How-to supplement iodine for whole body sufficiency
How-to supplement iodine for whole body sufficiency
Choices of iodine supplements
Unfounded fear of iodine supplementation is having deathly consequences
High level iodine supplementation
may be the safest, simplest, most effective and least expensive way to solve the
healthcare crisis currently crippling our nation.
Supplementation is with INorganic, NON-radioactive forms
of iodine , in
daily amounts of iodine
for WHOLE body sufficiency and properly monitored.
According to Guy E. Abraham, MD, former professor of
endocrinology and perhaps the world's most knowledgeable expert on
iodine and the thyroid:
"Medical iodophobia has reached pandemic proportions. It is highly contagious
and has wreaked havoc on the practice of medicine and on the U.S. population. More
misery and death in the U.S. may have resulted from [medicine's unwarranted fear
of iodine] than from both World Wars combined."
Dr. Abraham has studied iodine therapy in high doses in over
4,000 people. He published his findings
in a document titled "The Iodine Project", completely dispelling the myth and fear
of iodine therapy by the mainstream medical profession.
The goal is to attain whole body sufficiency of iodine
This requires a daily intake of AT LEAST 3 milligrams (mg). Collective experience of 3 generations of clinicians
has determined the 3mg daily dosage to be the most effective
minimum amount of
iodine/iodide for treating symptoms of iodine /iodide deficiency
in today's world with its iodine-competing goitrogens (i.e. chlorine, fluorine, bromine)
This therapeutic goal necessitates the use of an
iodine supplement.
Milligram amounts of iodine are not easily
obtained from food, unless you regularly eat seaweed.
Supplements should contain both iodine and iodide
Because different tissues concentrate different forms of iodine,
it is ideal to use a supplement that contains both iodide and iodine for
all-over benefit.
Choices of iodine/Iodide supplements
Form
Information
Prevalent In
Iodine (I2)
Oxidized
/Elemental form
Halogen (member of Group 17a in the Periodic Table), and like other
halogens forms diatomic molecules (2 atoms bonded together)
Breast, prostate, stomach cells, ovaries
Iodide
(I- an ion)
Reduced /Salt form
Iodide atom with a −1 charge. Compounds with iodine in formal
oxidation state −1 are called iodides. This includes ionic compounds
such as cesium iodide or covalent compounds such as carbon tetraiodide
(CI4 ). Other examples are hydrogen iodide, sodium iodide
(NaI), potassium iodide (KI), silver iodide (AgI)and nitrogen triiodide
(NI3 ).
Thyroid gland, salivary glands, skin
Both
Kidneys, spleen, liver, blood, salivary glands, intestines
Thyroid gland functions better when
iodIDE is included. Endocrinology
textbooks state that ingestion of only iodine is sufficient without
iodide , since it is converted into
iodide in the intestines, but a study using both
iodine and iodide
indicates that the thyroid gland functions better when iodide
is included. (The thyroid gland and the skin contained significantly more
iodide / iodine
when rats were fed with iodide compared
to when fed with iodine ; whereas the stomach walls
and stomach contents had a significantly greater level of
iodine/iodide in iodine -fed rats than
iodide -fed animals, questioning the view that
iodide and iodine
are interchangeable). (Thrall & Bull, 1990)
How much iodine /iodide are we consuming?
The U.S. RDA for iodine is 150 micrograms (mcg or
μg).
Introduced in 1980's, this RDA was based on data from endocrinologists concerned
solely with the amount of iodine/iodide needed
to prevent goiter, hypothyroidism, and extreme stupidity, and does not take into
account the body's other iodine requirements. According to Dr. David Brownstein,
M.D. author of "Iodine:
Why You Need It Why You Can't Live Without It , the current RDA of 150 mcg (1
mcg = 1 thousandth of a milligram) is woefully deficient for supplying iodine sufficiency
to the body
Average U.S. consumption of
iodine in 2000, was 240
to 300 μg/day for men and 190 to 210μg/day for women
Japanese iodine consumption is higher than in the U.S.
How much iodine do
the Japanese consume?
The need for high amounts of iodine does not seem to
fit with the fact that the earth's soil contains very little iodine.
Unless a catastrophic event took place that somehow depleted the earth's
content? - - - One explanation lies in the biblical account of the worldwide flood
some 4500 years ago. Mountainous areas would have had fast-moving receding waters
that could have washed the topsoil away, depositng its minerals into the seas and
deep in the earth. Brines associated with oil-wells and natural gas deposits have
high iodine content (of which, brines in Japan accounted for >50% of the world's
1977 iodine production);
General Guidelines for Iodine Dosage
For general health maintenance.
An intake of ~ 3 mg iodine /day,
supplied as a combination of iodine and
iodide , is likely to be healthful.
