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
Sources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8221402
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29340704
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3883964/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4805050/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19726593
- http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM182903100020402
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/58152
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC271835/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21997943
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4997053/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19460960
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20578661
- http://www.optimox.com/iodine-study-14
Side effect reported
I just put one drop of iodine in my orange juice and then vomited at all up 3 minutes later, why?
Side effect reported
I plan on starting the Borax treatment- I have RA, allergies, An Autoimmune disease. Whatever.
6 mo ago, I started iodine therapy- did whole protocol- salt, vit. B's, everything for my thyroid. I gained 25 lbs! in 1 month. This is not an exaggeration. I cannot get it off. So I am hoping the Borax will get rid of the chronic fatigue etc. I had no BO on the iodine but I sure plumped up. Any idea why? Especially since it's supposed to help the thyroid, which is why I had put on weight before and had no energy?
I have posted before about using iodine for low thyroid. I have used it for years with great results. Well, it isn’t cheap and after I ran out a few months ago I decided to try something else. “Thyroid Energy” got good reviews so I tried that. It did seem to work for me. If I forgot to take it for a few days I would start getting a dry mouth, which is how I know my thyroid is doing poorly.
Well when I ran out of the Thyroid Energy stuff, I decided to go back to Iodoral, and I don’t even know why I decided to do that. It arrived last week and I have been taking it with selenium and zinc and C and my other usual stuff.
Yesterday I realized that I have more energy than I have had in a while. In the late evening my mind is more clear and I am folding laundry (instead of “waiting until tomorrow.”) I am also sleeping more soundly.
I am pretty sure it is the Iodoral. You know, sometimes things change gradually and you don’t realize they are changing. I think my energy got worse and my sleep got worse over time I didn’t make the supplement change connection at all.
Iodoral is kind of expensive but at the end of the day, it is worth it, literally!
~Mama to Many~
Side effect reported
I began taking nascent iodine about 3 weeks ago. Started 3 drops per day in the morning, straight in my mouth then swallowed with water. First week was great. Great energy, started sleeping better, etc. Then it turned bad. I started retaining water/bloating in my stomach. To the point my "fat jeans" now won't button. I'm guesstimating about an 6 lb. weight gain in 3 weeks. I don't know what to do now. I am afraid to switch to Lugol's and take a higher dose since no one seems to know why I am bloating/swelling. I do take magnesium, C, and a raw multi in the afternoons to partner with iodine and help the side effects, to no avail. At such a low dose, why am I experiencing this?
On 10/27/2011, David (Lubbock, Texas) posted the first post:
> …I noted someone had problems with burning eyes from taking iodine. I have taken 250 mgs daily for about eight months, luv it. It has fixed all my ailments, My eyes burn, if I don't wash well, scrub my face twice a day, I believe the iodine is loading up in the skin oils, and making it alkaline, which burns the eyes if it contacts them. Anyhoo, scrub your face, keep the oil off and you will live long and healthy taking iodine. david lubbock tx…
——————-
We haven't heard from David, lately. Is he missing because he was really taking 250 mg every day? I wonder if he meant 25 mg, instead? Or maybe he forgot to include the Selenium?
So far, I've read pages 1 and 16 of theseiodine comments. I have to go back and see if "Atomidine" is mentioned in any of the other 14 pages. I'm attached to Atomidine, because I'm stocked up on it. But it doesn't have the combination of elemental iodine and compound iodide, so maybe it's not the best supplement.
The Atomidine does seem to provide a de-toxifying effect. After taking it the previous day, I wake up around 4 AM with a racing heart. (Maybe 75 or 80 beats per minute when it would normally be less than 60, but with a bit of a pounding sensation, too.) Usually, that was my cue to stop taking the Atomidine, but now that I read from y'all that the racing heart is a symptom of detoxifying, then I'm sticking with it.
Last week, I took one drop later in the afternoon, and it woke me up before sunrise with a racing heart.
Two days ago, I took one drop in the morning, and it didn't wake me up the next night, so taking it in the morning seems to be a good strategy. Yesterday, I took two drops in the morning, and it didn't wake me up. Today, I took three drops in the morning, and I'm still alive.
Last year, I went through a couple of bottles of RLC Labs iThroid — 12.5 mg capsules, which contains a combination of iodine and iodide, and certainly smells like the real thing. And it's dark, dark green. It didn't create any detox symptoms, even though it has hundreds of times more iodine than Atomidine. I don't know if it helped, but it didn't hurt.
So, my first guess is that the Atomidine is a better detoxifier than iThroid. However, detoxifying is a different process than taking sufficient supplementation, so there's still a need for the iThroid.
Without guidance, I would stop taking one if I were taking the other.
When I went shopping [on Amazon], I don't remember why I chose the iThroid over the Lugol's. Maybe iThroid was less expensive per mg. Maybe it's because iThroid liquid is in a capsule, and that seemed more convenient than spilling iodine all over the place. I mean, I'm not a messy person, but I have my moments. I'll have to check again; it would be intuitive that a simple bottle of liquid should cost less than putting it into capsules.
Don't forget; if you take iodine — whatever size dose per day, then take a standard 200 mcg capsule of Selenium also. Selenium is an inexpensive supplement.
Or, one of the google returns say:
> Brazil nuts are known to include as much as 95 mcg of selenium per nut. Given that the RDA for selenium is 55 mcg and we recommend getting 200 mcg daily, just a couple of Brazil nuts could have you set.
Brazil nuts, however, can be a nuisance to remove from their shells, eh?
Since I get such great benefit from this site and all of your reportings, which I appreciate so much, I am writing to tell you that Iodoral (iodine) has helped me tremendously. My thyroid has been low for many years now. I've taken many things for it to no avail. Also suffered from adrenal fatigue, parasites, leaky gut, excess heavy metals, heart palps and arrythmia, and candida.
I read Lynn Farrow's book on high-dose iodine after beginning Bill Thompson's candida program (also with great success so far, I might add – thank you Bill). I am not 100% cured so far, but I am very happy with the results of both. Bill's protocol is unique in candida-cure land, imo, because it includes Lugol's. I find I hate the taste of that and it is easier for me to use Iodoral.
So, main symptoms: Hair loss, constant fatigue, extreme brain fog, with heart palpitations and arrythimia, especially at night so I was sleep deprived.
Dosage: Started with 25 mgs. Iodoral with salt loading and all the suggested supplements in Lynn's book (you'll have to look it up). In one week, went up to 50 mgs. In a couple of weeks, went up to 100 mgs. All this is intuitive for me, mind you, and no doubt will be for you. A short time after that, went up to 150 mgs.
Now, I am not salt loading and taking Vit. C only sporadically, but still take all the other suppies with the Iodoral. Whereas my heart palps used to keep me awake, I now only notice them once in a while and they are very mild. The brain fog is greatly reduced (Hallelujah! ), hair no longer falling out like it was and I have lots more energy and motivation. Still taking my OTC adrenal and thyroid glandulars. I had stopped them when I started the Iodoral to see what would happen, but then began again and they seem very helpful.
Was it the candida protocol or the high-dose iodine, (or the stuff I do for leaky gut and parasites)? One led to the other and both have been winners. I say, without the iodine, the candida protocol would not be as effective. I just wonder if the Iodoral will be a lifetime thing? I know I'm a lifer on the candida suppies (plus the diet) but I'm happy to take them all to get these results. Quality of life is much more important to me than quantity. Many thanks.
I have Hashimotos and take iodine tincture everyday. It caused a flare up when I first started but as soon as I added companion nutrients it completely stopped.
Hello.
My question today is for Bill. I was wondering what your thoughts are on nascent iodine vs lugols (potassium iodide). Pros/cons?
Hi Silversurfer…I would go with Lugols Iodine or Iodoral every time. Nascent Iodine is simply not as good as LI. For instance Nascent Iodine — containing just triiodide — cannot detox heavy metals or halides(like Bromine and Fluorine) as can LI. That’s because Nascent Iodine only contains triiodide. LI or Iodoral contains molecular iodine, iodide and triiodide. So Nascent iodine — just triiodide — does not have the other added health benefits of molecular iodine and iodide.
Here is a paper which describes in more detail why LI or Iodoral are the best forms of iodine to supplement.
Iodine Supplementation Guide
Having said that, Nascent Iodine is highly absorbed and tasteless and can easily be given to kids because its so gentle(due to no heavy metal or halide detox side-effects). Nascent iodine will also have benefit for the thyroid and other glands because it is so easily absorbed. Nascent Iodine isn’t a bad form to take but, in my opinion, its just not as good as LI because LI gives the body so much more benefit.
Thanks so much for the info, Bill. I have your book and have been following your protocol religiously. Within the first 2 weeks my jock itch has almost totally resolved itself without any creams or added support. I have been struggling with it for years. Also, I am beginning to just feel much better overall. I happen to be a clinical nutritionist and am also utilizing your protocol with my clients. Much thanks for all of your research and efforts. You never know how many people you can touch.
Hi Silversurfer…Thanks very much for your kind praise which I’m sure I don’t deserve. None of the anti-candida protocols that I advise have been discovered or invented by me — these remedies mostly belong to other people. And alot of these remedies have been around for hundreds of years. All I tried to do was just use some logic and connect the dots.
My favourite candida/pathogen kill combination now consists of Ted’s alkalizing remedies, Lugols Iodine, Borax and Turpentine/castor oil. These protocols seem to be the most consistently effective against candida/other pathogens/parasites.
I’ve also been working with and advising a parents autism group for the last year or so and I’ve seen up-close how efficient the Turpentine/CO remedy is at killing candida, parasites and removing biofilms. Some of the results and photos have been pretty astounding using just this one protocol together with Kerri Rivera’s MMS/Hulda Clark PP/GcMAF approach against ASD. Many of the parents who had hit a brick wall with Kerri’s protocol(which is very good, by the way) with no improvement for months suddenly found accelerated improvements all around with their autistic kids when they added just the turpentine/CO protocol. I’m also happy to report that many of the parents in this group have also moved on and also added borax, alkalizing and LI to there protocols as well.
I’m also glad that you will be using the protocols in your nutritionist work. That pleases me no end. The whole point of my book, apart from helping people cure their own candida issues, was to get that important information out there and let other people, who are far more qualified and cleverer than I am, run with it.
I found tree/plant Iodine/Potassium supplement on barefootherbalistmh site and very impressed. I am taking it with "worms be gone" tincture for a month now. There is passion in these products, passion for herbs, plant and its healing qualities. If you decided to supplement with Iodine, I recommend you look into these supplements.
The element BROMINE is very bad for you. It is in many, if not most, breads, soft drinks, and more. Bromine displaces iodine in a very many biological processes and causes: Cancer, mental disorders, skin disorders and more. It very much screws up your entire endocrine system. This is NOT news but few are aware of just how dangerous BROMINE is to so many aspects of human health. These very real dangers have been well documented for over 30 years now.
Be wary of sea salt and seaweed foodstuffs also because they contain bromine. Using iodized salt is best. Iodine is the element you need. The element bromine readily displaces it and thereby screws up all the many biological processes involved. Ignorance is NOT bliss….Oscar
Hello I am looking for Lugol's Iodine in Alberta, do you have a location here where I could purchase it?
You could purchase Lugols Iodine from Amazon in different concentrations..
FYI: if you will be using Lugol's internally, there is a protocol of vitamins here on this site to follow to safely take iodine without untoward side effects..
Hi Val from Innisfail – I get 5% Lugol's from London Drugs or Shoppers Drug Mart (you need to ask the pharmacist to order it for you). Mary from Saskatchewan recently mentioned a number of Calgary compounding pharmacies that carry it as well (in stock so it doesn't have to be ordered). I don't know if Innisfail has a compounding pharmacy but if there isn't, try any pharmacy. You may want to talk directly to the pharmacist (sometimes the assistants aren't as helpful).
Also, Bill from San Fernando said that Lugol's can be purchased at the vets and some pet shops in Canada.
Hope this helps – good luck! Bess
To Ted or anyone who can help me with this question, I would like to know as I have been reading on Iodine it says that Vitamin C cancels out Iodine. So if I need Vitamin C then must I give it up in order for the Iodine to help me? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you to Ted and Earth Clinic for being here for us.
Lin: Animals make a lot more vitamin c than people get. They also require iodine. The conclusion that can be drawn from this is that vitamin c does not cancel iodine. Maybe isolated c supplementation causes this. A 200 lb. mans tissues become saturated with c from whole foods at 200mg. After this c is no longer absorbed. C from whole foods depletes at 8%/hour. Freeze dried wild harvested acerola cherry powder has 17% c along with co factors when the product does not contain fillers.
Thank you Mike62 because of your helpful answer I went back and re read the article. I realized that I had totally misread it and they simply meant that they shouldn't be taken together. The article I read was: Iodine Remedies: Secrets From the Sea.
Hi Lin…Regarding mixing lugol’s iodine with vitamin c or ascorbic acid, I do this quite often because it’s quite beneficial. Ted from Bangkok also recommends taking it this way(there’s no iodine taste).
Without getting too technical, when you mix together lugols iodine and ascorbic acid with water in a glass and then add sodium bicarbonate until the fizzing stops, the molecular iodine component of lugols is converted to sodium iodide and the ascorbic acid is converted to dehydro-ascorbic acid(DHAA). Put simply, the ascorbic acid is oxidized to DHAA by molecular iodine and the molecular iodine is reduced to sodium iodide during the reaction. You can see this happening in the glass because the brown color of the molecular iodine in lugols slowly turns colorless(iodide is colorless).
Iodide is extremely useful to the body — very beneficial to the thyroid and it is essential to the immune system.
The dehydro-ascorbic acid has exactly the same properties as ordinary ascorbic acid except for one difference — DHAA is able to penetrate the blood/brain barrier whereas ordinary ascorbic acid cannot do this. Normally ascorbic acid is dependent upon and converted to DHAA by glutathione in your body. So taking ascorbic acid with lugols iodine like this also helps to save the glutathione stores in your body for more essential tasks.
So the short answer to your question is that taking lugol’s iodine and ascorbic acid together will not harm your body — and it does not cancel out all lugol iodine’s beneficial effects — you will actually benefit in different ways from taking both these nutrients together in this way.
Bill from San Fenando, Philippines: Thank you so much for your very clear and concise answer, it helped me understand it so much better. My friend Jackie is worried about taking lugol’s iodine and I wanted to know if taking liquid kelp would work just as well? Thanks for all your help. We would be lost without you and earth clinic, I have learned so much from the good people on this site.
Hi Lin…Your friend Jackie can take liquid kelp extract if she prefers. Just ensure that the kelp extract is organic and make sure that it has not been chemically standardized. If it has, then other chemicals will have been added to it and the synergicity of its natural nutrients will have been altered for the worst.
On the good side, liquid kelp extract will also contain many other beneficial minerals and vitamins for the body. The other thing is that if Jackie is taking kelp just for its health giving aspects then thats fine. But if she is taking it for a specific reason like low thyroid or candida then kelp may not be as effective as lugol’s iodine because it contains far less iodine as an extract. It takes about 3 months, at a higher dosage of 50 mgs iodine/iodide per day, to bring back proper levels of iodine in the thyroid gland and the rest of the body. This is why I prefer lugol’s iodine at 50 mgs a day.
Today I accidently spilled a fair bit of lugol’s iodine, staining a section of my laminated benchtop. Had just bought some borax which was still at hand and immediately spread heaps of borax onto the stain and with some slightly wetted paper towels rubbed the borax into the stain. It took a bit of scrubbing but the stain was successfully removed.
I have successfully removed iodine stains from clothing and skin with a solution of ascorbic acid (vitamin C powder) in water. I didn't measure the quantities but it was something like quarter or half a teaspoon ascorbic acid in 10ml water, dab it on and let it dry.
Side effect reported
My doc said that I’m hypothyroid, and rather than put me on Armor (which she is willing to do), she suggested that I try iodine supplements. I had a bottle of Iosol, and I have been taking one drop of this in water, for about 3 -4 days this week. I felt nothing, until yesterday while in line at the local store. Whammo! A wave of dizziness swept over me. Thankfully, today is Saturday so I can hole up at home and try to recover. I stopped the Iosol, have been drinking lots of water w/ lemon, taking B-complex and plenty of vita C, but still have some waves of vertigo if I move too quickly or duck my head too quickly. Has anyone else had weird dizziness when taking Iodine drops? Thanks to you all!
Anne: The iodine is releasing stored toxins into the plasma. They are accumulating there because they are not being removed through the elimination channels. This is why the sudden dizziness occurred and why it continues, despite taking lemon. The vitamin supplements are not effective because they are not from whole foods. For b take nutritional yeast, dessicated liver, and green smoothies from organic baby greens. B vitamins work for less than 5 hours so take every 4 hours. For c take 90g organic strawberries. For insoluable fiber make smothies from 3 organic banana peels. For soluable fiber take organic apples and black chia. For chlorophyll take Hawaiian spriulina and chlorella. The above items should open the elimination channels. Search raw food and super food videos for more beneficial products.
I am trying to figure out why I have had so much vertigo as well. It happens mostly when I am moving quickly or laying down or getting up from laying down. I also have had numbness in my face and right eye twitches. I was taking potassium iodide 225 mcg because my urine iodine was low and then it became very high so I went off it for about a month and retested and my urine iodine was too low. For the last month and a half I have been taking 225 mcg every other day. I have noticed brain fog, lots of headaches and some nausea and periods feeling like low blood sugar. The last couple of weeks I noticed my face was numb and then I noticed the vertigo and the eye twitching. The only thing I changed in my supplement regime was to add oregano oil. I stopped the oregano oil, the licorice root and the iodine on Sunday and am feeling better. I am not sure what the culprit is? I also was bitten by a deer tick in late June but as I have chronic Lymes and have had several active infections, I think I would have demonstrated symptoms sooner than this. I still have the brain fog and a mild headache but it does go away at times. The eye twitching seems less and the vertigo is about the same but the numbness feels somewhat better. I am going to the lab today to get another urinary iodine done so I am curious to see what it shows. I am also having thyroid antibodies tested as well as my TSH, and other thyroid tests seem to be in range. I am also wondering if I need my nature throid increased. I am currently at 3/4 grains or about 44 mg and started treatment in April when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. Any thoughts on the side effects of too much iodine? I do use a lot of Himalayan sea salt and am eating grain free. I have not lost any further weight which is good and am maintaining my weight. Any thoughts would be appreciated!!!!
Hi Cheryl,
You have different reasons for supplementing Iodine than I do, but when I first started using iodine drops, I also suffered severe vertigo as a result. I still don't understand what makes me different from the others who use the supplement protocol and salt loading and have things go well. What I finally did, and it worked, was to take the companion nutrients that I had purchased, and for a full year, I used them without supplementing iodine at all. I did use pink salt at the table, which contains iodine, and I cut way back on cruciferous vegetables during that period. My thyroid nodules shrank visibly during that time and I stopped having a rash across my neck as well. I've never been certain what caused that intermittent rash. This year, I have started iodine drops when I know I am about to eat cruciferous vegetables and I have no bad side effects whatsoever. None. I don't even count the drops; just take a small swig from the Logul's bottle. Is it possible that some of us are just ancestrally and genetically different where iodine is concerned?
Side effect reported
Hello – I have been taking iodine for over a year to help with goiter / cysts on thyroid, as well as fibrocystic breasts. I had been taking 75mg of Lugol’s. About two months ago I switched to Iodoral because of ease of taking, and the Lugol’s was staining my teeth. I started at 50 mg of Iodoral and didn’t notice any detox or side effects. I bumped up to 100 mg a few days ago. I take the companion supplements as well (magnesium, selenium, C, B, sea salt).
