Iodine

Okay here we go....to Iodine or not to Iodine....lol!  Seriously though......lets discuss Iodine in its glory:
What type is best: potassium iodine only
Where can you find it? This can be a tough one.....
How to test for deficiency... scratch skin test and or hair analysis is best
What are the many many health benefits of Iodine? MANY!
There are soooo many benefits to Iodine.....did you know that if you take Lugols at the first sign of infection it can help to destroy viruses, bacteria, etc.?  How about at the first signs of food poisoning to neutralize toxins?
Lets roll on this one with everyone joining in.

[margypops]

I am really want to know more about iodine,as I am taking it along with Adrenal Support Capsules, and I have to tell you I have felt pretty good for several weeks, I put it down to the Adrenal Capsules but it could be the iodine, I have googled about iodine and realise we dont get enough of it in out diets now, Salt used to have a lot, guess it still does,but they have cut it out in other foods. So Hey I am open to feeling even better....

[PlateletGal]

Some excerpts from "Beating Lyme Disease" by David A. Jernigan, Ph.D. :

"According to a study by the CDC the number of Americans with low iodine has quadrupled in the last 25 years". * (source below)

"Dr. Bernard Jenson, D.C., Ph.D., found that the iodized table salt, which is superheated so that it can pour more easily, is a poor form of iodine for the body."

* Iodine Nutrition in the United States. Trends and Public Health Implications: Iodine Excretion Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys I and III --- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism

[stella5349]

I am looking to read some resource information on a few things with iodine.

1 Is iodine needed for people with No thyroids?

2 Best supplementation of iodine to take?

3 Proper administration of iodine

4 Symptoms of low iodine

5 What iodine will restore in the body if taken and how to know if you are managing appropriately with it.

[margypops]

Yes please that the information I need ,

[PlateletGal]

This is the test/treatment listed on Dr. Jernigan's website that I did and it actually WORKED ! I have soft hair now too ! ; ^ )  

********Remember that stopping thyroid medicine all together only applies to those who are hypothyroid due to iodine deficiency and only under drs orders. Talk to your physician before trying ANY iodine supplementation.*************

This simple test is almost too simple, it cost next to nothing and will help you to know when your body is in need of Iodine.


Instructions:


Get a 1 ounce bottle of tincture of 2% Iodine.

Paint a spot using the tincture about the size of a silver dollar. Paint the spot in an inconspicuous place such as your belly, thigh, or the inside of the arm. Be sure it is dry before putting on clothes to prevent staining the clothing. Do this when you know you will not be taking a shower or bath, since it may wash off.

If you body level of Iodine is normal, then the spot will remain on the skin for 24 hours.

If the spot disappears in less than 24 hours, this means your body needed Iodine and took it in. (I find it awesome that our body will take in what it needs and leave on the skin what it doesn't need!) This works transdermally much like the now popular Nicoderm and Estrogen Patches, by soaking into the blood stream via the skin.

*** Important...if you are presently on thyroid medicine you may need to cut back on your dose, or ultimately stop it all together, now that your body has the iodine to manufacture the thyroid hormones it needs.


Keep applying the Tincture of Iodine every 24 hours, at different places on your body, until the spot stays there for the full 24 hours.


http://abc.eznettools.net/jernigannutraceuticals/inexpensive_treatments.html

[laura1967]

Thank you Platelet Gal !!!

[PlateletGal]

You're welcome ! I was a little skeptical at first, but it worked. The first time I did the test, the iodine disappeared within 2 hours. This continued for at least 2 more weeks. Last week I did the test again and it took over 12 hours before the iodine disappeared.

PlateletGal (still has soft hair and is no longer spending big money for expensive conditions that don't work ! ; ^ )   )

[margypops]

Wow thank you I will get some to try I have been taking the kelp drop with iodine in it, definatly do the test.

[laura1967]

don't just buy any kind of iodine tincture....make sure it is potassium iodine form only!

Platelet Gal- Where did you find yours? I told Stella how hard it is to find the right kind and she found it to be true....unless of course you buy online.

I recommend Lugol's Iodine....it is a trusted brand and my doctor friend uses it himself.
He suggested doing a small scratch test first to make sure no sensitivities are there.

[PlateletGal]

oops --- I wrote conditions... of course I meant to write, "conditioners" in my previous post.

Laura -- I purchased my iodine online. I think I purchased it through Walgreens.

[4helen]

Great thread Laura.

PlateletGal --Thx so much for your info; am dead keen to crack this iodine gig that am sure makes me thryoid right lazy!  

Soooo----is doing this kind of iodine supplementation in place of taking kelp supplements, or is there no harm in taking kelp too?  I have heard that there are quality issues with kelp---and is this a 'potassium' type Laura is saying is best?  Am thinking there could be toxicity with too much iodine in the system?  --  thoughts?  Does anyone know which foods eaten can boost iodine as well?

Margypops ---where did you get Adrenal Support capsules, and what are they composed of?   : )

[laura1967]

You don't want to consume too much as you stated. I would first start with a skin test to see how deficient you are. You can Lugol's right on line. I would imagine as almost everything there could be a toxic level....also do you have Hashi's? If so you will want to tread carefully with the use of kelp or iodine.
For the adrenals....i like adaptogens  (will increase when needed and decrease when needed)  

[laura1967]

Here is an interesting link which gives history on Lugol Iodine....who invented it per say...mixture...and benefits!

http://www.naturodoc.com/mm5/merchant.mvc

[4helen]

Thx for the link!!  Reading the intro put in my mind immediately the reason the Greek meaning of the word thryroid is----shield!!  Wow! Yes you are wise to mention testing--- I must do so for iodine deficiency, as have been throwing back (unsafely am sure!) hand fulls of kelp tablets! I too have been wondering about Hashi and really must rule this out for reason of continued hypo. Hoping I can get Lugol here.   Thx again.  Am so happy this board here, as have restlessly wanted to move my search for health re-balance ideas into a slightly more holistic arena.  Are adaptogens PX?  : )  

[stella5349]

Ok I found Lugol's OTC - but not at a drug store.  I found it at an Aquatics (Pet fish) store. $19 bucks- one ounce bottle

It took two weeks but I was determine to find it - IT had to be sold somewhere. If you read about "water" you will find so much stuff on the toxins.

Can you imagine - we are keeping fish healthly in tanks while us humans are suffering with depletion.

Hey Platelet - Did you use sodium iodine tincture - or potassium iodine for your test? I find oodles of sodium iodine at the drug stores but not potassium.

Also the Lugol's I found is 5% and not 2% -  what's that about?  Another thought....

How often can you do a patch test? Is the iodine you are applying starting to balance out the deficiency and after you get to it stay on for 24 hrs - that is your clue that you have put enough in?

[laura1967]

Lugol's is 5%....read the link up above that i posted for the history and info on Lugol's. Very interesting. It will give testing info too.

[deepdiver]

A sluggish thyroid

Common problem, commonly overlooked

Are you tired, constipated, mildly depressed, struggling to lose weight, with dry skin? You may suffer from hypothyroidism — an underactive thyroid.

Problem: the above symptoms may have other causes. Another problem: rigid blood test interpretation can lead to a missed diagnosis of hypothyroidism.

Your thyroid gland
Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck. It regulates your body’s energy production.
Your thyroid gland produces thyroid hormone (no surprise there). “T4” is the storage form. T4 is converted to “T3” in the thyroid, liver, brain and other tissues. T3 is the active form, 200 times stronger than T4.

The importance of TSH
TSH, made by the pituitary gland in the brain, stands for thyroid stimulating hormone. If your thyroid is sluggish, your pituitary produces more TSH, a kind of kick in the pants for the thyroid. The TSH blood test is the most useful test for thyroid function.

What causes a sluggish thyroid?
A common cause is autoimmune. Your immune system thinks your thyroid belongs to someone else and starts attacking it. This is called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
Other causes? Stress can suppress your thyroid. Sometimes large amounts of soy products, peanuts or raw cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts) may slow down the thyroid, although this is controversial.

Why is the diagnosis missed?
There is disagreement over what TSH level signifies disease. Some doctors believe your thyroid is OK, regardless of symptoms, if your TSH is below 5.0. Many specialists regard 3.0 and below as normal. They will sometimes treat patients until it’s below 1.0, if necessary.

Treatment options
Most specialists, including some holistic-minded doctors, use synthetic T4. Response is slow so your doctor will wait 6 - 8 weeks before checking your TSH again.
Nutritional support can help. Selenium (200 micrograms a day) and adequate Vitamin D levels are important. Iodine is often used. Stress reduction, as with most health problems, is essential. Nutritional support and stress reduction are all some  need.

What about T3?
Some folks feel better with a small dose of T3. T3 alone or with antidepressants may help in depression. And some respond best to Armour Thyroid, which has both T4 and T3 (from ground up pig thyroids).
The use of T3 is controversial because most studies show little benefit. The studies, however, are inconclusive. I find T3 has a useful role in some patients.
A small number of people have trouble converting T4 to T3. A low free T3 blood value in someone with suspicious symptoms may respond to treatment.

Know and understand the meaning of your TSH level. Is it between 5.0 and 3.0? Do you also have symptoms? Then treatment may help. See a thyroid specialist. They take a broader, less dogmatic approach.

[PlateletGal]

Hi Stella,

I used the sodium iodine for my stain test. After that, I purchased the liquid potassium iodide (yes iodide... not iodine). You can find it online and it is very inexpensive. You can also take it sublingually and while using the skin stain test. (according to Jernigan --- pg. 463 in Beating Lyme Disease)

[PlateletGal]

For people who have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or fibromyalgia. This is the preferred test to diagnose thyroid problems (except physicians seem to not know much about this test and/or reluctant to order it). Also, this is how Dr. Holtorf treats thyroid problems in his CFS and fibro patients:


T3 REVERSE -- "The mix of treatments needed varies from patient to patient. There are some abnormalities that are common. For instance, close to 100% of individuals with these syndromes have low thyroid. This is, however, usually not picked up on the standard blood tests because the TSH is not elevated in these individuals due to pituitary dysfunction. Many of these individuals will also have high levels of the anti-thyroid reverse T3, which is usually not measured on standard blood tests. In addition, the majority of individuals can also have a thyroid receptor resistance that is not detected on the blood tests. Consequently, thyroid treatment, especially with timed release T3, is effective for many patients. T4 preparations (inactive thyroid) such as Synthroid and Levoxyl do not work well for these conditions."

Kent Holtorf, M.D.

[laura1967]

The adrenal adaptogens are usually an adrenal formula mostly of herbs etc. A good healthfood store should have it. It might say support on the bottle as well. The most important thing is that it supports the adrenals if your cortisol levels are high or low. I will give an example of ingredients to you a little later when I have more time. :)


To everyone else:  I wonder how to tread carefully with Iodine when a hashi patient? Anyone found any info pertaining to hashimoto's and iodine treatment?

[PlateletGal]

I just returned from the Adrenal forum and saw this post. This woman has Hashimoto's and started feeling better after taking iodine (sublingually) :

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/750439

[margypops]

I got the kelp iodine today but I will look for lugols' iodine , as you reccomend,I feel so much better nowadays, taking these supplements , It was the thyroid forum , suggested to try Adrenal Support first before the Thyroid support which I have done with Vit C  sellenium and Iodine , have to tell you I feel pretty good..

[stella5349]

What is the dosage of Kelp a day ?

[laura1967]

Margy-did you get the kelp iodine in liquid form or capsule?

Here is a link to a different kind of iodine that is supposedly better than all other types:

http://www.thyroidnascentiodine.com/index.htm

This is suppose to be the most readily to absorb....everyone take a read please and let me know what you think.

[laura1967]

I am still reading A LOT of controversy (written by naturopaths and MDs) on people with Graves and Hashi's not being able to handle taking iodine. There are a lot of people with autoimmune, that when they try to take the Iodine, it induces a autoimmune response.
Hmmmm....My hair analysis showed me within normal limits for Iodine. So taking it regularly would scare me. I am still in the die off mode of my thyroid as well with up and down flairs and I think that would make a diff as well.
Stella- If you are out there....how are you doing? You had a response to the iodine. BUT you aren't suppose to do it again within 24 hrs, or it could have caused an autoimmune response with your graves. Give us your thoughts!

[stella5349]

I am still on the fence with it to - but still reading and learning more and more.

I am finding that patch application seems good - not oral consumption - but it may be the detox going on more that anything.

