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.
Skin Cancer
Posted by Lp (Catskills) on 09/28/2013
★★★★★

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.

Acid Reflux
Posted by Chad (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) on 08/11/2013

What kind of Iodine did you take? Thanks.


Iodine Deficiency
Posted by Bjornbjorn (Maple Ridge, B.c.) on 07/24/2012

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


Broad Benefits
Posted by Debbie (Melbourne, Australia ) on 10/04/2011
★★★★★

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"

Broad Benefits
Posted by Bill (San Fernando, La Union) on 10/04/2011

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.


Bill's Iodine Fact Sheet
Posted by Bill (San Fernando, Luzon, Philippines) on 07/06/2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Importance of Iodine
Posted by Annie (Dania, Florida) on 07/17/2010

Lugol's Iodine is amazing. . I have been dealing with hypothyroid for 8 years. Gaining weight, swollen body and face, feeling slow and having no energy. Dr. Has me on levoxyl 125 steady all this time. I starting searching for help and found all this information here. Well, I have been painting for the last 6 months and my latest TSH is. 116. . . Dr is in a panic, wants to lower my levoxyl dosage, wants me off iodine. NO WAY, I have never felt better, look better, and have the energy I have since Lugols. I will have to re-test next month for the Dr to read my new TSH, but I know, just like all the rest of us that take or use iodine this is the answer. . . . . I have just begin to take the drops(8 @ 2% twice daily) internally, and my "hoarse" voice is almost gone. I am so thankful and amazed by my success with iodine. For all those that suffer and have suffered, Iodine is the answer you have been searching for. I am starting my parents on iodine now.


Broad Benefits
Posted by Karin (Mesa, Arizona) on 05/19/2010
★★★★★

Hi there! I am researching a link between ovarian cysts and iodine deficencies. I want to tell you what taking iodine has done for me. I had a sinus infection and started putting liquid iodine in the water for my neti pot. When I was over my infection( which healed quickly ) I noticed I had a lack of concentration, working for a holistic Chiropractor we figured out through AK I had a iodine deficency. So I started taking Iodine and right away I was able to concentrate better and then i noticed that my breast were less sensitive and the tiny cysts I had in my breasts started to go away... YAY, no more pain!!!

I have experienced so many benifits that I will always take my iodine

Broad Benefits
Posted by Anna (London, England) on 03/01/2010
★★★★★

Iodine painting

For the last three weeks I've been putting liquid iodine on 2 knuckles where I have very thick skin (no idea why). I read a lot of feedback from people using iodine on skin problems, so I thought I'd give it a try it, since I had liquid iodine in the house.

Almost immediately I saw a change. The skin, which was very rough, is now softer, almost like my other knuckles, and the skin isn't nearly as thick. One is almost normal.

I also started applying iodine about a week ago to a mini-mole on my face, and it is reduced in size.

One of the most interesting things is the change in my breasts. When I had mammograms done in the past, I was told that my breasts were dense. Now, although I didn't apply any iodine directly to the breast, they no longer feel lumpy.

Yet another thing I noticed was that I felt much less eye strain from the day I started using iodine on my hands, but it seems to be helping my eyes less than it did at the beginning.

The one thing I haven't had success with is in applying iodine on liver spots. I've been applying a few times a day to the biggest spot and so far no change, but I'll keep trying for a while.

This is a cheap and easy, harmless therapy. It's really worth trying to see if it does you any good.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Atomidine
Posted by Melinda C. (Vancouver, Bc Canada) on 02/08/2017

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


Broad Benefits
Posted by Gayle C. (Brisbane, Australia) on 04/02/2009
★★★★★

I use Iodine to treat all external fungal infections, with great results. I'm about to try drops to treat mild depression. My son also had severe acne for about five years. It turned out to be candida, which we cured in about 6 weeks using natural treatments and diet. I've recently read that some natural therapists are using Iodine to treat candida, which I will follow up as the candida has a habit of re-occurrence.
Good Luck.


Skin Cancer
Posted by Bill (San Fernando, Philippines) on 01/10/2013

Hi YoungLady1975... Yes iodine stength certainly does matter. As an illustration -- here is a table which should make it clearer. A higher percentage concentration means that you get a higher dose per drop. For some clarity -- have a look at the table at this link:

Iodine % Strength to mgs Conversion Table

It is very important to understand these conversions and also important to take the correct dosage of lugol's Iodine in mgs as recommended. Most Lugol's Iodine sold in America today is 2% strength or less -- which therefore means that you will have to take over double the number of drops (of 2% LI) because most of the older LI remedies assume that people still use the 5% strength Lugols.

As an example, if you are taking say 8 drops or a 50 mg daily dose of 5% Lugols Iodine per day -- this will translate to you taking 20 drops of 2% Lugols iodine for the same daily 50 mgs dose as the 8 drops of 5% LI.

Also, 7% Lugol's Iodine is much more effective on external melanomas and warts than LI of lower percentage strength.


