Originally Posted by Nancy LC

ooh, that sounds interesting. Do you have a recipe for that?

Originally Posted by fishercat

I started eating it because I was diagnosed with hypotension thanks to the whole paleo-diet no-salt thing. I feel much much better eating it, but I guess you have to be careful not to overdose! I can't believe I love it so much because I used to think it was gross.

Originally Posted by rightnow

I wonder if our common food intake 'depletes' iodine (or its absorption) in the way that happens to vitamins (such as C). In which case a little iodine in occasional salt may not be nearly enough.

Originally Posted by Demi

Dr William Davis has blogged several times recently on the subject of iodine deficiency:

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Iodine deficiency is REAL

Like many health-conscious people, Kurt avoids salt. In fact, he has assiduously avoided salt ever since his heart attack back in 1995.

Lately, Kurt had become tired, often for little or no reason. His thyroid panel:

TSH 4.2 mIU/L (0.27-4.20)
Free T3 1.74 pg/ml (2.50-4.30)
Free T4 1.05 ng/dl (0.9-1.7)

Kurt's TSH of 4.2 mIU/L is sufficient to increase LDL cholesterol by 20-30% and increase the (relative) risk for heart attack 3-fold.

Kurt's thyroid was also palpably enlarged. While it was just barely visible--just a minor bulge in the neck (in the shape of a bowtie), it could be clearly felt when I examined him.

I asked Kurt to add 500 mcg of iodine every day. Three months later, another thyroid panel showed:

TSH 0.14 mIU/L (0.27-4.20)
Free T3 2.50 pg/ml (2.50-4.30)
Free T4 1.1 ng/dl (0.9-1.7)

Kurt's thyroid function normalized to nearly ideal levels just with iodine replacement. (The free T3, while improved, remains low; an issue for another day!)

I see this response with some frequency: low-grade goiter and apparent hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) that responds, at least partially, to iodine replacement. In Kurt's case, iodine replacement alone normalized his thyroid measures completely.

Originally Posted by amandawood

I just want to clarify something here: you got LOW blood pressure because you weren't eating enough salt, right?

Or do you hold the "paleo diet" responsible, too?

You write above that you eat "Islander Paleoesque" - is that what you still eat or have you added in salt into your diet since discovering you had low blood pressure?

And what exactly were your low blood pressure symptoms? Or did you discover you had low blood pressure simply by taking a reading?

I hope you don't mind my being so nosy, but I was just curious as my blood pressure seems to go low occasionally, but it can't be connected to low salt intake cos I eat lots of salty food and also add it to my vegetables, too.

amanda

Originally Posted by Scarlet

It is hard to take Dr. Davis’s words seriously when he honestly thinks this patient's bloods are much better. Yes, his TSH has improved, but most of us hypo patients know by now that TSH is meaningless. TSH is really only a measure of whether your pituitary is working or not. It is recommended that Free T3 be at the top or over the range and Free T4 at least mid range.

Originally Posted by DTris

Perhaps it is not an iodine deficiency that is causing the thyroid problems but a Vitamin A deficiency that is causing a problem with the bodies ability to produce TSH and absorb Iodine.