Our Brain; Support and Maintenance. Chapter Four. Using Aromatherapy and Food to meet Selenium and Iodine needs.

In our discussions about our Brain and the nutrients found there and required for proper brain function, we have to really discuss more than one at a time as many times one nutrient is dependent on another nutrient to properly function. However, we do start out that way at times, but then by the time we get most of the way through, we end up introducing several more. This is because of that spider web type of connection that is found that gives us the picture of so many dependencies of one nutrient being connected with another to properly function. So with that our discussion today is going be centered around Iodine and Selenium.

The minerals of Iodine and Selenium play a major role in both parts of the immune system. The big difference in the two parts of the immune system is that in the 80% part, which is found in our digestive tract is made of of many and that word many is an understatement, of various microbes and bacteria. I have heard figures of trillions being batted around. But in simple terms it is many. We actually have to have these microbes, well, lets use a more inclusive term, critters. So lots of life forms doing their thing and we benefit from them doing their thing. The nutrients that we take in feed them and they in turn, basically feed us. But in the other 20% of the immune system, which consists of our Spinal Fluid, really functions a little different. We don't want the "critters" in that stuff. The Spinal Fluid contains a different makeup of stuff, it is a solution made up of various minerals, oils, acids, and things along those lines. For the most part when we get "critters" in that solution, it is not good news and most of the time it is some sort of parasite. We want to keep that Saline Solution really clean. What takes place here is a lot of electrical activity. So for that electrical activity to take place and to work properly, a delicate balance of this Saline Solution is required. In a later chapter we will talk about Potassium, as Potassium is at the center of the conduction of those electrical activities and for those activities to actually be carried out.

So just what does Selenium do in the Spinal Fluid? The one major thing is to protect against viruses. Simply stated is that if you are deficient in Selenium, then you are at high risk to catch any virus that may come your way. If you are up to par with your Selenium levels, then it is really hard for a virus to take a hold and run it's course. As a general rule it is estimated by most responsible people that understands this stuff that at least 80% of the population is Selenium Deficient. Another factor is that about 2/3 of all cancers have a viral or virus base to them. So with those figures, it doesn't take a whole lot of math to add up the role of prevention that Selenium is believed to play in the prevention or even the solution to a virus based cancer. Also in even more simple terms, Selenium is a real powerful Antioxidant and it is virtually impossible to loose weight when you are experiencing an Iodine/Selenium deficiency. 

Since we mentioned Iodine along with the Selenium, just why do we do that? One thing is that Selenium doe snot work very well with out iodine. When the two are present at the ratios that is needed, then they both work exponentially better together than they do alone. Iodine is one of those minerals that is better looked at in terms of what it does not affect than to try to list what it does affect. Iodine reaches and affects the operation of pretty much every cell in the body and works within both parts of the immune system. One of the important roles of Iodine is the regulation of the Thyroid. The Thyroid regulates certain Hormones that in turn have an intense influence on Brain Function. When it comes to Brain development, a Brain cannot properly develop without Iodine. The so called disease of the Brain related to an Iodine deficiency is Cretinism or better known as Congenital Iodine Deficiency Syndrome. This is a condition that is tied into the Thyroid and Iodine, or rather a lack of Iodine. This is a problem that generally begins at conception and is contributed to during the carrying of the fetus, which results in the creation of Cretinism. Basically, most babies born with this condition are usually mentally retarded and/or physically handicapped in a related way of deformed growth patterns. It also ties in with Selenium because on the male seed side, the head and tail carries Selenium. So a lack of the proper amount of Selenium in the reproduction side will produce a less than healthy and vigorous seed. So both contributors to the conception process can contribute to this condition. Did I say that in a politically correct/neutral way that is acceptable?

