People don’t think too much about trace elements. They think that because they are trace, meaning very tiny quantities, they are unimportant. However, a whole list of trace elements are critical to health. In this series, I will be discussing the importance of various trace elements.

The first trace mineral I’d like to discuss is Iodine. I had personal experience with a deficiency of this important mineral and it seems like many people are low in iodine.

There was a time in this country when iodine deficiency was running rampant. The result of critical iodine deficiency is an enlarged thyroid or as it’s called, a goiter. The thyroid could enlarge to the point of being life threatening. What you may not realize is that you can be experiencing all sorts of health issues from low iodine BEFORE your thyroid enlarges! That’s what happened to me.

When the incidence of goiter become widespread many decades ago, it was mandated that iodine be put in table salt. Iodine use to also be in bakery products. However, it’s not in bakery products now and people don’t use iodized salt like they use to. Thus, iodine deficiency returns.

How can you tell if you are low on iodine or other important minerals? The easiest way is to get a hair analysis.  This is the product that I and my friends use: HAIR ANALYSIS

This is a professional test that is offered through health care professionals. The company at the link provides it through their medical consultant. It’s really economical for the amount of information it gives about your trace and bulk mineral status. It also tells you your toxic metal load.  I use this company myself and receive no compensation for recommending it.

Not ready for a hair test yet? There is another simple way to tell that was presented by Dr. Rowen in his Second Opinion newsletter.  You go to the grocery store or pharmacy and buy Iodine Tincture, a product to be used externally only. This is an anti-infective product to use on cuts and scrapes, externally. It is toxic otherwise.

What you do is simple. You pick a spot on your skin, perhaps the inside of your arm or your leg, and paint a 2 inch square. The iodine tincture leaves a yellowish-brown color on the skin. If the color is still there in 24 hours, you have plenty of iodine. If the color disappears in 24 hours or less, you have an iodine deficiency.

For myself, the color was completely gone in less than 4 hours. Where does the color go? The body pulls out the iodine and pulls it into your body because it needs it! The body can do this safely whereas the topical solution is ONLY TOPICAL.

This explained what I had noticed for a long time. Iodine promotes healthy teeth, skin, nails, and hair. I had noticed dry skin and brittle nails. In addition, my base temperature was below 98.6. I thought the thermometer was defective but it was me! What made this all confusing was that I took a multivitamin that had the recommended amount of iodine. Obviously, it wasn’t enough. Discovering that I had a deficiency, I did some research.

So, you’ve done the topical iodine patch test or the hair analysis and find out you are deficient. What do you do?

The best thing is to listen to the experts. Dr. Abraham is an award winning researcher who knows more about iodine deficiency than anyone. In his research, he came up with how much iodine is really needed daily and how much extra is needed to correct a deficiency. He developed a product called Iodoral which has the directions in the bottle. I’ve used his program and it works.

Iodoral is available at a number of places. I would suggest Dr. Jonathan Wright’s Tahoma Clinic as an easy to find resource. After you do the program, Dr. Wright has some drops that are an economical way to maintain your daily iodine needs.

If you want more information about this important trace element, Dr. Brownstein has a very easy to read book called: Iodine: Why you need it, Why You Can’t Live without It. It is available at Dr. Brownstein’s website

I encourage you to do the iodine test today! A bottle of the topical solution is inexpensive and accurate. In 24 hours or less, you will know if you need iodine supplementation. Remember, the topical solution is ONLY topical. It is toxic internally but safe to put on your skin. If the 2 inch patch disappears in 24 hours or less, you have a deficiency of iodine. Another thing, it is impossible to correct your deficiency by putting the iodine tincture on your skin. I became allergic to the solution after doing this for a while and it didn’t correct my major deficiency. So, get some Iodoral and you can easily correct your deficiency if you have one.