Iodine
Health Benefits

Benefits of Iodine for Health

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Robert Sarver (USA) on 11/25/2005
★★★★★

There is mounting evidence that the major cause of breast, ovarian, uterine and prostrate fibroids (cysts) and cancers is dietary iodine deficiency.

Iodine deficiency is probably also a major cause of obesity, arthritis and mental illness. I think that the MD's who performed the research for these discoveries will receive the Nobel Prize.

Within the past week I have written an article "Iodine Deficiency" which is attached. I have retained the publication rights because the article has already published by the Vitamin C Foundation at http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/iodine.htm. Two health newsletters will publish the article and I have submitted it to the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine and the Townsend Letter for publication. I intend to submit the article to other health organizations.

The health and health care implications for this discovery are enormous. Virtually every older person I know has symptoms of iodine deficiency and those symptoms are fibroids/cysts of the reproductive organs, thyroid problems, obesity, arthritis, dry eyes, compromised immune system functioning, reduced sex drive and a long list of other symptoms. Some young people already show symptoms of iodine deficiency such as ADD. Iodine deficiency may play a role in autism.

I am a chemical engineer and 58 years old.

EC: Robert was kind enough to let us post his article. Click here to read it.


Burns
Posted by Carolyn (Woodlawn, IL) on 03/08/2006
★★★★★

I got a large burn from a motorcycle exhaust. I did not blister or scar with iodine on it. I keep a bottle in the kitchen by the stove, and in bathroom for curling iron burn. And ammonia for insect bites, stings.

General Feedback
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 12/06/2006 392 posts

The most direct method of testing almost any deficiency is usually done via the urine as it detects early signs of the deficiency. By the time it shows up in the thyroid it is often too late.

This is also true of sugar: high blood sugar is too late, you have been diabetic too long. In fact I can even predict kidney stones a year before it happens: cloudy urine. Or I can predict 6 months in advanced that you will have a blood clot, leading to heart attack or a paralysis if the clot goes into the brain. Prepare a blood and view them with a cheap microscope.

If the red blood sticks to each other you have good chances of having a stroke, a blood clot, which can lead to a heart attack. I am finding a way to determine the "stickiness" of urine without such invasive technique. The budget don't require millions to find out, it only requres a couple of hundred dollars where most of the money is actually spent on the microscope!

But the use of scientific iodine detection is just really beating around the bush. You only need to know the optimum iodine intake free from political and medical monopoly bottleneck. If we just looked back where such bottleneck did not exist by going back long ago, here is an excerpt: http://optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-12/IOD_12.htm

"As far back as 100 years ago, U.S. physicians used Lugol solution extensively in their practice for many medical conditions (1). In 1932, physician B.N. Cohn (7) wrote: "…the widespread use of compound solution of iodine, U.S.P., (For the reader’s information, that is Lugol solution) is the result of a paper by Plummer and Boothby, published in that year (1923). Since then compound solution of iodine has been used by nearly every clinician ..."

Lugol solution was called then Liquor Iodi Compositus, (that is Latin for compound solution of iodine). Marine in 1923 (8) used a daily average of 9 mg iodide in the prevention of goiter in adolescent girls, an amount 60 times the current RDA for iodine. In Marine’s study, the prevalence of goiter decreased 100 fold compared to a control group following 2 ½ years of supplementation....

"First is the notion that the optimal daily iodine intake for humans is around 13.8 mg per day, which is about 90 times the RDA and more than 13 times the "safe upper limit" of 1 mg per day established by the World Health Organization."

We lie ourselves that this is the age of political correctness, it just an euphemism for supporting further medical deadlock on the health care system.

So when in doubt paint! And if you get do get hyper, or you get acne then just give the body a rest period you will know. Most of the bad symptoms officially listed are not that bad, they just ignore the obvious symptoms! The body must process the iodine to properly absorb them so one day apply, two day rest or you can apply alternate days is also a possibility.

Whatever happens, the optimum intake of iodine you can easily is something we are far off and away.

