Iodine Supplements to Treat Cellulite

Last week I wrote about why iodine is the newest ingredient in my cellulite recovery plan.  Given my history with fluoride and fluoroderma, I knew it was likely my body was lacking in this essential element.  We know there is a hormonal component to cellulite, and our hormones are directly affected by a lack of iodine, so it is not a stretch to postulate that iodine deficiency and cellulite could be linked in some way.

Choosing An Iodine Supplement

According to Wikipedia, Iodine is relatively rare in the earth’s crust but the solubility of its compounds causes it to concentrate in the oceans.   As a result, many varieties of seafood are naturally high in iodine.  I started incorporating iodine into my diet over a year ago when I began adding kelp to soups.  But I quickly found that I didn’t enjoy the taste enough to eat it every day.  Kelp pills were easier to take so I took a pill or two a day on and off for the last several months.

Dairy, eggs, sea salt, and other seafood products also contain iodine.  These foods are  a regular part of my daily diet, but I still wondered if my body had fully recovered from all those years of fluoride overload. Once my fluoroderma had significantly healed, I decided to add an iodine supplement from Standard Process into my daily routine (there are many other iodine supplements to choose from, but Standard Process has an excellent reputation and I trust their products).  The supplement I am using is called Iodemere.  It’s made from conch, carrot root, bovine liver, and echinacea.   It contains 200mcg of iodine per tablet.

Starting Iodine Therapy: Take Two

As you recall from last week’s detective work, I definitely noticed a reaction when I started on the iodine supplement.  Once I stopped taking iodine for a few days, the mystery bloating I had been experiencing for several weeks disappeared.  According to this online forum about iodine supplements, “pulsing” (repeatedly starting and stopping iodine supplements) is a common technique in iodine therapy.   Many people find they need to take regular breaks from the supplement to give the body a chance to process displaced halogens, such as bromide or fluoride.  Iodine therapy needs to start slow.

Another way to increase your body’s absorption of iodine is to give it extra nutritional support.  Certain nutrients are especially helpful in this regard.  Vitamin C is an important companion nutrient to iodine. This time around, I am adding a spoonful of rose hips to my morning tea –rose hips are one of the richest plant sources of vitamin C.  Minerals are also critical, particularly magnesium and selenium. A rich, homemade bone broth is the best source of minerals.   I add azomite powder to my water as a daily mineral supplement.  Sea salt is another good source for minerals.  Some doctors even recommend “salt loading” to help with detoxification symptoms resulting from iodine therapy.

As you can see, there is a lot to learn about iodine supplementation.  I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of it all.  If you are interested in learning more on your own, my next step would be to check out this book on iodine by Dr. Guy Abraham –hopefully a future Cellulite BOTM featured selection.

*This post is part of Real Food Wednesday hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Tagged as: Hormones