Iodine -The Missing Link To Vibrant Health

It's Time To Recognize It's Value

Iodine schmiodine…..You may be thinking….Why do I need any more info about Iodine?

Most people in Western societies are very aware of the need for Vitamin C and Vitamin D, but barely anyone focuses on the need for Iodine for the health of their body.

Part of the reason for this is that so many people utilize iodized salt in their diet, so they assume they’re getting enough iodine on a regular basis. What they don’t realize is that iodine can evaporate from the salt leaving very little to be absorbed from its addition to food.

Another consideration is that more people are choosing to eat unrefined sea salt which has no added iodine, potentially leading to a deficiency.

A fairly large number of people are also on salt restricted diets due to high blood pressure which also reduces their iodine intake.

Add to this the fact that the Medical Industry never mentions that Iodine is essential for optimal functioning of the glandular system, how effective it is as an antibiotic, and its critical role in the function of the immune system.

The Medical Cartel has deliberately programmed people to believe that Iodine is only needed by the Thyroid Gland and that they only need 150 micrograms (mcg) a day, which they get from table salt.

The truth is we need much more than that to be healthy and this knowledge has been deliberately withheld from people for many generations now, so that the insidious Medical Cartel could continue to reap billions pushing their poisonous drugs and other associated unnecessary treatments.

If you’re suffering from health issues could this be the missing link to regain or attain vibrant health.

Iodine and Halogens

Iodine is a chemical element; it has symbol ‘I’ and atomic number 53.

The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid. The halogens are a group in the periodic table consisting of six chemically related elements, four of which are commonly known: fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I).

‘There is a well-known Law of Halogen Displacement. The halogen group is made up as follows:

Relative Halogen Atomic Weights

Fluorine 19

Chlorine 35.5

Bromine 80

Iodine 127

The clinical activity of any one of these four halogens is in inverse proportion to its atomic weight. This means that any one of the four can displace the element with a higher atomic weight, but cannot displace an element with a lower atomic weight. For example, fluorine can displace chlorine, bromine and iodine because fluorine has a lower atomic weight than the other three. Similarly, chlorine can displace bromine and iodine because they both have a higher atomic weight. Likewise, bromine can displace iodine from the body because iodine has a higher atomic weight. But the reverse order is not possible.

A knowledge of this well-known chemical law brings us to a consideration of the addition of chlorine to our drinking water as a purifying agent. Due to displacement, the chlorine content now causes the body to lose the much-needed iodine. Fluoride added to drinking water also displaces iodine, as does bromine added to flour and oils. So all three of the other halogens significantly reduce the amount of iodine available to the body.

So iodine is the loser here, all the way around, and as a result your body is negatively impacted due to iodine deficiency.

Why The Need For Iodine

Many people are aware that iodine is a mineral that is needed in the diet to ensure that the thyroid works properly.

Thyroid hormones play an important role in a wide range of bodily functions, including metabolism, bone health, immune response, and development of the central nervous system (CNS).

Iodine helps convert thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) to triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). This conversion is important for the thyroid to function properly.

An iodine imbalance can lead to an overactive or underactive thyroid.

Around 70 to 80 percent of iodine is found in the thyroid gland in the neck. The rest is stored in the blood, the muscles, the ovaries, testes and other parts of the body. Every cell in the body needs iodine.

The human thyroid gland is located in the front of the lower part of the neck.

All the blood in the body passes through the thyroid gland every seventeen minutes. Because the cells making up this gland have an affinity for iodine, during this seventeen-minute passage the gland’s secretion of iodine kills weak germs that may have gained entry into the blood through an injury to the skin, the lining of the nose or throat, or through absorption of food from the digestive tract. Strong, virulent germs are rendered weaker during their passage through the thyroid gland. With each seventeen minutes that rolls around they are made still weaker until finally they are killed if the gland has its normal supply of iodine. If it does not, it cannot kill harmful germs circulating in the blood as Nature intended it should.

This gland performs other functions besides killing harmful germs in the blood. The first is the rebuilding of energy with which to do the day’s work. There is a definite relationship between the amount of energy you have and your iodine intake. The first question in the presence of a condition of depleted energy is, whether the soil of the state in which one lives is iodine-poor? Second, is the deficiency being made up by supplementary means? When energy and endurance run low in relation to doing the day’s work, then the taking of additional iodine needs to be considered.

A second function of iodine is to calm the body and relieve nervous tension. When nervous tension runs high there is irritability and difficulty in sleeping well at night, and the body is continually on a combat basis, organized for fight and flight.

All these points stress a body need for iodine to lessen nervous tension, relax the body and enable it to organize for peace and quiet, by the building and storing of body reserves against time of need.

