The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1946-04-12
Your Health
Small Amount of
Iodine in Diet
Prevents Goitre

Prevents Goitre
By HERMAN BUNDEsEN. NJ. D
PREVENTION Il the watch
word Of modern medicine. There
Is no doctor today who is not a
firm believer in the old adage that
an ounce Of prevention is worth a
pound Of cure because doctors, OF
all men, know how complicated
and risky even the best of cures
can be when contrRsted with the
beautiful safety Of prevention.
Consider goitre, an enlargement
Of the thyroid gland in the neck
which is likely 10 occur when not
enough iodine Is obtained in the
food. Goitre causes many and adj
verse changes in the body and its
cure often requires a major OPP
GRAFTON.
Yet, its prevention is sometimes
30 simplel A little iodine does the
trick. Only a little lis needed, but
that little is all-important.
Why? Well, it's as simple as this.
The secretion Of the thyroid gland
contains iodine. When iodine is
lacking, the gland attempts to
make more Of its secretion TO sup
ply the lack and in so doing en-
larges. Usually there are no symp-
toms until the enlargement is so
great that heavy pressure is put
on the surrounding structures.
In certain parts Of the United
States the water and soil, and
hence the foods grown in these
areas, are lacking in iodine. These
areas are called goitre belts be-
cause many people in these regions
develop an enlarged thyroid gland
or goitre. Consequently, ii would
appear important that efforts be
made 10 be sure that all persons in
these areas get a sufficient supply
Of iodine.
Surveys have been made In
many areas, for example, West
Virginia, where in 1922, it was
found that 60 per cent. of the
growing girls had goitre. Never
theless, it has been shown, accord
ing to DR.. Oliver p. Kimball Of
Cleveland, that this type Of goitre
may be prevented by making sure
that the body is supplied with suf-
ficient iodine.
Studies were also carried out
10 determine the iodine content of
water in certain areas and it was
found that where there was no
iodine in the water, more than two
thirds of the school children had
enlargement Of the thyroid gland.
In one state a determined effort
was made to prevent goitre by
the use of iodized salt. Only 0.02
per cent. Of potassium iodide had
TO be added to the salt, and this
was done without any cost to the
consumer. By means Of lectures,
newspapers, articles, etc, a cam
paign was carried out TO educate
people in the knowledge of the
value Of iodized salt in goitre pre-
vention.
As a result Of this campaign il
was found that the number of goi-
tres dropped from 54.6 per cent.
to 17.2 per cent. after a period of
four years.
The use Of iodized salt has no i'll
effects insofar as anyone has been
able to determine. II was feared
that possibly the widespread use
Of iodized salt might lead to an
other type of goitre known as
toxic goitre, in which there are
such symptoms as loss of weight
and strength, nervousness, irrita-
bility and damage to the heart
However, in a comparative
study it was found that only Al
per cent. of a large group who
used iodized salt had toxic goitre
while 55.5 per cent. Of those who
had purposely avoided the use Of
iodized salt had symptoms Of toxic
Roitre.