Page 24 - aruba-today-20190424

A24 HEAltH
Wednesday 24 april 2019

Mineral from the Sea

I started testing our patient iodine levels. To breast lumps. Laboratory evidences demon-
do this, we have you collect some urine in the strate that the effect of iodine on breast cancer
morning and evening. Since iodine levels are is in part independent of thyroid function and
especially important for the thyroid, we send that iodine inhibits cancer promotion through
the sample to a lab specializing in Hormones. modulation of the estrogen pathway. Natu-
Symptoms and potential risk for iodine deficien- ral medicine physicians have recommended
cy include: Depression, Infertility, Feeling cold women with breast cancer or uncomfortable
all the time or cold hands and feet, Sleep distur- lumps in the breast, fibrocystic breast disease
bances, Elevated cholesterol, Aches and pains, paint their breast with iodine.
Dry skin, Fatigue, Heart palpitations, Constipa-
tion, Anxiety, Foggy thinking, Low libido, Thin- Eating foods that rob iodine, such as cabbage,
ning hair, Brittle nails, Headaches, Weight gain cassava, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, brus-
with an inability to lose weight, and menstrual sel sprouts mustard greens, millet and pine nut
By: Dr Carlos Viana irregularities, to name a few symptoms. These contribute to low iodine levels. I think the worse
symptoms also appear in people with a slow is gluten found in wheat. Gluten sensitivity has
Thyroid, hypothyroidism. Your thyroid gland se- been found to go hand-in-hand with autoim-
People feel better whether they are soaking in cretes iodine- rich hormones thyroxin and triio- mune disorders such as type 1 diabetes, Ad-
our beautiful Caribbean sea. Taking time off dothyronine, which regulate your metabolism dison’s disease, Sjögren’s syndrome, rheuma-
from our daily responsibilities to relax and play rate; but its effects are felt all over the body. toid arthritis, and autoimmune thyroid disease.
in nature revitalizes our spirit. Yet, the increase Kelp, a type of seaweed is one of the best food
in vitamin D from sunshine and iodine from the Hypothyroidism disproportionately affects sources of iodine.
sea is benefiting our physical health as well. women at a rate of about 9 to 1 in the US. The
reason for this is that the female hormone estro- The third problem effecting your iodine levels
Iodine is a trace element, essential for good gen inhibits the absorption of iodine. Women and hypothyroidism is an amino acid deficien-
health. Iodine is naturally present in seawater who are pregnant or nursing need about 50% cy. As the building blocks of every structure of
as well as many marine fish and plants. It is more iodine to provide sufficient iodine for their your body, amino acids have an influence on
found naturally in some foods and is also add- baby. the function of organs, glands, tendons and ar-
ed to salt that is labeled as “iodized”. For many teries. They are furthermore essential for healing
years I assumed those of us who live in the trop- Iodine has a nutritional relationship with seleni- wounds and repairing tissue, especially in the
ics would have sufficient levels of iodine in our um. Medical researchers have found that men muscles, bones, skin and hair as well as for the
bodies. After all, we swim in the ocean regu- with the highest levels of selenium had a 52% re- removal of all kinds of waste deposits produced
larly and our diet includes lots of fish, fruits and duced risk of diabetes, compared to those with in connection with the metabolism. The con-
vegetables, which should contain iodine from the lowest selenium levels. Laboratory studies version of thyroid hormones T3 and T4 involves
the soil. indicate the potentially beneficial role of sele- thyroid specific amino acids, found predomi-
nium in the management of breast cancer. It nantly but not exclusively in the thyroid tissue.
Urinary iodine levels in the US today are about actually could be that selenium is stimulating
half what they were in the 1970s. Since our the iodine in the breast. Get The Point! Feeling any of the symptoms list-
current Island diet, like most modern diets, in- ed above could indicate a problem with thy-
cludes imported, conventionally grown food, The breast strongly and actively concentrates roid and problems of your body to utilize iodine.
we islanders, like most people are now iodine iodine into breast-milk for the benefit of the de- The first step is to test your body’s iodine status.
deficient. veloping infant, and may develop lumpy swell- Our clinic offers iodine, full hormone panel and
ing, sometimes manifesting as fibrocystic breast amino acid testing. If results show you are de-
My assumptions about our iodine levels were disease, when iodine level are low. Studies indi- ficient in iodine, we need like a detective, start
wrong. cate that iodine deficiency can lead to breast eliminating and identifying what is blocking your
problems and increased incidence of malig- body’s ability to use iodine and if appropriate,
In order not to assume and to confirm levels, nancy, while iodine treatment can reverse add the correct iodine supplementation. q