The Iodine Thread

[Wifezilla]

Some interesting stuff has been posted on other threads about iodine. I am very interested in learning more about it.

I have always been scared about over dosing, but I am beginning to suspect the risk is overblown.

Post your Iodine info here so we can all learn a thing or three

 

[Mackay]

Great. I do think it is one of the most important supplements that anyone can take. I would start with these videos. Go to this page and click on the Brownstein videos. You can download realplayer for free if you need it.

http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/videos/


The risk is greatly overblown, in fact I would say it might be deliberate lies promoted by the pharmaceutical industry to keep you away from it. Now, just how much money would they loose if everyone took iodine, just from the sale of synthroid alone, never mind the billions in the cancer industry!

 

[Mackay]

Dr Howenstein is a hero to me. He works diligently bringing the truth to the people. I know you are interested in health Wifzilla. You might find this link of interest. http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/jamesA.htm


Iodine is vital for good health
By Dr. James Howenstine, MD.
November 5, 2005


Lack of iodine is widespread in the United States today. For many years iodine was added to bread in generous quantities which prevented iodine deficiency. Each slice of bread contained 150 mcg. of iodine filling the whole days RDA of iodine In 1960 the average diet consumed about 1 mg. of iodine daily with bakery products accounting for about 75 % of the total. This quantity of iodine was enough to decrease the thyroid glands ability to absorb radioactive iodine and it was also sufficient to prevent excess release of thyroid hormone thus preventing many cases of hyperthyroidism (Graves Disease).

Forty years ago the food industry decided to remove iodine from baked goods and replace the iodine with bromine. Iodine and bromine appear similar to the thyroid gland and bromine easily binds to the thyroid glands receptors for iodine. Bromine, however, is of no value to the thyroid gland unlike iodine and it inhibits the activity of iodine in the thyroid gland. Bromine also can cause impaired thinking and memory, drowsiness, dizziness and irritability. This substitution of bromine for iodine has resulted in nearly universal deficiency of iodine in the American populace. Iodine therapy helps the body eliminate fluoride, bromine, lead, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum and mercury. Could this substitution of bromine for iodine have been carried out to increase diseases and thus create more need for pharmaceutical drugs?
Among the problems caused by iodine deficiency are:
Underactivity of the thyroid gland produces fatigue. In rodents iodine deficiency leads to abnormal pituitary-adrenal function. The adrenal gland provides energy and stamina.

When iodine no longer binds to thyroid cell membranes enzymes called peroxidases are able to damage these membranes and produce autoimmune diseases such as Hashimotos thyroiditis and Hyperthroidism (Graves Disease). Researcher Dr. Guy Abraham has observed several cases of thyroiditis and hyperthyroidism that have been corrected by the simple replacement of iodine. For more than 100 years high doses of iodine have been known to benefit both underactivity (hypothyroidism) of the thyroid gland and overactivity of the thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism). Iodine therapy allows the sluggish thyroid gland to resume normal production of thyroid hormone leading to resolution of hypothyroidism. Provision of iodine stops the peroxidase injury to the thyroid membranes in hyperthyroidism which permits hyperthyroidism to resolve. Thus thyroid surgery for hyperthyroidism is no longer necessary.

Several human organs need iodine but can not absorb it until blood iodine levels reach high values (stomach, salivary glands). Most persons exhibit impaired production of stomach acid as they age. This impaired capability to produce adequate stomach acid may be a result of iodine deficiency as iodine promotes stomach acidity.
Resolution of cysts Iodine therapy resolves nearly every case of breast cysts. This treatment also can heal ovarian cysts and works well on skin cysts when rubbed over the cyst.

Iodine is found in large quantities in the brain and the ciliary body of the eye. Lack of iodine may be involved in production of Parkinsons disease and glaucoma.

Lipoprotein (a) This dangerous substance is quite important as it produces plaques in arteries because it is very sticky and collects platelets, calcium and fibrin from the blood circulating inside our arteries. Excessive clotting and vascular disease resulting from high levels of lipoprotein (a) can be reversed by iodine treatment.
Other Health Problems Iodine has proven value in treating headaches, keloids, and parotid duct stones.

How Can Iodine Deficiency Be Detected?

