can't be proven. there were other factors involved.
I ascribe the benefits in the few anecdotal reports to the kelp, which is well-known in the art to contain ca, mg. In addition, nearly all people in the US are deficient in iodine, and its absence is also well known in the art to cause a wide range of symtomatic diseases. Kelp contains iodine, and is obviously the active therapeutic agent, to those knowledgeable in the art. Those without basic understandings of chemistry are easily manipulated.