Benefits of Iodine for Health

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.

I tested for Iodine deficiency (urine test) which showed my Bromide levels were elevated and Iodine was deficient.

I have been taking 50mg per day of Iodoral for the past 5 months to hopefully excrete bromide and saturate with iodine. In addition, I have been taking a minimum of 3k mg daily of ascorbic acid vitamin c, 400 mg magnesium oxide, 200mcg of selenium and 1 pill of atp co-factors. These supplements are all in tablet form with fillers which might not be good!

My question is I would like to know what Ted recommends for excreting bromide so that Iodine can become saturated. There is a liquiod Iodine supplement called Lugol's that many people talk about... Please provide your recommendations!

Also, have you heard of Intramax, Intrakid and Intramin from Drucker Labs? Please provide your thoughts on these products!

Thanks, Mark

Bjornbjorn, I would suggest that some of your fatigue and other symptoms might be a result of diet. Are you getting plenty of good fats like coconut oil, butter and grass-fed meats? If fruit is your main food and meat the least, consider changing that ratio around. If you eat lots of grains consider replacing most of them with greens. Take a look at the Weston A. Price website and Mark's Daily Apple website. Good luck!

Hi Lorna... I forgot to answer your other questions.

You can buy Quantumin Plus Fulvic/Humic drops in the Philippines. This is fairly cheap -- I can buy the 35 ml bottle for about 400 pesos now from a private seller in Maharlika Market in Baguio -- and this costs considerably less than similar drops made in America.

These Quantumin drops consist of a Fulvic/Humic/Zeolite mix in alkaline solution which also contains all the major electrolyte minerals for the body. Unfortunately Quantumin is only sold in the Philippines and is normally sold from small private enterprises and not from the malls. So just get a friend in the Philippines to find a franchise seller in your area before you come to the Philippines.

Dessicated liver can be easily bought at Healthy Options store outlets in all the major SM Malls like Megamall or Asia Mall in Manila. Dessicated Liver is also widely sold at muscle weight training shops in America and is fairly cheap.

Hi Lorna... The herbs that I use that grow in the Philippines are:

English names____________________Tagalog names

Chanca Piedra(Phylanthus niruri).......Sampa-sampalukan

Heart Vine(Tinospora cordifolia)........Makabuhay

Tumeric root.................................. Luyang dilaw

Neem leaves(Azadirachta indica).......Nim

Bashful Mimosa(Mimosa pudica)....... Makahiya

These are some of my favourite herbs that I use in the Philippines. And what's more they are all free -- they grow profusely everywhere in the Philippine lowlands. I use Chanca piedra, Heart Vine, Tumeric and Neem leaves usually about once every month to detox the blood. These herbs are hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, hypotensive, mildly diuretic, detoxing, anti-viral, ant-bacterial, ant-fungal and essentially they act to help protect the intestines, liver and kidneys. When this is assured then you will have pure and healthy blood. My way is always preventative -- continually protect and detox the nutritional and excretory pathways in the body and this will contribute greatly towards your own health. Then all you have to worry about is correct diet -- but that's a whole different story!!

You can also find many of these herbs near the old church at Quiapao Market in Quezon City. These herbs are also very easy to grow in your garden.

For Bill of San Fernando, Philippines. Is there Lugols solution, Fulvic/Humic acid in ascorbate drops, disscated liver that I can buy in the Philippines. What do you call the herbs in Tagalog that you planted. I go home to the Philippines every year for 4 months. Just wondering if I should buy these things here. Thank you.

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

Bjornbjorn, first try adding water to your menu. More than you usually drink, up to 2 liters daily.

I need some more info on Iodine and deficiency, dosages and ailments it may fix. I believe I am Iodine deficient as I am not eating anything with it. I eat healthy but none of the foods I eat contain iodine. I eat fruits, eggs, sweet potatoes, vegtables and sometimes chicken and red meat. I know foods that contain high amounts of iodine mainly come from the sea. Which Iodine is most preferred? I heard Lugol's 5% is a good one to get, but what is the best application? Is it Painting or 1 or more drops in water? I see people talking about painting it on the skin and the average recommended dose is 2-5 inches, is this just a line, circle or square that is supposed to be painted with that length? Also I am trying to fix fatigue, dry scalp, dry skin, dry hair, allergies, and dry eyes and burning eyes. Are these symptoms of Iodine deficiency? Any help would be much appreciated.

The acne breakout is caused by the iodine pushing the bromide away from the iodine receptors in the body and into the blood stream. But this can cause other problems, such as acne breakouts, if the bromide remains in the bloodstream. To completely push the bromide out of the body through the urine, 1/2 to 1 tsp /day of unrefined celtic salt needs to be taken. If you want to know how to properly supplement with iodine, join the iodine group on yahoo and read their article - "The guide to supplementing with iodine."

Supporting Nutrients for taking Iodine.

These are required to support the body while supplementing with iodine:

Vitamin C 2,000- 5,000 mgs / day supports the symporters and assists as an antioxidant to detoxing.

