Iodine
Health Benefits

Benefits of Iodine for Health

| Modified on Sep 05, 2023
Iodine Health Benefits

Iodine is an element required by the body. Thyroid disorders, breast tumors, and skin problems are just a few of the maladies that can result from iodine deficiency. Every system of the body needs iodine and benefits from this mineral. Unfortunately, most diets are lacking in iodine, therefore an iodine supplement is a natural remedy for many health conditions.

Iodine Health Benefits

  • Thyroid
  • Heart
  • Digestion
  • Metabolism
  • Energy
  • Temperature Balance
  • Sleep
  • Breasts
  • Skin
  • Bones
  • Hair
  • Reproductive System
  • Brain
  • Glands
  • Cognitive Function
  • Immune System
  • Cancer Prevention

Iodine and Women’s Health

Iodine deficiency can wreak havoc on a woman’s health. Insufficient iodine levels often leads to poor thyroid function, which can cause many health problems including low energy, hair loss, weight gain, ovarian cysts, fibrocystic breast disease, breast pain, fibroids, and infertility.

Studies have found improvement in the above and other symptoms with iodine supplementation.1,2

Men Need Iodine

While women’s needs for iodine may be more often noticed or diagnosed, men need iodine for proper body function.

Men specifically need iodine for proper prostrate function. In Japan, where iodine consumption is high, prostrate cancer is quite low.3

Children's Iodine Needs

Certainly children need iodine, too. Children born to mothers with low iodine levels have an increased risk for mental retardation. Iodine deficiency may also be a cause of attention deficit disorder.4 Iodine supplementation appears to be useful to improve cognition in children.5

Iodine and the Elderly

Obviously age would not diminish the need for an essential nutrient, therefore the elderly have iodine needs as well. Nearly 200 years ago tincture of iodine was used topically for diseased joints, which is a common malady of the aging.6

Cancer and Iodine

Iodine has been found to be cytotoxic to some types of cancer cells include colon and breast cancer cells. In other words, it appears to kill cancer cells. Povodine iodine, Lugol’s iodine and a combination of iodine and iodide were each found to have some degree of effectiveness.

Not only a potential cancer treatment, iodine may be a cancer preventative as well. Low dietary iodine has been associated with increased risks of ovarian, breast and endometrial cancers.7

The Effect of Iodine on Infections

In addition to being a basic need for daily body function, iodine is an effective topical antibiotic, even for serious infections like MRSA. 8

Iodine also fights fungal skin infections like tinea.9

Certainly iodine has a long history in hospitals in it use to prevent surgical infections.

More recently, combinations of antibiotics and iodine have shown encouraging results against Lyme Disease bacteria.10

What Causes Iodine Deficiency?

Unfortunately, worldwide, it is estimated that over 2 billion people suffer with iodine deficiency.11

The body’s only source of iodine, apart from supplementation is from food. However, there are not a multitude of foods that contain iodine.

Sea vegetables are high in iodine, but not many people have local access to sea vegetables or choose to eat them even if they are imported.

Modern diets are high in processed foods. Processed foods tend to contain very little, if any iodine. While table salt is iodized, the salt added to processed foods is not.

It used to be that iodine was added to bread as a preservative. When it was discovered that bromide could bring the same results to bread as iodine, manufacturers switched to bromide. Unfortunately, not only did this remove an iodine source from modern diets, bromide competes with iodine in the body, and wins, further decreasing available iodine to the body.

Table salt is supplemented with iodine. However, many chose less processed forms of salt, like sea salt and do not receive this supplementation. Additionally, the amount of iodine in table salt is minimal. It meets the RDA, but in many cases, that amount of iodine is only enough to prevent goiter but not other health problems.

Many water supplies contain chlorine and fluoride. Both of these elements displace iodine in the body. Fluoride is even in many brands of bottled water. Unfortunately, even filtered water often contains fluoride. Carbon filters do not remove fluoride.

The bottom line is that intake of iodine is commonly inadequate and multiple factors can compromise even the small amounts of dietary iodine most people consume.

Food Sources of Iodine

  • Kelp
  • Wakame
  • Nori
  • Dairy products
  • Cranberries
  • Strawberries
  • Some grains
  • Navy beans
  • Tuna
  • Codfish
  • Potatoes

Herbal Sources of Iodine

Black walnut is one great source of iodine. The hulls of black walnut are rich in iodine. Even removing the green hulls will stain the hands, just as an aqueous iodine solution would. Black walnut is used by herbalists for oral health. Indeed, iodine has been found to fight cavity causing bacteria in the mouth.12

 Iodine Supplementation

There are a variety of ways to supplement iodine to the body.

Lugol’s Iodine

Lugol’s iodine is an excellent overall iodine supplement. It contains both iodine and iodide. This combination allows all body systems to benefit from iodine. This liquid form can be used internally, orally and directly on the skin. For more complete information about using Lugol’s Iodine, see this page.

Potassium Iodide

Some supplements say that they contain iodine as potassium iodide. Potassium iodide alone will benefit the thyroid, salivary glands the skin. It will assist in heavy metal detox. However, if a potassium iodide supplement does not contain elemental iodine, the breasts, prostrate, digestive system and brain may not benefit from the supplement.

Iodoral

Iodoral is the name of a company that produces a tablet form of Lugol’s iodine. It is sold in 12.5 mg and 50 mg tablets. It is commonly used to relieve thyroid conditions, fibrocystic breast disease and ovarian cysts.

Iodoral is more expensive than Lugol’s iodine but preferred by many because it is easier to take. This is especially helpful for those who do not like the taste of iodine, which is admittedly not the most pleasant taste.

Kelp Supplements

Kelp supplements will contain micrograms of iodine, as opposed to milligrams of iodine. Micrograms are much smaller units. If only a small amount of iodine is needed, a kelp supplement can be of benefit.

Black Walnut Supplements

Black walnut tincture supplies iodine to the body. It can be used internally or topically. It may be difficult to ascertain how much iodine is in a black walnut supplement however. Black walnut powder is also useful. It can be added to tooth powders for dental health, or made into a tea for another way to get iodine and the other healing elements of black walnut into the body.

