In August of 2015, a new research was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism supporting the use of selenium to help address thyroid conditions.
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The study found that selenium insufficiency was connected to an increased risk of several thyroid diseases, including:
autoimmune thyroiditis,
hypothyroidism,
subclinical hypothyroidism and
an enlarged thyroid.
Researchers evaluated 6,152 individuals who experienced physical and thyroid ultrasound testing, and took an interest in dietary and demographic polls.
Blood tests were likewise taken to inspect markers for thyroid conditions.
The researchers discovered a connection between the individuals who had selenium deficiency and experienced any of the four thyroid infections, while those whose selenium levels were typical had a fundamentally lower danger of having a thyroid illness.
They additionally inferred that supplementing with selenium in the individuals who are inadequate may diminish the danger of different thyroid conditions.
The connection in the middle of selenium and thyroid infection is not surprising since, according to Dr. Lawrence Wilson, a leader in hair mineral analysis, selenium is required to produce thyroid hormone, called tetraiodothyronine or T4.
It is also needed for the conversion of T4 to the more active form of the hormone, called triiodothyronine or T3. This is a critical function that is sub-optimal in many people today.
If the body cannot convert T4 to T3, then thyroid hormone activity will diminish significantly, even if enough T4 is being produced.
Many doctors measure these hormones and then they give hormone replacement of T3 if it is low.
However, Dr. Wilson says that such practice is needless, as giving enough available selenium and following a complete nutritional balancing program will often correct the problem in a much more elegant and physiological manner, without the need for drugs.
RELATION BETWEEN IODINE AND SELENIUM
While selenium is an essential mineral for thyroid functioning, iodine is as well. Iodine is regulated in many ways in the thyroid. However, the most important pathway is the conversion of iodine into iodine through an oxidation reaction.
This requires an enzyme called TPO or thyroperoxidase.
It also requires hydrogen peroxide. If too much hydrogen peroxide is left in the thyroid, however, it leads to Hashimoto’s disease, a common thyroid problem.
The mineral that helps control hydrogen peroxide is selenium.
It is needed to make glutathione peroxidase, whose function, among many others, is to detoxify hydrogen peroxide after it has done its job in the thyroid gland.
Any deficiency of selenium in the body will impair T3 production and thus cause hypothyroidism symptoms, even if the body is producing plenty of T4.
This is sometimes called a conversion problem, as opposed to an iodine deficiency problem.
Thus selenium is critical for two phases of thyroid hormone production. It is thus considered a close relative to iodine in the correction of thyroid difficulties.
For more information about selenium, see the article on this website entitled Selenium, A New Mineral For Health and Healing.
WHERE TO FIND SELENIUM
Selenium is predominantly found in sardines, blue corn, raw dairy products such as raw cow or goat milks, some raw cheeses, yogurts and kefir, fresh organic ground mustard , garlic, onions, lentils and almonds.
We regularly give selenium and kelp to everyone who has Hashimoto’s disease. No problems occur and it can hastens the healing of the Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. However we do not recommend any other kind of iodine, as they are all toxic and they conflict with the nutritional balancing program.
Also, beware of internet articles that say one must not take iodine, unless the thyroid has been removed. Perhaps this is true if one does not follow a complete nutritional balancing program.
We always use kelp for iodine and selenium along with a complete healing program, and it works quite well.
You can read more about Thyroid issues here
Your faithful servant,
Josephine