Acne and Iodides

those of you who are clients at sS know that our acne clearing regimen includes looking at your diet and lifestyle to determine what may be triggering breakouts. for some clients we recommend that they watch their iodide intake. most people nod along and agree but don't really understand why we recommend this. here's a little info on iodide and why it's important to find out how much YOU need to stay healthy and clear. What are iodine and iodide anyway? iodide is iodine + potassium which can be ingested to help our bodies grow and have a properly functioning metabolism. When iodide is combined with the amino acid tyrosine it forms thyroid hormones that regulate our metabolism. if we have too much or too little iodine in our systems it can lead to hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, which may contribute to acne breakouts. how much iodide do i need? as with most things, everyone is different. the best way to know how much iodine your body needs is to have it tested. the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) as administered by the FDA is 150 micrograms per day for the average adult. some doctors recommend nearly one hundred times that! you can see why it's so important to figure out how much your body needs. sS's trusted naturopathic doctor, dr. figoski can test your iodine levels in her office. bromide is the salt version of bromine, a chemical that's held in the same receptors in your body as iodine. this means that even if you are ingesting your recommended daily value of iodine your body may not be able to absorb and use it. this can lead to an iodine deficiency and may cause the iodine that your body can't process to leach out through the skin. bromide is commonly found in: commercial breads, pesticides (especially the ones used on conventional strawberries grown in california!), citrus flavored sodas, plastic drinking bottles, and hot tub water treatments. avoid these! how can iodine effect my skin? Dr. Fulton says that if you have excess iodine in your body it is excreted through your skin which can be very irritating to the pores. some people experience an "iodide rash" which looks like non inflamed acne or little white bumps all over their face. these bumps do not contain a seed and cannot be extracted like normal acne. if you have too much or too little iodine in your body it can throw off your thyroid which influences your hormones. this can contribute to acne, weight gain, and other hormonal imbalances. what's the safest source of iodide?

norweigan dulse. it is important to make sure it's from the clean waters of norway as seaweed from japan is still testing high in radioactive contamination from fukushima.
free range local organic eggs
free range organic turkey
organic veggies grown in iodine rich soil. it can be hard to find out what kind of soil your produce is grown in. if you shop at your local farmer's market you can ask the farmer directly :)