Iodine Deficiency and Patch Test

http://naturalhealthtechniques.com/HealingTechniques/iodine_patch_test.htm

This is this same as a test I am taking for iodine deficiency. To learn more about it: http://www.mbschachter.com/iodine.htm

I thought iodine deficiency was rare, but check this out: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/vitaminsupplement/a/iodine.htm

"While iodine deficiency was not common in the U.S., it is again on the rise here as well. The first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I), which took place between 1971 - 1974, found that just 2.6% of US citizens had iodine deficiency. The
followup NHANES III survey, conducted between 1988 - 1994, found that 11.7% are iodine deficient. The October, 1998 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reported that over the previous 20 years, the percentage of Americans with low intake of iodine has more than quadrupled. Of particular concern is the fact that the percentage of iodine-deficient pregnant women has increased from 1% in 1974 to 7% in 1994. Maternal iodine deficiency is particularly dangerous to a developing fetus. The researchers do not have a cause for the drop in levels, though it is suspected that reduced salt in the diet, plus a reduction in the use of iodine as a food ingredient, may be responsible. This trend, however, may necessitate concerted efforts to increase iodine levels in people at risk of deficiency even in the U.S."