Throughout the night last night I woke up feel very nauseated. Still feeling pretty queasy today. So much so that I’ve canceled my plans for the day.
Could this be the iodine doing further detoxing, and more halides being released into my system? I have taken some sea salt in water this morning, and may continue to do that. Just want to be sure I’m approaching this correctly. Thanks.
Ecfan99: Like a world class symphony that has excellent musicians and finely tuned instruments in the proper ratio, the body requires dozens of nutrients and hundreds of co factors to function at peak performance. Cooked regular food and isolated supplements do not provide these. The best nutrients come from raw, organic, grass fed, soaked, sprouted, fermented, and wild harvested whole foods. I was like you a short while ago. Today I am a lot better.
Hi Ecfan99…What you are probably experiencing is the Herx (die-off) or Detox side-effects of supplementing Lugol's Iodine. If you have large amounts of heavy metals or halides(fluorine and bromine) in your body, then iodine removes them from the cells and dumps them into the blood and then it is up to the liver to get rid of them. The liver becomes overwhelmed and stressed — hence you fell sick and nauseous.
Although a good detoxer, iodine removes these poisons from the cells and just dumps them into the blood — so there is a danger of redistribution of these heavy metals and halides in the body. Secondly, when these heavy metals and halides are excreted into the intestines from the liver — they can also be re-absorbed back into the body from the colon.
Perhaps your best course of action for removal of heavy metals is to take Chlorella. Dr William Kelly, well known for his anti-cancer Metabolic Protocol, advised Chlorella in his own protocol because chlorella contains alginates. Alginate is a huge molecule. When alginates bind to heavy metals, the alginate molecule is far to big for it to be re-absobed into the cells of the body and too big for it to be re-absorbed into the body via the colon. Hence, heavy metals are excreted even quicker and more efficiently by the chlorella
If you have poisons like fluorine and mercury already in excess in your body then these poisons can be absorbed in areas of the brain as well as the glands. The thyroid relies on its hormone regulation in the hypothalimus (TRH — Thyroid-releasing Hormone) and the pituitary gland(TSH – Thyroid Stimulating hormone) — so if these two regions of the brain have excess mercury or fluorine then this will also cause gross mis-regulation of the thyroid. You are already taking selenium, which helps to remove mercury from the body but I think adding borax to your protocol will help to more quickly eliminate the fluorine. See Ted's borax water protocol here.
Another thing you can do is just get a simple hair analysis — this will tell you exactly what heavy metals, halides and other poisons are in your body in excess, so you will be able to employ a much more focused protocol to get rid of all these poisons from your body.
And for now, perhaps it would be best to reduce your iodoral protocol to just 50mgs per day — or at least to a level where the effects of the detox are not so severe.
One word to all suffering from Lyme: Margaritas…. Not kidding. Something about the combination of lime salt and tequilla works against parasitic infections. Think about it. Mexico, Margaritas, and the worst parasitic water ever but the Mexicans aren't suffering from Lyme. I tried it 3 times a day and no more Lyme.
Are you being serious? 3 x's a day for how many days is the question? Interesting, Thanks
Iodine for Skin Cancer:
Started out with 3 spots of face, one close to eye, one hiding in eyebrow and a beauty on side of nose, that derm said beginnings of melanoma. She blasted the frozen stuff, but still present and hurt like hell. Decided to use regular tincture of iodine, applied with q tip 3 times a day. Within a month they are completely gone! Worst was on nose, which burned and got worse, before it got better. Burned, scabbed about 5 times, but don't give up!! I would put a spot bandage on if going out but removed when home. Keep it dry, and don't pull off scab. NO scarring, just nice new clear skin now!!! Swabbed sore throat that just won't quit last night and is better today. Fantastic stuff this iodine. Also, Lugol's iodine won't sting and you can use it to purify water if need be.
hi… Fascinating to read about the iodine. I use petty spurge for bccs (basal cell carcinomas). It grows here like a weed. its actually called Euphorbia Peblis. The sap kills off any cancer cells.
I've dealt with at least six to eight bccs on my upper chest and face over the years. I only have very small scarring to cope with now.
The trouble is, you can't use it near your eyes as it can blind you.
My son has just had bccs removed from his lower eye lid. He had to have the eye lid completely removed and reconstructed. It was upsetting to know that I couldnt treat the area because of its proximity. He has had major surgery, and had to have two surgeries to get it right.
Is iodine just the one you can buy over the counter? is it toxic to the eye? it could be another way of getting around using something on the face to get rid of cancers.
Hi, Has anyone had a iodine loading test done? Could a testing center or place be recommended? Did you find it helpful? Thanks!
Hi Bill, I started taking Iodoral a few times a week after reading how valuable it is. My doctor told me not to take more than one tablet a day or it would “blow out” my thyroid. Now I find I have hypothyroid. I am in the process of using Armour thyroid supplement at 30 mg. , with the intention of increasing it every 6-8 weeks until my TSH is 1. I bought some kelp capsules to take instead of the Iodoral. But after reading your article, I wonder if I should take the Iodoral again? We are going to monitor the thyroid nodules in a year for increase instead of doing a biopsy now. From what I’ve read, there is only a very small chance of a cancer that is aggressive in these cases, and many are diagnosed with papillary cancer but there is no increase in mortality, indicating either a cancer that is slow growing and not harmful or an outright misnomer. In order to stop the growth of the nodules, however, it seems to me to be important to increase iodine. Is this correct? Should I wait to see the effective Armour dose first, or take the iodine and probably get a good effect on a lower dose of Armour? I read a book on this but I’m still not familiar with all this. Thank you for any advice you may have.
Hi Rsw… As I’ve said many times before, TSH is a highly inaccurate test for the measurement of thyroid hormones. The better option would be, at the very least, to get your Free T3 and Free T4 levels and certain other body paramters measured instead. Free T3 and Free T4 are the active thyroid hormones that are important to your body whereas TSH is secreted from the Pituatury gland. For a more detailed explanation of this aspect, see these links:
TSH — Why It’s Useless
Recommended Lab Work
Armour thyroid used to be a good form of natural thyroid, but in 2009 they were taken over and they changed their formula and included more cellulose — a caking agent that helps form the tablet. Any caking agent will inhibit the proper absorption of nutrients. For a list of other natural thyroid options with explanations, see this link:
Natural Thyroid Options
As to the question of whether higher dose iodine is beneficial for the thyroid or not, here are two pieces of incontestable evidence which proves outright that higher dose iodine is not a poison:
* Before WW2 and for over 100 years medical doctors widely prescribed 5% lugols iodine supplemented in dosages of 50 to 300 drops per day — that’s a daily dosage of 300 mgs to 2000 mgs of LI per day!!
* For thousands of years, the Japanese have eaten seaweed (which contains iodine) in their diet — and it has been found through research that they have an average daily iodine intake of 13. 8 mgs per day(the RDA for iodine is currently 150 micrograms per day). The Japanese are one of the healthiest populations in the world as a result of this diet.
The reason for thyroid nodule formation with higher iodine intake in the West today is not due to the iodine — but is due to a very poor western food diet that hugely lacks anti-oxidants — lacking Selenium and Magnesium in particular (with a high calcium diet which acts to inhibit the proper absorption of iodine into crucial areas of the body). That’s why anyone in the West who has thyroid problems or, indeed, any other problem requiring supplemented iodine, should always follow The Iodine Protocol without fail.
For a more detailed explanation from independent research which explains all the reasons why you get thyroid nodule formation with higher iodine intake — see these links:
Iodine and Your Thyroid
Facts About Autoimmune Thyroiditis
I do believe you on the T3 & T4 testing. But unfortunately, last month when I went to retest my TSH level, I mentioned to the doc that I wanted to test the T3 & T4 also. Actually, I tried to demand that they test it, stating that the TSH level is an incomplete indicator of the thyroid. She wouldn’t hear such talk. She said something like – no, this is how we test. And acted as if she’d never even heard of the other tests! They are “the authorities”, and will not do what a patient asks if it’s not in their agreeable scope of “knowledge”.
With my TSH level just inside the normal range, they would definitely not do any further testing.
And being on the state health-care system, I do not have a choice of doctors, nor could I ever afford a doctor that I would actually intentionally choose myself. So I only go to the doc minimally, like for a blood test or an asthma inhaler.
Any suggestions on how to get the proper tests done for an affordable price, without a referral? (I’m in southern California).
Thanks for all that info and links, even though I wasn’t the one who asked. (I’ll continue to eat Brazil nuts for selenium, but do I need to eat a few every time I take a drop or 2 of Lugol’s? Also, there’s no knowing whether the source of the nuts is depleted or not. So might it be better to take a supplement on and off?)
Thank you, Bill, for all the useful links you have given, and also the info on Armour. In reading “Solved:The Riddle of Illness” by Stephen Langer, MD, which was recommended to me earlier, it seemed to say a lack of iodine could cause nodules, so I was confused as to why I would avoid iodine if the goal was to reduce or maintain what is already there. I will continue with the iodine and the other supplements, as explained. I am so surprised to see how many illnesses can occur as a result of low thyroid. Ohio has the lowest level of Selenium in it’s soil, which can apparently lead to cancer, so I will be eating a few Brazil nuts daily, too. Thanks so much for all you do to help people everyday, and for answering my questions so I can understand the answers.
Every time I take one drop a day of iodine from seaweed for a few days, I start to feel congestion in my chest. Could this be a cleansing reaction and if so what is the best course of action for improving my lung health? I am physically active and have a strong cardio vascular system.
Hi, TQVM [Thank You Very Much] for the posts on EC. I was informed of some benefits of seaweeds but there are many types of seaweeds. Seaching ‘seaweeds’ on EC gave interesting readings but there no specific topic on seaweeds.
Are all seaweeds have the same benefits ? Especially those found in South East Asia and those in Europe ?
Thank you for sharing your opinions and experience on seaweed.
Regards.
I’ve been taking Lugol’s steadily for about three or four weeks – slowing building. I’m at six drops of 2% per day. Also taking C and selenium. Experiencing some symptoms, and am wondering if the intense menstrual cramps I am feeling today could be related? Thanks for any insight.
I’m taking the iodine for my thyroid nodules and fybrocystic breasts, by the way.
Ecfan99, if you suspect iodine for the cramps, why not try it externally?
Side effect reported
Ok EarthClinic, I’m counting on you for some kind of answer. I have been taking Lugol’s 5% iodine for the past 6 months and I have had such a terrible time with my skin. I have never, ever, in all my years of illness had bad skin. In fact, it was the one thing I had left that was wonderful and beautiful and I was frequently complimented on. Not so much the case anymore.
I am up to 8 drops a day, split to 4 drops morning and night. I also take 2 tsp of macqui berry powder (vitamin c), 1 tsp MACA powder, 1 3/4 tsp magnesium/calcium powder (CALM), and spike every 16 oz of water with 1/4 tsp ACV and lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt. In addition, I am cleansing for systemic candida which I’m taking a yeast control product and 3 tbsp of extra virgin coconut oil. I also take a very good daily vitamin (that has loads of goodies in it), vitamin d, astaxanthin, and ubiquinol. I even now use a cosmetic product that’s made primarily with magnesium oil as well as many other good essential oils.
I have previously done extensive colon and liver cleansing. I have never cleansed my kidneys completely.
I exercise every day and go in my infrared sauna. I also try to do coffee enemas as frequently as I can to clean my blood.
The nature of the acne is quite odd too. They aren’t actually bonfide pimples. They are usually a very hard sebum that more often then not I have to dig out of the skin because it won’t come out on it’s own. And when I finally get it out, I try to smash the sebum between my thumb nails (gross, I know) just to see how hard it is and sometimes it won’t crush. Almost like a pebble. And then I’m left with a very slow healing wound on my face.
I’m trying to keep a positive disposition and look at it as a good thing because I know my body is detoxing and that’s great. And I know that I’m doing a lot at once to detox but I feel as though I keep all of my pathways of detoxification flowing pretty well. Nothing is stopped up. So why the acne? And why such a weird form of the acne? Should I be doing something else in addition to my protocol?
Hi, check with Bill but it could be B3?
Von Butz: Take a Cal/Mag/Zinc instead of the Cal/Mag. A mixed Caroteinoid complex seems appropriate here also. Take Vit-E and Selenium with your Ubiquinol (not same time as caroteinoids).
Hi Von Butz… If you are taking larger dose lugols iodine then bromide detox causing skin problems is a known problem. This is not really because of a problem with the iodine — the problem is that iodine is too efficient at removing bromine (too much bromine from food, drugs etc in the body). Thus iodine ends up dumping alot of bromine into the blood which the body cannot remove fast enough, so the skin, which is also an excretory organ in the body, tries to help excrete the bromide as well and the excess bromine being excreted through the skin is what causes the strange skin problems. The detailed reasons for this bromide detox problem with symptoms are given in this link:
http://www.breastcancerchoices.org/bromidedominancetheory.html
The solution to this problem seems to be to supplement Sea Salt, Vitamin C and Zinc. You can also pulse the dose (take the full iodine dose then stop taking iodine for two days) which will stop too much bromide being dumped into the blood — causing excretion through the skin. Sea salt is key in helping to remove the bromide (causing your skin problem) more quickly and efficiently. The chloride from the salt binds to the bromide and simply excretes it safely and quickly through the urinary pathway. The bromide detox strategy is more fully explained here:
http://www.breastcancerchoices.org/bromidedetoxsymptomsandstrategies.html
This should help to get rid of your skin problems.
Hello All, I am having an issue. I’ve been taking Lugol’s 5% iodine for about 6 months now. I have finally reached the max dose and have been taking 8 drops a day, 4 in the morning and 4 at night for about 3 weeks now. I mix the the iodine with a few tablespoons of water and hold it under my tongue for 30 seconds.
This morning, I noticed a slight yellowing/browning on my bottom front teeth and upon checking the inside of my front teeth was horrified to find that they are “30-year-smoker” status. Simply, my bottom teeth (just in the front) are perfectly brown but only from the inside. Again, from the front, they are just yellowing/browning on a minor level.
After I calmed down and assessed the situation, I figured out that my permanent retainer was the culprit. I had braces for a few years in high school and as some of you know, orthodontists will put a permanent retainer in on the bottom teeth on the inside (I should probably just get the thing removed). I’m figuring that the iodine is reacting with the metal of the retainer, clinging to it, and as the day goes on, it slowly slides down the back of my teeth. I’m assuming idodine has metallic properties?
I am very particular about my teeth. I use a natural toothpaste, flouride-free, I swish with hydrogen peroxide after brushing. I floss everyday (maybe twice if need be). And I do still wear my invisalign retainer.
My only vice is I drink coffee but I don’t drink nearly enough to cause this kind of staining.
From now on, I will be diluting the iodine in adequate amounts of water and shooting it as quickly possible. I would opt to paint the iodine on but my skin is very fair and it has a cool undertone. I fear the iodine would NEVER go away.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to whiten the teeth? Will it just go away over time? Could I possibly have permanently stained the teeth?
*Fair warning to all those taking iodine with permanent retainers or braces: Take heed and keep an eye on your teeth! *
Thanks!
-That 28-year-old with smoker’s teeth (or Natalie)
Hi, Perhaps you should change the way you take the Lugol’s 5% Iodine solution, I was doing it like you internally and was up to 35 DROPS a day in divided dosis and sometimes I felt water running out of mine nose meaning stop you have reached the limit. At the beginning of the month I started to paint it on the inside of my forearm and use only 7 drops in the AM with the dropper I drop the dropplets about a inch apart and then with the side of the dropper I smear or roll it on, than the next day I use the other arm. Works for me. I’m Hypothyroid (83 yr male) and in the AM my temp is slowly coming up to 97.7. I would like to get it over the 98 mark.
If you look at the bottle it probably says for external use only. Take care and do your own DD
For iodine intake I have made delicious “Kelp Tea” (tastes like clear broth) by steeping Wakame seaweed in hot water and sipping it. The label states it is Australian Certified Organic and comes from icy cold, clear waters off eastern Canada. I presumed this to be a natural source of iodine but now wonder if heavy metals are undoing any good I thought it would do. Any ideas?
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.
What kind of Iodine did you take? Thanks.
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.
I tested for Iodine deficiency (urine test) which showed my Bromide levels were elevated and Iodine was deficient.
I have been taking 50mg per day of Iodoral for the past 5 months to hopefully excrete bromide and saturate with iodine. In addition, I have been taking a minimum of 3k mg daily of ascorbic acid vitamin c, 400 mg magnesium oxide, 200mcg of selenium and 1 pill of atp co-factors. These supplements are all in tablet form with fillers which might not be good!
My question is I would like to know what Ted recommends for excreting bromide so that Iodine can become saturated. There is a liquiod Iodine supplement called Lugol’s that many people talk about… Please provide your recommendations!
Also, have you heard of Intramax, Intrakid and Intramin from Drucker Labs? Please provide your thoughts on these products!
Thanks, Mark
To Mark – Have you retaken the iodine loading test/bromide test again since starting iodine supplementation to determine that your system still has too much bromide and not enough iodine?
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.
Bjornbjorn, first try adding water to your menu. More than you usually drink, up to 2 liters daily.
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.
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!
http://www.health-science-spirit.com/iodine.html Good info, I use use it & it has done wonders for me.
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
Side effect reported
Hello again. I just started my family on Lugol’s iodine. We are up to 3 drops in water/orange juice in AM. Last night my husband’s back/leg pain was worse than usual. Would this have anything to do with an iodine detox? Also, this morning he was very irritable, probably due to pain but wondering if one has anything to do with the other. We also take a liquid multi each AM and hopefully there is enough supplements (selenium, boron) to help with the iodine reaction. Please advise if there are any suggestions to our current protocol and if we should just continue on this course, slowly working up to more drops each day. Thanks for any help. It is so nice to be able to heal ourselves from the inside out. Also, an interesting observation, our dreams are much more vivid after starting lugol’s.
Also, Maggie, are you following the full iodine protocol? You should be taking Vitamin C, magnesium, selenium and unrefined sea salt (should be grey or pink in color). If you are having detox you can try taking 1/2 tsp. Of unrefined salt in 1/2 cup warm water and then follow with a full glass of water. You can repeat this every 30-45 minutes until urination. Before I started iodine I took lots of liver support. That might help you with detox issues.
Maggie, maybe it’s better to back off on the Lugol’s to a drop LESS for a few days and see if symptoms go away. Then add a drop every few days or even weeks, what’s the rush? Slower seems safer to me.
Cramping, muscle pain is likely mineral deficiency, like magnessium, potassium, B vit….. It is so important when taking iodine, I. E. Lugol’s, that you follow the rest of the protocol (supplements). Iodine is awesome for your body, but in order for detox(cleaning out) and saturation to work, your pathways have to be nourished as well. All these things work together. There is lots of info on this site about iodine therapies. Also, David Brownstein, a Dr., has many books about using Iodine to treat disease, and again the kicker to having much success, the support supplements so your body works harmoniously for a less symptomatic healing. be well.
HI U GOOD PEOPLE DOIN, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Well it appears that Dr Simoncini’s iodine treatment for skin growths and cancer may work. The iodine turned the growth into a black scab and now it is begining to turn loose. The protocol is to continue treatment even though the skin is clear. The theory is that cancer is a fungus and will come back if iodine treatment is not continued for awhile. The complaint of Derotologist’s is that the growth returns. What I have learned to do is to circle the spot with vasoline to contain the iodine. That works pretty well. All is not done yet. When my 75 year old left hand looks like a babies butt, then I will report back. Ya’ll behave for a change. =====RH=======
I have been taking Lugol’s Iodine 2% for about 6 months. The very first thing I noticed was that some cysts I had in my arm pit went away and have never returned. I have had problems with cysts for years mostly in the sensitive parts of my body and not a one has appeared since I’ve been on Lugol’s.
