Benefits of Iodine for Health

I will refer readers to Dr. David Brownstein, M.D., who has spent 25 years researching Iodine/Iodide & using this dual supplement in a very inexpensive formulation called Iodoral. He states that both iodine & iodide are necessary as they are needed by different bodily systems. Dr. Brownstein's books are also inexpensive on Amazon, about $10 or less. The amount of iodine/iodide in one tablet is 5 mg & 7.5 respectively for a total of 12.5 mg. The average Japanese diet contains about 13.8 mg which is 100 times the RDA. Fluoride is a poison & if you do research, please note that Adolph Hitler used fluoride to passivate the German people. Fluoride will disrupt the functioning of both the thyroid & brain. Note also that most of the antidepressants on the market contain fluorine. It is important to have a healthcare professional test iodine levels by load testing & checking urine for iodine levels excreted. Saliva/serum levels of iodine can be used to detect a transport deficiency which may be remedied by the use of Vitamin C & unrefined sea salt. Dr. Brownstein states that "iodine deficiency is a huge public health problem. The exposure to goitrogens,(substances that promote goiter), including bromide, fluoride, & chlorine derivatives, has exacerbated the iodine deficiency problem. It is one of the main underlying causes of many varied illnesses including thyroid disorders, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, cancer (including breast & prostate), & other health issues". Some people are highly sensitive to meds & supplements & they may need to take microdoses of iodine in the form of Atomidine which is Edgar Cayce's formulation & also used by Brownstein in his clinical practice .Lugol's solution was developed by Jean Lugol a French physician who found in 1829 that iodine was not very soluble in water & used potassium iodide. The final soluton was a mixture of 5% iodine & 10% pot. iodide in distilled water. Two drops were taken which contained 5mg iodine & 7.5mg iodide. Iodide is the reduced form of iodine which contains an extra electron.It was thought that the intestinal tract could easily convert iodine to iodide but research has shown this is not true. Different tissues of the body respond to the different forms of iodine. The thyroid gland primarily uses iodide.To decrease the incidence of goiter, pot. iodide was added to table salt. The problem with the commercial salts is they are chemically processed & toxic. Real salt which is minimally processed & only air/sun dried is the best salt to use which also contains trace minerals. Dr. Brownstein also has a book on salt.As the thyroid primarily uses iodide, the breasts utilize iodine. Iodine will decrease lipoperoxidation of breast tissue & body in general. Lipoperoxidation can lead to many serious illnesses such as cancer & autoimmune disorders. Different tissues concentrate different forms of iodine & using a supplement that contains both iodine & iodide is preferable to using one that contains only one form. The downside to Lugol's solution is the dosing which can be inconsistent, as one drop may not be the same size each time it is measured. Iodoral is in tablet form & can be titrated to the needed dose. Again it is important to get tested for your individual needs.

Hello Bill. I always enjoy your information, that you share with us on here.

I have a question about iodine painting. I know you have said that you will paint the bottom of the foot, but I have read somewhere that you can paint it any where on the body.

No matter where I paint the iodine within just a few hours it is completly gone. My wife painted herself with the same iodine and it stayed for days.

Am I severly iodine defeciant or what is going on? How would you correct this?

I painted myself twice, yesterday and both time it was gone in a few hours. Today same thing, painted about a 3 inch by 3 inch square on my belly and now it is gone, not even a trace of where I painted is there.

It is really strange, because my wife's diet and my are basically the same. She is dark complected and I am very pale.

You have become one of my favorite people that post on here and I respect your studies and knowledge.

Thank you in advanced!
Rebel

Hi Rebel...Some very good questions, and I have wondered the same myself because whenever I foot-paint with Iodine tincture then, like you, the stain disappears in less than 2 hours also. I'm really not happy with this, because I have none of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism(too much iodine), which are:

* Palpitations
* Heat intolerance
* Nervousness
* Insomnia
* Breathlessness
* Increased bowel movements
* Light or absent menstrual periods
* Fatigue
* Fast heart rate
* Trembling hands
* Weight loss
* Muscle weakness
* Warm moist skin
* Hair loss
* Staring gaze

I have had none of these symptoms. I even did a experiment three days ago whereby, as well as taking the equivalent of 5 drops of 2% lugol's iodine(equivalent to an intake over 60 mgms iodine/iodide) as well, I painted half the underside of both my forearms(soft tissue) -- three times that day!! -- which still disappeared in less than 2 hours with absolutely no negative effects on my body that day or the next day. Here, I was actually trying to create the symptoms of hyperthyroidism (too much iodine) and failed miserably..LOL.

