After my breast cancer surgery, my alternative health physician strongly recommended adding iodine to my diet. (I used iodized salt—so what is the big deal.) I did not ask why—I should have. I always have better compliance with instructions when I know the why behind doing something. I knew iodine is needed for the cells to convert food into energy and for normal thyroid function. (No one wants a goiter.) But what effect does iodine have on cancer?
Lynne Farrow is a journalist, researcher, former college professor, speaker and activist. Her own experience with breast cancer led to her discovery that iodine is a medicine with proven benefits reaching back 15,000 years.
Iodine is an element that is needed for the production of thyroid hormone. The body does not make iodine, so it must be made an essential part of our food choices. Most of us believe iodized salt is the answer. Author Lynne Farrow asks do we get enough iodine from iodized salt? After her research she asked does iodized salt contain any iodine at all?
The report, Iodine Nutrition: Iodine Content of US Salt by Dasgupta et al, discusses the “Iodine Gap.” This gap refers to the amount of iodine that’s supposed to be in iodized salt compared to the amount actually be measured by the time you use it. The researchers tell us salt is a poor food product to fortify because chloride competes with the iodine making it less effective.
In her book, The Iodine Crisis: What You Don't Know About Iodine Can Wreck Your Life, Farrow explains how iodized table salt is actually a nutritional scam that provides a false sense of security. “The outdated government recommendation (RDA) states that an adequate amount of iodine can be consumed from less than the 250 mcg [about] half teaspoon of iodized salt. She tells us they never factored in that the current bromide pollution purges iodine. They never factored in that iodine “evaporates” from salt containers. Or, that the form of iodine in salt doesn’t absorb well into the body. Research scientists debunked the myth that you can get enough iodine from iodized salt.
An iodine deficiency causes serious problems including frustration, depression, mental retardation, poor perception levels, goiter, abnormal weight gain, decreased fertility, coarse skin, chances of stillbirth in expectant mothers, constipation and fatigue. The World Health Organization reports iodine deficiency is one of the leading causes of mental retardation all over the world.
Good food sources of iodine include shellfish, deep-water whitefish, canned sardines, canned tuna, lobster, oyster, clams, cod, haddock, halibut, herring perch, salmon, sea bass, and shrimp. Dulles, kelp, and seaweed also contain dietary iodine. Iodine is also found in garlic, lima beans, Swiss chard, summer squash, sesame seeds, soybeans, turnip greens and spinach.
Specific health benefits include:
Regulating metabolism that affects the efficiency of body’s organ system and body processes, such as, absorption of food; sleep cycles, and the transformation of food into usable energy.
Iodine is essential to the creation of the hormones thyroxin and triodothyronine that influence heart rate, blood pressure, body weight, body temperature, and protein synthesis. Iodine helps maintain optimal energy levels of the body by the efficient use of calories. The healthy skin, teeth and hair need adequate amounts of iodine. It speeds up hair growth and increases follicle strength, while lack of this mineral can result in hair loss. It is needed for normal growth and maturity of reproductive organs.
A deficiency in iodine can actually make a woman infertile. It is essential that pregnant women get good amounts of iodine to prevent stillbirths or neurocognitive conditions in the newborn babies and to avoid gestational hypertension, which can result in a number of complications during infancy. Many pregnant women do not realize they must consume enough iodine for herself and her child since a great deal is lost every day as it passes into breast milk.
Iodine is used to treat hypothyroidism a condition characterized by an under-active thyroid gland, which results in the general slowing down of all bodily processes as the chemical balance in your body goes off track. Symptoms of hypothyroidism are fatigue, dry skin, trouble concentrating, constipation, cramps, and leg swelling. Untreated hypothyroid ism can result in conditions such as heart failure or a coma.
Iodine acts as a relief for fibrocystic diseases and is widely used in therapies, both alternative and modern. Lynne Farrow tells us that salt is iodized with potassium iodide,
which may be helpful to the thyroid, however, the breasts and ovaries need iodine as well as iodide. She warns women are taking the wrong iodine.
Iodine has cancer prevention properties. It is anti-carcinogenic and can boost the immune system by enhancing the activity of antioxidants throughout the body. Research studies have shown that cancer cells shrink after being injected with iodine. They even undergo apoptosis (automatic cell death) and are then replaced with healthier cells. Studies have demonstrated a positive connection in iodine’s ability to induce apoptosis in breast cancer carcinoma cells.
