THE THYROID

Potassium Iodide and Radiation. What should you do?

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

I would like to start this article out with:   Taking a higher dose of KI or taking it more often than recommended does not offer more protection and can cause severe illness and thyroid damage.

WHAT IS POTASSIUM IODIDE?

Potassium Iodide is very simply, a certain type of salt. A very special type of salt. This salt is made of stable iodine. It is known in simple terms as KI.  It is an important chemical that is needed by the body to produce thyroid hormones.  You can read about those in my article about the Thyroid.  Most of the iodine we need for proper thyroid function comes from the food that we eat.  Potassium iodide comes in a medicine form (over the counter).

THE THYROID:

The thyroid gland sits in the middle of the throat, surrounded by the parathyroid glands on each side.  If you do not have the proper amount of iodine in the body, symptoms of fatigue, goiters, depression, hair-loss and thinning skin can develop.  Calcium metabolism is affected if the parathyroid function is damaged. Please read my full article on the THYROID.

RADIOACTIVE IODIDE:

Radioactive iodine is given off in a nuclear event.  When there is a radiological event such as what is occurring in Japan, radioactive iodine is released into the air and can enter the water and food supply. If this fact is unknown, the radioactive material can get into the body.  It can enter our body when it is  breathed into the lungs, eaten in our food or drank in our water supply.  The radioactive iodine is what damages cells and changes the DNA of the cells.   The function of the thyroid can be destroyed, opening the door for cellular change. When this occurs, it is known as “internal contamination”.  At this time  the thyroid gland quickly absorbs this radioactive material.  This radioactive iodine injures the thyroid gland and therefore disrupts the normal mechanism of the body and can lead to cancers and other serious health problems.

WHAT DOES POTASSIUM IODIDE DO AND WHAT DOES IT NOT DO?

What non-radioactive Ki does is to saturate the gland and block the radioactive iodide form entering the thyroid.What potassium iodide does in the body is saturate the thyroid so that other forms of iodide do not enter the thyroid gland and disrupt it’s function. The thyroid gland cannot tell the difference between stable and radioactive iodine and it will absorb both.  KI works by blocking the radioactive iodine form entering the thyroid gland.  When a person takes KI, the stable iodine in the medicine gets absorbed and “fills” up the thyroid. It has the effect for only 24 hours after taking the KI.

TABLE SALT:

Table salt that is iodized has enough iodine in it to keep most people healthy under normal conditions. However, it does not contain enough iodine to protect you during a radioactive event. DO NOT use table salt as a substitute for KI.

HOW WELL DOES IT WORK?

KI may not give a person 100% protections against radioactive iodine.  How ell it blocks radioactive iodine depends on:

  • 1. How much time passes between contamination and taking the KI.
  • 2.The sooner you take KI when you are exposed is best.
  • 3. The amount of radioactive iodine you are exposed to.
  • 4. How fast your body can absorb the KI into the thyroid.

WHO SHOULD TAKE K I and HOW MUCH TO TAKE?

Infants (including breast-fed infants):  The amount of KI in breast milk is not enough to protect breast-fed infants from exposure to radioactive KI.   16 mg for both nursing and non-nursing infants.

Children: If you are contaminated with radioactive iodine, you should take KI.  Newborns – 18 years old are most sensitive to thyroid damage. 65 mg tablet or 1 mL solution

Young Adults: From 18-40 years old, you are less sensitive to the effects of radioactive iodine than children. Between 65 and 130 mg or 1-2 mL of solution. This is dependent on weight

Pregnant Women: All forms of radioactive iodine cross placenta.  If exposed, they  should take only one recommended dose. 65 mg in a tablet or 1 mL solution

Breastfeeding Women: They should take only one does of KI if they have been internally contaminated.  Radioactive iodine can get into the breast milk and breast-feeding women should stop nursing and feed their child formula.  If there is not other food available, continue nursing your baby. 13o mg by tablet or 2 mL solution

Adults: Adults 40 years old and above should not take KI unless public health officials instruct you to.  At this age, this is the lowest chance of developing thyroid cancer or thyroid injury following contamination.  Adults also have a higher chance of being allergic to KI.   130 mg  in a tablet or 2 mL solution

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU TAKE KI?

A single dose of KI protects the thyroid gland for 24 hours. If the radioactive iodine is in the air for more than 24 hours, local emergency management or public health officials will let you know. At this time, you may need to take a dose every 24 hours for a few days. Taking too much or for a longer period of time can have detrimental effects on the thyroid and overall health of a person.  Infants and in-the-womb are at risk for most severe damage.