Food Poisoning
Posted by Jan (Buffalo, NY) on 04/18/2008
★★★★★

I travel extensively and carry a small HDPE bottle of Lugol's for the inevitable food poisoning that occurs in restaurant food. When I get a case of it, I take 15 drops of Lugol's in water and it takes less than 15 minutes to stop the cramps. Dr. Hulda Clark does recommend Lugol's Iodine. I buy my Lugol's in pint bottles at the local pharmacy. I tell the pharmacist that I use it for staining tissue slides for microscopy. It works every time.


Inflammatory Breast Disease
Posted by Janna (Boston, MA) on 04/01/2008
★★★★★

re: lugols and inflammatory breast disease. My breast was leaking a bloody discharge, and after reading articles on Lugols, specifically Dr. Miller's article (Seattle) and work done in Canada, I procured lugols and started to paint it onto my breast using a paintbrush. After a couple months the discharge stopped, the pain stopped, and I have had no further problems.


Skin Ailments
Posted by Leslie (Geneva, IL) on 06/07/2007
★★★★★

For 4 days I have been applying Lugols Iodine to my nose polyp, once in the morning and at night. Has reduced in size and shape. Before was very red, now looks like color of surrounding tissue. Will continue this experiment and report to you the outcome.


Skin Ailments
Posted by Diane (Chesapeake, VA) on 02/26/2007
★★★★★

I use tincture of iodine (everyday) on skin ulcers which refuse to heal. Sometimes I apply iodine 2 to 3 times a day. I never miss a day when treating squamous cell carcinoma. The area being treated by the tincture of iodine often becomes very sensitive or itchy...don't discontinue the iodine...keep applying iodine on the ulcer. The itchy skin will scab up...it's just the healing process. Scrape off the skin if it again develops a white flaky patch or a brown scab...then, apply more iodine. Use the iodine for at least one to two months until the skin ulcer has completely disappeared. Then, use Retin-A cream to complete the skin rejuvenation process. Use Raw Organic Palm Fruit Oil along with the iodine to promote deep healing and also use Raw Organic Palm Fruit Oil along with sun block to prevent future skin damage. The ulcer patches have developed on my hands and lower arms. One skin damaged area shows my skin separating on crease lines on top of my wrist. The day after I applied the tincture of iodine to the separating skin, the crease lines showed signs of healing, as blood circulation appeared in the area. The areas I treat are all about the size of a quarter, which is larger than the freckle-sized spot. I figure the underlying skin damage takes in a larger area and it may only show up on the skin as a small freckle-sized spot. Last, everyone will ask you why you are using iodine on your skin...it's orange...it's sooo old fashioned. Don't let the embarrassment of orangey skin stop your self-treatment...it beats having a doctor remove the cancer and leaving you with holes where the carcinoma or melanoma used to be. I use this treatment on all skin problems, to include possible melanoma. In addition to the topical treatment, I plan to add a daily dose of Lugol's Iodine in my drinking water. I want to treat all cancers and other health problems from within. I have red hair and white skin with lots of freckles, and I am very sun sensitive. I have been terribly burned year after year while growing up in California. I am now 56 years old, and the skin cancer is just starting to appear. That's why I feel it necessary to add the Lugol's Iodine daily to my drinking water.


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

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

Thyroid Issues
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 01/21/2007 392 posts

Actually, the T3 method to measure iodine deficiency is not accurate. Another way is your body temperature.

I have seen instances that body temperature is low while T3 is good. In other instances I have seen none of these but a severity of fibrosis to occur. Fibrosis is actually a condition of iodine deficiency but the T3 is o.k. while the conditions was cured after taking iodine. So present medical practice in my humble opinion is primitive. Iodine quenches glycation of protein involved in aging and arthritis and this doesn't show on T3 but is a wonderful way to reduce arthritic pain by allowing the healing to process. Skin pores opening up too large is also cured with an iodine as it stimulates skin regeneration reducing the size of skin pores. I know, I have a huge one on my face and it is mostly cured that most people cannot see it.

So we really have to be practical about it. Analysis is just that, it won't cure your conditions and you will be lost forever in trying to figure out how the T3 is related to oversized pores, arthritic pains, fibrosis, asthma, clogged eustachian tubes, fallopian tubes (preventing pregnancy), where such fibrosis formation are due to abnormalities in skin metabolism. Figuring out why is one thing, getting yourself cured is what we all seek.


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.

Skin Ailments
Posted by Dorinda (York, NY) on 01/30/2006
★★★★★

I used Iosol Iodine for 4 days on a skin tag and it disappeared. :)


Broad Benefits
Posted by Brenda (Bear, DE) on 01/18/2006
★★★★★

Iodine is excellent for toenail fungus, ringworm, fever blisters, moles and skin tags, hangnails, etc. Just a few drops on a q-tip is all it takes. Use daily until the "boo-boo" is gone.



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