Iodine Loading Test Commences

This is the day of saving all voids which is a nice way of saying catching all of one’s urine in a cup and transferring it to a large container. I am doing as my functional medicine doctor recommended eons ago; checking my iodine levels. How and why I am doing this will fill the next few paragraphs.

If you have never done an Iodine Loading test the procedure is quite simple but I am happy to have the house to myself as it makes it even easier. If you are prescribed an Iodine Loading test you will be sent or given a box with the instructions, a medium size cup, a large plastic container, Iodoral or some form of iodine and a vial and packaging to send all this back via FedEx. Then it is left to you to pick a day that is convenient to collect all voided urine for 24 hours, starting after you take your mega dose of Iodoral. The only special instruction is to avoid all Iodine containing food for 48 hours prior to the test.

Why would a person do an Iodine Loading test? Simply put, most Americans are deficient in Iodine but there is much more to the story and I will try to summarize as best I can (actually not something I excel at). First of all, we live in a world full of toxins and one toxin that has become increasingly more prevalent is Bromide. Bromide is present in the food we eat (some breads and some soft drinks), computers, fabrics, dyes, mattresses and furniture, hot tub cleaners, some cosmetics, some hair products,  prescription drugs,cell phones,fabric softeners, car interiors, televisions, and the most toxic form is found in fire retardants. When I look at that list I realize that I am in contact with Bromide nearly every day although it would not be in the food I eat as I do not ingest industry tainted food or sodas. The real problem is that Bromide will displace Iodine if a person is consuming inadequate amounts of Iodine.

If a person has a normally functioning thyroid and healthy levels of Iodine, they will maintain a  good Bromide-Iodine ratio and Bromide might not present a problem. However, if your thyroid is under functioning and you are not getting enough Iodine in your diet this Bromide poisoning may contribute to dis-ease. Science has found a strong link between breast cancer and low levels of Iodine and Bromide may be a contributing factor to the low levels of Iodine.

Depleted soil may also be a contributing factor to hypothyroidism and low levels of Iodine. In the 1920’s it was found that people living in Michigan had consistently low levels of Iodine and high incidence of goiter and thyroid problems. It seems that the soil in that part of the country was very low in naturally occurring Iodine. The solution was to add Iodine to table salt in 1924 (iodized salt like Morton’s). However, it has been found recently that most Iodine added to salt evaporates quickly, so that may not be as useful a source of Iodine as once thought. I personally do not want to eat chemically treated salt like Morton’s and sea salts have very little to no Iodine despite being high in other necessary minerals. Add to that the fact that a lot of misguided doctors recommend low salt diets which means people use Lite Salt or no salt and you are down to very little Iodine being ingested.

Sea vegetables are high in Iodine but Americans eat very little vegetables from the sea. The country that eats the most sea vegetables is Japan and they have the lowest incidence of breast cancer in the world. All in all, we Americans ingest very low levels of Iodine, so supplementation may be necessary to maintain a healthy level.

That is where the Iodine Loading test is valuable. A person should excrete 90% of the Iodine you ingest, so the doctor will give you a product like Iodoral in a specific dose. During the subsequent 24 hours you should excrete 90% of the amount prescribed and if it is less a formula can help determine how much Iodine you need to get your levels to a more normal and thus healthy level. “Iodine supplementation alters the competitive bromide-iodine relationship causing bromide excretion. Thus, bromide dominance is diminished and proper iodine enzyme metabolism may be restored.” The Iodine Loading test also can be used to check levels of Bromide and Fluoride both of which if too high contribute to dis-ease. I have opted to just check my Iodine levels because the treatment if my levels are too low will be the same (Iodoral daily) whether we check my Bromide and Fluoride levels or not and the test is about $200 less.

There is too much information out there to share in one post on the subject of Iodine and dis-ease but that is a brief and hopefully an understandable summary of my day full of urine and containers, the whys and wherefores. If you think you would benefit by taking an Iodine Loading test contact your physician, tell them you will even pay for the test if insurance won’t cover it (mine was $120 including postage) and proceed from there. After all, you are in charge of your body and you can make the choice to have dis-ease or vibrant health. Yes you can!

How to Use a Functional Medicine Practitioner

I have visited this subject in previous blogs but I have just read a very interesting case study of two patients with horrible fibromyalgia issues and I think the subject must be broached again and again. If you or anyone you know suffers from the wracking pain of fibromyalgia and the resulting exhaustion of the accompanying chronic fatigue you, too, would feel my fervor regarding the subject of functional medicine/integrative medicine. However, everyone or better said anyone with medical issues such as autoimmune disorders, cardiac issues, infertility, cancer, etc. can benefit from seeing a functional medicine practitioner, a licensed MD who specializes in functional/integrative medicine and will from here on out be referred to as a FMP.

Typically when a person visits their general practitioner or even a nurse practitioner the medical person will look at a brief medical history of the patient they see before them. They will have been given no more than 15 minutes to visit with this person and provide a diagnosis and I am told sometimes the doctor never takes their hand off the door knob. How much thinking or caring goes in to a diagnosis given on the run? The easiest path is always the path of least resistance and hardly anyone will or can resist taking a miraculous little pill, so guess what? This medical person will reach in to their pocket and pull out a pad of paper, scratch some words on it, sign it, give it to you with instructions to take it to your pharmacy of choice and send you on your way.

Do you know (or have you experienced it personally) that some people end up taking pharmaceutical products that actually counteract each other? Or that they end up with a cupboard full of pharmacy products that are costing them (or us) a bomb but they haven’t even addressed the medical issue? The case study I just read was depressing as these two women had been put on psychiatric medicines, pain medicines, acid reflux medicines, etc. (and I am not exaggerating about the etc.) and still their symptoms did not abate and both cases got much worse. They both thought they were losing their minds and the medical people they saw corroborated their suspicions instead of doing the right thing.