An accurate test for diagnosing iodine deficiency exists. Dr. Jay Abrahams has developed a loading test to settle this issue. The patient takes 4 iodine tablets (12.5 mg each). If there is sufficient iodine in the individual the excess iodine is excreted in the urine in the next 24 hours. If iodine is lacking the body retains most of the iodine with little iodine appearing in the urine. Use of this test has shown that nearly every patient with any condition known to be associated with iodine deficiency tested positive for iodine lack. Therefore, it often is sensible to assume iodine lack and proceed to treat with iodine.

However, when a patient takes iodine for several months and has shown no improvement this test can be used to exclude a problem with absorption of iodine. Iodine lack is known to be a factor in the development of breast and prostate cancer. Sixty patients with a variety of cancers were studied. All sixty patients were found to have serious iodine deficiency.

To correct iodine deficiency by taking iodized salt is not feasible. You would need 20 teaspoons of iodized salt daily to get adequate quantities of iodine. Dr. Abrahams has developed an iodine preparation named Iodoral to treat iodine deficiency. This is composed of dried Lugols solution containing 12.5 mg of iodine per tablet. A person with adequate iodine stores who takes 4 of these tablets (50 mg.) will excrete 90 % of the iodine in their urine.

Dr. Abrahams thinks that the correct quantity of iodine needed to maintain sufficient amounts of iodine in the body is 13 mg. daily. This is 100 times more than the government recognized RDA for iodine. This quantity of daily iodine would be distributed as follows six mg. to thyroid gland, five mg. for the breasts in females and two mg. for the remainder of the body. Males appear to usually, but not always, need slightly less than females.

Prominent thyroid researcher, Dr. Benjamin Eskin, has shown that the thyroid gland and skin prefer to concentrate the iodide form of iodine while the breasts concentrate iodine. His research suggested that the body needs both the iodide and iodine form of iodine. This is easy to accomplish with Lugols solution developed by French physician Dr. Jean Lugol in the 1820s. His solution mixed iodine (5 %) with potassium iodide (10 %) and 85 % water. Dr. Lugols solution killed germs and was used with success in treating infections and many other conditions. This solution in the recommended 2 drop dosage contains 5 mg. of iodine and 7.5 mg. of iodine which is exactly the quantity of iodine recommended for daily intake by Dr. Abraham. Lugols solution tastes metallic unless greatly diluted and stains clothing and skin.

A third solution that works well in correcting iodine deficiency is Triodide made by Scientific Botanicals of Seattle, Washington. This has the same dosage of iodine and iodide combined with a sea vegetable called bladderwrack. This can be obtained from natural food stores, Tahoma Clinic Dispensary and compounding pharmacies. This contains 12.5 mg of iodine in the same 2 drop dosage.

Dr. Abrahams recommends taking 50 mg of Iodoral (four 12.5 mg. tablets), Lugols solution (8 drops)or Triodide (8 drops) daily for 3 months as a loading dose. Then this dose should be gradually reduced to the 12.5 mg. maintenance dosage under the supervision of a knowledgeable health care professional. Dr.Abraham feels that 14 to 15 mg. of iodine/iodide daily is the upper maximum of safety. This is close to the recommended dose of 12.5 mg daily so caution is necessary in managing iodine repletion. Japanese researchers have discovered patients with hypothyroidism who were taking 20 mg. of iodine or more daily.

Another valuable iodine preparation is saturated solution of potassium iodide. This does not have the correct ratio of iodine iodide recommended by Dr.Abrahams for correcting iodine deficiency but it does have a multitude of valuable healing properties. It can help open up blocked arteries, disinfect water, cure bladder infections, reduce or eliminate ovarian cysts, diminish unsightly keloids, loosen thick bronchial secretions, reduce or eliminate Peyronies Disease and Dupuytrons contracture.

Endocrine Cancers And Iodine Stores

Iodine deficiency is a recognized risk factor in the development of cancer of the breast, prostate, and probably the ovary and endometrium. Breast cancer is twice as common (12.1 %) in women taking natural thyroid hormone or synthetic thyroid hormone as in women not taking thyroid hormones (6.2 %). The risk for breast cancer in women taking thyroid hormones increases with time. Women who had taken thyroid hormone for 15 years had a 19.5 % incidence of breast cancer while women who had been on thyroid hormone therapy for five years had only a 10 % incidence of breast cancer. This increase in breast cancer with time suggests that correction of a iodine deficiency might well eliminate the need for thyroid hormone and would also lower the incidence of breast cancer.

