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.
Thyroid Issues
Posted by Angie (Sparta, MO) on 12/09/2007
★★★★★
I have been having problems with being so tired the past month or two. I knew it was a low thyroid problem. I ordered some organic iodine from a seller on ebay and within hours have felt a lot better, I'm on my 3rd day and my fatigue is still a lot better.
Diarrhea
Posted by Anna (Beijing, CN) on 12/13/2007
★★★★★
I am Bulgarian, living in China at present. As a child, whenever I had diarrhoea, my grandma would give me a few drops of iodine in half a glass of water to drink. It would halt the problem within hours. When my son was 10 months old, he had a severe diarrhoea and after trying a few medicines, the elderly doctor suggested the same remedy for him - 2 drops in some water. The next day he was healthy again. As a school administrator in Beijing I got almost sued by a Finnish mother for administering the remedy to her 8 year old daughter on a trip. There was a bus, full of kids, going to another city 5 hours away and, even though I knew in many countries it was forbidden to take iodine orally, I didn't have a choice. The bus didn't have to stop anywhere on the road and the girl was fine. I have talked with doctors about it and they said that if taken rarely, it's not doing harm. In Bulgaria generations have been treated in this way and I never travel (especially to another country) without my little black bottle. For chool children the dose is 4-5 drops in water and for adults - 5 to 8. Sometimes adults need to repeat on the next day, if the problem persists.
Skin Ailments
Posted by Janice (Red Hook, NY) on 12/13/2007
★★★★★
Just a note after reading send in other cures re iodine. When I was a teenager I developed warts; I never consulted anyone but started putting just a drop of iodine on the warts every day. After about 3 months (maybe less - that was 40 years ago) they turned black and fell off. I've never had another wart. (I've never had a boil either, and hope I never do, but my partner has been bothered by them for several weeks. We're trying several of the remedies on your website. Thanks! It's a great site.)
Food Poisoning
Posted by Jamie (Fairmont, Minnesota) on 12/15/2007
★★★★★
Hello you WONDERFUL people! Thanks you SO much for this resource! I was in the middle of my third serious bout with salmonella in a year and feeling little relief from the antibiotics after 8 days. After reading a book by Dr. Hulda Clark I am convinced that I was picking up Salmonella from milk products. Hulda says that Lugol's kills vicious stomach bacteria including salmonella so I got online looking for it when I found this site. I read through all of the comments and went looking for the iodine. Someone said I could get it at walmart so I tried. The Pharmacist had no clue about iodine deficiency and wouldn't give me the iodine he had ordered for me. How disgusting and irresponsible! I ordered the book by Dr. Brownstein Iodine: Why You Need It and Why You Can't Live Without It along with a 2 oz. bottle of lugol's solution from amazon.com. I was very discouraged by the fact that there was no overnight shipping option available on the site. A day or two after ordering I emailed them expressing my discouragement and they responded with a toll free number that could be used to get overnight shipping. My Lugol's arrived a day earlier than expected and I tested for allergy on my foot. I knew I wasn't allergic since I have had iodized salt for ever, and I had no irritation from the iodine on my foot. So I began the dose recommended by Hulda for salmonella which is 6 drops in a half cup of juice after meals and at bed time. After reading the book by Dr. Brownstein and looking at the Optimox site I knew that 6 drops 4 times a day is equivalent to 150mg of iodine a day. The relief from the Salmonella began nearly immediately but was nearly complete after a day of the scheduled dose. I had no symptoms of taking too much iodine, so I continued to the third day at that dose (as recommended for treating Salmonella in Hulda's book). Then I cut back to 6 drops 3 times a day to counter my newly recognized iodine deficiency. Just so you know, the Salmonella are DEAD!!! And I feel ALIVE!!!
