Lugol's Iodine: Treatment and Side Effects

My quarter size of unhealing skin cancer was gone after applying 7% Lugol's Iodine to it, painted 30 coats on it. Doc wanted to have a surgeon cut a Moh's surgery hole in the skin. Ha! Fixed it myself, and looking at my arm 6 months later, you can't even find where it was. Thanks to Dr. Simoncini.

Thank you so much for this wonderful article, Bill. Think of all the people this will help. After reading Lynne Farrow's book, The Iodine Crisis: What You Don't Know About Iodine Can Wreck Your Life, I purchased a small bottle of Iodex ointment which contains iodine and other ingredients due to Lynne's mention of the ointment in her book. After noticing a mole I wanted to remove I decided to try the ointment on the mole.

1. Placed a small amount of the ointment along with Decolorized Iodine on the mole every day for about a week

2. Covered with medical paper tape or band-aids placed in a criss-cross fashion.

3. Changed paper tape and band-aids as needed.

And voila, little by little the mole came off. First it peeled up from the bottom, then came off in bits and pieces as the band-aids and paper tape needed to be replaced. The band-aids and paper tape were helpful in pulling the mole off completely.

Question: Are moles a fungus that iodine can effectively remove both inside and outside the body?

Hi,

I've not long started on the Iodine Protocol, but really dislike taking all the accompanying vitamins. My stomach does not take too kindly to so many. Is there a multi vitamin supplement which would cover all or most of these in one go? I am aware that vitamin C should be taken at a different time from the iodine.

I am taking Iodoral, not doing the drops.

Thanks.

Hi Chad...I'm not quite sure what you mean by "too many supplements". You seem to think that many of the supplements recommended are unnecessary.

If you are hypothyroid then this problem will probably need a lot more than just taking Lugol's Iodine. What I'm talking about is all the critical body processes that are involved to get iodine absorbed and utilized correctly by your thyroid and by your cells. This involves iodine being absorbed into the blood from the intestines, blood transport and absorption into the cells. And this doesn't just happen. These numerous processes need enzymes and coenzymes that are usually all derived from minerals or vitamins.

For instance, if you are low in body magnesium or tyrosine then you will probably lack a critical coenzyme which converts the iodide to iodine for proper storage within the thyroid itself. If you don't take Vitamin C as advised and if your body contains high bromine then iodine absorption will be inhibited in the intestines and, instead, bromine will be transported to the cells and to the thyroid which is a bad outcome. Taking Vitamin C everyday removes the bromine and excretes it safely and quickly via the urinary pathway resulting in an immediate improved iodine absorption into the blood and thyroid. If you lack selenium, then you will lack the antioxidant protection of glutathione peroxidase in your thyroid cells. Low glutathione causes oxidative damage usually causing thyroid nodules. Taking Sea Salt with water is the cure for excess bromine in the blood during detox, which can cause bromoderma or acne-like skin problems.

So I hope you can now see how a lack of any one of the above recommended nutrients in the body can either directly cause or contribute to hypothyroid conditions as well as many other problems in the body. And that's really why you should supplement all the recommended companion nutrients with lugol's Iodine. Then all bases are covered.

Greetings, loved the article and the information provided about iodine. You mentioned taking Iodine with Vitamin C; everything I have read says the Iodine and Vitamin C should not be taken together as they neutralize each other.

Hi Bill,

I have been using the Iodine Protocol now for approximately 4 weeks and all has been well until I started using the salt loading (I have been using the vitamins too).

I don't feel I have water retention but I have put on a large amount of weight in the last week and a half. So now I have stopped as I am already having trouble losing weight with Hashimotos.

Also extreme Hot Flushes which are so unbearble especially in Australia's in summer.

Again this is not water retention it is extra fat weight gain has this happened to others. Regards Linda

Hi Frances ... To convert from 5% to 2% Lugols Iodine do this:

Calculated from mgs per drop. Drop size is the same for both and so is irrelevant.

6.25/2.5

Ratio is 1:2.5

So to convert from 5% to 2% lugols iodine, add one part by volume of 5% LI to a container then add 2.5 parts by volume of water. This will give you a 2% lugols sotution.

Perhaps an easier way to understand it is by drop dose equivalence.

Examples:

1 drop 5% LI = 6.25 mgs iodine
1 drop 2% LI = 2.5 mgs iodine

So 2 drops of 5% LI (12.5 mgs total iodine) is equivalent to 5 drops (12.5/2.5) of 2% LI.

And 8 drops of 5% LI (50 mgs iodine) is equivalent 20 drops (50/2.5) of 2% LI.

I hope this isn't too confusing!

Hello, Bill,

Can you advise whether a 50/50 mix of Lugol's Iodine with baking soda would be safe to apply to skin cancers on the scalp? And what strength? A woman reported swabbing them with that mixture three times daily for three days, and they had gone within five days. Any risk of side effects or reaction that way, for someone who has fibrillation following heart valve op. some years ago? Thank you.

Hello again Bill.

Well since I asked you about copper toxicity a few months ago, I've been doing quite a lot of research myself with a biochemist and also an orthomolecular doctor. Apparently, taking the birth control pill/HRT releases extra estrogen into the system and makes the zinc bio unavailable to the body this causing the imbalance with copper! So what was considered the great saviour for us baby boomers in the 1970s, is causing health headaches in later life. What a surprise the big Pharmas haven't mentioned this little side effect of birth control tablets and HRT!

Anyway, I've been taking lots of parsley and also nettle and dandelion etc infusions which seem to have helped on a very gentle level. Added to which I've started taking cream of tartar (potassium ) and Celtic sea salt in water three times a day as well as adding a good pinch of sea salt to my drinking water and I can't believe the difference! Instead of waking up feeling lethargic and as if I've not slept for days, I feel full of energy and wide awake. I e also added acidophilus capsules several times a day along with L-Theanine, and my usual coconut oil, natural vit C etc and I no longer feel the need for Betaine nor do I rush to take my Bicarb and lemon after a meal. I do still take it of course, along with liquid magnesium, but even when I forget, I get no acid reflux or digestive problems. And my pH is usually between 7 and 7.5 so I feel very happy.

