Re: Possible Hypothyroidism

I would suggest you use the Iodine skin absorption test. Put tincture or Lugol's on a tender spot of skin about the size of a penny, like on the inside of your arm or your thigh. See how many hours it takes for the stain to fade away.

I was suspecting poor thyroid levels and did that test. It took less than 2 hours to totally disappear. The test itself supplies Iodine to your body, perhaps a few RDAs. I would suggest taking the number of hours and waiting that many days to repeat the application. After a few days my test took 6 or 8 hours to totally fade.

You don't want to suddenly increase the Iodine level with a huge intake, as that may upset the thyroid and other hormone levels. Gradual increase is safer. A diet including some seafood or seaweed will help maintain your iodine level.

When people are used to it, they can tolerate maybe 100 RDAs of iodine every day, as shown by the typical Japanese diet, but the official recommendation is 1 to 6 RDAs. I haven't understood the use of consistently high doses that some people recommend.