Is Iodine Safe for Hashimoto's

This is a response to elbertopollak on Instagram who asked "Chris I just found out I have subclinical hypothyroidism. Very High TSH, extremely high thyroid peroxidase and thyroglinlin antibodies but normal thyroid hormones. Should I still take iodine because some practitioners recommend agai nst it for low thyroid which seems counterintuitive. If you could shine some light I'd be grateful." and daffodil468 who asked "What about it triggering Hashimotos?" Here are the links to the comments: https://www.instagram.com/p/CNQv6L9H7w_/c/17928307660536891/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CNOVDfmrg_x/c/17904545722830580/ Disclaimer: this is not medical advice. This is solely educational. Condensed response (see video for details): Iodine should be used for hypothyroidism when it is caused by iodine deficiency, which is increasingly likely as iodized salt intake is on the decline. In Hashimoto's, iodine can increase production of thyroid hormone, which requires superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, which can cause oxidative stress and inflammation if the antioxidant system of the thyroid is not in order. Central to this system is selenium, glutathione, zinc, copper, and iron, but dietary magnesium, manganese, carbohydrate, protein, glycine, and polyphenols can be relevant as well. Iodine should be safe especially at doses close to the RDA once this system is optimized. Valuable tests include lipid peroxides, F2 isoprostanes, 8-hydroxy 2-deoxyguanosine, plasma zinc and selenium, serum copper and ferritin, iron saturation %, and whole blood glutathione. Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet has a section on the antioxidant system that provides guidelines for using these tests to optimize the antioxidant system: https://chris-masterjohn-phd.myshopify.com/products/testing-nutritional-status-the-ultimate-cheat-sheet You can find it using that link or at chrismasterjohnphd.com under "purchase/support."

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