Iodine — Why You Need It; Why You Can’t Live Without It

[donnay]

Iodine — Why You Need It; Why You Can’t Live Without It

Iodine — Why You Need It; Why You Can’t Live Without It
http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/nutrition/brownstein.htm


Iodine — Why You Need It; Why You Can’t Live Without It
by Dr David Brownstein, MD

Some of you must wonder why we have focused on Iodine so much.

The answer is very simple and comes in three parts:

Iodine is an essential nutrient; essential to wellness.

Iodine deficiency is rampant in the US

Iodine deficiency is ridiculously simple to cure

From the American Thyroid Association:

The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland that is normally located in the lower front of the neck. The thyroid’s job is to make thyroid hormone, which is secreted into the blood and then carried to every tissue in the body. Thyroid hormone is essential to help each cell in each tissue and organ to work right. For example, thyroid hormone helps the body use energy, stay warm, and keep the brain, heart, muscles, and other organs working as they should.

Let me emphasize: The thyroid’s job is to make thyroid hormone, which is secreted into the blood and then carried to every tissue in the body.

That hormone is called thyroxine and it contains 4 iodine atoms. Without iodine, your body will not function properly, period.

From the World Health Organization:

Iodine Deficiency is the world’s most prevalent – yet easily preventable – cause of brain damage. Today we are on the verge of eliminating it – an achievement that will be hailed as a major public health triumph, ranking together with smallpox and poliomyelitis.

Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) jeopardize children’s mental health – often their very lives. They start before birth. Serious iodine deficiency during pregnancy may result in stillbirths, abortions and congenital abnormalities such as cretinism, a grave, irreversible form of mental retardation that affects people living in iodine-deficient areas of Africa and Asia. However, of far greater global and economic significance is IDD’s less visible, yet more pervasive, level of mental impairment that lowers intellectual prowess at home, at school and at work.

Dr Brownstein’s book should be in every home in the land. Not only does he show how deficient we all are, he points out symptoms (results) of this deficiency, gives real human examples of this deficiency, outlines those things that cause us to be deficient, gives real human examples of how health improves when the body gets enough iodine, and touches on new research in the field on iodine and especially, iodine in fighting cancers (especially breast cancer).

Of all the elements known so far to be essential for human health, iodine is the most misunderstood and the most feared. Yet, iodine is the safest of all the essential trace elements, being the only one that can be administered safely for long periods of time to large numbers of patients in daily amounts as high as 100,000 times the RDA. However, this safety record only applies to inorganic, nonradioactive forms of iodine. Some organic iodine containing drugs are extremely toxic and prescribed by physicians. The severe side effects of these drugs are blamed on inorganic iodine although studies have clearly demonstrated that it is the whole molecule that is toxic, not the iodine released from it.

The daily dosage of Iodine, the most optimal dosage, is between 12.5 mg and 50 mg. Iodine is stored in the body, and it can take nearly a year taking 12.5 mg per day to get the body’s levels up to sufficiency.

Brownstein also shows us a few things that will lower our iodine levels, such as pastas and breads, chlorinated water, diets deficient in fish (vegan, vegetarian diets), and salt restricted diets.

I really hate to give away the meat of a book I was sent to review (why should anyone buy the book?), but you can read more about Brownstein’s book here: http://www.mbschachter.com/Iodine.htm

Here is a paragraph from this website:

The commonly accepted medical opinion is that iodine’s only role in the body is to help make thyroid hormones. Although this is an extremely important function, Abraham demonstrates that the role of iodine in the body goes far beyond its function of making thyroid hormones. Other possible functions include: helping to regulate moods, preventing cancer (especially in breasts, ovaries, uterus, prostate and thyroid gland), preventing and treating fibrocystic breasts in women, helping to regulate blood pressure, helping to regulate blood sugar and prevent and treat diabetes, and helping to prevent abnormal cardiac rhythms. For example, Japanese women, who have one of the lowest breast cancer rates in the world, ingest more than 13 mg of iodine daily from seaweed without suffering any adverse consequences. He further demonstrates that iodine tends to be antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic, and antifungal and that it enhances immune function. Furthermore, he suggests that suboptimal iodine intake may contribute to various thyroid abnormalities commonly seen today, including hypothyroidism (underactive), hyperthyroidism (overactive) and autoimmune inflammation of the thyroid (Hashimoto’s Disease).

One cancer overlooked above that seems to be related to an iodine deficiency is endometrial cancer.