A third function of iodine in the human body relates to clear thinking. The mind simply works better when the body is supplied the iodine it needs.

Government’s Recommended Intake

The recommended (RDA) intake of iodine from the age of 14 years is 150 micrograms (mcg) for both males and females. During pregnancy, it is 220 mcg, rising to 290 mcg while breastfeeding.

Warning!!! The recommendation of 150 mcg of iodine for those 14 years and older is only enough to potentially protect one from suffering from goiter, not for achieving optimal health.

Goiter

A goiter is an abnormally enlarged thyroid gland. A normal thyroid gland is not visible from the outside. The main goiter symptom is a thyroid enlarged enough to see or feel a neck lump or bulge, indicating a health condition affecting the thyroid.

Worldwide, over 90% of goiter cases are caused by iodine deficiency. Common goiter causes include hyperthyroidism (high thyroid function) or hypothyroidism (low thyroid function). Possible causes also include Graves’ disease, Hashimoto's disease, and thyroid nodules.

In some cases, a goiter may not be visible and may cause no symptoms at all. When goiter symptoms are present, they can include:

• A visible lump or swelling in the neck area

• A lump that is tender to the touch

• A feeling of fullness in the neck (especially if wearing ties or collared clothing)

• A feeling of pressure on your trachea (windpipe) or esophagus

• Difficulty swallowing or a feeling that food is stuck in your throat

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, especially at night

• Coughing

• Voice hoarseness

Symptoms of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism may also accompany the goiter. People with excessive thyroid function may experience anxiety, a fast heartbeat, and sweating.

People with low thyroid function may become depressed, gain weight, and often feel cold or fatigued.

A goiter can occur for a number of reasons, including:

• Graves' disease: This autoimmune disease causes your thyroid gland to swell and produce too much thyroid hormone. Graves' disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism.

• Hashimoto's thyroiditis: Hashimoto's thyroiditis is due to the inflammation of the thyroid. It is usually temporary and resolves once the inflammation resolves.

• Thyroid nodules: Solid or fluid-filled lumps, called nodules, can develop in one or both sides of your thyroid gland, resulting in overall enlargement of the gland.

• Thyroid cancer: Certain types of thyroid cancer can cause generalized swelling of the gland. These include infiltrating papillary thyroid cancer, lymphoma, and anaplastic thyroid cancer.  

• Pregnancy: Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), a hormone produced during pregnancy, may cause your thyroid gland to enlarge slightly. This often resolves on its own once the baby is born.

• Thyroiditis: Thyroiditis is an inflammatory condition that can cause pain and swelling in the thyroid and over or under-production of thyroxine, a thyroid hormone. Thyroiditis can occur in the postpartum period or as the result of an infection.

• Iodine deficiency: Iodine is essential for the production of thyroid hormones, and a lack of iodine in the diet can result in an enlarged thyroid.

Iodine made its leap into medical history when a Swiss physician, Dr Jean François Condet announced that iodine could reduce goiters (enlarged thyroids). At that moment, modern medical science was born because for the first time we have a specific disorder that is relieved by a specific treatment. It is most ironic to note that the very first step of allopathic medicine was into nutritional not chemical medicine with iodine being a common mineral from the sea. The required daily amount (RDA) of iodine is just enough to keep our thyroids from expanding, like the RDA of vitamin C today which is just enough to keep us free of scurvy, but not enough to prevent pre-scurvy syndromes or Cardiovascular Disease.

“We placed am 83-year-old woman on ortho-iodo supplementation for six months at 50 mgs of elemental iodine daily. She experienced a tremendous increase in energy, endurance, well being, and memory. At six months all her skin peeled off and was replaced by new, younger-looking skin. She was flabbergasted and amazed at her new appearance. In our experience older women (especially over 65) noticed a major difference both physically and mentally,” wrote Dr. Guy Abraham, an endocrinologist who today is providing the backbone of the movement back toward the use of iodine as an essential safe and effective medicine.

Most physicians and surgeons view iodine from a narrow perspective and this is one of the greatest tragedies of allopathic medicine. Most health officials are chemical terrorists in disguise as they ignore the toxic buildup going on in the general population and they have no intention of informing them what they can do about it. Mercury is a perfect case in point. Mercury is toxic from whatever source it arrives into our bodies but doctors and some dentists still insist on using it, which puts us solidly in the modern age of medical and dental barbarism.

We like to think we are an advanced race of intelligent beings but lo and behold we find what are supposed to be the best and most intelligent of us poisoning young and old alike with mercury. It is beyond criminality what they are doing and what they are denying. On top of everything these same health officials do not even have an understanding of the basic medicines already in use, like iodine, magnesium chloride, and sodium bicarbonate, all emergency room substances that save peoples’ lives everyday. To most doctors iodine is an antiseptic that disinfects drinking water and prevents surgical wound infections, and the thyroid gland needs it to make thyroid hormones and that’s it.