I'm going to have a hair analysis- done in the US where they have better resources it seems in this area, along with a full iron panel blood test. But I feel so well and not "Tired all the time " as I did before, I can't believe it. Thanks for your advice and I hope some of this feed back may help others who feel tired. I believe the potassium and salt and magnesium really sorts out the adrenals - and Adrenal Fatigue seems to be endemic is most Western countries.

Hi Green Augustine...Lugol's iodine(LI) is a wonderful detoxer that will detox lead, mercury, aluminum, cadmium and arsenic. I have never read or heard about LI detoxing copper. If you have high copper then the chances are that you will also have low zinc in your body with poor immune system performance as a result of this problem. Both copper and zinc must be in proper balance in your body and each of these minerals effects the other's mineral concentration in the body. If you are worried about this then perhaps a hair analysis will help. If your copper is high then generally your zinc levels will be low. You know already that you have high copper and so the hair analysis will help you to confirm low zinc if that is the case. If this is the case then you must increase your zinc to at least 50 mgs per day for perhaps one week only. Then cut the zinc down to 50 mgs per week or 10 mgs per day. See if that helps your problem. Taking the extra zinc will also automatically help to reduce the copper load in your body. It will also simultaneously help to perk up your immune system as well.

There can also be other problems if you have low zinc. For instance, if you have very low zinc and very low Vitamin B6 in your body this can also indicate a problem called kryptopyrrolurea or just plain old pyroluria. I can't really advise dosages for this problem, if you have it. Suffice to say that you will have to take massive doses of both vitamin b6 and zinc, as well as other nutrients, in order to correct it. So its best really if you can find a doctor who specializes in treating this problem, if you have it, because your zinc and b6 levels must be monitored quite frequently for dosage safety purposes.

Hi Tessa...Thanks for your question.

Here's how I sometimes take Lugol's Iodine -- with reasons.

In one glass of water I add a half tspn of ascorbic acid. Then I add 6 drops of 5% Lugol's Iodine. Whenever LI is added to Ascorbic Acid the molecular iodine will then be converted to iodide and some of the Ascorbic Acid is converted to Dyhydroascorbic Acid or DHA -- which is a much more highly absorbable and beneficial form of Vitamin C.

Then I add 1/4 tspn of Sodium Bicarbonate to this mix and this converts all the Ascorbic Acid and DHA to the more alkaline and useful ascorbate form.

You can also add herbs like Gymnema sylvestre tea to this mix(as a water substitute) to turn it into a highly effective antifungal. See the other useful alkaline drinks at the end of this article link.

Many on EC already know about taking lugol's iodine this way with vitamin C which, again, is according to Ted's advice.

Dear Bill Thompson,

I started taking Lugol's Iodine Plus on the suggestion of two doctors. For about 6-8 weeks I took 20 drops with no ill effects. Motherearth labs suggested I go up to 30 drops and then to 40. One day I sudddenly had excruciating pain in all my upper teeth (12 on a scale of 1-10) My mouth also got badly swollen and I had other side effects.

No doctors or dentists could figure it out. It was agonizing. The pain (not the swelling) seemed to diminish in the morning, but would quickly reoccur a few hours after waking. I took the iodine shortly awakening. For some reason I decided to research side effects of Lugol's...and sure enough, severe tooth pain, mouth swelling, and other symptoms listed as "Serious...contact your doctor immediately..."

By this time I had already had the symptoms for 3 weeks. I keep a medical journal, and sure enough, the day after I went from 20 drops to about 25 drops, the symptoms appeared. And by that time I had slowly worked up to 40 drops over a period of 3 weeks. I stopped the iodine immediately, and the next day the pain went from a 12 to about a 4. Over the next 3 days the pain level went down to a 1 or 2, but would sometimes, for no reason, flair back up to a 4/5.

After being off the iodine for more then a week, I still had the tooth pain and swollen mouth. I then looked up Iodine poisoning and realized that is what had apparently happened to me. I called my Internest, who had me come in immediately and he did several tests. The results have not yet come back. It is more than 10 days since I stopped taking the iodine and I still have tooth pain ranging from 1 to 5 on a scale of 1-10, and my mouth is still swollen. Narcotics(large amounts) and other pain meds - presciption and OTC drugs have done nothing for the pain. I am miserable. How much longer are these symptoms going to continue and is there anything I can do to get rid of the pain and swelling. I'm desperate...please respond ASAP Thanks.

Hi Tessa...

Yes, increasing your dosage by one drop once every two weeks is a very slow method of attaining the eventual proper recommended dose. And also remember that it will probably take about three months at 50 mgs LI a day just for your body to reach the required normal healthy levels of iodine/iodide. So if you take 2% LI increasing at one drop every two weeks then it will probably take you over a year for you to reach normal body iodine levels. If you are taking 2% LI then you should be working towards attaining 20 drops a day to get to the 50 mgs mark.

But LI dosages can be touchy with certain people. As I've explained in the past this is probably because iodine is just too good at what it does. It is both a first rate detoxer -- it can detox cadmium, lead, mercury, aluminum, arsenic, fluorine and bromine -- as well as being one of the best all round pathogen killers out there.

So whenever people get a bad reaction to LI -- perhaps due to excessive heavy metal detox or an excess pathogen kill causing the Herx -- people immediately seem to blame poor old iodine when in actual fact these people are the ones that are chock full of mercury, lead, bromine, fluorine and pathogens. Who's fault is that?