In case you worry about iodine poisoning. The antidote for iodine overdose is easy: chocolate or cocoa. It is high in bromine and it displaces iodine when the need comes. For some reason or another Russian scientist found that giving iodine and bromine will prevent and overdose and allows the body to better utilized them and did a study on school children.

One cruel joke is that bread are currently using the bromine process where the entire iodine process of bread making is removed. So what we have here is a runaway iodine deficiency to those that eat wheat, white flour and bread. Perhaps, to be safe anyway, they are best avoided because of these food is often acid forming.

Other authoritative websites don't tell you the antidote for iodine poisoning amazingly enough. However, the information can be easily found from any standard medical research journals if you really look them up either the local library or the internet. If you want medical profession to come clean, they will when everyone knows about it and hence, you need to know more than your doctors.

So the issue of whether the color stays on the skin is irrelevant if the purpose for you is to get a cure. I can tell you people after applying iodine can stay on their skin for days and I live in the tropics where weather throughout the year exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Even if it was proven to be true or not, you still are sick. So don't get side-track on the issue, it is something that these professions loved to do and it means spending even more money without a cure in sight.

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

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


Menstrual Issues
Posted by Donna (USA) on 07/20/2006

In Dr. D. Brownstein's book "Iodine, why you need it why you cannot live without it" he mentions a way to detoxify. It seems that if we do not absorb iodine--or, if you get symptoms of iodine sufficiency (watery nose, excess saliva, frontal headache, tiny lesions on upper body), it may not actually mean that you have enough. It may be because our iodine receptors in our cells are clogged with fluoride and bromide (as they mimick iodine). You need Iodoral pills or the equilavent amount of Lugol's-- 50mg a day taken all at once with your thyroid med (if you take it). It flushes out the fluoride and bromide. I tried this, the first 4 nights I sweat like pig. I continued the 4 Iodoral pills for one month. I feel great now.

Even if you absorb (which I did), I think this is good for you. Try the Iodoral for a week - one pill a day- -to make sure it agrees with you first. A rash means an allergy. By the way, you only absorb 12% of what you paint~~the rest goes up in the air...it's a halogen. Publication #4 at www.optimox.com explains why some doctors are afraid of iodine, it was a faulty study-- one study and our health was sacrificed!


Menstrual Issues
Posted by Donna (USA) on 11/24/2005

I am encouraging people to get their doctor to test their thyroid these days, as I have found so many people in dangerous levels. Turns out that doctors do not just test it automatically, you have to ask. And, they aren't up to date with reading the results, anything over 2. for the TSH is going bad. 1.5 is perfect. Old rules were 3. was okay.


Menstrual Issues
Posted by Donna (USA)

Glad you are so interested. Yes! The iodine dyes the skin--sort of-- it is suposed to, so you can see when it's gone. Your skin isn't really dyed--as it absorbs into the skin. If it absorbs (disappears) before 24 hours then you are iodine deficient. If you buy the colorless iodine then you will never know if you are iodine deficient or not.

As 80% of us in the U.S. are iodine deficient, it's a good guess you are one of us! I painted a friend visiting from Europe--her painting lasted 75 hours!!! There's no fluoride, chlorine or bromade in their water or bread. So, her thyroid is working, her body did not absorb it because she had sufficient iodine in her, and she is 67 years old.

The thyroid cleans the blood every 17 minutes and sends out messages in the blood to care for the hormones and all of your glands and organs. If the thyroid is iodine deficient then it cannot work properly. The good news is that you can abuse your throid for 10 years or more before it just cannot do it's job, and then it slowly goes out. It starts by depriving something- whatever it feels is least important to your well being, your face may break out, your hair may get thin or dry, you may get dark circles under your eyes, you may feel dizzy or slow. It's not something you really even notice for years, and then something bad happens.....cancer, diabetes, heart attack (impurities in the blood cause the vessels to clog), etc.

The good news is it only takes the thyroid 3 months to be strong again with feeding it iodine. However, I will paint every day because our society is so busy depleting iodine in our food. It used to be in our soils, it raines down on us from the sky, now we pesticide and chemicalize our soil to death. Just don't forget that the thyroid regulates how much oxygen gets into the blood. So, take another simplistic step back & go to "iodine" and cure your thyroid.

