Will Kelp Help?

[Tidings]

Will KELP help? (Not meaning to be a poet, there, by the way!) ;P

Am tempted to start taking a low dose of "Icelandic Kelp" to see if that would help my overall health, assuming I have a sluggish thyroid (which it is beginning to look like is the case). But I've read some articles online (see links below) as well as some posts in this forum that suggest that the iodine-rich kelp could cause problems, like aggravating D.H. or, worse, might cause ARSENIC-poisoning (YIKES!) (see links)!??

Has anybody here experienced "toxicity" or other troublesome reactions from taking Kelp? Was thinking of taking only one-half the recommended dose (since I tend to be hypersensitive to everything) and see what happens...?? However, I do NOT want to aggravate a chronic scalp itch or cause itchy flareups elsewhere!? And definitely don't want to "enjoy" arsenic poisoning! Is kelp likely to cause these or other problems, especially in a super-sensitive system?

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[ravenwoodglass]

If you think you may have DH I would avoid it. Also this woman was taking well over the advised dose of the supplement. Do you use iodized salt? If you do you are likely already getting plenty of iodine. Most multivitiamin supplements also contain iodine. If you are thinking you have thyroid issues perhaps your doctor could do testing?

[cassP]

this seaweed is supposed to help your thyroid-

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but if u have DH- it may aggravate it. if you dont have DH- i would totally try it out-

it cant hurt, and may really help with your thyroid. if you develop a patch of DH, then discontinue it.

also, you should avoid brussel sprouts, cabbage, and sometimes broccoli- as they can inhibit your thyroid

[WheatChef]

Well one potentially beneficial aspect of kelp is it's often high in omega-3s which technically would reduce inflammation.

[Tidings]

If you are thinking you have thyroid issues perhaps your doctor could do testing?

Have LOST HOPE on current/recent two doctors and LOSING MED COVERAGE on Thursday, so further testing's probably not going to happen in the foreseeable future. Am resorting to acupuncture for time being, and whatever supplements seem helpful. --Although I have been taking vitamins and various supplements for YEARS and don't see a lot of benefit; I wonder if the damaged intestines could be preventing absorption of oral vitamins & supplements?

[Tidings]

this seaweed is supposed to help your thyroid-

Open Original Shared Link

but if u have DH- it may aggravate it. if you dont have DH- i would totally try it out-

it cant hurt, and may really help with your thyroid. if you develop a patch of DH, then discontinue it.

also, you should avoid brussel sprouts, cabbage, and sometimes broccoli- as they can inhibit your thyroid

Hi cassP,

Will try the kelp on a VERY small dosage (like one-quarter to start with!) and see if anything happens. (Probably the only thing that will happen is face will break out, which has happened in the past on iodine...)

Thanks for the info on the green veggies--we eat quite a bit of br. sprouts & broccoli, mainly because they're supposed to be anti-carcinogens... But if they are contributing to thyroid issues, will cut back on them.

[GFinDC]

You would probably find some interesting info if you do a search on "goitrogen". Goitrogens (funny name huh?) inhibit the ability of the thyroid to uptake iodine. Soy is another known goitrogen.

I used to take "Natural Sources" raw thryoid, and it helped me quite bit. I have weaned off it over time and after eliminating several other nasty trashy foods from my diet, and am doing ok now without it. Just something to possibly try, and doesn't need a prescription. I got it at Vitamin Shoppe. but it may be available other places too.