Dr. Westin Childs Podcast: Thyroid | Weight Loss | Hormones

There are at least 6 different ways that you can test your iodine levels and we are going to be talking about each one! Testing your iodine can be important for some people but it's not always necessary. In fact, because iodine testing can be so inaccurate, getting information about your iodine level can cause confusion and may lead to worse outcomes. This is why even though there are many ways to check your iodine, I typically don't recommend iodine testing. Before we talk about that, though, let's talk about some important iodine facts: 1. ALL humans need it (we can’t create it). 2. Iodine is stored predominately in the thyroid gland. 3. Other tissues also need iodine outside of the thyroid (but less). 4. Iodine has the potential to be harmful if taken in excessive doses 5. Standard testing is typically not very accurate. 6. Individual iodine intake varies dramatically so standard advice is difficult to make. These facts are important because they build the framework for our discussion around iodin