5 years ago I should have been diagnosed with fibrocystic breast disease but was told that my "lumpy bumpy" breasts needed vitamin E. I didn't take it seriously as I wasn't diagnosed with anything. I had just had my first child. Over the last 6 months I have had pain in my breasts not just before a period but at intervals during the month that wouldn't even allow me to hug my (now I have 3) children. I had no idea until reading this site and the information from Dr. Brownstein that I had fibrocystic breast disease, the precursor for breast cancer (which is so prevalent in this area that it should be a CRIME that people are not handed iodine by the government in giant sized rations!) The great lakes basin is the worst in the WORLD for iodine deficiency--we are the reason salt is iodized--only well enough to fend off goiter and mental retardation which were becoming a problem in the early 1900's in this area! The actual need for iodine by your body is 13.5mg a day and that's after fixing a deficiency. And that number does not take into account the other factors we are exposed to. (Halogens which replace iodine in the body everywhere around us--chlorine, bromine, fluorine--in bread, in toothpaste, in water) THIS IS EPIDEMIC!
Two days into my salmonella killing spree with iodine, I began my menstrual period without cramps. I have had such terrible cramps from my period that I have a stock pile of ibuprofen. (which makes your stomach bleed and hurts your liver) but what are we to do? IODINE! I have been on Iodine for 4 days now and each morning I wake up with cramps but almost as soon as I take my 6 drops of lugol's my cramps are GONE! It's like the cramps are there because my ovaries are begging me for much needed iodine to clean me out. I am so thrilled about this! By the way--my breast pain has diminished to almost none, and they feel like 16 year old breasts. No kidding. My energy level has sky rocketed and I am losing weight. (I should mention that I am taking the iodine with a liquid B complex supplement because Dr. Brownstein says it is possible to get heart palpitations and/or symptoms of iodine allergy if you are deficient in vitamin b2 and b3 since they are needed to transport iodine throughout your body. I can feel my metabolism normalizing--it feels GREAT!
For a long time I have wondered why my ears hurt--I thought maybe I was taking an autotoxic (something toxic to your ears) drug--I wasn't taking any drugs other than ibuprofen--so I wasn't convinced, but I was becoming afraid that I would eventually lose my hearing. I have also become slower in the brain over the last few years. I attributed it to the mercury in my fillings after reading Dr. Clarks book--but having seen the symptoms of iodine deficiency including hearing loss and cretinism I now believe I am severely deficient in iodine and I am so excited to not get any worse. I am getting better!
Skin Ailments
Posted by Patricia (Laguna Niguel, CA) on 12/19/2007
★★★★★
I love this website! Lots of wonderful home remedies. I read about Iodine and went on ebay- I bought Povidone- Iodine first to try, and painted myself with it over every problem area of my skin- the colors were disappearing in 15 minutes or so. The bottle says for external use only and do not apply it over large areas of the skin. Well, I have not tried take it internally yet, but as I understand it, Povidone is used for prep surgeries, which means it is in contact with blood and internal organs. After my first application on small areas, I noticed that the morning after I could see significant improvement on my skin where there used to be acne-like pumps that I had for several years- some shrank and some went away. I then started using it on all scars and it seems to make them more smooth and heal better. Upon seeing that, I asked my husband to paint me all over my back- dry, flaky skin with red irritable spots- and over night, they became more smooth. So I started to use it more and more, sometimes it stains my clothes, but my skin seemed to be healing. Don't know if that is also indication of my iodine deficiency. I wonder if it works any differently from Lugol's. I do have signs of low thyroid function, like cold intolerance, poor circulation. Can you tell me if I can take the Povidone internally? How is it different from Lugol's?
Alopecia
Posted by Rob (Hawthorn Woods, IL) on 08/16/2007
★★★★★
My wife unexpectedly had all the hairs in her eyebrows fall out over a period of several weeks. There was no apparent cause but we suspected stress had something to do with it. They did eventually grow back, but were very thin and the follicles were still weak. It wasn't until almost a year later that a wonderful holistic doctor tested her and found her iodine deficient. She was put on an iodine pill, her energy levels came way up, the her eyebrows are as thick as ever. Kelp tablets would probably do the trick too, as they are high in iodine.
Broad Benefits
Posted by Ian H. (Marton, New Zealand) on 01/09/2008
★★★★★
Three members of our family have been seriously affected by three different sensitivity disorders. Myself with fibromyalgia for 11 years, my daughter with MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) for at least two years and my wife with chronic fatigue syndrome for about two years.
I recently read the articles on iodine use for mammary fibrocystic disease and decided to treat us all with 12.5 mg iodine/iodate (50:50). The results after two weeks have been very promising. All three report increased energy and better sleep.
The MCS patient lowered reaction on exposure to voc, mold and carpet, absence of morning nausea.
