Another Poison Hiding in Your Environment

Avoid This if You Want to Keep Your Thyroid Healthy

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
September 05 2009

Bromides are a common endocrine disruptor. Because bromide is also a halide, it competes for the same receptors that are used in the thyroid gland (among other places) to capture iodine. This will inhibit thyroid hormone production resulting in a low thyroid state.

Iodine is essential for your body, and is detected in every organ and tissue. There is increasing evidence that low iodine is related to numerous diseases, including cancer.  Various clinicians and researchers have found iodine effective with everything from goiter to constipation.

Bromide can be found in several forms. Methyl Bromide is a pesticide used mainly on strawberries, found predominantly in the California areas. Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) is added to citrus drinks to help suspend the flavoring in the liquid.

Potassium Bromate is a dough conditioner found in commercial bakery products and some flours.

 Sources: 

 Natural Thyroid Choices: Bromide
 Iodine 4 Health

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

 

If you are like most people, you probably haven’t spent much time thinking about how much bromine you’re absorbing from your car upholstery or your Mountain Dew. But bromine toxicity is a definite danger from some surprising sources, and it can wreak havoc on your health.

Bromines All Around You

Bromines are common endocrine disruptors, and are part of the halide family, a group of elements that includes fluorine, chlorine and iodine. What makes it so dangerous is that it competes for the same receptors that are used to capture iodine.

If you are exposed to a lot of bromine, your body will not hold on to the iodine that it needs. And iodine affects every tissue in your body — not just your thyroid.

You are already exposed to far too much chlorine and bromine. Bromine can be found in a number of places in your everyday world, including:

• Pesticides (specifically methyl bromide, used mainly on strawberries, predominantly in California)
• Plastics, like those used to make computers
• Bakery goods and some flours often contain a “dough conditioner” called potassium bromate
• Soft drinks (including Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Sun Drop, Squirt, Fresca and other citrus-flavored sodas), in the form of brominated vegetable oils (BVOs)
• Medications such as Atrovent Inhaler, Atrovent Nasal Spray, Pro-Banthine (for ulcers), and anesthesia agents
• Fire retardants (common one is polybromo diphenyl ethers or PBDEs) used in fabrics, carpets, upholstery, and mattresses
• Bromine-based hot tub and swimming pool treatments

According to van Leeuwen, who has extensively studied the effects of sodium bromide on thyroid function:

“Although the bromide ion is widely distributed in nature, the main route of exposure in humans stems from bromide residues in food commodities as a result of the abundant use of bromide-containing pesticides, like methylbromide and ethylene dibromide, for soil fumigation in intensive horticulture and for postharvest treatment.”

One clinical consequence of overexposure to bromine is suppression of your thyroid, leading to hypothyroidism, which will be discussed shortly. Another is bromide toxicity.

Bromine — The Bully of the Halide Group

When you ingest or absorb bromine, it displaces iodine, and this iodine deficiency leads to an increased risk for cancer of the breast, thyroid gland, ovary and prostate — cancers that we see at alarmingly high rates today. This phenomenon is significant enough to have been given its own name — the Bromide Dominance Theory.

Aside from its effects on your endocrine glands, bromine is toxic in and of itself. Bromide builds up in your central nervous system and results in many problems. It is a central nervous system depressant and can trigger a number of psychological symptoms such as acute paranoia and other psychotic symptoms.

In fact, in an audio interview, physician Jorge Flechas reported that, between 1920 and 1960, at least 20 percent of all hospital admissions for “acute paranoid schizophrenia” were a result of ingesting bromine-containing products.

In addition to psychiatric problems, bromine toxicity can manifest as the following:

• Skin rashes and severe acne
• Loss of appetite and abdominal pain
• Fatigue
• Metallic taste
• Cardiac arrhythmias

Baby Boomers might recall a popular product from the 1950s called Bromo-Seltzer. These effervescent granules, developed by the Emerson Drug Company of Baltimore, were used to treat heartburn, upset stomach, indigestion, headaches and hangovers.

Bromo-Selzer’s original formula contained 3.2 mEq/teaspoon of sodium bromide — hence the name. The sedative effect probably explained its popularity as a hangover remedy. Bromides were withdrawn from the American market in 1975 due to their toxicity.