Studies demonstrate that thyroid cancer patients show an improvement in symptoms after increasing their intake iodine intake. Thyroid cancer is far more common in people who are iodine deficient.
Iodine ensures programmed cell death (apoptosis), which is essential in the creation of new organs and the removal of malignant cells like cancer cells or diseased cells. Iodine flushes out chemical toxins like fluoride, lead, mercury, and biological toxins. It has antibacterial qualities and is particularly effective against Helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) in the stomach, which contributes to ulcers and may cause gastric cancer.
Consult a good alternative physician when reviewing your individual iodine needs, especially if you are pregnant. Caution is recommended: Iodine intake of more than 2,000 mg could be dangerous, especially in people suffering from kidney ailments or tuberculosis. Different people’s bodies will react differently to dose amounts so be observant.
Farrow says don’t skimp on the cheap cost of iodine supplementation this may create expensive problems down the line. She warns that processed table salts often come with aluminum anti-caking chemicals, which contribute to Alzheimer’s issues.
Lynne Farrow currently serves as the Director of Breast Cancer Choices, Inc. This nonprofit organization scrutinizes the evidence for breast cancer procedures and treatments. Farrow, editor of IodineResearch.com, has compiled materials for both beginning and advanced iodine investigators. Visit Lynne's website at LynneFarrow.net
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/minerals/health-benefits-of-iodine.html
http://www.jcrows.com/iodine.html
http://iodineresearch.com
LynneFarrow.net
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Cardboard Furniture for the Disabled
Children and adults with physical disabilities have so many challenges; we ask what can I do to help? Alex Truesdell asked this question and was inspired to start the Adaptive Design Association (ADA). In a public television interview she explained teachers, therapists, and parents can build innovative and therapeutically appropriate adaptive equipment. If you need building plans she and her dedicated volunteers are just a computer click, phone call or letter away.
Truesdell has pioneered the use of cardboard boxes to create strong, lightweight and functional adaptive devices, such as chairs, tables and supports for walking. She says a major problem for parents is that adaptive equipment is very expensive and can be heavy and bulky. Good design is functional for the person and the caregiver.
Because a child grows and needs change, adaptive devices can become obsolete quickly. This is one reason why cardboard is an excellent construction material. Truesdell describes her mission as one of engagement. Families, schools, and communities can come together in the process of designing and building adaptive equipment each specific child’s size and needs. Appropriate adaptive devices enhance the child’s social, physical and academic development.
“ADA envisions a day when adaptive design services are widely recognized as an indispensable resource for children and all people with disabilities; and customized equipment is being produced quickly, affordably, and locally.”
Truesdell, who trained as an early childhood teacher, was working at Perkins School for the Blind in Boston in 1981. There she met Erin, an infant with severe multiple disabilities. “I had never heard of adaptive technology, but suddenly found myself waking up in the night thinking of adaptations. I rolled towels into bolsters, carved notches in toys, and threaded straps through seat backs.” With the help of her Uncle, a skilled builder, they transformed ideas and frustrations into highly customized solutions for Erin.
Alex set up a small workshop in her basement where she made adaptive devices and assistive technology for her students. Eventually she was hired by the Perkins School to start the Assistive Device Center. In 1998, Truesdell relocated to New York City where she started the adaptive design center. She added an internship program for women re-entering the workforce through Alternatives To Incarceration.
Alex and Antoinette LaSorsa and developed a pilot program and in 2001 established the independent nonprofit Adaptive Design Association. Since its creation ADA has trained “over 1200 therapists, teachers, and parents in adaptive design techniques, and has created over 3000 pieces of adaptive equipment for children with disabilities.”
Whether the equipment is a stroller seat insert for an infant with cerebral palsy, an adapted toothbrush handle for a woman with paralyzed hands, or a tactile communication board for an adolescent who is deaf-blind, the Adaptive Design Association believes that no one should go without customized equipment. Adaptive and assistive Technology is redefining “possibilities” for children and adults with disabilities. This enables individuals with disabilities to be more independent, productive, and integrated into the mainstream of society and community life.
Over the 17-year history of ADA, they have helped thousands of New York City children and provided hundreds of hands-on classes and internships to future designers and builders. Adaptive Design Centers have been established in Guatemala City, Toronto, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Brazil, Boston, Montreal, San Diego, Romania, Holland, and two new projects beginning in Portland, Oregon and La Paz, Bolivia.