While the thyroid gland contains the body’s highest concentration of iodine, the salivary glands, brain, cerebrospinal fluid, gastric mucosea, breasts, ovaries, testes and a part of the eye also concentrate iodine. In the brain, iodine is found in the choroid plexus, the area on the ventricles of the brain where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced, and in the substantia nigra, an area associated with Parkinson’s disease.

What is the Wolff-Chaikoff effect and how did it influence attitudes about iodine supplementation in the medical community?

The Wolff-Chaikoff effect refers to research by Drs. Wolff and Chaikoff in the 1940s suggesting that iodine intake exceeding a certain threshold could shut down the thyroid gland. Even though their research was conducted on rats and had some flaws, it was accepted as dogma and made most doctors afraid to use therapeutic doses of iodine, seeing it as dangerous. This created an iodophobic medical culture for decades.

What role did Dr. Guy Abraham play in challenging the Wolff-Chaikoff effect and pioneering research on iodine deficiency?

As a former professor of obstetrics, gynecology and endocrinology at UCLA, Dr. Guy Abraham began researching iodine deficiency and thyroid disease. He uncovered the flaws in the Wolff-Chaikoff research and published papers challenging the idea that iodine above the RDA was dangerous. Through the Iodine Project, he helped establish the benefits and safety of higher doses of iodine for thyroid and overall health.

According to Dr. Guy Abraham, “Medical iodophobia has reached pandemic proportions. It is highly contagious and has wreaked havoc on the practice of medicine and on the U.S. population.” . Current W.H.O. statistics show that more than 3 billion people in the world live in iodine deficient countries and it is known that deficiencies of selenium, vitamin A and iron may exacerbate the effects of iodine deficiency. In the analysis of ‘National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys’ data of moderate to severe iodine deficiency is present now in a significant proportion of the U.S. population, with an increasing trend over the past 20 years, caused by reduced iodized table salt usage.

Iodine As The Physician’s Remedy

Iodine is a powerful primary nutrient with broad medicinal effects and a hundred years ago it was used universally by most doctors. From 1900 to the 1960s almost every single U.S. physician used Lugol (iodine) supplements in his or her practice for both hypo and hyperthyroid, as well as many, many other conditions all with excellent results. In fact, iodine was considered a panacea for all human ills.

The Nobel laureate Dr. Albert Szent Györgi (1893 - 1986), the physician who discovered vitamin C, writes: "When I was a medical student, iodine in the form of KI (potassium iodide) was the universal medicine. Nobody knew what it did, but it did something and did something good.” Today we know what iodine does and how much it can help people but modern allopathic medicine is asleep at the switch letting people suffer and die for its lack.

Awareness is increasing around the conclusion that the majority of humans today are suffering from chronic poisoning. It is not just the fact that the tide of toxic chemicals is rising and accumulating in our cells and blood streams, wrecking physiological, emotional and mental havoc, but that there is also a sheer drop in the quality and quantity of key nutrients being consumed.

Iodine is a perfect example of this, and in today’s world the last thing you want to be short on is iodine. Iodine is detected in every organ and tissue in the body, and is absolutely necessary for a healthy thyroid as well as healthy ovaries, breasts and prostate. Along with the greater risk for breast cancer in iodine deficient women, there is convincing evidence that iodine deficiency also increases the risk of thyroid cancer.

In an age of increasing toxic exposures we all need more not less iodine because it has very specific protective effects against several common poisons like fluoride, bromide, and to a lesser extent it helps eliminate lead and mercury from the body.

Dr. Sebastiano Venturi, in Evolution of Dietary Antioxidants: Role of Iodine, makes it clear that iodine is a crucial antioxidant and apoptosis-inductor with anti-tumoral and anti-atherosclerotic activity. When we supplement with iodine we will see increased antioxidant activity and immune system function.

Iodine, Cancer and Fibrocystic Disease

Several studies have demonstrated a relationship between low iodine intake and fibrocystic disease of the breast (FDB), both in women and laboratory animals.

Dr. David Derry said, “Lugol's solution is an iodine-in-water solution used by the medical profession for 200 years. One drop (6.5 mg per drop) of 5% Lugol's daily in water, orange juice or milk will gradually eliminate the first phase of the cancer development, which is fibrocystic disease of the breast, so no new cancers can start. It also will kill abnormal cells floating around in the body at remote sites from the original cancer. Of course this approach appears to work for prostate cancer as prostate cancer is similar to breast cancer in many respects. Indeed, it likely will help with most cancers. Also higher doses of iodine are required for inflammatory breast cancer. As well we know that large doses of intravenous iodine are harmless which makes one wonder what effect this would have on cancer growth.”