There are many who are still either extremely skeptical or who are fearful of supplementing Lugol’s Iodine for health. But, just recently, I have found a series of 5 videos by Dr Brownstein, who fully describes in detail why iodine — in the form of lugol’s iodine — is so necessary for the body. He lists and talks about all the diseases and illneses which are actually caused by iodine deficiency — and the number is profuse. He also presents all the statististics, history of use and current research evidence which may surprise you. This series of videos is based on his well known book — Iodine:Why you Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It.
Here is the first video in the series(you can easily find the other 4 videos in the series on youtube):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj-dwWsm8D0&feature=related
Hello, I see that you're from the Philippines and I have a friend who would like to try Lugol's or Iodoral, but she hasn't found a good source and said that the stores don't carry it in her area. Could you steer me in the right direction. Is there a company that will ship to her and that won't cost an arm and a leg in shipping charges? Thank you so much!!
Hi Kami…You can buy 500 mls of Lugol’s Iodine in Manila for delivery within the Philippines from this website:
Lugol’s Iodine — Manila
The above 500 mls or half liter of lab grade lugols iodine will only cost you 380 pesos($8.52) and is astonishingly cheap(and will last you for years) when you compare it’s price against J Crow’s LI(made in America) which costs a ridiculous $25 for just 30 mls of LI for equine use.
Other vendors of LI in Manila are shown below:
Light Infinity Wellness Center,
West Avenue, near Baler ST,
Quezon City
Tel: 414 10298
Website: http://callbizdev.wix.com/lightinfinitywellnesscenter
Generics King Pharmacy
San Francisco
930-G Del Monte Ave,
SFDM, 1104 Quezon City,
Philippines
Tel: 632-4116692
Link: http://www.genericsking.com
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
We need help. My husband read your remedies for iodine. He has some “skin tags” one under each of his arm pits. He also has what looks like a precancerous growth on his scrotum and another skin tag there. He read that Lugol’s Solution of 5% Iodine put on 2-3 times a day would allow the skin tags to eventually fall off and the little growth on his scrotum about the size of a pea would heal from the inside out.
We have followed all the instructions for over 2 weeks. The only change is that the skin tags under his arms look like they are darker in color and are getting hard. They all are in a bad place as they all get rubbed whenever he moves. When applying the iodine, it now “stings” and I’m getting concerned!! We are not doctor people and he did show the little growth to his MD in Homer and the doctor said it was “no big deal”. Al is 70 yrs. of age and we are wintering in the Phoenix area during the winter. I don’t know what else to do. Did we buy the wrong iodine? I put neosporin and vitamin 3 oil on each thing after each application. Can you help us? I’m getting desperate!! Jan
Jan, here is an edited paste from previous post that worked for me: “A few yrs ago I had a mole on my back that became red, swollen, and irritated. I never had any test run, but one doc said there was involvement and to keep an eye on it. I neglected to do anything about it until it became larger and more irritating. I topically used and rotated several natural and synthetic products perhaps once a week or so: Vit-E oil w/ lemon, cod liver oil, alcohol, triple antibiotic ointment, metronadizole creame. A yr or more passes with only little results. Next I use tea tree oil, and one of the oldest over-the-counter salves on the market —Porters SalveOnly weeks later the cancer itched one again, I took of my shirt, go to the mirror in the bathroom and scratched the ugly thing off. It simply fell to the floor and left not even a scar. Done.
I think the variety of medicines was the key to this cure as there are likely numerous types of pathogens involved in these things. Like any cancer treatment that shows no sign of working after 6 or 8 wks, drop it and adopt a different protocol. Also, I think the Porters Salve is what dealt the death blow. There is another proly not-so-familiar topical cancer salve called “Tumorgone” w/ the main ingredient as bloodroot which I use as needed w/ good results.
Hope this helps and good luck. Please report changes.
Hi Jan, Might be time to try another approach if what you’ve been doing is either not helping and/or starting to hurt. Have you tried castor oil? It works wonders for so many skin-related issues, and I know I’ve read about it’s helpful history with both skin tags and cancerous or possibly cancerous skin issues. It does not burn, is extremely gentle and safe with a long, positive history of helpfulness.
I wonder if a twice per day application schedule, leaving it on for at least 10 minutes during the day, as well as overnight might help? I’m sure I’ve read of something that can be mixed with it to get rid of skin tags more quickly. If I remember it, I’ll reply again.
Best of luck to you and your husband.
I had a skin tag last spring that fell off from applying ACV. What you are describing, with the skin tags becoming hard and dark, is exactly what happened to mine right before it fell off. You are almost done! They will sting when you apply the treatment, and that means it’s working. Stick with it. Have him take a nice hot shower and gently scrub the hardened skin tags to encourage them to come off. Mine came off in the shower. When they are ready they will just fall off. They will be really annoying the harder they get, and they will become a little uncomfortable, but they will fall off! Hang in there!
I know this may be more costly than lugols, but I know for a fact in my own experience that essiac tea will talk care of skin tags and growths. Research it and you can even buy the powder to make your own so it is more economical for you. Hope this helps.
Hi again, I’m with Sara… Essiac tea taken internally can be wonderful for the skin, especially if any precancerous activity may be going on. Sara, can it be used externally as well?
I read somewhere that skin tags were a sign of to much sugar, like a warning of a prediabetic condition it might pay to check for sugar in the urine. Otherwise keep doing the ACV thing and they will fall off.
Everything that happens to the skin at this level, happens internally, therefore, the best way to treat it is internally.
From your iodine page: http://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/iodine.html
Having been trained as a medic in the U. S. Air Force many years ago during the Viet Nam era, I have a working familiarity with Iodine. Back then, the antibiotics we used most for field use were Penicillin and cloromycetin (not sure about the latter’s spelling). Cloromycetin was great for surgery in less than sterile conditions but it could have serious drawbacks, frequent or long term use being some of them.
For surface wounds iodine seemed to work for nearly everything since it would absorb “beneath the top skin layers”. That was what separated it from other germ killing agents popular back then.
When using Iodine on a wound, it was never placed on the open wound itself, only around the edges of it. Hence its absorption usefulness.
I am thinking of starting taking Lugol’s tomorrow but I am still unsure of how to take it. I read a book but the author doesn’t say anything about it and what I find on the Internet is contradictory. Some say to take it 30 min. before eating in a glass of water with ACV. Others say during the meals, someone here said 60 min. before the meal….. I have no idea! Does it make a difference and should I take it with the ACV?
Hi Francisca, I have been taking Lugol’s topically. I am kind of worried to take it internally because I have many allergies / sensitivities to so many different things. I am wondering how others do the skin application.
I have been doing iodine foot painting, alternating bottoms of feet with my lower abdomen (ovary area) and breasts.
Doing approx. 1/3 of a dropper of 2% almost every day. I did back off a bit one time a month or so ago when I had some heart racing / palpitations. (They went away, and may have been because I had not been taking my magnesium as I should have been).
I am wondering if iodine painting compares in any way to taking it internally?
I have only read enough about it to be totally and utterly confused at this point. 😉
If anyone has any information on this as well as Francisca’s question, I would really appreciate hearing from them.
Thanks,
Carly
All by itself in a full glass of water is best for quick absorption, but it doesn’t matter much. The most important thing is sufficient doses and regimen for a few months, I. E. at least 12.5 – 50mg – see e.g. http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-08/IOD_08.htm
Francisca, the iodine yahoo group recommends taking it with food. This helps improve absorption and avoids any possible stomach upset. It is also recommended to take before 2pm as it can sometimes disturb sleep, though for me, if I have taken it later in the day, it hasn’t affected my sleep.
Hi Francisca & Carly, Whichever way you choose please only start with one drop per day and see how you go ie detox reactions. Personally I think a week or two before going to the next level of 2 drops per day. We have taken it a few ways eg: in a glass of water 60 mins before eating; in water with a little Apple Cider Vinegar 30 mins before eating; at first 5 – 10 min before meals.
I too have read different ways/times to take it. Taking it before meals 30 -60 seems to be more often recommended. Personally we are doing what is convenient for us because that way at least we take it. We also take the recommended selenium, magnesium and Vit C although not at the same time as the iodine time.
Carly, in my opinion, you don’t always absorb all that you paint on your skin (evaporation and such) and since it is recommended to take 25-50 mg at minimum, I don’t think you could paint enough to get that. If you don’t have an allergic reaction on your skin, you should be able to take it internally. You can always do both.
Hi Lisa (from Rabat, Morocco), Thanks for your info. I keep forgetting about the salt could you tell me how to take the salt? Also do you take the mag, selenium and vit c at the same meal or at a different time? Currently we add the grey coloured sea salt to all our meals. Thanks.
Hi Maria, I always take the mag. Selenium and vit C together. It’s just easier that way. I have a liter water bottle that I add about a 1/2 tsp. Salt. Everytime I refill the bottle I add more salt. I am not a big fan of salt, but after doing this for awhile I don’t like to drink plain water anymore. I also add extra to my food. As long as the salt is unrefined (usually gray or pink) it is okay to use and it has not affected my blood pressure. I believe it is the refined table salt that does this for those who worry about salt intake.
I should clarify my remarks about taking all the supplements together. I split up my doses of magnesium and vitamin C throughout the day.
Francisca, I take mine in a little milk. It masks the taste. Before meals would be better for absorption for sure. I don’t think you can take it at the same time as Vitamin C. Get ready for really vivid dreams.
Debbie, I started yesterday with one drop but I took it with the meal, today as well. I will try to take it before a meal tomorrow. I usually dream quite a lot, let’s see what happens! This seems to be Hulda Clark’s recipe, 5% iodine, 7% potassium iodide. On the bottle it says that one can take quite a bit more but I will go up a drop at a time. So far so good….. Let’s see! I don’t want any trouble! I hope it will cure the bags under my eyes, my weak hair, cold feet, insomnia and a few other things. I will keep you posted. So far I tried Turmeric in the tea for the bags under my eyes as someone advised here without any results. I am taking Vit. C, selenium, magnesium, the lot, and eating some Cilantro (coriander).
Do you know what I am also trying out and which seems to be working? I am getting rid of my addiction to warmth. I have always been too cautious with keeping myself warm, during the day and at night, now I am getting rid of all those layers of chlothing and I have only a thin blanket in bed although it is winter here and very cold it is too! It feels weird to get rid of my thick jumpers and thick duvet in bed but I am getting there without too much difficulty! I read a book about skin care where the author says that it is awful for skin and hair to be always far too hot and that we can retrain our thermostat. I believe we can because if you look at the young people here in Europe going around in the winter with hardly anything on that really is possible. But well, this is a training you can hardly do in Australia!
Hello Everyone!
Does Iodine deficiency cause cracked feet? How do I know if I am iodine deficient? I have been suffering from cracked feet my whole life. I tried from A to Z nothing had been working. I will highly appreciate if someone will share thier thought here. Thanks
It’s possible that you have a hypothyroid. One of the symptoms of a hypothyroid is severe cracked feet. Iodine might help if this is the case. You should check out the symptoms of hypothyroid and maybe get tested for it just to be sure. Some of the other symptoms are:
You can have your thyroid hormone levels checked by your regular doctor or do some simple tests at home to get an idea. Just be very careful if you are diagnosed with hypothyroid problems as regular doctors like to fix this by prescribing synthetic hormones which usually don’t work.
One way to check your thyroid at home is to take your temperature a few times throughout the day. If it is below 98. 6 around 3 pm then it is very possible you have low thyroid function and possibly hypothyroid disease. You can go to these sites for help with temperature and thyroid info.
http://allonhealth.com/hypothyroidism-test.htm
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/temperature/
Has anyone used Detoxadine Iodine? It is supposed to be more gentle on the stomach and it contains no alcohol which can trigger off allergies? I cannot find this Iodine anywhere on your site. Thanks Ted or anyone who is using it. Karenina
I have tried the Detoxadine and I don't think it is strong enough. It taste kind of good but I think it's too weak. I wouldn't recommend it.
I've tried the Detoxadine and it gave me hot flashes with only one drop a day. I stopped the supplement and went back on the Lugols. I've not had any hot flashes with the Lugols 2%.
Hi Karenina…Detoxadine is nascent iodine which only contains triiodide. It’s also fairly well known that triodide forms of iodine do not detox heavy metals very well. Lugols Iodine is much better for detox. So naming it Detoxadine is just a contradictory marketing ploy.
That’s why I always prefer to use lugols iodine because it contains iodide, molecular iodine as well as triiodide — all of which are useful for the body.
The reason you get strange side-effects from using any form of iodine is because you have probably been eating a supermarket-bought processed food diet all your life which is high in heavy metals and other poisons and hugely lacking in anti-oxidants.
So your body will be lacking in anti-oxidants and will also probably have an excess build up of heavy metals and halides. To check this you can get a simple hair analysis — this will tell you all vitamins and minerals your are lacking in your body and will also tell you about the excessive heavy metal and halide levels in your body as well.
Lugol’s Iodine will detox cadmium, aluminum, mercury, lead, arsenic, bromine and fluorine. So if you have high amounts of these heavy metals and halides already in your body, iodine will remove them quickly from the cells and put them into the blood and this puts a strain on the liver and kidneys, hence the strange hyper symptoms. So the problem here is really your diet and not the iodine.
And if you also have an extensive infection in your body(known or unknown), iodine may also cause a significant Herx reaction from the die-off with more strange symptoms.
I take 8 drops 5% lugols iodine(50 mgs) per day — been doing this every day for 8 years — with no side-effects at all because I always ensure to take the iodine companion supplements like selenium, vitamin C, Magnesium, B Vitamins, Zinc etc as advised in this document:
The Guide to Supplementing Lugols Iodine(or Iodoral)
You should never supplement any form of iodine without also taking the iodine companion supplements every day as well. With iodine, start small and go slow is the rule.
Lugols Iodine and Iodoral are equivalent and are the most useful iodine supplements for the body.
Hi Karenina…Detoxadine is nascent iodine which only contains triiodide. It’s also fairly well known that triodide forms of iodine do not detox heavy metals very well. Lugols Iodine is much better for detox. So naming it Detoxadine is just a contradictory marketing ploy.
That’s why I always prefer to use lugols iodine because it contains iodide, molecular iodine as well as triiodide — all of which are useful for the body.
The reason you get strange side-effects from using any form of iodine is because you have probably been eating a supermarket-bought processed food diet all your life which is high in heavy metals and other poisons and hugely lacking in anti-oxidants.
So your body will be lacking in anti-oxidants and will also probably have an excess build up of heavy metals and halides. To check this you can get a simple hair analysis — this will tell you all vitamins and minerals your are lacking in your body and will also tell you about the excessive heavy metal and halide levels in your body as well.
Lugol’s Iodine will detox cadmium, aluminum, mercury, lead, arsenic, bromine and fluorine. So if you have high amounts of these heavy metals and halides already in your body, iodine will remove them quickly from the cells and put them into the blood and this puts a strain on the liver and kidneys, hence the strange hyper symptoms. So the problem here is really your diet and not the iodine.
And if you also have an extensive infection in your body(known or unknown), iodine may also cause a significant Herx reaction from the die-off with more strange symptoms.
I take 8 drops 5% lugols iodine(50 mgs) per day — been doing this every day for 8 years — with no side-effects at all because I always ensure to take the iodine companion supplements like selenium, vitamin C, Magnesium, B Vitamins, Zinc etc as advised in this document:
The Guide to Supplementing Lugols Iodine(or Iodoral)
You should never supplement any form of iodine without also taking the iodine companion supplements every day as well. With iodine, start small and go slow is the rule.
Lugols Iodine and Iodoral are equivalent and are the most useful iodine supplements for the body.
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
Here is some additional info we found on the following website:
http://www.cancercontrolsociety.com/bio2005/flechas.html
“… Work done by many researchers over the last few years has shown that iodine is utilized by many different sections of the body. Twenty percent of all of the iodine sits in the human skin. A lack of iodine in the skin manifests as very dry skin and skin that does not sweat when an individual becomes hot. In newborn children iodine is responsible for the development of the babies’ I.Q. Recent research shows iodine deficiency is felt to be the source of attention deficit disorder in children.
Iodine is utilized by every hormone receptor in the body. The absence of iodine causes a hormonal dysfunction that can be seen with practically every hormone inside the body. Dr. Flechas has recently been able to show that patients with insulin resistant diabetes have a partial to full remission of their illness in the presence of taking iodine. Iodine deficiency is also felt to be the source of ovarian cysts. With iodine replacement therapy the cysts disappear and women have stopped having ovarian cysts.
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.
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.
The classic sign of iodine deficiency is an enlarged thyroid gland. Some people with hypothyroidism develop an extremely large thyroid, known as goiter. Today, iodine deficiencies in the United States and other developed countries are rare because table salt is supplemented with iodine and crops in developed countries are generally grown in iodine-rich soil. In developing countries, however, where soil is often low in iodine, more than one billion people are estimated to be at risk for disorders caused by iodine deficiencies.
Uses
Iodine offers a variety of potential therapeutic uses, primarily in the prevention of hypothyroidism. A health care provider may also recommend iodine supplements for the following conditions:
Fibrocystic Breast Changes
There is some evidence to suggest that hypothyroidism and/or iodine deficiencies may contribute to the development of fibrocystic breast tissue. People with fibrocystic breasts experience tenderness, particularly just before menstruation. Certain foods may worsen breast tenderness such as caffeine (including from chocolate) and high fat foods. During a physical exam, the doctor can feel cysts and fibrous (hardened) tissue. A review of clinical studies found that iodine replacement therapy (particularly for those with low levels of iodine) may improve the tenderness associated with fibrocystic breast tissue. The women taking iodine experienced very few side effects.
Iodine deficiency has also been associated with ovarian cysts, breast cancer, thyroid goiter and hypothyroidism. Recent work in the field of iodine deficiency has shown that replacement therapy decreases the risk of breast cancer and promotes the reversal of fibrocystic breast disease.
Vaginitis
Many women with chronic vaginal symptoms use over-the-counter preparations such as iodine to relieve symptoms. Iodine, used as a douche, may reduce vaginal inflammation as well as the itching and discharge that go along with this health condition. Povidone-iodine has the advantage of iodine without the disadvantages of stinging and staining.
Douch for vaginitis: generally two tablespoons of an iodine solution to one quart of warm water once per day. Douching should not be done without first consulting your healthcare provider.
Wounds
Iodine is commonly used as a topical treatment for wounds. Ointments containing iodine are frequently used on burns to lower the risk of infection.
Dietary Sources
Iodized salt is the primary dietary source of iodine. Plant and animal sea life, such as shellfish, white deep-water fish, and brown seaweed kelp, absorb iodine from the water and are great sources of iodine. Garlic, lima beans, sesame seeds, soybeans, spinach, Swiss chard, summer squash, and turnip greens are also good sources of this mineral. Bakeries may also add iodine to dough as a stabilizing agent, making bread another source of iodine.
FOODS THAT PREVENT THE BODY FROM UTILIZING IODINE
Foods that prevent the body from using iodine are: turnip, cabbage, mustard greens, cassava root, soybeans, peanuts, pinenuts and millet. These foods are called goitrogens and excessive consumption can cause goiters. However, cooking usually inactivates goitrogens.
Available Forms of Iodine
Sodium iodide (iodine) is available as part of a multivitamin/mineral combination or as a topical treatment for wounds.
Precautions
Sudden, large doses of iodine may impair the production of thyroid hormones, causing hypothyroidism temporarily in someone with otherwise normal thyroid function. Excessive iodine intake can also increase the risk for other thyroid diseases such as Hashimoto's, Graves', certain thyroid cancers, and thyrotoxicosis (a dangerous condition due to an excessive amount of thyroid hormones in the bloodstream). For these reasons, iodine supplementation is not recommended for people who live in areas where iodine levels are sufficient.
