Iodine Deficiency. The Biggest Health
Threat Today
ByDavid McCarthy
The Problem
Iodine deficiency is one of the major health
risks today in the eyes of the World Health
Organisation and this is a sad state of affairs
because it hasn't been a problem in developed
countries for a very long time, now it is
a problem in every country.
There is an old saying that indicates:
"You are what you eat" and this
deficiency is connected to the input of
Iodine to our bodies, but before we go
into this and state the very, very low
cost cure it is prudent to point out the
effects of this deficiency: Our Iodine
intake has a direct effect upon our IQ
and people with the deficiency are showing
a loss of up to 15 points. In Tibet where
this deficiency is most prevalent few
children have an IQ that exceeds 85 and
this means that it is almost impossible
to teach them beyond primary school curriculum.
This situation is now happening in every
nation of the world; yours included.
The other part of the body that depends
upon adequate Iodine intake is the Thyroid
Gland and often the first visible sign
of the deficiency is a swelling of the
neck area.
Daily Requirement
Our bodies require very little Iodine,
in fact about 1 teaspoon throughout our
entire life is enough. That doesn't mean
you can take it in one hit because that
figure is spread over your lifespan.
So how is it possible that intake was
sufficient ten years ago but is insufficient
today?
The major reason is that most nations
have stopped using Iodine solution to
sterilize milk containers before bottling;
today they use a Chlorine solution. The
old system used to leave a beneficial
contamination of Iodine that mixed with
the milk when it was bottled. This amount
was sufficient to fulfill the needs of
our bodies.
Concerns
One of the major concerns today is deficiency
in pregnant women that is leading to children
with lowered IQ, low attention span (no
substantial proof yet that it is connected
to Attention Deficit Disorder, but it
is being explored) and also a risk to
the operation of their Thyroid Glands.
In years gone by a child received this
naturally from the mother whilst in the
womb, from breast feeding and later when
drinking milk. Most mothers today are
so deficient themselves that they have
none to pass on to their child and as
we have already pointed out our milk no
longer provides it.
The Simple Solution
So what is the answer? Here I resist
the urge to point you to some Iodine supplement
and pick up a commission for sending you
there because it is far simpler than that.
The answer is to throw away the salt that
you use to cook and season your food and
replace it with Iodinised Salt (it tastes
the same and costs just a few cents more).
Yes it is truly as simple as that. You
don't need to increase your intake of
salt because salt is still a cause of
high blood pressure, you just need to
continue using salt in the same safe manner
that you use it now, just replace normal
salt with Iodinised salt. End of problem.
Look for the Product
My local supermarket has 31 different
packages of salt on display and only two
are Iodinised, needless to say they are
on the bottom shelf and out of sight to
most shoppers. If your supermarket doesn't
stock it then request that they do or
make enquiries with your local Pharmacy.
This health threat is far too serious
to ignore. The time to throw away your
old salt is NOW. It's your health that
is at stake.
This article is copyright David McCarthy
2005 and may only be re-produced in its
entirety without any additions.
About The Author
David McCarthy is webmaster of http://www.recipesmania.com
a website devoted to freely sharing knowledge
on all facets of food, cooking, weight
loss, food related health subjects and
a free weight loss program. It contains
recipes for all occasions from health
to partying.
