Dr. Wood, under what circumstances does the thyroid need iodine? Lawrence C. Wood, M.D., Founder and Medical Director of the Thyroid Foundation of America Doctor and author of Your Thyroid: A Home Reference.
IODINE DEFICIENCY AND EXCESS
Iodine is the cause of more thyroid problems than all other food substances combined. You can get sick from eating either too much or too little iodine. In a few countries, especially in remote mountainous areas where the daily iodine intake is less than 25 micrograms per day, we find the most severe forms of hypothyroidism including cretinism. This tragic disorder results from extreme iodine deficiency - affected children are born with such marked mental and physical retardation, including deaf mutism and dwarfism, that they never can be productive members of their society.
MORE ON DR. WOOD
Dr. Lawrence Wood recently retired from practice as an Associate Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital with Internal Medicine Associates. He is particularly interested in thyroid and related conditions and in 1985 he created the Thyroid Foundation of America, a non-profit organization that offers free thyroid education and support to patients and their families. His publications include articles on the natural history of autoimmune thyroid disease and the association between thyroid autoimmunity, dyslexia, and attention deficient disorders. He is committed to patient centered care of the highest quality and feels fortunate to be involved in the creation of the Ambulatory Practice of the Future.
Visit Dr. Wood on the web at: www.allthyroid.org/