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Page 160
| Sea Herbs |
| Often forgotten or overlooked in our culture, sea herbs offer unparalleled healing and nutritive value. They hide beneath the surface of the vast oceans and are usually considered persistent nuisances, clouding the waters and feeling slimy if we happen to touch them while swimming. |
| Sea herbs actually contain many nutrients, including all essential minerals and trace minerals. They are rich in plant iron and contain carotenoids, vitamin C, and all the B vitamins, including vitamin B 12 (one of the only vegetable sources of this vitamin). They are the best source of calcium in its organic form, but they are most impressive as antitoxins. Sea herbs are specific for detoxifying and healing from radiation exposure. The brown sea herb wakame, which is thought to have the strongest cancer-inhibiting activity of all sea herbs, was used in miso soup to protect those who survived the atomic blast at Nagasaki against the effects of radiation. |
| Perhaps the most important essential nutrient found in sea herbs, and one that is frequently missing from our modern diet, is iodine. Iodine is required for the normal function of the thyroid gland, and a deficiency can cause a cascade of metabolic events, resulting in serious endocrine-related imbalances. The most obvious manifestation of this condition is hypothyroidism (low thyroid function), which, when severe, can lead to goiter or enlargement of the thyroid gland. |
| I believe that an insufficient intake of organic iodine in today's modern diet has led to a serious and chronic form of low-grade hypothyroidism, a major contributing factor to breast and ovarian cancers. Even a mild low thyroid function can cause an imbalance of other hormones, such as estrogen, progesterone, and androgen, hormones that play a pivotal role in reproductive health as well as in the prevention of cancerous and noncancerous tumors, such as fibroids and fibrocystic breast disease. Low thyroid function frequently coincides with low adrenal functionwhat I call a ''hypo-overall endocrine system''; it's just not working up to speed. This condition manifests itself in many ways, including fatigue, low energy during the day, insomnia, low body temperature, very low blood pressure, low-grade depression, dry skin, dry hair, pear-shaped figure, weight gain, infertility, PMS, sensitivity to cold (particularly the extremities), calcification buildup, hardening of the arteries, cystic breasts and/or ovaries, and cancers of the breast and ovaries. |
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