"Many physicians would be surprised to learn that more than a hundred years ago, iodine was called “The Universal Medicine”, and was used in several clinical conditions. Nobel Laureate Albert Szent Györgyi, the physician who discovered Vitamin C in 1928, commented: “When I was a medical student, iodine in the form of KI was the universal medicine. Nobody knew what it did, but it did something and did something good."
Extracted from: Iodine: The Universal Nutrient (summary below)
"Research work has shown that iodine deficiency in the thyroid presents as a thyroid goiter (enlargement of the thyroid). In those areas of the world where iodine deficiency is very high, such as in Switzerland and in certain areas of Asia and Africa, there are also higher incidents of thyroid cancer. Iodine is also concentrated by breast tissue, and a lack of iodine in the breasts manifests asfibrocystic breast disease (painful breasts with nodules and cysts and often more symptomatic prior to menstrual periods). 93% of American women have fibrocystic breast disease and the longer this disease exists, the higher the potential risk for development of breast cancer. 20% of all iodine in the human body is stored in the skin, specifically in the sweat glands. Lack of iodine in the sweat glands manifests as dry skin with a decreased ability to sweat. Iodine can also be concentrated in the stomach tissue, and the lack of iodine in the stomach manifests as achlorhydria (lack of digestive acid production). Iodine is used by the stomach cells, also known as parietal cells, to concentrate chloride which is necessary to produce hydrochloric acid (digestive acid). With the prolonged presence of achlorhydria, there is a much higher incidence of stomach cancer. Iodine is concentrated in the lacrymal glands of the eye, and a lack of iodine can cause dry eyes. Iodine can also be concentrated in the parotid and submandibular glands of the mouth, and iodine deficiency here can result in dry mouth. Iodine can be concentrated in the ovaries, and Russian studies done some years ago showed a relationship between iodine deficiency and the presence of cysts in the ovaries. The greater the iodine deficiency, the more ovarian cysts a woman produces. In its extreme form, this condition is known as polycystic ovarian disease."
The following is must listen 4 hour compilation* regarding iodine:
*The above have been extracted from Radio Liberty - thanks to Kallie Miller for reminding me of these excellent health broadcasts.
In addition to items already mentioned above following items are some more items discussed in the talks:
- Cancer (Breast, Ovary, Prostate etc.)
- Risk of cancer going doubles for women on thyroid medication and more than triples for those who have had no children (1976 JAMA).
- Children can be penalized 10-15 IQ points if an expectant mother doesn't get enough dietary iodine & may cause neurological problems.
- Diabetes - Iodine's ability to revive hormonal sensitivity back to normal significantly improves Insulin sensitivity and other hormones.
- Heart disease* via improved thyroid function it can normalize cholesterol and blood pressure certain types of arrhythmia
- It is Iodine and not Fluoride that the teeth and bones need. It will do everything purported for toxic fluoride plus raise IQ**.
- Iodine chelates heavy metals such as Mercury, Lead, Cadmium and Aluminum and halogens such as Fluoride and Bromide.
*Kenezy Gyula Korhaz, Debrecen, III. Belgyogyaszat. [Article in Hungarian]
The thyroid hormone deficiency on cardiovascular function can be characterized with decreased myocardial contractility and increased peripheral vascular resistance as well as with the changes in lipid metabolism. 42 patients with cardiovascular disease (mean age 65 +/- 13 yr, 16 males) were investigated if iodine insufficiency can play a role as a risk factor for the cardiovascular diseases. The patients were divided in 5 subgroups on the ground of the presence of hypertension, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, coronary disfunction and arrhythmia. Urine iodine concentration (5.29 +/- 4.52 micrograms/dl) was detected with Sandell-Kolthoff colorimetric reaction. The most decreased urine iodine concentration was detected in the subgroups with arrhythmia and congestive heart failure (4.7 +/- 4.94 micrograms/dl and 4.9 +/- 4.81 micrograms/dl, respectively). An elevated TSH level was found by 3 patients (5.3 +/- 1.4 mlU/l). An elevation in lipid metabolism (cholesterol, triglyceride) associated with all subgroups without arrhythmia. In conclusion, the occurrence of iodine deficiency in cardiovascular disease is frequent. Iodine supplementation might prevent the worsing effect of iodine deficiency on cardiovascular disease.
PMID: 9755626 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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**What is happening is the ingested fluoride takes the place of iodine that should be there in the teeth, especially growing teeth. Iodine and thyroid for example have complete control of tooth growth along with some help from growth hormone. (6-8) It is only because our iodine intake has been decreasing over the years that fluoride has been mistakenly added to our water with the idea of helping children's teeth. It would have made more scientific sense to have added more iodine. Monitoring of the results of fluoridation and iodine intake have not been consistent. As one would expect there are lots of publications now about the problems with too much fluoride.
Fluoride has also been used against osteoporosis with beneficial results. This again is just replacing what iodine should be doing. The minor problems of osteopenia (minor loss of calcium) seen in some patients put on thyroid is related to the fact that the same patients are low in iodine. The low iodine causes the hypothyroidism and also the inappropriate short term bone response. If iodine is given with the thyroid hormone this abnormal response can be avoided. So persons taking adequate daily iodine will unlikely to ever develop osteoporosis.
