READERS' RESPONSES:Iodised table salt is used in the US to counteract lack of iodine in the body
Re: Shake the salt out of our diets, Healthplus, September 15th
Dear Sir,
This article is but the latest to appear in the press on salt intake in Ireland, a subject on which I have been attempting to gather information for some time. Perhaps you can help. I am not a medical person, but report from my view at age 77.
Growing up in the United States, as a child iodised table salt was introduced in an attempt to counteract lack of iodine in the body which, at the time, was found to be causing goiters as a result of thyroid problems.
All my life I have used iodised salt, even since our move to Europe in 1986. Difficult to source in the West Cork area, I was delighted a while back to find it on sale at Dunnes supermarket and bought a supply for my pantry.
When I emptied the last container a few months ago, I dutifully returned to the store but could find it nowhere – nor in any other shop.
E-mail queries were courteously researched by Dunnes personnel with the result I learned their supplier was no longer making that item. Tesco customer service reported it is not shown in their database.
Visitors from the US recently carried a container of “Morton Iodised Salt” in their luggage, so I can continue to use it. Beneath the title is the following: “This salt supplies iodine, a necessary nutrient.” If this has been valuable for the past 70 years in America, why is it not available to benefit the Irish population?
I fear I may know the answer: practically everyone of a certain age is taking daily thyroid medication prescribed by doctors, sold by chemists, and supplied by pharmaceutical manufacturers. I would like to be proven wrong, but that need might be eliminated if iodised table salt was available in Ireland, where people will continue to salt their foods, no matter what the experts say!
The Morton container also shows: “Salt; contains 1 per cent or less of calcium silicate (an anticaking agent), dextrose, potassium iodide.” (Morton’s long-time theme is “When it rains, it pours,” thus the anticaking agent ingredient.)
Yours etc,
Jeanette F Huber,
Scilly, Kinsale,
Co Cork.
Re: Checkup, Healthplus, September 15th
Dear Sir,
Having been an asthma sufferer my whole life, I felt compelled to respond to your article on “The role of stress in triggering asthma attacks”.
While the article had some valid points, I believe it missed out on the more probable causes of this person’s recent increase in attacks:
(1) If stress is the problem, it is quite probable that this person has fallen into abnormal and shallow breathing patterns. This causes breathing into the upper cavity of the chest instead of into the belly. Learning controlled “belly breathing” has a phenomenal effect on any asthmatic, but especially on those who are trying to deal with stress (I am a case in point), but unfortunately this was never mentioned.
(2) When somebody leaves for college two things generally happen: alcohol consumption goes up and healthy diet goes down (dairy, wheat, fried foods and so on).
Both of these, as any asthma researcher knows, have an extremely detrimental effect on asthma. Again, an obvious point, but never touched on.
As this is an article which has a very large captive audience, I feel that it was quite irresponsible that the only advice given was to make sure she is using her inhaler correctly, to get vaccinated, not to be around smoke and to change her pillowcases.
Yours, etc,
Niall Fennell
(Asthma suffer for over 30 years)
Editor’s note: While your points are noted, it is only fair to point out that the author can only really provide a snapshot of a condition, in the space provided. Longer articles elsewhere in Healthplus go into greater detail.
Re: Battling feelings of illness, Healthplus, September 8th
Dear Sir,
Brian Dillon includes Charles Darwin in his book on famous hypochondriacs, Tormented Hope, Nine Hypochondriac Lives. Many would disagree with this diagnosis.
For example, Drs Fernando Orrego and Carlos Quintana “re-examined many of the abundant publications on the illness that afflicted Charles Darwin during most of his life, including some of the 416 health-related letters in his correspondence, as well as his autobiographical writings”.
In a detailed article published by the Royal Society of London in 2007, they concluded that he suffered from Crohn’s disease.
Of course, we’re unlikely to ever know for certain in this particular case. But it does bring up the issue of the mis- diagnosis of hypochondriasis, unfortunately not mentioned in the review.
The average length of time from onset to diagnosis is not just months but years for a percentage of conditions (multiple sclerosis, coeliac disease and chronic fatigue syndrome are three I’ve read about recently).
Before being diagnosed, it’s likely that many patients are treated as hypochondriacs, either by medical professionals and/or by others who know them. If they accept this diagnosis prematurely, they could miss out on the correct diagnosis and the obvious advantages that brings, such as drugs or other interventions for the condition.
Hypochondriasis unfortunately does exist. But everyone needs to be constantly reminded that there have been many misdiagnosed with the condition over the years.
Yours, etc,
Tom Kindlon,
Castleknock,
Dublin 15.
Reader responses are always welcome. E-mail them to health supplement@irishtimes.com