Selenium 200- 400 mcg / day needed for detoxification and thyroid hormone creation.

Unrefined salt (Celtic) ½ tsp / day supports adrenals, binds to bromide and assists in removal, supports symporters (sodium iodine symporters or NIS)

Magnesium 400 mgs / day critical for over 300 enzyme reactions in the body.

Optional ATP CoFactors

-1 tablet 2x / day when individuals continue to feel fatigued or have autoimmune thyroid disease this product can assist in increasing ATP (energy) within the cells. Riboflavin and no-flush niacin.

A lot of people are in the same boat, but you have the advantage of being located in NSW. Search on Dr Sandra Cabot a real pioneer and specialist in women's thyroid issues. She is based in NSW, has a team working with her and does rural seminars. In the meantime, look at about.com/thryoid - Mary Shamon has research on Vitamin D and selenium which helped me to make the thyroxine work more effectively. Taking more iodine is reported in most places as being problematic - see www.thyroidbook.com , unless you are under a practitioner and they are constantly testing what is going on. See hopeforhashimotos.com Good luck.

I Refer to the natural thyroid med to ix-nay and also I do take a kelp tablet too in the winter to supplement with iodine I get plenty in the summer through seafood. Sara

ix-nay the natural thyroid meds and add wheat grass juice for energy and a shot of Aloe Vera juice for skin and hair. Incidentally the wheat grass is great for hair as well. As you improve work with your MD to come off anti depressants they will only add more symptoms eventually. Hope this helps it did me. Sara

Hi, I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism 2 years ago, I was put on Thyroxine, after about 12 months with blood tests showing my levels were good, but I am still very symptomatic.. Very fatigued, always tired, dry skin and continuing hair loss which depressed me, my doctor then put me on Anti-depressants. Nothing changed, still tired & still losing hair, it is so thin now that I can only wear it in a ponytail. I am also taking a herbal Thyroid remedy. I have been told about this Aqueous Iodine solution and would love to start taking it... My question is... Can I take this solution as well as my Thyroxine & the natural remedy as I have read that if you take too much Iodine you can end up with Hyperthyroidism which I DON'T want... Can someone please help to sort me out...!!!

Cheers.. "desperate"

Hi Carl... It really doesn't surprise me at all that iodine gargling by your young daughter dislodged the tonsil stones. These tonsil stones will be infested with bacteria and perhaps even yeast or fungus. Iodine kills most pathogens in about 30 seconds. Perhaps more important -- iodine also acts to dislodge and prevent attachement of pathogens to host cell sites (like tonsils). Iodine is also useful for dislodging biofilms containing large colonies of pathogens. Another little known characteristic of supplementing iodine in higher dose is that it acts as a safe anti-histamine -- preventing both pain and inflammation in the body. And I've just read another piece of interesting research that confirms that supplementing smaller amounts of iodine with food helps to prevent food sensitivity reactions and allergic reaction because when the iodine coats the offending allergy-causing protein, it prevents or greatly reduces the allergic histamine-producing reaction.

I am still continuously surprised and astonished at iodine's potential health benefits and I am convinced that there is still much to be discovered on the benefits of iodine.

Hi Carl... Your children should be able to supplement iodine safely. Apart from iodine's many beneficial and protective effects, there is also a large body of research evidence which shows and efectively proves that children who supplement daily doses of iodine are able to improve their IQ and intelligence. See these links:

http://tvnz.co.nz/health-news/iodine-deficiency-stunts-intelligence-2973967

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15734706

Some more research to help you:

http://iodine.imva.info/index.php/iodine-dosages/

For children, one of the best forms of iodine to supplement is Nascent Iodine because it is tasteless and so easy to take. Nascent Iodine is also very safe and will not cause stomach upsets at larger dose becsause it is just in the triiodide form. This form is the most body-friendly and is the most bioavailable form for the body. Lugol's contains potassium iodide, molecular iodine and the triiodide form. The molecular iodine content is what can cause nausea and other stomach problems for some people at higher dosage. And although triiodide is highly useful it is not as useful as the lugol's form because, for instance, nascent iodine will not be able to chelate and remove heavy metals from the body like lugol's iodine can and this is because lugols contains all three forms of iodine -- potassium iodide, molecular iodine and triiodide whereas nascent iodine only contains the triiodide form.

Normally a maintanence dose for lugol's iodine of 12. 5 mgs is given for an adult weighing 150 lbs. So if you child weighs say 40 lbs then the dosage for the child should be 40/150 X 12. 5 = 3. 33 mgs per day.

Dr Guy Abraham from the Iodine Project has spent much effort in completely disproving the iodophobia caused by the Wolf-Chaikoff Report(1948), which so wrongly concluded that supplementing daily with more than 2 mgs of iodine was bad for the thyroid and therefore poisonous to humans. The W-C Report was a particularly poor piece of biased research done on rats. This research, that all modern doctors ultimately believe to be true and proven, was never ever confirmed on human subjects. This is also a very good example of what I call "steered" or "spoiler" research.