SEAWEED DOSAGES
11/24/2006: Our Bangkok contributor Ted writes, "Iodine is taken when you suspect you have a deficiency. But it is not taken everyday at all and often it is taken once or twice a week. Only when you know you need it. Seaweed contains both iodine and bromine, which generally means you can't overdose on iodine. The reason is simple: bromine displaces iodine. But when bromine and iodine are present together, it makes for iodine bioavailability, while bakery products high in bromine will displace the iodine. The interesting thing is when bromine and iodine (found in nature) as in seaweed are found together, once the body doesn't need iodine it can easily be removed due to the presence of bromine. I have not seen any case of excess iodine consumption from taking of seaweed, but I have seen quite often excess consumption of iodine when they are added in the salt and taken too much. The reason is nature presents us with many minerals in their respective ratios and their antagonism preventing such an overdose and allowing the body to achieve greater equilibrium. This issue appears to be consuming foods from natural rather than chemical if you fear of any possible overdose. Ted"
A couple of comments on the above statements:
1. Iodine is found in every cell in the body and the thyroid is only one of the organs in the body that stores iodine. The mammary glands store even more iodine than the thyroid. Research being done by the Iodine Project is finding that women with breast cancer and fibrocystic breast disease are all iodine deficient. There are also strong connections between iodine deficiency and ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids. A study in Italy followed 26 pregnancies and children over 10 years and found that 11 of 16 children from iodine deficient area were diagnosed ADHD and each mother was iodine deficient during pregnancy. (None of the 11 children born in the iodine sufficient area had ADHD.) The thyroid’s demonstration of an iodine deficiency by swelling (goiter) is a symptom known for well over a century. Goiter had been successfully treated with iodine therapy since the 1800’s. Then in about 1948 a couple of scientists did a study and reported some misled and unsupported conclusions that sent iodine therapies for humans into oblivion. They sparked iodophobia within the world that may have caused the destruction to our health that is manifesting in many of our modern ailments and diseases.
2. “Today, iodine deficiencies in the United States and other developed countries are rare because table salt is supplemented with iodine and crops in developed countries are generally grown in iodine-rich soil. In developing countries, however, where soil is often low in iodine, more than one billion people are estimated to be at risk for disorders caused by iodine deficiencies.”
This statement is inaccurate. The soil of the Great Lakes region of the US is extremely iodine-deficient and has been since the last glacier melted. The Great Lakes region is referred to as the “Goiter Belt.” The population living there may have fewer goiters now, and the iodization of the table salt may have played a role, but so did the iodine used in the flour that made their bread and the iodine used to wash the dairy cow’s udders. But the iodophobia that struck after WWII and the use of the competing, opportunistic, toxic halides–fluorine, chlorine, and bromine–in iodine’s place is destroying our health. Iodized table salt remains on our grocers’ shelves, but less than half of the population buys iodized salt, and the salt they are buying contains other harmful chemicals used in the processing of the salt. The iodine in bread has been replaced by bromine which is toxic to our bodies. We fluoridate and chlorinate our drinking water, both toxic, competing halides that will readily take over iodine’s receptors in our bodies–but they don’t do iodine’s job!
Did you know that studies–several, good, strong studies–have been done around the world comparing the number of dental problems in the populations of fluoridated water communities to those of non-fluoridated communities and the studies show NO DIFFERENCES! Fluoride in your drinking water is not helping to ensure that you have fewer cavities, in fact, about only thing it might be doing for you is weakening your bones as it replaces the calcium in the structure. Think of that when your hip breaks!
Did you know that bromine is found in your bread, your soda pop, your mattress, your upholstery, your computer, your car, in the chemicals applied to your food supply, and in the chemicals you spray around your home to kill bugs?
On a much brighter note, did you know that the Iodine Project’s research is finding that when your body has sufficient iodine, it can actually win back its territory and step back in to do the job these toxic, worthless, intruding cousins have not been doing? Iodine supplementation–inorganic, nonradioactive iodine, such as that found in Lugol’s or Iodoral (tablet form of Lugol’s) can detoxify your body, removing excess bromine and mercury and lead and others.
http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Research_I.shtml
This link is a good starting point if you want to read some good information on iodine research.”
04/01/2009: Ted from Bangkok, Thailand replies: “Much of current research on iodine has been focused on intake of iodine, which is not a proper view of things for a couple of reasons. Namely halogens competing against iodine including chlorine, fluorine and bromine displaces iodine. Hence, in a place where there is fluoridated and chlorinated water, and where diets are high in white flour which uses bromine bleaching process all depletes iodine, so you end up having iodine deficiencies despite adequate levels of iodine intake. An iodine cannot be properly utilized also without sufficient tyrosine. There was a study of taking of inorganic iodine to resolve iodine deficiency but it failed to raise iodine levels up once deficiency has already happened. But what is so interesting is that the raising iodine levels seems to occur best if the iodine are in an organic forms found in seaweed and kelp and can raise the iodine levels. Exposure to fluoride, bromine and chlorine isn’t helping so it’s best to first avoid these other halogens as well as taking more bioavailable forms of iodine. More inorganic can help prevent some of the deficiencies and may also help ovarian cysts and fiborcystic disease as mentioned. And it’s also likely that pregnant woman may need more supplements given to breast feeding has a good chance of depletion of iodine levels. And without sufficient iodine may lead to other conditions as well as ADHD and ADD, but I have also found mother who do have these condition to have a very high heavy metals during term pregnancy, including higher than average levels of cadmium, lead, mercury and other toxic heavy metals.
It is also important to note that when a person is afflicted with any number of conditions such as ovarian cysts for example, yes, iodine helps, but there were other factors that was in play also that seemed to significantly caused ovarian cyst such as the taking of birth control pills, such as estrogen or hormone replacement. What happens is that external sources of estrogen often leads to a hormonal shutdown whenever the body detects a spike of estrogen from pills, but this doesn’t occur with hormonal patch, since the release is transdermal and the amount is small compared to taking pills which leads to a spike causing the body to shut down hormonal production for about 1-2 month, at which time the body becomes overly dependent to external hormones instead. During which time this lead to either polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), or ovarian cysts. It tends to occur in woman after 30 years of age, more often rises significantly around 33 years of age. In which case ovarian pain can occur. What is so interesting is an ovarian cyst may occur as early as a woman in the mid 20s, such as 25 years of age due to past mold exposures in the home (something like a decade or more), the common one being the black mold, which generates aflatoxins and mycotoxins, that leads to a breakdown of proteins, especially the glandular functions such as ovaries, thymus, thyroid and adrenal, being the most frequent ones I have seen. The molds and fungus generally creates these mycotoxins in order to breakdown the the protein with which the fungus can grow, unfortunately these can be our own body’s organ and it is this that it causes mensturation pain during or after menstruation period. The other issue that leads to cyst, besides low magnesium, excessive calcium and metabolic acidosis from acid forming foods, found mostly in the flour is the major issue of blood sugar. For a cyst to occur, a blood sugar spikes commonly occur after eating or a generally high blood sugar, leading to ovarian cysts being the most common issue, more so than the issue of iodine. In fact certain PCOS or ovarian cysts for example, the single most effective remedy I have found, after looking over many supplements such as vitamin B complex, selenium, iodine, magnesium, alkalization, which are indeed important, including copper, is the chromium. If long term chromium deficiency is there, it leads to a blood sugar problem and causes the calcium to be many times more soluble in blood leading to calcium accumulation of healthy tissue. Therefore the single most effective remedies against cysts, which leads to hirsute, is the chromium supplements. Iodine, selenium, and the other mentioned while important isn’t as nearly important as alkalization and the need to control blood sugar, assuming on average person who consumes typical Western food. Many supplements have to be taken, but the two needs them most often and the dose for chromium is also higher than average, where the effective dose to deal with this condition appears to be 1500 mcg.
As to the fibrocystic disease, seems to be the issue of generalized glandular suppression, that occurs from overall high fluorine and chlorine exposure during young adult life plus an exposure to black molds, fungus in general. A vaccination is also high in mycoplasma, so that’s not helping either, and most antibiotics are in fact made from fungus, so it may be possible to have certain forms of mycotoxins that leads to side effects and may not be just the antibiotics in itself.
What I am trying to say is I tend to view environmental exposure that needs to be considered first, and view each of the diseases that’s needed to reverse the condition, then looking on any individual supplements to help. For each condition it needs a specific supplements as in the case of PCOS I have mentioned.
In another case a person may have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and yes, iodine did help some, but tyrosine is also needed so that the body can utilize the iodine. However, for a chronic fatigue syndrome the most effective so far, at least in the short term is the hydrogen peroxide be added in the drinking water being the most helpful of all, especially if they are viral in nature.
So as you can see I tend to view the disease and the cause of disease and the environmental exposure as the primary way to look at finding the proper remedy. It’s not easy solution, but it’s the most effective way. Obviously a company which markets iodine or specific supplement may prefer to promote the one bullet theory, or someone I know to promote one other single theory which cures everything. It doesn’t work that way because I have seen too many cases of people who thinks one supplement will do it, as in MMS, or colloidal silver, but that is rarely the case to get a cure. The best way is often an array of different supplements and the understanding of the cause, and environmental exposure that relates to that specific condition rather than any individual supplements.
Ted”
04/14/2009: Mona from Minneapolis, MN replies: “”Organic iodine” does not imply a form of iodine grown in natural conditions as in iodine from an organic farm. Iodine is a mineral, an element like iron, aluminum, or gold. “Organic iodine,” therefore, would be an iodic compound that contains a carbon atom, as in a compound formulated in a laboratory that contains iodine molecule(s) and carbon molecule(s), such as ethylenediamide dihydriodide salt (Organic Iodine 20). The correct statement for the type of iodine present in seaweed is “inorganic iodine,” meaning a compound of iodine that does not contain a carbon molecule(s), such as potassium iodide or sodium iodide (both salts of iodine). The inorganic, nonradioactive iodines are the only forms of iodine which are safe for the body.
Organic iodines are present in pharmaceuticals, such as the organically-bound iodine used in radiographic studies (x-ray or CT “contrast”). Radioactive iodine, or radioiodine, is the isotopic versions of iodine used in nuclear medical studies and in radioactive iodine thyroid treatment. Radioactive iodine is also the toxic fallout from nuclear reactor explosions such as the one at Chernobyl. “
08/21/2009: Alimaacd from New Fairfield, Ct Usa replies: “I have been researching Iodine supplementation as part of my treatment for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis / Hypothyroidism. I would just like to point out table salt cannot be considered a reliable source of Iodine for Americans as noted in this article. I was in 2 supermarkets yesterday looking to purchase Celtic Sea Salt which I ended up finding at my local health food store. As for the table salt, most people grab a container of salt probably without noticing that some are iodized and some or most say non-iodized and that they do not provide iodine. Even the sea salts, with the exception of one, said non-iodized.”
03/15/2011: Jac from Baltimore, Usa replies: “Please help me out here- we’re on a tight budget and I ordered some of ‘strongest Lugol’s’ from an aquatic supply place. I need to be certain I’m not hurting us- especially w/the radioactive dosing we’re all getting.
*** Help? ***
So, what is the percentage and safe dosage of Lugol’s concentration of 3600 mg/per oz? I’m estimating 600 mg = vertical drop, and would administer one drop per gallon of H20, for half cup consumption twice a week. Thanx much!”
04/01/2011: Aginto from Toronto, On replies: “NASCENT IODINE… Isn’t this the safest form of Iodine to take internally Ted? I have only ever “painted” iodine on my skin because of toxicity fears… but now I have discovered NASCENT IODINE.
Can you shed some light on this? THX”
04/03/2011: Anthony from Windsor, Ontario Canada replies: “1-4 drops a day of lugols or iodoral would be safe and incorporating 3 grams a day with vitamin C for thos who may have a difficult time with the uptake of Iodine–the research on this is when Vitamin C is added with the iodine the uptake is better and easier for those who are having difficulties with absorption–taking it with selnium and tyrosine would also increase the effciasy of all the nutrients together since they form a synergeistic activity the tyrosine with the iodine to ward of specific virals and to regulate T4-T3 conversions.
Found the following article re iodine.
Iodine stimulates the thyroid. If you have Hashi’s this can stimulate auto-immune attack. It has been known to CAUSE Hashi’s in people that did not have it. This is the flip side that the iodine proponents will not tell you. Japan has the highest incidence per capita of Hashimoto’s Disease, they also have the highest intake of iodine in the world.. coincidence? If you are taking thyroid hormones you are taking iodine in proper amounts. More can cause hyper symptoms ( called detox symptoms by people pushing iodine) or hypo symptoms. It can cause thyroid LABS to be inaccurate. One never knows which way labs will go when taking iodine. If your thyroid is ABLE to process it make hormones, it will make T4 from it. If you have RT3 it will make MORE of it. OK I am done. Now they will hate me even more on the iodine group that I helped to found.
A whale doesn’t take an iodine supplement he gets plenty of iodine from whole foods plus all the other nutrients in their proper proportion these are some ways to get all the iodine and everything else you need take hawaiian spirulina they get the water from a certain depth that is highest in nutrients lowest in pollutants they have a special drying procedure called ocean cold 4 lbs of now foods Spirulina costs $80 take 1 tsp, of trachang fish sauce from import foods 12 bottles 1 case $55, per pint of water several times a day- the salt is wind and sun dried and the magnesium removes the excess sodium from the tissues. The dosage for salt is per quantity of water not per day. Get some kelp from z naturals they and the government of canada. Check for contaminants $7 per lb take 1 gram in 12 oz of water 5 times a day monday thru friday. Take the weekend off so the body can remove the excess potassium iodide from the thyroid. The sodium in kelp is 1/3 that of sea salt if you want to take an iodine supplement that is safe take iosol. For hundreds of years naturopaths the world over have been removing the potassium from potassium iodide in kelp and replacing it with ammonium. The thyroid uses potassium iodide the rest of the tissues use ammonium iodide take 50 drops a day for 1 month as a loading dose then take 7 drops a day as a maintanance dose gods goodies save.
We keep reading that certain vegetables and peanuts work against these things, but the British Thryoid Organisation has examined these issues in detail and insists that the amounts most people eat would not affect it, you would have to eat huge amounts of it every day for it to make any difference.
Dr Brownstein has written an interesting review of his own clinical experiences using lugol’s iodine. His work illustrates the necessity of taking both iodide and iodine in lugol’s form — which contains both iodide and elemental iodine. Here are some extracts:
One and a half years ago, I began testing my patients for the [iodine] loading test. Although I expected lowered body iodine levels, I was not ready for the magnitude of the results. After testing over 500 patients, I found that 94. 7% of my patients are deficient in inorganic iodine. Many of these patients were already being treated by me for thyroid and other endocrine imbalances, including SSKI. When physiologic doses of iodine/iodide were added to their regimen, many of these patients showed dramatic improvement in their condition, especially patients who were non-responders, even though some were taking SSKI.
Iodine deficiency is often thought of as synonymous with thyroid malfunction, particularly with the development of goiter. The research is clear that iodine deficiency can lead to cysts and nodules of the thyroid gland. David Marine reported the benefits of treating school-aged children with iodine/iodide (Lugol’s solution) nearly 70 years ago. Marine looked at two groups: a control group and a treatment group, which received 9mg/day of iodine/iodide. The iodine/iodide treatment group had a 0. 2% incidence of goiter while the control group had a 22% goiter 110x difference. This was the first U.S. Iodine study showing the decline of goiter formation with the use of iodine. Shortly after this study, iodized salt was initiated which was a great success in eliminating goiter in the U.S.
In medical school, little was taught about iodine. Specifically, we were taught that the iodization of salt was implemented to prevent goiter and therefore no further iodine was necessary in the diet. After studying the literature on iodine, I realized what I was taught in medical school was incorrect. The iodization of salt was adequate to lessen the prevalence of goiter, but it did not address the rest of the body’s need for iodine.
I was initially hesitant to use higher (>1mg) doses of iodine due to my concern about causing adverse effects. In reviewing much of the literature there was concern about larger doses of iodine causing hyperthyroid symptoms. However, a further, more exhaustive review of the literature failed to prove that iodine, in milligram doses ever was shown to cause hyperthyroid symptoms. In fact, as iodine levels have fallen over 50% in the last 30 years in the United States, autoimmune disorders and hyperthyroid symptoms have been increasing at near epidemic proportions.
After testing individuals and finding low iodine levels, I began to use smaller milligram amounts of iodine/iodide (6.25mg/day). Upon retesting these individuals 1-2 months later, little progress was made. I therefore began using higher milligram doses (6. 25-50mg) to increase the serum levels of iodine. It was only with these higher doses that I began to see clinical improvement as well as positive changes in the laboratory tests.
Why would people need the larger doses of iodine? Why have iodine levels fallen 50% in the last 30 years? As I pondered these questions, I came to the conclusion that the toxicity of modern life must be impacting iodine levels. It is well known that the toxic halides, fluoride and bromide, having a similar structure as iodine, can competitively inhibit iodine absorption and binding in the body.
Source: Clinical Experience with Inorganic Non-radioactive Iodine/Iodides
Clearly, from the above research, not all forms of iodine will have the same beneficial effect and smaller dosages seem to be insufficient for whole body iodine/iodide sufficiency. SSKI contains only Potassium Iodide(I-) but lugol’s contains KI(I-) as well as elemental iodine(I2), so they are not the same thing — the former is the antioxidant ionic form and the latter is the pro-oxidant molecular form. Furthermore, although SSKI is extremely beneficial, lugols has a more widespread beneficial effect on the body because of the added elemental iodine(I2).
Here is some research by Eskin and Ghent et al (1995):
Biol Trace Elem Res. 1995. Jul;49(1):9-19
Different tissue responses for iodine and iodide in rat thyroid and mammary glandsby Eskin BA, Grotkowski CE, Connolly CP, Ghent WR. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19129, USA. This research describes the effects of short-term elemental iodine (I2) and iodide (I-) replacement on thyroid glands and mammary glands of iodine-deficient (ID) Sprague-Dawley female rats. Iodine deficiency causes atypical tissue and physiologic changes in both glands. Tissue histopathology and the endocrine metabolic parameters, such as serum TT4, tissue and body weights, and vaginal smears, are compared. A moderate reduction in thyroid size from the ID control (IDC) was noted with both I- and I2, whereas serum total thyroxine approached the normal control with both I- and I2, but was lower in IDC. Thyroid gland IDC hyperplasia was reduced modestly with I2, but eliminated with I-. Lobular hyperplasia of the mammary glands decreased with I2 and increased with I- when compared with the IDC; extraductal secretions remained the same as IDC with I2, but increased with I-; and periductal fibrosis was markedly reduced with I2, but remained severe with I-. Thus, orally administered I2 or I- in trace doses with similar iodine availability caused different histopathological and endocrine patterns in thyroid and mammary glands of ID rats. The significance of this is that replacement therapy with various forms of iodine are tissue-specific.
Editor’s Note: As cited above, for iodine-deficient rats, iodine was more beneficial than iodide for the mammary gland. Similarly, for humans with fibrocystics breasts, the patients incurred more benefits from supplementing with iodine rather than iodide. The benefits included a reduction in breast size and remission of disease symptoms.
Source: http://www.breastcanceralternatives.org/iodineref.html
Therefore what becomes plainly apparent form all the above research are the following points:
* Iodide and elemental iodine do not have the same beneficial effects on the body because certain areas and organs of the body may specifically uptake only the iodide or only uptake the elemental iodine or even perhaps an intermediate form — Triiodide(I3-) — arising from a combination reaction between the Iodide and Iodine forms to resolve problems. So both forms are therefore needed for proper whole body sufficiency.
