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. Hi Terry, “I have a large nodule on my thyroid. I’ve had it biopsied and it’s benign. I’ve read conflicting information about using iodine supplements – some say it shrinks the nodules, some say it makes them grow. My thyroid blood tests are all normal. I also swim in a chlorinated pool for exercise, at least a couple of times a week. I’ve read that the thyroid grabs chlorine molecules. Should I or shouldn’t I take iodine – and if so, in what formula. I also have cysts in my breasts and on my liver. Thanks in advance.” —Lori M., Little Canada, MN A. Dear Lori, Based on all the information I receive from alternative physicians and professional seminars, I believe the best results would be obtained by adding iodine to your daily intake. As most alternative doctors suggest, I would take 50 mg of iodine for at least four months as a means of saturating the cellular level with iodine, and then reduce to 12.5 mg daily. If you would like to learn more about the medicinal use of iodine, a book I highly recommend is “Iodine: Why You Need It and Why You Can’t Live Without It” by David Brownstein, MD. You are right about how chlorine exposure can be problematic for healthy iodine levels. Chlorine is part of a family of compounds call halogens on the periodic table. They include iodine, chlorine, fluoride, and bromine/bromide. All these substances are toxic—EXCEPT for iodine, which is important to the functioning of every living cell in the body. The greater the exposure to these toxic compounds, the more you need ample iodine to “push” these toxins out of the body. I recommend an iodine formula that contains three types of iodine: potassium iodide, molecular iodine, and sodium iodide. Potassium iodide is very effective for thyroid tissue, whereas breast tissue has a greater affinity for molecular iodine. Sodium iodide has the highest solubility of these forms of iodine and there is some evidence that taking these three forms together enhances absorption and utilization. Good luck to you, and please write back and let me know how you are doing. Terry