Iodine is Antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitic, antiinflamatory when it comes to preventing Hashimot’s Disease, or autoimmune inflammation.

Though iodine is best known to affect our metabolism, its functions are far and varied:

… it helps to regulate moods, preventing cancer (especially in breasts, ovaries, uterus, prostate and thyroid gland), preventing and treating fibrocystic breasts in women, helping to regulate blood pressure, helping to regulate blood sugar and prevent and treat diabetes, and helping to prevent abnormal cardiac rhythms. [http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/332/9/562]

From Dr. David Brownstein’s book Iodine: Why You Need It; Why You Can’t Live Without It:

Of all the elements known so far to be essential for human health, iodine is the most misunderstood and the most feared. Yet, iodine is the safest of all the essential trace elements, being the only one that can be administered safely for long periods of time to large numbers of patients in daily amounts as high as 100,000 times the RDA. However, this safety record only applies to inorganic, nonradioactive forms of iodine. Some organic iodine containing drugs are extremely toxic and prescribed by physicians. The severe side effects of these drugs are blamed on inorganic iodine although studies have clearly demonstrated that it is the whole molecule that is toxic, not the iodine released from it.

Dr Browstein outlines a laundry list of disorders treated with iodine:

· Breast Disease

· Dupuytren’s Contracture

· Excess Mucous Production

· Fatigue

· Fibrocystic Breasts

· Hemorrhoids

· Headaches and Migraine

· Headaches

· Keloids

· Ovarian Cysts

· Parotid Duct Stones

· Peyronie’s

· Sebaceous Cysts

· Thyroid Disorders

· Cancers (breast, ovarian, thyroid, prostate)

Now we get to the controversial part: how to take Iodine.

Dr Abraham invented a form he’s using both in his studies and with his patients that is called Iodoral which contains 5 mg iodine and 7.5 mg iodide as the potassium salt (which just happens to be the optimum ratio of iodine to iodide that Abraham has found in his research). To reach a “full load” of iodine, Abraham loads his patients with 4 Iodoral tablets and 8 drops of Lugol’s solution for a three month period.

This MUST be done under a doctor’s supervision, because once you reach your “full load” just three drops of Lugol’s solution can be toxic.

Some physicians recommend potassium iodide, but this does not contain Abraham’s ration of iodine to iodide. However, potassium iodide has been used with great success in helping to open clogged arteries, cure bladder infections, eliminate (or reduce) ovarian cysts, diminish keloids (raised pinkish scar tissue at the site of an injury; results from excessive tissue repair), loosen thick bronchial phlegm, help in reducing (and curing, at times) Peyronie's Disease (painful erections, or a bending of the penis during erection) and Dupuytren’s contracture (rare hand deformity in which the connective tissue (fascia) under the skin of the palm thickens and scars; knots (nodes) and cords of tissue form under the skin, often pulling one or more of the fingers into a bent (contracted) position), and finally its original use that many who have served in the military will remember, to disinfect water.

I’m not sure how many physicians are privy to testing for proper iodine sufficiency or how many know the hazards. I’ve discovered that adding iodine to the body chases certain minerals out of the body. This is something I’m going to have to research further. But finding a physician, naturopath, or nutritionist (dieticians know squat about iodine) is up to you.

Finally, there is Magnascent. This product has not been tested by the FDA, nor has it had many clinical studies. However, we have been following some clinical studies in Israel and in Africa, and so far, there have been some great results. Ten drops a day is not even close to the amount required in your body, but it will add up over a period of time. It’s best to add this to water first thing in the morning.

More info:
http://www.jcrows.com/iodine.html

 

[pcgame]

are eggs a good source?

 

[Acala]

I put seaweed in my salads and soups. Easy. Cheap. Natural.

 

[donnay]

are eggs a good source?

It depends. It would depend on the feed that the hen was fed. If it is a feed that is iodine rich then yes.

"In most cases, the iodine content of eggs is estimated to be somewhere between 13 and 70 mcg per one large eggs (50 grams). However, eggs of hen that have been fed a iodine rich diet may contain up to 200 mcg per egg."

 

[donnay]

Iodine for Health

by Donald W. Miller, Jr., MD




There is growing evidence that Americans would have better health and a lower incidence of cancer and fibrocystic disease of the breast if they consumed more iodine. A decrease in iodine intake coupled with an increased consumption of competing halogens, fluoride and bromide, has created an epidemic of iodine deficiency in America.