So people's reactions to iodine will always vary according to what bad things they have been putting into there own bodies for a lifetime. I was lucky when I first started taking iodine -- I had no reaction to it at all and went to 8 drops a day of 5% LI within a week(I increased dosage at 2 drops a day).

What I would do is simply increase your LI dosage by one drop every 3 days. If you do get a reaction from an increase then take one drop less next time and then stay at that dose for a week or two to allow your own body to cope with the detox or poisons from the dead pathogens(Herx). Then try upping the dose by one drop again later. And don't give up!!

I have always believed moles are viruses. I'd like to know more, but what I do know is that my mother got rid of hers by applying alcohol on them every day for a while.

I am taking Iodine, 8-10 drops a day, 5% Lugols, along with other things Bill Thompson suggested. Any way, every time I take it I feel ice cold for an hour or two. I would like to have some suggestions on how to minimize this.

Hi Chad...If you want to know what minerals are lacking in your body, you can get a hair analysis done fairly cheaply.

A hair analysis will tell you your mineral and vitamin status and will also reveal any excess heavy metals present in you body.

You can start supplementing with just iodine on its own if you want. But if this isn't working well for you then I would simply take all the minerals and vitamins that are recommended as companion nutrients for iodine.

You can start with a two drop dose of iodine per day. If it's OK for you, I would increase the this dose by two drops every day.

The recommended Lugol's Iodine daily dose is 50 mgs per day.

Since you are taking 2% Lugol's Iodine this means that you will have to take a split dose of 20 drops LI per day to achieve the 50 mgs daily dose.

The daily dose for 5% LI would be 8 drops per day. Please see the Iodine Drop to Mgs conversion chart shown here for more details.

Hi Martin...Much thanks for your kind words. Regarding transdermal iodine, this method can certainly be used to deliver small amounts of iodine to the thyroid (by painting the throat with iodine) or breasts (by painting the breasts). However I think using this method wastes alot of lugol's iodine.

I actually researched transdermal iodine use some years ago and could find hardly any information on the amounts of iodine actually delivered to the blood as a percentage of actual iodine used.

However, I did stumble across an article by Dr Derry, a well-known pro-iodine doctor. In that article he described the effectiveness of using transdermal iodine and mentions some meticulous research by Nyiri and Jannitti in 1932. Apparently, when Iodine is applied to the skin, 50% evaporates within 2 hours and between 75% and 80% of the iodine evaporates within 24 hours with a total delivery of iodine into the blood stream of between only 8% to 11%.

So, assuming that you transdermally use 4 drops of 5% lugols iodine (equivalent to 25 mgs elemental iodine) and if we also assume from the research that only 10% is actually delivered into the blood, then this means that only 2.5 mgs the iodine actually gets into the blood via the transdermal method. The other 22.5 mgs simply evaporates and is wasted.

Since the transdermal iodine method is so inefficient and wasteful, I would therefore not recommend it to achieve proper whole body iodine sufficiency. Even with supplementing oral lugols iodine dosages of 50 mgs per day, it will still take the body about 3 months to come up to whole body iodine sufficiency -- it's not quick!!

A much better method of delivery(in greater amounts) via the transdermal route would be to simply use 4 drops of lugols iodine together with a teaspoonful of DMSO (70% DMSO and 30% water). This will assure at least 80% approx delivery of the transdermal iodine into the blood, which would equate to about 20 mgs -- much more efficient.

Call me old-fashioned, but I still prefer the oral method of taking lugols iodine with a glass of water as by far the easiest and most effective way to supplement lugols iodine.

Could somebody share what do actual chemical reactions between lugol's iodine and heavy metals like mercury or arsenic during detoxification look like? I mean - the balanced chemical equations, thanks!

Recently I tested as anemic. As it turned out, I had a 2.5cm polyp removed from my duodenum. I found that is the area where b12 is absorbed via the gastrointestinal tract.

More to your point, I was low on Iron. We tried oral supplements, and I thought I would never feel good again. We switched IV for a couple of weeks, and I was no longer iron poor, and my stomach returned to normal. The point is, of course, if oral iron supplements are sneaking in, they may be at least part of your distress.

Cheers

Hello Mr. Bill Thompson,

I was wondering if you could comment on the effectiveness of Lugol's when used topically. I have two autistic sons, 13 and 11, and have been using nascent iodine for them because I read it is better for those who are sensitive. I do not have any specific information regarding their heavy metal load, but both had reactions after vaccinations. My oldest also struggles with yeast issues and violent tantrums.

I have no idea how to begin dosing them appropriately with Lugol's, and could not even be sure they would ingest it, and was hoping topically may help somewhat.

Thank you for any insights and suggestions,

Kate

Hi Wendy...If you have high zinc then you could have low copper which competes directly with zinc for absorption into the body and cells.

Copper is an important mineral for the body, so what you should do to get a better idea about your general vitamin and mineral status is have a hair analysis done. This will also show you how much excessive heavy metals you have in your body.

To help balance the excess zinc and get it down you should also perhaps regularly supplement copper until proper levels of copper and zinc are reached. But try and get the hair analysis done as this will give you a much wider picture of your health status.

Hi Naturallykera...I had a bad and painful wobbly tooth early last year with exposed and visible roots. For completely unrelated reasons, I started taking turpentine by mouth regularly because I wanted to test it. Within a month, all the tooth pain disappeared and the tooth firmed up completely. I later learned through research that turps is easily absorbed by the skin and gums. So it was the disinfection action of the the turps which cured my tooth/root problem.

Because of this beneficial experience with oral turps, I now take three drops of turps on my tongue and just hold it in my mouth as long as I can. If you swallow the turps, it wont hurt you. Do not wash your mouth out afterwards -- because the turps is still working in your mouth. With your tooth problem, I would take this simple protocol three times a day every day. Within a month or so you may well have a cured tooth or root canal. Turps is easily absorbed by the skin or gums which allows it to penetrate deeper to disinfect the roots of the teeth. I use turps on a regularly basis like this now.

