In recent years, there’s been an increase in obesity and developmental disorders. this may be the reason why…

A severe iodine deficiency can cause hypothyroidism, and even developmental brain disorders (gee, could this explain the rise in autism?) and severe goiter. Less severe iodine deficiency is linked to hypothyroidism, thyroid enlargement (goiter) and hyperthyroidism. At the other end of the spectrum, excessive iodine intake — both severe and moderate — is also associated with hypothyroidism and goiter. Insufficient iodine is, in fact, considered is the most common — yet also most preventable — cause of brain damage throughout the world, with 1.6 billion people at risk.
Children with iodine deficiency and its resulting hypothyroidism can suffer from stunted growth, with mental retardation and problems in movement, speech or hearing. Worldwide, iodine deficiency actually affects some 50 million children. When a woman with iodine deficiency becomes pregnant, she risks miscarriage, stillbirth and mental retardation in her baby. Even what’s considered a mild iodine deficiency can hamper the growth of children’s brains, reduce their IQ, and cause learning disabilities. Symptoms of hypothyroidism include: ____ I am gaining weight inappropriately
____ I’m unable to lose weight with diet/exercise
____ I am constipated, sometimes severely
____ I have hypothermia/low body temperature (I feel cold when others feel hot, I need extra sweaters, etc.)
____ I feel fatigued, exhausted
____ Feeling run down, sluggish, lethargic
____ My hair is coarse and dry, breaking, brittle, falling out
____ My skin is coarse, dry, scaly, and thick
____ I have a hoarse or gravely voice
____ I have puffiness and swelling around the eyes and face
____ I have pains, aches in joints, hands and feet
____ I have developed carpal-tunnel syndrome, or it’s getting worse
____ I am having irregular menstrual cycles (longer, or heavier, or more frequent)
____ I am having trouble conceiving a baby
____ I feel depressed
____ I feel restless
____ My moods change easily
____ I have feelings of worthlessness
____ I have difficulty concentrating
____ I have more feelings of sadness
____ I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities
____ I’m more forgetful lately

I also have the following additional symptoms, which have been reported more frequently in people with hypothyroidism:

____ My hair is falling out
____ I can’t seem to remember things
____ I have no sex drive
____ I am getting more frequent infections, that last longer
____ I’m snoring more lately
____ I have/may have sleep apnea
____ I feel shortness of breath and tightness in the chest
____ I feel the need to yawn to get oxygen
____ My eyes feel gritty and dry
____ My eyes feel sensitive to light
____ My eyes get jumpy/tics in eyes, which makes me dizzy/vertigo and have headaches
____ I have strange feelings in neck or throat
____ I have tinnitus (ringing in ears)
____ I get recurrent sinus infections
____ I have vertigo
____ I feel some lightheadedness
____ I have severe menstrual cramps

If you have a sensitivity to iodine or have hashimotos disease, you should get treated by NAET (see NAET.com) as this is an essential nutrient. However, It’s pretty safe ingesting iodine through food sources, but when you go for supplementation–well, that’s another story. You can overdose on it quite easily. Allergies to iodine seem to be common. So supplement with supervision on this one.

Food Sources of Iodine:
Asparagus

Dulse

Garlic

Kelp

Lima beans

Mushrooms

Seafood

Sea salt and fortified salt

Seaweed

Sesame seeds

Soybeans

Spinach

Summer squash

Swiss chard

Turnip greens

Are you getting enough of these in your diet?