More regarding your thyroid: your thyroid is 65% iodine. It also regulates the oxygen that gets into your cells. Lack of sufficient oxygen in your cells is the root of all cancers. And, everyone who has died from cancer is found to have a deficient thyroid gland. A low body temperature (under 97.6) is also caused by low thyroid function, this is your first signal that something is wrong.

Sea Kelp pills also supply iodine......painting though, w/ iodine, is always there for your thyroid to feed on!

Lugols is a stronger iodine, it is 6%, so just doing the math-- if 2% should stay on for 24 hours then Lugols should stay on 72 hours. Just go with the drug store 2% variety, mine is Swan brand, and watch it absorb, if yours disappears really quickly then as a daily painting you could use the stronger Lugols. Or you can buy Iodoral tablets on the web. They are 12% iodine. I take one every other day. However your thyroid can only absorb a very small amount everyday, you cannot force it to drink more than it can absorb naturally. The excess isn't wasted though, it uses the excess that you feed it daily to help regulate the organs and blood. But I feel that painting is the best, I will paint every day the rest of my life.

Hope your iodine stays on for days!


Menstrual Issues
Posted by Donna (Aspen, CO)
★★★★★

I totally cured my PMS, as I used to have severe anxiety, temper flare ups and acne. I paint myself with 2% tincture of iodine every AM & PM. Noticed the change within 2 days! Also, my allergies went away, my teeth weren't sensitive anymore.

Recipe: Paint about a 2" X 2" area on your stomach area, always moving the spot around to different locations (or the skin gets dried out and itchy). Just two days ago I forgot to paint in the morning, by evening I had a acne starting to form on my chin, I quickly painted my tummy, and when I awoke the next day it was gone!

If your paintings don't absorb then you can put off painting, maybe every other day. It means your iodine level is okay, maybe you really don't need any. However, I read that 80% of Americans are iodine defficient. They used to put iodine in all of our flour products (before 1966), then they discovered bromide, it is easier, cheaper, less messy and makes ingredients mix well, so it's in all of our bread, flour products (except "sprouted grain" breads/products & 100% organic) cakes, even Gatorade and Mountain Dew (it was found in Dansani water too)!

Fluoride, chlorine, bromide & iodine are all halogens, their atomic weight determines which one deletes the other, fluoride being the winner (doesn't that make you happy). Iodine is the loser, so all three delete iodine. That's why we are all deficient, we cannot escape fluoride, chlorine and bromide! So, paint paint paint, you only absorb what you need!

EC: We asked Donna for more information...

Acne
Posted by Tish (Granger, IN)
★★★★★

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

Thyroid Issues
Posted by Ted (Port Orchard, WA) on 02/10/2006
★★★★★

I use pH Testing tape to test my pH of my saliva. What I read is your saliva should be 7.35 and when I am real close to that, I don't have any shoulder pain at night when I sleep on that side. I learned about 8 months ago that if you're low on iodine, your thyroid doesn't function properly. It affects your mental attitude, like stress, depression and emotional feelings. I was with a lot of stress from my was sent home Aug 18th with 2 weeks to live because all the drugs they had given her the last year had almost destroyed her liver. Also, my mother of 102 years old was in an assisted living place and didn't like it. She was having leg pains, upset stomach and headache. I gave her colloidal silver, change her calcium to EZSORB powder and started putting clear iodine on her throat and in not time she was happy and not having leg pain. To test your iodine level, you put a 1" ring of the brown iodine on your stomach and if it is gone in 24 hours, you're low. I get the clear iodine from Albertson Gro for $1.29 plus tax. I put it on my thyroid under my chin. In 30 minutes the stress feeling is gone. You won't over dose as your body won't take it in if it doesn't need it. Thanks for sharing your experiences.