[laura1967]

I was reading that it can cause quite a die off from pathogens.....sooooo you might have killed off some buggers too! lol
Or it stimulated an autoimmune reaction......ROLL the dice baby! LOL

[PlateletGal]

I don't take iodine daily. What I do is test myself at least once every two weeks by doing Jernigan's iodine stain test. If I'm low on iodine, then I will take the liquid potassium iodide. (sublingually).

[laura1967]

PlateletGal.....ahhhhh got it. Ever have any die off from it?

My chinese medicine practitioner informed me today to not take any iodine....not even supplements with it. She said not good when in die off mode from Hashimotos and antibodies are already over active. Iodine will cause even more of a reaction in me. Although my body is highly reactive so it does make sense. Now I cannot even take my supplements which I have a lot of $ invested in! :(
I have been treated 3 times now by her for sensitivity to my Armour thyroid medicine....jeepers creepers! lol

[laura1967]

Start with spreading 1 drop on your skin.....i would only start once per week and see what happens. Plateletgal only takes her iodine orally if her skin test shows she really needs it. She does skin test every couple of weeks i think.
Through the skin, your body will only take what it needs. I think i would start there since you reacted so strongly.

[stella5349]

Scratch the Kent's

[4helen]

Am back from a holi forgetting all!..........thyroid came too which is never a total holiday when it's cranky, but did my best to lull it into that frozen state of bliss.......sadly the pile of laundry now spied woke it faster than a prince's kiss!.........

thx Laura for the link-----liked the depth of info on thyroid and iodine page.

Tried the skin test---not sure using the 'right' kind --only could find a 'tincture' with iodine BP 2.5%, potassium iodide BP 2.5% ???? but it absorbed quickly.  Plateletgal---is this the correct stuff? How many drops sublingually?

My chinese herbalist has me on herbs with sargassum, oyster shell, and arca shell which I think are like a kelp? Worried could overdose, but feeling inclined to keep on the trail as gut thinks this is right direction for me, tho awaiting Hashi test result for full greenlight.

oh Laura---could I trouble you for some of the sample ingredients of the adrenal support? thx  : )

[PlateletGal]

Hi ! For the skin test, I used 2% U.S.P. iodine tincture. The iodine that I take sublingually is liquid potassium iodide (by RLD Organic)... drops daily in a glass of water.

[4helen]

Thx!  The tincture I bought seems to have both in it already.  How many drops?

[Heath574]

I have nodules and will have a FNA Thursday, but my alkaline phosphatase are 29.  Range is 33-115.  My dr. didnt even mention it to me.  I found out when I requested a copy of my blood work.  I recently bought Iodine salt and make sure I have two tablespoons a day, about.  What do you think of my number?  Appreciate any response

[laura1967]

Hi there.....Are you taking iodized sea salt or regular table salt?

[Heath574]

Its table salt called Red Cross Iodized salt.  Sea Salt?

[Heath574]

Laura, I figured the iodized salt witht the big red lable that said RED CROSS IODIZED would be healthier LOL  I'm sure they're all the same.  Do you think there's a better option?

[4helen]

Hey--you came on over!! Welcome.

http://www.regenerativenutrition.com//shopsplash/index.asp?prev=/shop/product.asp&query=numCurrencyID=1&P_ID=379

This is for Celtic Organic Sea Salt someone here kindly recommended---a better version than regular salt. I also take kelp tablets every now and then, but am concerned about purity issues rumoured with these.  Sushi nori and wakame (if you like sushi-dried sea vegtables) are dietary ways to get in some iodine too.

Look closely at Plateletgal's recommendations as the 'iodine on the skin' approach which she kindly highlights seems to insure that your body only takes what it needs---a kool idea!  : )

[Heath574]

Thanks Helen.  I started taking the Iodized table salt a few days ago and it does feel like
the swollen lymph nodes that have been in my neck for months now are going down.  That's really the only new change that I've made.  I will look into the organic sea salt.  I'm excited about the change in the nodes and will write soon.  

[stella5349]

Celtic sea salt will bring down a bout of thyroiditis I found when deficient in magnesium combining both salts and that took the swelling down.

OK - friends - 2 weeks on Ioderal 12.5 2 x's a day and doing extremely well.

I spoke to Laura last night and told her the thing that most happened.

CLEAR - SHARP thinking - I thought my swtiching thyroid meds was good - well......... this is unbelievable.

The nodule I was sooooo wooried about is shrinking too. lost 2 mm of it.

I hope Kim surfs over on this thread - I wanted to bring it back on top. She is looking for it.

[laura1967]

I am sooooo jealous Stella!! lol   I want to try but am scared because of the hashi's and i was told to stay away from all extra iodine.

How do you stomach swallowing the sea salt and water???????????????????



OHHHHHH KKKKKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!  lol

[4helen]

OMG!!!!  Stella-----YOU give me such hope!  The first time in the 4 months since being on this board (time NOT always easy for this newbie!) that someone has actually had positive experience with, and in fact even DARED to use the S word!!  2mm........wow! That's so great.

Have the two ends of the candle burning myself...autoimmune and nodule....so the dice roll is fully loaded, but your example is more than inspiring!

Thx for sharing and although I've ceiling plaster mess to clear from the jump I lauched from my desk when I read your good news..lol....worth the effort every time;

happy dance in your honour!!!!!   : )

[elcyd]

HI Everybody,

I have suffered from a goitre and sub clinical hypothyroidism for the last 17 years with  all the classic symptoms.  I was given radioactive iodine and an xray to show cold and hot spots and then given 125mcg of levithyroxine for, they said, the rest of my life.  I realised that the T4 was not really making a difference to my condition, my goitre did not reduce and my hypo symptoms increased gradually through the years.  By 2004  a year after the birth of my little girl, I detoxed and stopped taking my T4.  My blood results stayed within range although my hypo symptoms remained.   Last year, I changed a few items in my diet thinking that it would be good for me, ie adding soya product.  Actually I was not thinking as I had read that soya was not good for fibroids, which I suffer from which I believe are part of the hypo symptoms list, and my goitre mushroomed and a nodule of 3cms appeared.  Soya is not good for someone who grows lumps ie fibroids, goitre nodules, lumpy breasts.  After seeing my GP in Jan and having a scan I am now waiting for an endo appointment which is at the end of Apr.  Looking at all the information of what to expect as a treatment for my nodule, I decided to take things into my own hands.  I discovered through the medscape website that there is now an iodine treatment for dysfunctional thyroids and discovered several sites which give you really clear information about iodine and how it can CURE a dysfunctional thyroid.  These sites are iodine4health, Iodine which is in the health section of Yahoo forum and naturalthyroidchoices.  

I am into the second month of taking 50mg of Ioderal with supplements daily and it has been the best thing I have ever done for my health.  I AM STARTING TO RECOVER!  My goitre is still a little swollen as it is being bombarded by iodine but it has reduced for the first time in 17 years.  I have that little indent at the bottom of my neck back.  My nodule has also reduced greatly.  My energy is back and my brain fog has lifted. Iodine detoxes all the bad halides (bromine, chlorine, flourine) in your thyroid and makes space for iodine again so your thyroid can function properly again.  The treatment is called the Iodine Protocol and is usually for 3 months but it really all depends on your condition.  

After reading all the literature regarding Iodine, it all made real sense to me that I was iodine deficient and that my initial goitre 17 years ago and my lumpy breasts were signs of this.  I am N American but grew up in a country in the Mediterranean which still uses the seaweed washed up each winter as fertilizer  in their fields.  As a young adult I moved to England and there all my troubles started.  I now live in France which is another iodine deficient country which has no testing for iodine deficiency so I have had to self medicate but I really do suggest that you find a doctor on the lists that the sites provide and do it, even those with Hashi's.  Please be careful of the iodine that you buy as some of it is not good for you as it has other things in it.  Luguols 5% or Ioderal is what is recommended.  Do not use salt which is fine and processed as it is not good for you, use salt that is called Celtic Salt or Sel de Guerande which is natural and full of goodness.

It does make my blood boil that I have spent so much of my life feeling like a slug to realise that such a simple essential mineral is what I needed to stop 2 operations - one to remove my fibroids and the other to remove a benign lump from my breast, numerous miscarriages and just a lack of the feeling of being healthy.  100 years ago, iodine was the solution for goitres and dysfunctional thyroids but the propaganda machines of those all powerful pharmaceutical companies have since given cheap to buy iodine a bad name so as they push their little white pills and get richer while they see a world getting sicker!

I am sorry, I will stop the ranting!;))  Oh, I forgot, I discovered I was also Vit D3 deficient too and I now take 3000iu daily.  Vit D3 also makes alot of difference to your energy levels and thought process.  

PS There is also a Facebook group site for iodine.  The doctors who pioneered the iodine protocol is called Dr Brownstein (he has a website) and Dr Abraham.

:) Cindy

[laura1967]

Hi Cindy and welcome!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write your "rant"! lol We love the rants because they are the real person talking from experience and has a passion for seeing others recover as well. I would love for you to stick around and start or add to some posts here. Maybe you could start a Vit D3 post and give your syptoms (symptoms) you were having from deficiency of this. It is a very important topic because so many are deficient even on the "low normal range" as myself.
Again thank you for the post and hope you post some more! :)

Laura

[4helen]

Hi Cindy----Thanks SO MUCH for your post! Super content!  Thanks for the links too; am always thirsty for alternative places!!  Great tip about the Facebook site (always to nice to have a refuge to go to when one is convinced people are fed up with you here at MH!! lol) and the name of Brownstein ----something I have been trying to find out ever since someone told me there was "a doc with an iodine protocol".

Yeah---you are so on page about big pharma!!  Rant away! Disgraceful isn't it? ......I also had moved to England as a young adult....Snap!...a trap of a place indeed.  I dream of life in the alps...ions a plenty!! lol

Keep feeling good.......I'm hurrying as fast as I can to join you!  Like you did/are, am also running from samarai surgeons.....lol....am imagining an industrial-sized vat of Iodural spilled on their path to the OR....brilliantly easy.  Messy clean up for the rubber clogs though!

PLEASE feel free to copy your FANTASTIC posting over to the Thyroid Board;...it's one of the BEST ever!  

Reading it this morning cheered me to no end; surfing here is like gold mining----a lot of sifting and some genuine bad days with no hope of finding a mention of a magic lotion or potion outside Big Pharma's Offering, or even (worse!) witnessing or experiencing no answers, by people you know could bother to help, to very simple questions; thanks for the precious nugget!!  

Your spirit   'to take things into your own hands'   reiterates probably THE fundamental ingredient to successful healing, oft forgotten.

Best of luck with the Endo appt end of April.      : )  Helen

[stella5349]

Posting this information on her personal experience here on Complementary Medicine is so valuable.

However , I think the discussions about iodine should be kept here and not moved over to thyroid.

I to have seem great changes bringing iodine into my protacol and have a doctor very intune with the Iodine therpy and loading tests - but really in the realm of things - Iodine treatment is now more Intergrative Medicine and belongs here.

Laura - can you add here on how I am meaning to say what I am trying to say?

I have viewed over both sites that are mentioned and and also a faily new site called the iodineproject.  

As I discussed with my doctor last week. Iodine is not being used in it's effectiveness at this time. It is understood more now on the modern ways of medicine to treat without it -
Yet  - we as patients are not told about iodine unless we dig into it on our own and compare our illness to some of the information available. I too, dug on my own about it and I had to be the one to approach my doctor. Then ( because I learned about it ) - then - I was given the time of day to find out more by a doctor. It's just not spoken about in the medical communites.

I am dealing with my last appointment as a new beginning - but I am horribly troubled about the reality I was told by this doctor that I probably never needed my thyroid ablated out if iodine therapy would have been used. All the money in 7 yrs I spent to get well - could have been avoided and to how I am understanding it.

It was like going over the whole nightmare all over again. I am taking a total of 25 in Ioderol and after my visit with my doctor Thursday I am told to up that to 50 . I will start that today after blood work.

[elcyd]

Hi Laura

Thank you for your warm welcome.  I will definitely stick around.  Reading some of the posts on the Thyroid Forum makes you realise how everybody needs to share their experiences and information so as people can make informed choices in regard to their wellbeing.  I will get on to the VitD3 section and contribute.  BTW my levels for D3 were 19!  I will be going back to have another blood test at the end of this month to see if it has picked up. I think the D3 and Iodine have really helped my immune system since Jan as I usually have a horrible bout of Sinusitis in Feb where I am put on antibiotics and this year I have had nothing.  My husband is currently on antibiotics for sinusitis and my little girl has the flu.  I have been giving them D3; my husband and my daughter take 800iu daily but I do not think it is enough.  The RDA is sooo low !

