Iodine – An Important Trace Mineral Lacking in the Food Supply

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.

Nutrients and Health: Is Aging Necessary?

Although my professional degrees are in Psychology and Counseling, I have always been fascinated with biology and physiology. I have taken courses and conducted independent study for over 40 years.

What has stuck with me all these years is how biologists were baffled as to why people aged.  After all, cells are replaced on a continuous basis. As a matter of fact, every part of the body is totally replaced every few years! Yet, people deteriorate and eventually die. The question is why.

Of course, when one is young, you never think about dying. If you are fortunate, your immediate family lives a long time and you don’t have to deal with death until you are in your 30s or 40s. By this time though, you are on the way downhill yourself!

I am going to post a series of short articles as to what I have found is the reason behind aging.

The bottom line is the body wears out because it doesn’t have the necessary repair material. I am going to cover the areas that most people lack. It is just a fact from studying various cultures around the world that when people provide their bodies with the nutrients they need, they live a long, healthy life.

I hope you enjoy the series! Feel free to post questions.

Why It is Important to Study the Mind/Body Connection

People tend to think that the Mind/Body connection is either weird or unimportant. However, it is neither. It is probably the most important topic you can explore.

The role that the Mind plays in health is very powerful. It is so powerful that it defies supposed physical limitations. Take for example, the healings that occur in sacred places such as Lourdes. Dr. Joseph Murphy, in his excellent book, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, relates the following case:

Madame Bire was blind with atrophied optic nerves. After her visit to Lourdes, she could see.  However, doctors that examined her afterwards discovered that her optic nerves were still atrophied and useless. She could see anyway.

A month later, a new examination showed that her optic nerves were renewed and restored to normal.

Such is the power of the Mind. Madame Bire believed she would have her vision restored and it was restored. It was restored even before the body equipment was in place to “allow” vision. How is this possible? From a physiological standpoint, modern psychology really doesn’t know how things like vision and memory function. This case demonstrates there is more to our reality than our physical body.

What you truly believe becomes a reality. Beliefs make our reality; make sure you have positive ones.

Positive Beliefs Make the Impossible – POSSIBLE!

People tend to dismiss the effects of negative beliefs. They think that because it’s in your mind, it doesn’t affect anything. However, this is not correct. Thoughts have much more power than you realize. It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not; it IS a reality!

In the field of Social Psychology, it’s called the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy – what you believe happens. Look at the following example:

A young salesman was sent to a tough customer. His manager told him that this customer was hard to deal with and very resistant, but by being persistent, the salesman always got the order. The manager told the new salesman it was a sure thing; this particular customer, no matter how difficult he was to the salesman ALWAYS placed an order. The young salesman was totally assured. He knew what to expect and was prepared to tough it out with the customer because he KNEW the customer would buy. The customer ALWAYS bought; he just made it difficult.

Prepared, confident and excited, the young man went to the business and began the sales process. The customer was tough, very tough. The young man had never encountered such a tough customer but the new salesman knew what the outcome would be. He KNEW the customer was going to buy; the manager had years of experience with this customer. And sure enough, eventually the customer placed the order the young man expected.

He went back to the office and submitted the order and didn’t think anymore about it until his manager called him in. The manager asked him how in the world did he get this order.  The young man was confused. Didn’t this customer always order?

Well, the new salesman had gone to the wrong business! He went to a business that his company had been trying to retain as a customer for over 20 years and had never sold anything to them. The manager was shocked! How had this inexperienced salesman succeeded where veteran salespeople over 20 years of time had not?

The answer is simple. Because the thought he was at a difficult customer that was always a sure sale, he BELIEVED there was going to be a sale. He acted like there was going to be a sale and projected that onto the customer. There was a sale.

Now, what would have happened if the new salesman had been told no one had been able to sell a thing to this business for 20 years? Yes, NO SALE!

Do you limit your life by what you believe?