Could long-term use of iodine-containing foods cause hyper or hypothyroidism?
The opinion of a California acupuncturist cited by Dharmananda in his Thyroid Disease article was that patients suffering from hyperthyroidism should avoid iodide-containing foods because iodine provides the substrate for increased thyroxine production which, over the long term, may delay or counteract the effectiveness of herbal therapy (TCM) or antithyroid therapy (Western medicine) No supporting research, however, was mentioned in making this statement. Two other studies were reviewed which also considered iodine to be potentially harmful by worsening hyperthyroidism. In contrast, however, more than a dozen clinical trials using iodine-containing ingredients claim a high level of positive responses. Nevertheless it behooves one to be alert to the possible ill effects of iodine-containing foods or herbs in cases of hyperthyroidism. According to the Health Concerns article on Hypothyroidism excessive iodine intake can result in either hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. Sources of iodi
