Iodine - Your Bodies Need of It

In 1811 a French chemist engaged in manufacturing gunpowder for Napoleon Bonaparte discovered and isolated iodine, which plays many important roles in our bodies. One of them is regulation of the thyroid gland.

In this country the recommended daily allowance for iodine is a paltry 100 to 150 micrograms (mcg) per day and the current average intake is estimated to be about 240 mcg. Physicians are taught that more than 1,000 mcg, or 1 milligram(mg), is harmful, and they warn their patients not to exceed this limit.

In the early years of the last century much larger amounts were prescribed and taken regularly by informed people. For example Szent Georgi, M.D., Ph.D., who discovered vitamin C and won a Nobel Prize, regularly took over a gram of iodine to keep himself healthy. In his day physicians were taught: “If you don't know where or why, prescribe KI [potassium iodide].”

What effect is this change in medical education having on our health? And how is this important substance used in other countries?

In Japan, the daily per capita intake was almost 14 mg in the l950s and rose to 43.8 mg in 2001 according to the Japanese Bureau of Public Health. Is it possible that the difference between 240 mcg and 43.8 mg of iodine might be important?

Dr. Donald Miller, professor of Surgery at Washington University, thinks so. He provided a wide ranging exposition of the importance of this element at the Aug. 6, 2006, meeting of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness in Portland, Ore. Miller noted that a comparison of American and Japanese health indicators should at least lead you to consider this possibility:

Study Group: USA Jap.

Life Expectancy (years): 77.85 81.25

Infant Mortality Rate: 7.0 3.5

In addition, the incidence of breast cancer in the United States is the highest in the world. In comparison, Japan has one of the lowest rates. About 40,000 American women are expected to die of breast cancer this year as well as a few thousand men.

Dr. Bruce West's “Health Alert” of February 2006 reports that breasts are the second main glandular storage site for iodine after the thyroid gland and that the relationship between breast health and iodine has been known for more than 100 years. The more diseased the breast tissue, the greater the demand for iodine. Fibrocystic breast disease is the most significant breast symptom of iodine deficiency. He claims that it is not unusual for women, desperate with this condition, to wind up with no breast pain after 3 weeks of taking 50 mg of iodine daily.

Iodine deficiency disorders affect a great many people in this country. They range from the really serious, like cretinism, through mental retardation and goiters to loss of energy. Hypothyroidism, the least serious category, is widespread and probably under diagnosed because most thyroid specialists depend heavily on laboratory tests which are not completely reliable. Symptoms include fatigue, depression, joint pain, cold intolerance, muscle aches and mental impairment.

Miller suggested that the bone structure of modern-day cretins is so similar to that of Neanderthals that there is a very good chance that Neanderthals were not a separate species. They may have been simply iodine deficient Homo sapiens.

Medical dogma holds that iodine is only needed by the thyroid gland and 100 to 150 mcg fills this need. But body scans, using radioactive iodine, have shown that it is present in the salivary glands, the stomach, the breasts, ovaries, thymus, the arterial and skeletal systems etc. Furthermore it has been found to have many functions. All tissues in the body are more immune to disease when adequate iodine is present. It is an antioxidant; kills unwanted germs in the stomach, triggers apoptosis (defective cell death), disposes of toxins and parasites and inactivates some allergens.

Microgram amounts of iodine are enough to support the production of thyroid hormones, but available evidence indicates that milligram amounts are required for optimal health. To avoid fibrocystic breast disease, help prevent and treat cancer and protect yourself in the event of a nuclear attack you need milligrams of iodine, according to Miller. Gram amounts can be helpful for treatment of cardiovascular dermatological, fungal and pulmonary diseases.

When the thyroid gland is too active, radioactive iodine is sometimes used to calm it down. The radioactivity kills some of the cells. Otherwise surgery is used to remove part of the gland.

Iodine can be obtained in several forms. Potassium iodide comes in a 130 mg tablet containing 100 mg of iodine. Potassium iodate is available also. A saturated solution of potassium iodide contains 38 mg per drop. Lugol's solution, 5% iodine and 10% potassium iodide contains 6.5 mg per drop. Iodoral tablets, 5% iodine and 10% potassium iodide contain 12.5 mg. Two drops per day of Lugol's solution is said to be beneficial.

Please be advised that, in large amounts, iodine is poisonous and can kill you. Sixty mg is considered potentially an overdose. However, small amounts can keep you healthy and, possibly, save your life. In the event of a nuclear attack with radioactive fallout, ingesting iodine can prevent radioactive iodine from damaging your thyroid gland. Painting a small child's stomach with tincture of iodine will have the same effect according to Miller.

Side effects are said to be minor and easily remedied by lowering the dose. They include acne, metallic taste, excessive saliva, headaches and palpitations. If you are taking thyroid medication, West suggests that you ask your doctor to cut your dose in half when you start the iodine. Ultimately you may not need it at all.

A few people are allergic to iodine. If you think you are, proceed cautiously with a very low dose. If you are truly allergic, West suggests you try the Nambudripad reatment, which you can find through the web site naet.com.

by Jack Phillips