Iodine and Companion Nutrients

Vitamins and minerals work together in the body. Iodine has several “companion nutrients” that must be present in the body to ensure that the full benefit of iodine is experienced. Additionally, without the companion nutrients, a reaction to iodine or lack of success with iodine supplementation is likely.

Companion Nutrients

  • Selenium
  • Zinc
  • Vitamin C
  • Magnesium
  • B Vitamins

What About Iodine Skin Painting?

The body does absorb iodine through the skin. In fact, it is one way to get extra iodine into the body. However, it can be difficult to know exactly how much iodine is absorbed into the skin and how much evaporates.

Painting specific areas of the skin to get iodine to where it is critically needed may be a prudent use of skin painting. “Painting” a breast cyst, swollen lymph node, skin tag, mole or wart can help ensure that the iodine gets to where it is needed the most.

Furthermore, skin painting may be preferred by individuals who do not absorb nutrients well through the gut or who do not tolerate oral iodine dosing well.

One problem with skin painting is that it does discolor the skin a yellow/orange color. While the stain will vanish within hours or in some cases, days, vitamin C can be used to remove the stain. Dissolve ¼ teaspoon ascorbic acid in 2 teaspoons of water and use that solution to remove the stain.

Side Effects of Iodine

In addition to the staining of skin, which is not dangerous, iodine can have side effects in some individuals.

Iodine may cause digestive distress, including stomach ache, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Too much iodine can cause hyperthyroidism. It can cause a jittery feeling, racing heart, sweating, and insomnia.

Iodine could cause flu like symptoms, especially if it is removing poisons from the body.

History of Iodine

French chemist Bernard Courtois discovered iodine in 1811. Soon after this, it was learned that iodine was of benefit to those with goiter.

Iodine has been used medically for swollen glands, joint disease, sexually transmitted diseases, gout, excess mucous, asthma, ulcers, edema, boils and burns.

Before it could be understood exactly what iodine did, it was prescribed liberally for a multitude of conditions. Dr. Albert Szent Gyorgyi, a medical student 100 years ago wrote, “Nobody knew what it did, but it did something and did something good.  “If ye don’t know where, what, and why, prescribe ye then K and I (potassium iodine).”13

Have you used an iodine supplement? Please share your experience with us!

Additional Pages of Interest:
Lugol's Iodine

Iodine Side Effects

Sources:

1.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8221402

2.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29340704

3.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3883964/

4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4805050/

5.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19726593

6.  http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM182903100020402

7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/58152

8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC271835/

9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21997943

10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4997053/

11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19460960

12.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20578661

13. http://www.optimox.com/iodine-study-14




Iodine Deficiency

Posted by Bjornbjorn (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) on 07/23/2012

I need some more info on Iodine and deficiency, dosages and ailments it may fix. I believe I am Iodine deficient as I am not eating anything with it. I eat healthy but none of the foods I eat contain iodine. I eat fruits, eggs, sweet potatoes, vegtables and sometimes chicken and red meat. I know foods that contain high amounts of iodine mainly come from the sea. Which Iodine is most preferred? I heard Lugol's 5% is a good one to get, but what is the best application? Is it Painting or 1 or more drops in water? I see people talking about painting it on the skin and the average recommended dose is 2-5 inches, is this just a line, circle or square that is supposed to be painted with that length? Also I am trying to fix fatigue, dry scalp, dry skin, dry hair, allergies, and dry eyes and burning eyes. Are these symptoms of Iodine deficiency? Any help would be much appreciated.

Replied by Mms
(Somewhere, Europe)
07/24/2012

Bjornbjorn, first try adding water to your menu. More than you usually drink, up to 2 liters daily.

Replied by Bjornbjorn
(Maple Ridge, B.c.)
07/24/2012

I drink a very large amount of water daily ( approx 4 litres or a 1 gallon ) It is through a brita filter to help with contaminants. Do you think I could be Iodine Deficient with my symptoms.

Replied by Felicia
(Snohomish, Washington, Usa)
07/26/2012

Bjornbjorn, I would suggest that some of your fatigue and other symptoms might be a result of diet. Are you getting plenty of good fats like coconut oil, butter and grass-fed meats? If fruit is your main food and meat the least, consider changing that ratio around. If you eat lots of grains consider replacing most of them with greens. Take a look at the Weston A. Price website and Mark's Daily Apple website. Good luck!

Replied by Slim2483
(Ca)
06/26/2014

http://www.health-science-spirit.com/iodine.html Good info, I use use it & it has done wonders for me.

Replied by Ravee
(Dubai)
12/04/2015

Hi Bjornbjorn, I think Felicia has responded adequately. If I may add, Are you getting enough sunshine (especially during the times when your shadow is shorter than you). If it is difficult to get sunshine in your geography, you may think of supplementing by way of Vitamin D3 (50000IU = 2 micro grams) tablet once a week. A glass of any combination of Vegetable juice or salad daily.

In addition to ample water you are already drinking, add a spoon (about 10~15gms) of unrefined sea salt or Celtic Salt or Himalayan salt to a bottle of water about a liter and keep sipping it. This will supply Magnesium, Calcium, (small amounts of Iodine) and other about 60+ trace minerals which are helpful in balancing and curing the ailments you mentioned.

Regarding Lugol's, a starting dose of 1 to 2 drops in a cup of water would do wonders. If you want to apply on skin (though the absorption varies) try applying on various parts of body... say one day arms, second day on thighs, third day on stomach areas etc.....

Hope this clarifies some of your questions.

Regards, Ravee


Iodine Deficiency by Robert Sarver

Posted by Susan (USA)

Copyrighted 2005 by Robert Sarver
Published with the permission of the author.