Iodine plays a crucial role in the body’s elimination system by inducing apoptosis, or what is called programmed cell death, and this is vital because this process is essential to growth and development and for destroying cells that represent a threat to the integrity of the organism, like cancer cells and cells infected with bacteria.

Women with goiters (a visible, non-cancerous enlargement of the thyroid gland) owing to iodine deficiency have been found to have a three times greater incidence of breast cancer. A high intake of iodine is associated with a low incidence breast cancer, and a low intake with a high incidence of breast cancer.

Iodine is a very important primary nutrient in regards to people’s health and healing. So essential is iodine for life that those who are deficient in it suffer from a wide variety of afflictions (including cancer) that are difficult to trace back to this trace mineral. Iodine used to be considered much more importantly, so much so that up until 20 years ago, it had been routinely added to bread as a supplement.

"Just how likely is an iodine deficiency in cancer? In an in-house study, 60 cancer patients (various types) were given the iodine-loading test and then measured for urinary excretion. All 60 patients were found to be seriously deficient in body stores of iodine and some had great excesses of bromine. The best case excreted only 50 percent of the load and the worst excreted only 20 percent (that means they were retaining a very high 80 percent). Folks, these are some serious numbers. One hundred percent of these cancer sufferers were deficient in iodine! I assure you the problem is population wide," writes Dr. Robert Rowen.

60 million mainland Japanese consume a daily average of 13.8 mg of elemental iodine, and they are one of the healthiest nations based on overall well being and cancer statistics.

Iodine is available in small amounts in some salts but health officials do not consider that most of the iodine evaporates while sitting on the kitchen table. In the United States 45 percent of American households buy salt without iodine and over the last three decades people who do use iodized table salt have decreased their consumption of it by 65 percent. Americans are consuming less iodine when in reality they need much more.

Iodine the Antiseptic

Iodine is by far the best antibiotic and antiseptic of all time. The antiseptic properties of iodine are used to sterilize every surface and material in hospitals.

Iodine is an excellent microbicide or antibiotic with a broad range of action that includes almost all of the important health-related microorganisms, such as enteric bacteria, fungi and protozoan cysts. The minimum number of iodine molecules Iodine required to destroy one bacterium varies with the species. When bacteria are treated with iodine, the inorganic phosphate uptake and oxygen consumption by the cells immediately ceases. Though iodine kills all single celled organisms such as these it is not exploited for internal use by modern day physicians to combat internal infections, which of course is a great mistake.

Dr. Derry says iodine is effective “for standard pathogens such as Staphylococcus, but also iodine has the broadest range of action, fewest side effects and no development of bacterial resistance.” Some doctors have reported that it is excellent for the treatment of mononucleosis. Iodine is able to penetrate quickly through the cell walls of microorganisms.

Iodine kills single celled organisms by combining with the amino acids tyrosine or histidine when they are exposed to the extra-cellular environment. All single cells showing tyrosine on their outer cell membranes are killed instantly by a simple chemical reaction with iodine that denatures proteins.

Nature has given us an important mechanism to control pathogenic life forms and we should use it and trust it to protect us in ways that antibiotics can’t. So powerful is iodine in a protective sense that it also helps us rid the body, not only of harmful chemicals and heavy metals, but also rids the body of abnormal cells meaning it qualifies as an anticancer agent.

Elemental iodine is a potent germicide with a wide spectrum of activity and low toxicity to tissues. A solution containing 50 ppm iodine kills bacteria in 1 min and spores in 15 min. It is poorly soluble in water but readily dissolves in ethanol, which enhances its antibacterial activity.

Iodine tincture contains 2% iodine and 2.4% sodium iodide (NaI) dissolved in 50% ethanol; it is used as a skin disinfectant. Strong iodine tincture contains 7% iodine and 5% potassium iodide (KI) dissolved in 95% ethanol; it is more potent but also more irritating than tincture of iodine. Iodine solution contains 2% iodine and 2.4% NaI dissolved in aqueous solution; it is used as a nonirritant antiseptic on wounds and abrasions.

Strong iodine solution (Lugol’s solution) contains 5% iodine and 10% KI in aqueous solution.

Iodophores (eg, povidone-iodine) are water-soluble combinations of iodine with detergents, wetting agents that are solubilizers, and other carriers. They slowly release iodine as an antimicrobial agent and are widely used as skin disinfectants, particularly before surgery.

