ABOUT ME
My Iodine Journey
My name is Jill Van Eps and I live in sunny Florida.
My iodine journey started in Iowa where I was treated for a low iodine condition as a child because I was always sick.
I remember drinking a glass of orange juice with iodine in it every morning before going to school. At that time, I didn't ask questions, I just drank it.
College ended abruptly when I came down with mononucleosis. My parents had to come pick me up from school. I was too weak to take a bus home.
I lost a year of my life sleeping continuously. I was not allowed to go out in the sun. Why - I have no clue. Later, I found out the doctor believed I had leukemia.
I remember trying to climb the steps to the doctor's office. I couldn't walk up the steps. I had to sit down on the step and push myself up with my arms step by step. Now that's weak!
After the mono experience, I was left with a low body temperature of 96.8 degrees. Living in Florida is not bad - when its hot outside, I'm quite comfortable.
As a young woman when I was about 24, I woke up one morning and felt a lump in my throat. I was terror stricken. I ran to the family doctor to cure the problem. After all, they know everything - right?
He prescribed a drug to supposedly alleviate the problem. When I asked what it was used for, he informed me it was used to sedate lions. I went home and promptly flushed the pills down the toilet.
My cure was to stop wearing turtle neck tops - my favorite of course - to keep from feeling the lump.
Then, my mother became mentally ill. She was sniffing spoons and believed all the food in the home was tainted. I poured her into the back seat of the car and took her to the hospital.
After admittance, I gently helped her into the bed where she curled up into a fetal position. My heart broke.
The kind, overweight doctor told her she needed to lose weight (not). It didn't matter that he was an overstuffed pig. His solution was to drug her up on heart shaped pills and send her home.
Now I Know
I now know all of these situations were due to low iodine or iodine deficiency. My mother's mental condition was really low iodine.
She lived in the Midwest all her life. She passed on her hypothyroid condition to me at my birth.
My extremely painful monthly periods where I would pass out; the mononucleosis; the hypoglycemia and its symptoms and the goiter are all markers of iodine deficiency. The Midwest area of the United States has one of the lowest levels of iodine in the soil in the entire country.
This area is known as the "goiter belt". I lived right in the heart of it.
My Physical Signs of Iodine Deficiency
You read on this site that one of the symptoms of iodine deficiency is thinning eyebrows known as "sign of Hertoghe".
Here is a picture of my eyebrow. As you can see, the outside third portion of the eyebrow has virtually disappeared!
Another symptom of iodine deficiency is the high color in the cheeks.
This is not the color of health. I will be quite pleased when it finally disappears - which I know it will.
Also, I have NO hair on my body. None - zip - nadda. I used to think that was cool - no armpits to shave - no legs hairs to shave. Little did I know - you got it - low iodine.
My Goal
My search for facts about iodine and iodine deficiency has led me to create this web site containing helpful information I have gathered along the way.
Its information I need to know so that I can become healthy again.
My goal is to develop a community of kindred souls who can share and help each other return to vibrant health.
I know that by providing this information to you. you can reclaim your health.
How I built this Website
I have built my business website all by myself.
I - who knew nothing about computer programs - I've done it.
If you're curious, you can find out how I did it with
Acknowledgment
Special acknowledgment is given to Stock.exchng and Dreamstime for photographs and drawings to enhance the quality of this website.
LEGAL INFORMATION can be found here.
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