Iodine: Natural vs Synthetic – with Dr Teitelbaum; Plus: What Are Spices For? – your SV Ayurveda Newsletter Nov 6, 2025, #43, Vol 15

In Europe and North America, the use of spices is not part of our daily diet as it in the Southern America, the Middle East, or South East Asia. Here, if we really want to get fancy we may add more flavor either through dry herbs or use onion/garlic or store-bought sauces or flavoring agents!

It’s a shame because spices do so much more for us than just add flavor.

Spices have distinct irreplaceable properties that not only boost metabolism, but support the entire physiology on many levels. The most immediate benefit we can get from adding spices to our daily meals is their power to balance cravings. Since spices function like digestive enzymes, they help us metabolize the food, and thus balance the digestive metabolic fires in all the seven physical tissues. Let’s look at some of their properties.

For example: cardamom pods help digest protein. When you simmer the milk with cardamom pods the cardamom helps you digest the protein in the milk. Add a cinnamon stick, and that will help you digest the sugar in the milk. Add a pinch of saffron, and it will help you digest the fat of the milk in the fat medha dhatu or fat tissue. Fenugreek seeds help digest and break-down fats; Cumin seeds support the stomach’s acids (pita and vata dosha) and keep things moving; ginger is fabulous for re- igniting the digestive fire – pachak agni; and fennel seeds regulate the digestive fire if it’s too high or too low, it adjusts it to just the right potency! When we regularly consume heavy meals that may contain some or all of the following: hard aged cheeses; red meats; nut butters; unfermented soy like tofu; prepared foods with preservatives and additives, etc, we put a great strain on our digestive system, and with time, it will malfunction. Poor digestion is the primary cause for 99% of diseases according to Ayurveda!

Here is yet another spice, which when used correctly will help with flatulence: Ajwain seeds. Ajwain seeds taste like oregano but are much more potent – are used when the body’s physical channels are clogged and digestion is sluggish.

Did you know ajwain may also be used to purify mother’s breastmilk? Breast milk may contain toxins which can create problems in the infant – acid reflux or eczema.

Ajwain is such a versatile spice that it can also be used in a detox/cleanse protocol to help dilate the urinary channels, and when used in conjunction with coriander seeds, it supports in re-directing the toxins from the deeper tissues into the kidneys and then flushing them out through the urinary tract.

What about Cinnamon? Many people are diabetic because of insulin resistance. Their bodies may still be producing insulin, but the body is unable to process and use it. Cooking with cinnamon sticks helps to increase the insulin sensitivity by 20%, which is why it is recommended in many of the Ayurvedic herbal formulas for modulating blood sugar levels.

So there it is: spices are essential! You can make your own spice blends: follow your intuition and get creative. Vaidya Mishra’s classic recipe was:

1 Part Turmeric

1 Part Fennel

1 Part Cumin

6 Parts Coriander

This is a balanced ration for daily support. You can dry toast all and blend or just blend the seeds and mix together. Add a pinch or 1/2 tsp to your food while cooking, or sauté in ghee and add on top. Not up to experimenting? Try one of our many spice blends – all perfect for daily use. A treasure-trove of flavors and delicious scents, that will elevate your culinary experiences to new unexpected beyond-Michelin heights!

Here’s to your health!

Mom’s Masala was Vaidya Mishra’s family recipe. His mother used to make this at home from scratch. We are so fortunate to have it. A complex spice blend with 20 different spices, it has layers of flavor and countless benefits! Best of all? You can cook with it OR just sprinkle it on top of your food, make a dressing with some lime, olive oil and chopped cilantro, or just sprinkle it on fresh cut fruits. Your imagination is the limit! Enjoy!

Did you know that even children need to have spices added to their meals for optimal digestion and absorption? Here are 5 different spice blends – all delicious – with specific properties. They are so good, not only do kids love them, but grown-up kids use them as well! Try them and find out…

Iodine

Important Fact You Need to Know

Dr Marianne Teitelbaum

I wrote a book called Healing the Thyroid With Ayurveda, and in that book I discuss how to effectively treat the thyroid gland and heal it, rather than giving the thyroid hormone which primarily shuts down the thyroid gland since it’s no longer called upon to make its hormones.

As a result I treat people from all around the world for their thyroid conditions, such as hypothyroid, hyperthyroid, Hashimoto’s and Graves Disease.

And what I have found is that people don’t understand enough about iodine, which is important because the thyroid gland is the only gland that uses iodine to make its hormones. And through the years I have seen both sides of the spectrum: people are either deficient in it or they are taking supplements and are overdosing on it, which can actually suppress the thyroid gland. This is one of those cases where many people think that if a little is good for you, then more must be better. It is definitely not the case when it comes to iodine.

So let’s start at the beginning.

The main role of iodine is in the production of thyroid hormones. T3 contains 3 iodine atoms and T4 contains 4 iodine atoms. These are the two primary hormones made by the thyroid gland, and they control your metabolism — you can either gain too much weight with a sluggish metabolism as in the case of hypothyroidism, or lose too much weight if metabolism is too high, which can happen in hyperthyroidism.

It can also affect growth, which is important to know because if your child isn’t growing properly, this might be one avenue you want to consider and see why the thyroid gland is being depressed. Don’t be tempted to rush in and give the hormones. It’s more important to see why it’s not able to function, fix that and then bring its function back. There are numerous causes, such as if there is fluoride in the water, or exposure to mercury, both of which can depress the thyroid gland. There are some other reasons as well.