Japanese women, who are eating lots of seaweed, have the highest iodine intake (13.8 mg. daily) of women anywhere in the world. They also have the lowest incidence of breast cancer in the world. Japan has one of the lowest worldwide rates of every type of cancer with the exception of stomach cancer. In addition Japan has one of the lowest incidences of iodine deficiency, goiter (enlarged thyroid gland), and hypothyroidism. Iceland, another high iodine intake country, has low rates of goiter and breast cancer. Two countries with low iodine intakes (Thailand, Mexico) have high rates of breast cancer and goiter.

Patient Studies.With Iodine Therapy

A patient of Dr. Rowen named Betty had severely painful breast cysts. She took 5 mg. of iodine daily with complete disappearance of painful breast cysts.

Veronica, another patient of Dr. Rowen, had advanced breast cancer with severe hip pain from a bone metastasis. Iodine loading test showed severe deficiency of iodine. After three months of Iodoral she still has not restored her iodine levels but her excretion of bromine has increased 10 fold. Her cancer therapy with IPT and artemisin has been stable with only an occasional IPT and she continues with 25 mg. of Iodoral three times daily. Dr. Abrahams relates that he has seen two remissions of breast cancer in persons taking 75 mg of Iodorol daily. Iodine deficiency plays a role in allowing breast cancer and prostate cancer to develop.

Another physician has seen a case of prostate cancer go into remission after taking Iodoral and supplements.
George Flechas MD relates that many of his diabetic patients need lowering of insulin dosage and diabetic drugs after repletion of iodine deficiency. Dr. Rowen has observed the same thing.

Food Sources Of Iodine
Iodine from fish must be limited because of mercury problems. However, sardines have such a short life span they do not get contaminated with mercury. My suggestion would be to buy tins of sardines packed in tomato sauce so you can avoid the transfats used in oil packed sardines.

Brown and red seaweeds contain the most iodine (kombu, focus, etc.).of sea vegetables. You may still need supplemental iodine to get an adequate quantity for repletion of iodine deficiency. unless you are eating lots of seaweeds.

Iodoral can be purchased from Optimox 310-618-9870 if you are willing to buy a case. Otherwise you can probably find this in health food stores. Lugols solution is a satisfactory way to obtain iodine but you will need a prescription. The dose is 2 drops daily. Be careful in measuring as 3 drops daily can lead to toxic symptoms.

The evidence presented here proves that iodine is vital to human health. Many persons will experience improved health when their iodine deficiency is corrected.

Index Words in order
Iodine, hyperthyroidism, bromine, thyroid gland, Hashimotos thyroiditis, hypothyroidism, breast cysts, ovarian cysts, skin cyst, Parkinsons Disease, glaucoma, lipoprotein (a), keloids, bladder infections, arteries, bronchial secretions, Peyronies Disease, Duputrons contracture, cancer breast, cancer ovary, cancer endometrium, cancer prostate, goiter, diabetes

2005 Dr. James Howenstine - All Rights Reserved
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Dr. James A. Howenstine is a board certified specialist in internal medicine who spent 34 years caring for office and hospital patients. After 4 years of personal study he became convinced that natural products are safer, more effective, and less expensive than pharmaceutical drugs. This research led to the publication of his book A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work. Information about these products and his book can be obtained from amazon.com and at www.naturalhealthteam.com and phone 1-800-416-2806 U.S. Dr. Howenstine can be reached by mail at Dr. James Howenstine, C/O Remarsa USA SB 37, P.O. Box 25292, Miami, Fl. 33102-5292.
E-Mail: jimhow@racsa.co.cr

 

[sundance]

are talking about iodine for the body or for medicinal purposes. I know that when DH got burned over 38 %of his body they bathed him down in beniodine to keep the infection down. since then I have never been with out a bottle of it.any scratch of any kind gets swabbed with beniodine(spellings wrong, but any drug store carries it. Marrie

 

[Mackay]

Sundance, the current modern medical profession does not use a good quality iodine product. You are talking about Betadine or provodine solution which is what they use pre-op and for various disinfectant purposes. It is effective for some things but it is not the same as the iodine I am talking about. It should not be taken orally. Some absorption through the skin has been shown to be safe for short periods of time.