Much of Dr Abraham's effort has been spent just confirming lugol iodine's long and wide historic use in medicine, at higher dosages, before WW2. The doctor's of this pre-war period even said that if they didn't know what was wrong with their patient, they would just recommend higher dose iodine and, whatever it did, it would do something good. Dr Abraham's and his team also demographically researched iodine wrt diet and disease -- and they found that the Japanese, who are an extremely healthy population, ate large amounts of kelp and seaweed which contains high amounts of iodine. This is the reason why the Japanese have such low rates of lung, prostate, breast and uterine cancer.

The post WW2 period was when the drugs companies eventually came into their own and, I believe, was the time when they started to switch from using natural cure methods -- such as iodine or natural thyroid to resolve medical problems -- to only producing and using their synthetic drugs that had to have a product patent. The only possible acceptable motive for the drugs companies switching direction in this way can only be for greater profit reasons. This is also further illustrated in modern times by how much control and power the drugs companies have gained over the law itself -- a very good example here is Codex Alimentarius. CA enabled the drugs companies to gain complete control over the laws and standards for producing herbs and nutrients used for nutritional and alternative medical purposes. So not only will herbs, minerals and vitamins now be produced chemically with unneccesary fillers and additves but they will also be sold at higher prices and at insignificant and ineffective RDA dosages as well. This law is truly a game changer for our health because it effectively banishes the alternative medicine opposition at one stroke such that the field has now become completely clear for the drugs companies to do whatever they like in making us believe that they are the only medical experts for our ailments.

In America, the drugs companies have remarkable power over the law now. A certain US Texas Governor, who also ran for the Republican nomination, passed a state law recently making it compulsory and mandatory for all teenager girls in Texas to have gardasil vaccinations against HPV. The awful offence here is that all personal choice has been completely ignored, eliminated and removed and simple, corrupt dictatorship has been allowed to creep in -- via the vast and corrupting state government influence from the drugs cartels. So, if this sort of dictatorship is allowed now then it is only a easy short hop until the federal government further gives less and less medical choice to its citizens.

As far as I am able to ascertain, the recent poor response to the H1N1 outbreak and Obamacare are further examples of this spreading medical dictatorship, which is so safely protected by American law as well as International law now. But these responses and government policies, which really rely on easy but corrupt dictatorship with no choices whatsoever, have done very little to improve the life of American citizens and only ever seem to work to further increase the power and the vast profits of the drugs companies.

Hi Bill, thank you very much for the feed back. I should have waited a bit. I used the dropper supplied and filled it to the 0.3 ml which is in fact quite a few drops. I used it yesterday three times. I will follow your advise and go to the one drop three times a day.

I am amased at the disinformation that has been around for so long. http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-04/IOD_04.html I can see a law suit coming the same as what happened to the tobacco companies maybe?

I have a 7 year old daughter and a 4 year old boy. I can not honestly say that there is any thing wrong with them behaviourly or other wise. I would like to supplement them with iodine though as a preventive. Can you please advise a dosage. Our daughter has ocasional tonsil stones. I asked her yesterday to gargle with a two drop solution in about 100ml drinking water. This morning two pieces came out. She garled again and a large piece came out. She is a very happy little one now. Maybe the Iodine kills of the bacteria that makes the stones stick (Holding on)to the tonsils?

Thanks again and any advise will be highly valued.

Peace to all. Carl

Hi Carl... The Iodine that you have is quite a high strength form.

1 ml contains 130 mgs

Therefore 1000ml(or 1 litre) will contain 130 X 1000 mgs or 130, 000 mgs = 130 grams

So 1 litre of your iodine solution contains 130 grams of iodine.

Iodine % Strength Calculation:

130/1000 X 100 = 13%

So your bottle is 13% lugols iodine strength.

Therefore the dosage per drop(from a dropper) of your lugols solution will be approximately equal to 16.25 mgs per drop of solution. See this link for strength to drop conversions.

As an example -- to achieve a 50 mgs daily dose of your iodine, you would only need approx 3 drops of your solution per day(3 X 16. 25 = 48. 75 mgs). I would simply take one drop of your lugols in a glass of water, spread out at different times, 3 times a day.

If the above single drop strength is too strong or harsh for you, then just dilute your iodine solution with an equal volume or amount of distilled water as the iodine solution and this will halve the strength to approx 6.5 % strength which is equivalent to about 8 mgs of iodine per drop which would certainly be less harsh and more manageable for you.

Hello, I purchased a bottle of Lugol's Solution Aqueous Iodine Oral Solution. It is made by in West Africa. It does not state the percentage but it gives the following information.

50ml = Total Quantity.
Total iodine per ml = 130mg
Dose: 0.1 to 0.3 ml three times daily.
Directions: the recommended dose should be diluted well with 150ml water or milk.

Can someone please advise me on what the percentage is and if the dose above is correct. Thank you for a great site and all the wonderful advice.