People in the U.S. consume an average 240 micrograms (µg) of iodine a day. In contrast, people in Japan consume more than 12 milligrams (mg) of iodine a day (12,000 µg), a 50-fold greater amount. They eat seaweed, which include brown algae (kelp), red algae (nori sheets, with sushi), and green algae (chlorella). Compared to terrestrial plants, which contain only trace amounts of iodine (0.001 mg/gm), these marine plants have high concentrations of this nutrient (0.5—8.0 mg/gm). When studied in 1964, Japanese seaweed consumption was found to be 4.5 grams (gm) a day and that eaten had a measured iodine concentration of 3.1 mg/gm of seaweed (= 13.8 mg of iodine). According to public health officials, mainland Japanese now consume 14.5 gm of seaweed a day (= 45 mg of iodine, if its iodine content, not measured, remains unchanged). Researchers have determined that residents on the coast of Hokkaido eat a quantity of seaweed sufficient to provide a daily iodine intake of 200 mg a day. Saltwater fish and shellfish contain iodine, but one would have to eat 15—25 pounds of fish to get 12 mg of iodine.

Health comparisons between the two countries are disturbing. The incidence of breast cancer in the U.S. is the highest in the world, and in Japan, until recently, the lowest. Japanese women who emigrate from Japan or adopt a Western style diet have a higher rate of breast cancer compared with those that consume seaweed. Life expectancy in the U.S. is 77.85 years, 48th in 226 countries surveyed. It is 81.25 years in Japan, the highest of all industrialized countries and only slightly behind the five leaders — Andorra, Macau, San Marino, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The infant mortality rate in Japan is the lowest in the world, 3.5 deaths under age one per 1,000 live births, half the infant mortality rate in the United States.

Today 1 in 7 American women (almost 15 percent) will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. Thirty years ago, when iodine consumption was twice as high as it is now (480 µg a day) 1 in 20 women developed breast cancer. Iodine was used as a dough conditioner in making bread, and each slice of bread contained 0.14 mg of iodine. In 1980, bread makers started using bromide as a conditioner instead, which competes with iodine for absorption into the thyroid gland and other tissues in the body. Iodine was also more widely used in the dairy industry 30 years ago than it is now.

Now iodized table salt is the chief source of iodine in a Western diet. But 45 percent of American households buy salt without iodine, which grocery stores also sell. And over the last three decades people who do use iodized table salt have decreased their consumption of it by 65 percent. Furthermore, the much higher concentrations of chloride in salt (NaCl) inhibits absorption of its sister halogen iodine (the intestines absorb only 10 percent of the iodine present in iodized table salt). As a result, 15 percent of the U.S. adult female population suffers from moderate to severe iodine deficiency, which health authorities define as a urinary iodine concentration less than 50 µg /L. Women with goiters (a visible, noncancerous 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.

Animal studies show that iodine prevents breast cancer, arguing for a causal association in these epidemiological findings. The carcinogens nitrosmethylurea and DMBA cause breast cancer in more than 70 percent of female rats. Those given iodine, especially in its molecular form as I2, have a statistically significant decrease in incidence of cancer. Other evidence adding biologic plausibility to the hypothesis that iodine prevents breast cancer includes the finding that the ductal cells in the breast, the ones most likely to become cancerous, are equipped with an iodine pump (the sodium iodine symporter, the same one that the thyroid gland has) to soak up this element.

Similar findings apply to fibrocystic disease of the breast. The incidence of fibrocystic breast disease in American women was 3 percent in the 1920s. Today, 90 percent of women have this disorder, manifested by epithelial hyperplasia, apocrine gland metaplasia, fluid-filled cysts, and fibrosis. Six million American women with fibrocystic disease have moderate to severe breast pain and tenderness that lasts more than 6 days during the menstrual cycle.

In animal studies, female rats fed an iodine-free diet develop fibrocystic changes in their breasts, and iodine in its elemental form (I2) cures it.

Russian researchers first showed, in 1966, that iodine effectively relieves signs and symptoms of fibrocystic breast disease. Vishniakova and Murav'eva treated 167 women suffering from fibrocystic disease with 50 mg KI during the intermenstrual period and obtained a beneficial healing effect in 71 percent (it is reference 49 here).

