After clinical practice for the last 15 years and countless sessions with thyroid patients, the single most important natural food change I can recommend to help with thyroid function is the sea vegetable dulse.
Dulse is a superfood loaded with intense nutrition, including vitamins, minerals, omega-3s, potassium, iron and B12. It does have some iodine, but not nearly as much as kelp. This is important because dulse can be used where kelp is problematic for patients with an autoimmune reaction to iodine.
I have many case studies, including patients where parts of the thyroid have been removed. These patients were placed on thyroid medication and, contrary to my own training and Western medicine protocols, were able to get off thyroid medication and subsisted wholly on dulse as their main form of nutrition for healthy thyroid function. After the switch to dulse, thyroid blood panels for these patients returned normal, consistently, up to 10 years and more after the medication was removed from their care plan. At first I found this very hard to believe. Even as a holistic doctor, this possibility went beyond my original expectations.
For many years I recommended patients get their dulse as leaf, flakes or powder directly from providers on the upper Maine coast, because they could get organic product and be sure of quality, including third-party testing for metals and other contaminants. The problem was that many patients didn't like the taste of dulse, or any sea vegetable, because of the salty flavor. Capsuled versions were not reliably available, if they existed at all, and product quality was a serious concern.
Finding a supplement form became imperative for me to keep recommending it to patients and their families. It came to the point where I had to produce it myself. That took roughly two years: finding sourcing (dulse is only harvested at certain times and not in endless quantities), having purity testing done, and making sure it was organic and could be sold that way.
Finally, we got dulse in its whole-plant form into capsules with no fillers, nothing besides the dulse and a vegetable cellulose capsule.
I am incredibly excited and happy that we finally got here. Dulse is an incredible addition to the diet and I feel confident recommending it to anyone for general health and vitamin-mineral supplementation. I have found dulse exceptionally useful in my practice as a natural way to aid healthy thyroid function. In all my years of clinical practice I have found only a handful of super beneficial products for people's health, and this is truly one of them.
I hope you take the opportunity to find out how dulse can help you improve your health and well-being. Here is the link to the Dulse in our store.
Wishing You and Your Family the best in Health!
Dr. Lorn Allison, DN
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