Iodine Deficiency
By Robert Sarver

Dr. David Brownstein has a US medical practice dealing primarily with thyroid patients. He has been quite successful treating hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism with the iodine/iodide supplement Iodoral that is available over the Internet without prescription. Dr. Brownstein believes that the usual thyroid medication prescribed by doctors is the wrong treatment because it does not deal with the underlying iodine deficiency problem. All cells in the body need iodine for proper functioning. All glands (thyroid, adrenal, etc.) especially need iodine for the production of hormones. Dr. Brownstein believes that iodine deficiency is a major cause of breast cancer and other diseases of the reproductive organs such as ovarian, uterus and prostrate cysts and cancers. Iodine levels in US soil have fallen 50 per cent over the past 50 years and soil in the US is deficient in iodine. The Great Lakes region has some of lowest soil iodine levels in the world and this results in high levels of cancers related to iodine deficiency. Dr. Brownstein has been quite successful in treating fibrocystic breast disease (cysts in the breast) with iodine/iodine supplementation. In one case a 37 year-old woman with severe fibrocystic breast disease was completely cured after supplementing with 50 mgs of iodine a day for two months. Women with large breasts need more iodine than women with smaller breasts. Other medical authorities agree that iodine deficiency can lead to fibrocystic breast disease and/or ovarian cysts. [1] [2] [3] Iodine can similarly reduce uterine fibroids and one of the first conventional medical treatments for severe fibroids was to paint the uterus with iodine. [4] Some other medical conditions associated with iodine deficiency are goiters, Graves' Disease, Hashimoto's Disease, fatigue and impaired immune system function. Iodine deficiency during pregnancy can lead to miscarriages and reduced IQ in surviving offspring. [5] The World Health Organization says that iodine deficiency is the largest single cause of mental retardation. Iodine also detoxifies the body by removing mercury, fluorides, chlorides, and bromides.

If iodine/iodide are so crucial in the body, why hasn't there been more research studies published? Dr. Brownstein believes that because iodine cannot be patented there is no incentive for the drug companies to perform the research. Iodized salt and the iodine supplements usually found in health food stores contain the iodide form of iodine. Dr. Brownstein has had little success treating patients with only iodide. The supplement Iodoral contains both the iodide (reduced) and iodine (oxidized) forms of iodine because the body needs both forms. The US RDA for iodine is 150 mcg. Iodoral contains 100 times (12.5 mgs) the RDA's requirement of iodine/iodide. It seems the conventional medical establishment again has grossly underestimated the amount of a nutrient needed for good health. According to Dr. G. E. Abraham, "Of all the elements known so far to be essential for health, iodine is the most misunderstood and the most feared. Yet, it is by far the safest of all the trace elements known to be essential for human health. It is the only trace element that can be ingested safely in amounts up to 100,000 times the RDA. For example, potassium iodide has been prescribed safely to pulmonary patients in daily amounts of up to 6.0 gm/day, in large groups of such patients for several years. It is important however to emphasize that this safety record only applies to inorganic nonradioactive iodine/iodide, not to organic iodine-containing drugs and to radioiodides." [6]

Seafood and sea plants such as kelp (seaweed) are good dietary sources of iodine but few people in the US consume enough of these foods. On a personal note, I found sellers of Iodoral on the Internet and purchased 180 tablets for $40. The usual dosage as a supplement is one tablet a day but up to four tablets a day can be taken for medical conditions under a knowledgeable MD's supervision. For those interested in knowing more about iodine's function in preventing and treating diseases, four of Dr. Brownstein's video clips located at http://vitamincfoundation.org/videos. Dr. Brownstein's home page and links to his books are located at drbrownstein.com/iodine.shtml.

His books include Iodine: Why you need it Why you can't live without it, Overcoming Thyroid Disorders and Salt: Your Way To Health which encourages consumption of sea salt in order to obtain many trace minerals.

Informative research papers about iodine are at http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Research_I.shtml.

Iodine deficiency may be a major contributor to the widespread arthritis problems in the US. A folk remedy for arthritis is consumption of two drops of Lugol's solution each day. Two drops of Lugol's solution contain the same amount of iodine as one Iodoral tablet. Lugol's solution is a water solution of 10 per cent potassium iodide and 5 per cent elemental iodine. Iodine deficiency may be a major contributor to the widespread emotional disorders in the US. A folk remedy for the treatment of some emotional disorders is consumption of two drops of Lugol's solution each day. Hormones control body weight. Malfunctioning glandular systems due to iodine deficiency may be a major cause of the overweight problem in the US.

References:
[1] J. D. Fleches, MD, http://www.helpmythyroid.com/iodine.htm
[2] Abraham, G. E., Flechas, J. D., Hakala, J. C., "Orthoiodosupplementation: Iodine sufficiency of the whole human body", http://www.helpmythyroid.com/IOD-02.html
[3] James Howenstine, MD, "Iodine is vital for good health", http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james37.htm
[4] Herb and Supplement Encyclopedia, http://www.florahealth.com/flora/home/canada/healthinformation/encyclopedias/Iodine.asp
[5] Iodine Deficiency Disorder, http://indorgs.virginia.edu/iccidd/aboutidd.htm
[6] G. E. Abraham, MD, "The safe and effective implementation of orthoiodosupplementation in medical practice", http://www.helpmythyroid.com/IOD50.htm


More About Iodine Deficiency Caused by Table Salt

Posted by Susan (USA)

J.C. Jarvis, M.D. author of Folk Medicine was particularly fond of iodine replacement due to the chorine content of our drinking water. He writes: "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, flourine can displace chlorine, bromine and iodine because flourine 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 a 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. We secure a drinking water that is harmful to the body not because of its harmful germ content but because the chlorine content now causes the body to lose the much-needed iodine..." -- (Folk Medicine, Henry Holt & Co., 1958, HB, p. 136)

To counter the effects of iodine loss, Dr. Jarvis recommended various methods including: eating foods rich in iodine: food from the ocean, radishes, asparagus, carrots, tomatoes, spinach, rhubarb, potatoes, peas, strawberries, mushrooms, lettuce, bananas, cabbage, egg yolk, and onions; Painting a small area of the body with tincture of iodine; and taking preparations known to be rich in iodine, including cod liver oil, kelp tablets.

