Lugol's Iodine - Editor's Choice

Over the years, Earth Clinic readers have sent us many reports about their treatments for Lugol's Iodine. The editors at Earth Clinic consider the below posts to be some of the most helpful and informative and have named them 'Editor's Choice'. We hope that you will find this useful.

Diluting Lugol's Iodine

Posted by Bill (Philippines) on 03/21/2022

Looky24 ... I've been taking 5% Lugol's Iodine every day (8 drops per day) in my own health regimen for about 15 years now. And in the last 4 months I have been taking a new and different iodine protocol based on Hulda Clark's LI protocol -- which is 3 drops of 15% lugol's iodine -- which works out to a total of about 170 mgs of iodine/iodide per day. I have no trouble at all with that high LI dose. I've also read that doses as high as 2000mgs iodine/iodide per day were regularly used in the old days before WWII.

A huge caveat here. Just because people in the old and distant past could be treated with large dose LI does not necessarily mean that you can do it now without problems. Lugols Iodine was been around for over 150 years and was eventually banned for use internally in the US round about the beginning of the 1950s to make way for the glorious and unhindered use of antibiotics as well as modern vaccines. Wow, with LI out of the way, think of all that profit for the drugs companies involved! The 1950s was also the beginnings of wide agri-use of poisonous pesticides, fertilizers, etc that contained serious poisons like mercury, lead, aluminum, chlorine, flourine, and glyphosate, etc. You should also bear in mind that -- especially in America -- the supermarket food contains all these poisons, which are very unhealthy for your body.

I'm just saying that if you live in the US and you eat all that poisoned supermarket food and drink their poisonous tap water then your body will accumulate and contain high amounts of heavy metals that also include bromine, fluorine and chlorine. It's also little known or appreciated that Lugol's Iodine is an exceptional detoxer of lead, cadmium, mercury, aluminum, bromine and fluorine. But if your body contains high amounts of any of these poisons then, when you initially start taking the LI at high dose, LI will rapidly remove these poisons from the tissues and put large amounts of them into the blood. And right there is the problem!! Because once the poisons get into the blood there is a definite possibility that those heavy metals, chlorine and fluorine etc will be redistributed throughout the body -- and that is what can cause, serious skin rashes, racing heart, breathing problems etc. Basically these symptoms can accurately mimic a serious allergic reaction -- but they are not caused by an allergic reaction -- they are caused by large amounts of heavy metals and other poisons suddenly being dumped into the bloodstream because of the efficient detox effect of LI.

So, if you're going to take high dose iodine for your testicular cyst, you should start with one drop and just work up to the proper dose slowly.

Here's some more useful advice on how to treat testicular cysts with iodine from Ted from Bangkok:

"Testicular Cysts... If lugol's iodine is applied externally to that area, is one of the few ways it the iodine can reach it to prevent further spread. Cysts is usually calcium, hence magnesium supplements is taken, such as magnesium citrate roughly 500 mg a day. The magnesium is antagonistic to the calcium. I have also found that cysts is a form of iodine deficiency, it seems to occur in women with low iodine, which gathers around the breast. Cysts can also form when the blood sugar is high, increasing the solubility of calcium to go from bones to the tissues causing cysts. Hence, 1500 mcg of chromium chloride, or a good chromium supplements without the calcium added, best in capsule form is taken. I prefer chromium chloride, perhaps chromium polynicotinate. If a person is serious about reducing this cyst, staying away from sugar, and drink plenty of water during meals will dilute sugar concentration, in addition to avoiding dinners before sleep also helps reduce the sugar spikes."

Source: https://answers.earthclinic.com/any-remedy-for-testicular-cysts.html


Diluting Lugol's Iodine
Posted by Bill (Philippines) on 03/19/2022

Hi Looky24,

Well, you never said how many drops or mgs of 12% you wanted to supplement. Generally I normally take 8 drops(or 50mgs) of 5% lugols iodine(LI) every day. And one drop of 5% LI contains a total of 6.25mg of iodine. Anyway here's something that might help you with your calculations for 12% LI:

5% Lugol's iodine has 6.25mg iodine per drop.