But to approach this logically, this result must also show that different people must have widely varying transdermal absorbtion rates as well as excretion rates for iodine and therefore taking and supplementing iodine this way does not allow you to know how much iodine you are actually taking and incorporating into your body, or how much is being successfully utilized or excreted.

The only way to determine correct iodine levels in your body these days is to get a blood test. But this test isn't very accurate, because the result will be compared to just your small thyroid needs and not on the much greater needs of your thyroid AND the rest of your body(your body needs something like 100 times the amount of iodine as recommended by the RDA) -- and has been fairly well proved from the Iodine Project Research, run by Drs Abraham and Brownstein, that your whole body including the thyroid -- needs a minimal daily intake of at least 12.5 mgs of lugol's every day(as opposed to the 150 microgms RDA recommended by the FDA and WHO). In their experiments and research with breast fibrocystic disease, uterine fibroids etc the Iodine Project has used upwards of 50 mg daily doses of iodine for several months to help successfully cure these acute medical problems without any bad effects.

Currently, since I have some sodium thiosulphate handy (which I periodically take to remove heavy metals, chlorine, arsenic and cyanide from my body as recomeded by Ted from Bangkok), I can perhaps use this in a simple loading test to see if large amounts of iodine are excreted in my urine over a 24 hour period after a large iodine intake. ST, when added to the urine, will be oxidized by the iodine to tetrathionate which turns the urine solution blue or blue/black (probably more like a shade of green depending on the yellowness of the urine) and can perhaps be used to judge visually -- and only very roughly mind you -- whether I am excreting large amounts of iodine after loading or not. This is not a particulalry good test, best I can do, since I haven't got the knowledge or the equiment to do a more accurate quantitative analysis. Ted from Bangkok would know how to do this analysis properly. But I will post the results if this is at all viable.

Hi Peter...Research has show that the Japanese eat fairly large amounts of seaweed with their food, usually at every meal and they are amazingly healthy because of this diet. The benefits from seaweed and iodine are well known to provide a daily intake of iodine equivalent to between 10 - 13 mgs.

In another study, experts for years were stumped because the Japanese, whose population are amongst the heaviest smokers in the world, yet still had one of the lowest rates of lung cancer per capita in the world. This was an unexplainable paradox for researchers, until it was discovered that the Japaenese intake higher amounts of iodine via seaweed than any other country in the world.

Max Gerson, in his Gerson Cancer Therapy, used huge amounts of iodine as well as thyroid extract for his cures and I have recently come across yet another study where they found that thyroid hormones -- T3, T4 as well as iodine -- had a tendency to accumulate in the lungs. Since iodine is anti-carcinogenic, ant-cancer as well as anti-mutagenic, this must be why the Japaense smokers have such a low rate of lung cancer.

As to the reason why thyroid T3, T4 and iodine tend to collect in the lungs, this is fairly easy to answer -- the lungs have mucus glands, and so do the throat, nose, salivary glands, stomach, breasts, prostate, cervix, intestines etc. -- whose mucus glands all accumulate and use iodine as a first line defence against microbial invasion. Iodine seems to be amazingly protective to the body but only when taken in the correct amounts like the Japanese.

I tried lugo's iodine, since I have so much problems with medications I took one drop in a glass of water, I got dizzines, then I tried again 6 hours after and same effects, even my thyroid test are Ok. I have all the symptoms, like thining and loss of hair, brittle nails, always cold even in summer time. What can I do???.

This site is wonderful I check it for every illness and always found something that helps me.

Have an underactive thyroid and still struggling with it despite taking the medication from the doctor - thyroxine. It is as though the side effects and the problems that you still have do not make it worthtaking it. Am now thinking of a mix of kelp (factory farmed definitely organic and mercury free) and natural thyroid pills. Please get in touch if you have any input on this, especially if you have an underactive thyroid and it is better now. EMAIL ME AT rychhmo a t a o l do t c o m. Thanks.

What is AK? that you find out you were deficient?

Can anyone tell me how much iodine I should be taking? It's mainly because of dry hair, dry skin, extreme tiredness, etc. I can't find dosage info anywhere. I have Lugols iodine.

I have read the e-mails here telling where to find Lugol's Solution in its original strength (5%/10%), and it seems the confusion from the Canadian people is that perhaps they are phoning the various brand name pharmacies in the stores and asking them, when it turns out they are talking to mainly clueless floor help instead of asking the pharmacist directly, preferably in person!