* Larger doses of both iodide and iodine are needed to resolve major problems in the body. Microgram amounts will only ever satisfy the thyroid, whereas larger milligram amounts are unquestionably needed for whole body iodine/iodide sufficiency.
* A paradigm shift in the thinking needs to occur regarding the human body’s requirement for iodine/iodine. The body needs 100 times more iodide/iodine than the thyroid — which only requires the iodide form. Therefore medical thought should more correctly consider this iodine/iodide need as a whole body deficiency rather than just as a singular thyroid deficiency.
As to why Lugol’s Iodine causes probems with some people can perhaps be put down to the elemental iodine content in the lugols which can be harsh on the stomach. Both Lugol’s Iodine and Nascent Iodine both contain the Triiodide form — the most biovailable and friendly form for the body which is also not harsh on the stomach. However, Nascent Iodine, because of its electromagnetic formation, contains far more triiodide than lugols. Because of this and whereas one drop of Lugols Iodine contains 6.25 mgs iodide/iodine, Nascent Iodine only contains about 0.6 mgs iodine per drop — but because most of it is in the triiodide form, this form is absorbed into the body ten times more efficiently than the lugol’s form. Triiodide can also easily be absobed sub-lingually or in the stomach and has a much faster action on the body than Lugol’s Iodine. The one drawback here is that Nascent Iodine is much more expensive than lugol’s iodine because it involves a more complex electromagnetic process.
iosol contains ammonium iodide take 50 drops per day for 1 month as a loading dose after that take 7 drops per day as a maintanance dose take plenty of water kelp contains potassium iodide for the thyroid take 1 gram with a pint of water 5 times a day monday thru friday on the weekend dont take any so the body can flush the excess potassium iodide from the thyroid
Would decoloration of tincture iodine with either desoluble vitamin C, lime or lemon juice reduce the strenghth or potency of iodine and its taste? Could anybody tell me the measurement for the decoloration?
Best regards.
Tincture of iodine is not to be taken internally, if that is what you are saying. I prefer to use Iodoral tablets so there is no taste, though they are a little more expensive.
You shouldn’t take vitamin c and iodine at the same time. I add my iodine to milk (can’t taste it), or to my chlorophyll solution.
Debbie, do you mean not take Vitamin C and iodine at the same time or not to take one at all if you are taking the other?
Hi Francisca, I read that you should take them but not at the same time… an hour or two apart should be okay.
I noted someone had problems with burning eyes from taking iodine. I have taken 250 mgs daily for about eight months, luv it. It has fixed all my ailments, My eyes burn, if I don’t wash well, scrub my face twice a day, I believe the iodine is loading up in the skin oils, and making it alkaline, which burns the eyes if it contacts them. Anyhoo, scrub your face, keep the oil off and you will live long and healthy taking iodine. david lubbock tx.
I recently came across this excellent free e-book that I think everyone should read and print off/email for friends and family members.
Iodine deficiency is rampant in most of us. Iodine is the best treatment for thyroid disorders, breast issues, bladder infections and many, many, many other issues. Iodine also clears up chest congestion. Iodine also improves babies IQ’s when given to pregnant women.
Iodine also detoxes the body from heavy metals. Anyway much much more information.. Well worth reading.https://www.jcrows.com/MaryJoFahey_IodineRemediesSecretsFromTheSea.pdf“
Hi Debbie… I too am continually astonished at iodine’s beneficial effects on the body. Here are some other facts I’ve stumbled across looking at all the history and research on lugol’s iodine:
* Iodine acts to lower cholesterol and also helps to successfully remove and clear plaque from the heart arteries.
* Iodine, as well as T3 and T4, tend to accumulate in the lungs. Iodine is anti-carcinogenic and anti-mutagenic. In the old pre-WW2 days iodine was used by medical doctors in much larger doses — 300 mgs to 2000 mgs amounts (50 to 300 drops a day of lugols) — to successfully treat chronic forms of bronchitis, asthma and emphysema. Lugol’s Iodine is therefore highly protective for the lungs in general.
* In larger dose, lugol’s iodine inhibits the conversion of histidine to histamine. So lugols acts as a natural anti-histamine against allergies as well.
* For low acidity problems in the stomach, taking oral lugol’s iodine will treat the root cause and revive proper acid levels in the stomach for proper digestion.
* There is an artery that runs through the thyroid/parathyroid which trickles out iodine continuously into the blood. Iodine kills 90%-95% of all known pathogens.
* Iodine in the blood also prevents bacteria and viruses from attaching themselves onto host cells for invasion, attack or reproduction.
* Cyst problems such as uterine fibroids and fibrocystic breast disease are completely resolved and cured, usually over a 3 month period, by taking 50 mgs (8 drops) lugols iodine a day.
* Taking daily oral Lugol’s Iodine can also resolve prostate problems in men.
* Larger dose lugol’s iodine, just on its own, can completely cure systemic candida. Google Search “Orian Truss iodine candida”.
All of the above benefits are associated with taking larger dose lugols. But most people still associate the small RDA microgram dose for iodine with just the thyroid when, in actual fact, the rest of the human body needs at least 100 times more iodide/iodine than the RDA recommends. Women also need much more iodine than men. For a lactating woman — her breasts alone will need 100 times more iodine than the RDA.
Thanks Bill, all very interesting. A question, how much Lugols iodine should I give to my 4 1/2 year old son? He does have a language delay and other problems so I think he is definitely deficient.
Also iodine should be supplemented with selenium I read as well.
Here is an excellent youtube video of a speech by a Dr on some of the cancers that are caused by iodine deficiency, namely endometriosis which leads to endometrial cancer, PCOS is also an iodine deficiency which leads to cancer. Fibrous breast tissue also leads to breast cancer if not supplemented with iodine. Goiter also leads to cancer.
As the Dr says iodine has been removed from bread, and from milk and we are told not to eat much salt (for some people their only source of iodine). A disaster.
A worthwhile interesting video to watch for everyone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoMfg76gAUo
Just wondering if anyone has heard of the nascent iodine and if it provides the same great results as Lugol’s iodine? Thanks all. I love this site. I have used it for all my family health issues.
Maggie, I believe 1 drop of nascent iodine contains .15 mg of iodine–you would need a lot of drops. Also, nascent does not saturate body tissues and detox halides such as bromide and fluoride. You are better off using Lugol’s.
YES I have to agree with the Iodine. I take 4 dropper fulls and literally in 48 hrs my thyroid/goiter (not noticible, but I can feel it when I swallow) has literally shrunk so well I can't feel it when I swallow anymore! I love IODINE!
Dear Bill from San Fernando,
I have been taking iodine per your postings. 2 Drops of 2% every night in half glass of water. What is different between Lugols and Nascent Iodine, do you have to take 2 days off or can you take it everyday?
Thanks Bill
Hi Susan… Lugol’s has been shown through research to alleviate and correct hypothyroid in dosages between 12.5 mgs and 50 mgs (2 and 8 drops 5% Lugols respectively). If you use the 12.5mg dose, it will take a year before full body iodine sufficiency is attained. If you take the 50 mg dose — full body iodine sufficiency will be attained in about 3 months. I am not talking just about thyroid sufficiency here — I’m talking about the whole body’s need for iodine.
See this link:
http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james37.htm
Nascent iodine, to keep it simple, is the electrochemical form of elemental iodine and is the same as Atomidine — what Edgar Cayce recommended. Certain people have iodine sensitivities and lugols iodine can have harsh effects on the stomach in certain people due to the iodine content. But Nascent Iodine tends to be much kinder and is also a highly bioavailable and tasteless form of iodine/iodide solution. It is, however, more expensive.
See this link for dosages and use of Nascent Iodine:
http://iodine.imva.info/index.php/iodine-dosages/
Also it would be advisable to take Magnesium Gluconate(250 mgs twice a day), Vitamin C(1000 mgs 3 times a day), Selenium(200 mcg twice a day) and zinc(25-50 mgs once a week).
The Selenium and Magnesium aid in certain thyroid enzyme processes to convert and store the iodine in the thyroid and to convert the T4 to the more active T3 thyroid hormone form respectively. Vitamin C has been proven to improve and increase iodine/iodide transport and absorbtion in both the intestines and into the cells and organs. These absorbtion problems are usually caused by excess bromine in the body which is chelated and removed by the Vit C. Zinc helps to improve the immune system and also helps to increase the rate and efficiency of metabolism in the body.
See this link for the most current and up to date research on iodine supplemetation by the Iodine Project:
http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Research_I.shtml
The need for daily Iodine:
http://www.iodine4health.com/overviews/uses/panam_uses.htm
Bill, If I stop taking iodized salt, what si the right amount to takr of Lugols? 3 drops a day as the bottle says? I don’t want any complication of taking too much and getting the thyroid overactive. I think a friend did that and got anxious and racing heart. But from what I’m reading here, it seems 2 drops would take a year then I don’t have much to worry about? What are the symptoms of too much and how can one alleviate them? Any antidote? Also does painting on the foot help much to get it into the body? I will consider this nascent if Lugol’s uspets the stomach too much. Thank you!
Hi Sasha… Up until the Second WW years, and for over a hundred years before this period, lugols iodine was used for a huge number of chronic problems and diseases. Doses of 300 mgs – 2000 mgs or about 50 drops to 300 drops were administered by doctors on a daily basis for chronic forms of emphysema, asthma and bronchitis (iodine has a tendency to accumulate in both the lungs and breasts and its effect is highly protective). Iodine is well known to be anti-pathogenic, anti-mutagenic and anti-cancer as well. And larger dose lugols was a successful treatment because, amongst all its other wonderful healing properties, iodine acts as a safe antihistamine, germ killer, blood purifier etc etc.
I took about 16 drops of lugols (100 mgs) per day for a while just to see what effect this would have on me. It had very little effect on me and so I concluded that because of its safe and long history of use in larger dosages by the medical profession in the past, those that do have problems with iodine now must have other problems with excreting the iodine from the body. This problem is not caused by the iodine — this is because of other medical problems within that individual.
Foot painting with iodine would probably be useful just to maintain the small thyroid iodine maintenance levels in a fairly healthy body, but would not be sufficient to satisfy the whole body’s need for iodine/iodide or enough to help cure such as hypothyroid conditions. The body also needs approximately a 100 times more iodine than the thyroid does — so you cannot guarantee that even small amounts such as 2 drops will ALL go to the thyroid — because the body, excluding the thyroid’s requirement, needs iodine too in much larger amounts. This is why you must take larger amounts of lugols to get quicker and more satisfactory results.
The absorbtion of iodine by foot-painting, from the research, seems to be very small — only about 12% of the iodine applied to the skin is ever absorbed into the body. Here is the article and research: http://thyroid.about.com/library/derry/bl2a.htm
Sasha,
I know this is not your question but I would replace the iodized table salt with unrefined Sea Salt. Refined salt has lost the other trace minerals and has added anti caking agents that you do not want to take, like Aluminum. Get unrefined sea salt like Celtic or unrefined mined salt Like Real Salt. The Iodine content is low in iodized salt and for the reasons I stated is not a good idea. Get your iodine from kelp (or other sea weed), seafood or supplements like Lugols. You can buy ground and dried sea weed and sprinkle it on food like salt. It has a salty flavor but will not impact BP as much and is a food source of iodine. Available in most health food stores.
As another option, if your stomach is an issue, you can take Lugols sublingually. Place some under your tongue and hold it for a few minutes. I don’t know how much you will absorbed but it will be better than 12% as reported in foot painting.
Dear Bill from San Fernando,
How much pumkin seeds I have to eat in order to get 25-50 mgs in my body ? You recommend taking zinc once a week along with the iodine. Zinc(25-50 mgs once a week).
This is super info everyone! I’m going to try the iodine more fearlessly within the constraints of what is recommended here. I am going to try to get more seaweed into my diet. I’ll look for some made in US East coast, not sure how all the radiation in Japan will affect things. I bought unrefined sea salt from a coop but it was pure white. I don’t think it was truly unrefined but so tricky these days with ignorant or plain out false labeling in the states. Thank you Bill and Jc. I was told there was a link of Bill’s typical supplement day, I am going to search through and find that here.
Does anyone know the link for Bill’s routine use of supplements? I remember seeing it somewhere here. I found an older one here but I know there was an updated post with chanca. There are so many supplements here and I want to narrow them down but not miss any important ones. If someone can post a link of Bill’s updated post on how he uses the supplements, please post it here. I’ve searched pages and pages but can’t find it. Thank you very much!
http://www.earthclinic.com/cures/fungus2.html
Hi Sasha… My own health routine is quite variable, however I always make sure that I take certain supplements on a regular basis. I tend to use natural more bioavailable ingredients rather than synthetic nutrients, which also tend to be more expensive anyway. And I avoid multi-vitamin tablets because they cannot be gauranteed to be dissolved properly in the intestines and be absorbed into the body, they also contain synthetic nutrients as well as additives and the nutrient amounts contained in the multi-vit pill are usually very inadequate. I therefore regard multi-vits as useless.
Everybody has their own emphasis in regard to their own health regimen. My own emphasis is that, unless you eat food that is entirely organic and grown on healthy soils and you can afford to do this, then you must continually defend yourself against the bad effects of chemically processed foods. Therefore, I never stop defending my body from the effects of modern food now. I live in the Philippines and in the semi-provinces which is fairly primitive. Most of my shopping is done at the big primitive markets here. I eat no canned or processed food. But I have seen many Syngenta and Monsanto test farms in my rural area and I am not fooled, so the food where I live cannot be regarded as organic or pure or safe if you like — therefore I defend against this and continually use a defensive and preventative approach. Most of the European and American retirees here of my age suffer from heart disease, diabetes or liver disease. This tells me a whole lot about their food diets and their bad habits. I therefore conclude that bad nutritional habits are the hardest thing in the world to change because we so love to eat sweet, acid things, we enjoy big steaks and beer etc. People look to convenience as a way out, popping a bucket full of medical pills daily to cure all their problems whilst still continuing their bad habits!! This is so crazy. I see this everywhere in the Philippines.
I always alkalize as per Ted’s remedies — I use the lemon/lime remedy on most days — and also use the sodium bicarb and water remedy for the blood.
As my nutrient baseline I use dessicated liver tablets every day. It’s not perfect but liver contains all the necessary vitamins, amino acids and minerals. William Kelly and Max Gerson used organic raw liver, but there were still problems with parasites in the raw liver.
I also take organic debittered Brewers Yeast for the CoQ10, the selenium, B vitamins etc. I sometimes vary this by eating 2-4 brazil nuts(raw, unsalted) on a daily basis. Brazil nuts also contain Selenium as well as high amounts of other amino acids such as glutamine, tryptopan and cysteine.
All my cooking is done in virgin coconut oil — very cheap in the Philippines.
I also take fulvic/humic acid in concentrated ascorbate drops for all my mineral needs. 5-10 drops a day. Fulvic acid also removes pesticides and drug poisons from the body. There are many other numerous benefits to fulvic/humic acid as well as described on this site.
Then I addtionally take nutrients that are always lacking in our diets such as iodine as Lugols Iodine(2-4 drops a day at least as maintenance), Magnesium and Vitamin C(as ascorbate — no calcium — 3000 mgs a day — more if ill). I take the magnesium as Mag Chloride or Mag Malate or Mag Citrate(250 mgs 2 X a day). I take the iodine about once every two days now because my iodine levels are now correct.
The above is my nutrient baseline if you like. Most people, as I see it, will need these nutrients because of the drugs, poisons in our own food, water supply and environment and because of nutrients they lack and the rest below is really my own regimen for my own individual needs.
Other nutrients that I take not on a regular basis are Chanca Piedra (“StoneBreaker”) and heart vine (tinospora cordifolia) in a combined home-made decoction (taken on a once-a-month basis for a week only) to get rid of excess calcium, removes aches and pains, anti-inflamatory, highly protective of the liver and kidneys, removes gallstones and kidney stones, strongly anti-viral and can cure Hepatitis B in less than a month. I also drink green tea and eat raw cilantro in salads which, as Ted has advised, helps remove heavy metals and I also regularly take 10% Sodium Thiosulfate(8 drops a day in a glass of water) to remove heavy metals and to remove chlorine from my body. I also take Borax in water regularly to remove the fluorine fom my body and as a mycoplasma preventative.
Another alternative liver-protective protocol I sometimes use is Dr Foster’s Triple Anti-oxidant Therapy which consists of taking Selenium (200 mcg twice a day), Alpha Lipoic Acid(300 mgs twice a day) and Milk Thistle (1000 mgs twice a day) on a daily basis. This also promotes Glutatione production in the body — a protective super anti-oxidant — and is very beneficial to the kidneys, liver and intestines.
As you have probably noticed, I also tend to favour and emphasize protection of the liver, kidneys and intestines in my own regimen in order to help create a healthier body terrain. This helps to purify the blood in order to deliver nutrients and remove waste to and from the cells and organs respectively in the correct way. And by doing this, the immune system, the excretory system, endocrine system, body organs and many other body parameters are also correctly maintained in a healthier state. This therefore makes all my body defenses stronger against illness and pathogens.
I also eat in a particular way. I hesitate to call it a diet — this infers that one day you will come off the diet. This way of eating is really an elimination diet which is defined elsewhere on earthclinic but is no less important to your health.
All in all I have to admit that my nutrient regimen, apart from my nutrient baseline, is not a rigid thing. It has become intuitive to me, so that my health regimen is governed more by an awareness of how I’m feeling right now rather than that I must religiously take a certain nutrient routinely forever. To be honest about it, I think this is the best approach but I know this can be confusing to people. But there is rarely such thing as the magic bullet cure-all. The real trick is to educate yourself, validate all information assiduously, trust your own judgement and take responsibilty for your own health. And this is really all about educating yourself and taking your own health very seriously. Despite all that has been said about the hopelessness of allopathic medicies — it helps to remember this one truth — that the medical profession is not a performance related or results orientated profession. To illustrate, here are a few quotes from doctors:
“I find medicine is the best of all trades because whether you do any good or not you still get your money.” (Moliere: “A Physician in Spite of Himself, ” 1664)
“If we doctors threw all our medicines into the sea, it would be that much better for our Patients and that much worse for the Fishes.” Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendel Holmes, MD
The above really represents my own regular protocols. But I also keep Lysine, aspirin, methylene blue, hydrogen peroxide etc in emergency reserve in case of sudden illness or further problems.
Thank you Bill this is a selfless priceless wealth of info! This in a way can sum up the entire website for general health and would make a great sticky for everyone to find easily. Other than, many of the supplements I need to order (and some from abroad) I hope there is no irradiating of my mail, Thank you!
Yikes Bill and Sasha! Thats a lot of things 2 take in your daily routine!
1 Can they all be taken at the same time in the morning or night?
2 You get vitamin D from the sun & omega 3 from fresh fish & u take zinc when sick?
3 What about vitamin A? B? B3? B12? E? Chlorophyll?
4 You don’t take molasses bc you’re a guy? Molasses helps the woman’s problem and grey hair. What helps you keep your hair color? If it isn’t cull color maybe consider adding the molasses.
Can’t wait to read your answers! Good stuff here! Thanks!!!
This is for “Bill from San Fernando, Philippines” – How do we deal if supplements are irradiated?”