12% LI is 12/5 or 2.4 times stronger per drop than 5% LI.

But if 5% iodine contains 6.25mgs per drop and 12% LI is 2.4 times stronger then 12% Lugols Iodine will contain 2.4 x 6.25mg = 15mgs iodine/iodide per drop.

So if you want to take 50 mgs a day of 12% LI then you would need to take 50mgs/15mgs drops or 3.33 drops of 12% LI per day. And if it were me -- I'm not so picky -- so I would round that value up to 4 drops -- but it's your call.

And for anyone wondering how to calculate the number of drops of 15% LI to get 50gms iodine/iodide per day, this is a much simpler calculation:

15% LI is 15/5 = 3 times stronger per drop than 5% LI.

Therefore one drop of 15% LI = 3 x 6.25mg = 18.75mgs iodine/iodide per drop

So to be able to supplement 50 mgs of iodine/iodide per day you would have to take 50/18.75 = 2.6 drops of 15% LI per day.

And just to quickly cover it all -- if you were to take 50 mgs per day of 7% LI(at 8.75mgs per drop) then you would have to take 50/8.75 = 5.71 drops of 7% LI per day.

I'm also currently taking the Hulda Clark Lugol's Iodine protocol. Her LI protocol was very simple and didn't mess around. She advised supplementing 6 drops 4% LI three times a day after meals. I vary it slightly by taking 3 drops of 15% LI three times a day after meals, which works out to a total daily iodine/iodide dose of 18.75 x 9 drops per day = 165.75mgs iodine/iodide per day. I've been doing this LI protocol for about a month now. And whereas before I was always scooting off for a quick kip in the early afternoon heat every day, but now I just don't need it. That was a real eye-opener for me and was a very pleasant surprise. As a 72 year old guy, I have much more energy now than I had before as well as alot more daily anti-viral protection against covid-19 from using Hulda Clark's LI protocol. I'll give a proper and bigger report on EC later on the outcome of taking Dr Hulda Clark's Li protocol after taking her it for a few more months.

A final word of warning about orally supplementing LI. If you use Dr Hulda Clark's LI protocol, which is quite a high dose per day, just remember to start the protocol with a low dose and work up to the advised drop dosages SLOWLY.


Multiple Cures

Posted by Queen (Cabañas, El Salvador) on 12/11/2017
★★★★★

Iodine for Fibrocystic Breast Disease, uterine fibroid, ovarian cysts and hypothyroidism

Hello wonderful people, I was officially diagnosed with Fibrocystic Breast Disease (FBD) about 2 years ago. I also was diagnosed with a uterine fibroid the size of a grape and one cyst on each ovary and hypothyroidism. I have had FBD since I was 19 years old. My breasts were so lumpy I was afraid to touch them. My breasts would become so painful before my period that I was forced to sleep wearing a bra. I have been on the iodine protocol for about 14 months now. I am a 42 year old woman who exercises like crazy (I am a triathlete). I eat very healthy now. I have eliminated dairy products, soy, caffeine, preservatives and processed sugar. I eat 95% organic and grass fed beef.

I started taking 100 mg of lugol's iodine for the first 3 months, then I was taking 150 mg for 4 months. After that, I went back to 100 mg. Now I am back to 150 mg. I believe my ovarian cysts have dissolved because I don't feel nauseous anymore and I don't have pain in my ovaries like I used to. And at some point I bled and it wasn't time for my period so I am assuming the cysts burst. Regarding the uterine fibroid, I am not sure if it has dissolved completely, but I know for sure it has shrunk because my period isn't painful anymore and I don't get lower back pain either like I used to. In terms of my breasts, they are almost free of lumps. I haven't done an ultra sound yet, but I can feel the difference in texture and pain. I can say pain is 95% gone during pms. My thyroid is working well now. I have energy and I don't feel tired anymore.

I have added castor oil packs on breasts and put an ice pack afterward. I alternate the castor oil pack on each breast every day and I am also taking a homeopathic tincture my naturopath recommended.