:)Cindy

[4helen]

Just when we thought we had enough to read -

http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller20.html--------------informative, and contained in----

http://donaldmiller.com/

.............Dr. Miller is a Cardiologist---makes a nice change from Endos!!  : )

[laura1967]

Cindy- yes the RDA level is way too low for Vit D.....I live in florida and my level is only a 38, so I am going to start supplementing.
STella or Cindy:
Iodine question: How much can you take for how long before it affects the dosage level of our thyroid meds???

[elcyd]

Hi Laura,

Iodine question:  I don't know how long it takes before it affects your thyroid meds.  What I have read is that your doc will ask you back for blood work after one month and then will assess your dosage.  I detoxed off of my T4 so am only taking iodine.  I think Stella is more knowledgeable in regard to thyroid meds. Will you take the Vit supplements  recommended with the iodine?  I found they really helped because you can have detox effect with iodine and the vits help to sooth.

PS I have also read that Iodine can affect your TSH and make it go higher but it is because the pituitary is getting the wrong signals from the thyroid and it creates more TSH to stimulate the thyroid.  It is suppose to go back to normal levels after a while once the iodine has done its work and/or your body gets used to it.
:)

[margypops]

I am still trying to get that iodine Lugal, my local health store doesnt have it only the liquid kep drops I have been having about 4drops a day, I have still to go to the site you put on your post in Feb I will do it now.

[margypops]

kelpdrops( sticking keyboard)

[margypops]

Went to the site finally laura tell me is iodine taken for over active thyroid AND under active thyroid ?Sorry for the ignorance on the subject

[stella5349]

My doctor stated the iodine around 50 requires a test on thyroid levels after about 2 weeks of supplementing.

Not sure how the test will swing though.

Iodine given to thyroid patients that do not have a gland anylonger due to RAI or TT will require more tweeking with meds than someone who is looking to optimize the normal thyroid function.

Of course then - we have to take into account the autoimmune levels too adding iodine

[elcyd]

Hope you don't mind me sticking my nose in but I have found a really good site which sells Lugols for good prices and it explains dosage too.  You need to take Lugol's 5% or 7% otherwise you will be using up your 3% quite quickly.  The site sells 7% at USD3.95 for 1 fl oz or USD11.95 for 8 fl oz it is altcancer.com.

The other form of iodine which I am taking is Opitimox Iodoral tablets which are discounted presently 30% at illnessisoptional.com.  They cost USD34.95 for 180.  The tablet form tend to not upset the stomach as much.

If you are going on the Iodine Protocol, vit supps are recommended as you do detox on iodine.  They are Vit C 2000mg, Selenium 200mg, magnesium  and Celtic salt.  I actually do not do Celtic Salt but apple cider vinegar.

Hope this helps
:) Cindy

PS iodine protocol is for both hypo and hyper.  Start on small amounts of iodine so your body can get used to it and then slowly build up

[laura1967]

Most importantly I would think is for you to do a skin test first to see how deficient you are.  Don't ever feel bad about asking questions....there is no such thing as ignorance here. :) :) That is how we learn. We are all learning here. Make sure you go slow with the Iodine and don't take too much too quickly.

Cindy- thanks you for the added information!  Stella is taking the Iodoral as well and is having great success.

Stella- please if you dont mind, try to keep us updated on how you are doing and feeling as you begin this venture. :)  
I myself am not doing any iodine because i am still in high antibody mode and die off and easily aggrivated. My dr told me to not take any form of iodine yet. I will be having updated antibody testing in April to see where I stand.

Happy Thursday everyone!!

[margypops]

Thank you everyone as usual lots of welcome information, dont know how iImanaged before I found you all and Brian ,you have helped me enormously.

[sick and tired 47]

Wow, this is SO gret to find this site. I just came from alternative medicine MD  and he has recommended iodine to me. He is the third party to suggest it.. two doctors and one nutritionist.;... but I have been so scared. My endo says NO way... she says it will make me hyper ( I am subclinical hypo, normal TSH, very low, below normal Free T4, T3.)
  I have 1/2 thyroid left with multinodular goiter... MD says this will shrink it..
He has suggested Ioderal which I bought at health store... but I want to start slowly. I read somewhere to start with 1/2 capsule every 3rd or 4th day for two weeks and then slowly increase. Anyone have any info on this?
He also thinks I maybe able to eventually go off my synthyroid and will feel SO much better. I am praying ... cause I still have have a lot of hypo symptoms and endo will not give me any more synthyroid ( am in "normal" range).
Thank you all for giving me the courage to go forward... please post all positives and negatives so we can see where this goes. there is a great site...I can not locate it right now but has DOZENS of case/research studies for iodine.
  I have also read it helps heart issues ( I now SVT- runs of tachycardia) for unknown reasons since my "thyroid issues" evolved.  
Thanks again. You are all GREAT!!! Keep the info coming!!!
    

[laura1967]

Hi so glad you joined us here! My suggestion would be to follow drs advice of starting slow as advised. That way you won't fear going hyper.
Yes pleases share when you have info of research for iodine!
Keep us updated in how you are doing.
Stella has started the Iodoral as well.   Yeah!!!!  :)

[sick and tired 47]

Hi! Love this site... Here is a site with lots of info.

iodine4health.com

Has LOTS  of case studies related to iodine from heart, thyroid,GI system,ect.
I am going to start Iodoral next week .starting some other supplements this week....  not to much at one time!!
Please all keep us posted on your experiences with this...Good luck to all!!!

[stella5349]

You will probably have to change your screen name soon!!!   ( LOL )

I started on 12.5 for about 4 days and didn't notice any change - upped to 25 then went directly to 50. At 50 there is a difference.

Your endo doesn't understand iodine if he fears you into believing you will be hyper. If anything most feel a sense of calmness coming on immediately b/c things are becoming stable again. Many people respond on iodine when they were hyperthyroid.

No one can give you a direct doseage to start on - Most don't feel anything on the 12.5 starting dosage either.

Make sure you follow the regamin of minerals and vits suggested above.  If you detox fast then those supplements will help.

[sick and tired 47]

Stella,
How is the iodine coming along? I am so eager to start... and so nervous too!!!

This is a silly question... how will I know when to decrease my thyroid meds??? My endo would not approve so she will not retest my levels?? Will I start feeling hyper??? I am worried because I am hypo, but have some hyper symptoms such as tachycardia, tremors... ( negative antibodies).  In iodine research it has shown case studies where it improved stubborn heart  arrythmias... hooray... it may help my heart too!!
I had an iodine loading test, it showed me to be deficient...only excreted 80% when you should excrete 90% or more to not add iodine supplements.
So all I need is some COURAGE !!!!

Laura, I understand your hesitantcy... I am a BIG chicken to start anything new... very sensitive to  some things!!!

[elcyd]

Hi Folks,

Just wanted to post my progress on the Iodine Protocol.  I am taking Iodoral and built my way up to 50mg slowly within the first month.  I take Vit C, Selenium, Magnesium, Neem and had been on apple cider vinegar until recently I decided to change to Salt Loading as I wanted to make sure that I was not putting my adrenals under pressure.

  Within the first week from one to two tablets I noticed an increase in energy and clearing of my brain fog.  Second week from two to three tablets I noticed that if I was at all stressed out I would become a little hyper.  This symptom disappeared in week three/four.  My first period with Iodoral was very heavy which is unnatural for me.  I posted this symptom on the Iodine yahoo forum and they suspected that as your ovaries gather alot of the toxic halides, that heavy periods was a detox symptom.  Two other people experienced the same issue with iodine.

By the end of the fourth week I had been taking 50mg of Iodoral for a week and really started to feel the benefit and as I said on the iodine forum, I felt like I was a computer being rebooted and being checked for viruses and the iodine was putting all the hypoT side effects in quarantine!

All has been running smoothly until this last week when I decide to up my dosage to 75mg and within a day I went into proper detox.  . My stomach went into spasms and I started to suffer from a frontal headache, nausea, muscle and joint aches. No matter how much cream I put on my skin, it was dry. I started to get dandruff. Oh and horrible body odour. For six days I had what I can only describe nicely as colic/diarrhoea.

My appendix became sore, followed by my kidneys (lower back pain), spleen and then liver. Strange but I could really feel which organs were painful. My bladder did not suffer at all.

I hardly ate anything but continued with Salt and alternated with warm water and honey. After three days I started to eat rice and then introduced chicken and then poached eggs. I have lost 1/2 stone in weight.

During this last week I stopped taking my iodine and supplements as my stomach could not cope with them and I doubt they would not have stayed in my stomach long enough to have any effect.

Today, I am feeling much better so I will start back at my Protocol. After a week of hell I would have expected to look pretty horrible but my skin has started to look great and my energy levels are back so things have turned around very quickly.

I am really happy that I detoxed as it means that I have managed to purge some of the awful halide toxins in my body which is one of the points of taking iodine.  My goiter is doing fine.  It has reduced in size nicely although not totally as yet as I think this will not happen until I reduce my iodine to one tablet a day.  My hair has become thick again.  Hello hair where have you been?!!:)  I can sleep again :) We will have to wait to see if my nodule has disappeared until the end of April when I see the endo.

Cindy
(17 years sub clinical hypoT with goiter and nodule, fibrocystic breasts, fibroids, miscarriages, migraines, carpel tunnel syndrome, brittle hair, hair loss, tired, sleepless and all the rest. Detoxed from T4 2004)

[sick and tired 47]

Thanks for the update... its  inspiration to try iodine protocol.  Keep us posted on any other news that would help us all!!t
Thanks again.

[stella5349]

I find the iodine is still doing well for me. One thing I noticed - I am alot more mucas- ey inside. I am always thick with mucas and trying to get it out.

Not sure what to think. I am feeling a bit of elycd's symptoms of back pain - not sure. The body order and loose stools I had too.

[Paxiled]

Just want to add, be careful with iodine.  Anyone with risk of hyperthyroid must avoid iodine.  And to the person who had thyroid removed, when they put you on synthetic thyroid hormones, you should avoid iodine, for the same reason.  It isn't something that should be taken in high doses for a prolonged period of time.  I also don't think potassium iodide would be my choice for long term use if only a small amount is needed, as is usually the case.  Would go with kelp or kombu.  Potassium iodide is nice to have, though, in case of radiation attack -- you'll die of something other than thyroid problems!

[stella5349]

I see you concern Thanks - but I read some very controversial information on Hyperthyroid and Iodine and my doctor I have really supports the use of iodine w/ hyperthyroidism.

If you choose not to use potassium iodide as the "choice" what would you chose?

Kelp is not consistant anylonger. It was a good alternative years ago, but just look at what they dump in our waters now? It very absorbant (seaweed) It a collector of pollutants and there are hundred of gallons dumped yearly in our waters. I am more afraid of kelp right now than potassium iodide.

[Paxiled]

You have to know who to buy from.  You definitely want to avoid anything farmed in the Sea of Japan, but there are still clean waters.  A company named Maine Coast, if my memory still serves me well, makes a good kelp if you want to eat it, and a good kombu as well.  As for pills, well, the upside is, good companies test for content and list it on the label; the downside is, you have to be careful where the kelp comes from.  But there are other seaweeds, too, like bladderwrack, kombu, wakame, and such, that are eaten as foods daily by the Japanese, and, if you notice, they live the longest in the world.  And are the healthiest.  So I wouldn't worry quite so much about quality.  I was recommending kelp for natural supplementation.  If you need a lot, then yes, you need to take potassium iodide.  But nobody should take a lot for very long.  As for hyperthyroidism, if you want to take your chances, be my guest.  But iodine speeds up the thyroid's production, which makes it more likely to burn out if one is already overly active.  On the other hand, there is no definitive research on anything in the health field, particularly concerning supplementation -- non enough money for good research on things that can't be patented.  I don't claim to know, just to exercise caution and pursue alternatives to be on the safe side.  And though it is true that seaweed is like a sponge with contaminants, it also does that in the body, and people who eat a lot of seaweed, or I should say enough, get such a proper and natural balance of minerals and nutrients that I believe they get a better deal than avoiding it.  It's like fish, all fish is contaminated, but studies show people who eat fish still do better than those who don't.  Everything we eat is contaminated, as is the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the life we lead.  Our cell phones are contaminants.  So is the computer I'm typing this on.  The best we can do is the best we can do.