The thyroid gland uses iodine to make thyroid hormone. We know the thyroid gland appeared in evolution at the same time as back bones (vertebrates). Radioactive iodine injected into patients shows a full outline of the bones on a total body scan. This means one of the places iodine goes to immediately is bones. Thyroid hormone makes bones grow, mature and remodel, when necessary. Together thyroid hormone, iodine and growth hormone maintain a healthy bone structure. As vertebrates (animals with backbones) are the only animals with thyroid glands it makes sense that iodine and thyroid control bone structure and function.(6-8)
Extracted from: Dr. David Derry Answers Reader Questions
..."since the beginning of administration of iodine to prevent goitre, children have less caries. Iodine seems to increase resistance to caries, retarding the process and reducing its incidence."
Dental Caries, American Dental Association (ADA). (Lynch, Kettering, Gies, eds.) Original Documents: Summaries on Caries Page 72, Page 73, 1939
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Like Vitamins C and D, Selenium and Magnesium, Iodine is more than often deficient in out diets. This of course is in addition to good diet and other supplements such as B complex, boron etc.
Sadly Iodine has been systematically removed from our food sources such as Milk, now from about 50% of the salt sold in the US and India and even from bread where it has been replaced with Bromine another toxic substance like Fluoride. One has to wonder why.
While there are a lot of reasons why one should get tested for Iodine insufficiency before supplementing the major one is allergy. If one can eat iodized salt than allergy is generally not an issue. Based on the Japanese intake a daily dose of 12 mg (2 drops of Loguls iodine) is the least that is needed. Szent-Gyorgyi the original researcher of iodine and the inventor of Vitamin C felt that 60 mg daily intake to be safe.
Note: For better absorption iodine works best in conjunction with Vitamin C. Take separately with at least an one hour interval.
Chris Gupta
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Summary of findings
Based on a review of the literature, and recent clinical research studies 2-13, the concept of orthoiodosupplementation can be summarized as follows
:
1. The nutrient iodine is essential for every cell of the human body requiring peripheral concentrations of inorganic iodide ranging from 10-6M to 10-5M.
2. In non-obese subjects without a defecting cellular transport system for iodine, these concentrations can be achieved with daily intake of 12.5 mg to 50 mg elemental iodine. The adult body retains approximately 1.5 gm iodine at sufficiency. At such time, the ingested iodine is quantitatively excreted in the urine as iodide.
3. The thyroid gland is the most efficient organ of the human body, capable of concentrating iodide by 2 orders of magnitude to reach 10-6M iodide required for the synthesis of thyroid hormones when peripheral levels of inorganic iodide are in the 10-8M range.
4. Goiter and cretinism are evidence of extremely severe iodine deficiency, because the smallest intake of iodine that would prevent these conditions, that is 0.05 mg per day, is 1000 times less than the optimal intake of 50 mg elemental iodine.
5. The thyroid gland has a protective mechanism, limiting the uptake of peripheral iodide to a maximum of 0.6 mg per day when 50 mg or more elemental iodine are ingested. This amount therefore would serve as a preventive measure against radioactive fallout.
6. An intake of 50 mg elemental iodine per day would achieve peripheral concentration of iodide at 10-5M, which is the concentration of iodide markedly enhancing the singlet triplet radiationless transition. Singlet oxygen causes oxidative damage to DNA and macromolecules, predisposing to the carcinogenic effects of these reactive oxygen species. 5 This effect would decrease DNA damage, with an anticarcinogenic effect.
7. Preliminary data so far suggest that orthoiodosupplementation results in detoxification of the body from the toxic metals aluminum, cadmium, lead and mercury.
8. Orthoiodosupplementation increases urinary excretion of fluoride and bromide, decreasing the iodine-inhibiting effects of these halides.
9. Most patients on a daily intake ranging from 12.5 mg to 50 mg elemental iodine reported higher energy levels and greater mental clarity with 50 mg (4 tablets Iodoral), daily. The amount of iodine used in patients with Fibrocystic Disease of the Breast by Ghent et al20 is 0.1 mg/Kg BW per day, 10 times below the optimal daily intake of 50 mg. In our experience, patients with this clinical condition responded faster and more completely when ingesting 50 mg iodine/iodide per day.
10. For best results, orthoiodosupplementation should be part of a complete nutritional program, emphasizing magnesium instead of calcium.
11. A beneficial effect of orthoiodosupplementation was observed in the clinical conditions listed in Table I.5,7,12,13
12. The iodine/iodide loading test and serum inorganic iodide levels are reliable means of assessing whole body sufficiency for elemental iodine for quantifying the bioavailability of the forms of iodine ingested and for assessing cellular uptake and utilization of iodine by target cells.
13. Orthoiodosupplementation may be the safest, simplest, most effective and least expensive way to solve the healthcare crisis crippling our nation.