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, “I read your list of symptoms of low thyroid in one of your articles, and I have almost every single symptom you mention. I have heard that I should first try iodine as iodine is the critical mineral for proper thyroid function. Just adding enough iodine may be what my thyroid needs to work better. However, I just learned that I am pregnant. Should I start iodine at higher doses for my thyroid now or wait until after my baby is born?” — Amy A., Pigeon Forge, TN

A. Dear Amy, I do agree with you that iodine is the critical nutrient for thyroid function and without iodine there is no thyroid function. If you are concerned about your thyroid function, you may want to ask your physician to check this out, as healthy thyroid function is very important for pregnant women and their babies. In fact, one of the most important things mothers can do to assure the health of their babies is to talk with their doctors about assessing their thyroid function. The mother’s healthy thyroid function has a profound impact on the baby’s neurological development especially. From all the scientific reports I’ve seen, iodine is a very safe mineral, even at thousands of times the recommended daily allowance. However, we never know the outcome of a new change of dietary nutrients. You are carrying one of God’s greatest gifts, and I hesitate to recommend you make any big changes without your physician’s advice or at least his or her awareness of what choice you make in your dietary changes. I would proceed cautiously and with professional advice. It may be that adding iodine now is right for you, but you should seek the professional opinion of an integrative physician or a naturopathic doctor who works more closely with nutritional supplements.

Healthy regards,

Terry— Naturally