I have found that now,April 2010, when following up by e-mail to the Help or "Contact Us" links on the company sites, I get answers.

Most use a fill-in e-mail form on their page, not a browser e-mail. So you won't have a record of the sent e-mail.

One specific company, Rexall, a drugstore name here,when called said they didn't have it. But when I e-mailed their company site (just Search any engine for this)they replied in 2 days and even gave me the exact branch store and name of pharmacist I could ask to order it in for me.

I also tried:
Zellers
Walmart
London Drugs
Shoppers
local health food stores

Any Search will show up the main Canadian maker of LUGOL'S in Coquitlam. I used that name/link to the item page in my e-mails to show them what I wanted exactly. There is a 100 ml and a 500 ml size.

I also contacted them by e-mail and they said 'YES, our product IS available NO PRESCRIPTION, but you mustfind out from the retail company if their wholesaler can get it in for you!

Looking for Lugal's Iodine? Hulda Clarke sells the purest form - that's all I ever use. Just google her name/store.

Lugol's or Potassium Iodide

Could anyone out there provide me the information I need about the iodine therapy? Which is better to take? Lugol's, Liquid Kelp, or SSKI? I would appreciate your knowledge on this subject. Also would this help with acid reflux?

Thanks, Carolyn

Lugols because it contains Iodine and Iodide..... SSKI is just Iodide no iodine. Many people do not get very good results with just one form of iodine. The iodide is almost idiot proof and that is why so many go with that but if you follow the directions for Lugols from various sources it is hard to go wrong! Too few people understand basic chemistry or physiology of the body ie chemistry of the body.... SO they make contradictory statements and get things all mixed up. Their are a few people with Hishymoto's(sp) Disease that can not tolerate Iodine at all but seem to do ok with Iodide. It is stupid to make fearful statements based on a small subset that represents. 000000001% of the earths population..... THey do this with sodium intake as well.... SOmething like 1 out of 1000 people with hypertension have sodium sensitive hypertension so why make the other 999 people give up salt if it is not going to improve their condition or hurt them? I know most salt is processedin amanner not good for us but that is another issue and not the salts falt. Healthy forms of sodium are very good for you. My point is their are a lot of half truths floating around the medical field and internet. I actually ignore anyone that starts out a post with Caution or Warning because they are fear mongers and I have no time for fear. No decision should ever be based or made from a point of fear!

I finally found the Iodine but it's not liquid..it's like a powder..do I just need to put some alcohol and mix it? can anyone help me with the proportions? I try to find on the internet but nothing that I could understand. How I do If i want to take internally?.

they write on the bottle.
Iodine
L2=253.81
Assay.................................99.8%
Appearance............................Prill
Chloride and bromine (as chloride)...<280ppm
Identification.......................Pass test
Non-Volatile matter..................<0.05%

Thank you in advance for your help.

(question) I have Iodine in prill and I don't know how to mix with alcohol, I mean the quantities...Please can anyone help me? I asked before but no feedback so I write again my question hoping someone can help.

People commonly use Lugol's solution as a source of iodine. To make Lugols you need iodine (I2) which you have in prill form and potassium iodide (KI) which is readily available on the internet. You can do a search of Lugols and find the formula.

I made mine by mixing 1 oz. of Iodine with 2 oz. of potassium iodide and two cups of distilled water. Use something wooden to stir it (I used a tongue depressor) and mix it in a glass jar with a plastic lid (not a metal lid). Keep it in a dark place for a few days while the iodine dissolves in the water, stirring or shaking occasionally.

After it is completely dissolved, carefully transfer it to amber dropper bottles. It stains if you get it on things, but baking soda and water might clean up some stains.

The liquid you have is considered 5% Lugols and each drop will contain about 6.25 mg of iodine. This is safe for internal consumption and external use in the proper amounts. For internal use people commonly put the drops in a glass of water or eat it with a small amount of saturated fat such as butter. For external use you can just swab it on with a q-tip type product.

There is a good deal of information on the internet covering its use internally, and the need to detoxifying when using it since iodine causes your cells to release toxins like bromine, fluorine, mercury, lead, and arsenic.

Hello Deirdre, Thought you might like to read that Linus Pauling agrees with Dr. Jonathan Wright on iodine & fibrocystic breast disease. Guess it would work the same with fibroids of the uterus or elsewhere one might form a fibroid.

