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Kelp
Dr. Elson Haas says: 'Kelp seaweed is a common health food supplement. It is taken primarily for its iodine conent by people who want to improve thyroid function, though there is no proof that kelp changes this function. They thyroid gland must, however, have suffiecient iodine, and if we do not use iodized salt or eat a lot of fish and seaweed, kelp may be a helpful adjunct. It is also high i other vitamins and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potaassium, niacin, riboflain, and choline. Algin, which is helpful at pulling out intestinal toxins and heaavy meatls, is also fiund in kelp. Kelp powder used on food is a good salt substitute but should not be overused.
From a quote by Lillian R. Carquee in Juliette de Barclai Levy's book: Seaweed is without equal as a source of natural iodine. Organic iodine, the only kind the thyroid gland can appropriate, causes better retention and utilization of calcium and phosphorus; lesser degrees of thyroid deficiency produce bone changes analogous to that of rickets weakness. It is of far greater value in mineral and vitamin content than is much earth-grown produce raised on impoverished soil."
Juliette says: It is a glandular tonic, stimulates stalwart body development, and promotes strong bones. It is useful for producing strong shelled eggs in chickens.
Balch and Balch say: Kelp is a rich source of vitamins, especially the B vitamins as well of many valuable minerals and trace elements. It is reported to be very valuable to brain tissue, the membranes surrounding the brain, the sensory nervs, and the spinal cord, as well as the nails and blood vessels. It has been used in the treatment of thyroid problems and is useful for other conditions as varied as hair loss, obestiy, and ulcers. It protects against the effects of radiation and softens stools.
Wulf-Tilford and Tilford say: Cautions: Prolonged ingestion may reduce gastrointestinal iron absorption, resulting in a slow reduction in hemoglobin, packed cell volume and serum iron concentrations. Prolonged ingestion may also affect absorption of sodium and potassium ions and cause diarrhea. gloria
My local vet is telling his clients to avoid kelp as it causes immune system suppression. He didn't provide evidence of this other than to say they were told this at a vet conference recently. The implication apparently was that kelp contains dangerously high levels of iodine and is therefore unsafe to give in ANY dose.
I've fed kelp to ALL my animals for the past 20 years (sometimes high doses) with absolutely no ill effects. As a naturopath I haven't seen any literature about this in respect to humans either. Has anyone else heard of this detrimental effect of kelp? If so, can you direct me to the appropriate literature?
At this stage I suspect it may be just a bit of "alternate therapy bashing" (which happens regularly with the medical and veterinary professions when they feel threatened!) but if there is some actual valid evidence of the immune suppressing action of kelp I would like to know about it. Carole Bryant
I use feed from a certified organic feed source and they add kelp to their feeds. Before there was an organic feed mill in New England, I followed Juliette's recommendations of approx a pinch per bird. I kind of estimated and just added what I thought was a pinch x the number of birds x the number of days worth of feed to which I was adding it. I hope that makes sense. I also seem to recall that she said to begin feeding it (I think to chicken chicks) after they were 10 days old. I noticed that the turkey starter I bought this spring contained kelp and it was fed from day one to my guinea keets. They're only 3 months old and thriving so far but obviously I don't if there will be any ill effects over the long run.
FWIW, the kelp I use for livestock is from Nutritional Research in Indiana. Every time I order, I ask the source and each time they tell me it's from Norway, way up north in the fjords. I figure that's probably fairly safe as things go these days. The kind I used to get from the health food store was very powdery and didn't seem to be as palatable as the kind I use now which is grainier. Nancy
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