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I am giving this presentation in light of the recent events at the Fukushima nuclear
power plant in Japan. Over the last few days, there have been many health concerns and questions
regarding radiation exposure and the use of the emergency potassium iodide tablet to prevent
thyroid cancer. This presentation will focus on the thyroid gland, and it will not discuss
how radiation affects other parts of the body. The goal of this presentation is to inform
you as to how you can ensure that your thyroid gland is functioning optimally and what you
can do to protect your thyroid. The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits
here at the base of the throat. It produces thyroxine, also called T4, and triiodthyronine,
also called T3. These are thyroid hormones that are important for growth, brain development,
nutrient metabolism of your carbohydrates, fats and proteins, and they help and regulate
your basal metabolic rate. Your basal metabolic rate affects the rate of which your cells
and all your organs function. The thyroid gland is very important in our body because
it affects every cell and every organ. Unfortunately, there are many environmental factors that
influence the functioning of our thyroid gland. These can include chemicals that we eat in
our food, chemicals that we drink in our water, pollutants that we inhale in the air, and
even radiation. So you must be curious about iodide and iodine. These are minerals that
you absorb through your diet. Once you absorb them, they go into your bloodstream, which
goes to your thyroid gland, which soaks them up like a sponge because it has a special
affinity for iodine. If the iodine is radioactive, your thyroid would absorb that as well, and
it would cause health issues. Within the thyroid gland, it converts iodide to iodine, and to
make T3, it takes three iodines and puts them on one tyrosine. To make T4, it takes four
iodines and put them on a tyrosine. The purpose of the thyroid gland is to regulate metabolism.
Metabolism is the rate at which our cells function and how our body functions as a whole.
If a person has a low thyroid function, we call that hypothyroidism. That may present
with symptoms such as constipation, fatigue, dry skin, dry hair, brittle nails, and depression.
If somebody has a high thyroid function, we call that hyperthyroidism, and that can present
with symptoms such as anxiety, nervousness, trembling hands, and heat intolerance. In
order for the thyroid gland to function optimally, it needs specific nutrients such as iodine,
tyrosine, which is an amino acid, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, B vitamins, zinc,
copper, and selenium. So you may think that you need to run off to the store and buy a
bunch of supplements, but I suggest focusing on your diet. The first step is to remove
processed and packaged foods from your diet. This includes fast food, such as fries, hamburgers,
pizza, pasta, anything that comes from the frozen food aisle that you can just pop in
the microwave and anything that’s packaged that has additives and preservatives in it.
Unfortunately, processed foods do not have the nutrients or vitamins that your thyroid
needs for optimal functioning. Instead, I recommend eating foods found in the produce
aisle, preferably organic, and if you eat meat to eat organic meat. You should eat whole
organic foods because they contain the vitamins and nutrients that your thyroid needs, such
as flavinoids, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, and all the minerals. A good food source
of iodine is seaweed, which is commonly eaten in miso soup. It is unique, and it has both
iodide and iodine, and they are in an absorbable form, which allows your body to utilize it.
So what about supplements? Over the last few days, we have heard a lot about the emergency
potassium iodide. You only want to take this when you are in close proximity to a nuclear
incident because it provides such a large dose of iodide that it suppresses the thyroid
function and it can cause a lot of harm within the body. So if you want to take an iodine
supplement, that’s fine. You could take 150 to 250 micrograms a day, which is a low
maintenance dose, to help fill any iodine deficiencies and to help your thyroid function
optimally. And the best part is you can find these supplements at your local health food
store. I hope you now understand that you do not need to take the high dose emergency
potassium iodide. The best thing that you can do is to remove processed foods from your
diet and to eat whole organic foods. If you want to take an iodine supplement, you can
get one at your local health food store. If you have any concerns about your thyroid function
or concerns about any other health condition, I recommend that you find a naturopathic doctor
who can create a customized treatment plan for you.