Home > Hormone Reset > How to Quickly Reduce Iodine Levels
How can you quickly reduce your iodine levels? When your thyroid has more iodine than it can handle, it might take months or years before it can clear out the excess. If it takes too long, autoimmunity might not stop. In this article, I want to talk you through how to quickly reduce your iodine levels.
You can get a more in-depth plan in the Thyroid Reset Diet.
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The simple fact is that high iodine levels are likely the single largest and most controllable cause of thyroid disease in the modern world.
In general, the issue is that iodine can build up in the thyroid, but it can only come out very, very slowly. The process takes place because the thyroid has a pump that pulls in iodine and attaches it to a protein called thyroglobulin.
The pump itself pulls in more iodine if there is less present, and less when there is more present, and generally tries to keep things working right and in a kind balance.
For many people, over a range of iodine intake, everything is fine.
But, some people are unable to tolerate excess iodine. When their iodine levels are too high, for too long, the pump in the thyroid stops working as well.
In this case, two potential things can happen:
Key Insight: Paradoxically, too much iodine can cause the exact same problems as too little iodine – because of how your pump reacts.
Ultimately, iodine only comes out of the thyroid through hormone synthesis and non-hormonal excretion (a very small amount).
For someone who is on thyroid medication, little or no hormone is ultimately made. Therefore, iodine stays stuck in your system.
Consequently, even a high intake of iodine a long time ago can still stay in your system for a long time afterwards – leading to issues even when you are back on the correct amount.
It has an incredibly long-lasting effect.
We can see in populations exposed to changing amounts of iodine, it may take three to six months for these people to reach a new steady state of iodine.
For some it can take quite a while.
But, it can take even longer for others. It could take somewhere between six to nine months to regain thyroid function as much as possible.
It must also be noted that you cannot be on an excessive dose of thyroid medications.
This is one of the cases where urinary iodine testing (UIC) can have some utility. If you have been on a low-iodine diet for somewhere around three months, without any improvement to your thyroid levels, this kind of test can tell if you are still excreting iodine.
Key Insight: Tracking your UIC is only useful to track the results of an iodine detox, not diagnostic – it cannot tell you if you are in need of more or less, only how much you are eliminating.
Or, maybe you simply need more time. If you were exposed to a massive dose for quite some time, you may need more time to get your iodine levels down.
How would you know if you were exposed to massive amounts?
The most common ways are through supplements like Iodarol, lugols’ drops, or SSKI; medications, especially amiodarone; or contrast agents used for CTs or MRIs.
Don’t be discouraged if your thyroid isn’t all the way better during detox. First, you need to detox to give your thyroid the opportunity to really heal.
Even more importantly, there is no such thing as iodine detox side effects, or side effects from low iodine during this time.
But, here are some things to think about instead:
Ultimately, I think it goes without saying that getting your iodine levels down does require some time and patience. There is no silver bullet that will bring it down tomorrow – but, to do it relatively quickly, you need to keep a close eye on your levels and what you are doing.
That is why, for the Thyroid Reset Diet, I really focused on providing a clear idea when it comes to a low-iodine diet. Really taking out those potential sources of iodine that you don’t need. We’ll focus on that a bit more later…
When it comes to your iodine levels, how much do you need?
It varies.
When I was writing the Thyroid Reset Diet, I broke foods down into three categories:
Let’s start by focusing on the good stuff. When it comes to green light foods, this will typically include a collection of:
Moving down the list, let’s talk a bit about the foods that you may want to avoid temporarily, or avoid completely (based on multiple reasons).
Yellow light foods, which may be useful if you want a little boost (in the case of pregnant orf breastfeeding mothers) but may require some caution include:
And then red light foods. These are foods which have far too much iodine, or the amounts are not reliable enough to categorize them anywhere else. Consider:
When is it best to take iodine?
For most people, you are not taking iodine at all. You are likely getting it enough through the food you eat, so you really should not be seeking out ways to supplement it.
The time of day it is consumed does not have a bearing on this outcome. When you take it does not make it better or worse, so it really should not be a consideration.
The foods that have those moderate amounts, our yellow light foods, you can enjoy them any time of day – it won’t really make a difference, because what matters is simply how much you are getting into your system (and keeping an eye on that).
As I mentioned at the outset of this article, it is really hard to find examples in the modern world where people are struggling with inherently low iodine levels. This normally happens due to bursts of iodine that cause your thyroid to shut down.
The issue is that people may be getting too much iodine. And, those massive amounts of iodine may be holding back your health and endangering it in scary ways. For me, that was the goal of creating the Thyroid Reset Diet.
Ultimately, I wanted to provide a tangible and actionable way to provide ways for people to enjoy certain foods with confidence – while keeping an eye on foods which may be a bit trickier. As I mentioned, for your iodine levels to be successful, you really need to focus on getting less.
I hope today’s discussion inspired you and gave you the confidence to track and get your iodine levels down while embracing a new way to keep your iodine levels in check. Once you have started the detox process, it may be hard to see positive effects quickly, but it will definitely be worth it once you give your thyroid the opportunity to heal. Thanks for reading!
P.S. Whenever you are ready, here is how I can help you now:
1. Schedule a Thyroid Second Opinion with me, Dr. C, Click Here for Details
2. Need A Thyroid Supplement Recommendation? Take My Thyroid Specific Formulations Quiz Now
3. Need a Personalized Supplement? Check out My Thyroid Specific Formulations
4. Download and use my Favorite Recipes Cookbook Here
5. Check out my podcast Medical Myths, Legends, and Fairytales Here
Dr. Alan Glen Christianson (Dr. C) is a Naturopathic Endocrinologist and the author of The NY Times bestselling Adrenal Reset Diet, The Metabolism Reset Diet and The Thyroid Reset Diet.
Dr. C’s gift for figuring out what really works has helped hundreds of thousands of people reverse thyroid disease, lose weight, diabetes, and regain energy. Learn more about the surprising story that started his quest.
