Iodine Health - Iodine against Cancer
(1) Cancer Treatment Core - "Cancer NOT Allowed!"
Iodine against cancer
"My research has shown
that after testing over 4,000 patients for their iodine levels, over 96% of those tested are
significantly low in
iodine."
Dr. David
Brownstein
Iodine sufficiency may be the most important
preventive measure against cancer of
organs normally having a high
iodine
presence.
Organs normally having a high
iodine content include: the thyroid, breast, uterus, ovaries,
endometrium, prostate,
stomach, pancreas, colon and lung.
Iodine has been found particularly effective against
thyroid cancer and the reproductive organ cancers of the breast, uterus,
ovaries, endometrium, and prostate
(Stadel, 1976).
Cities/counties/states
with high rates of hypothyroidism
(often indicating an iodine deficiency) also have high rates of breast cancer
Iodine induces
apoptosis (naturally programmed cell death). Absence of
iodine in a tissue allows cysts to grow and may eventually lead to
cancer.
APOPTOSIS
Appropriate and natural
destruction of cells that represent a threat to the integrity of the
organism. E.g.
cancer cells and virus-infected cells.
Essential to growth and
development. E.g. Fingers form in the fetus by
apoptosis of the tissue between them;
The iodolipid δ-Iodolactone seems to be iodine's main mediator
for preventing cancer. This iodinated form of lactone (produced
when iodide oxidizes lipids, such as lactone)
can inhibit growth and induce apoptosis in human thyroid carcinoma cell
lines (B-CPAP cells, FTC-133 cells and 8505C cells) as well as on human breast
cancer cells (MCF 7).
Cancer is roughly
divided into two phases, and iodine plays a beneficial role in both
(especially in organs usually having
high
iodine presence)
(A) The
pre-cancerous phase
(The development of abnormal, benign cells)
The first, long-term, pre-cancerous phase, is when
normal cells gradually become abnormal cells. E.g. the
discovered breast cancer lump represents the end stage of a slow development
over many years. Lumpy, tender breasts, referred to as fibrocystic
breasts, can potentially, but not necessarily, advance to p re-cancerous
lesions over time.
Fibrocystic beasts - potential link to breast cancer
When normal cells are damaged beyond repair, they
are appropriately eliminated by apotosis . i.e. the
programmed or natural death of damaged, infected or malfunctioning cells.
Cancer cells avoid apoptosis and continue to multiply in an unregulated
manner
Adequate Iodine
stops and reverses the pre-cancerous stage of the
cancer process by causing the natural death of abnormal cells (i.e
apoptosis). This prevents them from becoming
cancer cells. Sites of rapid apoptosis in the body are also sites with high
iodine
levels. Conversely, inadequate iodine
in a tissue allows abnormal cells to persist, allows cysts to grow, and may
eventually lead to cancer.
An adequate
iodine dose to prevent pre-cancer
phase (abnormal cells) is around 3-4 mg / day.
One drop of
Lugol's solution in water, juice or milk or ½ an Iodoral® tablet (6.5 mg
iodine / iodide )
should both prevent cells from changing into cancer cells and gradually
eliminate pre-cancer cells, so no new cancers can start. It will also kill
abnormal cells floating around in the body at remote sites from the original
cancer. (Ghent et al, 1986)
(B) The multiplying
/ Spreading phase of cancer
(a) Cancer cells can multiply and just stay where they are
(carcinoma in situ)
or (b)
Cancer cells can multiply and spread
(tumor)
On average, breast
cancer cells double every 100 days, and it takes ~9
years before mammograms can pick them up.
Adequate thyroid hormone (produced by a normal thyroid with sufficient iodine)
in connective tissues prevents the spread of cancer cells to nearby tissue .
The amount of thyroid hormone present in tissues controls the strength of
connective tissue, which forms a strong sieve-like barrier to the passage of
cancer cells trying to spread. (Clark, 1989). Conversely . . .
a low level of
thyroid hormone in the tissues (especially connective tissues)
allows cancer cells
to spread.
Presence of thyroxine in the tissues has been
amply demonstrated in animal experiments to bring about a tissue environment
that is unfavorable to tumor growth and development. At least as long as tumors remain in the dependent phase.
pdf
1950's article links deficient thyroid activity with cancer
rates. Data from 15 countries in four continents give
support to the importance of local factors to account for the known local
variations of cancer incidence. Iodine availability, traced by goiter
incidence, appears to be one of such factors.
Adequate Iodine dose to prevent cancer
spread? You should do your own research on this, however, this
author has so far found that the available literature indicates a dose of about
50mg
iodine/iodide (8 drops 5% Lugol's Solution or 4 Iodoral ®) /day in
split doses) according to tolerance, with the goal of achieving whole body
iodine sufficiency (~1.5 g) in
about 3-6 months.
Iodine -Supplementation
Dr. Brownstein used 200 - 300 mg with his prostate and breast cancer patients.
With those having metastases needing the highest dosages.
Additional iodine roles in preventing cancer
Any excess iodine
flows into the urine. Preventing the development of
abnormal cells in the bladder and kidney system, and thus also prevents cancers
in those locations.
The antioxidant
properties of
iodides
have a role in cancer prevention. By
their ability to markedly quench the high-energy, excited
singlet oxygen
to its less reactive triplet form , thus
preventing singlet oxygen from causing
oxidative damage to DNA.
