Benefits of Iodine for Health

To Ted or anyone who can help me with this question, I would like to know as I have been reading on Iodine it says that Vitamin C cancels out Iodine. So if I need Vitamin C then must I give it up in order for the Iodine to help me? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you to Ted and Earth Clinic for being here for us.

I have successfully removed iodine stains from clothing and skin with a solution of ascorbic acid (vitamin C powder) in water. I didn't measure the quantities but it was something like quarter or half a teaspoon ascorbic acid in 10ml water, dab it on and let it dry.

Today I accidently spilled a fair bit of lugol's iodine, staining a section of my laminated benchtop. Had just bought some borax which was still at hand and immediately spread heaps of borax onto the stain and with some slightly wetted paper towels rubbed the borax into the stain. It took a bit of scrubbing but the stain was successfully removed.

Anne: The iodine is releasing stored toxins into the plasma. They are accumulating there because they are not being removed through the elimination channels. This is why the sudden dizziness occurred and why it continues, despite taking lemon. The vitamin supplements are not effective because they are not from whole foods. For b take nutritional yeast, dessicated liver, and green smoothies from organic baby greens. B vitamins work for less than 5 hours so take every 4 hours. For c take 90g organic strawberries. For insoluable fiber make smothies from 3 organic banana peels. For soluable fiber take organic apples and black chia. For chlorophyll take Hawaiian spriulina and chlorella. The above items should open the elimination channels. Search raw food and super food videos for more beneficial products.

My doc said that I'm hypothyroid, and rather than put me on Armor (which she is willing to do), she suggested that I try iodine supplements. I had a bottle of Iosol, and I have been taking one drop of this in water, for about 3 -4 days this week. I felt nothing, until yesterday while in line at the local store. Whammo! A wave of dizziness swept over me. Thankfully, today is Saturday so I can hole up at home and try to recover. I stopped the Iosol, have been drinking lots of water w/ lemon, taking B-complex and plenty of vita C, but still have some waves of vertigo if I move too quickly or duck my head too quickly. Has anyone else had weird dizziness when taking Iodine drops? Thanks to you all!

Hi Ecfan99...What you are probably experiencing is the Herx (die-off) or Detox side-effects of supplementing Lugol's Iodine. If you have large amounts of heavy metals or halides(fluorine and bromine) in your body, then iodine removes them from the cells and dumps them into the blood and then it is up to the liver to get rid of them. The liver becomes overwhelmed and stressed -- hence you fell sick and nauseous.

Although a good detoxer, iodine removes these poisons from the cells and just dumps them into the blood -- so there is a danger of redistribution of these heavy metals and halides in the body. Secondly, when these heavy metals and halides are excreted into the intestines from the liver -- they can also be re-absorbed back into the body from the colon.

Perhaps your best course of action for removal of heavy metals is to take Chlorella. Dr William Kelly, well known for his anti-cancer Metabolic Protocol, advised Chlorella in his own protocol because chlorella contains alginates. Alginate is a huge molecule. When alginates bind to heavy metals, the alginate molecule is far to big for it to be re-absobed into the cells of the body and too big for it to be re-absorbed into the body via the colon. Hence, heavy metals are excreted even quicker and more efficiently by the chlorella

If you have poisons like fluorine and mercury already in excess in your body then these poisons can be absorbed in areas of the brain as well as the glands. The thyroid relies on its hormone regulation in the hypothalimus (TRH -- Thyroid-releasing Hormone) and the pituitary gland(TSH - Thyroid Stimulating hormone) -- so if these two regions of the brain have excess mercury or fluorine then this will also cause gross mis-regulation of the thyroid. You are already taking selenium, which helps to remove mercury from the body but I think adding borax to your protocol will help to more quickly eliminate the fluorine. See Ted's borax water protocol here.

Another thing you can do is just get a simple hair analysis -- this will tell you exactly what heavy metals, halides and other poisons are in your body in excess, so you will be able to employ a much more focused protocol to get rid of all these poisons from your body.