Thyroid Issues
Posted by Karen (England) on 04/25/2006
★★★★★

I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in Feb 2006. I had lost weight, my hair was thinning and I had appalling sweats. I was given medication to regulate the thyroid function, beta blockers to control the rapidity of my heart (up to 139 btm) and to stabilise atrial fibrillation and Warfarin (coumadin) to prevent stroke. After six weeks I was advised by the hospital to have radioiodine treatment (which would make me radioactive for two weeks) and cardioversion to jolt my heart back to the correct rhythym. I know that these prodecures are commonly used and are fairly effective. I definitely didn't want them! I decided to look at homeopathic treatments, which, oddly led me to my local doctor's practice. In my session he prescribed a different natural remedy (the main ingredient being unrefined sea salt). He also said sometimes the iodine is depleted with hyperthroidism. I went home and dug out some kelp that my partner had stopped using. I had only 3 tablets in single doses and my heart beats have returned to normal. I have to admit that they have actually become rather low with a resting beat of 46 btm. I think this is caused by me continuing to take the prescribed medication as well. I have stopped the kelp. I would like to stop the prescribed medication now but need to see the doctor first. My appointment is not for six weeks. I definitely believe that the iodine in the kelp has helped me.


Thyroid Issues
Posted by Lorraine (Charlotte, NC) on 03/27/2006
★★★★★

I am using iodine for hyporthyroid. Feel better and am losing weight after consistantly gaining weight for over a year. Iodine cured my fatigue, hypoglycemia, dry skin, brain fog. I feel I still have a ways to go. Does anyone know if iodine taken internally or painted will cure acne? My son has tried everything and still no cure for his severe acne. He is 25 yrs old and it's killed his self esteem. Thanks for any help! Lorraine.

Thyroid Issues
Posted by Joanna (England) on 01/17/2006
★★★★★

hi, i suffered with weight gain and thinning hair, although blood tests showed borderline hypothyroidism i started taking sea kelp and at last my weight has slowly started to come off and as a plus my hair grows much thicker and quickly. i will take this supplement for life.

Thyroid Issues
Posted by Lynda (Brisbane QLD Aust.) on 01/19/2006
★★★★☆

I have been taking iodine, Lugol's 6 drops a day for a few months now, my problem being hypothyroidism. My general health has improved, but going by my urine test i am only half way there. I'm sure by the time i have my next test i will feel great!


Skin Ailments
Posted by Tim (Charleston, WV) on 05/19/2006
★☆☆☆☆

I used Iodine on a couple of small skin tags under my eyes. The Iodine seemed to work for awhile but made the tags much larger and hard. They looked terrible. I could not wait for them to fall off, so I went to the Doctor and had them removed. The Doctor informed me that the Iodine inflamed the tags and made them larger and unsightly. I would still use Iodine, but would not treat tags where they were visible.

EC: Get more mole and skin tag remedies here.

Skin Ailments
Posted by Glynda (Springfield, Missouri) on 03/01/2006
★☆☆☆☆

I tried iodine on a mole, it dried the skin out so badly around it that it felt like scales! And the mole is still there. Is this someone's idea of a joke?!!!

Skin Ailments
Posted by Bliss (Brooklyn, NY) on 07/15/2006
★★★★★

Thanks so much for providing this useful information. I had a mole on my neck which was removed when I was a teenager and in the last few years (30 years later) it grew back even larger than it had been before, and I was worried about how much a dermatologist would charge to remove it (not to mention the pain). It was large and pink, one inch by 1/2 an inch, and in 8 days it has shrunk and dried up, and is now a small scab which should fall off in a few days. Thank you again!


Skin Ailments
Posted by Olivia (Linden NJ) on 07/05/2006
★★★★★

After going to a dermatologist and explaining how a skin tag, which I thought was a mole, was constantly getting snatched with the seatbeat each time I buckled up.... The dermatologist told me that she would be right back, at that point her office assistant came in and explained that it would cost $75 dollars to remove that one skin tag, and that for $375 the doctor could remove all of them for me.... I gladly told them I would think about it. After some soul searching and remembering my Mom telling about the Iodine years ago.... I with the luck of fate, found this site and tried decided to give it a try. I applied the clear Iodine for a week, once in the morning and once in the evening.... I need to note that I noticed a tingle so I just keep at it and in one week my skin tag just fell off. Car rides are a dream, no more ouch.... Thanks for being here, what a wonderful resource, I will use this website and recommend it to all I know.



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