Dr. Jarvis was very keen on Lugol's iodine for treating various illnesses, including colds and flu, and for countering the effects of stress: He writes, "Supposing you do follow the suggestions outlined above and find that some weeks the pressures of your private and your business life are causing you to lose the ability to bounce back. Then you should add a drop of Lugol's solution of iodine to your glass of apple or grape juice at breakfast, or you may take it in the mixture of apple cider vinegar and water. The point is that the potassium in the solution (Lugol's is 5% potassium iodine) blocks off the body mechanism that organizes for aggressive action, releasing its hold on the body when opportunity for rest and relaxation arises. The iodine swings into action the body and the building up and storing of body reserves. When working under pressure, include the Lugol's solution dose each day until the period of pressure passes. If it should happen that your body becomes saturated with iodine, you will find that there is an increase of moisture in the nose. If this occurs, omit the iodine until the nose is normal.

Lugol's Iodine can be purchased in some drug stores or over the internet.


Using Iodine to Purify Your Water

Posted by Susan (USA)

Iodine is a very effective method for water purification. Iodine destroys bacteria, viruses and cysts, and its action is dependent on its concentration, the water temperature and duration of contact. A concentration of 8 mgs per litre at 20 degrees centigrade, will destroy all pathogens if left for 10 minutes. Lower concentrations and lower water temperatures require a longer duration of action.

Various preparations of iodine are available, including tincture of iodine, iodine crystals and tablets. Manufacturers instructions should be followed in each case. With tincture of iodine, adequate levels are normally achieved by using 4 drops to 1 litre of water or one drop to a glass. As with all halogens it is less effective against cryptosporidia.

Iodine has been used safely for periods of several months, however it is not known whether there are adverse effects associated with longer term use. Those with a history of thyroid disease or iodine allergy, the pregnant and the very young may be advised against using iodine for water purification.

The taste of iodine can be largely removed by neutralising the iodine, after it has had time to work, with dissolvable vitamin C tablets, lime or lemon juice. It should be noted that this also stops the disinfectant action, so care should be taken to prevent recontamination of water.

Tincture of Iodine: USP tincture of iodine contains 2% iodine and 2.4% sodium iodide dissolved in 50% ethyl alcohol. For water purification use, the sodium iodide has no purification effect, but contributes to the total iodine dose. Thus it is not a preferred source of iodine, but can be used if other sources are not available. 0.4 cc's (or 8 drops) of USP tincture (2% iodine) added to a liter of water will give the 8 mg/l (same as 8 PPM). If the iodine tincture isn't compounded to USP specs, then you will have to calculate an equal dose based on the iodine concentration.

Lugol's solution: Contains 5% iodine and 10% potassium iodide. 0.15 cc (3 drops) can be added per liter of water, but 3 times more iodine is consumed compared to sources without iodide.

Betadyne (povidone iodine) Some have recommended 8 drops of 10% povidone iodine per liter of water as a water treatment method, claiming that at low concentrations povidone iodine can be regarded as a solution of iodine. One study indicated that at 1:10,000 dilution (2 drops/liter), there was 2 PPM iodine, while another study resulted in conflicting results. However, at 8 drops/liter, there is little doubt that there is an antimicrobial effect. The manufacturer hasn't spent the money on testing this product against EPA standard tests, but in other countries it has been sold for use in field water treatment.


Acid Reflux

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Posted by Mark (Nanaimo, B.c. Canada) on 08/15/2012
★★★★★

Iodine "cured" my acid reflux, that I suffered with for years, in 2 days, taking 12mg/day. I continue to take the iodine and have never felt better. Listen to your body, it will tell you what you need.

Replied by Chad
(Windsor, Ontario, Canada)
08/11/2013

What kind of Iodine did you take? Thanks.

Replied by Ed2010
(Canada)
08/12/2013

Chad, you can use Lugols 5% solution 2 drops a day in half a glass of water. You can get lugol's iodine solution from Hoopers Pharmacy. Good Health.


Acne

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Posted by Tish (Granger, IN)
★★★★★

I just started painting twice a day. I have always had irregular menstrual cycles and cysts and recently started having problems with acne. It has been about 1.5 weeks now and my acne is almost gone. I have had acne problems for the last 6 months and tried everything over the counter and topical you could imagine. I was ready to give up and go to the doctor for meds. Thank God for iodine! It is too early to comment on the female issues, but I am having some positive signs in this area too.

Replied by Ophelia
(Cebu, Philippines)
11/10/2020

Seafood like shells, clamps are rich with iodine.


Alopecia

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Posted by Sandra (Gwent, South Wales ) on 02/23/2009
★★★★★

30 years ago my son lost his hair through nerves he was only 8 year old at the time, a old lady told me to rub in white iodine every night which i did, within 6 week his hair was so thick, i also had very weak nails the iodine strenghened them.


Alopecia
Posted by Rob (Hawthorn Woods, IL) on 08/16/2007
★★★★★

My wife unexpectedly had all the hairs in her eyebrows fall out over a period of several weeks. There was no apparent cause but we suspected stress had something to do with it. They did eventually grow back, but were very thin and the follicles were still weak. It wasn't until almost a year later that a wonderful holistic doctor tested her and found her iodine deficient. She was put on an iodine pill, her energy levels came way up, the her eyebrows are as thick as ever. Kelp tablets would probably do the trick too, as they are high in iodine.


Alopecia
Posted by Barb (Auckland, New Zealand) on 09/12/2006
★★★★☆

Alopecia Areata is bald spots that occur all of a sudden on your scalp. I dab it on once a day on bald spots for a week to a fortnight - and then forget about it (if I can) and hope:) So far it seems to start the growth of hair again. It changes the scalp texture from red and irritable back to normal scalp. Within 6 weeks to 8 weeks usually spot is covering with little hairs. The iodine may even help the fatigue that comes when your hair falls out too - when a bald spot is occurring I tend to get deathly pale and feel exhausted.


Alopecia
Posted by Betsy (Atizapan de Zaragoza, Mexico) on 01/28/2006
★★★★★

In Mexico, some people have used iodine as a means of preventing baldness. One woman used iodine for years as a preventive measure against baldness. She used it as a rinse after washing her hair. Another woman told me to "cure" a bald spot by dabbing iodine on the bald spot or area of thinning hair. After a while, a crust will form. Eventually, beneath the crust fine hairs will start to grow. She said it can take about three months to see the results. I don't know if this would work with men. It's something I've heard about. Can you give me your opinion on this?


