Iodine for health - 'Universal Medicine'
What's the big deal about iodine?
The most electron-rich element required by the animal kingdom
"Supplementing with high dose iodine may be the safest, simplest, most effective,
and least expensive way to solve the healthcare crisis crippling our nation."
- Dr. Guy Abraham, M.D.
(Endocrinologist, Author, Dedicated researcher of the benefits
of iodine supplementation)
This "medicine" has been around for
well over a century
"When I was a medical student, iodine in the form of potassium iodide was
the universal medicine. Nobody knew what it did, but it did something and it did
something good"
- Nobel Laureate Albert Szent Gyorgyi
M.D.
(Discovered vitamin C in 1928)
. . . Remembered by medical students with the following
phrase (where K and I refers to potassium iodide):
"If ye don't know where, what, and why, prescribe
ye then K and I"
Iodine
is possibly the best solution to prevent cancer of the breast, uterus, ovaries,
endometrium, prostate and other organs having high
iodine presence. However,
people who supplement also report needing less thyroid medication, weight
loss, and improved energy, mood and mental clarity.
Stadel B, Dietary iodine and risk of breast, endometrial,
and ovarian cancer, The Lancet, 1976
Iodine Health Benefits
Iodine deficiency is common, due to several dietary
and environmental factors in our changing world
However, the major culprit is our current high-level
exposure to iodine's
halide antagonists chlorine, fluorine and bromine.
Iodine deficiency
- Common and affects more than just thyroid
Halogen Invasion
Iodine at work in the body
Government RDAs for iodine are sufficient to ensure thyroid
function, but do not recognize the body's many important extrathyroidal need
Iodine
is present and essential in EVERY organ and tissue of the
human body, not just the thyroid gland. The thyroid
is an organ unique to vertebrates, that combines iodine
with the amino acid tyrosine to make the important thyroid hormones
(T3 and T4) , critical for cellular metabolism rate and protein
synthesis and growth. Unfortunately, more recent attentionhas focused only on
iodine's benefit for thyroid disorders,
but its historical use as a panacea against other ailments has been neglected (using
higher iodine supplementation levels than are
needed to deal with just thyroid problems).
Iodine is useful in the following roles:
• Thyroid hormone synthesis
• Anti-cancer
• Trace Nutrient
• Antioxidant (iodide)
• Stimulant
• Natural Antimicrobial (elemental form)
• Expectorant
• Reverses fibrocystic breasts
• Increases secretions (opens ducts)
• Important for hormone production
• Shrinks ovarian and thyroid cysts
Iodine
Health Functions
Different tissues concentrate different forms of iodine
Organ
Primary form of
Iodine concentrated
Thyroid gland, skin
IodIDE
Breasts, Prostate
IodINE
Kidneys, spleen, liver, salivary glands,
blood, intestines
Both
Drs. Abraham and Brown have experienced better results
from iodine supplementation by using a combination of both
iodine and
iodide
My clinical experience has proven, beyond a doubt, that a
combination of IODINE/IODIDE (E.g. Lugol's or
Iodoral) is much more effective than an iodide
only supplement (E.g. SSKI and most other liquid iodide formulations)".
- David Brownstein, MD
From his book, "Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live
Without It"
Different forms of iodine
Iodine and pregnancy
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.