Selenium

Along with magnesium and selenium, iodine is one of the most deficient minerals in our bodies. Iodine is essential for the synthesis of thyroid hormone, but selenium-dependent enzymes (iodothyronine deiodinases) are also required for the conversion of thyroxine (T4) to the biologically active thyroid hormone, triiodothyronine (T3).

Selenium is the primary mineral responsible for T4 to T3 (thyroid hormones) conversion in the liver. (Selenium is absolutely essential in the age of mercury toxicity for it is the perfect antidote for mercury exposure. It is literally raining mercury all over the world but especially in the northern hemisphere. And of course with the dentists poisoning a world of patients with mercury dental amalgam and the doctors with their mercury laden vaccines, selenium is more important than most of us can imagine. One must remember that mercury strips the body of selenium for the selenium stores get used up quickly because of its great affinity for mercury.

Symptoms Of Iodine Deficiency

Symptoms of iodine deficiency include muscle cramps, cold hands and feet, proneness to weight gain, poor memory, constipation, depression and headaches, edema, myalgia, weakness, dry skin, and brittle nails.

A lack of iodine in the skin manifests as very dry skin and skin that does not sweat when an individual becomes hot. Dr. Jorge D. Flechas - Everyone agrees that a lack of iodine in the diet causes a spectrum of disorders that includes, in increasing order of severity, goiter and hypothyroidism, mental retardation, and cretinism (severe mental retardation accompanied by physical deformities). Iodine deficient humans, like endemic cretins, suffer physical, neurological, mental, immune and reproductive diseases.

Dietary Sources of Iodine

Sources include most sea foods, (ocean fish, but not fresh water fish, shellfish, especially oysters), unrefined sea salt, kelp and other seaweeds, fish broth, butter, pineapple, artichokes, asparagus, dark green vegetables and eggs. Certain vegetables, such as cabbage and spinach, can block iodine absorption when eaten raw or unfermented and are called goitrogens. But eating fish won't give you iodine in mg amounts. To get 13.8 mg iodine, like the Japanese, you would have to eat 10-20 pounds of fish per day.

Iodine Safety

Iodine is as safe as magnesium chloride with a track record of 180 years of use in medicine. Published data confirms its safety even when used in pulmonary patients in amounts four orders of magnitude greater than the US RDA. When patients take between 12.5 to 50 mg of iodine per day, it seems that the body becomes increasingly more responsive to thyroid hormones. Optimal intake of iodine in amounts two orders of magnitude greater than iodine levels needed for goiter control may be required for iodization of hormone receptors.

Iodine Allergy

Since iodine is critical for human life to continue, an allergic reaction is a myth.

Iodine is an element and is essential for protein synthesis and thyroid hormone development. Iodine cannot stimulate the immune system and cannot be an allergen. When patients react to iodine-containing products, it is not the iodine, but other parts of the substances that cause reactions. For example, skin irritation from povidone-iodine, is caused by a separate chemical in the solution, such as the povidone or a dye.

Also, misdiagnosed ‘allergic’ symptoms can be a result of heavy bromine detox caused by iodine displacing other halogens.

Iodine and Protein Utilization

Iodine helps us utilize our proteins properly. In all likelihood an iodine deficient person will remain protein deficient. Dr. Bryce Vickery Iodine is the essential ingredient in thyroid hormone synthesis. So if deficient, protein synthesis will be disturbed. Thyroid hormones have two major physiological effects. They increase protein synthesis in virtually every body tissue and increase oxygen consumption dependent upon Na+ K+ ATPase (Na pump).

Iodine and The Thyroid Gland

The thyroid gland needs iodine to synthesize thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), hormones that regulate metabolism and steer growth and development.

Thyroid hormones are essential for life as they regulate key biochemical reactions, especially protein synthesis and enzymatic activities, in target organs such as are the developing brain, muscle, heart, pituitary and kidney; thus iodine is critically important to the developing fetus.

All thyroid patients should be on iodine therapy.

Pregnancy and Brain Development

Iodine is important in the proper function of the nervous system and Dr. S. Cunnane suggests that “iodine is the primary brain selective nutrient in human brain evolution.” Iodine deficiency is a major cause of under-functioning intellect. Dr. Flechas agrees, “In newborn children iodine is responsible for the development of the babies’ I.Q. Recent research shows iodine deficiency is felt to be the source of attention deficit disorder in children.” “We have an absolute epidemic of autism in this country,” said Representative Dan Burton (R-Indiana). “Parents and doctors are struggling to find appropriate treatment options.” What help iodine can be to neurological damaged children has not been explored yet but iodine and magnesium logically should be some of the first things parents should reach for. We certainly will find science to create a foundation for the use of iodine before, during and after pregnancy.