I read on this site how people have felt a difference with small amounts of iodine in a short period of time, but it has taken a while for me to see great results. I have read Dr. David Brownstein's book and I was surprised at how his patients improved with smaller amounts. It took 3 months (100 mg per day) after starting the iodine protocol to notice my hair wasn't falling out so much. I thought it was normal to lose so much hair. I read somewhere on the internet that people used to take between 300 mg to 1,000 mg of iodine to treat diseases before drugs.

In the nutshell:

Lugol's iodine (5%) 150 mg a day

Magnesium taurate 500 mg a day

Selenium 500 mcg a day

Sodium ascorbate 2.5 to 5 grams a day

B complex

Himalayan sea salt about 1 tsp a day

I take St. John's Wort, apple cider vinegar and baking soda in small amounts most days of the week. I am in the road to being completely healed and I am grateful for this site and the people who post their experiences. Thank you all and remember BE PATIENT.


Ear Pain, Tinnitus and Deafness

Posted by Jacqueline (Devon) on 11/27/2016
★★★★★

I posted previously about this subject. I got an old eye drops bottle - tiny. Cleaned it and put 1/4 of Lugol's (I used 7%) but 5% will be ok. Fill up the rest of the bottle with cooled, boiled water and then stick the dropper bit back on. I put 3 drops, into the ears 3 times a day for the next 4 days and the pain from a severe ear infection, tinnitus and deafness all vanished, never to return. That was several years ago and it still hasn't returned, and had suffered every year, for many years, and it was untouchable by antibiotics. It should work against a fungal infection, too. Lugol's is always in my cupboard. I also got rid of a urine infection last year with it.


Lugol's Iodine Companion Nutrients

Posted by Lauren (Tucson, Arizona) on 01/17/2015
★★★★★

Iodine has wonderful health benefits and you must take the companion nutrients along with it in order for it to be beneficial -- otherwise you will most probably have health problems. It is imperative to add this information and information on the salt loading protocol to the main description of iodine on this earth clinic site, to avoid people having problems with iodine and perpetuating the myth that iodine is bad for you. Please, if you have privileges to do that, do your research and add information on the the hyper-importance of the companion nutrients and salt loading to the description of iodine.

The companion nutrients are: selenium (200 to 600 micrograms); magnesium (400 - 600 milligrams); Vitamin C (3,000 to 10,000 milligrams); 1/2 teaspoon unrefined salt per day. If a person has autoimmune thyroid disease they would add Vitamins B2 and B3 - 100 mg riboflavin and 500 mg niacin, 1-2x per day. (People with autonomous nodule (toxic nodule) of the thyroid should not take iodine, so it is important for people with thyroid nodules to find out if the nodule is caused by Graves' Disease or a toxic nodule (Toxic Multinodular Goiter) -- see Grave's remission case report on jeffreydachmd.com).

If you want to avoid the flush from niacin (the flush is not a health problem, but some people prefer not to experience it), then go with the niacinimide form (inositol hexanicotinate); stay completely away from the "timed release" or slow release forms of B3 as they have caused problems.

Iodine, which is very good for health, is in the same category of elements as bromide, chlorine, and fluoride, which are toxic to the human body. This category is called halogens -- they all go to the same receptors in our cells. We are surrounded by the toxic halogens, contained, for example, in our water supply and in things like flame retardant on mattresses. If a person has toxic halogens stored in their cells, when they take iodine, the iodine will begin to displace the toxic halogens, kicking them back into the bloodstream, and then the kidneys will excrete them through the urine. If the toxic halogens start hanging out in the bloodstream for a while before the kidneys can excrete them, they can cause a whole host of detox symptoms, so it is important to know that taking half a teaspoon of unrefined salt in 8 ounces of water, followed immediately by 12 ounces clear, filtered water will help the kidneys flush the toxic halogens right away (the sodium binds with the halogens). See breastcancerchoices.org for the salt-loading protocol as well as a list of bromide detox symptoms and iodine-literate practitioners. This is one reason why some people get confused and think they are "allergic" to iodine -- they take iodine without companion nutrients or without doing the salt push should they experience bromide detox.