Carl

Cramping, muscle pain is likely mineral deficiency, like magnessium, potassium, B vit..... It is so important when taking iodine, I. E. Lugol's, that you follow the rest of the protocol (supplements). Iodine is awesome for your body, but in order for detox(cleaning out) and saturation to work, your pathways have to be nourished as well. All these things work together. There is lots of info on this site about iodine therapies. Also, David Brownstein, a Dr., has many books about using Iodine to treat disease, and again the kicker to having much success, the support supplements so your body works harmoniously for a less symptomatic healing. be well.

Maggie, maybe it's better to back off on the Lugol's to a drop LESS for a few days and see if symptoms go away. Then add a drop every few days or even weeks, what's the rush? Slower seems safer to me.

Also, Maggie, are you following the full iodine protocol? You should be taking Vitamin C, magnesium, selenium and unrefined sea salt (should be grey or pink in color). If you are having detox you can try taking 1/2 tsp. Of unrefined salt in 1/2 cup warm water and then follow with a full glass of water. You can repeat this every 30-45 minutes until urination. Before I started iodine I took lots of liver support. That might help you with detox issues.

Maggie, I believe 1 drop of nascent iodine contains .15 mg of iodine--you would need a lot of drops. Also, nascent does not saturate body tissues and detox halides such as bromide and fluoride. You are better off using Lugol's.

Hello again. I just started my family on Lugol's iodine. We are up to 3 drops in water/orange juice in AM. Last night my husband's back/leg pain was worse than usual. Would this have anything to do with an iodine detox? Also, this morning he was very irritable, probably due to pain but wondering if one has anything to do with the other. We also take a liquid multi each AM and hopefully there is enough supplements (selenium, boron) to help with the iodine reaction. Please advise if there are any suggestions to our current protocol and if we should just continue on this course, slowly working up to more drops each day. Thanks for any help. It is so nice to be able to heal ourselves from the inside out. Also, an interesting observation, our dreams are much more vivid after starting lugol's.

To remove the iodine stain -- create a solution of ascorbic acid and use this to get rid of the iodine on the carpet. Doing this changes the dark brown color caused by molecular iodine to colourless because it converts the dark brown molecular iodine in lugols to colorless iodide.

You could also try rubbing the stain with real lemon juice -- which also contains ascorbic acid and so should also remove the carpet stain in the same way.

Just wondering if anyone has heard of the nascent iodine and if it provides the same great results as Lugol's iodine? Thanks all. I love this site. I have used it for all my family health issues.

I got some iodine on my carpet, and t shirt. Does anyone have any tricks for getting iodine stains out of fabric? Even if it takes a few attempts. Thx citygirl in Richardson, TX

I would like to grow some indoor cilantro. I have no outdoor land (urban apartment, here). For the heavy metal detox effects plus it is very popular in the Tex Mex cooking here. Does cilantro grow easily and quickly? Would love to hear from anyone who has experience with this please.

I had the same thing happen recently. Tried to remove a newly formed flesh colored mole with iodine and the area around the mole which I had also got iodine on, is now a red eczema type blistered rash. Yuck. I put Canestan cream on it daily and its going away. I might try it again once the rash goes. But will try the vaseline ring thingie. I am also now taking iodine supplements to try to help what I believe are hypothyroid issues. I will report back if it helps.

HI U GOOD PEOPLE DOIN, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Well it appears that Dr Simoncini's iodine treatment for skin growths and cancer may work. The iodine turned the growth into a black scab and now it is begining to turn loose. The protocol is to continue treatment even though the skin is clear. The theory is that cancer is a fungus and will come back if iodine treatment is not continued for awhile. The complaint of Derotologist's is that the growth returns. What I have learned to do is to circle the spot with vasoline to contain the iodine. That works pretty well. All is not done yet. When my 75 year old left hand looks like a babies butt, then I will report back. Ya'll behave for a change. =====RH=======

I have been taking Lugol's Iodine 2% for about 6 months. The very first thing I noticed was that some cysts I had in my arm pit went away and have never returned. I have had problems with cysts for years mostly in the sensitive parts of my body and not a one has appeared since I've been on Lugol's.

Hi Karenina, I have heard that Nascent Iodine might have fewer side effects (just search for it on Google -- you can order it from Amazon I think). Still, start with low dosages and proceed with caution. Good luck.

A whale doesn't take an iodine supplement he gets plenty of iodine from whole foods plus all the other nutrients in their proper proportion these are some ways to get all the iodine and everything else you need take hawaiian spirulina they get the water from a certain depth that is highest in nutrients lowest in pollutants they have a special drying procedure called ocean cold 4 lbs of now foods Spirulina costs $80 take 1 tsp, of trachang fish sauce from import foods 12 bottles 1 case $55, per pint of water several times a day- the salt is wind and sun dried and the magnesium removes the excess sodium from the tissues. The dosage for salt is per quantity of water not per day. Get some kelp from z naturals they and the government of canada. Check for contaminants $7 per lb take 1 gram in 12 oz of water 5 times a day monday thru friday. Take the weekend off so the body can remove the excess potassium iodide from the thyroid. The sodium in kelp is 1/3 that of sea salt if you want to take an iodine supplement that is safe take iosol. For hundreds of years naturopaths the world over have been removing the potassium from potassium iodide in kelp and replacing it with ammonium. The thyroid uses potassium iodide the rest of the tissues use ammonium iodide take 50 drops a day for 1 month as a loading dose then take 7 drops a day as a maintanance dose gods goodies save.