Then Ghent and coworkers, in a study published in the Canadian Journal of Surgery in 1993, likewise found that iodine relieves signs and symptoms of fibrocystic breast disease in 70 percent of their patients. This report is a composite of three clinical studies, two case series done in Canada in 696 women treated with various types of iodine, and one in Seattle. The Seattle study, done at the Virginia Mason Clinic, is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 56 women designed to compare 3—5 mg of elemental iodine (I2) to a placebo (an aqueous mixture of brown vegetable dye with quinine). Investigators followed the women for six months and tracked subjective and objective changes in their fibrocystic disease.

A statistical analysis of the Seattle study (enlarged to include 92 women) was done, which shows that iodine has a highly statistically significant beneficial effect on fibrocystic disease (P < 0.001). Iodine reduced breast tenderness, nodularity, fibrosis, turgidity, and number of macroscysts, the five parameters in a total breast examination score that a physician blinded to what treatment the woman was taking, iodine or placebo, measured. This 36-page report, now available online, was submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1995 seeking its approval to carry out a larger randomized controlled clinical trial on iodine for treating fibrocystic breast disease. It declined to approve the study, telling its lead investigator, Dr. Donald Low, "iodine is a natural substance, not a drug." But the FDA has now decided to approve a similar trial sponsored by Symbollon Pharmaceuticals. This company is enrolling 175 women in a phase III trial, registered on clinicaltrials.gov. (Any women with fibrocystic disease reading this who might be interested in participating in this study should call its sponsor, Jack Kessler, Ph.D., at 508-620-7676, Ext. 201.)

Most physicians and surgeons view iodine from a narrow perspective. It 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. (When painted on the skin prior to surgery, tincture of iodine kills 90 percent of bacteria present within 90 seconds.) The thyroid gland needs iodine to synthesize thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), hormones that regulate metabolism and steer growth and development. T4 contains four iodine atoms combined with 27 other atoms of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, but owing to its large size accounts for 65 percent of the molecule's weight. (T3 has three iodine atoms.) The thyroid needs only a trace amount of iodine, 70 µg a day, to produce the requisite amount of T4 and T3. For that reason thyroidologists say that iodine is best taken just in microgram amounts. They consider consuming more than 1 to 2 mg of iodine a day to be excessive and potentially harmful.

Expert opinion on iodine is now the purview of thyroidologists. Mainstream physicians and surgeons accept their thyroid-only view of iodine and either ignore or discount studies that show iodine in larger amounts provides extrathyroidal benefits, particularly for women's breasts. Thus a leading textbook on breast disease, Bland and Copeland's The Breast: Comprehensive Management of Benign and Malignant Disorders (2003), fails to mention iodine anywhere in its 1,766 pages.

Iodine has an important and little understood history. This relatively scarce element has played a pivotal role in the formation of our planet's atmosphere and in the evolution of life. For more than two billion years there was no oxygen in the atmosphere until a new kind of bacteria, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), began producing oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Cyanobacteria also developed an affinity for iodine. The most likely reason is that these organisms used iodine as an antioxidant to protect themselves against the free radicals that oxygen breeds (superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radical). Studying kelp, researchers have shown how iodine does this and have found that kelp will absorb increased amounts of iodine when placed under oxidative stress. Other researchers have shown that iodine increases the antioxidant status of human serum similar to that of vitamin C.

Iodine also induces apoptosis, programmed cell death. This process is essential to growth and development (fingers form in the fetus by apoptosis of the tissue between them) and for destroying cells that represent a threat to the integrity of the organism, like cancer cells and cells infected with viruses. Human lung cancer cells with genes spliced into them that enhance iodine uptake and utilization undergo apoptosis and shrink when given iodine, both when grown in vitro outside the body and implanted in mice. Its anti-cancer function may well prove to be iodine's most important extrathyroidal benefit.

Iodine has other extrathyroidal functions that require more study. It removes toxic chemicals — fluoride, bromide, lead, aluminum, mercury — and biological toxins, suppresses auto-immunity, strengthens the T-cell adaptive immune system, and protects against abnormal growth of bacteria in the stomach.

In addition to the thyroid and mammary glands, other tissues possess an iodine pump (the sodium/iodine symporter). Stomach mucosa, the salivary glands, and lactating mammary glands can concentrate iodine almost to the same degree as the thyroid gland (40-fold greater than its concentration in blood). Other tissues that have this pump include the ovaries; thymus gland, seat of the adaptive immune system; skin; choroid plexus in the brain, which makes cerebrospinal fluid; and joints, arteries and bone.