More iodine needed during pregnancy / lactation.
Iodine is the only compound of significance during early pregnancy which can
pass rapidly through all tissues of the fetus without the aid of any blood
vessel or lymphatic transport. It could be that not only does iodine control
natural cell death (apoptosis) in the fetus but may also influence stem cell development.
Iodine requirement increases with exposure to
iodine antagonists (halogens). Iodine
requirement depends on the goitrogenic load Examples of halogens include bromine,
fluorine, and chlorine (typical in the Western world today).
For people with lower organ dysfunction and in
greater need of optimization of body iodine stores. Intakes
up to 50 mg per day can be consumed safely until whole body sufficiency is met,
and then cut back to a daily maintenance dose of 3mg .
A daily intake of 6 mg
iodide required for sufficiency
of the thyroid gland alone, without considering the rest of the body.
According to calculations by Dr. Abraham's research group.
(Abraham et al, 2002)
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to
iodine supplementation, since everyone's
needs are different.To help you determine your ideal dosage:
Iodine Dose Guidelines
Support for approx. 12mg supplemental
dosage
Dr. Guy Abraham's Optimum
Iodine
Intake. The optimal daily requirement for
iodine has been estimated at:
- 6 mg
IODIDE /day for the thyroid gland.
The first in line for any available iodine;
- ~5 mg /day for the mammary glands
(breasts). More for women heavier than 110#,
or with large breasts, less for men;
- The rest of the body needs ~2 mg /day
- such as adrenals, thymus, ovaries hypothalamus, pituitary,
others. ( http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-02/IOD_02.htm )
The average Japanese diet contains much more than
12 mg iodine / day (which is about 100 x U.S. RDA
of 150mcg, and 50 times average U.S. consumption). Japanese women
experience one of the lowest prevalences for breast, ovarian and uterine cancer;
How much iodine do the Japanese
consume?
Long-time recommended daily intake for
iodine/iodide supplementation was 2
to 6 drops of Lugol solution containing 12.5 to 37.5 mg total
iodide. A
dose of 0.1 ml (~2 drops) of Lugol's solution contains 5 mg
iodine and 7.5 mg
iodide as the potassium salt, the near perfect
total amount of iodine and ratio of
iodine to iodide ,
for sufficiency of the thyroid and mammary glands;
The high
iodine intake of the Japanese would
be needed to handle the toxins from their heavy seafood consumption
(Many of the types eaten being from the water "clean-up crew",
without fins and scales e.g. shellfish). On the other hand, the Western
population need the iodine to deal with the
now high (but previously uncommon) exposure to halogens (bromine, chlorine, fluorine) in their diet and environment.
Safety record is 6
grams IN-organic (i.e. not organic)
iodine
/day. Daily amounts of up to 6 g /day of INorganic
iodine have been safely taken by large groups
of patients for several years. It is important however to emphasize that this safety
record only applies to INorganic, non-radioactive iodine /iodide ,
not to organic iodine -containing drugs and to
radioactive iodide s (radioiodide s).
Obtaining high doses of organic iodine from
seaweed and organic iodine supplements, have
sometimes resulted in toxicity problems. Dr. Abraham contributes this, not to the
iodine , but to excess doses of the molecule
to which the iodine is attached.
Some good references for dosage
research
http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Iodoral.htm
http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Research_I.shtml
Support nutrients needed for iodine supplementation
Commonly deficient
magnesium , vitamin
C and
selenium are especially important.
Dr. David Brownstein says it is best to correct
magnesium and
Vitamin C before beginning iodine supplementation.
Also, if an acidic condition is present, you should
correct the pH imbalance. Achieved by eating
whole foods and eliminating refined foods. Iodine
itself is also an alkalizing agent for the body.
Required nutrient support
for iodine supplementaton
Iodine Supplementation for Animals
Iodine helped mares to breed.
I odine
used successfully for mares that would not breed or had cystic ovaries. Dose was
just a few drops of Lugol's solution in their water buckets over 2 to 3 months.
References Abraham et al (2002) Orig. Int., 9:30-41;
Thrall K and Bull LU (1990) Differences in the distribution of iodine and iodide
in the Sprague-Dawley rat, Fundamental and Applied Toxicology
PubMed
http://www.helpmythyroid.com/IOD1.htm
http://www.advance-health.com/HypoThyroid.html
http://iodine4health.com/ortho/abraham_ortho.htm
http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/Liodine.htm
http://www.shareguide.com/iodine.html
http://searchwarp.com/swa61659.htm
http://www.altcancer.com/lugols.htm
Folk Medicine , by J.C. Jarvis, M.D. Henry Holt & Co., 1958