THE WONDERFUL BENEFITS OF KELP
by Dr. Lawrence Wilson
© November 2024, LD Wilson Consultants, Inc.
All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.
Contents
Cautions
The Brand Of Kelp Matters
A Superb Mineral Supplement
Kelp Versus Other Mineral Supplements
A Good Nutritional Supplement
Why Kelp And Not Other Iodine Supplements?
Why Kelp And Not Other Green Superfoods?
Why Kelp And Not Other Sea Vegetables?
A Very Yang Food And Supplement
Mercury And Arsenic
Reactions To Kelp
____________________
DEFINITION
The vegetable called kelp is a family of about 30 species of highly nutritious large blue-green or brown algae sea vegetables of the order Laminarialis. A substitute for kelp that can be used, as well, and is often sold as kelp, is Ascophyllum nodosum. It is sometimes called Norwegian kelp, knotted kelp or knotted wrack.
It is a very interesting plant that floats in the ocean and can grow up to six feet in one day!
The right brand of kelp is a life-saving food supplement today that we recommend for everyone. It is extremely nutritious, safe to eat, inexpensive, and widely available.
Another new recommendation (2024) is that Nature's Way kelp capsules now seem to test okay.
HOW MUCH KELP TO EAT
A few people believe we recommend too much kelp – up to six 600 mg capsules daily for adult. In our experience, this is needed and is safe.
It is a lot of iodine, but iodine is deficient in everyone and is a very protective and vital mineral. Begin with less if you are concerned and work up slowly.
CORRECTION – KOMBU IS MORE TOXIC
Earlier this year (2024), we suggested eating cooked kelp leaves, also called kombu, the Japanese word for kelp. However, we recently found that kombu, harvested near Japan, is more toxic than Atlantic Ocean kelp, so we are no longer recommending eating kombu leaves.
CAUTIONS
1. Grave’s disease. One must exercise caution if one has Grave’s disease or hyperthyroidism. Kelp can aggravate this condition.
2. Healing reactions. A few people have reactions when they begin taking kelp.
NOTE: Reactions to taking kelp are most often healing reactions. Do not be discouraged by them! Just begin slowly and increase the dosage over time.
They occur because kelp helps to remove mercury and iodine antagonists from the body – bromine, fluorine and chlorine. This is an excellent effect. In our experience, these reactions subside after a while as the body detoxifies if one follows a development program.
So begin taking only a little kelp. If you cook kelp leaves, begin with just a small piece of dried kelp or kombu. Most people will have fewer reactions to eating cooked kelp.
If you will take capsules, begin by taking only one capsule daily. After two days, try taking more until you are up to the recommended amount, which is about 6 capsules daily for adults.
If you can only take one or two capsules daily for a while, that is okay. After a few months, most people can increase to 6 capsules daily for adults or about 12-15 tablets daily.
3. The brand of kelp supplements matters. Some brands do not work as well. They may be intentionally poisoned or have other problems. Ascophyllum nodosum, which is technically a wrack, works fine.
Dried kombu leaves from Eden Foods or other brands are okay, but not as recommended as Atlantic kelp capsules or tablets.
Safe brands of kelp, so far, are the ones listed below:
Endomet, Solaray, Nature's Way, Country Life, Ecological Formulas, Office Gudni Gudnason, Solgar, Frontier Herbs, Monterrey Bay Herb Company, Douglas Labs and kelp from realrawfood.com.
One client had a reaction to NOW brand of kelp, so I have removed it from the list of recommended brands.
We do not recommend other brands of kelp. They may be different plants and may be somewhat toxic.
Kelp is a fabulous food supplement for the following reasons:
1. A SUPERB MINERAL SUPPLEMENT
Everyone today is low in minerals, due to modern agricultural methods, depleted soils, food processing, weak digestion, and perhaps other reasons. Kelp is well known as an excellent source of many trace minerals. There are few such sources anywhere on earth.
Besides the well-known trace elements such as iron, copper, zinc, manganese, chromium and others, kelp supplies many of the ultra-trace minerals such as germanium, iridium, rubidium and others.
Kelp also supplies, calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur and other macrominerals the body needs.
Kelp versus other mineral supplements. Kelp is rich in iron, calcium, magnesium, with some zinc and selenium, but low in copper. This is quite a good blend of minerals and one of the main reasons why we prefer kelp to other “mineral supplements”.
Kelp is also a food, so the body is more able to selectively absorb what it needs from it. Kelp is also an all-natural product, which avoids some toxicity.
