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The curse of the goitre in Switzerland

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Re: The curse of the goitre in Switzerland

#101

Post by Cockbrand »

kergonath wrote: post #90
lostlogin wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are the arguments used against iodised salt? Where would they get their iodine?

Pretty much the same as against fluorine in water in the States: it’s unnatural/a globalist conspiracy/killing our traditional way of life/a plot to subdue the people for . There is no scientifically sound reason against it.

Well, fluoridated water tastes really… well, special, and it almost feels like an indirect subsidy for the water filter industry. Iodine in salt is (to my taste) pretty neutral in comparison.

[EDIT: as pointed out in a child comment, the taste actually comes from chlorine, not fluoride.]

Re: The curse of the goitre in Switzerland

#102

Post by concordDance »

tekla wrote: post #10
k__ wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How come that the disease wasn't widespread earlier?

I am always flabbergasted when people question incredibly effective public health initiatives. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goitre#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodized_salt#In_public_health_... > Worldwide, iodine deficiency affects two billion people and is the leading preventable cause of intellectual and developmental disabilities.[1][2] According to public health experts, iodisation of salt may be the w…

> I am always flabbergasted when people question incredibly effective public health initiatives.

I think it comes from a generalised distrust of governments/big institutions. Which comes from hearing (often heavily distorted) stories about things like Tuskegee Syphilis, MKULTRA, CIA vaccinators in Afghanistan and Thalidomide.

Re: The curse of the goitre in Switzerland

#103

Post by saturn_vk »

kergonath wrote: post #98
ramraj07 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't kosher salt literally just regular salt but in a particular particle size? I also use Himalayan and kosher salt but thats because I eat a ton of junk food which has iodised salt. If you're health conscious and don't do that, it's probably not a bad idea to keep iodised salt and add it in times it's not that important you need to pinch the exact right amount in your fingers or whatever.

You pretty much cannot have too much iodine. It is a good idea to use iodised salt in general. [edit] fair enough, I need to qualify that. You pretty much cannot get too much iodine with something that looks like a normal diet, and in any case iodised salt is not what push iodine levels over the top. And in a normal diets, iodine deficiency is much, much more likely than iodine overload.

The article states otherwise

Re: The curse of the goitre in Switzerland

#104

Post by hef19898 »

wirrbel wrote: post #70
bee_rider wrote: post #13

I think, outside Europe, this afflicted lots of places away from the coast, right? Like the middle part of the US. I’ve always wondered if the iodine in the air is part of the allure of the seaside. Coastal areas of course have produced a huge number of successful countries. Most of that must be the trade and logistics advantages. I wonder if getting the iodine right out of the air was another hidden major advantage…

In my family there is definitely memory of this . My grandmothers generation has seen the old folks with the enlarged neck

I remember it from my grand-grandparents. It wasn't common-common like in late 19th century Switzerland, but there was at least one case close enough to come across yourself.

Re: The curse of the goitre in Switzerland

#105

Post by kergonath »

shakil wrote: post #87
lostlogin wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article mentions that blind taste testing couldn’t detect it at 10x the strength. Surely people test before claiming such things? “Unicef, concerned about the sensitivity of children to odd flavours, commissioned a study in which rice was prepared with salt iodised at ten times the maximum recommended concentration. In double-blind taste tests, the iodine was undetectable.”

Iodized salt is almost always the industrially produced variety, pure NaCL and much more salty than the natural varieties - either sea or mountain salts that typically include other minerals and are milder in flavor.

We have iodised sea salt around here, and it’s not more nor less industrial than standard sea salt. It’s true that the flavour is different than hand-processed sea salt or fleur de sel because of those impurities (which include microplastics and other less-than-ideal compounds, though, even though I love and use mostly barely-processed sea salt), but it is neither more nor less salty.

Re: The curse of the goitre in Switzerland

#106

Post by rmason »

My father told me that goitre's were quite common when he was growing up as a boy in Detroit in the 1920's. In my generation it was totally unknown. Yet I remember people affected by polio as a boy quite well. But I bet that millennials have no personal experience with it at all. Each generation moves forward and I can only hope there is a day when no one has any first hand experience with either cancer or Alzheimer's.

Re: The curse of the goitre in Switzerland

#107

Post by brilee »

morsch wrote: post #95
EdwardDiego wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You hate sand, huh.

The anti caking I commonly see in salt is potassium cyanide [ferrocyanide, actually, see below]. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_ferrocyanide

I'm sure you're aware that ferrocyanide is not the same thing as cyanide - the cyanide is bound so tightly to the iron center that it is nontoxic.

Re: The curse of the goitre in Switzerland

#108

Post by colechristensen »

kergonath wrote: post #90
lostlogin wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are the arguments used against iodised salt? Where would they get their iodine?

Pretty much the same as against fluorine in water in the States: it’s unnatural/a globalist conspiracy/killing our traditional way of life/a plot to subdue the people for . There is no scientifically sound reason against it.

There is scientific reason against it, just not matching many of the conspiracy nuts’ rhetoric.

Most of Western Europe bans fluoridation. It can make your bones a little less elastic and a little more brittle, and there are a few other known or potential negative effects.

There are also just better ways to prevent cavities.

Re: The curse of the goitre in Switzerland

#109

Post by palemoonale »

kergonath wrote: post #90
lostlogin wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are the arguments used against iodised salt? Where would they get their iodine?

Pretty much the same as against fluorine in water in the States: it’s unnatural/a globalist conspiracy/killing our traditional way of life/a plot to subdue the people for . There is no scientifically sound reason against it.

This from a country where tapwater unfortunately typically tastes like crap?

(b/c it is chlorinated)

Re: The curse of the goitre in Switzerland

#110

Post by kergonath »

k__ wrote: post #3
Faaak wrote: post #2

A really pleasant to read story. It's funny because I live in Switzerland and some of my friends debate the "ioded salt", and prefer to consume "natural salt" without the additives. Funny how history can repeat itself. I'm always impressed with all these doctors that would question the approach, try new protocols, and end up by finding a cure

How come that the disease wasn't widespread earlier?

It was. Cretinism was one of the manifestations of iodine deficiency. The trope of crétin des Alpes (lit. cretin from the Alps) existed for a reason. The manifestation was goitres and stunted development, with people who seemingly stopped growing up around 14. Pretty much the story’s subject. It was a public health problem before iodised salt.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congenital_iodine_deficiency...

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