The CFS patient: less depression, better hearing and better appetite, no headaches.
The FMS patient: less pain in major sites (cervical, thoracic and lumber spine), arm-wrist, better cognition, better tolerance to aerobic exercise, fewer migraine headaches. I will follow this up for six months and report again.
Sore Throat
Posted by John (Panama City, FL) on 01/20/2008
★★★★★
re: Iodine for Sore Throats/Ear Aches. I'm trying this for the very first time. Let me add this word of caution: KEEP TOWELS HANDY! Wherever you normally sit - say, a couch or favorite easy chair - place towels where your wrists and hands would normally rest. This is especially important if, like me, you sweat profusely even when still. I also suggest wearing clothing that you won't mind possibly getting stained, as the iodine WILL get all over.
Iodine Interactions
Posted by Fred (Atlanta, Georgia) on 01/23/2008
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
Sinus Infection Remedies - Danger!!! A MSDS sheet for Betadine stated the following: "Reactivity - A mixture of equal parts of a 10% povidone iodine solution (Betadine) and hydrogen peroxide 3% exploded about 100 minutes after mixing." Folks, this is the normal Betadine and hydrogen peroxide that you buy in the store! I was actually considering putting a few drops of these in some salt water and using it in an atomizing spray bottle (these are normally called "non-drip."). Not any more! On the other hand, after all of their warninings, I like the few drops of Betadine in a spray bottle of salt water, it works great! Betadine is one of the few things that kills viruses, it is stable in storage and and has a residual effect. To be on the safe side I will be keeping an eye out for possible iodine toxicity.
Another website states "REMEMBER: Betadine and tincture of iodine are not the same thing. Tincture of iodine is NOT safe to use. Tincture of Iodine is poisonous! Never use tincture of iodine when piercing skin. It dangerously inflames mucus membranes and if put on a wound or piercing it can result in a toxic level of iodine absorption." Therefore, I think I'll stick with the Betadine. http://www.phlebotomypages.com/iodine.htm
Sore Throat
Posted by Chris (Battle Creek, MI) on 01/31/2008
★★★★★
For almost 3 days my daughter was complained of her throat feeling like she was swallowing knives. Nothing would take it away. After having tried the egg whites for her fever and it working I came back to this site and sure enough - a remedy for a sore throat...IODINE! I put some on her wrists and on the sides of her throat. It took a little bit - like hours, but her sore throat went away and has not returned since! It has been almost a week now! Thanks again for the wonderful remedies!!
Skin Ailments
Posted by Debra (Edmonton, Alberta) on 02/29/2008
★★★★★
Dr Derry from Victoria on Vancouver Island has a book out about Breast Cancer and his research shows that taking 1 to 2 drops of iodine a day in a glass of water can help to prevent breast cancer. His book is very informative and gives a scientific reason why it works. I have been using Iodine this way for 6 years. I also use it on moles, tags and other skin conditions and it helps to make them small again. I have used it for sore throats too and it works wonderfully. Just use it sparingly as it can be toxic with too much use.
Where to Buy: Canada
Posted by Brad (Winnipeg, MB) on 03/14/2007
I cannot find lugol's anywhere in canada- it is possibly not approved. i did see lugol's iodine for marine purposes such as fish tanks. is this the same and can i take it internally or paint it? thanks, Brad
Iodine Interactions
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) 392 posts
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
Sometimes kelp is often improperly processed and has high heavy metals and/or contaminants. This is a well known fact that supplements also have fillers added. In that case, your next best choice is just use iodine foot painting or eat some seaweed. I never seem to have problems with eating seaweeds often sold in supermarkets. I guess they have better manufacturing standards as the market is much larger than those that take kelp supplements.
Where to Buy: USA
Posted by A Reader (USA)
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
Please be advised that if you buy clear iodine and mix it with Peroxide 50/50, after you dip your toe in the solution, the toe will become as discolored as from regular iodine. Not sure why this is, but it ruined my day :) So if you use those do at the same time, know that you will have brown toes.
Where to Buy: USA
Posted by Tamara (Houston, TX) on 03/25/2007
I had a lot of trouble finding decolorized iodine also, but I found it online. Try searching 'iodo blanco'! Good luck all!
