc



    What happens to thyroid hormone production in the presence of iodine supplementation?

    Iodine supplementations should be prescribed only when iodine testing indicates iodine deficiency. Iodine testing kits can be ordered from my office (828 684 3233) by individuals or by medical practitioners.

    Traditional medical literature indicates that patients who have thyroid nodules or thyroid goiter may have the potential to develop hyperthyroidism when supplementing with iodine. Hence, before commencing iodine supplementation, it would be advantageous for a person to have their primary care doctor order a thyroid ultrasound to rule out the possibility of pre-existing goiter or thyroid nodules.
    The primary care doctor should also order thyroid lab work (to be used as a baseline) before prescribing iodine therapy and this lab work should be repeated and followed at regular intervals during the patient's iodine therapy.

    For iodine therapy patients not also on thyroid hormone replacement therapy, adjustments to the iodine therapy should be made if signs of hyperthyroidism should occur.

    Should signs of hyperthyroidism occur in patients who are taking thyroid hormone replacement therapy as well as taking iodine supplementation, the physician should first recommend an adjustment in the thyroid hormone therapy rather than in the iodine supplementation.

    This adjustment in therapy is recommended because iodine is required not only by the thyroid but is required for the proper functioning of many other tissues.

    The presence of pre-existing thyroid nodules or goiter does not preclude the patient from iodine supplementation therapy. In fact, in the extensive research with iodine therapy done in my office, I have seen many case of pre-existing thyroid nodules and goiter shrink in the presence of iodine therapy.

    Hyperthyroid patients. Graves disease patients and other with autoimmune disease take iodine also but use lithium and copper among other minerals (he didn't say) to decrease the overproduction of thyroid hormones. Iodine isn't reduced because it's the neutralizer of the thyroid.  Patients in a thyroid storm with high heartbeats are given iodine to calm it down as normal medical practice.


    Goiters. In some patients with goiters the iodine will stimulate it to produce more thyroid hormone and the patient will suddenly look hyperthyroid with elevated T4 and losing weight. As the goiter shrinks this normalizes. 


    http://www.helpmythyroid.com/iodine.htm

  • Anonymous

    7/10/2010 12:48:29 AM |

    I came across an account of Dr. Flechas's views on iodine-induced hyperthyroidism (he's one of the docs most experienced with iodine supplementation). Apparently it does happen on occasion, but it's not necessarily a reason to discontinue iodine. The source for this is:

    http://curezone.com/upload/_I_J_Forums/Iodine/Maniek/flechas_questions_answers_2006_lynn.doc



    What happens to thyroid hormone production in the presence of iodine supplementation?

    Iodine supplementations should be prescribed only when iodine testing indicates iodine deficiency. Iodine testing kits can be ordered from my office (828 684 3233) by individuals or by medical practitioners.

    Traditional medical literature indicates that patients who have thyroid nodules or thyroid goiter may have the potential to develop hyperthyroidism when supplementing with iodine. Hence, before commencing iodine supplementation, it would be advantageous for a person to have their primary care doctor order a thyroid ultrasound to rule out the possibility of pre-existing goiter or thyroid nodules.
    The primary care doctor should also order thyroid lab work (to be used as a baseline) before prescribing iodine therapy and this lab work should be repeated and followed at regular intervals during the patient's iodine therapy.

    For iodine therapy patients not also on thyroid hormone replacement therapy, adjustments to the iodine therapy should be made if signs of hyperthyroidism should occur.

    Should signs of hyperthyroidism occur in patients who are taking thyroid hormone replacement therapy as well as taking iodine supplementation, the physician should first recommend an adjustment in the thyroid hormone therapy rather than in the iodine supplementation.

    This adjustment in therapy is recommended because iodine is required not only by the thyroid but is required for the proper functioning of many other tissues.

    The presence of pre-existing thyroid nodules or goiter does not preclude the patient from iodine supplementation therapy. In fact, in the extensive research with iodine therapy done in my office, I have seen many case of pre-existing thyroid nodules and goiter shrink in the presence of iodine therapy.

    Hyperthyroid patients. Graves disease patients and other with autoimmune disease take iodine also but use lithium and copper among other minerals (he didn't say) to decrease the overproduction of thyroid hormones. Iodine isn't reduced because it's the neutralizer of the thyroid.  Patients in a thyroid storm with high heartbeats are given iodine to calm it down as normal medical practice.


    Goiters. In some patients with goiters the iodine will stimulate it to produce more thyroid hormone and the patient will suddenly look hyperthyroid with elevated T4 and losing weight. As the goiter shrinks this normalizes. 


    http://www.helpmythyroid.com/iodine.htm

  • WilliamS

    7/10/2010 12:55:25 AM |

    Sorry for the multiple identical posts regarding Dr. Flechas. Google (Blogger) kept giving an error that made it seem the posts hadn't been published.

  • mtflight

    9/16/2010 6:20:25 PM |

    I second the healthy skeptic post.  In the presence of TPO auto antibodies (Hashimoto's), it could backfire as the autoimmune attack may worsen.

    I've read that autoimmune thyroid disease is more common in iodine sufficient areas, which correlates too.

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