Bromo-Selzer is still on the market, but no longer contains bromide.

Bromines in Your Bread Box: Potassium Bromate

The ban on bromines have not prevented them from sneaking into your foods and personal care products.

You probably are not aware of this, but nearly every time you eat bread in a restaurant or consume a hamburger or hotdog bun you are consuming bromide, as it is commonly used in flours.

The use of potassium bromate as an additive to commercial breads and baked goods has been a huge contributor to bromide overload in Western cultures.

Bromated flour is “enriched” with potassium bromate. Commercial baking companies claim it makes the dough more elastic and better able to stand up to bread hooks. However, Pepperidge Farm and other successful companies manage to use only unbromated flour without any of these so-called “structural problems.”

Potassium bromate is also found in some toothpastes and mouthwashes, where it’s added as an antiseptic and astringent. It has been found to cause bleeding and inflammation of gums in people using these products.

Sodium Bromate and BMOs

Mountain Dew, one of the worst beverages you can drink, uses brominated vegetable oil as an emulsifier. Not only that, it contains high fructose corn syrup, sodium benzoate, more than 55 mg of caffeine per 12 ounce can, and Yellow Dye #5 (tartrazine, which has been banned in Norway, Austria and Germany.)

A weapon of mass destruction — in a can.

Even drinking water can be a source of bromide. When drinking water containing bromide is exposed to ozone, bromate ions are formed, which are powerful oxidizing agents. Such was the case in 2004 when Coca Cola Company had to recall Dasani bottled water.

Sodium bromate can also be found in personal care products such as permanent waves, hair dyes, and textile dyes. Benzalkonium is used as a preservative in some cosmetics.

Finally, bromine and chlorine were the most common toxic elements reportedly found in automobiles, according to the blog of David Brownstein, MD (March 2007). They showed up in the seats, armrests, door trim, shift knobs and other areas of the car.

Think about how much time you spend enclosed in your outgassing Chevy… windows up with no air circulation.

The United States is quite behind in putting an end to the egregious practice of allowing bromine chemicals in your foods. In 1990, the United Kingdom banned bromate in bread. In 1994, Canada did the same. Brazil recently outlawed bromide in flour products.

What’s taking us so long? Another case of our government protecting big industry — instead of protecting you.

Iodine Levels and Cancer Risk

Iodine levels have significantly dropped due to bromine exposure; declining consumption of iodized salt, eggs, fish, and sea vegetables; and soil depletion. In the U.S. population, there was a 50 percent reduction in urinary iodine excretion between 1970 and 1990.

What’s this doing to our country’s health?

The Japanese consume 89 times more iodine than Americans due to their daily consumption of sea vegetables, and they have reduced rates of many chronic diseases, including the lowest rates of cancer in the world. The RDA for iodine in the U.S. is a meager 150 mcg/day, which pales in comparison with the average daily intake of 13800 mcg/day for the Japanese.

There is a large body of evidence suggesting that low cancer rates in Japan are a result of their substantially higher iodine levels. Iodine has documented antioxidant and anti-proliferative properties.

A strong case can be made that your iodine RDA should be closer to what the Japanese consume daily, if breast cancer rates are any indication. Low iodine can lead to fibrocystic breast disease in women (density, lumps and bumps), hyperplasia, and atypical mammary tissue. Such fibrocystic changes in breast tissue have been shown to reverse in the presence of iodine supplementation after 3-4 months.

If you are interested in being tested for iodine deficiency, the urine iodine challenge test is the best way to assess your iodine level.

Bromine and Your Thyroid

Adding to the negative health effects of bromine, the damage to your thyroid health deserves special mention.

As stated in the first part of this article, bromine exposure depletes your body’s iodine by competing with iodine receptors. Iodine is crucial for thyroid function. Without iodine, your thyroid gland would be completely unable to produce thyroid hormone.

Even the names of the different forms of thyroid hormone reflect the number of iodine molecules attached — T4 has four attached iodine molecules, and T3 (the biologically active form of the hormone) has three–showing what an important part iodine plays in thyroid biochemistry.