Anxiety Attacks

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Posted by Anne-Marie (Palm Coast, FL) on 02/04/2007
★★★★☆

While I would not consider myself "cured" of anything, I have found that Iodine..or the lack thereof...causes me to have panic and anxiety attacks. This is a recent (within 3 months) development for me as I have never had panic and anxiety attacks prior. And although I now take Kelp in a Thyroid supplement (for my newly developed Hypothyroidism), My Iodine test (painting a 2x2 in sq on my abdomen) still shows a regular Iodine insufficiency. Interestingly, I also drink protein shakes that contain 30% FDA Iodine each. I drink 2-3 of these each day. Yet, my Iodine is consistently depleted.

Replied by Phips
(Brisbane, Australia)
02/21/2011

Hi, you mention that you drink protein shakes...

does the protein powder contain any soy/soya protein or products in it. If it does this could be a reason for your thyroid problem. Unfermented soy products contain high levels of goitrogenic products, which prevent the thyroid from taking up iodine from the blood. Taking extra iodine in your diet will also not help. The best thing to do is eliminate all unfermented soy froducts from your diet eg. : soy milk, soy protein, tofu, bean curd and etc. There are also other goitrogenic foods out there that are normally very safe for most people eg: the vegetables from the bracicacea family (cabbage, mustard, broccli, cannola (rape seed), etc) and also peanuts. These foods need to be all eliminated from the diet if you want your thyroid to regenerate and repair itself. Hope this helps. Regards.

Replied by Antonio
(Split, Croatia)
10/01/2011

Hello dear.

Your thyroid gland in you neck requires all the iodine you intake to get back to full power. Only then will it allow your body to utilise the iodine to your other organs. However, and this is a big however. Your thyroid will never regenerate if your only supplying iodine, and your adrenals and pituary glands have to be leveled out and all have the right amount of nutrients for the thyroid to heal, and thus for your body to start utilising the iodine properly.

Firstly, if you're not absorbing the iodine too well. Add betaine HCL (hydrochloric acid) to your diet.

Your most likely low on stomach acid, because all ppl who lack iodine are low in stomach acid. as you need iodine to make it!! .

Next. add a natrual 100% adapatagenic hormone supplement. No armour thyroid, no animal hormone supplement!! . Use the best of the best, . MACA

Its 100% the best and most efficient way(the only way) of restoring you adrenals, thyroid and pituary gland all3 in one. it balances all you hormones, sugar levels, eveything.

And take the kelp iodine supplement too.

So thats:

Betaine HCL., Maca, iodine (take all 3 at meal times ) the hcl will allow your body to absorb the other 2 better. (maybe take a b complex too)

After awhile, with sufficient amounts of iodine, you wont need hcl anymore. As your body's producing stomach acid on its own. However the hcl suplement is needed to absorb the iodine at first. as your pancreas doesn't release enzymes if you have no stomach acid and your body wont absorb the iodine at first.!

hope this helps >.<

Replied by Jim
(Jacksonville, Fl/USA)
09/29/2012

Great points Antonio!! also, in order to better utilize Iodine I understand that one needs Selenium and Copper as well as HCL. find a good source of liquid vitamins and minerals to achieve a baseline of these minerals.... i've heard the best natural source of Selenium is Brazil Nuts.

Brazil nuts contain very high levels of selenium. 100 g nuts provide about 1917 mcg of selenium which is 3485% of the recommended daily intake. This makes Brazil Nuts the highest natural source of this mineral. keep on researching!!!


Arrhythmia

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Posted by June (Cincinnati, Oh Usa) on 12/28/2009
★★★★★

I have a cardiac arrithymia since childhood. I am 54 now. I have researched and researched and researched after going to alot of cardiologists and trying mainstream remedies. I have tried magnesium, B vitamins, salt, potassium,etc. They all helped but did not cure my palpitations. My heart used to skip, and beat incredibly fast. I stopped going to the emergency room because they immediately wanted to do surgery, etc. The whole thing was terrifying. I cured this condition with one drop of REAL elemental iodine in my orange juice in the morning. Sea kelp and drugstore iodine did not work. Dr. Brownstein has written a book about it. You can tell if you are deficient by putting any iodine on the inside of your arm and watching to see if it lasts 24 hours. All my thyroid tests were normal. Every person I have told (who has arrithymia) has had a similiar experience!!!! One itsy bitsy drop of elemental iodine changed my life COMPLETELY. (I also paint my arm with it sometimes.)

Replied by Linda
(Titusville, Fl)
01/21/2011

Is elemental Iodine the same as a saturated solution of potassium iodide (sski)?

Replied by Bill
(San Fernando, Luzon, Philippines)
01/21/2011

Hi Linda... Elemental iodine and potassium iodide are different. Iodine is an element and potassium iodide consists of two elements in one molecule. SSKI is just a Saturated Solution of Potassium Iodide(known as KI in chemistry equations), thus shortened to SSKI.

The element iodine is very poorly dissolved in just water whereas potassium Iodide easily dissolves in water. And Iodine is much more soluble in an aqueous solution of potasium iodide. Thus a Lugol's Iodine solution is normally 10% potassium iodide in water in which 5% elemental Iodine is completely dissolved. Lugol's is therefore a mix of water, iodine and potassium iodide.

This is why Lugol's Iodine is the best form of iodine to supplement -- because you get the benefits of both elemental iodine as well as potassium iodide in a convenient aqueous solution.

Replied by Francisca
(Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France)
01/22/2011

Dear Bill, and what is the difference between Lugol's and kelp? Not that I have ever found Lugol's, I only know it from this site!

Replied by Bill
(San Fernando, Luzon, Philippines)
01/22/2011

Hi Francisca... Regarding the differences between Lugol's Iodine and a kelp source there are perhaps few differences. However, I've noticed that kelp supplements from the US and Europe, per tablet, only ever supply between 120-200 MICROgrams of iodine. Whereas, if you take just two drops of 5% Lugol's Iodine, this gives you about 12. 5 MILLIgrams. Therefore the recommended Lugol's dose will supply about 100 times more inorganic iodine for your body. Bear in mind that the RDA -- Recommended Daily Allowance -- used to be called the MDA -- Minimum Daily Allowance. This was a subtle change, but has been very telling concerning peoples deliberately misled understanding and trust.

