Iodine and Kelp

[Linda25]

Saw a very interesting presentation yesterday by a naturopathic physician/accupuncturist who was explaining the role of the Thyroid and other endocrine glands as potential causes of fibromyalgia and CFIDS

Her recommendation was to take Kelp tablets - one with each meal, as a way to supplement iodine in the body. The iodine is supposed to be a natural way to help the adrenals and boost healthy thyroid function. Also the other incredients in Kelp help chelate toxic metals OUT of the body

Kelp is relatively inexpensive, so I went out and bought a bottle and am starting my regimen - will report on results.

She stated that your Thyroid panel can look totally normal lab test wise, but a better predictor of endocrine function is body temperature - do you have a chronically low temperature (under 98.6) or do you always feel cold? and fatigued

She also stated the importance of excellent nutrition, avoiding caffiene, some form of exercise and drinking plenty of water every day. Also REGULAR meals and a regular bedtime are important for regulating the adrenals

good luck

Linda25

[cherie4000]

Funny you should mention Thyroid Hypothyroid is related to muscle aches, I'm going out to get some kelp, do you have a link to this article?

[Linda25]

no, sorry, it was a verbal presentation by a naturopathic doc/accupuncturist - she saw a presentation on it recently at a conference. I will look and see if i can find a link on the web

good luck

Linda25

[MichelleC]

My temperature's been low as long as I can remember. I'm interested to see how it works for you!

Michelle

[Linda25]

The presenter said that low temp was one of the symptoms of a 'burned out adrenal system' and ineffective thyroid function. She said that your Thyroid blood tests could look like they are in the normal range, but that doesn't mean your Thyroid is actually functioning the way it's supposed to and supporting your endocrine system

I spent quite a bit of time googling "Thyroid and Fibromyalgia" etc. and there are LOTS of articles out there, many pro iodine, some warning of the dangers of taking too much
I would suggest folks do there own searches for now and try to decide for yourself, or better yet talk with your best fibro doc and see what he/she says.

the presenter at our group did say that kelp was better than plain iodine because the kelp has materials in it that help chelate toxic metals out of the body, I'm "GUESSING" too that it might be harder to overdose on kelp as opposed to iodine

let us know if you find the definitive article;) and I'll keep looking too

thanks

Linda25

[BrokenBladder]

Thanks Linda 25 for this article. Somehow I missed it when you posted it but I'm wondering what kind of affect this will have on my bladder. What is kelp made of? I'm going to google it and see if I can get some answers before I run off and buy some only to find out my bladder won't handle it.

[Linda25]

It is a sea vegetable, (sea weed) very popular in the Japanese diet.

Maybe you should ask your doc about effects on the bladder, I don't know and haven't seen anything related

[CathyT]

I'm always torn in what to believe. Low thyroid and tired adrenals (in spite of normal lab values) has been suggested alot for fatigue, but I get very nervous about treating it, unless it is something very natural. I think I'll give the kelp a try.
Its very hard to sort out what to do. Alternative medicine proponents are always talking about treatments that aren't accepted at all by conventional medicine. I suppose the proof is in the putting........but without alot of regulation, its also scary to put alot of supplements into our bodies, without knowing for sure what they are doing.
I guess all I'm saying is what you said Linda, and that is to do alot of research ourselves.
The stories that some of these practitioners give always sound sooooo good, and make so much sense.......but I'm just not sure if they have any basis in reality.
But the kelp is something I would feel okay about taking.
I used to put some iodine on my skin too, but never noticed a difference. (This was suggested to me by a local holistic doc).
And I'm not sure that a low temperature means much. I would love to take alot of peoples' temps and see if "normal" people ran low temps too.
Mine is always around 97.

[Tootsie]

I think everyone, needs to keep in mind, that when standard medical treatment does not work, or there is no universal treatment, that helps everyone, (like fibromyalgia), we are at high risk, for being taken advantage of, by anyone who suggests, they have a way to make us feel better. Basic, scientific proof is the standard by which medical practice in the USA is judged.