This is the point where you as the patient have to have done your homework. You have to understand that this physician means well but medicine is a big business now and there are bills to be paid and equipment to be used to pay those bills, so they want to use them be it in a surgical setting or elsewhere. They don’t or won’t take time to thoroughly examine your situation and if and when you start asking questions (because you have done your homework) they will get irritated and downright rude. I have heard that people are told “you aren’t a doctor” or “do not mention that name again in this office” if they ask questions or mention people like Joe Mercola. If this ever happens to you, excuse yourself, grab your clothes and leave. Go home, turn on your computer, Google “Functional Medicine Practioners” and make an appointment with the one nearest to your location.

Why? You will instantly see the difference because the first thing you will do is fill out a health history like no other you have ever filled out. I seem to remember that Dr. Rob Bruley’s was 24 pages long and included questions like “Do you clear your throat often?” or “Have you experienced any major life changes recently?” right down to the number of daily bowel movements you experience. These questions will be carefully examined by your FMP before you are even seen in the office and a course of action will only take place after you have also had at least one hour and a half appointment in their office, face to face. Don’t be taken aback by the offer of a glass of water, or even a tissue to wipe away your tears of relief. Someone is finally listening to you and they don’t even have their fingers on the door knob.

Next the FMP will try to make things better as soon as possible but this may not be an overnight solution. They may prescribe pharmaceutical products to temporarily alleviate your anxiety or pain, after all they are MDs, so they do understand that once in awhile a pill really does help. What they will do that your GP doesn’t do is try to find the underlying problem not just apply a bandaid that will eventually fail and leave you with a gaping hole again filled with aches and pains that will require one more pill with all of its side effects and conditions. You will most likely have a full blood panel ordered, a 4 stage stool test, mucosal barrier tests and heavy metal tests. You may also need an Estronex test or Cortisal/DHEA test or even an Iodine loading test. The tests requested by the FMP will depend on how you filled out that lengthy questionaire and what tests they feel will peel off the layers and expose the underlying cause of your problem. Your insurance may or may not pay for all the tests but if you are seriously ill the cost of the tests is nothing when compared to giving in and losing this battle altogether. Don’t forget there are a plethora of case studies out there where people have sought treatment, been given treatment at great expense, the treatment fails and they go bankrupt trying to pay for failed allopahtic care. Bite the bullet and pay for the tests you need it will be cheaper in the long run.

Once the tests results are back your FMP will schedule up to 3 hours of time to thoroughly discuss a plan of action. You will walk out of the office feeling drained (admittedly of money as well as emotions) but positive. Someone has listened to you, taken action and hope reigns anew. In the case of these two women in the study I read they had both suffered for years with paralyzing pain, dizziness and anxiety. They both were on some of the strongest pain meds you can take and neither one got relief without increasing the strength or adding this pill or that pill and those just exacerbated other issues. When they finally found a FMP and followed through with recommended tests they found that they were both taking zero pharmaceutical products, their pain was gone and their future rosy. Just in case you are interested, one had undiagnosed autoimmune thyroiditis and the other had a bacteria that was harbored in the mucosal lining of her intestinal tract. Both patients were treated in very different ways despite having the same issue of fibromyalgia and both had successful outcomes.

When considering this recommendation remember I am a lay person just like you, I am not a doctor. I have health concerns much the same as you do and I see a FMP because he was the only one who understood that I understood and would listen to me and work with me. He was never threatening or condescending and I can honestly say I have never seen his fingers touch a door knob for anything except to keep  our discussion private and to allow me to leave when I feel all questions have been addressed.

Yes Dorothy there is life after mastectomy

I am in awe this morning and I was in awe last night but too filled with a bit of anxiety to realize. My sister-in-law had a double mastectomy on Thursday morning and last night when I entered her “hotel” room (not) she was radiant and smiling. She is a little concave (she says) but women should know there is a full life after mastectomy and I have no doubt she will make the most of being cancer free and tit less.

I have never been attached to my mammary glands and have had the feeling forever that the smaller the better. Large breasts are simply too much fat and I see nothing attractive about fat. Not being male I do not understand and have never understood the intense attraction to females who look like a potential Leaning Tower of Pisa to me. Does anyone with large breasts ever tell you how bad their backs hurt or how burdened a woman’s shoulders are by humongous bras and great pendulums of fat that hang off their chests. We are all lead to believe that to be feminine we must have large breasts and nothing could be further from the truth.

The truth is far from the vast udder myth that is perpetuated by Hollywood and Dollywood. When I walked in to the hospital room last night no one could have looked more feminine or in control of the situation than my sister-in-law. She looked lovely in a lime green french terry capri outfit, sitting regally on her bed eating supper and smiling the smile of a woman who has unburdened her body of some cancerous cells and eliminated future prospects of ductal cancer returning because there are no ducts and I say “HURRAH’ you go girl!

Yes, I have my boobs and yes they are larger than I would like due to excess weight that I carry around as I am cursed by hypothyroidism and menopause and more honestly an appetite for good food. I may not be the right person to applaud my now boob less sister-in-law but I hope she wears her new chest with a certain amount of aplomb and does not succumb to the wild rantings of her friends who say they feel less feminine without their mammillary accesories. Who needs to be a right cow? Not me, not you, no woman need concern herself with her chest  if she can only see that she has a bigger purpose on this earth than soothing some male ego and his manic obsession with said cows.