I will refer you to this site for a description of Lugol's iodine. Iorodol is the pill form of Lugols. It is actually potassium iodide solution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lugol's_iodine

and I also like this site, which sells it but they also have info on how it has been used over the years and also in the care of animals, which I think would be of interest on the forum.


for this following link open it and scroll down to where the page turns yellow in the backround and read on use with animals etc. "The Usefulness of Iodine"
http://www.jcrows.com/iodine.html

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

Oh, and I just found this on Crow's site. Looks informative:
http://www.jcrows.com/MaryJoFahey_IodineRemediesSecretsFromTheSea.pdf

Lugols is very strong iodine and it can be applied topically for some conditions but it does need to be diluted to apply to open wounds as it can burn.

 

[Wifezilla]

The risk is greatly overblown, in fact I would say it might be deliberate lies promoted by the pharmaceutical industry to keep you away from it. Now, just how much money would they loose if everyone took iodine, just from the sale of synthroid alone, never mind the billions in the cancer industry!

Same issue with vitamin D. People are all scared about an overdose. Many freak when they find I take anywhere from 4000IU/day to 10,000IU/day depending on whether I get any sun. The USRDA is only 400IU. It is just enough to keep you from getting rickets, but FAR SHORT of what you need for optimum health.

It takes an INFANT over a month at 40,000IU/day to begin to show overdose symptoms, yet the general public thinks 4,000IU (the typical amount needed for an adult female per day) will turn them in to a newt.

 

[Mackay]

Dosage For Iodine

So when were forced to travel by air,
Holly and I drink a few ounces of water with 10 drops of SSKI. (potassium Iodide or commonly called Lugols iodine) The
SSKI rapidly accumulates in any in the sinuses, where it inhibits or
kills bacteria, viruses, and fungi before they can cause an infection.
There have also been times when
weve gotten to our destination usually a conference somewhere
and one of the women in embarrassing and uncomfortable
symptoms of a bladder infection. Certainly not the sort of infection
you want to catch when youre far away from home (and your
doctor). Luckily, I always carry a small backup bottle of SSKI,
which I give to her with instruc- tions to take 10 to 15 drops in
water or juice every three to four hours (while awake) until the
infection is gone. SSKI is close to 100 percent
effective in eliminating bladder infections, but the amount needed
is a relatively high dose, so its Its potential goes
far beyond being a simple disinfectant.
There are literally dozens of usesand
most of them are ones youd never expect. Per Dr Johathan Wright MD

Vaginal yeast infection 20 to 30 Lugols Iodine drops in a douche for
5 to 10 days will usually clear It up per Dr Jonathan Wright MD

Lugols loading dose = 8 drops daily for 3 months
12.5mg is maintence dose (2 drops)
15 mg is upper maximum daily dosage for safety

(The above seems to be controversial. My physician has me take three drops daily or 4 drops daily if I miss dosages through the week, then more if getting sick. What has been shown through studies is that excess iodine is readily eliminated through the urine and no side effects have been seen.)

Severe hypothyrroid can require up to 20mg per day. If you are treating a hypothyroid condition be sure to have your thyroid hormone levels treated after about 3 to 4 weeks on iodine therapy. Your need for medication is likely to decrease over time. Some people will have to decrease their medication dosage several times over a period of months. Some people will end up needing no medication at all when sufficient iodine saturation has taken place.

My medical doctor recommends Lugols. It can help open up blocked arteries, disinfect water, cure bladder infections, reduce or eliminate ovarian cysts, diminish unsightly keloids, loosen thick bronchial secretions, reduce or eliminate Peyronies Disease and Dupuytrons contracture.

Lugols:
2 drops= 12.5mg

4 drops=25 mg
8 drops=50 mg

16 drops=100 mg
20 drops=125 mg

always hold your dropper in a vertical position. If you make drops holding the dropper on a slant the drops will be bigger.


..
The Iodine Test

If you are one of those who would like more proof that your body needs or does not need iodine, let me share a simple test. But a bottle of Tincture of Iodine at the drug store (Betadine idodine will do) and paint a 2 square spot on your inner arm. If it disappears in less than eight hours, you desperately need iodine. If it disappears in 24 hours, you also need iodine. If it simply stays on your arm and begins to slowly fade in color after a full 24 hours, you have already reached iodine sufficiency.

You can retest yourself every one to two weeks while on therapy. And
you can use the test to help you judge your individual dosage need for iodine. Remember that contrary to current medical opinion, the real thyroid experts have proven that most patients who need iodine therapy require from 3 to 37 mgs/day. And that means from 1 to 12 Prolamine Iodine tablets daily. (http://www.naturamart.com/standard-process-prolamine-iodine-90-tablets.html ) Always start out slowly. Judge your results, monitor your symptoms and any side effects, and use the thyroid patch test to help you along the way.