Hypothyroidism is far more prevalent than once thought in the U.S. The latest estimates are that 13 million Americans have hypothyroidism, but the actual numbers are probably higher. Some experts claim that 10 to40 percent of Americans have suboptimal thyroid function.

Many of these folks may actually have nothing wrong with their thyroid gland at all — they may just be suffering from iodine deficiency.

Seven Tips for Avoiding Bromine and Optimizing Iodine

Trying to avoid bromine is like trying to avoid air pollution — all you can do is minimize your exposure. That said, here are a few things you can do to minimize your risk:

1. Eat organic as often as possible. Wash all produce thoroughly. This will minimize your pesticide exposure.
2. Avoid eating or drinking from (or storing food and water in) plastic containers. Use glass and safe ceramic vessels.
3. Look for organic whole-grain breads and flour. Grind you own grain, if possible. Look for the “no bromine” or “bromine-free” label on commercial baked goods.
4. Avoid sodas. Drink natural, filtered water instead.
5. If you own a hot tub, look into an ozone purification system. Such systems make it possible to keep the water clean with minimal chemical treatments.
6. Look for personal care products that are as chemical-free as possible. Remember — anything going on you, goes in you.
7. When in a car or a building, open windows as often as possible, preferably on opposing sides of the space for cross ventilation. Utilize fans to circulate the air. Chemical pollutants are much higher inside buildings (and cars) than outside.

Avoid Unfermented Soy

Another major contributor to thyroid dysfunction that I did not discuss above is unfermented soy. Soy isoflavones can wreak havoc on your thyroid.

Kaayla Daniel’s groundbreaking book, The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food is a powerful exposé that reveals the truth about the soy myths that have infiltrated our culture.

It’s ironic that soy has become so accepted as a health food when, as Dr. Daniel states, thousands of studies link soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, immune-system breakdown, thyroid- and hormonal dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders and infertility–even cancer and heart disease.

So if you want to keep your thyroid healthy, you’ll definitely want to avoid unfermented soy products of all kinds, including soy milk.

Related Links:

  New Toxic Chemicals Found in Breast Milk

  Iodine Deficiency Major Global Problem

  How to Help Your Thyroid With Virgin Coconut Oil

Worries About Mobile Phone Radiation

		Mobile Phone Radiation to Unleash Epidemic of Brain Tumors
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 by: David Gutierrez http://www.naturalnews.com/023913.html A new review of more than 100 studies on the safety of mobile phones has concluded that cellular devices are poised to cause an epidemic of brain tumors that will kill more people than smoking or asbestos. The review was conducted by neurosurgeon Vini Khurana, who has received more than 14 awards in the past 16 years, who made headlines worldwide with his warnings. He called upon the industry to immediately work to reduce people’s exposure to the radiation from mobile phones. According to Khurana, research demonstrates that long-term use of mobile handsets, more than 10 years, can double the risk of contracting brain cancer. While a number of studies have concluded that there is no such risk, Khurana said that most of those studies only examined short-term use. But because a brain tumor can take 10 years to develop, studies without a long follow-up period are largely meaningless. “There is a significant and increasing body of evidence for a link between mobile phone usage and certain brain tumors,” Khurana said, a link that will be “definitively proven” within 10 years. Khurana urged people to minimize their use of mobile phones, particularly handsets. He also urged the industry to act immediately to reduce exposure to radiation from the devices. While mobile phones may save lives in certain emergency situations, Khurana said, brain cancer is “a life-ending diagnosis.” “It is anticipated that this danger has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking,” Khurana said. While one billion people worldwide smoke tobacco, three times as many now use mobile phones. Smoking is responsible for five million deaths each year. While the United Kingdom’s Independent newspaper described Khurana’s study as “the most devastating indictment yet published of the health risks” of mobile phones, his warning is not the first. A Swedish study in 2006 concluded that people who used mobile phones for an hour or more each day had a 240 percent higher brain tumor risk than non-users. Tumors were significantly more likely to develop on the side of the head where the phone was most often used. Inspired in part by such studies, France has warned against mobile phone use (especially in children), Germany urges people to minimize their use of mobile handsets, and the European Environment Agency has called for minimizing exposure to cellular radiation. The mechanisms by which mobile phones increase cancer risk are not well understood, but several possibilities are suspected. Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is known to directly heat up the head and brain, and can also cause thermoelectric effects on cells and DNA. According to Khurana, even bluetooth devices and unshielded headsets merely turn the head into an antenna that bombards itself with radiation. Children, with thinner skulls than adults, are particularly at risk. “EMR rays in general cause irritation, concentration lapses and in many cases even proliferation of cells which cause cancer,” said Dr Rajeev Ranjan, a New Delhi neurologist. Radiation can also interfere with the functioning of medical devices like pacemakers. EMR also “affect[s] the DNA and cause[s] problems in cell recovery and cell growth,” said New Delhi neurologist Anshu Rohatgi. Khurana warned that if immediate measures are not taken, mobile phones will soon be responsible for a massive public health crisis. “We are currently experiencing a reactively unchecked and dangerous situation,” he said. Because mobile phone use began in the mid-1980s and it can take up to 20 years to diagnose a malignant solid brain tumor, he said, “In the years 2008-2012, we will have reached the appropriate length of follow-up time to begin to definitively observe the impact of this global technology on brain tumor incidence rates.” “Malignant brain tumor incidence and its associated death rate will be observed globally to rise within a decade from now,” Khurana said, “by which time it may be far too late to meaningfully intervene.” Sources for this story include: www.independent.co.uk, www.dnaindia.com, www.stuff.co.nz.