And for now, perhaps it would be best to reduce your iodoral protocol to just 50mgs per day -- or at least to a level where the effects of the detox are not so severe.

Ecfan99: Like a world class symphony that has excellent musicians and finely tuned instruments in the proper ratio, the body requires dozens of nutrients and hundreds of co factors to function at peak performance. Cooked regular food and isolated supplements do not provide these. The best nutrients come from raw, organic, grass fed, soaked, sprouted, fermented, and wild harvested whole foods. I was like you a short while ago. Today I am a lot better.

Hello - I have been taking iodine for over a year to help with goiter / cysts on thyroid, as well as fibrocystic breasts. I had been taking 75mg of Lugol's. About two months ago I switched to Iodoral because of ease of taking, and the Lugol's was staining my teeth. I started at 50 mg of Iodoral and didn't notice any detox or side effects. I bumped up to 100 mg a few days ago. I take the companion supplements as well (magnesium, selenium, C, B, sea salt).

Throughout the night last night I woke up feel very nauseated. Still feeling pretty queasy today. So much so that I've canceled my plans for the day.

Could this be the iodine doing further detoxing, and more halides being released into my system? I have taken some sea salt in water this morning, and may continue to do that. Just want to be sure I'm approaching this correctly. Thanks.

Are you being serious? 3 x's a day for how many days is the question? Interesting, Thanks

One word to all suffering from Lyme: Margaritas.... Not kidding. Something about the combination of lime salt and tequilla works against parasitic infections. Think about it. Mexico, Margaritas, and the worst parasitic water ever but the Mexicans aren't suffering from Lyme. I tried it 3 times a day and no more Lyme.

hi... Fascinating to read about the iodine. I use petty spurge for bccs (basal cell carcinomas). It grows here like a weed. its actually called Euphorbia Peblis. The sap kills off any cancer cells.

I've dealt with at least six to eight bccs on my upper chest and face over the years. I only have very small scarring to cope with now.

The trouble is, you can't use it near your eyes as it can blind you.

My son has just had bccs removed from his lower eye lid. He had to have the eye lid completely removed and reconstructed. It was upsetting to know that I couldnt treat the area because of its proximity. He has had major surgery, and had to have two surgeries to get it right.

Is iodine just the one you can buy over the counter? is it toxic to the eye? it could be another way of getting around using something on the face to get rid of cancers.

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.

Chad, you can use Lugols 5% solution 2 drops a day in half a glass of water. You can get lugol's iodine solution from Hoopers Pharmacy. Good Health.

What kind of Iodine did you take? Thanks.

Hi Jan from Buffalo, what were your other symptoms?? I've been under a great deal of stress and think I may have hyperthyroidism. I hate this nervous feeling and panic/anxiety!! Thank you. Feel free to email me:maryleej3 (at) hotmail [dot] com.

Hi, Has anyone had a iodine loading test done? Could a testing center or place be recommended? Did you find it helpful? Thanks!

To Younglady 1975 in Tucson, AZ: I have seen 7% Iodine on Amazon.com.

Thank you, Bill, for all the useful links you have given, and also the info on Armour. In reading "Solved:The Riddle of Illness" by Stephen Langer, MD, which was recommended to me earlier, it seemed to say a lack of iodine could cause nodules, so I was confused as to why I would avoid iodine if the goal was to reduce or maintain what is already there. I will continue with the iodine and the other supplements, as explained. I am so surprised to see how many illnesses can occur as a result of low thyroid. Ohio has the lowest level of Selenium in it's soil, which can apparently lead to cancer, so I will be eating a few Brazil nuts daily, too. Thanks so much for all you do to help people everyday, and for answering my questions so I can understand the answers.

I do believe you on the T3 & T4 testing. But unfortunately, last month when I went to retest my TSH level, I mentioned to the doc that I wanted to test the T3 & T4 also. Actually, I tried to demand that they test it, stating that the TSH level is an incomplete indicator of the thyroid. She wouldn't hear such talk. She said something like - no, this is how we test. And acted as if she'd never even heard of the other tests! They are "the authorities", and will not do what a patient asks if it's not in their agreeable scope of "knowledge".