Today's medical establishment is wary of iodine (as they are of most naturally occurring, nonpatentable, nonpharmaceutical agents). Thyroidologists cite the Wolff-Chaikoff effect and warn that TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) blood levels can rise with an iodine intake of a milligram or more. The Wolff-Chaikoff effect, a temporary inhibition of thyroid hormone synthesis that supposedly occurs with increased iodine intake, is of no clinical significance. And an elevated TSH, when it occurs, is "subclinical." This means that no signs or symptoms of hypothyroidism accompany its rise. Some people taking milligram doses of iodine, usually more than 50 mg a day, develop mild swelling of the thyroid gland without symptoms. The vast majority of people, 98 to 99 percent, can take iodine in doses ranging from 10 to 200 mg a day without any clinically adverse affects on thyroid function. The prevalence of thyroid diseases in the 127 million people in Japan who consume high amounts of iodine is not much different than that in the U.S.

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). Health authorities in the U.S. and Europe have agreed upon a Reference Daily Intake (RDI), formerly called the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), for iodine designed to prevent these disorders, which the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates afflicts 30 percent of the world's population. The RDI for iodine, first proposed in 1980, is 100—150 µg/day. Organizations advocating this amount include the American Medical Association, National Institutes of Health's National Research Council, Institute of Medicine, United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, WHO Expert Committee, and the European Union International Programme on Chemical Safety. These health authorities consider an RDI of 100—150 µg/day of iodine sufficient to meet the requirements of nearly all (97—98%) healthy individuals.

This consensus on iodine intake flies in the face of evidence justifying a higher amount. This evidence includes animal studies, in vitro studies on human cancer cell lines, clinical trials of iodine for fibrocystic breast disease, and epidemiological data. An intake of 150 µg/day of iodine will prevent goiters and the other recognized iodine deficiency disorders, but not breast disease. Prevention of breast disease requires higher doses of iodine. Indeed, a reasonable hypothesis is that, like goiters and cretinism, fibrocystic disease of the breast and breast cancer are iodine deficiency disorders (also uterine fibroids).

What Albert Guérard writes about new truths applies especially to iodine: "When you seek a new path to truth, you must expect to find it blocked by expert opinion." The reigning truth on iodine is that the thyroid gland is the only organ in the body that requires this micronutrient, and a daily intake considerably more than what the thyroid gland needs is potentially harmful. The new truth is that the rest of the body also needs iodine, in milligram, not microgram amounts. Tell that to a thyroidologist and her response will call to mind this admonition on new truths.

These are the four most common formulations of inorganic (nonradioactive) iodine, as iodide (I-), and with or without molecular iodine (I2): Potassium iodide (KI) tablets, in doses ranging from 0.23 to 130 mg; super saturated potassium iodide (SSKI), 19—50 mg of iodide per drop; Lugol's solution, 6.3 mg of molecular iodine/iodide per drop; and Iodoral, each tablet containing 12.5 mg iodine/iodide. Both Lugol's solution and Ioderal are one-third molecular iodine (5%) and two-thirds potassium iodide (10%). Studies done to date indicate that the best iodine supplement is one that includes molecular iodine (I2), which breast tissue prefers.

Iodine was used for a wide variety of ailments after its discovery in 1811 up until the mid-1900s, when thyroidologists warned that "excess" amounts of iodine might adversely affect thyroid function. It is effective in gram amounts for treating various dermatologic conditions, chronic lung disease, fungal infestations, tertiary syphilis, and even arteriosclerosis. 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 was the universal medicine. Nobody knew what it did, but it did something and did something good. We students used to sum up the situation in this little rhyme:

If ye don't know where, what, and why
Prescribe ye then K and I"

The standard dose of potassium iodide given was 1 gram, which contains 770 mg of iodine.

Regarding KI and other iodine salts (like sodium iodide), the venerated 11th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, published in 1911, states, "Their pharmacological action is as obscure as their effects in certain diseased conditions are consistently brilliant. Our ignorance of their mode of action is cloaked by the term deobstruent, which implies that they possess the power of driving out impurities from the blood and tissues. Most notably is this the case with the poisonous products of syphilis. In its tertiary stage — and also earlier — this disease yields in the most rapid and unmistakable fashion to iodides, so much so that the administration of these salts is at present the best means of determining whether, for instance, a cranial tumor be syphilitic or not."