Read this – “If you want vitamins and nutritional supplements that are free of pesticides and have not been irradiated or fumigated, you must test every incoming batch today, as pesticides, irradiation, and fumigation are all widespread. If the company goes outside the United States to source ingredients, you need to know that up to 70% of raw materials coming into the United States today for vitamins and nutritional supplements are irradiated, creating toxic radiation byproducts. ” Are we doomed if we can’t grow organic products in good quality soils? -WORRIED
Dessicated Liver has A, B’s, C, D, E and is said to be superior to Chlorophyll (body can break down the proteins meat source better than plant source). It has lots of minerals and amino acids. Bill takes the DL with meals. Alkalizing is done on an empty stomach. Bill will have to let you know if its ok to mix the other things with the alkalizing.
http://www.earthclinic.com/supplements/desiccated-liver.html
Hi Wendy… The simple answer to your question about dealing with irradiated herbs is that you can’t really deal with it because there is now a European-wide law — Codex Alimentaruis — that says that all herbal, mineral and vitamin alternative and nutritional health products in Europe are to be managed completely by the the allopathic medical fraternity in terms of their safety, dosages etc. But make no mistake, this is just an excuse for the big pharmaceuticals to wipe-out their main alternative medicine competition in Europe by discreetly adding unhelpful additives, irradiating, thus ruining herb quality and minimizing the RDA to useless and ineffective dosages. America will probably follow suit soon.
Here’s another trick Codex is playing that you should also be aware of — I bought some European Magnesium Malate recently all packaged nicely in capsule form. Capsules should contain pure loose powder and when I squeeze tested the capsule — it was indeed powder — and each capsule contained 400 mgs of Magnesium and 200 mgs of Malic Acid. However, the capsule itself was very large — at least 1000 mgs. So what was the other unknown 400 mgs? Then I read the additives on the label: Stearic Acid. This substance is only ever used to help form tablets. So did my capsule also contain 400 mgs of Stearic Acid which I don’t want?
The only real alternative you have is to either buy your herbs from sources outside Europe on the internet from gauranteed organic herbal distributors like Raintree Nutrition which might be quite expensive or to simply grow them yourself if you can.
In the Philippines I’m very lucky, I grow and prepare all sorts of herbs in the simplest ways and I know they are natural and organic because I grow them in my own small garden. And I’ve always found my own herbs to be very effective and useful. I tend not to use dried store bought herbs very much now.
Hi Bill, I hope you are well….. Great that you can grow your own herbs, I try to do that as well but I am a beginner! How do you do to dry them? I haven’t tried yet because I am afraid of doing it badly and therefore get fungus and other stuff which wouldn’t be very good for the health. We are going to move to the countryside in a while and we intend to have a nice vegetable /herb garden there. But even here, countryside surrounded by the developed world we already manage to grow a few things.
On a different level here is a question I posted a little while ago but which I don’t think you saw: I am now getting into the Anti-Candida diet in order to try to cure my dry eyes and mouth (especially during the night, it is a nightmare and I don’t have Sjogren’s). You seem to feel that molasses is not a problem but it is sugar….. I would like to take it to try to contain my grey hair but if it is not good in the fight against Candida I won’t do it. Right now my priority are my eyes and my mouth! The problem with the diet is that there are so many different opinions. Could you maybe send me a link to your diet advice? I am basing myself in a book called Beat Candida through diet.
It’s very easy to grow herbs. I have some in the kitchen window and the rest in a little garden patch. It’s approaching harvest time for the outdoor herbs. You can dry them by hanging upside down in a cool space or use a food dehydrator.
I would like to grow some indoor cilantro. I have no outdoor land (urban apartment, here). For the heavy metal detox effects plus it is very popular in the Tex Mex cooking here. Does cilantro grow easily and quickly? Would love to hear from anyone who has experience with this please.
For Bill of San Fernando, Philippines. Is there Lugols solution, Fulvic/Humic acid in ascorbate drops, disscated liver that I can buy in the Philippines. What do you call the herbs in Tagalog that you planted. I go home to the Philippines every year for 4 months. Just wondering if I should buy these things here. Thank you.
Hi Lorna… The herbs that I use that grow in the Philippines are:
English names____________________Tagalog names
Chanca Piedra(Phylanthus niruri)…….Sampa-sampalukan
Heart Vine(Tinospora cordifolia)……..Makabuhay
Tumeric root……………………………. Luyang dilaw
Neem leaves(Azadirachta indica)…….Nim
Bashful Mimosa(Mimosa pudica)……. Makahiya
These are some of my favourite herbs that I use in the Philippines. And what’s more they are all free — they grow profusely everywhere in the Philippine lowlands. I use Chanca piedra, Heart Vine, Tumeric and Neem leaves usually about once every month to detox the blood. These herbs are hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, hypotensive, mildly diuretic, detoxing, anti-viral, ant-bacterial, ant-fungal and essentially they act to help protect the intestines, liver and kidneys. When this is assured then you will have pure and healthy blood. My way is always preventative — continually protect and detox the nutritional and excretory pathways in the body and this will contribute greatly towards your own health. Then all you have to worry about is correct diet — but that’s a whole different story!!
You can also find many of these herbs near the old church at Quiapao Market in Quezon City. These herbs are also very easy to grow in your garden.
Hi Lorna… I forgot to answer your other questions.
You can buy Quantumin Plus Fulvic/Humic drops in the Philippines. This is fairly cheap — I can buy the 35 ml bottle for about 400 pesos now from a private seller in Maharlika Market in Baguio — and this costs considerably less than similar drops made in America.
These Quantumin drops consist of a Fulvic/Humic/Zeolite mix in alkaline solution which also contains all the major electrolyte minerals for the body. Unfortunately Quantumin is only sold in the Philippines and is normally sold from small private enterprises and not from the malls. So just get a friend in the Philippines to find a franchise seller in your area before you come to the Philippines.
Dessicated liver can be easily bought at Healthy Options store outlets in all the major SM Malls like Megamall or Asia Mall in Manila. Dessicated Liver is also widely sold at muscle weight training shops in America and is fairly cheap.
I am just wondering if you open a new page for seaweed. I live in a Korean pack city and there are stores in here that they sell different types of seaweeds. I want to use, but do not know how and what is the advantage and disadvange of seaweed. Thanks
I was painting a quarter size amount of Betadine Iodine on my stomach for 8 days. On the 8th day my blood sugar started to act very different; it wouldn’t go under a 100 (I have a blood sugar issue of it spiking, but it always would go back to 85ish). And, as it turns out I was taking about 200mcg of iodine with some supplements (didn’t realize that at the time). Could I have overdosed and that’s what caused the blood sugar issue? If so, how does one resolve the overdose issue?
Hi wondering, just avoid iodised salt and fish for a few days. I avoided anything with Iodine in for about 2 weeks (it’s in bread here in Australia now again too) and my incredible whole body itching and kidney and bladder pain went away. It took about 4 days for it to calm down and a week to recover completely and then I waited 2 weeks to eat things with iodine in them again. I also used betadine, maybe it is too strong I haven’t used it since and won’t be going to either. Hope this helps. Cheers Lily.
painting iodine evidently is not for everyone! I started this about a year ago using iodine tincture – and since it would fade away quite quickly I kept doing it… I thought it was making me feel better and it still seemed to be going away pretty quickly.
after a week or so I noticed that my thyroid was swelling up! I also noticed that I felt weird, kind of nervous, and my blood sugar was higher (i am a type 1 diabetic).
so I stopped taking it (there is iodine in my multivitamin) and my thyroid went back to normal and I’ve had no problems since.
however once I had an animal bite and my bf insisted on putting iodine on it and it got more and more swollen until I stopped the iodine.
perhaps it is sensitizing for some people? or we actually have more than we think.
You don’t mention if you have a thyroid issue.
If you have Hashimoto’s disease (an autoimmune conditon that attacts your thyriod) you may be aggravating it. If you don’t know, get your TPO and Tg antibodies tested. While you are at it get a full thyroid panel done.
They say many people are hypothyroid and don’t know it. I have also seen estimations that 90% of those who are hypothyroid have one or both of the Hashimotos antibodies.
Hi Ted,
I tried one drop of Lugol Iodine on my foot and within 24 hours I feel asthmatic, sneezes, running nose, and runny stools. I feel sick, with a headache and stomachache coming on. It takes a lot of Vitamin C to calm the reaction. I have tried doing this 4 times and the same problems occur again and yet it is helping me with painful breasts, more alertness and energy, not so tired etc. I do suffer from allergies generally. I read somewhere that when iodine is introduced to the body it kicks out bromide which has to be flushed out of the body, possibly causing a detox reaction which is what a get each time I try again. Is there anything or other alternatives to Lugol Iodine or is it simply the case that I am very allergic to Iodine or Bromide? I really find Iodine very effective for me. Please let me know. Many thanks in advance. Karenina
Karenina, I read recently that you should never take vitamin c at the same time as iodine because vitamin c will render the iodine ineffective or useless and will in fact deplete the body of iodine. If you are using a lot of vitamin C you to” calm the reaction” you are negating any effect the iodine would have. You may as well not use iodine at all.
Karenina, Dr. William Shevin, has developed a salt loading protocol to clear bromide detox symptoms that may occur while taking iodine:
Take 1/4 teaspoon of salt (unrefined sea salt) in 1/2 cup of warm water and follow immediately with 12-16 ounces of water. Repeat this twice in 30-45 minute intervals until urination begins.
Hi Debbie… Regarding your precautions on taking Vitamin C with Lugol’s Iodine supplementation — I think your advice is perhaps incorrect. Ted from Bangkok has always advised taking Lugol’s with Vitamin C to avoid headaches and other after-effects of taking the lugol’s.
And recent research by The Iodine Project in 2005 would also suggest that taking Vitamin C with Lugol’s Iodine is also quite beneficial. Here is their research:
Evidence that the Administration of Vitamin C improves a defective cellular transport mechanism for iodine: A Case Report
Vitamin C seems to help remove absorbed bromine from the body in rather large quantities, thus greatly aiding iodine transport and eventual iodine re-absorbtion by the thyroid and the rest of the body.
Hi Bill, thanks but I would be interested in your opinion on what is written in the e-book I posted on Iodine.
It says that vitamin c can help iodine absorption but not taken at the same time. It was suggested to take them on alternate days. Anyway I would be interested if you could read it and give your opinion. I am referring to Point #10
Thanks to those who have responded. The first time I painted a drop of Lugol Iodine on my foot I did not take Vitamin C until I had started experiencing a severe reaction to it. I took lots of Vitamin C afterwards to reduce the reaction to Lugol Iodine. Each time I had recovered fully I tried painting it on my foot again but each time I try again my reaction worsens, this time it has left me with a very tight chest and a need to cough all the time which is not going away so easily. If I had not taken Vitamin C after each episode I would have been in serious trouble.
Does anyone know whether a different type of Iodine will make a difference? Or will I still get a reaction? If it is in capsule form would it be better for me? Should I take something with Iodine to conteract the side effects? The Lugol Iodine certainly doesn’t agree with me especially as I am very sensitive and allergic to most things. Can someone help me please? It would mean a great deal to me. Karenina
Hi Debbie… Here, in answer to your question, is part of the chemical titration method used to find out how much Vitamin C there is in a substance or pill:
Iodine is relatively insoluble, but this can be improved by complexing the iodine with iodide to form triiodide:
I2 plus I– –> I3–
Triiodide oxidizes vitamin C to form dehydroascorbic acid:
C6H8O6 plus I3– plus H2O –> C6H6O6 plus 3I– plus 2H
As long as vitamin C is present in the solution, the triiodide is converted to the iodide ion very quickly. Howevever, when the all the vitamin C is oxidized, iodine and triiodide will be present, which reacts with starch to form a blue-black complex. The blue-black color is the endpoint of the titration.
This titration procedure is appropriate for testing the amount of vitamin C in vitamin C tablets, juices, and fresh, frozen, or packaged fruits and vegetables. The titration can be performed using just iodine solution and not iodate, but the iodate solution is more stable and gives a more accurate result.
From http://chemistry.about.com/od/demonstrationsexperiments/ss/vitctitration.htm
From the above, essentially when you combine iodine and iodide in water, you get the triiodide ion which makes iodide/iodine very bioavailable to the body.
When reacted with ascorbic acid, you also get dehydroascorbic acid, which is exactly the same as ascorbic acid but it can penetrate the blood/brain barrier which ascorbic acid cannot. But the outcome still seems to be the same – you still get the triiodide ion generated anyway from the final reaction, exactly the same as when you add iodine to iodide in water. And as the above says, at the end point of this reaction — both triiodide and iodine are still present when tested with starch. The worst that can happen is that some of the triiodide is converted to just the iodide, with some loss of iodine perhaps. But potassium iodide is also good for you.
I also know from the Iodine Project research that their preference has always been to use only 5% lugols iodine because they regard this mixture of iodide/iodine to be in the perfect ratio for the body. Their research also backs this up. Perhaps they were trying to preserve this ratio for best results which is why they took Vit C and Lugols on alternate days? I generally always take lugol’s on its own, sometimes mixed with fulvic acid drops, but there’s no harm in taking Vitamin C, say, an hour or so after taking the Lugols in order to preserve that ideal iodide/iodine ratio if you wish.
Bill, I have a question for you. Whenever I have applied the Lugols Iodine on any part of the body, it burns that area and the skin peels off after a few days. Well, I want to understand whether it is an allergy to Lugols or is a correct reaction. After about 12 hrs. The color of the skin becomes normal but the burning sensation remains and is quite disturbing. Your comments will be appreciated.
Baldev
Hi Baldev… The usual test to see if you are allergic to iodine is to put a drop somewhere on your skin and, after only one or two hours, if this area is red, inflamed or itchy then there is a good possibility that you are allergic. Less than 1% of the population is allergic to iodine. The more serious symptoms of iodine allergy through oral or injected intake are defined here:
http://www.iodine-resource.com/iodine-allergy-symptoms.html
Another factor that could cause your skin-burning problems could be due to the actual strength of lugol’s iodine that you used. If it was above 5% Lugol’s Iodine strength and since iodine is caustic at high concentrations, it’s possible that this might have also caused your skin-burning problem.
I know that I am not allergic to lugol’s iodine since I have been orally supplementing it regularly for over 5 years now at doses 100 times higher than the RDA. I recently tested 2% Lugol’s Iodine on a mole awhile back. During the day I put between 10 and 15 single drops, at different times, on the mole. The next day, like you, I had a burning or sore/tender sensation which disappeared after a few days.
It might be worth diluting some of the lugols iodine 50/50 with water and re-testing a patch of your skin again with a drop to see if the skin-burning recurrs. If it does, then likely you are allergic to lugol’s iodine.
Dr James Howensteine, a member of the research team from the Iodine project, has written a notable and detailed book which truly emphasizes the importance of iodine towards good health — Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It.
Hi Bill, the same reaction as Baldev said occured after painting iodine solution not the first day but after applying 3… 4 days at the same place. As you say it may be the % of lugol’s iodine. I can’t find 2 % lugols iodine in the store. But I somehow arranged to make the the solution in the chemistry lab of our college. I have used 10 gm of KI, 5 gm of Elemental iodine , 50 ml Ethyl alcohol and 50 ml of distilled water. Is the measurement correct for 2% lugols iodine solution? Can I take 1 drop of this solution internally? As I guess I am iodine deficient after applying the patch, as the patch disappears within 4 hr.
Hi Bill, thanks a lot for the prompt reply to my query. Lugols Iodine which I am using is Iodine 5g. Pot. Iodide 10g in 100ml. Of water that means it is 5% lugols Iodine which is being discussed on this site. I am keen to make use of this product towards a better health and also what ever I learn from dedicated people like Ted and you I use it to help others who don’t have access to computer/internet. Your advice is well taken that I should dilute it further with water and see whether it still burns the area, but I hope the benifits do not get diluted.Thanks
Baldev
Baldev, you can add a small amount of vitamin E to the area you are putting the iodine so it won’t burn as much (it will soothe the skin and heal it).
The best way to take iodine however is to have a drop in water (I am taking 6-8 drops daily in water or milk). If you only put it on your skin only a small percentage can be utilised (about 12.5%). I only put it on my skin to test whether I was allergic to it.
Hi Baldev, My husband and I are using Lugols 2% as we don’t have access to a stronger one and we are starting to see benefits. We started with the skin painting as taking it internally went against everything I’d been taught, we never painted the same spot as iodine can dry out the skin for some. Then we progressed to one drop internally and are now at 3 drops twice a day. So the 2% is definitely beneficial for us. But as Bill has said you need to know if it is an allergy or the strength that caused your reaction.
Hi Karenina, I have heard that Nascent Iodine might have fewer side effects (just search for it on Google — you can order it from Amazon I think). Still, start with low dosages and proceed with caution. Good luck.
Side effect reported
I told my sister to use iodine test, i.e., painting 2×2 inch with Swanson’s iodine.
She said it disappeared within 8 hours so reapplied. In 3 days of doing this, her eyes became swollen, red and itchy and she felt very bad. If the test is correct, she does need iodine but why did she have such a bad reaction?
I too, did the test and the iodine disappeared withing 8 hrs each time I applied the test sqaure for 3 days. I, too, started feeling crabby and my throat started to feel raw. I did apply on throat and for a few moments afterward felt I would choke, as though I’d swallowed something that irritated me terribly and couldn’t swallow properly.
My sister is afraid now and says she will just use kelp.
2 things: Does anyone know why we had these reactions? And I thought kelp wasn’t a complete iodine source. If it is, how much should one take every day?
Many thanks, Ann
Some people are allergic to iodine. I believe that your sister might be allergic to iodine. You can try with a different brand and very small amounts. Good luck!
Hi Ann, you may be allergic to Iodine. If I paint it on it disappears in less than 3 hours, so I’m thinking you may not need it. Lily.
I have used iodine to check my thyroid and also clear iodine for toenail fungus. My Naturopath suggested that I use the brown iodine and put a half dollar size circle on my abdomen every morning as long as it disappeared and the first morning it remained visible, stop the treatment. I do this every six months to keep my thyroid healthy.
Hi! We are moving to Thailand in a couple of weeks, and I’m wondering how easy it is to get Lugol’s? We will be living in Chiang Mai. Thanks!
HI;
I don’t think that you can find Lugol’s in Thailand. I even contact government authority in charge of distributing iodine to schools in rural areas in the attempt to suppress retardant in kids. They do not use lugol’s. a check with Government Pharmaceutical Organization who is the procurer of all pharmaceuticals to government hospital did not help also.
nattakit
I want to warn people that not all kelp powder is safe to take due to its heavy metal contamination. My husband and I have supplemented with powdered kelp at the suggestion of our naturopath, for 28 years. Although I had a hair analysis done about 10 years ago in the USA, nothing showed re the arsenic levels. Fortunately this product was safe. However, after returning to Australia, we started consuming King Island kelp from ‘pristine waters’ south of Australia. Less than twelve months later, our hair started to fall out, we had mental confusion, lack of energy and failing memory, to name a few symptoms. Our son suggested another hair analysis and the results were horrific – both of us were off the chart with arsenic overload. Blood and urine tests confirmed this. Lab testing of a kelp sample found considerable arsenic – organic and inorganic. We bought what was advertised as organic kelp, which means nothing, we now realize, as it was not certified organic. When I see kelp mentioned as an alternative to iodine, I shudder!!!
Kelp grows on rocks at the bottom of the sea, some of which contain arsenic. If heavy metals drain into the waters, the kelp naturally absorbs them readily. You may even be consuming one of the nasty brothers, such as cadmium, mercury, etc. without realizing it.
We are now taking Lugol’s Iodine (2%) among other supplements for detoxing and have found Dr. Brownstein’s experience and knowledge of great assistance.
I hope this saves someone the misery we have gone through over the last five years.
