Iodine is closely related to thyroid disease. In the course of thyroid disease clinics, patients often ask, “Doctor, I have thyroid disease, should I take more iodine and eat more seaweed? Am I suffering from a big neck disease?” In fact, due to the widespread use of iodized salt, thyroid disease caused by iodine deficiency is rare, so most patients with thyroid disease do not need to eat a lot of kelp, nori, etc. to increase iodine intake. The correct approach is to follow different principles of iodine intake according to different thyroid diseases in order to facilitate recovery. The thyroid gland is located in the front of the neck under the throat knot. Men often find out they have thyroid disease when they tie a bow tie, commonly known as “bow tie disease”, which is an endocrine organ that secretes thyroid hormones. Iodine is an important raw material for the synthesis of thyroid hormones, and iodine deficiency can cause certain thyroid disorders, which are still common in Africa; excessive iodine intake is also a cause of some thyroid disorders. Most thyroid disorders are caused by disorders of thyroid autoimmune control, but diseases of other body systems may also affect thyroid function. Some thyroid disorders require large amounts of iodine supplementation, while others require only the iodine in the general diet, and some thyroid disorders require a strict restriction of iodine intake in order to facilitate remission of the disease. Thyroid disorders that do not require iodine supplementation: Treatment of these disorders does not require large amounts of iodine supplementation and generally requires only a normal diet, which is the most common among thyroid disorders. Examples are thyroid swellings (nodules), various types of thyroiditis, primary hypothyroidism, etc. The thyroid gland can cause morphological or functional abnormalities that can lead to corresponding changes if such diseases occur. For example, the patient may have localized enlargement of the neck with pain or lumps, or the patient may have generalized swelling, coldness, weakness, or bradycardia. These diseases are usually treated with medication or surgery, and iodine supplementation or prohibition does not have a significant impact on the outcome of treatment. Thyroid diseases that require iodine prohibition: There is a group of thyroid diseases called “hyperthyroidism”, or “hyperthyroidism” for short, the most common of which is hyperthyroidism caused by toxic diffuse goiter, and rarely, hyperthyroidism caused by high iodine intake. The most common form of hyperthyroidism is toxic diffuse goiter. We must not confuse hyperthyroidism with the commonly known “big neck disease”, which is not a disease at all. “In addition to an enlarged thyroid gland, hyperthyroidism is also associated with protruding eyes, shaky hands, excessive sweating, panic attacks, and increased bowel movements. In most cases of hyperthyroidism, iodine supplementation is not allowed and iodine abstinence is required so that the treatment of the disease will not be affected. The iodine prohibition we are talking about here mainly refers to not eating foods or drugs rich in iodine, such as sea plants like kelp and seaweed, western drugs like amiodarone and iodine tablets, or traditional Chinese medicines like seaweed, kombu and oyster, which should be avoided as much as possible; secondly, it refers to sea animals such as sea fish, sea shrimp and sea crab, which have medium iodine content. This kind of things should be eaten as little as possible, but sometimes a small amount of consumption occasionally will not cause too much impact on the condition. In addition, there are some foods or iodized salt that hyperthyroidism patients do not need to have too many contraindications. The iodine in iodized salt is easy to sublimate and volatilize, so it should be kept in a cool place away from light. If I cook iodized salt earlier, stir-fry it more often, and extend the cooking time appropriately, the iodine content in the salt will be reduced to meet the requirements of hyperthyroidism. Of course, we can also buy non-iodized salt. Chinese medicine contains a small amount of iodine, something that is generally not to be avoided. Thyroid diseases that require iodine supplementation: These diseases can be collectively called iodine deficiency diseases, and treatment means that iodine supplementation is needed specifically to prevent and treat the disease. Some parts of the country, especially the central and western mountainous areas, are iodine deficient because they are far from the sea and the iodine content in the air and water is low. In the past, before salt iodization was introduced in China, iodine was generally lacking in the diets of the residents there, so a disease called “endemic goiter”, commonly known as “big neck disease”, occurred most frequently. If a woman suffers from this disease during pregnancy, it will cause neurological and physical developmental disorders in the baby, resulting in dwarfism and dullness, also known as “dullness”, or “cretinism”. China’s pre-Qin Chinese medicine ancient book “Shanhaijing” has recorded, after the founding of the country also pay attention to the propaganda prevention, so generally known to the public, so that once people have thyroid disease are mistaken for this “big neck disease”, in fact, it is not. After salt iodization nationwide, iodine deficiency disorders have been basically eliminated in China. Especially for those who use iodized salt, you should not take iodine supplements as soon as you find out that your neck is swollen, but you should go to the hospital in time. This is because it is likely that you are not suffering from a thyroid disease that requires iodine supplementation, and if you take a large amount of iodine supplementation, it may also affect the results of certain recent tests, thus delaying the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, or even aggravating it.