Iodine was removed from American food. It wasn't random.
Multiple industries found financial advantage in replacing iodine with industrial waste products. Pharmaceutical companies capitalized on the resulting thyroid disorders.
The profit structure
Thyroid medication market: $2.2-2.4 billion globally
Each hypothyroid patient = $500-2000 annually for life
North America: 40.7% global market share—precisely where iodine reduction was most systematic
Iodine was replaced with bromide in bread.
The timing: late 1970s to early 1980s. Precisely when fluoridation was being maximized.
Both fluoride and bromide are halides that compete with iodine for thyroid receptors.
The EU banned bromate in 1990 based on cancer risks. The US still allows it. This reveals how industry influence can override scientific consensus.
The study that created "iodophobia" was flawed.
The 1948 Wolff-Chaikoff paper claimed iodine toxicity at relatively low doses. It became the foundation for five decades of iodine restriction.
The critical flaw
Thyroid hormone levels were never measured in the experimental rats.
Historical evidence contradicts the claimed toxicity. Lugol's solution at 1,000-2,000 mg daily was used for asthma patients for years without causing hypothyroidism.
Iodine does far more than support thyroid.
Every cell in the body uses iodine
Breast tissue concentrates iodine—linked to fibrocystic disease
Prostate, ovaries, uterus all require iodine
Stomach lining uses iodine for protection
Salivary glands, brain, and skin all need it
Japanese diets provide 1,000-3,000 mcg daily from seaweed. The US RDA is only 150 mcg. That's a 10-20x difference.
"But doesn't iodine cause Hashimoto's?"
This is the most common fear. The reality is more nuanced.
Iodine doesn't cause Hashimoto's. But introducing iodine when selenium is deficient can trigger inflammation.
The key is supporting the whole system—selenium, B vitamins, magnesium—before and alongside iodine.
Iodine deficiency is a root cause, not a minor deficiency.
When the body is starved of iodine, it makes compromises. Those compromises become symptoms.
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