[Paxiled]

Oh, I should add, Nature's Life, which makes a good inexpensive kelp, gets it from the waters around Iceland.  Probably not perfectly clean, but as clean as they come in today's world.  Again, the company you buy from is important.

[deepdiver]

Taking excessive kelp can overload the body with iodine and cause either hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism —conditions in which the thyroid gland either produces too little or too much thyroid hormone.  This is a potentially dangerous side effect and is definitely cause for caution. If your thyroid gland is already functioning incorrectly, you should avoid high doses of kelp except on a physician's advice.

Additionally, published reports describe two cases of acne apparently caused or worsened by taking large doses of kelp.  This effect is also believed to be due to the large amounts of iodine in the supplement.

Finally, some kelp supplements have been found to contain levels of arsenic high enough to be toxic.  Seawater contains highly diluted arsenic, but kelp (like other ocean life) can concentrate arsenic in its tissues, and there are reports of two people with symptoms of arsenic poisoning who had been consuming kelp.

[laura1967]

I took Kelp for a year before finally going on thyroid meds. My most recent hair analysis showed low levels of Arsinic, in which I could not understand.....I think I now understand.
It also showed mid normal range for Iodine.
Hmmmmmm.
Paxiled- STella already had her thyroid burned out with RAI, so Iodine isn't risky for her like those of us with thyroid still functioning somewhat. With my Hashimoto's in full force, I will not attempt any iodine or kelp.
Postassium Iodine has many uses and benefits with toxins and pathogens as well....just a thought to ponder. :)

[SassyLassie]

I take the Iodine product called "Iodoral" I think it is wonderful. My Naturopath did an Iodine Saturation Urine test on me, it is done over 24 hours, and you take 3 Iodoral at once and start the test. It was discovered that I was very low in Iodine, so, she put me on Iodoral. About a year later, we did another test, and this time, it showed I was almost perfect, however, she told me to still take it but to cut back to 2 instead of 3. Another Naturopath told me to stop it as I did not need it, well, I did, and I noticed that I was and still am getting worse and worse in all my symptoms, especially the fuzzy thinking and forgetfulness. I used to have an outstanding memory, now, I can not even finish a sentence without forgetting what I was saying. So, just last week, she told me to get back on the Iodoral and we will see how it goes. So far, I think I am already feeling better and not quite as fuzzy in my thinking. I tell you, it is an amazing product. Oh yes, and I think it might also already be helping with my weight gain.

So, this is my story on Iodine, I took Kelp for awhile, but, for my symptoms and metabolism, I think the Iodoral is far better.

[stella5349]

Good Point Laura.

I should have mentioned the RAI and no thyroid above.

[deepdiver]

talk to your DR. about celation!! (not sure of spelling)

[Paxiled]

Deep Diver, agree with you completely, but arsenic is in everything, not just kelp, and is perhaps worse in fresh water than salt water, which is the seaweed medium.  But I'm on your side here, I'm more cautious about large amounts of iodine than many here seem to be, but many natural healers have been big iodine supporters and I have no idea who's right, I'm just cautious.  

To Laura -- when your thyroid burns out, you're put on synthetic thyroid hormones.  If you take too much iodine, it can push into a hyperthyroid state, so endocrinologists tell you not to take iodine.  My wife's thyroid failed, she's on synthetic hormones, and shouldn't take the risk of taking iodine.  So having a burned out thyroid should mean the person would be taking a pharmaceutical substitute for the thyroid, and that's why I said what I said about avoiding iodine -- it's hard enough to get the synthetic hormones to balance as it is.  Not as good as an operative thyroid!  Now, if for some reason she's not on synthetic hormones, and that would be odd, then I have no opinion at all.

[stella5349]

Well no synthetics here -

I tried that route for years and failed on them.

I am on Armour and up to 50 in Ioderal.

No hyperthyroid symptoms what so ever. In fact - very well. You'd cringe at my last TSH lab though.

I understand your caution - but I believe the alternative side alot and think this has been an issue for me for a very long time while I suffered for no good reason

[stella5349]

i miss the deep diver icon

[laura1967]

You are put on thyroid meds long before your thyroid is burned out. As the hashi antibodies attack your thyroid over time, they destroy it more and more until it is completely burned out. AS this happens you keep increasing your meds, until you are on complete replacement. For some it is a quick ride, others as myself it is a long painful ride.
Yes I agree that Iodine for some like myself, still in destruction mode, would make it nearly impossible to adjust my levels. It is hard enough just with the meds. :)
I just am not willing to try iodine yet.
But I have heard from others with hashi's and working thyroids, that are claiming that it is helping them...yikes....we are all very different i guess. Maybe after my thyroid function is destroyed completely, I will give it a whirl.
I have tried all the thyroid meds from synthetic to armour and back to synthetic.

STill the question remains....."to iodine or not to iodine"  LOL  

[elcyd]

Hi Everybody,

This is what I have read -" Iodine deficency is a huge public health problem.  The continuing and increasing exposure to goitrogens (substances that promote goiter), including the halides bromide and fluoride, has exacerbated the iodine deficiency problem.  Iodine deficiency is one of the main underlying causes of many varied illnesses including thyroid disorders, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, cancer (including cancer of the breast and prostate), and other health issues.  I believe that properly evaluating and treating iodine deficiency will not only help people improve the functioning of their immune systems, it will also play an integral role to help people achieve their optimal health."

The WHO has recognised that iodine deficiency is the world's greatest single cause of preventable mental retardation.(1)  Iodine deficiency has been identified as a significant public health problem in 129 countries!!!  Approximately one-third of the world's population lives in iodine deficient areas and up to 72% of the world's population is affected by an iodine deficiency disorder.(2)

52 million people suffer from a dysfunctional thyroid in the US today!  And it has grown to these incredible figures in the last 30 years when the NHA decided to take iodine out the food chain of the US and replace it with bromine (a goitrogen!)

I also believe that we have all been so brainwashed by the big pharmas to believe that iodine is bad for us because.....you cannot patent iodine......it is a natural product. (Look at the waton approach the big pharmas had on trying to patent Neem and then were overturned by Geneva).   So the big pharmas have been able to create their synthetic T4 which they have been making incredible amounts of money from.  Just imagine how much money ...52 million people in the US alone.

I, like you Paxiled, read all the literature saying stay away from iodine if you have a dysfunctional thyroid and I spent 17 years suffering from hypoT, goiter and adrenal fatigue brought on by T4.  I now have been taking for the last Two months, 50mg of iodine!  I cannot actually do the maths on how much I am over the RDA but it is alot and do you know, I feel soo much better.  Not hyper, just back to my old self and without a goitre (and hopefully a nodule).

I have also read that you can successfully treat Hashi's, Grave's and hyperT with the iodine and there has been research in Switzerland which confirms this. They found that the correction of iodine deficiency not only decreased the incidence of thyrotoxicosis, it also lowered the incidence of goiter, cretinism...(3).. The underlying cause of autoimmune thyroid illnesses: iodine deficiency and antioxidant deficiency!

What  has been written incorrectly about iodine  is that it can cause autoimmune thyroid problems.  If that were the case you would expect the rate of hyperT to decline as iodine levels have fallen but instead they have increased steadily over the last 30 years.

In regards to taking iodine if you are also taking a T4 or armour with or without a thyroid.  Yes!  Iodine does not just sit in your thyroid, it is in every cell of your body and as we live in an iodine deficient society, we need iodine for every cell of our body.  We need more now than we have ever done due to the toxic effects of the other halides that have been introduced into our food chain.

Have you ever met somebody whose thyroid has burnt out due to too much iodine?  I haven't.  I haven't read anybodies experience of this happening also.  Maybe this should be my next crusade on the internet ;-)

Anyway, I will stop the ranting and wish you all a good evening!

Cindy

PS Dr Brownstein has a book which is a fasinating read called "Iodine Why you need it.  Why you can't live without it"


(1) WHO IBID3/27 12 Nov 1998
(2) WHO IBID 12 Nov 1998
(3) Gurgi, G.  Thyrotoxicosis incidence in Switzerland and benefit of improved iodine suppy.  Letter to the Editor.  The Lancet. Vol 352 September 26, 1998.

[PlateletGal]

"This is what I have read -" Iodine deficency is a huge public health problem."

You are so right and have hit the nail on its head ! The government is aware of this and so are Endocrinologists... here's the proof:

http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/reprint/83/10/3401.pdf

[elcyd]

Look at the date that the report came out.....1998, ten years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you don't mind but I am going to post this link on 2 other sites

Thank you so much for this evidence.  It really is shocking.

Cindy :-)

[laura1967]

good find on info!!   Yes I will get up the courage to try it eventually here....lol

[sick and tired 47]

I am with you.... still trying to find the courage to try it even though the Homepathic/nutritionist recommended it and I had a iodine loading test which said I was low in iodine.
Good luck to you all!!

[Paxiled]

Exactly -- everyone is different.  That's what natural medicine is all about.  General discussions are fun, but they don't apply to any particular individual.  It's trial and error, unfortunately. Actually, that's true for allopathic medicine, too, most doctors are just too dense to admit it.

Hashimoto's isn't the only thyroid disease.  Unfortunately, it's yours.  Sorry, but it could be worse, I suppose.  (You could have a Paxil withdrawal that never ended, like me -- wouldn't wish that on anyone).  Whatever everyone here does, just keep a close watch, and be careful.  Not a lot of knowledge out there, just a whole lot of information.

And to Deep Diver, just how much kelp, or in a previous post of yours, spirulina, do you think people take?  You'd die of dehydration if you took as much as your studies warn of, since algae soaks up water.  

    

[deepdiver]

You know people, they will consume any amount!( if a little is good a lot must be better)

[elcyd]

HI Everybody,

Here is a recent news release on ewg.com which is the environment working group website.  I found it on another thyroid website.  Very interesting read in regard to iodine


CDC: ROCKET FUEL CHEMICAL IN MOST POWDERED INFANT FORMULA

Infants Exposed to Unsafe Levels of Thyroid Toxin

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found that 15 brands of powdered infant formula are contaminated with perchlorate, a rocket fuel component detected in drinking water in 28 states and territories.

The two most contaminated brands, made from cow’s milk, accounted for 87 percent of the U.S. powdered formula market in 2000, the scientists said.

The CDC scientists did not identify the formula brands they tested.

The CDC findings, published in the March 2009 edition of the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, raise new concerns about perchlorate pollution, a legacy of Cold War rocket and missile tests. Studies have established that the chemical is a potent thyroid toxin that may interfere with fetal and infant brain development.

The CDC study said that reconstituting cow’s milk/lactose formula with water contaminated with perchlorate at just 4 parts per billion (ppb) would cause 54 percent of the infants consuming the mix to exceed the so-called “safe” dose set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many scientists contend that the EPA “safe” level is too high to protect public health.

“Perchlorate contamination of drinking water is a very serious concern, particularly for infants,” said Anila Jacob, M.D., M.P.H., a senior scientist with Environmental Working Group (EWG). “As this unprecedented study demonstrates, infants fed cow’s milk- based powdered formula could be exposed to perchlorate from two sources –tap water and formula. That suggests that millions of American babies are potentially at risk.”

While these findings are of concern, the CDC scientists also noted that FDA requires infant formula to be supplemented with IODINE, a nutrient that can counteract the negative effects of perchlorate on the thyroid gland. The range of required iodine concentrations in formula is between 5 and 75 micrograms per 100kcal of energy.

Iodine supplements at higher levels may offer some protection from the toxic effects of perchlorate.

But the CDC scientists estimated that those brands that contain only the minimum iodine concentration of 5 micrograms would leave infants iodine-deficient and thus more vulnerable to the toxic effects of perchlorate. A scenario in which formula contained 40 micrograms of iodine (per 100kcal of energy) would offer more protection for infants, but the scientists stressed that even adequate iodine intake among formula-fed infants is not guaranteed to prevent “perchlorate-induced thyroid dysfunction.”

These findings underscore the need for the EPA to scrap Bush era perchlorate policies that shielded defense contractors and other big polluters from the costs of cleaning up perchlorate-contaminated water by setting a legally enforceable safe drinking water level that protects pregnant women, infants and others who are most vulnerable to the effects of this harmful chemical.