Deficiency of iodine seems to cause more damage in developing embryos and in fact, in pregnant women iodine deficiency causes abortions and stillborns. It is not cretinism alone that holds risks from deficiency, but the very survival of the infant itself.

Adequate iodine may also provide protection from infection and vaccine damage. In a study done on 617 infants between the ages of 6 weeks and six months, in an iodine deficient area, it was shown that with the addition of 100 mg of iodine oil to the diet of newborns, that the death rate of infants was markedly lower than for those without any supplementation.

Iodine For Breast Integrity

Iodine is a gatekeeper of mammary gland integrity "Breast, ovarian, and skin cysts - In addition to fixing almost all cases of breast cysts, iodine also has a remarkable healing effect on ovarian cysts,” says Dr. Robert Rowen. Though few know it swollen ovaries is a condition analogous to goiter, when the thyroid swells in response to iodine deficiency. Goiters often also result in a hormonal imbalance leading to hypothyroidism.

Breast tissue has an affinity for iodine. Iodine deficiency causes fibrocystic breast disease with nodules, cyst enlargement, pain and scar tissue. Drs. Abraham, Flechas and Brownstein tested more than 4,000 patients taking iodine in daily doses ranging from 12.5 to 50 mg, and in those with diabetes, up to 100 mg a day. These investigators found that “iodine does indeed reverse fibrocystic disease; their diabetic patients require less insulin; hypothyroid patients, less thyroid medication; symptoms of fibromyalgia resolve, and patients with migraine headaches stop having them.” We can expect even better results when iodine is combined with magnesium chloride.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

In the case of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) the starvation of the ovaries causes them to become cystic, swollen and eventually unable to regulate the synthesis of their hormones leading to imbalances and infertility. Russian studies when investigating Fibrocystic breast disease also discovered that the greater the iodine deficiency the greater the number of cysts in the ovaries. Since 1928, the iodine concentration in the ovary has been known to be higher than in every other organ except the thyroid. Dr. Browstein has found in his research with high doses of iodine that cysts on the ovaries became smaller and began to disappear. He also found that libido in women and men increased. It takes 20 to 40 times the amount of Iodine needed to control breast cancer and fibrocystic disease than it does to prevent goiter.

In sufficient amounts iodine can not only adjust a dysfunctional thyroid, it can assist with a host of glandular imbalances as well as a wide assortment of internal as well as external bacteria, and fungi. Iodine has many non-endocrine biologic effects, including the role it plays in the physiology of the inflammatory response. Iodides increase the movement of granulocytes into areas of inflammation and improve the phagocytosis of bacteria by granulocytes and the ability of granulocytes to kill bacteria.

Dr. Robert Rowen informs that iodine reduces the activity of lipoprotein. When elevated, this protein can lead to excessive blood clotting and vascular disease.

He also states that Iodine is found in large amounts in the brain (including the parts of the brain associated with Parkinson’s disease and the ciliary body of the eye, a possible factor in glaucoma.

"One 1860 French physician mistakenly gave a tincture of iodine when he meant to give digitalis to a woman with Grave’s Disease. She recovered within three weeks. When he discovered his mistake, he switched to digitalis, and her symptoms came back. He switched back to the iodine and achieved a remission," reported Dr. Rowen.

Cardiovascular Disease

The occurrence of iodine deficiency in cardiovascular disease is frequent. The thyroid hormone deficiency on cardiovascular function can be characterized with decreased myocardial contractility and increased peripheral vascular resistance as well as with the changes in lipid metabolism. A study done with 42 patients with cardiovascular disease were divided into 5 subgroups on the ground of the presence of hypertension, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, coronary dysfunction and arrhythmia. When urine concentrations were tested the most decreased urine iodine concentration was detected in the subgroups with arrhythmia and congestive heart failure. An elevated TSH level was found by 3 patients and elevation in lipid metabolism (cholesterol, triglyceride) associated with all subgroups without arrhythmia. The researchers concluded that iodine supplementation might prevent the worsening effect of iodine deficiency on cardiovascular disease.

Diabetes

Dr. George Flechas relates that many of his diabetic patients need lowering of insulin dosage and diabetic drugs after repletion of iodine deficiency and others have observed the same thing. Something is dangling itself before our very eyes, a medical mystery that will enlighten us about our ignorance about how important minerals are for life. Both general and medical scientists can explain why diabetics and others benefit so greatly from heavy iodine supplementation, but will allopathic medical officials listen? Don’t count on it. Iodine is utilized by every hormone receptor in the body. The absence of iodine causes a hormonal dysfunction that can be seen with practically every hormone inside the body. This, in part, would already start to explain why Dr. Flechas sees such dramatic results with his diabetic patients. Why would many people who take iodine report that they have a greater sense of well-being, increased energy, and a lifting of brain fog? They feel warmer in cold environments, need somewhat less sleep, improved skin complexion, and have more regular bowel movements. The most obvious answer is that iodine is a trace mineral used to synthesize hormones and is a mineral that is very important to how hormones function at the hormone receptor sites.