With my TSH level just inside the normal range, they would definitely not do any further testing.

And being on the state health-care system, I do not have a choice of doctors, nor could I ever afford a doctor that I would actually intentionally choose myself. So I only go to the doc minimally, like for a blood test or an asthma inhaler.

Any suggestions on how to get the proper tests done for an affordable price, without a referral? (I'm in southern California).

Thanks for all that info and links, even though I wasn't the one who asked. (I'll continue to eat Brazil nuts for selenium, but do I need to eat a few every time I take a drop or 2 of Lugol's? Also, there's no knowing whether the source of the nuts is depleted or not. So might it be better to take a supplement on and off?)

Hi Rsw... As I've said many times before, TSH is a highly inaccurate test for the measurement of thyroid hormones. The better option would be, at the very least, to get your Free T3 and Free T4 levels and certain other body paramters measured instead. Free T3 and Free T4 are the active thyroid hormones that are important to your body whereas TSH is secreted from the Pituatury gland. For a more detailed explanation of this aspect, see these links:

TSH -- Why It's Useless

Recommended Lab Work

Armour thyroid used to be a good form of natural thyroid, but in 2009 they were taken over and they changed their formula and included more cellulose -- a caking agent that helps form the tablet. Any caking agent will inhibit the proper absorption of nutrients. For a list of other natural thyroid options with explanations, see this link:

Natural Thyroid Options

As to the question of whether higher dose iodine is beneficial for the thyroid or not, here are two pieces of incontestable evidence which proves outright that higher dose iodine is not a poison:

* Before WW2 and for over 100 years medical doctors widely prescribed 5% lugols iodine supplemented in dosages of 50 to 300 drops per day -- that's a daily dosage of 300 mgs to 2000 mgs of LI per day!!

* For thousands of years, the Japanese have eaten seaweed (which contains iodine) in their diet -- and it has been found through research that they have an average daily iodine intake of 13. 8 mgs per day(the RDA for iodine is currently 150 micrograms per day). The Japanese are one of the healthiest populations in the world as a result of this diet.

The reason for thyroid nodule formation with higher iodine intake in the West today is not due to the iodine -- but is due to a very poor western food diet that hugely lacks anti-oxidants -- lacking Selenium and Magnesium in particular (with a high calcium diet which acts to inhibit the proper absorption of iodine into crucial areas of the body). That's why anyone in the West who has thyroid problems or, indeed, any other problem requiring supplemented iodine, should always follow The Iodine Protocol without fail.

For a more detailed explanation from independent research which explains all the reasons why you get thyroid nodule formation with higher iodine intake -- see these links:

Iodine and Your Thyroid

Facts About Autoimmune Thyroiditis

Hi Bill, I started taking Iodoral a few times a week after reading how valuable it is. My doctor told me not to take more than one tablet a day or it would "blow out" my thyroid. Now I find I have hypothyroid. I am in the process of using Armour thyroid supplement at 30 mg. , with the intention of increasing it every 6-8 weeks until my TSH is 1. I bought some kelp capsules to take instead of the Iodoral. But after reading your article, I wonder if I should take the Iodoral again? We are going to monitor the thyroid nodules in a year for increase instead of doing a biopsy now. From what I've read, there is only a very small chance of a cancer that is aggressive in these cases, and many are diagnosed with papillary cancer but there is no increase in mortality, indicating either a cancer that is slow growing and not harmful or an outright misnomer. In order to stop the growth of the nodules, however, it seems to me to be important to increase iodine. Is this correct? Should I wait to see the effective Armour dose first, or take the iodine and probably get a good effect on a lower dose of Armour? I read a book on this but I'm still not familiar with all this. Thank you for any advice you may have.

Every time I take one drop a day of iodine from seaweed for a few days, I start to feel congestion in my chest. Could this be a cleansing reaction and if so what is the best course of action for improving my lung health? I am physically active and have a strong cardio vascular system.