Here is a link for the patch test. This form recommends the prolamine tablets which I have never used but the test form looks accurate. Standard process is known for making very good products if you should choose to use prolamine. I think Lugols solution is more cost effective. Prolamine also does not contain the potassium iodide which many doctors feel is essential for much of the good results with Lugols, but some people choose to use them, and I am not sure why they choose this product.
http://www.wellnesswithin.com/articles/Iodine Patch Test.pdf

http://www.standardprocess.com/disp.../Public/Lit/TabSheets/prolamineiodine6930.pdf
.


Dr. Abrahams thinks that the correct quantity of iodine needed to maintain sufficient amounts of iodine in the body is 13 mg. daily. This is 100 times more than the government recognized RDA for iodine.

Dr. Abrahams recommends taking 50 mg of Iodoral (four 12.5 mg. tablets), Lugols solution (8 drops) or Triodide (8 drops) daily for 3 months as a loading dose. (Iodoral is dried and concentrated Lugols in table form. ) Then this dose should be gradually reduced to the 12.5 mg. maintenance dosage under the supervision of a knowledgeable health care professional. Dr.Abraham feels that 14 to 15 mg. of iodine/iodide daily is the upper maximum of safety. This is close to the recommended dose of 12.5 mg daily so caution is necessary in managing iodine repletion. Japanese researchers have discovered patients with hypothyroidism who were taking 20 mg. of iodine or more daily.


Prominent thyroid researcher, Dr. Benjamin Eskin, has shown that the thyroid gland and skin prefer to concentrate the iodide form of iodine while the breasts concentrate iodine. His research suggested that the body needs both the iodide and iodine form of iodine. This is easy to accomplish with Lugols solution developed by French physician Dr. Jean Lugol in the 1820s. His solution mixed iodine (5 %) with potassium iodide (10 %) and 85 % water. Dr. Lugols solution killed germs and was used with success in treating infections and many other conditions. This solution in the recommended 2 drop dosage contains 5 mg. of iodine and 7.5 mg. of iodine which is exactly the quantity of iodine recommended for daily intake by Dr. Abraham. Lugols solution tastes metallic unless greatly diluted and stains clothing and skin.

Japanese women, who are eating lots of seaweed, have the highest iodine intake (13.8 mg. daily) of women anywhere in the world. They also have the lowest incidence of breast cancer in the world. Japan has one of the lowest worldwide rates of every type of cancer with the exception of stomach cancer. In addition Japan has one of the lowest incidences of iodine deficiency, goiter (enlarged thyroid gland), and hypothyroidism. Iceland, another high iodine intake country, has low rates of goiter and breast cancer. Two countries with low iodine intakes (Thailand, Mexico) have high rates of breast cancer and goiter.

This Clarkson Labs product is a 2% solution. Most iodine dosage recommendations are based on a 5% solution so you will have to do the math.
www.jcrowsmarketplace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=30
Lugols Iodine solution currently comes in 2 strenghts, a 5% solution and a 2% solution. For theraputic purposes I recommend the 5% solution.
Calculating Number of milligrams of Iodine per Drop of Lugols Solution: LUGOLS 5%:
Each VERTICAL drop is about 6.25 mg of iodine. (The correct way to make a drop is to hold the dropper vertical and squeeze the rubber topper) HORIZONTAL drops - when the dropper is held side to side there is twice as much iodine per drop. Approximately 12.5 mg
LUGOLS 2%: Approximately 1/2 half the above measurements
..
Some people really object to the taste of Lugols iodine, in which case different tablet preparations are available like iodol I dont see why. If you put it straight in water ya, its bad, but not that bad if in a pinch. I put it in my grape juice or my red wine in the evening. I have found that I can put 2 drops in a cup of tea and not notice it. When I cook soup and stews I put a whole bunch in. Its the only way I can get it into the kids as they will not dicipline themselves. This way, at least they get some.


A good article: http://www.drpincott.com/publications/newsletters/PDF/nov_dec06.pdf

 

[sundance]

thanks Mckay for the infor but since taking betadine internally really sounds stupid, think I will stay with the way I use it now Marrie

 

[Mackay]

Betadine internally would be really stupid, Lugol's iodine internally would be most advantageous.

 

[Blackbird]

I've never heard of ingesting it..

We always dip umbilical cords of our newborns in it to warn off infections, and sometimes for wounds.