Do not take most mineral supplements such as E-lytes, electrolytes, sea minerals, fulvic and humic minerals, and others. All of these have one or more of the following problems:
1. They do not contain the ultra-trace minerals.
2. They contain the wrong balance of minerals.
3. They contain more toxic metals without containing substances to counteract or bind and remove the toxic minerals.
Readily available calcium. This is a complex phenomenon because many foods contain calcium. However, kelp, carrots, carrot juice, sardines and raw dairy contain the most usable forms of calcium.
The calcium found in pasteurized and homogenized dairy, in seeds and nuts, and in a few other foods is not as well utilized by most people.
Bioavailable iodine. This is kelp’s best known benefit. Kelp is rich in iodine, and everyone needs more iodine. The reason is the overwhelming amount of iodine antagonists present on planet earth today. These are bromine in breads and soda pop, chlorine in drinking water and elsewhere, and fluorides in water supplies and foods.
The iodine antagonists interfere with our iodine uptake and utilization. This causes widespread thyroid problems, especially in women. It also causes many other health problems.
Fish and seafood are other good sources of bioavailable iodine. However, they are too high in mercury to be eaten regularly today. Iodized salt provides some iodine, but is not enough, in almost all cases. Also, the iodine in salt is not that well utilized.
Some doctors prefer not to use kelp because the amount of iodine in kelp can vary greatly. This is a concern, but not a major concern because kelp is a natural food. Our research is that the body seems able to regulate the amount of iodine absorption.
WHY KELP AND NOT OTHER IODINE PREPARATIONS?
We find that kelp is much better than Iodoral, Lugol’s solution, Prolamine Iodine, or other iodine preparations because:
1. Safety. The right brand of kelp is less toxic. All the other iodine preparations listed above seem to build up in the liver to some degree, indicating some toxicity.
2. All single-mineral products can interfere with the absorption of other minerals. Minerals compete for absorption to some degree. Taking a balanced food such as kelp, rather than a single mineral product, appears to be much safer for long-term use, which most people need.
3. Kelp is more yang. Yang and yin are older words that refer to physics qualities. Yang means warm, compact and energetically inward-moving and often downward-moving.
Yang is a quality of foods and other items that we find matters a lot today for our health. The reason is that the bodies today are all in the opposite situation called yin.
This is due to radiation exposure, electronic pollution, mineral-depleted and toxic food, and perhaps other reasons. There is a great need for balance.
Eating more yin foods such as fruit and salads, and taking yin supplements weaken the bodies. Eating more yang foods such as cooked vegetables, meats, and eggs is much better.
Most food supplements are more yin because they are processed extracts that are broken apart and often not fresh. Kelp is significantly more yang than most other supplements because it is a natural food, and it naturally contains a lot of salt, which is yang. For details, read Yin Disease.
4. Kelp contains at least 20 trace minerals, plus other nutrients, so it serves many nutritional purposes at the same time.
5. Kelp is less expensive than some other iodine products, especially considering that it is a whole food and “green food” supplement as well as a source of iodine.
NOTE: In a few rare cases, we found that Lugol’s solution or Iodoral was needed for a short time to prevent goiter. After the body heals and becomes more balanced, this was no longer the case.
2. KELP IS A GOOD OVERALL NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENT
Kelp is a source of:
1. Minerals, as explained above.
2. Protein. One hundred grams of kelp also contains 1.7 grams of protein.
3. Some vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K. Kelp is also particularly rich in folate.
4. Soluble fiber.
5. Many other phytonutrients.
6. Fatty acids. Kelp contains some fatty acids, including a little of the omega-3 fatty acids, and others.
WHY KELP AND NOT OTHER GREEN SUPERFOODS?
1. Kelp is much more yang. As mentioned above, this is very important. The other “green superfoods” are much more yin, which is harmful, even if they are very nutritious.
2. Kelp keeps its potency better and does not turn rancid nearly as easily. The high salt content of kelp acts as a natural preservative.
Exposing dried vegetables, especially powders, to the air causes them to break down quickly and some will turn rancid. All green superfoods should always be in capsules and preferably kept in the freezer. However, very few of them are sold this way.
3. Kelp does not contain spirulina, chlorella or blue-green algae. These common algaes are somewhat toxic for human beings. They build up in the liver, indicating they are not as compatible with human physiology, no matter what nutritional benefits they may offer.
4. Kelp has much more iodine, and I find this is absolutely needed today.
5. Kelp is often less expensive.
WHY KELP AND NOT OTHER SEA VEGETABLES?
