Just Ask Terry

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Dear Terry, “Is it true that iodine can cure autism? Is there any research on this?” —Frank H., New York, NY A. Dear Frank, I wish that was true! I have such tremendous compassion for what both parents and children have to face when they are touched by autism or autism spectrum disorder. However, I do believe that proper amounts of iodine can HELP quite a bit. When I looked into the research on supplemental iodine helping children with autism, I did not find a great deal of information on actual treatment studies. There are a number of studies demonstrating that there are often iodine and/or thyroid abnormalities in these children, and then it is a speculative leap that replacing missing iodine, and using iodine supplementation to help displace certain toxic minerals from the body, can have a very positive impact. There are also integrative medical practitioners who use iodine as part of their natural protocols to help with autism concerns, and many anecdotal reports that it can be very useful. It has long been known that adequate iodine levels in the body are required for proper brain function. Additionally, iodine and iodine deficiency have been proposed as having a prenatal impact on the development of autism spectrum disorders. Many integrative practitioners are starting teens and older on 50 mg of iodine for 2 or 3 months, then dropping back to 12.5 to 25 mg per day. For younger children, they cut the dose in half. You might want to see if there is a naturopathic physician or integrative medical doctor you can consult on this topic. Please make sure to use a good quality iodine product. I prefer a blend of potassium iodide, molecular iodine and sodium iodide. I believe iodine works best delivered in three forms, and has better absorption. Good luck! Terry