DO NOT TAKE KI IF:

  • 1. You are allergic to iodine
  • 2. Serious skin disorders such as dermatitis herpetiformis or urticaria vasculitis
  • 3. You may or may not have an allergy to iodine if you are allergic to shellfish. Talk with your doctor before taking KI.

WILL THE FALLOUT AFFECT THE UNITED STATES?

Radioactive iodine has a short half-life.  With the distance between Japan and the United states and the distance traveled over the Pacific Ocean (with the breeze and weather changes),  the radioactive iodine will be damaged and break apart. At this point it is not dangerous.  From the articles I have read and the medical professionals I have talked to and the discussions I had with my mother many years ago, my personal opinion is that we are not in a dangerous situation at this time. But ,having a dose on hand is like having your emergency bag packed and ready to go.

Finally, a topic that is not discussed as frequently as radioactive iodine, radioactive iodine is not the only nuclear material that is released into the air after a nuclear event. KI will not protect you from these other isotopes.

If you would like to discuss this further, please call me at (310) 832-5818 or email me at kim @kromasnutrition.com

Thank you,

Kim Kromas, DC, PhD

Posted in Blog Posts, THE THYROID

The Thyroid

Sunday, October 24th, 2010

The thyroid organ sits in the middle of your throat (or neck).   In medical terms, it is immediately below the larynx on either side of and anterior to the trachea.   It is not a very large organ, but it is quite powerful and very important.

The thyroid secretes two hormones:  1.  thyroxine (90%) (T4) and triiodothyronine (10%) (T3).  T3 is 4x as potent as thyroxine, but it is present in much smller quantatities and lasts a much shorter time than thyroxine.

These hormones are released when the pituitary gland releases TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). This is usually the place to start when analyzing thyroid conditions.

Iodine is necessary to form thyroxine.  About 1 mg/per week.  When you take oral iodides, the kidneys excrete it very quickly.  Most of it will be lost in the urine and the remaining iodine will be used by the thyroid to make thyroxine.  Thyroglobulin is the protein precursor to thyroxine.    Your thyroid will take the thyroglobulin, the iodine, tyrosine amino acids, enzymes and other substances that are necessary for thyroid hormone synthesis.

Monoiodotyrosine will turn into diiodotyrosine.  As more and more of the diiodotyrosine forms, it becomes thyroxine (T4).  When one molecule of monoiodotyrosine bonds with one molecule of diiodotyrosine, it forms triiodothyroxine (T3).  5-6 thyroxine molecules and 1 triiodothyroxine molecules are stored on each thyroglobulin molecules until they are ready to be used by the body.

When thyroglobulin releases thyroxine and triiodothyronine, most of the iodine is taken from them and recycled to form more thyroglobulin.  Triiodothyroxine (T3) is 4x more potent, but thyroxine (T4) last 4x as long.

The thyroid hormone has specific body mechanism:

** Effects Carbohydrate Metabolism  ** Fat Metabolism   **Blood and Liver Fats  **Vitamin Metabolism   ** Basic Metabolic Rate  **Body Weight  **Cardiovascular System  ** Gastro-Intestrinal Tract  **Central Nervous System  **Muscle Function  **Sleep **Sexual Desire

Symptoms of thyroid imbalance include:  blood sugar changes, weight gain, increase in cholesterol,  changes in energy level, increased or decreased blood pressure, digestion disturbances and muscle function changes..

Tests used for analyzing the thyroid:

1. TSH  -  Thyroid Stimulating Hormone

2. Total T4  –   Thyroxine. Total T4 is dependent on how much protein is circulating in the blood, while Free T4 does not

3. Free T4   - Free T4 is the active form of thyroxine and considered more accurate.

4. T3-uptake -  This is thyroxine-binding globulin.  If too much globulin is present, it takes the T4 from the bloodstream and will increase the levels of T3 in the bloodstream or vice-versa.

5.  Reverse T3 – When your body needs to conserve energy,  excess T4 is turned into inactive T3.

Take the basal temperature 3x/day.  Fluctuations can indicate thyroid imbalances.

When working with the thyroid, iron and cortisol levels may be checked at the same.

The thyroid organ is very complex.  It needs the right nutritional compenents to function properly.  Avoiding all processed foods, not eating too much or too little sodium products and eating lots of fresh vegetables and fruits is essential for the function of the thyroid.  Ingested chemicals cause a change in enzyme function and hormone function that is necessary for the thyroid to do it’s job.

Thank you,

Kim Kromas, DC, PhD

Posted in THE THYROID