This 19th and early 20th century medicine continues to be used in gram amounts in the 21st century by dermatologists. They treat inflammatory dermatoses, like nodular vasculitis and pyoderma gangrenosum (shown here), with SSKI, beginning with an iodine dose of 900 mg a day, followed by weekly increases up to 6 grams a day as tolerated. Fungal eruptions, like sporotrichosis, are treated initially in gram amounts with great success. These lesions can disappear within two weeks after treatment with iodine.

For many years physicians used potassium iodide in doses starting at 1.5 to 3 gm and up to more than 10 grams a day, on and off, to treat bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with good results and surprisingly few side effects.

There is a case report in the medical literature of a 54-year-old man who, thinking it was iced tea, drank a "home preparation" of SSKI in water that his aunt kept in the refrigerator for her rheumatism. Over a short period of time he consumed 600 ml of this solution, which contained 15 gm of iodide, an amount 100,000 times more than the RDI. He developed swelling of the face, neck, and mouth, had transient cardiac arrhythmias and made an uneventful recovery.

Dr. Guy Abraham, a former professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UCLA, mounted what he calls "The Iodine Project" in 1997 after he read the Ghent paper on iodine for fibrocystic disease. He had his company, Optimox Corp., make Iodoral, the tablet form of Lugol's solution, and he engaged two family practice physicians, Dr. Jorge Flechas (in 2000) in North Carolina and Dr. David Brownstein (in 2003) in Michigan to carry out clinical studies with it.

The project's hypothesis is that maintaining whole body sufficiency of iodine requires 12.5 mg a day, an amount similar to what the Japanese consume. The conventional view is that the body contains 25—50 mg of iodine, of which 70—80 percent resides in the thyroid gland. Dr. Abraham concluded that whole body sufficiency exists when a person excretes 90 percent of the iodine ingested. He devised an iodine-loading test where one takes 50 mg and measures the amount excreted in the urine over the next 24 hours. He found that the vast majority of people retain a substantial amount of the 50 mg dose. Many require 50 mg a day for several months before they will excrete 90 percent of it. His studies indicate that, given a sufficient amount, the body will retain much more iodine than originally thought, 1,500 mg, with only 3 percent of that amount held in the thyroid gland.

More than 4,000 patients in this project take iodine in daily doses ranging from 12.5 to 50 mg, and in those with diabetes, up to 100 mg a day. These investigators have 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. To paraphrase Dr. Szent-Györgi, these investigators aren't sure how iodine does it, but it does something good.

Thyroid function remains unchanged in 99 percent of patients. Untoward effects of iodine, allergies, swelling of the salivary glands and thyroid, and iodism, occur rarely, in less than 1 percent. Iodine removes the toxic halogens fluoride and bromide from the body. Iodism, an unpleasant brassy taste, runny nose, and acne-like skin lesions, is caused by the bromide that iodine extracts from the tissues. Symptoms subside on a lesser dose of iodine.

As these physicians point out, consuming iodine in milligram doses should, of course, be coupled with a complete nutritional program that includes adequate amounts of selenium, magnesium, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Done this way, an iodine intake 100 times the reference daily intake is "the simplest, safest, most effective and least expensive way to help solve the health care crisis crippling our nation," as the leader of The Iodine Project, Dr. Abraham, puts it.

People who take iodine in these amounts 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. These purported health benefits need to be studied more thoroughly, as do those with regard to fibrocystic breast disease and cancer.

Meanwhile, perhaps we should emulate the Japanese and substantially increase our iodine intake, if not with seaweed, then with two drops of Lugol's Solution (or one Iodoral tablet) a day.

Recommended Reading:

Miller DW. Iodine in Health and Civil Defense. Presented at the 24th Annual Meeting of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness in Portland, Oregon, August 6, 2006. The text for this talk, with 68 references, can be found here, and the PowerPoint slides I used for it, here.
Abraham GE. The safe and effective implementation of orthoiodosupplementation in medical practice. The Original Internist 2004;11:17—36. Available online here. This is a good introduction to The Iodine Project. His other research studies are online here.
Flechas, JD. Orthoiodosupplementation in a primary care practice. The Original Internist 2005;12(2):89—96. Available online here.
Brownstein D. Clinical experience with inorganic, non-radioactive iodine/iodide. The Original Internist 2005;12(3):105—108. Available online here.
Derry D. Breast cancer and iodine: How to prevent and how to survive breast cancer. Victoria, B.C.: Trafford Publishing; 2002. The book is a bit disorganized, has references at the end of each chapter not cited in the text, and no index; but it is an eye-opener nonetheless.
Brownstein D. Iodine: why you need it why you can't live without it. West Bloomfield, Michigan: Medical Alternatives Press; 2004. Well-written and referenced, with case histories.
Low DE, Ghent WR, Hill LD. Diatomic iodine treatment for fibrocystic disease: special report of efficacy and safety results. [Submitted to the FDA] 1995:1—38. Available online here. This study makes a strong case for iodine as the preferred treatment for fibrocystic disease.