The much smaller kelp dose will certainly help to supply just your thyroid, but will not be helpful for other problems -- including hypo- and hyper-thyroid problems, caused by iodine insufficiency in your body.


To understand this, the Japanese eat at least 4.6 grams of seaweed everyday which supplies a minimum of about 13.8 mgs of iodine for their bodies and this unique habit appears to be why the Japanese have the lowest rates of uterine, breast and prostate cancer in the world. As well, they also have the lowest rates of lung cancer despite the Japanese people being one of the heaviest national group of smokers in the world. The Japanese also have some of the lowest rates of thyroid problems, fibrocystic breast disease, uterine fibroids and diabetes problems. This also seems to be tied in with their high iodine diet. This sort of health can only be achieved if the RDA for iodine is totally ignored and a higher dose of at least 12.5 mgs of iodine is supplemented per day.

Now also add to this all the "iodophobia" that is out there -- the fear people have on ingesting larger iodine doses than the RDA recommends, despite the fact that iodine is very body friendly. For a period of about two weeks, I took over 100 mgs of iodine -- which is around 800 times more than the RDA. I never noticed any problems or odd effects on my own body(which is not to say that some people may have problems with this dose which is dependent on on good kidney excretion).

As to the problems of obtaining good supplements -- well this is a problem associated with Codex Alimentarus laws. Many of the supplement companies nowadays are owned by the big pharmaceuticals, who deliberately put out poor quality supplement mixtures in dosages that do you little good at all. Recommended RDA iodine dosages are a good example of this.

I've thought about this problem -- concerning ensuring that supplements contain helpful dosages -- and there are two things you can do. Either you order these supplements over the internet and pay a bit more for them, or just get a friend who owns a dog, cat or horse to go to the vet and ask them to purchase the Lugol's Iodine for you at the vet clinic. It's a fact that vets are for more tuned into curing animal medical problems that our doctors are at curing our problems. Also, vets seem to be far better tuned into natural remedies like using iodine and ACV in animal feed than our beloved doctors -- as the writings of Dr Jarvis attest. You can also purchase DMSO, MSM and many other good quality supplements for yourself from the vet and at a far better price. Ted also recommends vets as a source of good MSM and DMSO powder.

Replied by Lon
(Stanhope, Nj)
01/23/2011

I respect your opinion, after reading many of your posts. Do you (or anyone else), have any info about terms regarding iodine, such as nascent, atomic or atomidine. I have chronic lymphocitic leukemia. These have been suggested by two sources on the web. What is the difference between these and Lugol's, or are they the same.

Replied by Phips
(Brisbane, Australia)
02/21/2011
★★★★★

I was much the same way, experiencing ectopic heart beats (skiped beats or P.V.C - premature ventricular contractions). I tried many different supplements that only gave short releif but then came back. I tried herbs for the heart and minerals like potassium and magnesium. I even tried molybnum. I then had my vitamin D levels tested, they were very low. I had been to the emergency department many times, but they could not find anything wrong with me. I was refered to so see a cardiologist who got me to wear a 24 hour cadiac monitor. I even was put through the stress test to test my heart function under stress. All came back normal. I then subsiquently got disgnosed with borderline hypothyroidism. I thought, that must be the cause of my ectopic beats.

I then thought I would like to try some Lugol's solution (iodine), but didn't.

But what I tried, stopped the ectopic beats quickly and never to return. What I took was 1 250mg tablet of calcium citrate. The first tablet took about 3 hours to work. The next morning I woke up with ectopic beats, but of a much milder form. No longer every 3 to 10 beats, but now about 3 missed beats in a minute. I then took my next calcium citrate tablet on an empty stomach - and in about 1 hour my ectopic beats ceased comletely. I now take 1 calcium citrate tablet daily and am no longer bothered with ectopic heart beats.

How I came to relize that it was calcium I needed was when I tried a good quality magnesium supplement for a couple of days with no benifit (it actually might have made this more intense). I then put two and two together. Low vit D = low calcium.

I hope this helps sombody out there.

Regards.

Replied by Erwin
(Az)
01/24/2018

I've been struggling with heart flutters, or irregular heartbeat every time I exercise. Are you still currently taking iodine for your arrhythmia's? If so, are you taking Lugol's Iodine? Which one? 5%, 2%. And lastly how much did you start off with. I assume with one and work your way up. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


Articles

Posted by Bill (San Fernando, Philippines) on 02/22/2012

Just found a research review paper by Dr Donald Miller, a well known iodine researcher, which describes all the other major benefits of iodine apart from benefitting just the thyroid gland. This review should also help make clear alot of areas and benefits that are still so ill-understood about iodine

This research review(in PDF format), all backed by research, isn't long or too complicated and should help to easily clarify many of iodine's benefits. See the link.

http://www.jpands.org/vol11no4/millerd.pdf


Atomidine

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by T (Maryland, USA) on 06/28/2009
★★★★★

I must post about my recent experience with Atomidine (iodine trichloride) as it's been nothing short of amazing for me. I'd been intending to try Lugol's (after dithering due to reading some things warning thyroid/Hashimoto's patients off taking supplemental iodine). But so far I've yet to buy some. While browing online I ended up buying some Atomidine as it wasn't too expensive. I started taking a single drop most days in my usual water+ACV a few weeks ago, and it has made a seriously remarkable change for me!

After becoming very ill by the end of 2007 due to Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease), and finally self-diagnosing and spending a painful 2 grand to wring some meds out of appallingly ignorant and uncaring doctors (a rant for another time!), I've spent the last year or so greatly changing my diet, starting Levoxyl, taking supplements and researching like mad, trying this and that. I did improve some, but it's not been nearly enough to get me back to normal...until the Atomidine. I've hardly had the chance to haunt EC like I normally do because I'm off and out getting so much done! Not only do I have more energy, I have MOTIVATION (that's been a very elusive thing!). I do still have 'down' time but it's not anywhere near like it was before starting the Atomidine. I am so very grateful to God for this miracle and I hope it continues on.