(Kasha, 1952; Venturi et al, 2000)
Iodine is a powerful deactivator of toxic environmental
chemical, cancer-causing
suspects. E.g. xenoestrogens, pesticides, herbicides, industrial chemicals;
Iodine alters
gene expression in breast cancer cells and induces programmed cell death
(apoptosis). (Stoddard et al, 2008)
Iodine
may also kill abnormal cells by the same method it destroys single-celled
microbes. Once the thyroid gland has become
iodine -saturated, most of the rest of the available
iodine
in the body then circulates throughout the body bathing the extracellular fluids
found between body cells.
Intra membrane proteins may expose
tyrosine when the membrane is distorted by abnormal cell
development such as we see in the
pre-cancerous forms of fibrocystic breasts . P assing
iodine can then react with exposed tyrosine in the
cell membrane and denature
it. By disturbing the cell membrane, it can thus
kill the cell (this is the same chemical reaction by which
iodine
in dilute solutions causes the death of single-celled microbes: bacteria,
viruses, fungi, and protozoa). Healthy vertebrate cell membranes do not have
tyrosine on the portion of proteins sticking out into the extracellular fluid.
Estrogen / Iodine
Connection
Iodine metabolizes carcinogenic
ESTRONE and
estrogen metabolite 16-α-hydroxyestrone
==> "anti-carcinogenic" estriol;
Iodine desensitizes
estrogen receptors in the
breast;
Iodine reduces
estrogen production in overactive ovaries;
Evidence that iodine works against existing cancers
The overwhelming evidence of
iodine against breast cancer
Spontaneous
regression of breast cancer seen in 3 cases supplementing iodine :
Please visit the following site for more information on research of
iodine's antiproliferative effect with cancer:
Jeffreydach.com
Supporting evidence for
iodine deficiency involvement in breast cancer, fibrosis and painful
breasts in patients with fibrocystic breasts.
Breastcancerchoices.org
lists several of iodine's
impressive abilities
against breast cancer:
Desensitizes
estrogen
receptors in the breast;
Reduces
estrogen
production in overactive ovaries;
Reduces
fibrocystic breast disease - which often precedes breast cancer;
Causes
more cell death than the chemo drug, Fluorouracil;
Prevents
rats from getting cancer when fed the breast cancer causing toxin DMBA.
Iodine against lung cancer
Human lung cancer cells with genes spliced into them that enhance iodine uptake and utilization, undergo
apoptosis and shrink when given iodine. Both
in vitro and implanted in mice. (Cann et al,
1999)
Metastatic lung cancer case incidentally treated with
iodine-containing Amiodorone had spontaneous remission. Treatment
contained 9 mg iodine / day. (Hercbergs & Leith,
1993)
Iodine against prostate cancer
A deficiency of iodine
is a known factor in the development of prostate
cancer
Mainstream medical treatments are
not working
Breast cancer
incidence worldwide has increased from 1 in 23 in the mid-1960s
to currently 1 in 8, and is increasing by
~1% each year
Mortality rates not improved with today's
technology. Surgery, chemotherapy, mammography, and radiation have not
altered the mortality rate since record-keeping began in the 1920's.
85% of women who develop breast cancer
will die of causes directly related to breast cancer.
Radiation and chemotherapy to the breast can
affect the thyroid gland. Radiation to the breast for prevention of local recurrences can affect the
thyroid gland. The thyroid gland in your neck is in close proximity to your
breast and depending on the angle used by the radiation machine, the dosage used
and also how good the machine is at preventing radiation scatter, the radiation
can have both short and long term effect on your thyroid gland health.
Chemotherapy delivers toxic compounds and can have side
effects on many organs including the thyroid gland. The combination of
chemotherapy and radiation can lead to clinically obvious low thyroid.
(Links,
1991)
References
Cann Stephen A., van Netten Johannes P.,Glover David W. (1999) Iodide
Accumulation in Extrathyroidal Tissues, Journal of Clin. Endocrinology &
Metabolism ; Vol. 84, No. 2821
Clark WH (1989) Tumour progression and the
nature of cancer. J Cancer 1991;Smith,T.J. et al, Connective tissue, glycosaminoglycans, and diseases of the
thyroid, Endocr.Rev.
Ghent W R et al (1986) Iodine replacement in fibrocystic disease of the breast. Can J Surg 1993; Ghent
WR et al, Iodine deficiency breast syndrome. Frontiers in Thyroidology.
Hercbergs A, Leith JT (1993 Aug)
Spontaneous remission of metastatic lung cancer following myxedema coma-an
apoptosis-related phenomenon? J Natl Cancer Inst. 18;85(16):1342-3.
Link
Kasha M (1952) Collisional
Perturbation of Spin-Orbital Coupling and the Mechanism of Fluorescence
Quenching. A Visual Demonstration of the Perturbation. The Journal of Chemical
Physics.
Links JM (1991) Radiation physics (ch16) and Williams ED,
Biologic effects of radiation on the
thyroid (ch17), Werner and Ingbar's The Thyroid.
Stadel B (1976 ) Dietary iodine and
risk of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer, The Lancet.
Link
Frederick R. Stoddard II, Ari D. Brooks, Bernard A.
Eskin, Gregg J. Johannes (2008) Iodine Alters Gene Expression
in the MCF7 Breast Cancer Cell Line: Evidence for an Anti-Estrogen Effect of
Iodine. Int J Med Sci. 5:189-196 .
Link
Venturi S et al (2000) Role of Iodine in Evolution and Carcinogenesis of Thyroid, Breast and Stomach,
Adv. Clin. Path