Last fall, EPA officials declared that perchlorate in drinking water posed no threat to most Americans and did not need to be regulated as a water pollutant. EPA’s decision was widely viewed as a major victory for the Pentagon and the defense and aerospace industries unwilling to mount a nationwide perchlorate cleanup estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

In response to criticisms from scientists, health professionals and consumer advocates, in January 8, EPA issued a non-binding “health advisory” on perchlorate and asked the National Academy of Sciences to review the issue.

EWG dismissed EPA’s action as “nothing more than an effort to dodge the issue and buy time for the defense, aerospace and chemical industries.”

Years of federal inaction have prompted some states to set their own mandatory limits for perchlorate in drinking water: California, at 6 ppb and Massachusetts at 2 ppb. While recent scientific research has shown these standards to be too weak to protect public health adequately, they are far more stringent than EPA’s action in January.

At her confirmation hearing, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson pledged that she would act “immediately” to reduce perchlorate contamination in drinking water.

Since then, EWG has called on Jackson to fulfill that promise, but so far the agency has not made public a plan of action.

The new CDC study provides some of the strongest evidence yet that a legally enforceable safe drinking water level for perchlorate should be a priority for the Obama administration.

###

EWG is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment.

[stella5349]

Barb135 is a water expert. I asked her to comment on this information.

As for my iodine experience so far - it has been amazing.

I am very happy I took to fear out of it and am using it. I can't quite handle 50 yet - I tried again yesterday and had a huge headache.

I am good at 25 to 37.5 so far.

[Barb135]

Hi everyone. I’m here because Stella5349 asked me give some input because of my connection to potable water quality issues.

It took me a while to read through this whole thread and there's some really interesting stuff here – that’s why it took me so long – lots of stuff I didn’t know, some I’d heard of, but wasn’t sure, etc.  Lots more that I want to go back and absorb in detail.  

Just a bit of background on myself - I was dx'd with hypothyroidism in Jun 08 and with Hashi's in Oct/Nov 08 (sorry, I felt so rotten for so long, with no help from pcp, the months just kind of ran together - what can I say??).

Let me also tell you what my qualifications as a "water expert" are.  I am licensed in the State of Florida as a "Water Treatment Facility Operator".  As such, I am required to be aware of the various contaminants and testing requirements for public drinking water systems.  Although I am licensed in the State of Florida, our rules ultimately come from EPA, which is the Federal entity.  All states must be AT LEAST as stringent as EPA, but are allowed to be MORE stringent - this could depend on contaminants that would affect one part of the country more so than another.

I saw arsenic mentioned in one post.   This little bugger has a “special” place in my heart (NOT) because we had to put a school (800+ students and staff) on bottled water for over a year due to the fact that EPA changed the MCL (maximum contaminant level) for arsenic in public drinking water.  That was the nightmare from he// --- but I digress from the issue.

I am going to briefly address 2 separate things; 1) iodine         2) percholates

The following was copied and pasted from Laura’s original post back in Feb 09:  

“There are soooo many benefits to Iodine.....did you know that if you take Lugols at the first sign of infection it can help to destroy viruses, bacteria, etc.?”  

1)  Iodine can be used in a “pinch” to disinfect water and can destroy viruses and bacteria.  Iodine has been considered as a disinfectant for potable water but has never been utilized on a widespread basis for various reasons.  It can, however, be used in an emergency as a disinfectant for drinking water (one example: suggested for use during/after Hurricane Katrina).  I do not know the exact amount needed to kill various viruses/bacteria so that would be a subject of research for anyone wishing to use it.  

It’s possible that as we get more into the 4-log removal of viruses, there might be more use of iodine as a disinfectant.  But I can’t imagine that will make my job/life any easier because I will have people asking about the effects of iodine vs chlorine.  

2) Perchlorate: This is not one that I am familiar with because it is not one of the MANY contaminates that we have to test for; however, a quick bit of research tells me that simply put (if we have some chemists out there that want to get more specific, please feel free) perchlorates come from oxidized chlorine.  

Please don't anyone panic.  

Chlorine is the disinfectant of choice for public water supplies because the rules (nationwide) require a disinfectant that leaves a “measurable residual” (minimum 0.2 mg/L) and some of the other means of disinfection do not allow for a "residual reading" so there is not way to measure levels. .  

  I went to our trusty Florida DEP website, which contains the rules by which I do my job and I suspect that we WILL be testing for perchlorates in the near future (next 5 -10 yrs or so and thank goodness, I will be retired by then).  Although I hesitate to do so, I copied/pasted a few of the questions and answers simply because there is a reference to thyroid issues.  .  

Q5. Is there a standard for perchlorate in drinking water?
A5. As of now, there is no drinking water standard for perchlorate, but the federal EPA finalized its human health risk assessment for perchlorate ingestion following the National Academy of Sciences review. The "Reference Dose" (RfD)1 adopted directly from the National Academy of Sciences review is based on the finding that daily ingestion of up to 0.0007 milligrams per kilogram of body weight can occur without adversely affecting the uptake of iodine into the thyroid. At this level, no effects on thyroid function are expected, and the RfD is protective for the most sensitive persons. This is equivalent to approximately 0.045 milligrams per day (or 45 micrograms) in a pregnant woman or 0.05 milligrams per day in an average-weight man. A protective drinking water concentration is based on the following assumptions: 1) adults drink two liters of tap water per day; 2) tap water consumption accounts for 20 percent of an adult's daily exposure to perchlorate; and 3) perchlorate also occurs in some foods. Based on these assumptions, a health-based drinking water concentration would be 5 parts per billion (ppb)2.

Q6. Is perchlorate-contaminated water safe to drink or use?
A6. It is important to recognize that conservative assumptions are used to develop the RfD. Exposures at levels above the RfD will not necessarily result in adverse health effects. However, the RfD and the drinking water concentration of 5 ppb for perchlorate are intended to protect public health, particularly sensitive populations including pregnant women, children and those with health problems or compromised thyroid function .While there currently is no regulatory standard for perchlorate, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recommends that people avoid drinking water known through confirmed testing to contain more than 5 ppb of perchlorate. If you elect to use bottled water, you should consider contacting the producer to determine if sampling for perchlorate is done as discussed below. Also, avoid cooking with water containing perchlorate levels above 5 ppb because boiling the water may increase the perchlorate concentration in the food being prepared.Water contaminated with perchlorate can be used for showering, bathing and washing clothes and dishes. However, children should be closely watched during bathing to ensure they do not ingest the water.

Q7. Who should test their drinking water for perchlorate?
A7. Although a drinking water standard for perchlorate has not yet been established, some public water systems voluntarily conduct sampling for perchlorate. Contact your water system to find out if perchlorate sampling is being performed.If you are served by a private well, the DEP recommends testing by a New Jersey certified lab if you are concerned about possible perchlorate contamination or are aware of perchlorate contamination nearby. Contact your local health department for more information about perchlorate testing or possible contamination in your area.

On a personal level (vs job related) I have heard that iodine replacement should NOT be used by those of us with Hashi's in the "killing off" stage so have been very afraid to try it - well, actually I did try kelp supplements and think it actually did more damage than good.  

I also have a book that describes another means of checking for iodine deficiency, but need time to dig it out and get the instructions right.  

I'll be back in the next couple of days posting a bit from the book.  

Happy weekend to everyone.  

My thoughts on hypothyroid/Hashi's - if you are going to err, err on the side of caution.  It might take a bit longer to get there but it can be done.  

[elcyd]

Hi Everybody,

There seems to me to be more news on iodine appearing everyday.  Here is an article from healthy-eating-politics.com in regard to the diabetes iodine link

Is There a Diabetes Iodine Link?

Is there a diabetes iodine link? There is some evidence that iodine has a very beneficial effect on blood sugar control. The following note talks about this.

It is from a paper written by a physician name Jorge Flechas, I believe his practice is in North Carolina. Dr Flechas is discussing the use of Iodoral, an iodine supplement to treat fibrocystic breast disease (FBD); while treating a woman for FBD, he discovered a diabetes iodine connection.

Dr. Flechas writes:

    "It was while treating a large 320-pound woman with insulin dependent diabetes that we learned a valuable lesson regarding the role of iodine in hormone receptor function.

    This woman had come in via the emergency room with a very high random blood sugar of 1,380 mg/dl. She was then started on insulin during her hospitalization and was instructed on the use of a home glucometer. She was to use her glucometer two times per day.

    Two weeks later on her return office visit for a checkup of her insulin dependent diabetes she was informed that during her hospital physical examination she was noted to have Fibrocystic Breast Disease.

    She was recommended to start on 50 mg ofiodine(4 tablets) at that time. One week later she called us requesting to lower the level of insulin due to having problems with hypoglycemia. She was told to continue to drop her insulin levels as long as she was experiencing hypoglycemia and to monitor her blood sugars carefully with her glucometer.

    Four weeks later during an office visit her glucometer was downloaded to my office computer, which showed her to have an average random blood sugar of 98. I praised the patient for her diligent efforts to control her diet and her good work at keeping her sugars under control with the insulin.

    She then informed me that she had come off her insulin three weeks earlier and had not been taking any medications to lower her blood sugar. When asked what she felt the big change was, she felt that her diabetes was under better control due to the use of iodine.

    Two years later and 70 pounds lighter this patient continues to have excellent glucose control on iodine 50 mg per day.

    We since have done a study of twelve diabetics and in six cases we were able to wean all of these patients off of medications for their diabetes and were able to maintain a hemoglobin A1C of less than 5.8 with the average random blood sugar of less than 100. To this date these patients continue to have excellent control of their Type II diabetes.

    The range of daily iodine intake was from 50 mg to 100 mg per day. All diabetic patients were able to lower the total amount of medications necessary to control their diabetes. Two of the twelve patients were controlled with the use of iodine plus one medication. Two patients have control of diabetes with iodine plus two medications. One patient had control of her diabetes with three medications plus iodine 50 mg. The one insulin dependent diabetic was able to reduce the intake of Lantus insulin from 98 units to 44 units per day within a period of a few weeks.

    In the Type 1 diabetics that we have been following we have noted that if C-peptide is measurable, this would suggest that the individual is making their own insulin. I have been able to help this group of patients to get off insulin or to greatly reduce the amount they need for good glucose control with Iodoral at 4 tablets/day (50 mg). If C-peptide is absent then we feel there is no insulin being produced and we have not been able to help this particular group of patients to get off their insulin. We have been able to help these patients lower the total amount of insulin needed to control their glucose."

I wonder if part of the healthy effects of a whole food, lower carb diet's effect on promoting good health has to do with eating more of the foods (like eggs, whole milk dairy and seafood) which have iodine in them.

I hope further studies on the diabetes iodine connection are done in the near future.

Further Reading on the Diabetes Iodine Link

    * Orthoiodosupplementation in a Primary Care Practice by Dr. Jorge Flechas

[elcyd]

And here is another report which is very interesting in regards to Iodine and Vitamin D3

It seems that Iodine increases the steroid receptor efficiency and as you can see from the report above insulin was reduced when supplementing with iodine.  Insulin like D3 is a steriod hormone so maybe for those taking D3 and supplementing with iodine should go get a bloodtest for D3 levels as iodine might just bring your D3 levels up a little too much.  This has not been proven as yet but here is a report below:

The effect of daily ingestion of 100 mg iodine combined with high doses of vitamins [B.sub.2] and [B.sub.3] in five subjects with fibromyalgia
Original Internist ,  March, 2008   by Guy E. Abraham,   Jorge D. Flechas
  
General Discussion

Based on whole body sufficiency for iodine, the US population is severely deficient in this essential element, requiring at least 100 times the RDA to achieve sufficiency. (5,9,20,21) If iodine plays a role in vitamin D metabolism and has a modulating effect on target organ response to calcitriol, the normal range of serum 25-OH-[D.sub.3] would need re-evaluation in whole body iodine sufficient individuals. Vitamin D is essentially a steroid and iodine affects receptor responsiveness to estrogens and other steroids. (22,23)
  
The classification of vitamin D deficiency according to serum 25-OH-[D.sub.3] levels is based on data obtained in severely iodine-deficient individuals, consuming the very low US RDA amount of iodine. This classification will need re-evaluation following published studies looking at the effect of whole body iodine sufficiency on the conversion of 25-OH-[D.sub.3] to the active hormone calcitriol. For example, magnesium increases the 1-hydroxydase activity of the kidney. (24) Therefore adequate magnesium intake would lower the serum 25-OH-[D.sub.3] levels required for adequate calcitriol synthesis. One would expect a magnesium sufficient individual to achieve normal calcitriol levels with lower serum 25-OH-[D.sub.3] than in a magnesium deficient individual.