Another protocol you could also use is one by Hulda Clark. Take a teaspoon of 50% DMSO on its own and just hold it in your mouth for about a minute or so to allow the DMSO to sufficiently penetrate the gums/roots and then spit it out. Do not wash out your mouth afterwards (DMSO will have a warming effect in your mouth), DMSO kills bacteria, parasites and viruses. I use this one too, but I also prefer to add 4 drops of lugols iodine to the 50% DMSO for the extra anti-pathogen action of the iodine.

If you do have to get a root canal, then you should do all you can to find a proper Biological Dentist as opposed to a normal everyday dentist. A proper Biological Dentist will take great pains to clean out and properly disinfect your root canal area. A regular dentist will just fill your root canal with some muck and goo that wont kill all the pathogens properly.

Here are some more good reasons why you should see a Bio Dentist:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/16/why-you-should-avoid-root-canals-like-the-plague.aspx

I am able to get it from the pharmacy without a prescription. I have been using Lugol's iodine for years, about 40 years. I notice a difference when I stop taking it for a while. My Doctor an old Dutch Doctor put me on it at 15 for sore breasts, they were cystic. It works wonders for my breasts when they get tender, good for my hair and skin and also help with going to the bathroom. Help with constipation. I have an underactive thyroid and take this, it will affect your blood readings. My present Doctor is not in agreement with me taking it, but I insist.

Leslie, take less. Bill's recommendations are guidelines. But every body is different.

Hi Kate...All autistic children will have systemic candida and parasites infecting their bodies and their gut. This has been my own experience while working with a private autism group (for over 2 years).

So you will have to get rid of both the candida and the parasites to cure autism completely and this is not so easy. As well, Dr William Shaw has also found conclusive evidence from his own research that candida plus a huge variety of other bacterial species are also usually always involved in most ASD disorders as well as in many other diseases.

The point I'm making here is that you will have to use more than just lugols iodine to cure the ASD problems with your two boys.

I would therefore recommend that you use this protocol for your boys. This protocol will kill a huge variety of candida, bacteria and parasites(both large and small). This protocol uses gum turpentine which is hugely useful for killing a wide variety of pathogens and also removes biofilms. Here is what Ted from Bangkok said when I emailed him awhile ago and asked him his thoughts on using turpentine against candida:

"Yes you are right with turpentine and castor oil. I went further and safer using frankinsense and boswellic acid as the "turpentine". Hard to convince people to turpentine but they are terpenes which is also found it frankinsense and tea tree oil. And they are effective against candida and hard to kill fungus. Castor oil is a good mix but I also used myristin or undecylenic acid. Coconut oil is also good. You are on the right track. Ted"

Finally, be warned that if you use my protocol -- you will get Herx reactions that may cause strange behaviours in your two kids for short periods. This is normal and should be expected because this protocol kills large amounts of candida and other pathogens. So when they are destroyed, their toxins will naturally increase in the blood and go to the brain for a while causing strange behaviours. The same sort of reaction could also happen for the heavy metal detox from this protocol. I do not think using lugols iodine topically will help much to kill the systemic candida. There was some research done in the 1930s where they tested the absoption of iodine from the skin into the body. Their results showed that most of it evaporates from the skin and only about 4% to 8% of the iodine actually gets absorbed into the blood. And don't forget that we are not using iodine for the thyroid here -- so we need larger mg amounts of iodine to kill candida, not microgram amounts. The easiest way to find out your son's toxic heavy metal load is just to get a hair analysis done. This is fairly cheap.

Hi Caitlin,

Do not worry about calcium. Firstly, all foods contain some calcium. Cruciferous vegetables aren't even the best source. Secondly, those on a plant based diet need far less calcium than meat eaters. 600mg a day is absolutely ample (400mg is enough on a low-sodium diet, but you aren't doing that), compared with 1000mg for a meat eater.

Sources of calcium per 100g of food:

(the first 2 listed are not realistic to eat 100g - more like 10g. Also, if possible, for maximum nutrition it is always best to soak and sprout seeds, legumes etc. It makes them easily digestible and increases absorption of zinc and iron by 400%)

Dill seeds - 1516mg

Poppy seeds - 1438mg (soak to remove opiates if you eat a lot! )

Whole sesame seeds - 975mg (but these are high in oxalates so less well absorbed)

Chia seeds - 613mg (also high in omega 3! But soak and sprout them first to get rid of the gel that forms when they contact water)

Flaxseeds (aka linseeds) - 255mg (another source of omega 3! )

Carob flour - 348mg

Soya beans - 277mg

Kidney beans - 195mg

Black turtle beans - 160mg

Moth beans - 150mg

Haricot beans (of baked beans fame) - 147mg

Mung beans - 132mg

Pigeon peas - 130mg

Chickpeas - 105mg

Peanuts - 92mg

(all legumes are good sources of calcium, especially if you buy the dried ones and soak and sprout them to remove the phytic acid)

Vegetables that are not cruciferous (not including spinach, chard, parsley etc because oxalates may make the calcium harder to absorb)

Dandelion greens - 187mg

Romaine (aka Cos) lettuce - 33mg

Lambs' lettuce - 38mg

Butternut squash - 48mg (but a whole squash is about 1kg, so if you had half a roast squash that would be 240mg)

Grains:

Teff (of injera bread fame) - 180mg

wholewheat - 34mg

Brown rice - 23mg

(Most grains have small amounts of calcium like wheat and rice do, but considering that 30mg is 5% of what you need in a day, it soon contributes a significant proportion to your calcium intake.)

