Help for the 90 percent of women lacking energizing iodine
Parveen Sangha, 47, was bogged down by fatigue, GI woes and joint pain—then she found the simple solution that made all the difference
Oh no, not again,” Parveen muttered, feeling the weight of every limb in her body as she forced herself to stand up. “I had just sat down with my fifth-grade students for a school assembly when I was overwhelmed by exhaustion. I had to fight to stay awake,” she recalls. “I got a drink of water and stepped into the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. As I looked in the mirror at my pale skin and tired-looking eyes, all I could think was, Why am I so worn out all the time?
Too tired to cope
“For most of my 30s, fatigue became a way of life. Although I ate healthy and was an avid runner, it was becoming harder and harder to function. Not only would I doze off at school, sometimes I needed to take a nap at my desk on my lunch break, then another when I came home from work.
“The fatigue took a huge toll on my relationships. When my boyfriend would invite me to go camping with him and his friends, I knew I’d never have the energy to go hiking or even help set up, so he’d go without me. He was understanding, but I was so disappointed that I couldn’t be with him.
“My friendships also changed. When my friends invited me out to dinner, I always canceled because there was no way I could stay up past 8 pm. I made excuses that I didn’t get enough sleep or I ate too much sugar the day before because I thought maybe that was true. They were disappointed, and to make matters worse, they didn’t understand why I was so tired—especially when I looked healthy. Since I missed out on so much time with them, I felt left out, and eventually they stopped inviting me altogether.
“Not only was I dealing with unrelenting fatigue, I also had insomnia, migraines, bloat, tingling sensations and pain in my hands, legs and feet. The joint pain got so bad that I started popping pain relievers all day. My hair was falling out, I had the worst brain fog and my mood was always poor. I was also having reactions to practically everything I ate. I was sick of living this way and I knew I needed answers fast.”
Relief at last
“To get to the bottom of my symptoms, I saw my primary care physician and a gastroenterologist, but neither of them had answers for me. I also saw
three allergists, one of whom told me I was allergic to nuts, so I eliminated them from my diet. But when he said that my reactions weren’t typical food allergy reactions, a light bulb went off—I thought maybe it could be my thyroid. I decided to see an endocrinologist, but he said my thyroidstimulating hormone was normal and he sent me on my way. It was so frustrating because I felt like I was all alone in looking for answers.
“So rather than see more doctors, I took my health into my own hands. After I read about the Paleo diet and how it could give me more energy, I figured it couldn’t hurt to give it a try. I also stopped taking the birth control pill because I read that doing so might help improve my energy. Although these changes made the joint pain go away and gave me a bit more energy, the fatigue and other symptoms still weighed me down.
“My boyfriend then suggested I try supplementing with iodine, a mineral that all the cells in the body need to function properly. It had given him more stamina to exercise so he could lose weight. I decided to look into it and soon found the Iodine Workshop, an online community that provides information and resources for people who want to learn more about iodine. I also read The Iodine Crisis, by Lynne Farrow, which was eye-opening for me. I learned that most women are deficient in iodine and that can lead to fatigue and my other symptoms. I realized that since I had stopped eating dairy and grains, both of which are good sources of iodine, I had depleted my iodine stores.
“I took Lugol’s iodine, a type of iodine that contains both iodine and potassium iodide, because I read that it had a long history of proven effectiveness. I also started to add seafood back into my diet, and within a few weeks my energy increased and my symptoms vanished. I couldn’t believe that such simple tweaks could make such a big difference. I remember saying to myself, Wow, this is how I’m supposed to feel!
“Now that fatigue isn’t holding me back, I’m back to living my life to the fullest—going on hikes with my now-husband and wine tastings with my friends and giving my all at work. In fact, when our school held a Jump Rope For Heart fundraiser, instead of yawning in the back row, I was leading the fun!”
—as told to Julie Revelant