The thyroid gland uses 70-80% of the body’s iodine. Which means that iodine is used in other parts of the body. When I was growing up if we had a wound our mothers would put a tincture of iodine on it. Why? Because iodine kills infection upon contact. So that gives us a clue as to other parts of the body that would use iodine.

This is very interesting: did you know that your salivary glands concentrate small amounts of iodine? They do! Because every breath we take viruses and bacteria are coming into all these orifices and the iodine will stop them in their tracks. 

Therefore you will find iodine in locations where pathogens from the outside world are entering the body and iodine will show up there to do its work in protecting us from them. Areas such as the mouth (as just mentioned in the salivary glands). 

You’ll also find iodine in the stomach lining because, again, food coming in from the outside world is loaded with bacteria and viruses, no matter how much we try to clean them. Even our immune system cells which kill pathogens, such as our neutrophils use iodine to do their work in protecting us. 

So how much iodine do we need? Adults need 150 micrograms a day, pregnant women need 220 micrograms a day, breastfeeding mothers need 290 micrograms a day, and children need 90 micrograms a day.

Since it is always best to get nutrients in food, in their natural form, for best utilization by the body, let’s see which foods contain iodine so we can make sure we are getting enough in the diet. 

If you are not vegetarian then fish provides anywhere from 100-150 micrograms of iodine per serving. Wild-caught fish usually have more iodine than farmed fish. 

If you are vegetarian it is recommended that you consume dairy products. Just 1 cup of cow’s milk provides 90 micrograms of iodine, 1 cup of yogurt provides 50-75 micrograms, and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese provides 25-40 micrograms.

For vegans who do not consume dairy, seaweed can be extremely rich in iodine, much more than in fish but you must be very careful because kelp and other brown seaweeds contain iodine far above the safe upper limit, especially if you consume it every day or take a supplement of seaweed every day. 

For example, kelp (or kombu) contains 1400-2500 micrograms per serving! This is definitely way too much so be careful if you consume these — maybe take them only once or twice a week at the most. 

Wakame contains 150-300 micrograms per serving, and nori used in sushi — 1 sheet, contains 30-60 micrograms, so it is much safer. Dulse contains 150-250 micrograms. 

Consistently consuming too much iodine may lead to thyroid dysfunction. You can actually suppress your thyroid gland with too much iodine. In fact, too much iodine can lead to hypothyroid or an underactive thyroid, hyperthyroidism, where the thyroid is overactive or a goiter, which is an enlarged thyroid gland. This is important to know because when most people think about a goiter or any thyroid condition, they automatically think of low iodine as the underlying cause. 

High iodine levels can trigger a temporary shutdown of thyroid hormone production, but if exposure is prolonged it may lead to permanent thyroid suppression in some people.

High iodine intake is linked to increased risk of autoimmune thyroiditis and hypothyroidism. In my practice I see many people with autoimmune thyroid diseases, such as Hashimoto’s and Grave’s Disease, take too much iodine which made their condition worse — and it can even trigger these two diseases to develop in the first place. 

Natural food sources, as opposed to the synthetic iodine supplements are preferred because they provide other supportive nutrients like selenium, tyrosine and protein, all of which help thyroid function.

Except for eating too much kelp, in general, it’s much easier to overdose on iodine supplements than from food, even if the supplement is marketed as natural. Keep in mind that we roughly need about 200 micrograms a day of iodine, but the supplements can be hundreds or even thousands of micrograms per pill, especially in the case of kelp pills and Lugol’s iodine. 

For example, it’s not unusual for one kelp pill to contain 2,000 micrograms of iodine!

Many of our patients reported that their thyroid conditions worsened with the use of Lugol’s iodine. Lugol’s iodine is a solution of elemental iodine and potassium iodide in water. It’s named after the French physician Jean Guillame Auguste Lugol, who developed it in 1829. The solution is used in both medical and laboratory settings. I have seen many thyroid cases worsen once the patient started to take this as a supplement. Here is why:

There are varying strengths of Lugol’s iodine, all of which are extremely high. A 2% solution of Lugol’s iodine found in only one drop of the extract contains 2.5 MILLIGRAMS (a thousand micrograms is in one milligram), 5% Lugol’s contains 6.25 milligrams per drop, 7% Lugol’s contains 8.75 milligrams per drop, and 10% Lugol’s contains an extremely concentrated amount of iodine with 12.5 milligrams per drop. 

This means that one drop of 5% Lugol’s delivers 6.25 mg or 6,250 micrograms which is 5x over the safe daily upper limit of 1100 micrograms per day!!!

Now that you have this information, I hope you will be very careful when it comes to your daily intake of iodine. You can see that food is your best bet, as it gives the amounts your body needs. Kelp or kombu are the only sources of food you need to be careful with.

Supplementation of iodine needs to be monitored carefully. Make sure you know how much is in your supplement and don’t exceed what the body needs. In this case, getting more iodine is not a good thing. I can’t tell you how many of my thyroid patients worsened their condition by taking iodine supplements without understanding these important facts.

I hope this information helps you as you seek to naturally balance out your thyroid gland.

Thank you,

Dr. Marianne Teitelbaum

Cinnaminson, New Jersey

856-786-3330

www.drmteitelbaum.com

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