When we take this one step further out we see Potassium being brought into the picture. Potassium and Iodine have a very similar action type of relations as does Calcium and Magnesium. When you have a situation of low Magnesium to a high Calcium concentration, the Calcium will pool and solidify. You have to have Magnesium to liquefy the Calcium so that it can be moved to where it needs to be to be used properly. Now when we look at Potassium and Iodine, we see much the same thing. If you have low concentrations of Iodine and high concentrations of Potassium, the Potassium will pool and solidify. So you need the Iodine to liquidity the Potassium so that it can be used where it needs to be used. Of course Potassium is used throughout the body. But the one place it is critical to have it in the proper viscosity is within the Brain and Spinal Fluid. As mentioned earlier, Potassium plays a major role in conducting the electrical impulses within the brain. A proper saline solution in the brain is critical to properly route the impulses. So at the end of the day, Iodine plays a critical role in the Brain.

Iodine and Selenium Connection to Aromatherapy.

When it comes to providing for the Selenium and Iodine minerals through Aromatherapy we see that we do have a number of options. First we will look at Iodine. Of course sea Veggies are a very good source of Iodine. Mostly people will use various Kelp products to meet their Iodine needs. I will typically use a particular Orange essential oil for Iodine needs. But several other sources are there as well. Most of the Juniper Leaf oils will carry some Iodine. Short Leaf Pine Needles/Leaves will typically carry an appreciable amount of Iodine. One can use essential oils or use the shoots in an Herbal tea drink. Another essential oil that carries Iodine is Cinnamon Bark. A carrier oil that does carry Iodine is Sunflower Seed Oil. Among grains that are typically eaten and carries Iodine are Oats and Rye. Pistachio Seeds are a good source of Iodine as well.

Then when we look at Selenium that is carried in essential oils, we find quite a number. To list some of them; Thyme, Lemongrass, Catnip, Peppermint, Fennel, Juniper, and Ginger. We have an oil that is distilled by a local distiller, it was distilled from Gum Weed. It carries a great deal of Selenium. The Herbs that carry Selenium is many and most of the typical ones used for general use will carry Selenium. The list is too long to even do justice to the whole. There are not many carrier oils that carry Selenium. One of the problems here is that Selenium can be depleted rather quickly from the soil, so many times there is only enough Selenium in the growing medium to meet the basic needs of the plant at best. So when this condition is found, which is most of the time any more, you just don't get a whole lot from a carrier oil as it pertains to Selenium.

An interesting aspect to the Selenium thing is that males have a tendency to have the need for a huge amount of Selenium as compared to females. Selenium is a very high use mineral in the "seed" coming from males. The main aspect of this is the "giving" of Selenium to their woman. So you will notice that with older men you will see a lot of them eating chicken gizzards, which I do when I can. Everyone at my house sees them as being gross, so I usually have to wait until I am home alone to cook up a batch. Another source of Selenium is Sardines. I am sure you have seen older men eat sardines like kids eat candy. However, from a female side of things, a few months ago I was talking with one of my daughters. She was a few months pregnant at the time and she mentioned about how she craves sardines. She said that she just can't seem to get enough of them. So, I said, well, sounds like you have a Selenium Deficiency. So keep on eating them. Besides there are some other nutrients there that could potentially help her as Sardines are considered one of the safer fish to eat now days.

Moving on to other related material. I don't know how much more that I can show examples of all things Selenium and Iodine to give more color to the picture. But here is an idea that I know will come up in a Q and A period. So since Iodine is so strongly related to the Oceans, why do people living near the Oceans still have Iodine deficiencies? This would be an excellent question to ask. Normally when a person is living near Sea water, there are winds that whip up over the water and will catch little droplets of water and blow those droplets of water over land. These droplets might contain some Iodine, but remember that the Sea water doesn't contain a lot of Iodine at the surface level. Part of this reason is that Iodine is a very heavy molecule. So if the wind is strong and fierce, then it might carry some Iodine. But other wise, it takes a lot of water being blown inland and then deposited in or on the soil, then taken up by the plants. But the way that you take advantage of the Iodine in the Sea water is to eat Sea vegetables, such as Kelp, Dulse, Nori, etc. But to get enough Iodine on a daily basis one would need to eat one serving per day, almost every day to get enough Iodine. So the amount of Iodine that we need is a lot and we always need it. As a side note, we must remember that Iodine serves as a disinfectant of sorts for the skin. Where as we find Chloride serving as an internal disinfectant. As we have it, when a kids enters into puberty, the Thyroid begins to use a tremendous amount of Iodine. The skin seems to be the last on the list to get it's fair share of Iodine and as a result, your Teenagers end up not having this natural disinfectant in place and as a result the skin pours get clogged and infected and we have a acne situation manifesting its self. Acne, in the vast amount of cases,  is simply an Iodine Deficiency. But the other side of this coin is that we need Selenium to enable Iodine to really be effective.