Hi, TQVM [Thank You Very Much] for the posts on EC. I was informed of some benefits of seaweeds but there are many types of seaweeds. Seaching 'seaweeds' on EC gave interesting readings but there no specific topic on seaweeds.

Are all seaweeds have the same benefits ? Especially those found in South East Asia and those in Europe ?

Thank you for sharing your opinions and experience on seaweed.

Regards.

Ecfan99, if you suspect iodine for the cramps, why not try it externally?

I've been taking Lugol's steadily for about three or four weeks - slowing building. I'm at six drops of 2% per day. Also taking C and selenium. Experiencing some symptoms, and am wondering if the intense menstrual cramps I am feeling today could be related? Thanks for any insight.

I'm taking the iodine for my thyroid nodules and fybrocystic breasts, by the way.

Hi Von Butz... If you are taking larger dose lugols iodine then bromide detox causing skin problems is a known problem. This is not really because of a problem with the iodine -- the problem is that iodine is too efficient at removing bromine (too much bromine from food, drugs etc in the body). Thus iodine ends up dumping alot of bromine into the blood which the body cannot remove fast enough, so the skin, which is also an excretory organ in the body, tries to help excrete the bromide as well and the excess bromine being excreted through the skin is what causes the strange skin problems. The detailed reasons for this bromide detox problem with symptoms are given in this link:

http://www.breastcancerchoices.org/bromidedominancetheory.html

The solution to this problem seems to be to supplement Sea Salt, Vitamin C and Zinc. You can also pulse the dose (take the full iodine dose then stop taking iodine for two days) which will stop too much bromide being dumped into the blood -- causing excretion through the skin. Sea salt is key in helping to remove the bromide (causing your skin problem) more quickly and efficiently. The chloride from the salt binds to the bromide and simply excretes it safely and quickly through the urinary pathway. The bromide detox strategy is more fully explained here:

http://www.breastcancerchoices.org/bromidedetoxsymptomsandstrategies.html

This should help to get rid of your skin problems.

Von Butz: Take a Cal/Mag/Zinc instead of the Cal/Mag. A mixed Caroteinoid complex seems appropriate here also. Take Vit-E and Selenium with your Ubiquinol (not same time as caroteinoids).

Hi, check with Bill but it could be B3?

Ok EarthClinic, I'm counting on you for some kind of answer. I have been taking Lugol's 5% iodine for the past 6 months and I have had such a terrible time with my skin. I have never, ever, in all my years of illness had bad skin. In fact, it was the one thing I had left that was wonderful and beautiful and I was frequently complimented on. Not so much the case anymore.

I am up to 8 drops a day, split to 4 drops morning and night. I also take 2 tsp of macqui berry powder (vitamin c), 1 tsp MACA powder, 1 3/4 tsp magnesium/calcium powder (CALM), and spike every 16 oz of water with 1/4 tsp ACV and lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt. In addition, I am cleansing for systemic candida which I'm taking a yeast control product and 3 tbsp of extra virgin coconut oil. I also take a very good daily vitamin (that has loads of goodies in it), vitamin d, astaxanthin, and ubiquinol. I even now use a cosmetic product that's made primarily with magnesium oil as well as many other good essential oils.

I have previously done extensive colon and liver cleansing. I have never cleansed my kidneys completely.

I exercise every day and go in my infrared sauna. I also try to do coffee enemas as frequently as I can to clean my blood.

The nature of the acne is quite odd too. They aren't actually bonfide pimples. They are usually a very hard sebum that more often then not I have to dig out of the skin because it won't come out on it's own. And when I finally get it out, I try to smash the sebum between my thumb nails (gross, I know) just to see how hard it is and sometimes it won't crush. Almost like a pebble. And then I'm left with a very slow healing wound on my face.

I'm trying to keep a positive disposition and look at it as a good thing because I know my body is detoxing and that's great. And I know that I'm doing a lot at once to detox but I feel as though I keep all of my pathways of detoxification flowing pretty well. Nothing is stopped up. So why the acne? And why such a weird form of the acne? Should I be doing something else in addition to my protocol?