iosol contains ammonium iodide take 50 drops per day for 1 month as a loading dose after that take 7 drops per day as a maintanance dose take plenty of water kelp contains potassium iodide for the thyroid take 1 gram with a pint of water 5 times a day monday thru friday on the weekend dont take any so the body can flush the excess potassium iodide from the thyroid

There are many who are still either extremely skeptical or who are fearful of supplementing Lugol's Iodine for health. But, just recently, I have found a series of 5 videos by Dr Brownstein, who fully describes in detail why iodine -- in the form of lugol's iodine -- is so necessary for the body. He lists and talks about all the diseases and illneses which are actually caused by iodine deficiency -- and the number is profuse. He also presents all the statististics, history of use and current research evidence which may surprise you. This series of videos is based on his well known book -- Iodine:Why you Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It.

Here is the first video in the series(you can easily find the other 4 videos in the series on youtube):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj-dwWsm8D0&feature=related

Just found a research review paper by Dr Donald Miller, a well known iodine researcher, which describes all the other major benefits of iodine apart from benefitting just the thyroid gland. This review should also help make clear alot of areas and benefits that are still so ill-understood about iodine

This research review(in PDF format), all backed by research, isn't long or too complicated and should help to easily clarify many of iodine's benefits. See the link.

http://www.jpands.org/vol11no4/millerd.pdf

Everything that happens to the skin at this level, happens internally, therefore, the best way to treat it is internally.

I read somewhere that skin tags were a sign of to much sugar, like a warning of a prediabetic condition it might pay to check for sugar in the urine. Otherwise keep doing the ACV thing and they will fall off.

Hi again, I'm with Sara... Essiac tea taken internally can be wonderful for the skin, especially if any precancerous activity may be going on. Sara, can it be used externally as well?

I know this may be more costly than lugols, but I know for a fact in my own experience that essiac tea will talk care of skin tags and growths. Research it and you can even buy the powder to make your own so it is more economical for you. Hope this helps.

I had a skin tag last spring that fell off from applying ACV. What you are describing, with the skin tags becoming hard and dark, is exactly what happened to mine right before it fell off. You are almost done! They will sting when you apply the treatment, and that means it's working. Stick with it. Have him take a nice hot shower and gently scrub the hardened skin tags to encourage them to come off. Mine came off in the shower. When they are ready they will just fall off. They will be really annoying the harder they get, and they will become a little uncomfortable, but they will fall off! Hang in there!

Hi Jan, Might be time to try another approach if what you've been doing is either not helping and/or starting to hurt. Have you tried castor oil? It works wonders for so many skin-related issues, and I know I've read about it's helpful history with both skin tags and cancerous or possibly cancerous skin issues. It does not burn, is extremely gentle and safe with a long, positive history of helpfulness.

I wonder if a twice per day application schedule, leaving it on for at least 10 minutes during the day, as well as overnight might help? I'm sure I've read of something that can be mixed with it to get rid of skin tags more quickly. If I remember it, I'll reply again.

Best of luck to you and your husband.

Jan, here is an edited paste from previous post that worked for me: "A few yrs ago I had a mole on my back that became red, swollen, and irritated. I never had any test run, but one doc said there was involvement and to keep an eye on it. I neglected to do anything about it until it became larger and more irritating. I topically used and rotated several natural and synthetic products perhaps once a week or so: Vit-E oil w/ lemon, cod liver oil, alcohol, triple antibiotic ointment, metronadizole creame. A yr or more passes with only little results. Next I use tea tree oil, and one of the oldest over-the-counter salves on the market ---Porters SalveOnly weeks later the cancer itched one again, I took of my shirt, go to the mirror in the bathroom and scratched the ugly thing off. It simply fell to the floor and left not even a scar. Done.

I think the variety of medicines was the key to this cure as there are likely numerous types of pathogens involved in these things. Like any cancer treatment that shows no sign of working after 6 or 8 wks, drop it and adopt a different protocol. Also, I think the Porters Salve is what dealt the death blow. There is another proly not-so-familiar topical cancer salve called "Tumorgone" w/ the main ingredient as bloodroot which I use as needed w/ good results.

Hope this helps and good luck. Please report changes.

We need help. My husband read your remedies for iodine. He has some "skin tags" one under each of his arm pits. He also has what looks like a precancerous growth on his scrotum and another skin tag there. He read that Lugol's Solution of 5% Iodine put on 2-3 times a day would allow the skin tags to eventually fall off and the little growth on his scrotum about the size of a pea would heal from the inside out.