As a general rule Selenium does not move around in the soil a whole lot. It is where it is and stays there until it is used or transported in some way, such as by human intervention. For example, you can find a plot of soil in an area that is very rich in Selenium and yet you can drive down the road a few miles and a sample plot of land will not have any Selenium found in it. Sea water does contain Selenium, but since it is a heavy mineral, it sinks, so yes, Selenium is found is Sea water, but it is usually found in deep water and not on the surface. So with the winds blowing across the water, winds do not really pick up any Selenium, working much like with Iodine, as both are found in sea water at deeper than surface levels.  So when it comes to obtaining Selenium from food, we see a lot of Selenium being found in meats, from most sources. Perhaps the best justification for meats being high in Selenium, is that over time, the Selenium gets concentrated within the muscles. However, some food will contain high concentrations of Selenium and those are mainly nuts and in particular Brazil Nuts. But in absence of natural forms of Selenium, from what I can gather is that Selenomethionine is suppose to be the best form of a Selenium supplement that you should use. When it comes to using an Iodine supplement, most sources suggest using Lugol's Solution or as it better known as Potassium Iodide.

To better understand this Selenium-Iodine relationship one might want to study about the Kashin-Beck Disease. This is found world wide, but on a very limited basis, but in Siberia, Tibet, and North Korea the disease is rather prevalent. People have studied it extensively and opinions on it are generally controversial. But there are a few common points that are universally accepted and those points are that it is a Selenium-Iodine deficiency along with a number of other minor related deficiencies. The Selenium-Iodine issue seems to be at the center of this condition. In a number of the studies carried out related to this disease, the authors either don't understand the mineral connection or they purposely omit it. In these studies they make mention that when they added a high intake of Selenium to the diets of these people that the men made a noticeable and marked improvement in the critical areas of their life, but females did not show any remarkable differences. Simple point her is that men need a lot more Selenium than does women for the before mentioned obvious reasons in earlier paragraphs. I feel like I need to mention that in the human body the majority of the Selenium that is stored, when available for storage, is stored in the reproductive organs, namely the Testes, Ovaries and Breasts. According to some high lever Health Practitioners, if you need to make milk for women and breast feeding, then you fill them up with Selenium, as the Selenium will bring in the milk production. 

For those involved in farming and raising livestock, I am sure you have had the pleasure of being "blessed" with Quack Grass. Usually Quack Grass will grow in an area where water has pooled and then the Quack Grass over takes all other plants. Water will move Selenium, so the water washes the Selenium from the Surrounding area, it pools and guess what Quack Grass is very rich in? Yes, Selenium. So a while back I took a whole different view on Quack Grass when I learned of this aspect. In looking back on this idea,I know that Cattle ans Sheep tended to have a marked improvement in observable health conditions after they hit a Quack Grass patch. A idea might be to put your bulls and rams on Quack Grass when conditioning them before breeding season. I am going to find a good Quack Grass patch next summer and get a bunch of the grass and try it on some rabbits and see how they do along these lines. 

I have been working on some essential oil blends to help make these situations of mineral deficiencies less abundant and help make what we are doing work much better. I have the first one up and running. It is centered around Potassium, Chloride, Iodine and Sodium. These are the level 1 polarity ones, then I will be working with the next two, the level 2 and level 3 polarity minerals and the corresponding essential oils as soon as the new oils for those get here. Overall this is very exciting, so stay tuned for more updates as we move it forward.

Thank you for your time and interest. I know with this one we deviated from sticking with only the Brain, but these nutrients that we are looking at for the next few chapters are so intertwined with both the Brain and the Body that it is hard to separate them out as they work very closely together. Until next time, enjoy this discussion.

End of Discussion. KK