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Isabella Wentz, MD, figured out this issue, but she did not do it for the sake of interest. At 23, she was diagnosed with a thyroid disease, and now the woman has written a book about it.
Few people have heard of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in our country, but this disease is considered one of the most common among autoimmune. What is its essence? The body begins to take thyroid cells for the “enemy” and unleashes a war against them. A chain reaction is triggered because the thyroid gland affects many bodily functions: skin and hair health, fertility, muscle health, and the hormonal system.
Analyzing the causes of this disease in his Isabella Wentz, Ph.D., comes to an unexpected conclusion. It turns out that iodized salt can trigger an ailment.
Wentz writes about studies that have shown that excess iodine damages the thyroid gland, producing reactive oxygen species. These substances lead to premature damage and programmed cell death in thyroid tissues.
Iodine has a very narrow therapeutic index: too low doses lead to iodine deficiency hypothyroidism, and high doses cause or aggravate Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. When iodine from food and supplements is metabolized by the thyroid gland, hydrogen peroxide, a free radical, is released. If there is enough selenium in the body, it will neutralize hydrogen peroxide. But with an excess of iodine, hydrogen peroxide can cause oxidative damage to the thyroid gland.
What to do in this case? The easiest way to get rid of the threat is to choose your salt carefully. It is better to give preference to seafood without iodine, black or pink.
Of course, salt is not the only and certainly not the most important activator of the disease. According to the statistics cited by Wentz, in 69% of cases, an autoimmune reaction develops after severe stress, in 20% – after a sudden change in the environment (for example, moving), and in 2% it is due to breast augmentation operations.
But don’t be too scared. Thyroiditis is a disease that can be brought under control. Isabella also ran into him at 23. For ten years she developed a treatment regimen that helped bring the disease into remission. And she shares her experience in the book “The Hashimoto Protocol”.