Indications

Complete Iodine Thyroid w/elements is especially recommended for:

• People experiencing symptoms of thyroid dysfunction but who have been told their thyroid was OK (this may be a result of nutritional deficiencies or excessive exposure to environmental pollutants that block thyroid synthesis and function).

• Anyone with known thyroid problems, whose thyroid medication has been difficult to stabilize or dosages have fluctuated frequently.

Overview

A convenient way to test for iodine levels is to measure it in urine since more than 90 % is excreted. However, a problem with urinary iodine measurements has always been in the procedure for collecting it. With most tests, urine produced over 24-hours must be collected, which is logistically very difficult.

This test allows for testing relatively small amounts of urine that have that have been dried on FDA approved filter paper. This innovative and accurate method for detecting Iodine levels is easy to perform, and can be done at home.

With iodine playing so many different roles optimizing health and preventing disease, it is essential that adequate iodine intake is maintained and problems associated with excessive iodine intake are identified.

Thyroid health can be undermined by nutritional deficiencies, particularly of iodine and selenium, or overexposure to bromine, arsenic, selenium, cadmium and mercury. These elements are found all around us: in the food we eat, in the water we drink, in materials we touch, in the air we breathe. This test takes into account these exposures when assessing thyroid function.

Practical

Specimen requirements:

Dried urine + Dried bloodspot (DBS)

Average processing time:

13 ±3 days

Research

• Als C, Minder C, Willems D, et.al. Quantification of urinary iodine: a need for revised thresholds. Eur J Clin Nutr 2003;57:1181-8.

• Haddow JE, McClain MR, Palomaki GE, Hollowell JG. Urine iodine measurements, creatinine adjustment, and thyroid deficiency in an adult United States population. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2007;92:1019-22.

• Zava TT, Zava DT. Determination of iodine, bromine, selenium and arsenic by ICP-DRC-MS using urine dried on filter paper. Poster presented at the 83rd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association, October 16-20, 2013, San Juan, Puerto Rico.