ADA has an email newsletter and online forum and blog. Participants share adaptations, photos, accomplishments, and questions with a wider adaptive design community across the world. To join the Forum as a contributor, they ask that you email talya@adaptivedesign.org with your first post idea.
The mailing address is:
Adaptive Design Association, Inc.
313 West 36th StreetNew York, NY 10018
ADA reminds us that there are children (as well as adults and seniors) in every community who need custom adaptations. Just as certainly, every community is filled with people who would love to be part of the design and fabrication of those adaptations. “With a small workspace, skilled staff, and a group of savvy volunteers—an Adaptive Design Center can play a key role in transforming our understanding of disability in education, employment, transportation, recreation, rehabilitation, veteran services, and senior care.”
http://www.adaptivedesign.org
http://www.fyeye.org/adaptive-design.html
Truesdell has pioneered the use of cardboard boxes to create strong, lightweight and functional adaptive devices, such as chairs, tables and supports for walking. She says a major problem for parents is that adaptive equipment is very expensive and can be heavy and bulky. Good design is functional for the person and the caregiver.
Because a child grows and needs change, adaptive devices can become obsolete quickly. This is one reason why cardboard is an excellent construction material. Truesdell describes her mission as one of engagement. Families, schools, and communities can come together in the process of designing and building adaptive equipment each specific child’s size and needs. Appropriate adaptive devices enhance the child’s social, physical and academic development.
“ADA envisions a day when adaptive design services are widely recognized as an indispensable resource for children and all people with disabilities; and customized equipment is being produced quickly, affordably, and locally.”
Truesdell, who trained as an early childhood teacher, was working at Perkins School for the Blind in Boston in 1981. There she met Erin, an infant with severe multiple disabilities. “I had never heard of adaptive technology, but suddenly found myself waking up in the night thinking of adaptations. I rolled towels into bolsters, carved notches in toys, and threaded straps through seat backs.” With the help of her Uncle, a skilled builder, they transformed ideas and frustrations into highly customized solutions for Erin.
Alex set up a small workshop in her basement where she made adaptive devices and assistive technology for her students. Eventually she was hired by the Perkins School to start the Assistive Device Center. In 1998, Truesdell relocated to New York City where she started the adaptive design center. She added an internship program for women re-entering the workforce through Alternatives To Incarceration.
Alex and Antoinette LaSorsa and developed a pilot program and in 2001 established the independent nonprofit Adaptive Design Association. Since its creation ADA has trained “over 1200 therapists, teachers, and parents in adaptive design techniques, and has created over 3000 pieces of adaptive equipment for children with disabilities.”
Whether the equipment is a stroller seat insert for an infant with cerebral palsy, an adapted toothbrush handle for a woman with paralyzed hands, or a tactile communication board for an adolescent who is deaf-blind, the Adaptive Design Association believes that no one should go without customized equipment. Adaptive and assistive Technology is redefining “possibilities” for children and adults with disabilities. This enables individuals with disabilities to be more independent, productive, and integrated into the mainstream of society and community life.
Over the 17-year history of ADA, they have helped thousands of New York City children and provided hundreds of hands-on classes and internships to future designers and builders. Adaptive Design Centers have been established in Guatemala City, Toronto, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Brazil, Boston, Montreal, San Diego, Romania, Holland, and two new projects beginning in Portland, Oregon and La Paz, Bolivia.
ADA has an email newsletter and online forum and blog. Participants share adaptations, photos, accomplishments, and questions with a wider adaptive design community across the world. To join the Forum as a contributor, they ask that you email talya@adaptivedesign.org with your first post idea.
The mailing address is:
Adaptive Design Association, Inc.
313 West 36th StreetNew York, NY 10018
ADA reminds us that there are children (as well as adults and seniors) in every community who need custom adaptations. Just as certainly, every community is filled with people who would love to be part of the design and fabrication of those adaptations. “With a small workspace, skilled staff, and a group of savvy volunteers—an Adaptive Design Center can play a key role in transforming our understanding of disability in education, employment, transportation, recreation, rehabilitation, veteran services, and senior care.”
http://www.adaptivedesign.org
http://www.fyeye.org/adaptive-design.html
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