Kelp is not the same as bladderwrack, Irish moss, dulse, nori, hiziki, wakame and many other sea vegetables, so do not confuse them.
The main difference, for therapeutic purposes, is that the brands of kelp we recommend have lower levels of toxic metals and a higher alginate content. The alginates in kelp help bind the mercury and other toxic metals found in all products from the sea.
This is important because eating the other sea vegetables, as with eating much fish at all, will result in mercury and arsenic toxicity, unfortunately. We do not recommend the other sea vegetables, except for occasional use, and we do not recommend any fish or seafood except for 3-4 cans of sardines weekly for adults, due mainly to the mercury problem in all products from the sea.
THE MERCURY AND ARSENIC PROBLEM IN KELP
A drawback of kelp and all sea products is the presence of toxic metals, mainly mercury and perhaps arsenic. However, we have not found that our clients’ hair mercury or arsenic levels rise due to taking kelp at up to 4000 mg daily.
In contrast, ingesting other sea vegetables such as dulse, wakame, nori and others does raise the hair mercury level. The reason for the difference is that kelp contains more alginates that bind to mercury and prevent its absorption.
REACTIONS TO KELP
Two situations seem to cause reactions to kelp.
1. Hyperthyroidism or Grave’s disease. Individuals with this condition often need to avoid kelp completely until the condition has resolved using a complete development program. All cases, so far, have gone away on this program.
However, when hyperthyroidism is present, kelp is usually not well-tolerated. For more details, read Thyroid Disease, Hyperthyroidism, and Hyperthyroidism Interview.
2. A detoxification reaction. Occasionally, a person has a purification reaction when starting to taking kelp. The usual symptoms include irritability, perhaps nausea, and a few cases of temporary hair loss.
These reactions are usually short-term and healing reactions. Most are due to the removal of toxic elements such as mercury, chlorine, bromine and fluorine compounds from the body. Usually, one just needs to reduce the dose for a while, and then work up slowly. One man reported a reaction to kelp that went away when he took zinc along with kelp.
Everyone seems able to take kelp, eventually, if the person follows a nutritional balancing program. As with the product, GB-3, some people must go easy at first, but everyone eventually seems able to take it.
DOSAGES OF KELP
Adults can usually take at least 1800 mg of kelp daily and up to about 4000 mg, preferably with meals. That is how deficient many people are in iodine and the other minerals found in kelp. 4000 mg is about 6 capsules daily.
Capsules, tablets, granules or powder. Kelp capsules are better than tablets because capsules are larger, so fewer are required. Powdered or granulated kelp is okay, but it does not taste good so the capsules or cooked leaves are better for this reason, as well.
Children over the age of about 7 may take 600 mg of kelp capsules daily. Younger children and babies usually do not need it, although some might benefit from 100-300 mg daily.
IV. THE KELP SKIN APPLICATION OR KELP WRAP
The kelp skin application is a very excellent healing and development procedure. It nourishes and remineralize the body very rapidly.
SEVERE MALNUTRITION
The skin application is especially needed by women, and by many people when one begins the development program. This is because most people are severely malnourished and their ability to absorb nutrients through the intestinal tract is very compromised. Therefore, just eating well is not adequate today to restore health quickly.
Most people are malnourished because:
- Improper diet. We find that deficient foods today include salads, fruit, refined grains, wheat and perhaps other hybridized grains, and modern feedlot meats. This is most people's diet! For details, read Food For Daily Use, Occasional Food and Forbidden Food.
- Impaired digestion. This is universal, in our experience. It is due to poor overall health and to anxiety and fear – especially women. This is all it takes to ruin your digestion.
It is also due to improper eating habits, in some cases. It is also due to intestinal infections, rogue implants in some people's intestinal tract, and the presence of parasites (almost universal).
- All the soils of the earth are low in vital minerals. As a result, the food is low in minerals such as zinc, selenium and other critical trace minerals. This is due in part to modern N-P-K agriculture. For details, read Superphosphates.
Also, and very important, the alien group called the Rogues or Satan in the Bible, have removed vital minerals from our planet.
KELP SKIN APPLICATION PROCEDURE
This consists of rubbing or “painting” cooked kelp on parts or on the whole body and allowing nutrients to be absorbed this way. It is an example of skin feeding, a fascinating topic we are researching.
The entire procedure is described in a separate article, The Kelp Wrap.
References
Amster E, Tiwary A, Schenker MB. Case Report: Potential Arsenic Toxicosis Secondary to Herbal Kelp Supplement. Environmental Health Perspectives. April 2007;115(4).
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