Susie Cohen, Natural Medicine expert, hopes to help clear up misconceptions regarding iodine.

First, you should know that iodine is necessary for proper thyroid hormone production. Second, you need iodine for proper conversion of T4 to T3. Iodine is not just for the thyroid. It’s needed across your body and every cell has a receptor for it. You should also know that iodine is particularly vital to your breast and prostate. If you have a problem with either, check that you have appropriate levels of iodine. If it is deficient, you’re at risk for reproductive cancers.

Some people are mistakenly under the impression that they have an iodine allergy because they’re allergic to shellfish. Truthfully, reaction to shellfish or seafood is not an iodine allergy, but due to tropomyosin. Finally, table salt isn’t enough for iodine supplementation. Cohen even carries unrefined salt because it’s more beneficial. A deficiency in iodine is actually associated with impaired mental development.

Signs of iodine deficiency include the following:

  • Fatigue
  • Brain fog
  • Dry skin/nails
  • Hair loss
  • Miscarriage
  • Constipation
  • Depression or malaise
  • Congenital hypothyroidism

Cohen wants to be sure that people understand how important natural iodine is. Iodine is vital to healthy breast tissue, and alleviates fibrocystic breast pain and lumpiness. Iodine may even help shrink uterine fibroids. And there’s even a correlation between reduced iodine and decreased mental IQ. The right amount of iodine is vital to pregnant or lactating women.

Furthermore, problems like goiters and autoimmune thyroid disorders are contributed to by a lack of iodine. Iodine and testicular or prostate health are connected, and iodine supports our reproductive organs. Iodine is necessary and worth supplementation. It should not be feared.

Cohen  recommends unrefined sea salt with color. Low iodine contributes to cardiac arrhythmias and congestive heart failure. The problem must be remedied. Cohen advocates testing and awareness when it comes to things that might deplete your iodine stores, like swimming in chlorine, certain drugs, and eating bromine-laden white bread.

Read the full article here: Why Salt is Not Enough- Clearing the Iodine Confusion