Standardizing the levels of serum 25-OH-[D.sub.3] would require a careful screening of subjects participating in this standardization program. Ideally, these subjects should be supplied with adequate amount of magnesium and iodine to achieve whole body sufficiency for these two important nutrients. Magnesium deficiency is common in the US population as well as the rest of the world. (25-28) Red blood cell (RBC) magnesium levels were below the normal range in all nine normally menstruating pre-menopausal American women evaluated by one of the authors (GEA) 25 years ago. (29) Vitamin [B.sub.6], at an oral daily dose of 200 mg in these nine women increased markedly the RBC magnesium with mean values more than twice the baseline levels. The B vitamins require phosphorilation to become biologically active and magnesium is required for this phosphorilation. (30) Vitamin [B.sub.6] enhances cell membrane transfer of magnesium. (29) Riboflavin is required to oxydize pyridoxine ([B.sub.6]) phosphate to the active form, pyridoxal-5-phosphate. (30)

It is obvious that a complete nutritional program emphasizing magnesium instead of calcium would be required in order to standardize optimal levels of physiological parameters in optimally healthy individuals. In one of the author's (GEA) experience, megadosing with calcium (2,000-3,000 mg/day) has been the most common cause of poor response to orthoiodosupplementation. Physicians and other health care professionals need to be informed about the toxicity of excess calcium, (31) and the importance of adequate magnesium intake (31-36) for optimal health and strong bones.

The effect of a magnesium-emphasized complete nutritional program combined with orthoiodosupplementation and high doses of [B.sub.2]/[B.sub.3] will be evaluated in our next study of FM sufferers. The measurement of red blood cell ATP levels, serum calcitriol, and PTH will be added to the laboratory tests in order to achieve a better understanding of the effect of the program on ATP synthesis and the interaction between the serum 25-OH-[D.sub.3] levels and the biologically active hormone calcitriol.

This article was taken from bnet.com in the health care industry section

[sick and tired 47]

Please update us all on your iodine progress. We would love to know how its going and how you are all feeling now.
Thanks.

[laura1967]

That is fantastically interesting in regards to your job and info you provided. I cannot imagine what you all went through to keep a school on bottled water for a year!
Question for thought.....I wonder how much money we would save if we treated water with iodine instead of chlorine. Hmmmm.....i would imagine there are more adverse health effects using chlorine than there would be with iodine.
Personally I like the reverse osmosis water treatment facilities that we have here in SW Florida in Sanibel and Cape Coral. I just wish Ft Myers would do the same. I use to be in the water business and learned that RO water is the best. Do you agree?

To all the others here that are using iodine- yes please give us an update!
Recently i had an updated antibody test done, and unfortunately the hashi buggers have multiplied, so once again I am leary of trying the iodine with that much activity going on.
:)  :)

[Barb135]

You are right - keeping an entire school on bottled water for an entire year was certainly an experience  I'd never want to repeat.  Just having to provide bottle water in cases of emergency for a couple of days is bad enough.  

Most types of disinfectant for water have some type of draw back - either adverse affects or no measurable residual (such as with UV).  I'm not sure of the cost of using iodine vs chlorine.  Even if it were less expensive, I haven't researched the adverse affects that might turn up with widespread use. For instance, you and I (and a lot of others) have Hashi's - if our water came from a system that used iodine, how would that affect us?  Or other conditions in which iodine might be contraindicated??  For instance, there are those that are not supposed to use fluoridated water, etc.  

We do know that chlorine reacts with organics in the water and produces trihalamethanes and haloacetic acids, which are both bad in large enough concentrations.  We are required to monitor on a regular basis for both, along with a whole laundry list of other things to make sure we are providing safe water.  

Reverse osmosis is very interesting.  I took a class once with a couple of people who worked at the treatment facility in Cape Coral and I believe there are a couple more in south Florida.  Unfortunately, that's not something I deal with on a daily basis because we don't have any RO in our area either, with the exception of a few private units that serve only individual homes.  I do agree that RO is probably the best - we almost got one for our house due to high nitrate levels, but they started going down and we didn't have to.  I do understand though that there is also a problem with measurable residual on RO systems.  Interesting concept though.  

Like you - my latest blood work showed more than double the antibodies that I had before.  Not sure what that's all about.  I have found that selenium does help to keep things under control a bit.  

Will be interested in knowing how others on iodine are doing.  

[elcyd]

Hi Everybody,

I am waiting to have my appt with the endo on Monday before I report back here.  I am still doing very well, feeling good and have my energy back and my long list of hypoT symptoms has diminished.  No goiter and no nodule.  Interestingly, I am waking up to adrenal fatigue which I think I am suffering from and have been for a very long time.  

I am kinda dreading the appt as it is the first time with this endo who is supposed to be very good but I live in France so he is French and the French are still very allopathic.  I have not found a proper health food store.  You have to buy your vitamins at the pharmacy and the range is pathetic so I buy everything online.  

My husband is laughing at me as he says that I have already had all the conversation/arguements with the endo in my head.  He wants me to write down everything that I think the endo will say.  I might just do that as I know that I would surprise my husband ;)

Will report back next week.  
Cindy

[elcyd]

Well, yesterday was my appt with the endo.  We had to wait 2 hours and then spent another 2 hours with the endo so it was a long day.  After telling him my history, I then revealed my thyroid, as there is no goiter anymore, and told him I was self medicating with iodine.  He nearly fell off his chair when I told him the dosage.  He then got quite excited as his is researching iodine and wants me to become his guinea pig!  

He had a look at my thyroid and basically confirmed what I said, no goiter and no 3cm nodule and very little hypoT symptons!  He had a look at my previous scan and was quite amazed.  

So he wants me to come off iodine for the next 6 weeks and have another scan with exactly the same doctor who scanned me in Jan.  He wants to see whether I cured myself or if going off the iodine will bring the goiter back.  I have agreed.  I am having blood work today so here are my results in Jan 2009 for those who are interested and I will post my new results tomoroow

Yeah! :)
Cindy

[stella5349]

you are a braver women than me..... I would not want to be a guinea pig for anyone ... now that I feel almost 100% again.

It took me almost 7 long exhausting years to get to where I am now. Self medicating with iodine until I found my doctor to guide me along with optimal levels of Armour thyroid.

If I was asked to stop to "see" what would happen???... I'd laugh right in their face and say. "Take it for what its worth - . I am not doing anything to "maybe" put me back in he//."

Good Luck on that experiment. I wish you the best.

[elcyd]

I know what you mean, I must be mad but you know I really want to know whether the theory of iodine works.  Strange thing is that I received my new blood test results and I have an issue with conversion from T4 to T3.  I do not think it is new but it has never been picked up before because I have been "in range".  I will need to go onto T3 meds to clear that up and might need to go onto Armour to maintain it.  I suppose I am not surprised.  Good news is that I do not have nodule and goiter anymore:)

Cindy

[laura1967]

Wow! That is all great news! And to think that you found an endo who is willing to think outside the box! Yeah!!
Please continue to keep us informed! I am enjoying reading your updates. :)

I agree with Stella that you are a brave woman....willing to go hypo for science! You go girl!

[stella5349]

I just wanted to be poster 100 - so I bump this back up   LOL   LOL   LOL

Congrats Laura on gett'n the BIG  1  - 0 -  0 on a thread.

This is a huge topic to talk about and the list will grow. ......

BTW - Iodine = anti viral protection.

anti - viral protection = less chance for flu???

food  ( or iodine :)  for thought here. .....

[stella5349]

I just wanted to be poster 100 - so I bump this back up   LOL   LOL   LOL

Congrats Laura on gett'n the BIG  1  - 0 -  0 on a thread.

This is a huge topic to talk about and the list will grow. ......

BTW - Iodine = anti viral protection.

anti - viral protection = less chance for flu???

food  ( or iodine :)  for thought here. .....

[elcyd]

So on Monday I will be talking to my endo again and will begin to bargain with him.  I do fear that once I go off iodine I will dive back into the world of hypothyroidism as my FT4 is at the top of the range and my FT3 is at the bottom of the range which means I have a conversion issue from T4 to T3.  I will start treating my liver with tender loving care and feeding it all the good liver food to make if as healthy as possible but I fear this will not be enough to help conversion.  As I am still within "range" on my blood tests I think I will need to bargain with him as I would imagine he would not be willing to give me T3 under other circumstances (maybe I am wrong).  Anyway, the question is how much does he want me to come off of iodine so he can monitor me?  Yes, I know it is a form of blackmail but...

Cindy
PS I have been told by several people that I must be feeling terrible with my current blood results but I am not, the iodine is supporting me very well and making me feel normal.

[ellesan]

WARNING!!

I can see that some people here have had very good experiences with iodine and that is great. However I was one of the rare ones and my experince was TERRIBLE and I want people to know there are risks!!

My story: I went to a new doc/NP who practices homeopathic medicine. My ONLY complaint was that I was tired and feeling more run down than usual (I also work night shift at a hospital and don't get regular sleep and went through premature menopause and was not on any hormones). He did blood work for hormones and thyroid.

TSH was 3.9 and free T3 was 2.3, T4 normal. He told me I was hypothyroid and I was given Lugol's iodine 2 drops/day and 30 mg Armour. I asked him why and he said might be Hashimoto's but did not test me for that, just said it was common. Asked about side effects, told "none" and that it was safe and effective and that "the thryroid loves iodine." He even told me stories of how safe it is to take, never once mentioned that it might be dangerous at all if I did have Hashimoto's. He did not test me to see if I was iodine deficient.

5-7 days after taking iodine and Armour I started getting a lump in my throat. It was very uncomfortable and I called the NP. I was told to stop the ARMOUR, that I might be having an allergic reaction and to KEEP taking the IODINE. Good thing I am not stupid and started doing research on this. I found out (easily) that it is dangerous to give someone with Hashimoto's iodine as it can induce a terrible autoimmune attack and cause goiter.

I was furious that I was not told these possible side effects, I NEVER would have taken iodine if I was properly informed about the risks. I went back and demanded to be tested. TSH was up to 6.2 and positive antibodies for Hashimoto's. My ultrasound showed diffuse goiter associated with Hashimoto's. I stopped the Armour due to possible reactions and started on Naturethroid. Felt worse. Fired the NP.  Went to see an endocrinologist.

For the last 3 months I have gone through severe muscle aches, joint pain in my knees, swollen lymph nodes, extreme weakness and fatigue so that I couldn't get out of bed for 3 days on several occasions, burning, tingling and numbing feelings all over my body, ear pressure/pain, dry eyes, the list goes on and on. Basically every part of my body was effected and I felt like He//. I could not believe this was the same body I was living in several weeks prior. I was not able to work and could not take care of my family. The goiter was getting bigger and terribly uncomfortable and I switched to Synthroid.

Now I am feeling a little better with energy but not great and still having a lot of other symptoms and I am being tested for other autoimmune diseases, which I feel the iodine triggered the Hashimoto's and now it's triggering something else. To put it mildly, this has been the worst experience of my life and like I said, I never had any of these symptoms until I took the iodine.

Before this happened I was exercising 5-6 days a week, weights and cardio, had lost 80 pounds and was starting my new personal trainer business. Now I can barely lift 1/2 the weight I used to and do not have the energy/stamina at all.

I am scheduled for a thyroidectomy in two weeks because the goiter will not shrink and it's compressing my airway/blood vessels and flares up and makes me feel like I am going to pass out and I cannot work/live like this. I have tried other supplements which have had no effect.

So basically iodine = thyroidectomy for me.

Please, please, please be careful if you have autoimmune thyroid problems when considering taking iodine. This is NOT safe for everyone and is not a "cure-all" for hypothyroid.

Sandra

[laura1967]

Sandra-
Thank you for sharing your story....wow....you poor thing. I cannot believe that this dr started you out on both armour and iodine with being just slightly hypo. He should have started you on armour only, and definately tested for Hashi's. Shame on him.

I am a hashi patient too, and that is why I have held off on trying iodine until my thyroid is completely burned out. I am afraid of autoimmune reaction further....bad enough that I have suffered every symptom you mentioned above from the hashi anitbodies attacking my thyroid. I also develop nodules and have goitered before....but mine goes down. It is treatable with steriod packs when inflammation is real bad, according to my endo.