One way to avoid detox symptoms altogether is to take one drop of 5% Lugol's solution per day, along with the companion nutrients, for one week. The next week increase to 2 drops per day, and so on, until reaching 16 drops per day, which is 100 milligrams of iodine. Another way, which I am less familiar with but which is described at curezone.com, is to start right away with 16 drops of Lugol's 5% (100 milligrams iodine) or iodine in pill form, per day. Some people have experienced freedom from asthma using that dose. See curezone for that info as well as the other conditions that have iodine has affected positively. It can take quite a while at 100 milligrams (or more) per day to reach a state of iodine sufficiency. The length of time it takes depends on how ill a person is, for example it might take 6 months for a healthy person, or 3 years for someone with cancer. Once sufficiency is reached, the protocol is to drop down to a maintenance dose of, say, 50 mg per day.

Good sources of information on iodine are optimox.com (lots of medical articles), steppingstonesliving.com, which has a free download guide to supplementing with iodine, curezone.com and the iodine yahoo group. Hakalalabs.com offers iodine testing.


Acid Reflux

Posted by Michelle (Mcarthur, Ohio) on 04/14/2013
★★★★★

I am happy to say that I have had fantastic results with using The Lugol's Iodine for my acid reflux. I have suffered for years with this ailment and I have had so many prescriptions and special diet restrictions. I can't believe all this time I have been iodine deficient and that was the cause. I took a few drops a day and slowly built up my dose, taking a few days off here and there. After a couple of weeks I realized I was doing better and about a month later I haven't had any problems with my stomach at all. I have had problems with stomach aches since I was a child. This is revolutionary for me. I am telling absolutely everyone about it!


Multiple Cures

Posted by Bladey56 (Brisbane, Australia) on 09/23/2011

For the last 4 months I have been on iodine worked up to 50mg daily (lugols) blood test awaiting for complete thyroid check. Along with companion nutrients (selenium, vit c) along with mag/cal/boron/, lysine, b complex and naicin, omega 3/6 ratio correction in my diet and removed as much fluoride and bromide as possible (reverse osmosis) less processed food. My transformation has been amazing. I was 105, and now down to 85, my skin is repairing from the sun damage, face sunspots are peeling from lips, cheeks, arms. I now sleep without waking during the night, my body temp now regulates correctly.

I started my father on the same diet, he's got a history of high blood pressure and cholesterol, now after 1 months his blood pressure is normal and cholesterol is now within normal range. I have achieved this with no extra exercise, other than my daily job. The last time I lost weight with the gym and just eating "well" made me tired and I just gained the weight again, I am 25 years old and I feel the benefit everyday from this very powerful supplement, being tired at the end of the day is a thing from the past, no brain fog, just clean thinking.


Molluscum Contagiosum

Posted by Wiesewose (Cairns, Australia) on 08/14/2010
★★★★★

My 5year old daughter had a severe case of molluscum contagiosum. She started with about 10 of the warts on her buttocks, and they started multiplying and spreading very fast. Within a year she had I estimate over a hundred all down her legs. And my 3 other children started to get them too. I freaked out. Twice I went to the doctor, and both times he told me to let it run its course. Yeah right; that was what I did for a year and look what happened! And what if it spread to my newborn baby? My daughter was getting self conscious, you could see them on her legs under her school uniform. I had to do something. I tried ACV, clay baths, a product from the chemist for warts, Epsom salts and olive oil mixed with lemon myrtle essential oil, or even pulling them out with tweezers. Nothing worked.

I then tried Lugol's iodine, and the little buggers started to crust over after 3 days of applying Lugols twice a day with a Q-tip, and when the crust fell off, nothing was underneath!

You could actually see the white center (that is the virus) soak all the iodine up and look like a blackhead, YEAH! That's exactly where the iodine needed to go. Within one month all my children are Mollusum free. You cannot describe the relief I feel, I have to share that.