Hi Julie, I am from Melbourne as well just wondering where you bought yr Iodine as I have been to quiet few chemist and health shops, I am suffering hair loss and want to try Iodine, would love to no where u bought it. Thank you Annie
Sorry Annie, I didn't check out responses to my warning in 2011 until today. You may have already found a supply by now. However, I bought my iodine from Chemist Warehouse. It is David Craig Aqueous Iodine Solution and they have to get it in for you as they don't normally stock it on the shelves.
All the best. Julie
You say kelp grows on rocks, this is how it used to be, now it is factory farmed, where it really is organic and pure with no contaminants or metal. IF it is not farmed then it is not guaranteed to be pure. Different kelps also have different amounts of iodine in depending on their quality so one tablet from one manufacturer can be weaker than two from another.
Hi Earthclinic peoples,
I have been reading for hours about the benefits of Lugol’s Iodine and feel I could really benefit (lost half my thyroid a year ago). I have been unable to find the product called Lugols Iodine for internal use here in my chemist/pharmacy or health food stores (western suburbs of Sydney, Australia). I can only find it online, however I would really prefer not to purchase online. I have found a product on the shelf in the chemist and I wont give the brand name unless Earthclinic will allow it, but I think it may just be the same as Lugol’s. The details on the bottle are as follows:
‘Aqueous Iodine Solution APF’ –
Contains: Iodine 5% w/v
Potassium Iodide 10% w/v
Pharmaceutical Raw Material
Net 100mL
It also has at the top of the bottle POISON – keep out of reach of children and the usual First Aid information down the right hand side of the bottle.
Could this be the same as Lugol’s??? and Could it be taken like Lugols? I know I can skin paint with it but can I put it in water and drink?
Would appreciate any information.
Thanking you and earthclinic
I get mine from a fish store that sells products for salt water aquariums. Can’t find it at a pharmacy.
Hi Missm… A 5% Aqueous Solution of Iodine(ASI) simply means a solution of iodine and iodide in water and may be regarded as equivalent to 5% Lugols Iodine. The reason for this difference is that ASI is the British naming equivalent or standard for Lugol’s Iodine and obviously Australia, being part of the British Commonwelth, has adopted the same naming standards as UK. Don’t ask me why the British do this(I’m a Brit) as it leads to alot of confusion. When I bought my own current stock of lugol’s iodine in Thailand, this was also called an Aqueous Solution of Iodine. Notably, on my own Thai bottles of aqueous iodine, there is no reference at all to iodine being a poison.
As regards putting POISON on a bottle of ASI or Lugol’s bought in Australia, I am somewhat amused by this. If you check the Material Safety Data Sheet(MSDS) for Lugol’s Iodine then you will see that the oral LD50(Lethal Median Dose) is 14000 mgs/kgm for a rat. The MSDS and LD50(oral, rat) for ordinary table salt is 3000 mgs/kgm. This simply means that ordinary table salt is over 4 times more toxic than lugol’s iodine. The MSDS is the biochemist’s bible on toxicity and handling for any drug or chemical.
As far as I am concerned, Lugol’s Iodine is very body friendly. As an experiment, I took between 50 mgs and 100 mgs of lugols orally(that’s 400 to 800 times more than the RDA for iodine) for a couple of weeks just to see what would happen. I had no terrible effects. If you have healthy kidneys then there will not be any ill effects from doing this.
Here is an article on the reasons why people fear iodine — referred to as Iodophobia in this article. This research article explains why people have so much fear about taking Lugol’s iodine orally. It’s all about propaganda from the drugs companies because lugol’s iodine was “too cheap, useful and successful” and intererred with their drugs sales. So they simply created fear of iodine or iodophobia to eliminate the iodine competition.
Here is the most current research on Lugol’s Iodine and correct dosages by The Iodine Project. The current RDA for iodine is about 125 MICROgrams per day. The Iodine Project recommends a maintenance dose of at least 12.5 MILLIgrams per day(2 drops of 5% lugol’s iodine) — which is 100 times more than the RDA. Women generally need higher doses of iodine than men because women’s iodine requirements for their breasts and sexual organs are far greater.
Hey Bev, Interesting enough that I just read your post and that you found the iodine at an aquarium shop. I was in a pet store last week buying anti algae med and low and behold there was a bottle of iodine sitting there on the shelf! Didn’t have time to look at it closely but I did wonder if it was equiv to the Lugol’s brand. Is what you have equiv?
Bill, Thank you so very very much for your information – you are a legend 🙂
I was going to ask further questions but it seems that you have answered them in your reply.
Thank you Bill and earthclinic, Keep up the great work
Hi Bill – The Lugol’s Solution (5%) I have here in Canada also has a POISON label, plus the skull and crossbones and what to do for an antidote. When I bought it at London Drugs, the pharmacist told me not to ingest it. Yeah, right… I take two drops daily in juice or water. Thanks for the explanation!
Hey Andy; Anything marine fish can live in should be a good Iodine.
Hi Missm,
You should be able to get Lugol’s from a compounding chemist, I know there is one up here in the Newcastle area that sells it.
Hi Bill from San Fernando, Philippines – thanks for all of the information you posted, I loved reading it 🙂
Hello, I purchased a bottle of Lugol’s Solution Aqueous Iodine Oral Solution. It is made by in West Africa. It does not state the percentage but it gives the following information.
50ml = Total Quantity.
Total iodine per ml = 130mg
Dose: 0.1 to 0.3 ml three times daily.
Directions: the recommended dose should be diluted well with 150ml water or milk.
Can someone please advise me on what the percentage is and if the dose above is correct. Thank you for a great site and all the wonderful advice.
Carl
Hi Carl… The Iodine that you have is quite a high strength form.
1 ml contains 130 mgs
Therefore 1000ml(or 1 litre) will contain 130 X 1000 mgs or 130, 000 mgs = 130 grams
So 1 litre of your iodine solution contains 130 grams of iodine.
Iodine % Strength Calculation:
130/1000 X 100 = 13%
So your bottle is 13% lugols iodine strength.
Therefore the dosage per drop(from a dropper) of your lugols solution will be approximately equal to 16.25 mgs per drop of solution. See this link for strength to drop conversions.
As an example — to achieve a 50 mgs daily dose of your iodine, you would only need approx 3 drops of your solution per day(3 X 16. 25 = 48. 75 mgs). I would simply take one drop of your lugols in a glass of water, spread out at different times, 3 times a day.
If the above single drop strength is too strong or harsh for you, then just dilute your iodine solution with an equal volume or amount of distilled water as the iodine solution and this will halve the strength to approx 6.5 % strength which is equivalent to about 8 mgs of iodine per drop which would certainly be less harsh and more manageable for you.
Hi Bill, thank you very much for the feed back. I should have waited a bit. I used the dropper supplied and filled it to the 0.3 ml which is in fact quite a few drops. I used it yesterday three times. I will follow your advise and go to the one drop three times a day.
I am amased at the disinformation that has been around for so long. http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-04/IOD_04.html I can see a law suit coming the same as what happened to the tobacco companies maybe?
I have a 7 year old daughter and a 4 year old boy. I can not honestly say that there is any thing wrong with them behaviourly or other wise. I would like to supplement them with iodine though as a preventive. Can you please advise a dosage. Our daughter has ocasional tonsil stones. I asked her yesterday to gargle with a two drop solution in about 100ml drinking water. This morning two pieces came out. She garled again and a large piece came out. She is a very happy little one now. Maybe the Iodine kills of the bacteria that makes the stones stick (Holding on)to the tonsils?
Thanks again and any advise will be highly valued.
Peace to all. Carl
Hi Carl… Your children should be able to supplement iodine safely. Apart from iodine’s many beneficial and protective effects, there is also a large body of research evidence which shows and efectively proves that children who supplement daily doses of iodine are able to improve their IQ and intelligence. See these links:
http://tvnz.co.nz/health-news/iodine-deficiency-stunts-intelligence-2973967
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15734706
Some more research to help you:
http://iodine.imva.info/index.php/iodine-dosages/
For children, one of the best forms of iodine to supplement is Nascent Iodine because it is tasteless and so easy to take. Nascent Iodine is also very safe and will not cause stomach upsets at larger dose becsause it is just in the triiodide form. This form is the most body-friendly and is the most bioavailable form for the body. Lugol’s contains potassium iodide, molecular iodine and the triiodide form. The molecular iodine content is what can cause nausea and other stomach problems for some people at higher dosage. And although triiodide is highly useful it is not as useful as the lugol’s form because, for instance, nascent iodine will not be able to chelate and remove heavy metals from the body like lugol’s iodine can and this is because lugols contains all three forms of iodine — potassium iodide, molecular iodine and triiodide whereas nascent iodine only contains the triiodide form.
Normally a maintanence dose for lugol’s iodine of 12. 5 mgs is given for an adult weighing 150 lbs. So if you child weighs say 40 lbs then the dosage for the child should be 40/150 X 12. 5 = 3. 33 mgs per day.
Dr Guy Abraham from the Iodine Project has spent much effort in completely disproving the iodophobia caused by the Wolf-Chaikoff Report(1948), which so wrongly concluded that supplementing daily with more than 2 mgs of iodine was bad for the thyroid and therefore poisonous to humans. The W-C Report was a particularly poor piece of biased research done on rats. This research, that all modern doctors ultimately believe to be true and proven, was never ever confirmed on human subjects. This is also a very good example of what I call “steered” or “spoiler” research.
Much of Dr Abraham’s effort has been spent just confirming lugol iodine’s long and wide historic use in medicine, at higher dosages, before WW2. The doctor’s of this pre-war period even said that if they didn’t know what was wrong with their patient, they would just recommend higher dose iodine and, whatever it did, it would do something good. Dr Abraham’s and his team also demographically researched iodine wrt diet and disease — and they found that the Japanese, who are an extremely healthy population, ate large amounts of kelp and seaweed which contains high amounts of iodine. This is the reason why the Japanese have such low rates of lung, prostate, breast and uterine cancer.
The post WW2 period was when the drugs companies eventually came into their own and, I believe, was the time when they started to switch from using natural cure methods — such as iodine or natural thyroid to resolve medical problems — to only producing and using their synthetic drugs that had to have a product patent. The only possible acceptable motive for the drugs companies switching direction in this way can only be for greater profit reasons. This is also further illustrated in modern times by how much control and power the drugs companies have gained over the law itself — a very good example here is Codex Alimentarius. CA enabled the drugs companies to gain complete control over the laws and standards for producing herbs and nutrients used for nutritional and alternative medical purposes. So not only will herbs, minerals and vitamins now be produced chemically with unneccesary fillers and additves but they will also be sold at higher prices and at insignificant and ineffective RDA dosages as well. This law is truly a game changer for our health because it effectively banishes the alternative medicine opposition at one stroke such that the field has now become completely clear for the drugs companies to do whatever they like in making us believe that they are the only medical experts for our ailments.
In America, the drugs companies have remarkable power over the law now. A certain US Texas Governor, who also ran for the Republican nomination, passed a state law recently making it compulsory and mandatory for all teenager girls in Texas to have gardasil vaccinations against HPV. The awful offence here is that all personal choice has been completely ignored, eliminated and removed and simple, corrupt dictatorship has been allowed to creep in — via the vast and corrupting state government influence from the drugs cartels. So, if this sort of dictatorship is allowed now then it is only a easy short hop until the federal government further gives less and less medical choice to its citizens.
As far as I am able to ascertain, the recent poor response to the H1N1 outbreak and Obamacare are further examples of this spreading medical dictatorship, which is so safely protected by American law as well as International law now. But these responses and government policies, which really rely on easy but corrupt dictatorship with no choices whatsoever, have done very little to improve the life of American citizens and only ever seem to work to further increase the power and the vast profits of the drugs companies.
Hi Carl… It really doesn’t surprise me at all that iodine gargling by your young daughter dislodged the tonsil stones. These tonsil stones will be infested with bacteria and perhaps even yeast or fungus. Iodine kills most pathogens in about 30 seconds. Perhaps more important — iodine also acts to dislodge and prevent attachement of pathogens to host cell sites (like tonsils). Iodine is also useful for dislodging biofilms containing large colonies of pathogens. Another little known characteristic of supplementing iodine in higher dose is that it acts as a safe anti-histamine — preventing both pain and inflammation in the body. And I’ve just read another piece of interesting research that confirms that supplementing smaller amounts of iodine with food helps to prevent food sensitivity reactions and allergic reaction because when the iodine coats the offending allergy-causing protein, it prevents or greatly reduces the allergic histamine-producing reaction.
I am still continuously surprised and astonished at iodine’s potential health benefits and I am convinced that there is still much to be discovered on the benefits of iodine.
I took my first dose of Lugol’s Iodine 2% this morning. 4 drops is a glass of water while eating breakfast. Immediate head rush, nausea and dizziness. It’s been over an hour now and it’s still going on along with diarrhea. Is this normal? I’ve read many of the posts and I don’t see anyone else having this happen. Your feedback would be so appreciated.
My opinion differs from others’ on this point. Following Fukushema in Japan, I dilligently and extensively searched for how to protect my family from radiation, and to guard the thymus gland with iodine/ iodide. I began taking the iodine internally, but had read that it was not good to take internally, as could stop up the flow of urine. Well, quite soon, this happened, that I could not pee. So I stopped! I then began to do it only through my skin, the largest organ of the body. I do this every day, as described in another post, about five drops per day rubbed into my leg, where the body only absorbs what it truly needs of this neccesary nutrient. This has caused me no problems at all, however, one should be certain of not having an iodine allergy, first. If you have used iodized salt in the past– standard “Mortons iodized salt” of years gone by– one should be fine. Hope that helps!
P.S. (If you get strong reactions with anything you are trying yourself, listen to your body, and your own “knowing. ” Likely, you are starting too fast, generally, and ought to back down, or possibly ought to question what you are doing, alltogether. Always, better to be safe than sorry. Practice what the medical field so often does not, that being, “First do no harm. ” You are party to “The Great Physician. ” Listen. ) –T.
Maddy, always start something new SMALL, start with ONE drop first.
Try adding 3-4 drops to coffee or tea, or even juice or soup. You wont get the “salty” taste, in fact you will barely taste it if at all. I put it in my tea all the time, and have no problems. In water? blech 🙂
Thank you for this website. I have been suffering from iodine deficiency and worn adrenals. My symptoms were cold hands & feet, lower body temp 96. 7, hair loss, pain and cramps in right ovary region, weight gain, depression, fatigue, horrible painful sinus allergy, metallic taste in my mouth, insomnia, respiratory illness, sore throats, and head colds. After reading your advice, I have been painting my feet and throat, 3 days on, 4 days off for 3 months, with remarkable results. I also started taking Metagenics supplements for Adrenal Support and Thyroid Support, again with great results. Also researched and found that Brazil nuts are a great source of selenium, and eat one raw nut on the days that I paint the iodine (Betadyne) on my feet.
My allergy problems cleared up in a week, and I no longer need any allergy meds to get through my day. Depression has lifted, and I cut out floride toothpaste, now brush teeth with baking soda. Also found out tea is loaded with natural floride, so I stopped drinking all tea cold turkey. Stopped eating commercial pastry products, and switched to natural deodorant. Also stopped eating chocolate. Ovary problem stopped in 1 day……..!!! The combination of diet restriction, and adding the iodine has given me my life back. Thank You and God Bless You.
Seaweed, Kelp, are high in arsenic and mercury. I was doing research into taking these as a ‘natural’ form of iodine. I changed my mind after reading up on it. Liquid Iodine and Acv has been working well for me.
My GF has Hashi's and a goiter and with the help of Iodine (starting with a 1/2 of Iodarol pill and going to 50mg) her goiter went away first time in over 10 years and she is feeling much much better.
I’ve read somewhere that Lugols Iodine was found serendipitously to reduce blood glucose levels. Comments please & thanks
Hi Bill, I posted a question here on 23/01, I suppose you didn’t see it…. I can find the beginning of it if I do a search using my name but it sends me to today’s latest posts. I have no idea how to open the page correctly. It was about the quantity of iodine in my kelp drops which I take three times a day and which seems to be quite different from the tablets you talked about. My drops, from Swiss Herbal Remedies, contain 333mg per 20 drops, the quantity I take three times a day, meaning that I take 999mg a day. Do you think that this is the correct dosage?
Francisca, here is your original post 🙂
01/23/2011: Francisca from Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France writes: “Thanks for all the information Bill. The kelp I take comes from a company called Swiss Herbal Remedies and is in liquid form. They say one should take 20 drops 3 times a day and according to the information on the bottle 20 drops equals 333 mg so it can’t be the same you tried as this would equal 1000 mg a day. I don’t really know anybody who owns pets at this moment as we hardly know anyone here in France but if they stop selling MSM I will surely see if I get to know a vet.
I am trying to contact a company called Solgar which manufactures the MSM powder I bought because on the bottle it says that the whole bottle only contains 3g of MSM while their pills contain 1g a pill, how can that be? And it also means that all the powder in the bottle is something else, including anti-caking agent silicon dioxide which I probably neither need nor want. It comes in a big jar containing in total 226g of powder. I didn’t buy the pills because they contain magnesium stearate. I know that for the most part the recommended daily allowances are useless. But the fact that Big Pharma now owns most of the supplements company makes it even more intriguing that the EU wants to ban many supplements.
Hi Francisca… Many apologies for not replying to your original post on this, I must have simply missed it.
The use of Kelp tincture by Swiss Herbal Remedies should do you no harm. I used kelp tablets for a while but, when I eventually checked the label, I found out I was only taking only about 150 MICROgrams of Iodine per tablet. So to get the proper daily dose of 12.5 MILLIgrams of iodine/iodide, I would have had to take about 100 tablets per day!! Your kelp extract will certainly help your thyroid but the recommended dosage will not be enough for the rest of your body’s iodine needs. However, it’s also well known that kelp sources contain high mineral content — so this will be beneficial for you as well. I would simply use the kelp’s recommended dosage until it is used up, then buy some 5% lugol’s iodine over the internet afterwards.
Regarding your MSM Powder by Solgar, I’ve had a look at this product and I’ve seen photos of the back label ingredient list. Being a powder there are no added stearates, phosphates etc because these are only added to form tablets. The only other added ingredient besides MSM appears to be silicon dioxide — an anti-caking drying agent which is a fairly inert form of silica that is not harmful. So the MSM Powder that you bought from Solgar appears to be safe enough to take.
Dear Bill, thanks for all your good advice! I will look into where to find Lugol’s. I can try Switzerland as it is next door to us as well as Germany or else when I go to Britain in March. If nothing works I will try the Internet but often the postage costs are horrendous.
Thanks for your ideas on Solgar’s MSM as well. I have been taking the powder for maybe three weeks now, 1/2 tspoon twice a day but my allergy are not gone yet, not too bad but not gone. I am really starting to have the idea that as I always seem to have it and nothing really seems to help (itching eyes and throat, and after 7 years of not having a cold nowadays I often sneeze and have to blow my nose) it is not an allergy but Candida just Candida is so troublesome to cure (I usually read all your advice)… I am taking probiotics right now.
Thanks for finding my post Lisa but how did you do it? I went to Search, filled in my name and after going through many pages I found it but the link would send me back to yesterday’s Earth Clinic page. Maybe I should have typed in Iodine?
Hi Everyone… For all those interested in why Iodine is so important and useful, the following mp3 audio by Dr Flechas from The Iodine Project Research Team is definitely worth a listen. Here is the link to the audio:
http://curezone.com/upload/Audio/Iodine/IodineDrFlechasDrStanTwoHour.mp3
This is a two hour audio that covers a huge amount of ground explaining the latest surprising research and findings on the very positive effects of iodine regarding the following:
Thyroid problems
Fibrocystic breast disease
Uterine Cysts
Prostate Problems
Preventing Cancer
Improving Intelligence and IQ in children
Schizophrenia
Depression
Overweight Problems
Removal of heavy metals
Removal of Flourine and Bromine
Atrial Fibrillation – Arrythmia
Diabetes
Skin Problems
Allergies
Asthma
This tape also explains the many added benefits of using Vitamin C(as Ascorbate) as well as natural Sea Salt together with lugol’s iodine.