Fruit:

Dried figs - 162mg

Oranges - 43mg (or 60mg/medium fruit. So one orange is 10% of your calcium! )

Dates - 64mg

Papaya - 24mg (or 73mg per medium fruit)

There are many other foods that contain significant calcium, but I'm not going to list them all :D Trust that all food contains some calcium, and it will easily add up to what you need in a day, provided you eat a varied whole foods diet with plenty of legumes, seeds, fruit and veg. Don't let anyone scaremonger you into thinking that it's some terrible challenge to live on a plant based diet! From all the BS out there, anyone would think that vegans are at imminent risk of dropping dead from malnourishment every second of every day if they don't this, that or the other.

If you want to supplement calcium, there are supplements made from seaweeds that naturally are extremely rich in calcium. Most seaweeds are a good source of calcium, but I can't be bothered to find the facts write now, so you'll have to look those up yourself if you're interested :D

Just so you know I have been a vegan for 10 years, a vegetarian all my life, and have never had a filling, tooth removed, or any broken bones, so my calcium is fine.

By the way, my vegan brother, for OCD + ideological reasons, once spent several months only eating banana and butternut squash. He developed a goiter, which went down immediately upon eating brazil nuts, and was quickly cured by continuing to eat them along with kelp. The moral of the story is, make sure you get enough selenium.

I did the iodine protocol in 2014, and it gave me huge benefits for the first 6 weeks, which so far are permanent, but it plateaued quickly and gave me no additional benefits after that (but also didn't cause any harm). I had definitely been deficient in iodine and it cured my lifelong slow-transit constipation (TMI, sorry! ) and Raynaud's. I occasionally top up with a bit of iodine and selenium now and then to keep myself going (since I don't like seaweed or brazil nuts). I am now absolutely fine with eating cruciferous vegetables and soya beans, as is my brother. A healthy person should be able to eat these foods with no trouble, you don't have to avoid them once your goitre is healed.

Good luck, Vicky :)

Hello Bill, Like many people I'm a bit concerned about starting on Lugols iodine as I've read so much about bad side effects etc. You explain clearly why this is and so I'm wondering if it would be OK to take it as I was told( after a Bioresonance session last month) that I have copper in my kidneys and should take parsley 'tea' every day to clear it. I guess this might explain the dark streaks along my eyelids just on the crease under the brow. They get progressively darker as the day goes on and I've added Dandelion tea to the mix. I take vitamin C in the form of Acerola and eat all organic food ( locally grown -and not supermarket stuff - or from my own garden) . I've been taking my basal temp for 2 years now and can get it to 36.9 with magnesium, mineral supplements and coconut oil on some days but usually about 36.4 so I do have a thyroid problem and am over weight and have some hormonal issues etc. I'd love to start with Lugols iodine but the copper, as a heavy metal, has stopped me so far. Your opinion on any advice on how to proceed would be really appreciated and thank you for all the time you put into the brilliant site to help people. Sending you earth blessings.

I have a goiter, may be hypothyroidism. My broth has been diagnosed with hashimoto disease. Pls explain why he should not take lugol solution.

On EC, there have been several people asking about how to supplement Lugol's Iodine.

So here is a link to a pdf written by Stephanie Buist from the Iodine Yahoo Group. This pdf is a detailed description on how to supplement Iodine, with companion nutrients, for babies, children and adults. This detailed explanation on how to supplement iodine resulted from her own experiences with Dr Brownstein successfully helping her with her own thyroid problems.

The Guide to Supplementing with Iodine

That is a good question I would like an answer too.

To detox mercury with Lugols there are three steps as far as I can put the pieces together afterI did a detox myself.

Make water soluble complex salt:

potassium tetraiodo mercurate (K 2 HgI 4) aka "Nesslers Reagent."Then excrete that via liver.

My guess is that this is done via an sulfur-containing aminoacid, most likely glutathione.

Then excrete via liver and bile. I could feel that it went this way.

In the intestine comes a "pitfall, "
bacteria may convert the ionic mercury to methylmercury. The methylmercury is fat-soluble and gets resorbed.
The result is moving mercury from belly fat to the brain, not advisable.
To bind the mercury, elemental sulfur can get processed in the intestine to some extremely stinky compound that binds mercury.

This is known in Germany as "Schwefelkur nach Dr. Probst" and goes back to Paracelsus. Dr Probst found that in an an ancient textbook.
To my knowledge he gives the empirical description that when "Detox" is needed ther stool will stink and when detox is not needed the stink stops without explaining any chemistry.

Î did a mercury detox with Lugols, supplied Acetylcystein (cough med) and elemental sulfur with every meal.
It took for me about four months to get the mercury out.
Some two weeks after I started Lugols I could feel mercury moving to my liver, then bile and some ten minutes later I went to the throne wher even the king walks. That stuff had to come aut asap.
At the very end of my detox my stool stopped stinking, I stopped sulfur and then I noticed another load of mercury going through the bile.
I could feel it going to my head a few days later.

With taking sulfur for a while I got that mercury out too, since then I felt no need to take sulfur any more.In my opinion as chemical engineer this fits only for mercury especially the resorption again.

How the detox mechanism for the other mentioned metals work I would like to know too.

Hi,

TSH always goes up with iodine supplementation.
NSA needs TSH, as the body makes TSH, which in turn makes NSA that feeds the body.

Without TSH, we have low NSA.

The TSH drops when the body has sufficient NSA and that's usually 6 months, so I am reliably told.

Having just gone through the same.

I was just curious if anyone following Lugol's Iodine Protocol, is also using food grade peroxide? Does anyone know if you can do both protocols at the same time?