Alternative medicine can be helpful for some conditions and is generally recognized as being able to alleviate some kinds of symptoms. However, I have known of cases where when insurance runs out and money is no longer available, suddenly the "treatments" have been declared a success, or the patient advised that no further improvement can be expected, and the patient discharged.

I think most of us who have had fibro for any period of time, have found various therapies and treatments that work for us. We advise others to try them but know that not all will benefit. The thing that bothers me is that for some, cost is a real concern and offering false hope is being cruel.

One of the more cynical posters on braintalk once made the comment that if you take out a check book and wave it around long enough, someone is bound to find a cure for you. Cheerio.

[Linda25]

I have had the misfortune to encounter a couple of "alternative' medicine types who swore they were going to cure me - these 2 also just happened to charge a huge amount of money

I don't believe anyone can cure Fibro at this point. I'm trying to rely on exercise, being as healthy as possible and reasonable vitamin and mineral supplementation.

I feel ok about the kelp because in the Japanese diet people eat LOADS of kelp and don't seem to suffer any ill effects - in fact they have Lower incidence of breast cancer and some other health problems than folks of Japanese descent who eat an American style diet.

Also Kelp is supposed to help fibrocycstic breast disease (which I have) so i was curious to see if it would help. If i don't see an improvement in my energy and/or fibrocycstic condition in 6 months, I will quit taking it.

Good thing about Kelp is it is CHEAP. The only supplement I pay a lot for is Co enzyme Q and that is for migraines.

The person who gave the presentation on Thyroid and Kelp was giving the information for free and was not selling the Kelp (though she also worked as an alternative medicine doc and did advertise her services)

If something seems "funny" or too good to be true about a treatmetnt or practitioner - it probably is - go with your gut

Linda25

[brendafrandsen]

I am new to this group, but was "googling" some information for a friend and stumbled on to your thread about taking kelp for fibromyalgia. Our group, The Fibromyalgia Recovery Group" (www.fibromyalgiarecovery.com) has just embarked on an investigatory project of taking iodine (Iodoral or Lugol's Solution) for fibromyalgia. We are working with Dr. Jorge Flechas in North Carolina, although most of us live in the West. I have just updated our website with information about this new protocol, and we invite any of you who are interested to join our study group. Those who began taking Iodoral a few months ago are already showing AMAZING signs of recovery. Iodine definitely works for Fibrocystic Breast Disease as well as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Group members have also shown dramatic improvements in thyroid disfunction, pain, energy, brain fog, hypoglycemia, and depression. We need to broaden the study, however, to other people. This is not a "controlled" study, and participation is completely voluntary. We are a not-for-profit group and do not make money on any of the products recommended. If you are interested in learning more, please visit our website and sign up for our new iodine discussion group (FibroRecoveryGroup) at www.yahoogroups.com.

Best regards,
Brenda Frandsen, Executive Director
Fibromyalgia Recovery Group

[Lil E]

I discussed this with my daughter who was a bio-chemistry major and is now going to a holistic whole body medical practice and is thinking of getting a degree in nutrition. She takes a lot of supplements to help with fibro, food sensitivities and a host of others. She said our salt is iodized so people get enough iodine. But if you have blood pressure problems or other reasons why you can't use much salt, kelp is a good one to start with.

She got me some kelp caps it contains, 390mcq iron, 400mcq iodine, 20mg of sodium for a total of 660mg total kelp. They use the whole plant. The bottle says 1 cap with food daily. She eats a mostly Japanese diet with a good amount of seaweed and tries to avoid processed food. We have the same temp 97*.

I don't need a doctor to nag me about my diet, she does it! We talked about the thyroid problem not showing up because I gain weight for no reason and thats a symptom of under active thyroid. I've had two elderly dogs gain weight, not want to go out and drink a lot. Turned out they had hypothyroidism, they take people medicine for it and they got better.

I'll let you know about the kelp.