We have followed all the instructions for over 2 weeks. The only change is that the skin tags under his arms look like they are darker in color and are getting hard. They all are in a bad place as they all get rubbed whenever he moves. When applying the iodine, it now "stings" and I'm getting concerned!! We are not doctor people and he did show the little growth to his MD in Homer and the doctor said it was "no big deal". Al is 70 yrs. of age and we are wintering in the Phoenix area during the winter. I don't know what else to do. Did we buy the wrong iodine? I put neosporin and vitamin 3 oil on each thing after each application. Can you help us? I'm getting desperate!! Jan

Wish my mom had had the benefit of this wonderful website. She suffered horribly throughout her life with fatique and a ton of other symptoms. Had she had access to all of this information she would have drank it up. The doctors just told her she was crazy. They would say low thyroid, high thyroid, then low thyroid. Fibro came along just at the end of her life. I feel like she was so beaten down by years and years of health issues that she finally succombed to cancer. Iodine might have been just what she needed. Doctors never did squat for her.

Debbie, I started yesterday with one drop but I took it with the meal, today as well. I will try to take it before a meal tomorrow. I usually dream quite a lot, let's see what happens! This seems to be Hulda Clark's recipe, 5% iodine, 7% potassium iodide. On the bottle it says that one can take quite a bit more but I will go up a drop at a time. So far so good..... Let's see! I don't want any trouble! I hope it will cure the bags under my eyes, my weak hair, cold feet, insomnia and a few other things. I will keep you posted. So far I tried Turmeric in the tea for the bags under my eyes as someone advised here without any results. I am taking Vit. C, selenium, magnesium, the lot, and eating some Cilantro (coriander).

Do you know what I am also trying out and which seems to be working? I am getting rid of my addiction to warmth. I have always been too cautious with keeping myself warm, during the day and at night, now I am getting rid of all those layers of chlothing and I have only a thin blanket in bed although it is winter here and very cold it is too! It feels weird to get rid of my thick jumpers and thick duvet in bed but I am getting there without too much difficulty! I read a book about skin care where the author says that it is awful for skin and hair to be always far too hot and that we can retrain our thermostat. I believe we can because if you look at the young people here in Europe going around in the winter with hardly anything on that really is possible. But well, this is a training you can hardly do in Australia!

Francisca, I take mine in a little milk. It masks the taste. Before meals would be better for absorption for sure. I don't think you can take it at the same time as Vitamin C. Get ready for really vivid dreams.

I should clarify my remarks about taking all the supplements together. I split up my doses of magnesium and vitamin C throughout the day.

Hi Maria, I always take the mag. Selenium and vit C together. It's just easier that way. I have a liter water bottle that I add about a 1/2 tsp. Salt. Everytime I refill the bottle I add more salt. I am not a big fan of salt, but after doing this for awhile I don't like to drink plain water anymore. I also add extra to my food. As long as the salt is unrefined (usually gray or pink) it is okay to use and it has not affected my blood pressure. I believe it is the refined table salt that does this for those who worry about salt intake.

Hi Lisa (from Rabat, Morocco), Thanks for your info. I keep forgetting about the salt could you tell me how to take the salt? Also do you take the mag, selenium and vit c at the same meal or at a different time? Currently we add the grey coloured sea salt to all our meals. Thanks.

From your iodine page: https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/iodine.html

Having been trained as a medic in the U. S. Air Force many years ago during the Viet Nam era, I have a working familiarity with Iodine. Back then, the antibiotics we used most for field use were Penicillin and cloromycetin (not sure about the latter's spelling). Cloromycetin was great for surgery in less than sterile conditions but it could have serious drawbacks, frequent or long term use being some of them.

For surface wounds iodine seemed to work for nearly everything since it would absorb "beneath the top skin layers". That was what separated it from other germ killing agents popular back then.

When using Iodine on a wound, it was never placed on the open wound itself, only around the edges of it. Hence its absorption usefulness.

Carly, in my opinion, you don't always absorb all that you paint on your skin (evaporation and such) and since it is recommended to take 25-50 mg at minimum, I don't think you could paint enough to get that. If you don't have an allergic reaction on your skin, you should be able to take it internally. You can always do both.

Hi Francisca & Carly, Whichever way you choose please only start with one drop per day and see how you go ie detox reactions. Personally I think a week or two before going to the next level of 2 drops per day. We have taken it a few ways eg: in a glass of water 60 mins before eating; in water with a little Apple Cider Vinegar 30 mins before eating; at first 5 - 10 min before meals.

I too have read different ways/times to take it. Taking it before meals 30 -60 seems to be more often recommended. Personally we are doing what is convenient for us because that way at least we take it. We also take the recommended selenium, magnesium and Vit C although not at the same time as the iodine time.

Francisca, the iodine yahoo group recommends taking it with food. This helps improve absorption and avoids any possible stomach upset. It is also recommended to take before 2pm as it can sometimes disturb sleep, though for me, if I have taken it later in the day, it hasn't affected my sleep.