August 14, 2006

Donald Miller (send him mail) is a cardiac surgeon and Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is a member of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness and writes articles on a variety of subjects for LewRockwell.com. His web site is www.donaldmiller.com

Copyright © 2006 LewRockwell.com

 

[donnay]

~Bump~

 

[Acala]

I added seaweed to my daily diet when my sister, who just had a breast lumpectomy, clued me in on the importance of iodine. She did the research AFTER she was diagnosed. Better to start getting your iodine before you get cancer.

 

[roho76]

"Iodine deficiency is rampant in the US"

I have a hard time believing this with the way table salt (with Iodine) is a fixture of the US dinner table.

 

[ClydeCoulter]

"Iodine deficiency is rampant in the US"

I have a hard time believing this with the way table salt (with Iodine) is a fixture of the US dinner table.

Read above, it is shown there that iodine from salt is not absorbed very well.

 

[roho76]

Read above, it is shown there that iodine from salt is not absorbed very well.

Thanks. I'll have to do a little more research. I'm not saying it's not true but just hard to believe. Plus, I know a lot of these Americican (insert disease, deficiency) Associations like to say that the majority of people are deficient in their "thing". I have a hard time believing in Associations of any kind who usually claim to be the utmost authority on the subject. They usually have a hidden agenda. Maybe just my self defense mechanism for bullshit in overdrive.

 

[donnay]

"Iodine deficiency is rampant in the US"

I have a hard time believing this with the way table salt (with Iodine) is a fixture of the US dinner table.

The table salt is processed with Potassium or sodium fluoride. Fluoride will wreck you thyroid!

http://www.pr-inside.com/first-ever-government-review-of-fluoride-thyroid-r596428.htm
http://poisonfluoride.com/pfpc/html/salt_facts.html#1
http://sonic.net/kryptox/nutri/saltGermany.htm
http://www.shareguide.com/iodine.html

 

[roho76]

The table salt is processed with Potassium or sodium fluoride. Fluoride will wreck you thyroid!

http://www.pr-inside.com/first-ever-government-review-of-fluoride-thyroid-r596428.htm
http://poisonfluoride.com/pfpc/html/salt_facts.html#1
http://sonic.net/kryptox/nutri/saltGermany.htm
http://www.shareguide.com/iodine.html

Thanks for the links Donnay. I'll read them tonight.

 

[Romulus]

Good article... anyone know what are good foods that contain iodine? Or is it best taken in supplement form?

 

[donnay]

Good article... anyone know what are good foods that contain iodine? Or is it best taken in supplement form?

JCROWS.com (I personally use this)
http://www.lugols.com/

1. Sea vegetables


The ocean hosts the largest storehouse for iodine foods, including Kelp, Arame, Hiziki, Kombu, and Wakame. Kelp has the highest amount of iodine on the planet and one serving offers 4 times more than a daily minimum requirement. 1 tablespoon of Kelp contains about 2000/mcg of iodine, 1 tablespoon of Arame contains about 730/mcg of iodine, 1 tablespoon of Hiziki contains about 780/mcg of iodine, 1 one inch piece of Kombu contains about 1450/mcg of iodine, 1 tablespoon of Wakame contains about 80/mcg of iodine. I recommend sprinkling them in soups or on salads.

2. Cranberries


This antioxidant rich fruit is another great source of iodine. About 4 ounces of cranberries contain approximately 400/mcg of iodine. I would recommend buying fresh organic berries or juice. If you buy cranberry juice from the store, be cautious of how much sugar is in it.

3. Organic Yogurt


A natural probiotic, yogurt is an excellent iodine food you should add to your diet. One serving holds more than half of your daily needs. 1 cup contains approximately 90/mcg of iodine. Other than yogurt, here is a list of probiotic foods you should think about incorporating into your diet for added health benefits.