Hi, Perhaps you should change the way you take the Lugol's 5% Iodine solution, I was doing it like you internally and was up to 35 DROPS a day in divided dosis and sometimes I felt water running out of mine nose meaning stop you have reached the limit. At the beginning of the month I started to paint it on the inside of my forearm and use only 7 drops in the AM with the dropper I drop the dropplets about a inch apart and then with the side of the dropper I smear or roll it on, than the next day I use the other arm. Works for me. I'm Hypothyroid (83 yr male) and in the AM my temp is slowly coming up to 97.7. I would like to get it over the 98 mark.

If you look at the bottle it probably says for external use only. Take care and do your own DD

Hello All, I am having an issue. I've been taking Lugol's 5% iodine for about 6 months now. I have finally reached the max dose and have been taking 8 drops a day, 4 in the morning and 4 at night for about 3 weeks now. I mix the the iodine with a few tablespoons of water and hold it under my tongue for 30 seconds.

This morning, I noticed a slight yellowing/browning on my bottom front teeth and upon checking the inside of my front teeth was horrified to find that they are "30-year-smoker" status. Simply, my bottom teeth (just in the front) are perfectly brown but only from the inside. Again, from the front, they are just yellowing/browning on a minor level.

After I calmed down and assessed the situation, I figured out that my permanent retainer was the culprit. I had braces for a few years in high school and as some of you know, orthodontists will put a permanent retainer in on the bottom teeth on the inside (I should probably just get the thing removed). I'm figuring that the iodine is reacting with the metal of the retainer, clinging to it, and as the day goes on, it slowly slides down the back of my teeth. I'm assuming idodine has metallic properties?

I am very particular about my teeth. I use a natural toothpaste, flouride-free, I swish with hydrogen peroxide after brushing. I floss everyday (maybe twice if need be). And I do still wear my invisalign retainer.

My only vice is I drink coffee but I don't drink nearly enough to cause this kind of staining.

From now on, I will be diluting the iodine in adequate amounts of water and shooting it as quickly possible. I would opt to paint the iodine on but my skin is very fair and it has a cool undertone. I fear the iodine would NEVER go away.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to whiten the teeth? Will it just go away over time? Could I possibly have permanently stained the teeth?

*Fair warning to all those taking iodine with permanent retainers or braces: Take heed and keep an eye on your teeth! *

Thanks!

-That 28-year-old with smoker's teeth (or Natalie)

Newtons Pharmacy (online orders and Sydney CBD store).

What's the best source for 7% iodine?

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.

Where were you able to get 10 percent iodine? I can't find 7 percent anywhere. Does the percentage matter?

Hi Julie, I am from Melbourne as well just wondering where you bought yr Iodine as I have been to quiet few chemist and health shops, I am suffering hair loss and want to try Iodine, would love to no where u bought it. Thank you Annie

For iodine intake I have made delicious "Kelp Tea" (tastes like clear broth) by steeping Wakame seaweed in hot water and sipping it. The label states it is Australian Certified Organic and comes from icy cold, clear waters off eastern Canada. I presumed this to be a natural source of iodine but now wonder if heavy metals are undoing any good I thought it would do. Any ideas?

I was told by a Pharmacist that there are Iodine receptors in every cell of the body. This would make iodine relevant to much more than just the thyroid gland.

Sara- I, too, went through the same run-around with the Thyroid: prescription drugs for Thryroid, anti-depressants, etc.. Nothing they gave me worked and they would not listen to me. I felt like I was going crazy.

Fast forward to 2012, I became VERY sick and tired of feeling horrible alll the time. My long list of symptoms became so numerous, I felt like I was losing my mind and came close to quiting life.