All by itself in a full glass of water is best for quick absorption, but it doesn't matter much. The most important thing is sufficient doses and regimen for a few months, I. E. at least 12.5 - 50mg - see e.g. http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-08/IOD_08.htm

Hi Francisca, I have been taking Lugol's topically. I am kind of worried to take it internally because I have many allergies / sensitivities to so many different things. I am wondering how others do the skin application.

I have been doing iodine foot painting, alternating bottoms of feet with my lower abdomen (ovary area) and breasts.

Doing approx. 1/3 of a dropper of 2% almost every day. I did back off a bit one time a month or so ago when I had some heart racing / palpitations. (They went away, and may have been because I had not been taking my magnesium as I should have been).

I am wondering if iodine painting compares in any way to taking it internally?

I have only read enough about it to be totally and utterly confused at this point. ;-)

If anyone has any information on this as well as Francisca's question, I would really appreciate hearing from them.

Thanks,

Carly

I am thinking of starting taking Lugol's tomorrow but I am still unsure of how to take it. I read a book but the author doesn't say anything about it and what I find on the Internet is contradictory. Some say to take it 30 min. before eating in a glass of water with ACV. Others say during the meals, someone here said 60 min. before the meal..... I have no idea! Does it make a difference and should I take it with the ACV?

Found the following article re iodine.

Iodine stimulates the thyroid. If you have Hashi's this can stimulate auto-immune attack. It has been known to CAUSE Hashi's in people that did not have it. This is the flip side that the iodine proponents will not tell you. Japan has the highest incidence per capita of Hashimoto's Disease, they also have the highest intake of iodine in the world.. coincidence? If you are taking thyroid hormones you are taking iodine in proper amounts. More can cause hyper symptoms ( called detox symptoms by people pushing iodine) or hypo symptoms. It can cause thyroid LABS to be inaccurate. One never knows which way labs will go when taking iodine. If your thyroid is ABLE to process it make hormones, it will make T4 from it. If you have RT3 it will make MORE of it. OK I am done. Now they will hate me even more on the iodine group that I helped to found.

It's possible that you have a hypothyroid. One of the symptoms of a hypothyroid is severe cracked feet. Iodine might help if this is the case. You should check out the symptoms of hypothyroid and maybe get tested for it just to be sure. Some of the other symptoms are:

• Fatigue
  
• Weakness
  
• Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
  
• Coarse, dry hair
  
• Dry, rough pale skin
  
• Hair loss
  
• Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)
  
• Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
  
• Constipation
  
• Depression
  
• Irritability
  
• Memory loss
  
• Abnormal menstrual cycles (usually heavy and/or long)
  
• Decreased libido (due to hormone imbalances and depression)

You can have your thyroid hormone levels checked by your regular doctor or do some simple tests at home to get an idea. Just be very careful if you are diagnosed with hypothyroid problems as regular doctors like to fix this by prescribing synthetic hormones which usually don't work.

One way to check your thyroid at home is to take your temperature a few times throughout the day. If it is below 98. 6 around 3 pm then it is very possible you have low thyroid function and possibly hypothyroid disease. You can go to these sites for help with temperature and thyroid info.

http://allonhealth.com/hypothyroidism-test.htm

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/temperature/

Hello Everyone!

Does Iodine deficiency cause cracked feet? How do I know if I am iodine deficient? I have been suffering from cracked feet my whole life. I tried from A to Z nothing had been working. I will highly appreciate if someone will share thier thought here. Thanks

Has anyone used Detoxadine Iodine? It is supposed to be more gentle on the stomach and it contains no alcohol which can trigger off allergies? I cannot find this Iodine anywhere on your site. Thanks Ted or anyone who is using it. Karenina

Hi Francisca, I read that you should take them but not at the same time... an hour or two apart should be okay.

Debbie, do you mean not take Vitamin C and iodine at the same time or not to take one at all if you are taking the other?

Copyrighted 2005 by Robert Sarver
Published with the permission of the author.

Iodine Deficiency
By Robert Sarver

Dr. David Brownstein has a US medical practice dealing primarily with thyroid patients. He has been quite successful treating hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism with the iodine/iodide supplement Iodoral that is available over the Internet without prescription. Dr. Brownstein believes that the usual thyroid medication prescribed by doctors is the wrong treatment because it does not deal with the underlying iodine deficiency problem. All cells in the body need iodine for proper functioning. All glands (thyroid, adrenal, etc.) especially need iodine for the production of hormones. Dr. Brownstein believes that iodine deficiency is a major cause of breast cancer and other diseases of the reproductive organs such as ovarian, uterus and prostrate cysts and cancers. Iodine levels in US soil have fallen 50 per cent over the past 50 years and soil in the US is deficient in iodine. The Great Lakes region has some of lowest soil iodine levels in the world and this results in high levels of cancers related to iodine deficiency. Dr. Brownstein has been quite successful in treating fibrocystic breast disease (cysts in the breast) with iodine/iodine supplementation. In one case a 37 year-old woman with severe fibrocystic breast disease was completely cured after supplementing with 50 mgs of iodine a day for two months. Women with large breasts need more iodine than women with smaller breasts. Other medical authorities agree that iodine deficiency can lead to fibrocystic breast disease and/or ovarian cysts. [1] [2] [3] Iodine can similarly reduce uterine fibroids and one of the first conventional medical treatments for severe fibroids was to paint the uterus with iodine. [4] Some other medical conditions associated with iodine deficiency are goiters, Graves' Disease, Hashimoto's Disease, fatigue and impaired immune system function. Iodine deficiency during pregnancy can lead to miscarriages and reduced IQ in surviving offspring. [5] The World Health Organization says that iodine deficiency is the largest single cause of mental retardation. Iodine also detoxifies the body by removing mercury, fluorides, chlorides, and bromides.