Thyroxin and Triiodo-thyronine stimulates and maintains normal heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. "Despite the general medical dependence upon special hormone tests, such as TSH, etc, temperature appears to be much more accurate for assessing thyroid function. During the past decade, I have noticed that 90% of individuals have a temperature BELOW normal. The oral temperature before getting out of bed in the morning should be 97.6 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Mid-afternoon the temperature should be 98.6.

Temperature is the simplest measure of basal metabolic rate, the key function of the thyroid gland," said Dr. Norman Shealy, who suggests iodine dosages of 1500 micrograms daily 4 to 6 weeks. If basal temperature comes to normal, lower iodine dosage to 600 mcg daily. Iodine's ability to revive hormonal sensitivity seems to significantly improve insulin sensitivity.

Dr. Flechas said, “It was while treating a large 320-pound woman with insulin dependent diabetes that we learned a valuable lesson regarding the role of iodine in hormone receptor function. This woman had come in via the emergency room with a very high random blood sugar of 1,380 mg/dl. She was then started on insulin during her hospitalization and was instructed on the use of a home glucometer. She was to use her glucometer two times per day.

Two weeks later on her return office visit for a checkup of her insulin dependent diabetes she was informed that during her hospital physical examination she was noted to have Fibrocystic Breast Disease (FBD). She was recommended to start on 50 mg of iodine (4 tablets of Iodoral) at that time. One week later she called us requesting to lower the level of insulin due to having problems with hypoglycemia. She was told to continue to drop her insulin levels as long as she was experiencing hypoglycemia and to monitor her blood sugars carefully with her glucometer. Four weeks later during an office visit her glucometer was downloaded to my office computer, which showed her to have an average random blood sugar of 98. I praised the patient for her diligent efforts to control her diet and her good work at keeping her sugars under control with the insulin. She then informed me that she had come off her insulin three weeks earlier and had not been taking any medications to lower her blood sugar. When asked what she felt the big change was, she felt that her diabetes was under better control due to the use of iodine.”

Increased metabolic rate increases the need for iodine. If a person is not getting enough iodine and is on thyroid meds they will become more deficient. Dr. Fletchas reported that two years later and 70 pounds lighter this above patient continues to have excellent glucose control on 50 mg of iodine per day. “We since have done a study of twelve diabetics and in six cases we were able to wean all of these patients off of medications for their diabetes. The range of daily iodine intake was from 50 mg to 100 mg per day. All diabetic patients were able to lower the total amount of medications necessary to control their diabetes.”

Detox From Iodine

One of the blessings and a curse of iodine supplementing is that toxins are released in the body. It is a blessing because bromide, fluoride, mercury and lead are released from the cells so that the healing can begin. But the curse comes from the large amount of toxins being released which in most cases, cannot be eliminated quickly and effectively.

The average person has no idea just how toxic they become. By the time illness sets in, the toxicity is more than likely very high. There are some who begin iodine supplementing and feel no detoxing effects while others have terrible side effects that are triggered by just a small amount of supplementing. Still more experience weight gain.

The saying “No pain no gain” is not something you want to strive for. The goal is to supplement with enough iodine to release toxins while not releasing too quickly so that it stresses the body and overloads the detox pathways. A steady low level detox that is well supported will get you to your destination – abundant health.

Salt Loading To Aid Detox

Perform the salt loading protocol when you are experiencing detoxification symptoms with iodine supplementation. This protocol was developed by Dr Shevin and shared at the 2007 Iodine Conference.

**Note- You should not need to do this for more than 3 days. If your symptoms persist then you need to consider reducing your dose of iodine.

Take 1/2 tsp celtic (or other unrefined) salt in 1/2 cup of warm water

Follow the above with a glass of 12 oz filtered water.

** Repeat every 30-45 minutes as needed until urination begins.

Why does this help?

Salt - containing chloride - binds to the bromide in the blood stream and carries it out through the kidneys.

Bromide is used as a flame retardant that is in and on many items around you. These include carpeting, furniture, mattresses, clothing, computers, iPhones, and automobiles – just to name a few. Food sources can include items like baked goods that contain brominated flour or vegetable oil as well as soft drinks like Mountain Dew and other citrus based sodas. It can also be found in some Gatorade products. For many years it was used in the form of Methyl Bromide as a pesticide on strawberries.

How Much Iodine To Take

It is recommended that the user consume Lugol’s formula. This is because it offers the best solution for tissue saturation.