Keep us updated on how you do.

[synthroid_is_evil]

I've had hypo thyroid for 2 years now, started on armour, then synthroid, last sept. I think synthroid is an evil drug and have been doing everything I can to get off of it. As I said I started on 100mcg in sept and gradually had manic depressive type symptoms then I heard about kelp and tried it until april and stopped when i heard that most kelp has arsenic.
For the last 4 weeks or so I have been taking potassium Iodide, and feel very good am down to 12.5 mcg of synthroid and with any luck will get completely off it next month. I am trying Iodoral in a couple of weeks and will report how that goes.
Other things I am doing lots of vitamins including d, mag, etc.
Also I heard that they used fluoride to cure HYPERthydroid in the '30's so I quit fluoride last december.
Flouride is lighter than iodine so blocks iodine absorbtion.
Also I heard if you take large doses of Iodoral you should also take 200-400 mcg  Selenomethionine which is absorbed more easily than regular yeast based selenium.
I  have been taking 200 mcg of this as well.
elcyd, just want to thank you for your info, a couple of questions: have you heard about the Selenomethionine being better to take than standard selenium?
Are you still using fluoride?

[kerrwilk]

I would really appreciate your thoughts on iodine therapy for a hot/toxic thyroid nodule with hyperthyroid symptoms. Might iodine shrink the large nodule? Any advice would be great.

[beakbeak]

Hi, very interested in your posts.  I've been painting the iodine patch on my stomach for a couple of weeks now.  I had been having palpitations and read it could be hypothyroid type symptoms.  Also taking an iron supplement (organic) with vit C in case the palpitations/ missed beats are anaemia.  the iodine disappears in less than 12 hours even now a few weeks later.  I tried taking kelp tablets a year or so ago and I get so anxious with them, one night I thought I was going to have a stroke or something, read my Merck Manual the next day and it sounded like iodine overdose, causing thyroid storm. so avoid kelp, no such symptoms with the painted iodine though.  I'm currently training to be a naturopath so its a bit of physician heal thyself!  :-)  the palpitations are the main reason i'm on this forum, still getting them, think its a mixture of to much sugar, hormones (am 43) and stress.  interested in any comments.  Am going to get it checked by a doc but think she will say all normal.  

[elcyd]

You are right synthyroid is evil!  Yes, I have heard that Selenomethionine is better absorbed than regular Selenium although I am not using it at present.  I try to steer away from anything that is flouride, chloride or bromide and anything which is goitrogen too.  Even the smallest things like for instance, green tea - unfortunately it has twice the amount of flouride than regular black tea.  I know it is not a great quantity but I do not want my goiter back again. :-)

Cindy

[elcyd]

I would suggest you visit the iodine forum on Google Health.  It is run by Stephanie Buist who has alot more knowledge than I do when it comes to iodine therapy.    She has helped me alot in my quest to get rid of my goiter and nodule.

[elcyd]

Sounds like you need to look at your adrenals.  Support your adrenals with magnesium, Celtic Salt, Vit C especially if you are taking iodine. The iodine that I have taken is either Lugol's 5% or Iodoral, they seem to work the best.  Is it just palps you are trying to fix or do you have a thyroid issue?.  Adrenal fatigue and dysfunctional thyroids usually come hand in hand.

Cindy

[sick and tired 47]

I have similar symptoms as you do... heart palps which started after my partial thyroidectomy. I am currentlly on synthyroid ( low dose) and atenolol for my heart palps which turned into PSVT.  Atenolol controls the heart rate ( which was very high) but the side effects are not fun.. so I am searching for a better "cure". I also have a " goiter/nodules" in remaining thyroid lobe.
I had the 24 hour iodine excretion test and it showed I was slightly low in iodine. It was recommended I take 25 mg. of Ioderal/ daily.. but I am still nervous about trying it. Keep me posted on your progress.

[beakbeak]

thanks for the comments :-)  I do take magnesium and vit c is an all time fav. Always use celtic or himalyan salt, prob too much actually.  I do love salt so I try and up my potassium to balance it a bit.  The papitations started a week before christmas when I ate a huge amount of chocolate fudge one day (great naturopath i'm going to make!) and over the next 5 days my heart leapt and bounced till it wore off. Was also pre-menstrual. the following month I had a glass of liquer and (premenstrual again) it started all over again.  Now there is no pattern really but reading this site has made me feel less worried about it.  Take a tablet called B-stress free with B vitamins and herbs which is designed for adrenal support.  Used to have panic attacks but have managed to work on those with breathing exercises and no caffeine etc. Have some lugols but due to reaction to kelp am nervous of taking it.  its 250mcg per drop (from iodine and potassium iodide). bottle says one drop daily.    don't have any real weight issues, have put on 3 kilos in last 6 months solely due to wrong food choices, don't blame the thyroid.  Reason I went for iodine was short cycles with menstruation say 25 days and feeling a bit of brain fog when studying.  Am not on any medication at all, never really have been.  Its surprising reading how many people are on multiple medications on this site, makes me wonder about the side effects...  its a great site though  :-)

[sick and tired 47]

beakbeak,
I am not sure what age you are... I am very  ...... ugh.... 49,,,,- so peri/menopausal age. My belief is if we are not balanced hormonally... thyroid, estrogen, even immune system we run into problems with our health. And then there is heredity,environment... nothing we can do about that. My mother had thyroid problems all her life, terrible menopause too. I feel sorry for her, but really hope things will be better for my daughters when they reach this yucky age. We are rapidly making so much progress in holistic medicine, the future is so promising.
And then if you research iodine a lot of sites say it was used for many different cures in the past... so perhaps we are also going back to the past medicine used by our ancestors.

[beakbeak]

Hi, I agree, maybe they knew what they were doing in the old days even before randomised controlled trials came about.  I'll be 43 next month so the menopause thing is on my mind, I know the better health i can be in then the better it will be. On the positive side though I still have a lovely youthful complexion .......... pimples  :-)    I envy people who don't have a sweet tooth.  I hope you're feeling better than your name implies.  Might google iodine cures and see what I find.  

[bendena]

I am 57and female, and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 3 years ago (TSH 9.1 and T4 was .52) and medical dr. put me on synthroid 75 mcg per day. I don't believe I had another blood test to verify any change in tsh after that. After reading about Ioderal, I started at 12.5 g in November and gradually increased to 50 mg per day over four months. In May, I discontinued taking synthroid gradually. Blood test last week indicates TSH of 25.77, T3 - 28m and T4 of .46, all of which are way out of whack. My medical dr. called me at home at 8 pm to encourage me to get back on the synthroid.

So I started back on it. So, why didn't the Ioderal make any difference for me? I still don't know why I'm hypothyroid, as I've had no goiter, growth, surgery, radiation treatment, etc. My mother had a noncancerous growth on her thyroid, had it removed, and has been on minimum dosage of synthroid for about 15 years. I have a sister who has MS. Am I hypothyroid due to autoimmune disease of some kind?  
Other question is - would it be better to take armour, since it also has T3?

[laura1967]

Hi there and welcome!!!  
People develop hypothyroidism for different reasons. Some have Iodine deficiency and another One of them is Autoimmune. You need to get your doctor to test for Hashimoto's Autoimmune Thyroid disease. You should have both the Thyroglobulin antibody test and the Thyroid Peroxidase test.
I can't give an opinion to you on the T3 yet until your levels come down properly and I see where your free t4 and free t3 levels are at. You may convert just fine and not need T3 or you may need it. Time will tell. You can always add Cytomel (T3) to your synthroid as I do. I was on Armour for a while but my body would not absorb it properly. With all the problems going on with Armour right now, I would suggest not trying it. Naturethroid is good.
IF you have Hashimoto's, then this brings a whole new range of normals into play as well. Normal doesn't mean normal for autoimmune....lol. There are different optimal ranges for autoimmune patients according to my endo.
You should be tested with 6-8 weeks of starting back on your synthroid. Let me know when you get your results.

[Paxiled]

Laura, what's going on with Armour?  Just curious.

The main benefit to being on animal hormones as opposed to synthroid is that eventually, if you stay on synthroid long enough, there's a good chance your thyroid will never be able to work on its own again.  That's why trying iodine in the form of kelp or bladderwrack or both, or some other natural form, is worth a try, just to try and preserve the thyroid.  If it doesn't work, though, you're kinda stuck.

[laura1967]

Hi Pax-  Armour reformulated and a lot of patients are having a hard time absorbing it properly. Believe it or not, Armour....Synthroid....all of them will make your thyroid lazy after a while. But for those of us with Autoimmune thyroid disease it doesn't make a difference as our thyroid is dying off as the antibodies destroy it.
Iodine will supposedly make Hashi's a whole lot worse if you are still in destruction mode. That is why i am scared of it.
For people with hypothyroidism not due to Hashi's I highly suggest giving it a shot! I wish I could.
A good alternative to Armour would be Nature-Throid. All of the natural thyroid meds are Pig derived now. West-throid is phasing out from what i understand.
I tried armour without success as my body would not absorb it or utilize it properly. I am now on Synthroid and Cytomel.

[Cherie762]

one of the posters mentioned injesting two tablespoons of iodised salt per day, remember salt in very high doses can be toxic. as most things can idk that just sounds high to me..I am gonna try the skin test as I got Hashis too and am not completley satisfied w the synthroid I been taking 4 ever . lmcg just sick of so many meds, if I could d/c that Id be thrilled.

[stella5349]

I can share some information on the desiccated thyroid hormone. Right now I am off the boards some - You can PM me and I can try to help make people aware of this situation.

[simonamoucoco]

Hi everyone!!
I hope I don’t make any mistakes because English is not my native language!!
Yesterday night I read all the information about iodine and I feel overwhelm, … for 7 years I have been sick with hashimoto, I 've been on 137 mcg of synthroid for 3 years and now doctors found me 3 nodules, the biggest is 1 cm and because, I have experienced so many symptoms, I have been doing anything you can imagine: Since taking Omega-3, 10 grm. daily (it worked very good with my depression!!!), to taking adaptogens, ( sargassum) and it started to work because in 3 months of taking the sargassum, the nodule became 3 mm smaller, so now the length is 97 mm, BUT here is were I want to stop, because I read in the FDA reports that it has arsenic!! So I panic and that’s why I found you guys…
I want to ask:
• Does anyone knows about sargassum, is it safer than iodine??
• Should I try iodine??
• And the 65000000000 question… Where o how can I found a doctor OPEN mind!! Who wants to run other kind of tests?? At this moment, I don’t have an Endo,
I really appreciate this blog and all the knowledge you have been typing in here!!!
I”ll be waiting for your response.
Simona

[laura1967]

A lot of people here have done the Iodine on their own. Yes most Drs are not open minded enough to try Iodine.
Sorry I haven't heard about sargassum. I would suggest researching it further, and knowing the source of where yours comes from. Please share any knowledge you learn about this. Just start another new thread. You say it is an adaptogen? What type?
I personally have run tests on my own. Including a hair analysis a couple of times, which showed my mineral levels.

[concerned621]

My husband and I have been taking iodine supplements for about 4 months. It's amazing. He has diabetes, I have fibromyalgia.  We've both notices so much change in how we feel.  Highly recommend it.

[sick and tired 47]

HI concerned,
Please share with us how you started iodine, why, and what type and dose you take now?? Also how has it made YOU and your hubby feel better.
We would all love to hear some good positive feedback.


Thanks and Happy Holidays!!

[Paxiled]

Sargassum is more commonly known by its Japanese name, hijiki or hiziki.   It's not an adaptogen, it's a seaweed, and is used to reduce certain nodules such as goiter.  It's more often used as a food because of its high concentration of nutrients, particularly minerals.  The arsenic problem is probably because most sargassum is harvested off the coast of Japan, probably the Sea of Japan, which is highly polluted.  Seaweed soaks up the minerals that are in the ocean, which is what makes it so nutritious, but if it is grown in a highly polluted area, you can get problems if you eat a lot of it.  One way to decrease the arsenic level is to soak it for a good long time and then cook it.  According to an article I googled, that dissipated 50% of the arsenic levels.  Since you're only using it for a short time as a treatment you're probably okay, but long term use could potentially be a problem.  On the other hand, Japanese eat a lot of this seaweed and they live the longest in the world and are the healthiest in the world, so who knows?  As for iodine, you're already taking it -- that's the main reason the hijiki is used for what you're using it for, it's high iodine content.  