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/iodine/

@Janine- re: the abdominal pain you're describing-

i'm wondering if perhaps you may also have a gluten intolerance, or even be Celiac.. does it feel like your insides are being 'sandpapered raw'/destroyed by any chance? extreme bloating? etc..

i suffered agonizing abdominal pain for awhile, and would be in the fetal position for days at a time.
the pain finally subsided once i cut gluten completely out.

anyways, maybe part of the problem?
just a thought..

Hi,

I have been researching iodine deficiency in depth for a couple of years. I am very interested in this as it seems to be connected with electrosensitivity and multiple chemical sensitivity both of which I have. I am certain now that iodine is of great importance to health and would love to discuss this further.

Adrienne

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

What I tried was iodine and firstly looked up google to find out whether there was a connection between liquid iodine and the removal of heavy metals, and guess what, there is!!!

SO, after taking 3 drops of iodine in a glass of purified water with a half a teaspoon of vitamin C powder, I found that I was getting a bunch of pain in my gums where I had mercury fillings removed. What astounded me was that the dentist and I could not identify which tooth was suffering the pain. After taking an x-ray, it was found that 3 teeth in the upper right quadrant were very deep, yet nothing that indicated any serious problem that may be causing me all the pain I was feeling. What I believe was happening is that after 6 weeks of taking the iodine and Vit C powder, that residue (if this is the right word to use, someone out there maybe help me on this one), was being removed out of my gums! After 5 days of pain wavering in and out, it completely went and there is now no more pain. Does anyone have any suggestions of what else may have been happening or who may support this experience/theory? I would be interested in hearing your points of view.

Mary Louise,

I have been detoxing with iodine and my understanding, and what has seemed to be working for me, is to take the vitamin C at least an hour after taking the iodine. I generally do an hour and a half to 2 and a half hours. The C then can mobilize the halogens the iodine has been displacing. Then an hour and a half or so later, taking sea salt in water 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon, helps to flush the halogens through the kidneys. The C as I understand will halt the iodine's working, if not taken at least an hour after the iodine when the blood levels peak.

For extreme gum pain and inflammation after serious dental work, nothing works like turmeric and curcurmin.
I'd give that try - as much as you need, for the pain you describe next time.

I grew up in the 1940S and 1950's in what was called "The goiter belt" of Northern Minnesota where many elderly ladies and men had huge growths protruding as much as 6 to 10 inches from their throats. Dad put 1 to 2 drops of red iodine into our 8 ounce glass of milk every morning for more than ten years. I do not know if this prevented us from goiters, but we are all goiter free and there were no apparent side effects as we are all physically healthy. A little wacky psychologically but I don't know if that had anything to do with the iodine.

Use of iodine

I basically have pretty much finally somewhat recovered from stage 4 cancer of the mouth, & tongue. The last few months have noticed at times I get like feeling cold or guess chilly. Weather here has turns cold, and now seems like that has make it worse. Now I am planning to set up an appointment with the gland doctor. However, thinking in meantime trying iodine to see if that may help a little. I see I am not alone with this problem for two other people with same problem reporting it on the internet. I never had this problem before severe radiation & chemo so now thinking this appears to be a side effect from treatment to a few people. They may be able to kill the bad cells with radiation & treatment but it does seem to result in a few other problems. However, I am lucky to have made it this far so guess considering not to bad. Roger

Hi Bruce, would you be so kind as to provide me with the exact procedure/recipe how to extract iodine from black walnut. I live in countryside with lots of black walnut trees available. It is still possible to buy genuine Lugol solution here in Belgrade, but as we are heading towards European Community I'm afraid that this precious remedy will be hard to obtain in pharmacies. Just in case this happens I'll be glad to be equipped with knowledge how to home made iodine preparation. Btw, do you happen to know what is the chemical form in such an extraction because it is well established that Lugol's is so potent due to its iodine AND iodide composition.

jcrow prices of Lugol's are more than you quote on your (Wonderful!) website. The small bottle of full-strength Lugol's is $26 including shipping, just thought you would want to know,

Thanks for your great work. I am battling Lyme disease and seeking the silver bullet cure which is apparently non-existent. Any assistance most appreciated!

Thanks Again

John W.

well i have a bioelectric unit with radio frequencies and wands that do rare earth gases... it is supposed to work really well with lymes and alot of things. I think in general they are called violet ray machines.

you could hunt for that since I am not supposed to tell you what it is!!!

Kind of crazy.

It should balance your body to NORMAL frequency and so you kind of sleep with it etc.