So, I started researching my signs, symptoms, and possible causes. Through my research, I discovered that the thyroid and the entire endocrine system (metabolic system) is all linked together like a house of cards or dominoes. If one falls, they all fall. If one is off, others are off. The hypothalmus, pituitary gland, adrenal glands, thryroid, liver, kidneys, etc... are all controlled by the timing of hormones/glandulars. Learned women have many different glands and hormones in their body that are vital to life which involves more than just estrogen and progesterone. If you go to You Tube, start researching all things related to the endocrine system and metabolic system. Look into Adrenal Fatigue/Adrenal Failure (convinced that is what happened to me after many years of hormonal and metabolic system chaos). Through trial and error over the last year, I finally found some very simple "remedies" that have worked for me the last few months.

**Trust yourself and your instincts. Question and research your symptoms. You know your body best. You know what feels normal... And what doesn't.

1- High protein diet
2- Low sugar
3-Vitamin B-100 tabs
4- Iodide and Iodine Painting (b/c of this blog)
*5- Adrenal Caps-I took for a few weeks to build up my adrenal glands.. BUT please research. You may not be as bad off as I was. I only take when I need them now.
6- Women's Multi-vitamin

**Thank you to all on this post and blog for this wonderful Iodine tip. Sounds stange, but I literally felt it work. Took about 15 minutes after painting on iodine/iodide. Was as if someone was adjusting a fuzzy channel on a TV(my brain before) then "zip" adjusted to a clear channel... The fuzziness in my head was gone. Weird!!

Again, I tried many natural items like natural Thyroid glandulars and natural female hormones. However, they did not work for me long term. The items listed above have made me a new person. Just wish I started researching a long time ago. Now, I have another ovarian cyst that is definately related to the endocrine/hormonal break-down.

Just started ACV and L-Lysine today for the cyst and to further supplement my metabolic health. Thanks to all for the wonderful tips.

Aimee:)

Try adding 3-4 drops to coffee or tea, or even juice or soup. You wont get the "salty" taste, in fact you will barely taste it if at all. I put it in my tea all the time, and have no problems. In water? blech :)

Maddy, always start something new SMALL, start with ONE drop first.

My opinion differs from others' on this point. Following Fukushema in Japan, I dilligently and extensively searched for how to protect my family from radiation, and to guard the thymus gland with iodine/ iodide. I began taking the iodine internally, but had read that it was not good to take internally, as could stop up the flow of urine. Well, quite soon, this happened, that I could not pee. So I stopped! I then began to do it only through my skin, the largest organ of the body. I do this every day, as described in another post, about five drops per day rubbed into my leg, where the body only absorbs what it truly needs of this neccesary nutrient. This has caused me no problems at all, however, one should be certain of not having an iodine allergy, first. If you have used iodized salt in the past-- standard "Mortons iodized salt" of years gone by-- one should be fine. Hope that helps!

P.S. (If you get strong reactions with anything you are trying yourself, listen to your body, and your own "knowing. " Likely, you are starting too fast, generally, and ought to back down, or possibly ought to question what you are doing, alltogether. Always, better to be safe than sorry. Practice what the medical field so often does not, that being, "First do no harm. " You are party to "The Great Physician. " Listen. ) --T.

I took my first dose of Lugol's Iodine 2% this morning. 4 drops is a glass of water while eating breakfast. Immediate head rush, nausea and dizziness. It's been over an hour now and it's still going on along with diarrhea. Is this normal? I've read many of the posts and I don't see anyone else having this happen. Your feedback would be so appreciated.

Great points Antonio!! also, in order to better utilize Iodine I understand that one needs Selenium and Copper as well as HCL. find a good source of liquid vitamins and minerals to achieve a baseline of these minerals.... i've heard the best natural source of Selenium is Brazil Nuts.

Brazil nuts contain very high levels of selenium. 100 g nuts provide about 1917 mcg of selenium which is 3485% of the recommended daily intake. This makes Brazil Nuts the highest natural source of this mineral. keep on researching!!!

To Mark - Have you retaken the iodine loading test/bromide test again since starting iodine supplementation to determine that your system still has too much bromide and not enough iodine?

Iodine "cured" my acid reflux, that I suffered with for years, in 2 days, taking 12mg/day. I continue to take the iodine and have never felt better. Listen to your body, it will tell you what you need.