 

Find Good Food

Check out this great website: Eat Well Guide

Find Good Food – Local, Sustainable, Organic

Cellphone Safety

Children are at the highest risk!

		Cell phone radiation disrupts fundamental physiologic and genetic functions in brain and blood tissue leading to problems that range from stress, fatigue, anxiety, attention deficit, autism and learning disorders to brain and eye cancer.
		Children and teenagers are at the highest risk because the radiation from the cell phone penetrates deep into the developing brain.
		Studies of adults show serious health risks after only a few years of cell phone use – no one knows for sure the extent of the damage that will be caused by life-long exposure of our children and teenagers.
		In 2002 about 40% of 12 year olds had cell phones.
		In 2004 – a study showed that in Buffalo, New York – children between 12 and 17 year olds were on the phone over 86 minutes a day and over 2500 minutes a month
		Now in 2008 those numbers have increased dramatically, estimation is that 80 to 90% of teens own cell phones.

   BIOPRO’s breakthrough products and technologies powering the world’s first patented and proprietary solutions to counteract the effects caused by Electromagnetic Radiation are worth looking into. Click the picture.

 

Cymatics

Cymatics is a science pioneered by Swiss medical doctor and natural scientist, Hans Jenny (1904 – 1972). For many years he conducted experiments using a variety of mediums, revealing beautiful patterns that are created using simple sine wave vibrations – tones that are within the audible range. So what you see is a physical representation of vibration, or how sound manifests into form through the medium of various materials.

In the 1960’s Dr. Hans Jenny investigated sound vibrations; inventing a machine he called tonoscope; a cymatic instrument. This allowed him to view the physical image, or “dimension” of various sounds, including human vowels and tones. He observed that the shapes and moving 3D formations composed on the tonoscope had great similarity and formed geometric patterns.

Furthermore Dr. Jenny noticed that when the vowels of the ancient languages of Hebrew and Sanscrit were pronounced, the vibration took the shape of the written symbols for these vowels, while our modern languages, on the other hand, did not generate the same result. This suggests that by sounding the sacred texts, by singing sacred vowels, our cells resonate into a more “coherent” shape, in which our energies are synchronized with those of the Universe. This may also suggest then that the Hebrew letters have the power to influence and transform physical reality, to create things through their inherent power, or through the exposure to the frequency of the letter heal a person who has gone “out of tune”.

See an example in “Hello World.”

Hello world!

Welcome to my space!

GaryTJ’s Space is dedicated to the Light and being a stress-free place.

Light? Here’s an example. These are letters of light:

Do what is right.

Believe your intuitive insights.

What goes around, comes around.

 Put them altogether and you have:

Words of Light to live and die by.

 “Consciousness can heal itself and needs no other weapon than to be aware.”