Hi Bill,

Yes the Borax is an amazing protocol for candida. I am doing Lugol's now with maintenance doses of the borax from a previous detox. It is worthwhile to note from my experience that I would not want to do both detoxes at the same time. The lugols makes me itchy somewhat whereas the borax made me feel like I had a flu for about 2-3 weeks with violent diarrhea. My personal feelings and you would know better but I would do the borax for 4 weeks before doing lugol's to minimize dual symptoms. When I get the itchy Lugol's detox symptoms I take extra vitamin C and an extra pinch of sea salt and filtered well water. I also filter all my water through my Berkey system which can also be used on tap water with the addition of a fluoride filter to good effect.

Hi Jkw...There can be many reasons to get a hyper reactions from supplementing lugols iodine. And if you also have systemic candida, then this will add to your issues. Reasons for your hyper reaction are described below:

* Iodine is wonderful for heavy metal detoxing. It gets rid of aluminium, cadmium, mercury, lead and arsenic from your cells. But it doesn't end there. This means that iodine removes these heavy metals from the cells and just dumps them into your blood thus stressing the liver and causing hyper reactions because of possible re-distribution.

* Iodine can kill large amounts of candida which then break up and release high amounts of waste toxins. This effects the mind(brain fog, lethargy, low energy etc) and body(hyper reaction from the poisons).

* If you have low thyroid or hypothyroid as well then this may be another reason for lethargy, overweight, brain fog etc. The thyroid needs iodine. Be sure to take all components and companion nutrients as advised in The Iodine Protocol.

Your own protocol seems to be bits and pieces from other protocols. Before you take a protocol, you should first learn all about candida behaviour. I urge you to do this to see what you are really up against. You can find out all about candida from the candida posts on EC and other internet sites. I also wrote a book describing candida behaviour in detail and how to cure yourself called Candida: Killing So Sweetly. Here is the main anti-candida strategy that I use against candida from my book:

*Anti-Candida and Anti-Pathogen Protocols

*Anti-Biofilm Protocols

*Alkalizing Protocols

*Neutralize candida toxins in the body

*Essential Detox Protocols

*Liver Support Protocols

*Vitamin and Mineral Support (Immune System Support)

*The Health Defence Diet

The current anti-candida protocol that I recommend you follow is shown here.

Regarding your thyroid issues -- If you get checked again I would advise that you get the proper labwork from your doc. Do not have the doc's TSH/T4 test -- this is highly inaccurate. Get the Free T3/Free T4 test which measures the active hormone in your blood(which is what you want to know). More info on proper labwork here.

I would also advise that you take Chanca piedra tea or capsules for your gallstones. Buy wildcrafted or organic quality Chanca piedra for best results.

To remedy your cravings you should drink Gymnema sylvestre tea 3 or 4 times a day. This will also help to reduce excess sugar in your blood. Supplementing Chromium and Vanadium minerals will also help you here.

Finally the proper way to take betaine and protease enzymes for GERD issues is fully described here.

Hello Jkw.

I've just read your email about iodine and Bill's very comprehensive reply. I have read Bill's book on- Ph balance for life - all about alkalising, which you say you're just getting into. For years I suffered from painful thrush under my breasts and believe it's candida over growth. I tried everything from Milk of magnesia as a deodorant ( brilliant) to coconut oil but nothing helped long term. I've been using Bill and Ted's protocol from the book, lemon juice in water with bicarbonate of soda( baking soda) for about 8 weeks or so 30-60 minutes after meals, and even being in Spain last month where it was 110* in the shade so lots of sweating etc, I never once have had thrush again. And I've had small and large outbreaks very regularly for several years. I've also starting eating less acidic and more alkaline food and it really helps. So I guess it could be. Great for your candida. Good luck.

And Bill and Ted's book is very informative.

I have 5% strength Lugol's which provides 6.25 mg iodine content per drop (per Bill's table). How do I reduce it to 2% to get 2.50 mg per drop as I want to start out low supplement. Tku.

Bill, thank you so much.

Dear Bill,

I had chronic fatigue for very long time .. I want to use Lugol's Iodine .. what else should I take with it .. it seems you posted too many supplements .. can it all be taken in one pill?

Chad

For years, I've been taking between 6 to 8 drops of Lugol's Iodine a day (37.5 mgs to 50 mgs) in split dosages as maintenance and I have never had any side-effects or problems. You can simply take LI with a glass of water or you can add the LI dose to a solution of Ascorbic acid or Ascorbate (Vitamin C). I also take LI drops mixed with Humic Acid granules in water (add a small amount of Humic Acid to the water until it turns golden brown and not black) and then add a tablespoon of ACV - this makes it a strong anti-viral. There are many ways to supplement Lugol's Iodine."

I have a tooth that could need a root canal, I do not have pain yet but my lymph node is swollen. Could this method clean out the infection? Thanks!

Check out this doctor's book.

Free Medfox Book | Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD (medfoxpub.com)

I nebulize with Lugol's 2% and food grade hydrogen peroxide all the time. I use 1 or 2 Drops of Lugol's and 1% mix of HP. 1/2 teaspoon at a time in nebulizer pot. Once a day.

If you can't get your doctor to prescribe Lugol's solution, just get a little devious and go the route like going to an aquarium supply (pet shop) and ask for Lugol's solution for your aquarium. Please note that dosages in Bill's article is written for 5%, but it also comes in strengths up to 15% which is essentially the same as SSKI (saturated solution of potassium iodide). It may still be legal to buy it in 1 ounce bottles at the l5% dosages. If you are lucky enough to get it in 15% solution, divide Bill's dosages by 3 to determine how many drops to take daily.

Another route you can take is going on line and looking for potassium crystals and mixing your own SSKI. Instructions are to use either beer bottle brown or green bottles for mixing and storage. Fill bottle to about 60% full with potassium iodide crystals, then fill to 90% full with distilled water. Cap and shake vigorously for a few minutes. You will know your solution is saturated if a few crystals are left undissolved. Please remember that SSKI is a l5% solution of potassium iodide and adjust dosage as mentioned above.

