Iodine safety during breastfeeding article

http://thecontrarianmom.com/2009/03/27/is-iodine-iodoral-safe-while-breastfee...


Is Iodine (Iodoral) Safe While Breastfeeding?
March 27, 2009
tags: breast milk, increasing milk supply, Iodine, low milk production, Lugol's, Thyroid
by theCmom

Taking Supplemental Iodine While Breastfeeding

Since there is a direct link between inadequate Iodine in your body and a slow / low thyroid.

AND a direct link between low milk supply and thyroid problems…

And if Iodine has proven over and over again to increase the function of the thyroid….AND

Adequate thyroid hormone is essential for initiating breast feeding.

And all mammals need a full functioning thyroid to produce breastmilk

Then one might come to the conclusion that Iodine is not only safe while breastfeeding but probably a good thing to supplement with. You can always do an Iodine Loading Test to see what your Iodine levels are before blindly jumping in and supplementing with Iodine.

The thyroid hormone and thyroid gland together with iodine are the most important factors by far for completion of a normal pregnancy and normal baby. Iodine is put into the mother’s milk by the lactating breast to levels that are 30 times the levels in the mother’s blood (your body can only put iodine in your breast milk if you have enough to give). If you find that your thyroid has become sluggish and you have ‘low thyroid symptoms’ after having a baby…maybe your body if giving everything you have to your baby and leaving you with nothing left to operate your thyroid with. Iodine has very important functions in the child’s brain development after birth.

Iodine deficiency in pregnant or nursing mothers can lead to significant neurocognitive deficits in their infants.


“Lack of iodine for thyroid hormone formation during the fetal stage and/or the first years of life may lead to developmental brain damage,” write Peter Laurberg, from Aalborg Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues. “During the period of breastfeeding, thyroid function of the infant depends on iodine in maternal milk.”

The information that I have gathered above would lead me to believe that supplementing Iodine while pregnant and nursing is definitely a good thing. Especially when one realizes that chlorine (in our water) and bromine (in our breads/pastries) fight with Iodine for the same receptor sights in our body.

Did you know that if you are a smoker and your breastfeed, your milk has lower amount so of Iodine in it?

Jan. 23, 2004 — Smoking reduces the transport of iodine into breast milk, according to the results of a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

So, how much Iodine should you take? Well, different doctors say different things. the FDA says you hardly need any iodine in your diet – somewhere around 150-200 mcg. The doctors range in their opinions, ranging everywhere from what the FDA says to upwards of 50 mgs. (1,000 mcg = 1 mg). That is a HUGE difference in amounts needed. If you are truly concerned about your iodine needs, get Dr. David Brownstein’s book, “Iodine: Why you need it” and take Dr. Abraham’s Iodine Loading Test – note: I know that if you go through the Hakala Research Lab in Colorado, you will NOT need a doctor’s prescription for this test. Which is nice.

This could be the difference between being able to have milk for your baby and having to use formula fed through bottles…. Best of luck to you in this journey!

For another article, you can go here to read more: Iodine/Breastfeeding.
from → Breastfeeding, Health, Iodine, Low Milk Supply, Thyroid