I've had swollen glands in my neck for years, and they are mostly gone now. I've also been putting Atomidine on a suspicious mole on my arm that I was supposed to get removed long ago (I chickened out!). It's flaked over twice now (pain-free), yet the skin around it is fine, like the Atomidine is affecting only the suspicious spot. I'll report back with any more changes on that; I do expect it'll take some time if it's really going to get rid of it.

This has been my own experience so far with Atomidine. As always, research for yourself before trying anything.

I'm hoping to see some more discussion on the various types of iodine, and also hoping someone else has experience of Atomidine and can advise if I should continue taking it as I have been (single drop most days, with days off here and there) or should I be changing something. I'm afraid I'll somehow cause its effectiveness to fade...and I can't bear to go back to the way things had been! I don't usually take it on the days that I take my tiny dose of Levoxyl (I only take half of a low-dose pill every few days now).

On a side note re: the Hashimoto's, I've been taking chlorella on and off after seeing someone here post that their antibodies disappeared after taking that for awhile. I'm going to try to take it more consistently. I hope to have the funds to retest in a few months and see where my antibodies stand after these measures - and I'll report that here too :)

Replied by Yoshi
(Australia)
03/04/2016

As a user of Lugol's Iodine Solution and selenium for my hyperthyroid condition I just want to point out I have looked into "Atomidine" or otherwise known as "Nacent Iodine". The short version is that it appears to me to be a scam. My best estimate is that it probably contains potassium iodide in water and no elemental iodine such as in Lugol's solution or Iodoral tablets.

Here are the reason's why:

- No available Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and therefore the ingredients are hidden from the public (is this legal?)

- Dubious chemistry formulation that appears to be complete bogus (using electricity to keep elemental iodine unbound what the?! ? Ask a chemistry student about this but my reading suggests it's nonsense)

- Reportedly no awful taste like Lugol's solution

- Reportedly it's clear and not a dark purple brown

- Reportedly less irritating to the skin and digestive tract than Lugol's

- These last 3 points experientially and scientifically all lead me to believe just a solution of water and potassium iodide.

Interestingly enough I also came across another couple of odd names "decolorized iodine tincture" and "white iodine" tincture. They all had MSDSs and it was no surprise that they contained nothing more than iodide usually potassium iodide. Hence why they are clear and do not stain.

So bottom line is don't pay top $$ for Branding nonsense. If you want to take the recommended iodine + iodide the cheapest is simple Lugol's solution or the tablet form such as Iodoral. If you want to use a clear iodide remedy such as for removing warts, moles ect around the hands, face or anywhere visible you don't want unsightly yellow/brown staining then try a potassium iodide solution. One container I saw that contained a 6% solution said it could be used topically for hair loss. I want to try this as I've read Lugol's does work topically for hair loss but not without unsightly yellow/brown stains and scabbing formation.

The other thing I'd point out that is if you have days your stomach is too sensitive to take Lugol's try potassium iodide as this doesn't irate the skin anywhere near as much as the iodine. Now I know Dr. Brownstein, Dr. Flechas etc say many of the glands need iodine and you therefore need iodine + iodide but I'm just saying if you, for whatever reason, have days you cannot take Lugol's from stomach upset the at least you can take potassium iodide which will work on the thyroid.

Ella
(CA)
07/17/2021

Atomidine is from Edgar Cayce. He was not a scam but one of the best documented Medium/ Psychic, named the sleeping prophet and diagnosing illness. Do Check out his group. ARE aka Association Research and Enlightenment. You can browse his circulating files with every known disease. He cured many people, and is worth studying by anyone who is into alternative medicine, He is known to be the father of alternative medicine.

Replied by Melinda C.
(Vancouver, Bc Canada)
02/08/2017

Nascent Iodine - the real thing - is the same color as Lugol's and also tastes equally bad. ;-)


Bill's Iodine Fact Sheet

Posted by Bill (San Fernando, Luzon, Philippines) on 07/06/2010

Hi Everyone... I have said in past comments that I wasn't too happy about the iodine painting test as a valid test for body iodine levels.

Recently, I went a bit overboard to perhaps push my own iodine levels deliberately into excess. This I did by using a 2% USP iodine tincture and painting an area under both my fore-arms which were each the size and area of a dollar bill.

I painted both my fore-arms this way four times. All these patches of iodine(except the 4th one) disappeared in under one hour. The fourth patch of iodine disappeared in about an hour and a half. I also took the equivalent of about 15 mgs of lugols iodine orally at the outset. There were no symptoms of excess iodism either in the evening, the next day or on any subsequent day.

From current thinking, the iodine painting alone should have driven me to excess iodine symptoms but it didn't and I was not happy about this, so I have searched widely on the internet for answers.

In answer to the many enquiries about the iodine skin painting test, here is an article by Dr David Derry, a person who is very pro-iodine and who has written books on the subject of iodine. Here he presents actual evidence on the usefulness of iodine painting:

"The "test" of putting iodine on the skin to watch how fast it disappears is not an indicator of anything. The iodine disappearance rate is unrelated to thyroid disease or even iodine content of the body.(1-2) Meticulous research by Nyiri and Jannitti in 1932 showed clearly when iodine is applied to the skin in almost any form, 50% evaporates into the air within 2 hours and between 75 and 80 percent evaporates into the air within 24 hours. (1) A total of 88 percent evaporates within 3 days and it is at this point that the evaporation stops. The remaining 12 percent that is absorbed into the skin has several fates. Only 1-4% of the total iodine applied to the skin is absorbed into the blood stream within the first few hours. The rest of the iodine within the skin (8-11%) is slowly released from the skin into the blood stream.

However Nyiri and Jannitti's findings that... "the percentage of iodine penetration through the skin is the same, irrespective of whether the cells have a high or low vitality, or are dead, and irrespective of the direction of penetration" have important implications for iodine functions in the body, skin, pregnancy and fetus and also for the therapeutic use of topical and oral iodine. Iodine would be the only compound of significance during early pregnancy which can pass rapidly through all tissues of the fetus without the aid of any blood vessel or lymphatic transport. It could be that not only does iodine control natural cell death (apoptosis) (5) in the fetus but may also influences stem cell development.