4. Organic Navy Beans

Many beans are a great food source of iodine, but navy beans may top the list. Just 1/2 cup of these beans contain about 32/mcg of iodine. Beans aren’t just an iodine food, they are also incredibly high in fiber.


5. Organic Strawberries

This tasty red fruit packs up to 10% of our daily iodine needs in a single serving. 1 cup of fresh strawberries has approximately 13/mcg of iodine. Try buying fresh, organic strawberries from your local farmer’s market.

6. Himalayan Crystal Salt

Himalayan Salt Benefits

This form of salt, also known as gray salt, is an excellent source of naturally-occuring iodine. While many types of table salt are iodine-enriched, they are also stripped of all their natural health properties, and are chemically processed. Just one gram of himalayan salt contains approximately 500/mcg of iodine.


7. Dairy products

Milk and cheese are good sources of iodine, with one cup of milk holding around 55/mcg. To avoid many of the negative digestive effects of eating cow’s milk and cheese, I personally would recommend opting for raw organic goat’s milk and goat’s cheese; a healthier alternative for extracting iodine from dairy.
8. Potatoes

Potatoes High in Iodine

The common potato is an easy addition to most meals, and is one of the richest sources of iodine in the vegetable kingdom. With the skin, one medium-sized baked potato holds 60/mcg of iodine.
Taking Iodine Supplements

If you’re not a fan of the iodine foods listed above, then you can always take an iodine supplement. There are many different types of iodine supplements on the market, so knowing the differences between each is wise. I personally recommend taking a transformative nano-colloidal detoxified nascent iodine supplement, which the body is able to rapidly turn into its own effective mineral iodides for absorption throughout the body.

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/iodine-foods/

 

[Romulus]

Thanks Donnay

 

[QuickZ06]

WOW I used to take kelp, my aunt told my mother about it and I took it but I never knew why. Maybe this was why I have not taken it in years but after reading this I think I will. Do the pills you get at GNC work the same?

 

[Suzu]

"Iodine deficiency is rampant in the US"

I have a hard time believing this with the way table salt (with Iodine) is a fixture of the US dinner table.

And I have no difficulty whatsoever. Here's why:

Trace minerals (as well as major ones) need to be present in a certain ratio to one another. If one is deficient in some minerals, others will not have their maximum effect. The full spectrum of trace minerals we need is found in unrefined (gray) sea salt, however, gray salt contains excessive magnesium in the form of MgSo4.

Seawater contains too much magnesium due to the fact that at the time our ancient ancestors crawled out of the sea they carried a different balance of minerals in their blood than what seawater contains now in the modern era after millions of years' worth of rains washing into the sea from the land, carrying with it magnesium which at one time was much more abundant in the earth's soils than it is today. This is why "epsom salt" is a good plant fertilizer.

This substance, MgSo4 in seawater, must be reduced in sea salt without removing the other trace elements, for the magnesium in the salt to be in balance with the other 91 minerals present in unrefined sea salt. The use of dark gray sea salt will eventually cause severe health problems.

The problem with refining sea salt, even to the minimal extent required to remove the excess MgSo4, is that most of the other minerals are reduced at the same time. The best way to make salt with the proper balance of minerals is to boil seawater in clay vessels made with pulverized oyster shells. The calcium in the oyster shells absorbs and neutralizes the excess magnesium in sea water. This was the ancient method of refining sea salt in Japan.

The safest way to get the full spectrum of trace minerals (including iodine) is to eat a variety of sea vegetables in the daily diet.

 

[Suzu]

WOW I used to take kelp, my aunt told my mother about it and I took it but I never knew why. Maybe this was why I have not taken it in years but after reading this I think I will. Do the pills you get at GNC work the same?

I don't know about GNC's pills but any powdered kelp tablets will work. Powdered kelp should be the main ingredient. It's easier, cheaper and more easily absorbed if you add powdered kelp to your food in cooking, though. It's widely available in bulk. Frontier Co-op is a good place to find it.

 

[donnay]

Thanks for the links Donnay. I'll read them tonight.

Romulus: Thanks Donnay

You're welcome

 

[donnay]

WOW I used to take kelp, my aunt told my mother about it and I took it but I never knew why. Maybe this was why I have not taken it in years but after reading this I think I will. Do the pills you get at GNC work the same?

This stuff is great. two drops a day in purified water.

http://www.jcrowsmarketplace.com/

http://www.lugols.com/