Bromide Toxicity
Bromide Toxicity.
Two words that don’t sound very good, do they?
Bromide is actually a fire retardant and can be found in things like plastics, carpets and new cars. Scarily, bromated oil can still be found in the drink Mountain Dew (WTF!)
So why am I talking about this now?
You see, symptoms previously thought to be a reaction to ingesting iodine (an essential element for healthy thyroid function) , are now being linked instead to….yep, you guessed it….bromide toxicity!
And yes, I’ve got it!
Seriously…what don’t I have!
Iodine and bromide (along with fluoride and chlorine) are all known as halides. When we are deficient in iodine, the other halides (bromide, fluoride and chlorine) step in and take its place. Unfortunately, if this has been happening for a long period of time, we become bromide toxic. Me!
Being bromide toxic, in my own personal case, means my body blocks any and every little bit of iodine I try to put into it (did I mention this is an essential element for good thyroid health!). No matter how much iodine I eat or take via a supplement, it ain't going anywhere!
Hello autoimmune disease and enlarged thyroid gland!
Hey, did you know that Iodine used to be added to breads and baked good?
However, did you also know that when this process was stopped, many manufactures started to add bromide instead? Yep. Bromide! In our baked goods!!
So how am I dealing with this bromide blockage, I hear you ask?
I’ll be honest with you, it has been a very slow process, and in fact, it’s still going. Two years since first discovering I had a 100% blockage (thru a simple urine test with my holistic practitioner) I have been doing what is called “Salt Loading”. My lastest test, in February of this year, showed that my body is now only 53% blocked. A great result from where I started, but still nowhere near good enough, especially for someone with Hashimoto’s.
So what is Salt Loading?
Firstly, your salt of choice is very important – it needs to be unrefined. I personally use Himalayan rock salt, however Celtic sea salt is also a great choice. These unrefined salts help our body safely detoxify from these halides, allowing iodine a chance to get in and do its job.
So every single day for 1 month, I dissolved 1 teaspoon of Himalayan rock salt into 1 litre of filtered water and drank it throughout the day. After this solid salty month, I have simply continued to add plenty of Himalayan rock salt to my food, along with a ½ teaspoon to my morning lemon or apple cider vinegar tea.
I do have to mention that as with all detoxing, there are the fun side effects that go hand in hand, and for bromide detoxing, symptoms can include:
Diarrhea or constipation
Joint aches
Frequent urination
Irritability and lethargy
Headaches, sinus aches and runny nose
Acne and skin rashes
As mentioned above, I’m still currently not free of this bromide toxicity and I have many Salt Loading months ahead of me, however because I can see the positive results of this simple and cheap (albeit not so tasty) process – I’m not giving up.
Note: As you know, I’m all for experimenting on myself with various holistic practices, however I have been working closely with my holistic practitioner who specialises in Hashimoto’s through this whole process. As a starting point, if you think you too may have bromoide toxicity, perhaps chat to your own holistic practitioner and get yourself tested.