In this case, I would agree that taking them together - or even mega-dosing Vitamin C - is not a good idea as iodine performs its duties by attaching itself to other elements, being released by oxidation, attaching, being oxidized and so on and so forth so, since Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant...I would say yes. It will interfere with the oxidation of the compounds iodine goes into AND back out of in the course of doing its job until its run its course. Of course, if one is getting enough iodine, one wouldn't need mega-doses of vitamin C.

The best way - or so it appears to me - to get through the detox effects is to lower the dose since you're lowering it anyway, with the anti-oxidants.

Hi,

I'm interested in following Bill's Iodine Protocol, and am unsure of the correct amount of magnesium to take. The instructions say to take between 400 mgs and 1200 mgs of magnesium per day. I've just purchased some Nova Magnesium Chloride, 520 mgs per tablet, believing that if I took two of these they would provide over 1,000 mgs of magnesium. However in the supplement facts at the side of the bottle it informs me that there is only 62.17 mgs per tablet of magnesium. Does this mean that I will have to take multiple tablets to get the required magnesium that the protocol calls for?

Thanks for any help.

Packaging facing often show the total weight of the pill/capsule with the element magnesium is bond (ie glycinate, malate, oxide, etc...). On the back is indicated the magnesium element content which is what usually is referred to when giving magnesium dosage recommendations.

I started the protocol about 3 weeks ago. I have hashimotos and am hypothyroid. Since I started my thyroid has been aching and I happened to have my bloodwork scheduled and my TSH went up. Is this a detox symptom? I can't seem to find info on how this protocol impacts the thyroid. I'd appreciate any insight! Thanks!

Are you referring to the nebulizer protocol? I have used this and feel it was critical with my pneumonia.

Yes, I think you are right. I will try taking about a 1/4th of what I am taking now. I am doing several of the Candida kill methods so things should still progress along. Thanks!

Did you apply all 30 coats at once? If not, what was your protocol?

Hi, could you tell me what iodine % you used I'm trying to help my mum with two skin cancers

Dear Jkw,

I saw an article from the Weston A. Price Foundation that may be useful to you. http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-diseases/the-great-iodine-debate/

Good luck with your health issues! Lots of us can relate :)

Two thirds through the article I saw the following excerpt from Sally Fallon's article:

"Reaction to Iodoral

“Three articles appeared recently in The Original Internist concerning clinical research with the use of iodine/iodide in megadoses. Our medical group, consisting of three MDs and one ND/Acupuncturist decided that we should try to find out whether any one of us was iodine-deficient. Our practice is in the Great Lakes region that was described as the ‘Goiter Belt' by David Brownstein. We therefore followed Brownstein's recommendation for the iodine/iodide loading test. Five individuals within our office took the test and, by the criteria outlined, we were all iodine-deficient.

“Three of us, two MDs and our Laboratory Director, then proceeded to take the 50 mg of Iodoral a day with the intention of repeating the iodine/iodide loading test after three months of treatment. After about six weeks of continuous treatment, I experienced dysphagia [difficulty swallowing], resulting in lower chest pain on swallowing both food and fluids. This was particularly marked with hot fluids, a totally new experience for me. I told the Laboratory Director that I was going to discontinue taking the Iodoral since I had concluded that it was the potential cause. To my surprise, she told me that she had experienced exactly the same symptom and had also discontinued the treatment. The other two MDs who took the treatment did not experience this symptom. Some four weeks after discontinuation of the Iodoral, we both continue to experience the same kind of dysphagia, although it is much milder. We can only conclude that we experienced some esophagitis though this has not been proved by further study.

“If this is indeed a toxic effect of the Iodoral, we concluded that it needed to be drawn to the attention of the CAM medical community. If the conclusions are correct, we should expect to hear that other ‘guinea pigs' have experienced something similar. The question remains in our minds as to whether the test outlined by Brownstein is an accurate determination of chronic iodine deficiency. It may well be that iodine has a sensitive dose relationship like that which is so well known with selenium, for example, and with other minerals. The question, put so eloquently recently by Alan Gaby is whether we are embarking on a strategy that can be toxic for some while beneficial for those sick individuals reported by Brownstein and his co-author, Guy Abraham. Indeed, as Gaby questioned later, of the 4,000 patients treated by the Michigan Clinic, how many were carefully monitored in detail for potential side effects? Since gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is mentioned in a drug commercial as a common affliction, it might be that some patients who are being treated with high-dose iodine would never conclude that GER might be related to the iodine consumption. It might not be recognized as a side effect even by a physician, since it is so remote from any expected or predicted symptom.”

-Derrick Lonsdale MD, FAAP, FACN, Westlake, Ohio The Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, April 2006

Hi Catlin...I don't think that you need to worry too much about detoxing since lugol's iodine helps to remove mercury, aluminium, cadmium, lead and arsenic from the body. It will also remove bromine and fluorine from the body on its own. And the real reason for taking all the companion nutrients is really to help support the transport, storage and conversion of the iodine into thyroid hormones. The main function of the companion nutrients is therefore not to help you detox but to help support the many many metabolic processes involved in the final and successful production of the thyroid hormones. In this respect, the companion minerals and vitamins act like important cogs in a machine. If these cogs are missing then the machine will not work very well. So I would start by taking all the companion nutrients at their proper dosages as soon as you can.

Because you have goiter, this means -- from the research -- that you have excess hydrogen peroxide free radicals being produced in your thyroid which are not being quenched by the glutathione peroxidase enzyme. This produces corrupted proteins in the thyroid which results in an auto-antibody reaction by the immune system and goiter formation. That's why selenium is so key in this problem because selenium is the main central atom for glutathione peroxidase. If you don't have enough selenium everyday in your diet then you will not be able to manufacture enough glutathione peroxidase to help protect your thyroid against these free radicals which manifests in goiter formation. I describe all the companion nutrients and more in this Google doc. To further help you, here is a document on how to supplement lugol's iodine by Stephanie Buist who follows Dr Brownstein's recommendations on lugol's supplemetation.