John W- Regarding your Lyme Disease - have you tried using Colloidal Silver (CS)? I have been using since 1994 with great success for many ailments internally and externally. I am retired and a full time RVer and we don't have time for being sick. CS has been reported to kill up to 650 different pathogens including the Lyme Virus, MRSA, H1N1, etc. I have used recently for flu, food poisoning, head cold, boil, etc. I bought a CS micro-particle DC generator machine from Phoenix, AZ recently . It is very small and I can carry in our motorhome. It makes a micro particle 7-10 ppm solution. I take 1-2 oz per day when sick (sometimes more). I swish under tongue for 30 seconds or more and then swallow. I am currently using on the dog internally and externally for skin rash and health issues. I am a great believer of CS and its benefits. When I am taking CS I also do a probiotic to replace good bacteria which might be affected. Be aware that if you have a lot of a virus or bacteria, that when you take CS or an antibiotic, you can go thru a Herxheimer Affect and feel worse before feeling better. I realize there are pros and cons regarding CS as I have studied and read all about them for 15 years. I believe the PROS only because I and friends/relatives have had such positive responses (and none of us have turned blue!)

where in philipppines can i buy lugols solution?

Sources for Lugol's in Canada: Two very inexpensive sources of Lugol's in Canada are Kripps and Finlandia Pharmacies in Vancouver. No prescription. Gaby

I would like to add, Lugol's is found at the drug stores in Canada, If it is not on the shelf as the Pharmacist to order it for you, If they ask what you want it for, tell them it is for your pet or horse that has some ailment, and want to get rid of the problem asap, I didn't have a problem then. I have had friends that had a problem with pharmies in that respect, GOOD LUCK

So much has been said about iodine, but here's where I get confused. It seems there are three types of iodine: tincture of iodine, povidone iodine, and Lugol's iodine. Which is used for what? It seems most of the posts don't say. For example, which iodine do you paint with? Can you paint AND take Lugol's iodine drops in water? Can you drink drops of povidone in water like you can with Lugol's, or is that not to be taken internally? I'm really confused and need a little clarification.

Hello to Mrs. McBear and all who are confused on iodine.

The only two solutions usually used internally are SSKI (Saturated Solution of Potassium Iodide) and Lugol's solution. I believe the Lugol's solution is a little stronger than the SSKI (but you can research the formulas for both to make sure of this. You should also be aware that either of these should be taken in unchlorinated water, as the chlorine will cause the potassium iodide to revert to iodine.

Povadine and Betadine are usually used for pre-surgical scrubs and/or handwashing.

You can paint the tincture of iodine on the skin, but I would hesitate to take it.

Answers to those confused about uses of SSKI or Lugol's solutions (both potassium iodide solutions:

An excellent article on the use of SSKI can be found and printed off the internet by typing "potassium iodide" (omit parenthesis) in search window. Pull up reference from Tahoma Clinic which is an excellent article telling you what to use it for and how much to use. SSKI & Lugol's solution are both potassium iodide solutions for oral use, but of course most anything you can use orally can be used externally also.

I was using iodine for several days painting it on my neck for a sore throat and because I know this is something I am deficient in. After a few days the front of my neck began to swell a little and burn when I put the iodine on so I stopped putting it on my neck and put a small patch on my leg instead. Within a few minutes my throat began to burn in the area of my thyroid where it was swollen. Does anyone have any ideas? Is it from too much iodine? Or just a reaction from being deficient too long? Any info would be appreciated.

I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in 1999. Being that I had no clue as to what was going on with my body. I was given one pill, which I later found out was the radioactive iodine. My doctor put me on levothyroxine and told me I would have to take it for the rest of my life. Is it now too late to use the Lugol's iodine or can I still get some benefits from it?

The Naturopath gave my mother Iodium, I don't know what the difference between that and Iodine was, but her Thyroid never acted up after 1 month of this.

iodium & iodine r the same thing, it was probably a Rx, so it might have been a brand name.......iodine does get stored & reused by ur thyroid, but illness, stress, heavy sweating & other things cause u to get low in it again.......one month is not enough time to know for sure.......

radioactive iodine destroys the thyroid......also, u can be hypo thyroid & exhibit, even in blood tests, signs of over hyper active thyroid........i think u might b screwed, the thyroid doesn't grow back......i would look into more natural thyroid supplements, like amour thyroid.......i have heard of others getting their thyroid damaged for idiot dr's........ there's a good book by: Dr. Broda Barnes, M.D.....called Hypothyroidism, the hidden illness.......u might b surprised...... the iodine supplement might help, if the radioactive stuff didn't kill the whole thing & i think i'd sue the dr who gave it to me, without telling me what it was & the consequences of taking it..........it's unfortunate that alot of people think dr's walk on water....