Nyiri and Jannetti also mentioned iodine applied on the skin can be used to shrink swelling of the thyroid gland (goiters). So even small amounts of iodine absorbed through the skin can have good effects on body organs. From my own clinical experience, repeated application of iodine (Lugol's) to the skin appears to cause regeneration of the skin from the bottom up (Quiescent, stable or stem cell) (3) eventually sloughing the old version of the skin off like a snake molting. If there was a pre-cancerous lesion on the old skin, it is replaced with new skin minus the lesion. There does not seem to be any skin lesions which are not helped or cured by this procedure. In some cases I found clinically obvious low thyroid conditions also needed to be treated to be more effective. Minor lacerations and healing of surgical wounds respond well. If skin regeneration is from the bottom, then there is little or no scar formation.

My parents' generation tended to put tincture of iodine onto a fresh wound to prevent infection. This turns out to be helpful but not the best way to use it. Besides it stung badly when applied. It is much more effective (and doesn't hurt) to apply iodine repeatedly after a scab has been formed. The iodine put onto the scab helps to organize total repair of the tissue. It is implied a similar approach could be taken to burns of all depths but at the same time the physiology of burns suggest there is an acute lack of thyroid hormone. (3)

All pre-malignant lesions and many other oddities of the skin appear to respond to this regeneration process triggered by topical iodine. I have mentioned previously a patient with a biopsy-proven breast cancer lesion (she refused surgery because of previous cancer treatment) that was strongly fixed to the skin responding well to topical iodine and ended up being a dimple on the breast three year later. (6)

It is my belief a water solution of iodine (like Lugol's) is an important therapeutic agent for skin. Because of its effectiveness and the results, perhaps many skin diseases are related to local tissue areas of relative iodine deficiency. Perhaps the most graphic lesions are the "keloid" (worm) incision scars formed after surgical procedures. If the iodine intake and tissue levels are adequate, such as in Japan, keloid formation doesn't happen (7). In addition, iodine's ability to trigger natural cell death (apoptosis) (5) makes it effective against all pre-cancerous skin lesions and likely many cancerous lesions. The local site is replaced with normal skin. However, even lesser doses of topical iodine seem to reverse the ominous appearance of skin lesions. Because my older brother died of metastatic melanoma, my chances of getting a malignant melanoma are increased by 400 times. (8-9) Having grown up in Venezuela near the equator my sun exposure at a young age was far above normal. So all suspicious lesions I notice are returned to normal with topical Lugol's."
Extract from About.com

Just to clarify some thoughts here -- iodine painting IS useful in my opinion when painted over the skin on the neck of the thyroid. This is because the thyroid only needs MICROgrams of iodine/iodide. However, in my opinion, since research evidence from Dr Abraham's Iodine Project has confirmed that the rest of the body's needs amount to at least 12.5 mgs as a maintenance dose -- an amount that is 100 times more than the RDA of 0.125 mgms, then foot-painting is not a good method to achieve the whole body's need for iodine.

In answer to all those asking how you can check your own iodine levels -- the best way seems to be by temperature using a Basal Thermometer. These are more accurate than electronic thermometers. When you first wake in the morning, put this thermometer in an armpit and hold it there with your arm and stay in bed for about 10 minutes. Then check your temperature -- if it is between 97.8 and 98.2 degrees, you probably don't need any extra iodine, because iodine is an essential part of the mechanism for body temperature regulation. If the temperature is lower or higher than this temperature zone, then you might need more iodine or less iodine respectively.

Replied by Francisca
(Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France)
07/07/2010

Hi Bill, what a coincidence. I am just back from my country, Portugal, where I visited a doctor in a health shop who cured my bad knee years ago. Talking to him I mentioned the white spots on my legs and arms (he is now a natural dermatologist among other things). He gave me an iodine liquid to apply on the spots three times a day. I only started a week ago so it is hard to see whether it is working or not but interesting to read in your posting that this actually appears to cause regeneration of the skin from the bottom up. He told me that it will take maybe three months to see the results as I am not a very bad case. For years I have been to numerous dermatologist and no one ever seemed to have an answer for this problem which was slowly getting worse. They all had different explanations but the verdict was that there was nothing they could do! Thanks for all the good work and help!

Replied by Saoirse
(Nyc, Ny Usa)
10/05/2011

Having been trying off and on to tolerate the lugols and keep getting these crushing headaches after 2-3 days of minimal dosages--did find out that maybe this was due to detoxifying--I do take water/sea salt and vit C etc as well here-I bought some iodoral and started very slowly with only half a tab/daily for a week, then half tab in the morning and half a tab in the afternoon and again these headaches returned but I will keep going as at least I feel better than what I did before when I was only taking synthroid and the iodine is clearing out my lungs as well--an incredible amount of gunk/appear to be mucus plugs ( I have been wheezing) are coming out effortlessly.

Now I have a multitude of what appears to be age spots, but they're from an episode of some kind of severe infection and fever and before these "spots" came out, many doctors told me there was nothing wrong when they examined me and it was psychosomatic etc as I really felt SICK from an inner ear infection/ruptured ear drum/days of drainage etc (and I have had this happen before.... But this time I FELT VERY ILL ) so when these blebs and literally they were like blisters with a brownish fluid popped out I was beyond going to anymore physicians and simply drank water/tea whatever I could handle--but when the swollen glands and everything calmed down I was left with these spots---so I read here the other day on the application of the iodine to the skin and after only 3 days---I see a difference on one big one already--it's flattened out and looks like it will soon peel off---THANKS TO ALL posting their experiences-- I will post again when they really start to resolve or simply the old skin drops off--

Replied by Maria
(Gippsland, Australia)
10/06/2011

Hi Saoirse, As you're having what appears to be a cleansing reaction, it would be worth giving your liver some support. Taking lemon juice in a glass of warm water first thing in the morning is good for our liver. Also things like Milk thistle, dandelion and turmeric.

It may also be worth taking one or two days off a week (5 on 2 off), this way you give your body time to catch up. If you are still getting headaches it may be worth staying at the lower level for another week or two. I know we want to get better quick but over loading the liver may in the long run actually take us longer and be sicker in the process. It is encouraging that you did not take that Drs opinion and persisted in finding your answer/s. All the best and let us know how you go.



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