Lastly, I would urge you to actively reduce dairy and cruciferous vegetables in your diet. Do not take calcium supplements if you are taking the iodine protocol to recover your thyroid. Both dairy and cruciferous veg contain high amounts of calcium. If you eat too much of these products then excess calcium will build up in your blood and this will act to inhibit the transport and absorption of iodine into the thyroid and the body. This is also why you should also take magnesum(as recommended in the companion nutrients) because magnesium helps to regulate calcium in the body. Magnesium, in an enzyme together with tyrosine, is also responsible for actively storing iodide from the blood as iodine in the thyroid...Like one of many cogs in an important machine.

Hi @Caitlin,

Sorry, I'm not Bill, but on your question about Niacin, you may find the book "Niacin: The Real Story", by the late Dr Abram Hoffer M.D. of interest. He was a pioneer in orthomolecular dosages of Niacin (usually along with Vitamin C), for many aspects of health, e.g. psychological problems and restoring blood lipid levels to normal. For Hoffer, doses like 3g (grams) per day, divided over the day, along with good amounts of vitamin C, were normal. Like Linus Pauling, he lived and was active to a great age.

I'm not sure why Bill prefers the non-flush version; I got the impression from the book that provided people could tolerate the flush, Hoffer preferred the (usually cheaper) straight (flushing) niacin (aka nicotinic acid). It has some physiological advantages (see the book). And you get used to the flush and it is barely noticable when you've been taking orthomolecular doses for a while (as I have). (I am not currently on the iodine protocol, I should add, although I am considering it. I am actually taking most of the co-factors, just haven't started iodine yet, as I'm still monitoring my temperature over time without supplemental iodine, so as to have a good baseline to compare with when I do start supplementing. (I do find temperature monitoring a bit fiddly to be honest, and I'm not always sure I'm doing it right - that's why I'm taking my time over this).

Gyda llaw, dw i'n dysgu Cymraeg. Ydach chi'n siarad Cymraeg?

Hwyl, :-)

Mike

Thank you very much Bill ... how would I know if I lack all the recommended Supplements or Not? .... can I just start with Lugol's Iodine first and I will update you of the outcome as time goes by. I have 2% Lugol's iodine from J. Crow's (60 ml bottle). what do you recommend as a start?

Best Regards,

Chad

Bill,

What if I have high zinc? Should I still supplement with it, or leave it out?

Thanks, Wendy

Serum zinc and serum copper would be the tests you'd prefer. Hair is not good for heavy metal or mineral balance.

The online iodine protocol by Dr Stephanie Buist might be useful to you; it confirms what Bill has been suggesting.

http://jeffreydachmd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/The-Guide-to-Supplementing-with-Iodine-Stephanie-Burst-ND.pdf

Magnesium 'oil' is made from magnesium chloride flakes.

Hi Om...If you are unable to locate the lugols iodine at pet shops or at a vets then then the only option left is the internet vendors that sell the 5% Lugols Iodine.

Here are some online lugols iodine vendors:

Ebay.com Lugols Iodine Vendors

J Crow's Lugols Iodine

If you prefer, you can take Iodoral instead of Lugol's Iodine. This is just 5% lugol's iodine in pill form as described in this link. These are easily obtainable at this link.

Pure Formulas

There is also another product called IodoRx which is virtually the same as Iodoral:

Complimentary Medicine

Amazon

And this iodine website vendor definitely ships to Canada:

Breast Cancer Choices

Thanks for your reply, Bill.

I have another question. The protocol that I just began today (after finally getting my Lugol's 2%) is very conservative in the hopes of avoiding side effects. They recommend starting with only 1 drop and then every two weeks increasing by 3 drops, until you reach the 20 needed to reach 50mg. I plotted it out on the calendar and it will take me 3 months to reach the full amount. While I do not want to deal with major side effects, I wonder if that's being a bit TOO careful. Also, I AM taking Vitamin C, selenium, and magnesium so I feel that should help as well.

Thanks for your input.

Lugol's Iodine should not be taken with Ascorbic acid including orange juice etc because the Iodine will be converted to Iodide. A simple experiment with Lugol's in water in a clear glass will demonstrate this. If you add Ascorbic Acid the solution becomes clear. The body needs both the Iodine and Iodide forms.

Hello Bill,

Again, you had a wonderful newsletter on Iodine in the latest Earth Clinic email edition.

You site Dr. David Derry's post in "Ask About" and that too was an illuminating article. In light of your advocacy of Iodine consumed orally as more efficient than topical to achieve a "whole body sufficiency" condition as you call it, I missed how much you recommend daily. Forgive me if you said it but is 5 drops daily of iodine too much?

Back to Derry's article, he does highly recommend Iodine on the skin to rid the skin of skin infections so as an anti-viral the topical method should not be overlooked. In fact, his accounts of topical applications was an endorsement of topical usage although as you rightly observe, his observation for body wide absorption is not well achieved by topical painting.

I'm always searching for any anti-viral, anti-fungal that can be found and had overlooked the old iodine stand-by that I grew up with. Derry had an interesting observation in saying that in days of old many people would carry around a little bottle of iodine to apply topically if a problem arose.

Again, thank you for your good research.

Suzanne: Amazon

You can easily buy online. One place I shop for alot of supplements, great pricing and shipping is cheap or free, is SwansonVitamins.com Probably Lucky Vitamin or Iherb.com has it also and its Lugols.

To Gertie who has taken iodine for 40 yrs, I am wondering if you are less hypothyroid than 40 yrs ago.

I thought long term use of iodine ( iodoral) gradually lessening the amount of armour would cause my thyroid to produce more hormone So that eventually I would need only iodine.