[laura1967]

Hi!  Yes can you tall us what kind you are taking and the protocol you followed when starting?
I have Hashimoto's and still contemplating taking it. But as I near complete destruction of my thyroid, I am more seriously thinking about doing this. A friend of mine who is a Dr, attended an educational seminar this week, and he ended up in a class taught by a Dr from Texas. This Dr uses Iodine with many patients, including ones with Hashimoto's. So needless to say I got a wealth of information, and now even more interested in people's success stories! :)

[sick and tired 47]

Hi Laura,
Can you give me any info on the conference and the Dr in Texas ( I live there). If you have to PM it would be okay...
I would love to know where he/she is located and research them too.Thanks for any help.
Happy Holidays!

[concerned621]

I AM SO SORRY for not replying sooner!!!!!!! I was busy reading all the marvelous replies on here I didn't see the question for me.  I did see the article/protocol posted on here of the 320 lb woman admitted to the ER, that is the information I read that helped me make some decisions about iodine and enzymes for my husband and his diabetes.

So the brand we take: Iodoral High Potency Iodine Potassium Iodide Supplement, $55.00 for a six month supply.

My husband was diagnosed with diabetes February 19, 2009.  He was so sick with restless leg, couldn't sleep for months, his stomach ached all the time.  He takes Metformin for his diabetes. The pharmacist told me Metformin blocks sugars in food and basically the foods he eats sits in his stomach and rots.  I was so upset I started not sleeping and feeling so unwell.  
I got to Sunshine Corners Health Food Store in Kent Washington, an excellent source and family owned. I started describing the symptoms my husband was having.  The first thing they said was "Iodine" I was so confused. I had never heard of this supplement. The owner started explaining how it was taken out of salt and foods back in the 40's and 50's because they thought it was causing cancer.  Then there was such a rise in breast cancer and other cancers.  In addition it helps regulate blood sugars so can aid in controlling weight, energy.  So I thought we'd give it a try.  With in 2 weeks my husband was sleeping.  His mood changed. He was more energetic.  His restless leg had stopped completely.  My husband prior to to diabetes NEVER took a prescription medication or a supplement. He never misses his Iodine, VitD2000, or Essential Enzyme. He is a different person.  He went to his doctor and his A1C dropped to 6%, and his blood sugar which was running 170+ was now 130.  His doctor was in shock.  
Here is what he takes:
Vitamine D 2000 Natures Life Natural Cholecalciferol Bone Health
Iodine Iododoral
Essential Enzyme Source Naturals Digestive Aid 500 mg.
Metformin
I have FM and have had chronic pain for 15 years, 7 surgeries on my spine.
I take the Vitamin D 2000, Iodine, Essential Enzyme, Astragulas the minute I start to feel sick, and/or Grapefruit Seed Extract to boost my immune system.  I have lost 21 pounds in the last 6 months. Something I have been unable to do in over 12 years. I started a light exercise routine in the pool at the local gym. I was able to do that after taking the Iodine. I felt more natural energy.  
I hope this helps.  We are all so different but we take so many prescriptions I am a huge advocate of looking at natural supplements. I don't believe in taking handfuls of supplements, I never did.  But I believe in finding the right mix for your needs can be so beneficial. I am determined to make my husband well.  He was never over weight, never  sick in any way. This diagnosis was so hard on him.  I promised him we'd reverse it and there are studies saying it can be done.  We always listen to the doctors but ALWAYS research what else is out there.  Be open minded to other ways.  
I love this forum!!!!! Take care everyone.   Annette

[sick and tired 47]

Thank you for sharing your wonderfully,inspirational story.
Please tell me how you started the iodine and what dose?? Did you add it in slowly and titrate upward in dose?? And what dose do you take now?? How long til you significant difference?? I see you mentioned about 2 weeks your husband noticed a difference, Yes??
Any side effects you do not like??
Thanks again so much for all this valuable information. And I guess I missed the post on the 320 lb lady... where was that info.??
Good luck and god bless.
K.

[concerned621]

We started with just one pill a day and that is what we are still taking of the iodine. The owner of Sunshine Corners said he is experimenting with a higher dose for weight lose. He takes 2 per day.  
My husband really noticed a significant difference quickly. I saw changes in his mood in about 7 days.  He had been depressed and not sleeping for about 2 months.  That seem to change after about 1.5 weeks.  Then the restless leg which was so out of control it kept me up all night most of our 21 year marriage stopped after 2 weeks taking the iodine.  
I have not noticed any side effects.

elcyd posted:  April 4, 2009 - several posts above this post is the study I had read that convinced me about diabetes and iodine.  I went and purchased the iodine after a few weeks of research, I had read what elcyd (Medhelp) member posted above. Read it, it's very helpful.
Take care, and bless you.

[ohfailthful]

I'm new to this group but not new to iodine therapy.  I've supplemented on and off with iodine, and wondering how everyone is doing with their iodine therapy.  Are there any updates?

[laura1967]

Hi there.....just wondering if you could give us an update on how you are doing with your iodine supplementation.  :)

[laura1967]

Could you also give us an update on your Iodine journey??  :)  

[LazyMoose]

This has got to be the most interesting thread on iodine I've ever read on medhelp. Read the whole thing, took an hour! To bad I have Hashimoto - chicken to try iodine.

I did have a topical iodine 'paint on' test above the hip 1 1/2 years ago. I dont know what kind of iodine it was. It was the brown stuff, reminded me of what they used on wounds as a kid in the 70's. My skin sucked it up in 8 hours. I was on synthyroid for 9 years at the time.

It would be interseting to repeat that iodine 'paint on' , 'patch' whatever you call it test again , after being on dessicated thyroid for 10 months.

[laura1967]

I have never done the skin patch test, but will soon. My antibody count is finally coming down....and I feel I am almost at full replacement dosage. I am now at 125mcg synthroid and 20 mcg Cytomel. I am finally not having the Hashi reactions as of late, and thyroid not swelling as much. Yeah!!!!!
When I am sure it is over, THEN I am going to try the Iodine protocols. It has soooo many benefits, and is awsome to use against pathogens of sorts.  :)
How are you doing with your thyroid Moose?

[LazyMoose]

"How are you doing with your thyroid Moose?"

Was great till mid December when my TCL dessicated (an Armour generic) ran out forever. I switched to NT and having issues adjusting. I just posted some really wierd labs on the thyroid forum. The next few weeks will be interesting.

[laura1967]

I will go take a look at your post of labs at the thyroid forum. :)

[LazyMoose]

My endo clinic made a huge lab mistake.

But I still have some weird things going on.

This did help me find a new GP that looks at thyroid free's, listens too. Seems to be open to treating the body as a whole - her own words. See how it goes.

Wish I could handle cytomel - tried it this time last year at minimal doses.

[allmymarbles]

I haven't read through all the posts so I don't know if you already have this information. The standard supplement (5 per cent Lugol's), is two drops per week (let's say, one on Tuesday and one on Friday) if you are on the slender side, and three or four drops if you are a large person. I take more than the standard supplement because I am hypothyroid. As a bonus, if you are an insomniac, iodine may cure that.

[sick and tired 47]

Allmymarbles,
Are you on thyroid meds too?? If so what meds and how did it affect your doseage of the thyroid meds?
Thanks for the info.

[ojbjmom]

Hey, everyone.  I am new to this community, and newly diagnosed as hypothyroid based on symptoms (50 yr old female with menopausal symptoms, weight gain, etc.) and the test for blood levels.  TSH was 3.6, T4 0.86, and free T3 2.9.  The practitioner  suggested iodine deficiency so she put me on a daily dose 50 mg iodine complex capsules (5mg as molecular iodine, 5 mg as sodium iodide, and 2.5 mg as potassium iodide).  After a few days I noticed my voice became hoarser, and I felt worse.  I stopped the iodine.  I suggested to the practitioner that maybe I didn't need all that iodine, so she had me do the iodine loading test (24 hr urine test).  I excreted ALL of it, so she says I'm not absorbing any and must have a deficiency.  She wants me to take 3000 mg of vitamin C daily for better absorption for two weeks and repeat the test.

I don't like supplements.  I'm looking at food sources of iodine such as sea vegetables (Maine Coast Sea Vegetables) which I feel would be better absorbed than a supplement, plus they contain vitamin C naturally, which I would also like better than a pill!  I've read lots online about the use of bladderwrack and dulse, wonder what are your thoughts?  I should add that I am vegan.  And I do use sea salt regularly.  

Also, I'm thinking of trying the iodine patch test and wonder if anyone has tried that recently and if you think taking Lugol's worked for you.  You all have more experience with this than I do, so I appreciate any help from you all!

[ojbjmom]

Just reread my post from a minute ago, and noticed a mistake.  The dose of iodine complex was two 25 mg capsules of iodine complex daily, for a total of 50 mg.
Thanks!

[allmymarbles]

I never read past your post - there are so many - so this information may already be available. The normal supplement for iodine is 2 drops of 5% Lugol's per week (taken on separate days) if you are a light-weight, and 3 or 4 if you are larger. I take more than 2 because I am hypothyroid. One of the the most important benefits of having enough iodine is the restful sleep it provides. Until I took iodine I was a miserable insomniac.

[LindaTX]

I was put on low dose of synthroid, 50 mcg, daily during the past few yrs.  I have a fairly small thryoid nodule and the synthroid seems to be shrinking it.  I have ultrasounds on it twice a year.  I also have a-fib episodes every week or two lasting several hrs.  I'm wondering if possibly iodine can be used in combination with synthroid to ward off an irregular heart rate.  I also have terrible insomnia for which I am currently taking Ambien but would love to set that aside.

[allmymarbles]

No, I am not on any standard thyroid medication. My doctor gives me supplements that support thyroid function.

[allmymarbles]

Sounds like she really loaded you up on iodine. I take the equivalent of 4 drops of 5% Lugol's weekly. That is only about double the dose that a non-hypothyroid person of slender build would take. (I am a lightweight.) I am wary of large doses of anything. Slow and sure is better, even though it might take longer to get the result. But there is less of a shock to the system (and you don't have to be constantly tested to see if you are killing yourself). I only take about 500 mg of vitamin C. I use Morton's salt because it is a lot easier. Otherwise, everything else I eat is natural and organic.

[ojbjmom]

     Thanks for your comment, allmymarbles!  I appreciate knowing your Lugol's protocol.  I had an appt with my practitioner following my last post, and have a better understanding of her method.  She's following research by Brownstein regarding iodine malabsorption and deficiency.  First, a background on me:  I'm 50, premenopausal, diagnosed as hypo, symptoms and recent breast thermogram showed obvious overall estrogen dominance and the thermogram and follow up ultrasound revealed abnormal vascular growth in one region, AND I haven't been absorbing iodine.  Sort of a "perfect storm" scenario for thyroid and breast disease.  Brownstein found successful iodine absorption with patients who took 3000mg of vitamin C with the large dose of iodine for a period of three to six months.  I'm on a few other supplements too which the practitioner feels are helpful, and I am consuming sea vegetables every few days.  Follow up testing will be done in two more months, with hopeful resolution of the thermogram findings and hypo.
     The practitioner approved a prescription for 5% Lugol's and I was going to use that sometimes in place of the capsules, so I appreciate seeing your protocol.  And I agree with you that eating organic is best.  Thanks again!
    

[LindaTX]

Could someone give me an answer to my post 3 or 4 posts above.  I'd really appreciate an answer.  Thanks

[Myinfortoday]

Just a short (?) note, I am new here but see that this is a rather old thread.  I may not be able to post much but here is the info I have for now.  

Armour Dessicated Thyroid -- the company had produced another formula with a cellulose content that many people did not find effective.  So the company went back to the original (or better) formula and now it is as good as it was previously.  

Iodine -- I heard on a radio health show interview with Dr. David Brownstein that iodine deficiency was a major cause of problems, and I purchased Iodoral at the local compounding pharmacy.  180 tablets of 12.5 mg for $50.00 in October 2011, comprised of iodine 5mg and iodide (potassium salt) 7.5mg.  

I took one tab and after a while noticed a slight "flush" of warmth which went away.  I am a small person and have given up nasty chemicals, preservatives and colorings in my food, and drink mostly water (distilled with sea salt added for trace minerals) so any changes are readily noticed.  

I think this will be helpful.  

Best to all.