Iodine Supplements and Dosages
Published on March 27, 2017 in Iodine
Iodine is necessary for the proper function of many of the body’s tissues
including the breasts, pancreas, brain, stomach, adrenal glands, skin,
salivary glands, and cerebral spinal fluid. Iodine deficiency can lead
to a dysfunction of these tissues and cause symptoms such as dry mouth,
dry skin, reduced alertness, brain fog, fibromyalgia, fibrocystic
breasts, and many others. Some studies have shown that iodine deficiency
leads to a higher risk of developing various cancers, especially of the
breast, prostate, and ovaries. Do not wait for any of these symptoms to
arrive, everyone today will benefit from higher iodine intake.
Humans tolerate large doses of iodine. The ultra-high doses that were
used a century ago are helpful in medical emergencies—specifically when
facing antibiotic resistant infections, viruses and stubborn fungal and
yeast infections. Iodine's true role—making up more than 1/2 of the
body's Immune System—is not well understood. Deficiencies in iodine have
a great effect on the immune system and its response to infectious
diseases including cancer, which in many cases, up to 40 percent, are
caused by infections.
The National Health and Nutrition Survey undertaken by the CDC showed
iodine levels falling over 50% in the last 30 years. In 1940, the
average American got 800 micrograms of iodine in their diet. In 1995 we
averaged 135 micrograms, an 83% decline! The Japanese consume 89 times
more iodine then Americans, due to their daily consumption of sea
vegetables, and they have reduced rates of many chronic diseases,
including the lowest rates of cancer in the world.
Why is your oncologist so ignorant, why does your government not inform
you, why do medical organizations and the medical press promote
everything but iodine for the treatment and prevention of cancer?
Even at low dosages, iodine is a powerhouse. So effective is iodine that
aerosols can be effective in sterilizing a room at levels not even
detectable by humans. However, Dr. David Derry says, “Dietary iodine
found in iodized salt is below the amounts needed to fill mucus defense
roles. To protect themselves, people wishing to boost their defense
against infections should use Iodine supplement in their diets. Why
would people need the larger doses of iodine? Why have iodine levels
fallen 50% in the last 30 years? As I pondered these questions, I came
to the conclusion that the toxicity of modern life must be impacting
iodine levels. It is well known that the toxic halides, fluoride and
bromide, having a similar structure as iodine, can competitively inhibit
iodine absorption and binding in the body. Because of the elevated
levels of toxic halides in the environment and in the food supply,
iodine levels have not only fallen but larger amounts of iodine are
necessary to correct iodine deficiency as well as to promote a
detoxifying effect of heavy metals.”
When treating life-threatening diseases we do not have months to fool
around with low dosages. The anti-microbial process of iodine quickly
kills bacteria, viruses, fungi, and various other microorganisms if a
high enough dosage is used. We need to dial up iodine levels quickly
when we use it to fight infections. Iodine can be taken internally in
large quantities and will have the same effect internally as it does on
external surfaces. In addition, as in breast cancer, we often need to
get it concentrated to certain tissues or organs and we do that by
painting the breasts with iodine.
Just to give you an idea of how high iodine dosages have been taken to
in the past we have to revisit the 1930s when iodine was still a
universal medicine, present in the US Pharmacopeia and was used at much
higher dosages than anyone even dreams of using today. The usual dose
for treatment was 300 mgs (46 drops of full strength Lugol’s) to 1 gm
(1000 mg, 154 drops).
“Extremely high doses of iodine can have serious side effects, but only a
small fraction of such extreme doses are necessary to kill influenza
viruses,” continues Derry who tells us, “In 1945, a breakthrough
occurred when J.D. Stone and Sir McFarland Burnet (who later went on to
win a Nobel Prize for his Clonal Selection Theory) exposed mice to
lethal effects of influenza viral mists. The lethal disease was
prevented by putting iodine solution on mice snouts just prior to
placing them in chambers containing influenza viruses.”
Dr. David Brownstein says, “Of all the elements known so far to be
essential for human health, iodine is the most misunderstood and the
most feared. Yet, iodine is the safest of all the essential trace
elements, being the only one that can be administered safely for long
periods of time to large numbers of patients in daily amounts as high as
100,000 times the RDA.” The current US daily recommended allowance
(RDA) for iodine is set at 150 mcg for non-pregnant adults.
Dr. Michael B. Schachter says, “The treatment dose when a person is
iodine insufficient is generally between 12.5 mg and 50 mg daily.
Preliminary research indicates that if a person is iodine insufficient,
it takes about three months to become iodine sufficient while ingesting a
dosage of 50 mg of iodine daily and a year to achieve that while
ingesting a dosage of 12.5 mg of iodine daily.
For those who are interested in maintained dosages after disease and
deficiencies have been dealt with understand that your thyroid gland
alone needs about 6 mg of iodine per day for optimal function; the
breasts of a woman will need approximately 5 mg/day (women with larger
breasts need more); and other body tissues such as your adrenal glands,
thymus, ovaries, hypothalamus, and pituitary gland need about 2 mg/day.
Thus for optimal wellness adults should consider approximately10 to 12
mg/day.
Dr. Gabriel Cousens
wrote, “Recently Dr. Mercola surprisingly stated that the highest
amount of daily iodine intake should be no more than 400 micrograms.
This is only slightly higher than the FDA recommendation, which is
150-290 micrograms daily, dependent upon age, gender and life cycle.
However, it is dramatically less than what some of the leading iodine
medical experts suggest, as closer to, at least, 12-18 milligrams daily,
approximately 45 times higher. Why this discrepancy? And how can Dr.