Thanks so much for that great link. I listened carefully to the whole 2 hr talk, and it was EXCELLENT…. Much thanks….
Be careful when taking iodine supplementation, although it is needed by all body organs too much or the wrong type can be detrimental. I was advised to do the patch test and if low to use the iodine (lugols) on the skin. It will then be absorbed through the skin as required by the body. This way you will also know when you are iodine sufficient by the absorbtion rate.
I have been using 12.5mg’s of Iodine/iodide and selenium for 2 weeks now and it has been a Godsend up till now. After the 2 weeks were up I started having the same symptoms as before. Severe anxiety/fear, fatigue and really cold extremeties. I am convinced that I cannot be without a prescription now for Hypothyroidism, whether we use synthetic or non-synthetic. My symptoms cannot be stabilized without the help of western meds now. My TSH level were at 4.8, 3 months ago now. I will report back when I am on a prescrition med to let everyone know if there is a big difference. I see my PCP tomorrow.
I have breast implants and one of them had hardened. I was taking iodine drops for my thyroid, and it very quickly softened up the hardened implant.
Hi there, I have been reading and looking for a long time in order to find Lugol's in the Great Toronto Area. There is a compounding pharmacy in Mississauga called Hooper's. They sell Lugol's, 25 ml for $4.95 tax.
Since I found it and started taking Lugol almost 2 months ago I became a new person. My yeast infections are gone, hopefully forever, I sleep well, no more PMS. I wish all of you a healthy and happy life.
Donna:
Happy to hear you got such good quick results! I put this up months ago, but it’s likely lost in the noise on this site.
There are at least two major chain stores (could be 3, 4, or 5) that have direct access to their supplier to get a good size bottle of original 5% LUGOLs here in Canada, and “good size” is either choice of a 100-ml or 500-ml bottle
Here is one: http://www.rexall.ca/storelocator/
Another is food Superstore (Loblaws/Oshawa group company)
Price is way cheaper than 25 ml at a time! But, in most cases, you must visit the pharmacy counter in person and ask for it to be ordered in! It will take 1-5 days is all. If you ask over-the-phone, they’ll just give you the canned response “Lugols? Naw, never heard of it and don’t have it”! That sounds like our experience, since you got only a 25-ml size. BTW, there’s even one company, likely many around near a sprawling city like Toronto, that makes the stuff in a 500 ml bottle! It’s PCCA Canada in London, ON. They have a website and a 1-800 number, so you could even call them to ask which stores they supply. Under $40 500 ml bottle. A Scroogle search finds them no problem, just about 9th down. Another brand possibly is Xenex, but they’re out in Vancouver, so I doubt they’d ship all that way what with the breakage.
Thank you Tom, for your feedback. I read your posting back in April, and I tried all the big stores in person. They act as they have never heard of Lugol’s before. I even wrote an e-mail to Rexall as per your suggestion and I haven’t heard anything back since. The new piece of info you shared about the PCCA company in London, ON helped me a lot. I went on their website and looked for pharmacies that buy from them. I called the first pharmacy on the list and I was able to get a 100 ml bottle for 10.99 the next day. They don’t stock it but they order it for you on the spot and it will be available the next day. They also have 500 ml available.
I’ve found Lugol’s Iodine at Fruits and Roots in Bryanston. And its really cheap at R10 for a little bottle and at two drops a day will last me quite a while…
I could not bear seeing that ugly epidermoid cyst on my shoulder, so I applied to it a tincture of iodine for six months, and a nice day the cyst ruptured (apologies for my english) and now it is disappeared.
Side effect reported
I read about iodine curing skin cancer, so I started putting it on a small spot and within a couple of days the area around it became very inflamed and blistered. I was using 2% iodine that contains 45% alcohol, is this why?
Side effect reported
Iodine and Acne link?
I’m concerned about acne and iodine intake. I have fatigued adrenals and try to get my hands on anything that can give me energy. I’ve come across diatomaceous earth and have been taking that to clear myself of impurities. I also take one Iodoral pill a day to support my thyroid and provide energy. I’ve noticed a rash or acne flare up on the left side of my nose. Also, I’ve noticed my face wanting to break out more than usual (usually only 1 or 2 pimples a month.. Now I have 3 cysts and 2 whiteheads)
Does anyone know of an iodine/acne connection or I wonder if this could be a detox reaction? I do feel better and hope I can continue to take the Iodoral.
You are most likely detoxing from Bromine. Flour Is Brominated which is a toxin which the Evil FDA insists is good for you, just like the lead and mercury that is used to fill your cavities. The Mercury in your Vaccinations. If you feel your having a reaction to Iodine. Chew ten 500mg Vitamin C tablets. Your symptoms will disappear soon enough. Do not use Vitamin C from Sams Club. These evil F—s sweeten them with Nutrasweet which is deadly toxic If too much is consumed and counter-productive to taking Vitamin C.
Spend a little Time reading Human Race Get Off Your Knees by David Icke. It will be money well spent. I am currently taking 50-100mg of Iodine from J Crows 2% Lugols Solution. I had acne appear and now its disappearing. Every person reacts differently to Iodine, depending on several factors. Mine aren’t the benchmarch… Do more research, and remember Vitamin C will stop heart palpitations most of the time If you’ve ingested more Iodine than your used to.
The acne breakout is caused by the iodine pushing the bromide away from the iodine receptors in the body and into the blood stream. But this can cause other problems, such as acne breakouts, if the bromide remains in the bloodstream. To completely push the bromide out of the body through the urine, 1/2 to 1 tsp /day of unrefined celtic salt needs to be taken. If you want to know how to properly supplement with iodine, join the iodine group on yahoo and read their article – “The guide to supplementing with iodine.”
Supporting Nutrients for taking Iodine.
These are required to support the body while supplementing with iodine:
Vitamin C 2,000- 5,000 mgs / day supports the symporters and assists as an antioxidant to detoxing.
Selenium 200- 400 mcg / day needed for detoxification and thyroid hormone creation.
Unrefined salt (Celtic) ½ tsp / day supports adrenals, binds to bromide and assists in removal, supports symporters (sodium iodine symporters or NIS)
Magnesium 400 mgs / day critical for over 300 enzyme reactions in the body.
Optional ATP CoFactors
-1 tablet 2x / day when individuals continue to feel fatigued or have autoimmune thyroid disease this product can assist in increasing ATP (energy) within the cells. Riboflavin and no-flush niacin.
Hello Akbor and Everyone of Earth Clinic; Here are some suggestions for you to consider. Iodine. It is greatly helpful for the removal of pathogens, metals, and the mucous that retains them and their waste. It seems that they reside very well in the digestive, lymphatic, and endocrine systems of organisms. The pituitary gland is notable because a high rate of growths have been detected in many people by surgeons. Viruses, excitotoxins, and mercury apparently have been detected in the pitutary also. These disruptions can cause a litany of symptoms. The N. D. , Dr. Lepore, writes that the pitutary leaks mucous that drips to the throat and into the chest and lungs. Supplemented Iodine discharges the pathogens and replaces itself rightfully throughout these systems, as it supports the survival of our bodies. Iodine can be desribed as a “vital force”, because, among its many functions, it supports the arousal of one’s instinct to survive. This is what I wish for you, Akbor. There are many brilliant posts here on EC about Iodine Cures that could help you. Also, you can take a tsp of kelp powder from a good source, mix in 1/2 glass of good water, take mouthful, swish for a couple of minutes, spit, and drink the rest several times daily. This can be done with parsely, mint, grasses, etc. I like to pretend that I’m a happy ruminant animal in the pasture. Thank you EC, for I learned about the use of this marvelous element from you all. Connie
After 3 weeks of Testing Iodine in earnest, I am happy to post my results so far. My appearance, (happy to make one), is improved: very little hair loss, no more “hair collar”, much less wiriness. My skin, (happy to have some), is much less flaky, no more “skin snow”. Hypo and hyper pigmentation shows a little improvement. I still have yet to see reductions of keloids and “barnacles” (love to you Alfred). The cystic conditions of my skin, breasts, ovaries, and possibly more areas are beginning to shrink. (Joyce, I see evidence that you are correct that Iodine treats cystic conditions in general. Thank You). I have had a great reduction in gum and tooth root infections. My breath and body odors are hugely improved. This ingrown toenail with its resultant infections is now corrected. (nice big toenail). The shingles are shrinking, and the libido is growing. Cognitive function, memory, and, visual memory in particular, is on the mend. (This is the most valuable improvement for me, as I am a visual artist. ) My vision is improving but for brief periods of blurriness. Even after three weeks, I am still detoxing. (no surprise as I’ve been a gracious host to “critters” before now). I am ecstatic and have not been this merry since childhood. Thank You all, Thank You Deirdre, Joyce, Ted, Bill, Tom, Mona, and on and on. Connie
Hi Connie – How did you take your iodine – was it Lugol’s – how many drops per day did you take? I’m so happy it’s working for you! Sounds like a good protocol. Thanks!
Hello Bessie, Hello Y’all,
Yes, Thank You, I should have included the amounts taken in my post. “Case History”: kelp eating and intermittent Iodine drinking in the past. (joke) I am a 53 3/4 Y. O. F, 5’4 3/4 H. , 121 w. , that needs to learn the metric system.
I used organic kelp powder in this test and chose to accept that 1tbl, 15ml, of kelp powder contains 7.5 mg of Iodine, as a given. (could be a wide variance). I also began with Atomic Iodine 2%, and switched to Lugol’s 5% at day 8. (sorry folks, as I am still in a state of anecdotage, I do not have a good comparitive explanation for this, for you).
Wk. 1, 10 drops 2% Atomic Iodine tincture, 1tsp. Kelp powder in smoothie. End of Wk. 1, 15 drops 2% Atomic Iodine, 1 tsp. 3x daily kelp powder in 4oz water. Herx. Effects: mild acne on chin, mild constipaton, “roiling colon” with immoderate flatus. Began daily enema, followed with oral probiotic supp. (50 billion).
Wk 2, discontinued Atomic Iodine, began Lugol’s solution 5%, 2 drops daily, 1 tsp. Kelp powder 3x daily. Began to apply Lugol’s, undiluted 3 drops, to shingles lesions at base of spine and on bum cheek. (no pain here, but caution to others). Day 11, experienced mild heart palpitations and mild anxiety. (recurring songs in the brain). Began “pulsing”, by discontinuing Lugol’s and kelp for 2 days. Restarted Lugol’s 5% 1 drop and kelp 1 tsp. At day 14. Continues to “pulse”, skipping suplementation for 1 or two days, then restarts at lower dosage.
There appears to be a wide variance in an individual’s needs for Iodine, and it’s difficult to distinguish detox effect from side effect, but, for me, the benefits outstand the deficits in this endeavor. Bessie, I hope this “windy” discussion is helpful, as, finding one’s indivdual needs is a good challenge. (maybe I have shown this, unwittingly) Tom from Sk. And Bill from the Philippines have provided us with great links to information about Iodine’s effects, and I am grateful. Thank You, EC, Connie
Many thanks Connie! I’m starting with Lugol’s (1 drop twice daily) and virgin coconut oil (starting with 1 tablespoon and gradually working up to 2 or 3 tablespoons) for my hypothyroid problems. I haven’t had too much luck with kelp in the past so I’ll see how the Lugol’s/VCO works. Many thanks for taking the time to explain your procedure! I’ve learned so many things from the Earth Clinic family – I’m very grateful 🙂 Best of health to you!
I sincerely apologize to you all, concerning my response to Bessie (sorry Bessie), as I was flippant in describing my results from Iodine testing, and, that I didn’t properly address the seriousness of heart palpitations that I had experienced during my periods of increased dosing. This side effect is considered to be rare, and is often the result of preexistent conditions and medication use. I have severe adrenal and pituitary insufficiency at this time, for which I take physiologic doses of cortisol. I also take many supplements, incl. Particularly high dosages of potassium. I am extremely prone to electrolyte disturbances, of which, heart palpitations, is a symptom. My palps. Are quickly alleviated by frequent smaller potassium dosages. I have become accustomed to these symptoms, and I forget their seriousness. It seems that Iodine may increase the sensitivity to Epinephrine, by some action, in us. This quality can be beneficial. I have found Iodine’s effect in this manner to be mild, when compared to that of medications, caffeine, and even certain supplements and herbs. Again, I apologize if I’ve offended anyone, or dissuaded anyone from testing Iodine for themselves. Thank you, Connie
I was reading your post and noticed you are a visual artist… Me too! I have had the most difficult time painting. I can not hold an image and I've been painting 35 yrs. I've had many of the problems listed. Hair loss, chronic pain, vital fatigue, weakness etc. I would like to ask how much you are taking / iodine? And how long before you noticed your visual skills coming back? Thank you for your post, it gives me more hope…
I believe the iodine was helpful in many ways because of it's properties. It's concentrated in parts of the eyes, so a deficiency could interfere with vision. Iodine has antimicrobial properties and has been used to treat eye infections. I don't know the formula. There are many causes for vision loss…I would consult an expert. Hopefully they would be able to detect the cause.
When there are many other symptoms, there could be infections that are systemic. I've been fighting infections in the gut, sinuses, mouth, etc. that have been disabling. The iodine has been helpful as a part of the treatment. I take a drop of 2% once or twice a week now. ( I'm sensitive to it, so that's all I can tolerate.)
I still have some vision issues. Lately, I've reduced dietary starches in attempts to starve off infectious microbes. This has reduced generalized pain, even in the eyes. I hope you can find a diagnosis with proper treatment. It's crucial.
I started using iodine/iodide and my hyperhydrosis disappeared. I no longer suffer from excessive sweating on my hands and feet and I no longer have cold extremities.
Hello, I have a quick question, where can you get this Lugol’s solution from. Can you please advise.
If you go to google and type in “Lugol’s oil, ” it will bring up websites that sell it. The first website listed is Natro Doc (I wasn’t able to include web address because of a glitch at Earthclinic.com). I haven’t bought from them, but their site says they carry Lugol’s oil.
Hi Betty from Calgary – One place in Calgary that carries Lugol’s Solution is Cambrian Drug Mart, 728 Northmount Drive N. W. In Calgary (403-289-9181). You may want to phone first to make sure they have a supply in. Good luck!
Betty:
Apparently it’s a dirty secret in Canada that almost any pharmacy, including any of the chain stores, can and will order it in for you in mere days at most! But you have to ask for it directly from the pharmacist, in person and not over the phone. They will simply look it up on the computer and verify it’s there. Could be Xenex brand if out West, or if out east maybe another name. It is not in any way a Rx or controlled item here–YET! It will be either the 100 ml size or 500 ml, 5% LUGOLS original strength in Canada. Expect to pay maybe $11-14 for a 100 ml, or about $45 for a 500 ml. They will likely charge HST or PST/GST also.
Thank you guys…
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.
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!
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–
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.
Now I’m really confused. I’ve been taking Lugol’s liquid (2.5%) in my smoothie every day, along with Vit. C powder, lysine, protein, greens. I need to know if I am negating the iodine by taking it with Vit C.
Hi Kaybeebee…Lugol’s iodine contains a mixture of 10% potassium iodide and 5% iodine in water.
When you add the drops of lugol’s to a solution of ascorbic acid it is just the iodine portion of the lugol’s solution that reacts with the Ascorbic Acid(Vit C) and is converted to iodide. So you end up with this reaction:
Iodine plus Ascorbic Acid –> Dehydroascorbic acid plus Iodide
The dehydroascorbic acid is handled in the same way by the body and is just as beneficial as ascorbic acid(Vit C). As well, your dose of lugol’s becomes completely iodide with no iodine component now. This is Ok if you are taking this solution for thyroid problems or for general health because most organs, mucus glands and endocrine system can uptake both the iodide and iodine forms, but if you are taking lugol’s specifically for a breast problem like fibrocystic disease or for uterine fibroids or BV for example, the iodide form will not be of much use because the breasts, cervix and prostate all uptake the iodine form only. Also, iodine is the component that is truly anti-microbial, so if you are taking lugol’s against intestinal candida, better to take drops of lugol’s on its own in a glass of water(containing both iodide and iodine).
Either way, lugol’s iodine is very body-friendly.
You can read more here: The Role of Iodine in Health and Disease
Thank you so much Bill for your prompt and informative response. I am taking Lugols due to my VERY low iodine count discovered in hormone test and I also believe I suffer Adrenal Fatigue. Thank you again for your help.
Thanks Bill, I love Dr Stan. I listen to him all the time. Deb
Hello everyone,
I’m from Philadelphia, PA and wanted to know where I can buy Lugol’s Iodine from? Can this be used internally and externally? Thanks so much!
Swansons Health Products carries Lugol’s – think it’s still $11.00 http://www.swansonvitamins.com
I will refer readers to Dr. David Brownstein, M.D., who has spent 25 years researching Iodine/Iodide & using this dual supplement in a very inexpensive formulation called Iodoral. He states that both iodine & iodide are necessary as they are needed by different bodily systems. Dr. Brownstein’s books are also inexpensive on Amazon, about $10 or less. The amount of iodine/iodide in one tablet is 5 mg & 7.5 respectively for a total of 12.5 mg. The average Japanese diet contains about 13.8 mg which is 100 times the RDA. Fluoride is a poison & if you do research, please note that Adolph Hitler used fluoride to passivate the German people. Fluoride will disrupt the functioning of both the thyroid & brain. Note also that most of the antidepressants on the market contain fluorine. It is important to have a healthcare professional test iodine levels by load testing & checking urine for iodine levels excreted. Saliva/serum levels of iodine can be used to detect a transport deficiency which may be remedied by the use of Vitamin C & unrefined sea salt. Dr. Brownstein states that “iodine deficiency is a huge public health problem. The exposure to goitrogens,(substances that promote goiter), including bromide, fluoride, & chlorine derivatives, has exacerbated the iodine deficiency problem. It is one of the main underlying causes of many varied illnesses including thyroid disorders, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, cancer (including breast & prostate), & other health issues”. Some people are highly sensitive to meds & supplements & they may need to take microdoses of iodine in the form of Atomidine which is Edgar Cayce’s formulation & also used by Brownstein in his clinical practice .Lugol’s solution was developed by Jean Lugol a French physician who found in 1829 that iodine was not very soluble in water & used potassium iodide. The final soluton was a mixture of 5% iodine & 10% pot. iodide in distilled water. Two drops were taken which contained 5mg iodine & 7.5mg iodide. Iodide is the reduced form of iodine which contains an extra electron.It was thought that the intestinal tract could easily convert iodine to iodide but research has shown this is not true. Different tissues of the body respond to the different forms of iodine. The thyroid gland primarily uses iodide.To decrease the incidence of goiter, pot. iodide was added to table salt. The problem with the commercial salts is they are chemically processed & toxic. Real salt which is minimally processed & only air/sun dried is the best salt to use which also contains trace minerals. Dr. Brownstein also has a book on salt.As the thyroid primarily uses iodide, the breasts utilize iodine. Iodine will decrease lipoperoxidation of breast tissue & body in general. Lipoperoxidation can lead to many serious illnesses such as cancer & autoimmune disorders. Different tissues concentrate different forms of iodine & using a supplement that contains both iodine & iodide is preferable to using one that contains only one form. The downside to Lugol’s solution is the dosing which can be inconsistent, as one drop may not be the same size each time it is measured. Iodoral is in tablet form & can be titrated to the needed dose. Again it is important to get tested for your individual needs.