Thyroid Iodine Treatment

Thyroid iodine treatment can replenish a lack of iodine in your diet. Why does the thyroid need iodine? The answer is really quite simple. Basically, the thyroid gland needs iodine to produce hormones, and the two most important hormones that it produces are thyroxin and triiodothyronine. If you were to stop consuming iodine, the reaction would be for the thyroid to stop creating these hormones. It is important to consume enough iodine so that the thyroid gland can do its job.

The body needs about 60 micrograms of iodine per day to make thyroid hormone. Thyroid iodine treatment can bring this up should your regular intake be less. Americans typically consume about 200-700 micrograms of iodine per day on average. The recommended levels are 150 micrograms for adults, 90-120 for children, and 200 for pregnant woman. Not getting enough iodine can put you at risk for thyroid disease, however, it is also not recommended to take in too much iodine. In countries like Japan, where the average person consumes over 1000 micrograms of iodine a day, it is easy for someone not accustomed to so much iodine to develop thyroid disease because of the extreme change in iodine intake.

The thyroid uses iodine by converting it into a free elemental form called iodide. After oxidation, the iodide is then assimilated by intermediate hormones. The resulting compounds join together to form several active hormones, which are then stored in the thyroid gland itself before being released into the blood stream. So, basically, thyroid hormone is actually completely made up of iodine/iodide, and hence no wonder iodine is of such importance to the thyroid gland.

While it is extremely important to take in enough iodine, it is also important not to change your iodine intake drastically from a lower number of micrograms to a higher number. For example, earlier I mentioned that the average person living in Japan takes in 1000 micrograms of iodine a day. In Chile, however, the average person takes in 50-150 micrograms per day. So, you can see how it would be a shock to the thyroid for a native of Chile to move to Japan!