Mercola, who is often so correct in his understanding, in my opinion,
miss the mark exponentially?”
Cousens states, “Historically, as early as 1911, (11th edition of the
1910-1911 Encyclopedia Britannica) people normally took between
300,000-900,000 micrograms daily without incident. This is over 2,000
times more than Dr. Mercola’s recommendation. How is it that now only
1/5,000th of this dose is now considered safe? In 1948, there was a
poorly performed and, since then, never replicated study alleging what
is known as the Wolff-Chaikoff effect. The Wolff-Chaikoff effect
suggested that theoretically hypothyroidism could occur as a result of
excess iodine. This study indicated a decreased dosage to 2 milligrams
daily would be safer. (This is still an amount 5 times higher than what
Dr. Mercola is recommending.) Even the Food and Nutritional Board at the
Institute of Medicine has set the tolerable upper limit of 1,100
micrograms of iodine daily (3 times higher than Dr. Mercola’s
recommendation). Other researchers have used between 3,000 and 6,000
micrograms/day to prevent goiter (14 times higher than Dr. Mercola’s
recommendation). Iodine is found in every single one of our body’s
hundred trillion cells. Without adequate iodine levels life is
impossible. Iodine is the universal health nutrient and brings health on
many levels.”
One of my neighbors, who had cancer, visited the Gerson Clinic in Mexico
and came back with a protocol suggesting one drop of Lugol’s a day. I
of course have him taking much more. When I take, I do not count the
drops. Easier and more efficient to just use a dropper or two though
there are iodine sensitive people who need to be extremely cautious
about dosages especially when just starting iodine supplementation.
Dr. David Brownstein said, “After testing individuals and finding low
iodine levels, I began to use smaller milligram amounts of iodine/iodide
(6.25 mg/day). Upon retesting these individuals 1-2 months later,
little progress was made. I therefore began using higher milligram doses
(6.25-50 mg) to increase the serum levels of iodine. It was only with
these higher doses that I began to see clinical improvement as well as
positive changes in the laboratory tests.” Brownstein has sometimes used
between 200 and 300 milligrams of iodine daily, with higher doses for
more serious and difficult diseases.
“At 6 grams daily (which is 6 million micrograms/day or 6,000
milligrams/day!), a much higher dose, iodine has been used to cure
syphilis, skin lesions, and chronic lung disease,” says Cousens. “From a
larger physiological perspective, it is important to realize that the
thyroid is only one gland of many glands and tissues that needs iodine.
Other glands/organs/systems with high iodine uptake are the breasts,
ovaries, cervix, blood, lymph, bones, gastric mucosal, salivary,
adrenal, prostate, colon, thymus, lungs, bladder, kidney, and skin.
Iodine is found and used in every hormonal receptor in the body.”
Dr. George Flechas has found that iodine can reduce the need for insulin
in diabetic patients, using 50 to 100 mg of iodine per day. Of 12
patients, 6 were able to completely come off their medications with
random glucose readings below 100 mg/dl and a HbA1c less than 5.8
(normal), and the other 6 were able to reduce the amount and/or number
of medications needed to control their diabetes.
Dr. Hulda Clark said, “Six drops of Lugol's solution can end it all for
Salmonella. If you have gas and bloating, pour yourself 1/2 glass of
water. Add 6 drops of Lugol's (not more, not less), stir with wood or
plastic, and drink all at once. The action is noticeable in an hour.
Take this dose 4 times a day, after meals and at bedtime, for 3 days in a
row, then as needed. This eradicates even a stubborn case of
Salmonella. Notice how calming 6 drops of Lugol's can be, soothing a
manic stage and bringing a peaceful state where anxiety ruled before.”
Retired biochemist and toxicologist Walter Last has this to say about Lugol’s:
“Lugol's solution is an internal iodine solution designed to eliminate
Candida and possibly viruses and other microbes from the bloodstream.
Take a test drop in liquid other then just water to make it taste less
strong. If this does not cause an allergic reaction, continue to take 4 x
6 drops daily in liquid or mixed with food, but not together with
vitamins A, C, E, grape seed extract or cysteine. Iodine is an oxidant
and it is best to reduce the intake of antioxidants while using it.”
“If the blood was contaminated, then you may initially experience a
die-off reaction of the Candida, causing weakness and possibly headache
or nausea. If this happens cut temporarily back on the amount of Lugol's
solution and drink plenty of water and diluted teas or juices. Continue
for 3 weeks, but interrupt if you develop a serious reaction. Do not
take the iodine for more than 3 weeks at high dosages as that interferes
with thyroid activity. If necessary repeat the course after several
months.”
Gradual Dose Buildup
Many people will find that it is important to build up gradually in
order to experience the least amount of detoxification reaction from
taking iodine. It is best when using strong chelators, which iodine is,
to moderate the amount of detoxification symptoms or what is called the
Herxemeirs reaction, which is the experience of poisons being dumped
into the blood stream from the cells or from large-scale yeast die offs.
This is most readily controlled with iodine in the Nascent atomic form
simply because it is so easy to control and regulate low dosages.
Iodine sensitive and thyroid compromised patients should read Dr. David Brownstein’s works on iodine and thyroid conditions. Many people are already severely thyroid compromised and are on drugs that complicate things.
Supplementing with iodine can replenish your iodine stores while
flushing out poisons. People usually do not experience the negative
effects of some type of detoxification when using iodine unless they are
removing unusually high levels of bromide and fluoride. Most people
actually notice increased energy, better sleep, and mental clarity. Over
the last 30 years, our iodine intake has declined 50%, while the
ingestion of toxic competing halogens (bromine, fluorine, chlorine, and
perchlorate) has dramatically increased.
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