The best source for Lugol’s 2% iodine is Amazon. The link below is currently the best price point:

Carlyle Lugols Iodine 2 Percent 2 fl oz Twin Pack

When you consider the usage of iodine for thyroid hormone creation plus halide protection, the recommended 150 mcg amount by the RDA falls pathetically short. The body is reported to store 1,500 mgs of iodine in total. The thyroid gland stores 50 mgs. Twenty percent of the total iodine is held in the skin. Approximately 32% of iodine is stored in the muscles. This is why it is believed that there are strong ties to fibromyalgia pain when the patient is iodine deficient.

There are no set amounts that can be given as a blanket recommendation. Everyone needs different amounts based on their body’s ability to utilize the nutrients as well as the level of toxic halide exposure they have each day. If you are dealing with a severe health condition then your dosages will need to be higher than those trying to maintain good health.

a. Maintenance – It was once believed that a good maintenance dose is 25 mgs per day. But with more information being gained about the exposures to halides bombarding our systems (bromides, fluorides, chlorine) as well as mercury, etc., maintenance of health may require higher doses of iodine. The iodine doctors are now beginning to believe that 50 mgs may be the minimum required dose. Many iodine group members are finding that dosages of 100 mgs cause them to feel the best. While this is anecdotal information it is interesting to note.

b. Pregnancy / Lactation – Iodine is important for both the mother and the baby. Children who do not receive enough iodine in the womb while developing can develop cretinism. Because iodine has the ability to push toxins out of the body (bromide, fluoride, mercury, and lead) it is not desirable to push this to the blood stream so that it crosses the placenta to the baby. During the 2007 Iodine Conference, the doctors discussed this issue. Their final conclusion was to recommend that iodine be supplemented at 12.5 mgs per day if no prior supplementing / detoxing has been done before getting pregnant. This applies to starting during lactation as well. One thing to note is that the iodine will change the taste of the milk so if the baby refuses the breast, back the dosage down and add slowly so that they can get used to the taste. If there is concern over bromide toxicity then a blood test may be performed to test for circulating levels.

c. Cancer – Cancer is a result of mutated cells. Iodine is absolutely critical for something called the P53 gene which is known as the “keeper of the genetic code”. Without iodine and selenium it will not function correctly to eliminate abnormal cells from the body such as cancer. Cancer patients have taken anywhere from 50 – 300 mgs / day successfully. Here is a good article on how P53 works with the mdm2 in cancer:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071015215101.htm

d. Children – General guidelines suggest .08 mg x the weight of the child but is dependent on the health condition.

i. Up to 3 years – 3 drops of Detoxified Iodine (www.iodinesource.com) per day or take 1 drop of 2% Lugol’s solution in water and give it to the child. This results in a 2.5 mgs / dose.

ii. 3yrs to 5 yrs – 2 drops 2% Lugols Solution (5 mgs)

iii. 5 yrs to 9 yrs – 5 drops 2% Lugols Solution (12.5 mgs)

iv. 9 yrs to 16 yrs – 10 drops 2% Lugols Solution (25 mgs)

v. 16 yrs and up – will depend on health issues, weight, etc and cannot be given in generalities. By this point their body is adult size. Dosages range from 12.5 mgs to 300 mgs.

What was the dosage range of iodine typically used by the iodine doctors (Abraham, Brownstein and Flechas) based on their clinical experience treating patients?

In their practices and research, Drs. Abraham, Brownstein and Flechas found that most adult patients did best on 12.5-50 mg/day of combined iodine/iodide. 12.5 mg was considered more of a starting dose, while 50 mg was considered an optimal therapeutic amount for people with significant deficiency or health issues like thyroid disease, fibrocystic breasts, etc. Some patients took upwards of 75-100 mg/day under supervision.

What if a person has an auto immune thyroid disease such as Hashimoto’s?

Originally, practitioners thought there might be a problem with Hashimoto’s patients taking iodine. Now they’ve found that so-called problem is a myth perpetrated by those promoting an incomplete iodine protocol. After much study by the experienced iodine practitioners, it has become clear that iodine deficiency is often the most direct cause of Hashimoto’s combined with selenium deficiency.

Contact an Iodine Literate Practitioner who is experienced in using iodine for auto immune diseases. If your practitioner has not trained under the supervision of one of the major iodine doctors, he or she may not know the additional protocols for auto-immune disease, including the necessity of the right amount of selenium.

Below is a link to Dr. Jeffrey Dach’s explanation:

Selenium for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis by Jeffrey Dach MD - Natural Thyroid Blog (typepad.com)

Many Hashi’s patients have also found eliminating gluten from the diet helps.