If iodine/iodide are so crucial in the body, why hasn't there been more research studies published? Dr. Brownstein believes that because iodine cannot be patented there is no incentive for the drug companies to perform the research. Iodized salt and the iodine supplements usually found in health food stores contain the iodide form of iodine. Dr. Brownstein has had little success treating patients with only iodide. The supplement Iodoral contains both the iodide (reduced) and iodine (oxidized) forms of iodine because the body needs both forms. The US RDA for iodine is 150 mcg. Iodoral contains 100 times (12.5 mgs) the RDA's requirement of iodine/iodide. It seems the conventional medical establishment again has grossly underestimated the amount of a nutrient needed for good health. According to Dr. G. E. Abraham, "Of all the elements known so far to be essential for health, iodine is the most misunderstood and the most feared. Yet, it is by far the safest of all the trace elements known to be essential for human health. It is the only trace element that can be ingested safely in amounts up to 100,000 times the RDA. For example, potassium iodide has been prescribed safely to pulmonary patients in daily amounts of up to 6.0 gm/day, in large groups of such patients for several years. It is important however to emphasize that this safety record only applies to inorganic nonradioactive iodine/iodide, not to organic iodine-containing drugs and to radioiodides." [6]

Seafood and sea plants such as kelp (seaweed) are good dietary sources of iodine but few people in the US consume enough of these foods. On a personal note, I found sellers of Iodoral on the Internet and purchased 180 tablets for $40. The usual dosage as a supplement is one tablet a day but up to four tablets a day can be taken for medical conditions under a knowledgeable MD's supervision. For those interested in knowing more about iodine's function in preventing and treating diseases, four of Dr. Brownstein's video clips located at http://vitamincfoundation.org/videos. Dr. Brownstein's home page and links to his books are located at drbrownstein.com/iodine.shtml.

His books include Iodine: Why you need it Why you can't live without it, Overcoming Thyroid Disorders and Salt: Your Way To Health which encourages consumption of sea salt in order to obtain many trace minerals.

Informative research papers about iodine are at http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Research_I.shtml.

Iodine deficiency may be a major contributor to the widespread arthritis problems in the US. A folk remedy for arthritis is consumption of two drops of Lugol's solution each day. Two drops of Lugol's solution contain the same amount of iodine as one Iodoral tablet. Lugol's solution is a water solution of 10 per cent potassium iodide and 5 per cent elemental iodine. Iodine deficiency may be a major contributor to the widespread emotional disorders in the US. A folk remedy for the treatment of some emotional disorders is consumption of two drops of Lugol's solution each day. Hormones control body weight. Malfunctioning glandular systems due to iodine deficiency may be a major cause of the overweight problem in the US.

References:
[1] J. D. Fleches, MD, http://www.helpmythyroid.com/iodine.htm
[2] Abraham, G. E., Flechas, J. D., Hakala, J. C., "Orthoiodosupplementation: Iodine sufficiency of the whole human body", http://www.helpmythyroid.com/IOD-02.html
[3] James Howenstine, MD, "Iodine is vital for good health", http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james37.htm
[4] Herb and Supplement Encyclopedia, http://www.florahealth.com/flora/home/canada/healthinformation/encyclopedias/Iodine.asp
[5] Iodine Deficiency Disorder, http://indorgs.virginia.edu/iccidd/aboutidd.htm
[6] G. E. Abraham, MD, "The safe and effective implementation of orthoiodosupplementation in medical practice", http://www.helpmythyroid.com/IOD50.htm

Here is some additional info we found on the following website:

http://www.cancercontrolsociety.com/bio2005/flechas.html

"... Work done by many researchers over the last few years has shown that iodine is utilized by many different sections of the body. Twenty percent of all of the iodine sits in the human skin. A lack of iodine in the skin manifests as very dry skin and skin that does not sweat when an individual becomes hot. In newborn children iodine is responsible for the development of the babies' I.Q. Recent research shows iodine deficiency is felt to be the source of attention deficit disorder in children.

Iodine is utilized by every hormone receptor in the body. The absence of iodine causes a hormonal dysfunction that can be seen with practically every hormone inside the body. Dr. Flechas has recently been able to show that patients with insulin resistant diabetes have a partial to full remission of their illness in the presence of taking iodine. Iodine deficiency is also felt to be the source of ovarian cysts. With iodine replacement therapy the cysts disappear and women have stopped having ovarian cysts.