Iodine Supplementation
The following are a list of
questions I
receive on my Yahoo Iodine group. It's amazing that such a
needed
nutrient has fallen out of favor. Some 50 years ago Albert
Szent
Gyorgyi (the physician who discovered Vitamin C in 1928) wrote:
"When
I was a medical student, iodine in the form of KI was the universal
medicine. Nobody knew what it did, but it did something and
did
something good. We students used to sum up the situation in
this
little rhyme:
If
ye don't know where, what and why
Prescribe ye then K and I Our
medical predecessors, possessing very few and crude instruments only,
had to make use of two given by nature (the use of which has since gone
out of fashion): eyes and brains. They were keen
observers
and the universal application of iodide might have been not without
foundation."
Why do I need iodine? Iodine
is used by every gland and mucosal lining in the body. Levels
of
iodine have been declining in the soils over the years leaving our food
depleted of this nutrient. Because of this we are seeing more
gland related cancers along with cystic diseases. For those
of
us in the goiter belt the situation is even
more critical.
My doctor told me that I don't need iodine if I don't have a thyroid. Absolutely not true!! Yes, you
no longer need iodine to
create
thyroid hormones but the rest of your body needs it. It is
very
necessary for breasts and prostate (second largest storage sites after
the
thyroid). It is also used by the adrenal glands, paritoid
glands, mucosal lining of the intestines, uterus, ovaries and many
more. It is a necessary nutrient in maintaining healthy cell
life cycles. The P53 gene requires iodine to function.
P53
has been called "The Guardian of the Genetic Code" (To read
more
about this see Minerals for the Genetic Code by
Charles Walters) and is responsible for the apoptosis process of
damaged cells.
My doctor says I shouldn't take it because I am allergic to Iodine. Are you really allergic? An
allergy to iodine is extremely rare.
Most determine that they are allergic to iodine through
contrast
dye testing. This is not an allergy to iodine but to the dye
that
is used in testing (see Iodine Allergy Myth). I
thought that I was allergic to iodine after a
bad reaction to a scan test I had done where an IV iodine contrast dye
was used. I am also allergic to shellfish. Many
doctors believe that this is an iodine allergy when in fact it
is a reaction to the protein in shellfish not the
iodine. My doctor
told me to avoid iodine and the results were devastating. I
believe this is one of the reasons why I ended up with thyroid cancer.
If you react when taking iodine
supplements odds are this is not Iodism.
The individuals I have witnessed, as have the doctors using
orthoiodosupplmentation, having issues with iodine are toxic.
Iodine mobilizes the toxic halides into the
bloodstream and if your liver and kidney are already overloaded by
toxins you will react. The reactions mimic those commonly
described as an allergy to iodine. These can include but are not
limited to, acne, rash, headaches, heart palpitations, aching joints,
nasal congestion, and post nasal drip. Other
issues can include heart
palpitations and the feeling of being jittery which in many cases is a
sign of
weak adrenals. In some cases when supplementing with thyroid
hormone, you may need to lower your dosage. Please
consult your doctor before doing this.
To deal with these symptoms use the Salt Loading Protocol. Too much iodine will damage my thyroid. In 1948 UC Berkley released a study called the Wolff-Chaikoff Effect. This resulted in the removal of iodine from the nations food supply. The Wolff-Chaikoff
Effect is defined as the
inhibition of organic binding of iodide in the thyroid gland by excess
iodide, resulting in the cessation of thyroid hormone synthesis.
In layman's terms, it was asserted that at a certain point
when the thyroid became overwhelmed with too much iodine it would shut
the thyroid down.
Dr. Brownstein
recommends testing Free T3 and Free T4 along with evaluating clinical
symptoms when seeing increasing TSH numbers in iodine supplementation.
TSH can be elevated to levels of 75 for up to 6 mos with no
clinical symptoms. The thyroid gland is doing its job.
TSH rises to increase thyroglobulin which binds to the
increased iodine in the blood stream to create thyroid hormones T4 and
T3.
After the Wolff-Chaikoff Effect was
released in a medical report, the
medical community jumped on the bandwagon and shunned the use of iodine
stating it would damage your thyroid. Thus began iodophobia.
In 1970
Wartofsky evaluated the
effect of Lugol solution, administered at 5 drops (30 mgs iodine /
iodide) three times daily in five thyrotoxic patients.
Following this protocol it was concluded that the rapid
decrease in T4 secretion induced by iodine was not a result of the
Wolff
Chaikoff Effect but from a decrease in the fractional rate of T4.
As Dr. Abraham states - the Wolff-Chaikoff Effect is only crying wolf. (article) Why is this important to me as a thyroid cancer survivor? Iodine is very important to an individual
diagnosed with thyroid cancer - with or without a thyroid.
Iodine induces apoptosis. Apoptosis is programmed
cell death which is how the body removes cells that have damaged DNA as
cancer cells do.
More Thoughts on Iodine Deficiency - High Doses of Iodine Needed For the Very Sick: Iodine Deficiency: An Under Recognized Epidemic By Dr. David Brownstein, MD Excerpt from the article: However, 50 mg/day of iodine in an individual ill with a serious illness such as cancer or an autoimmune disorder may be insufficient to meet their needs. My clinical and laboratory experience has shown that ill individuals generally need more iodine as compared to healthy individuals. At 25-50 mg/day of iodine, it may take years for an ill individual to become iodine sufficient. In these cases, I sometimes recommend increased dosages of iodine. |
What do I take now that I know I need Iodine?
This is a list of commonly recommended Companion Nutrients that are needed to support the supplementing with iodine.
These are considered the "must haves" in supplementing per day:
Iodine (Lugols Liquid or Iodoral - contains iodine & iodide) 25 - 50 mgs
Vitamin C - 2,000 - 4,000 mgs
Selenium 200 mcg
Magnesium 200 - 400 mgs
Celtic Sea Salt - 1/2 - 1 tsp
Additional nutrients to assist with the utilization of iodine:
ATP CoFactors - 2 - 2x / day
Vitamin A - 1 / day Needs to be from both Carrots & Cod Liver Oil - Recommend Kroeger Herbs Sunny A