Knowing and Benefiting from Iodine

Iodine – a gift to your life

Full body sufficiency for iodine is life changing, especially so for a woman. You’re a different person – stronger, more resilient and with a clearer mind. Some people feel an energizing glow within a week, for others a deep sense of it’s support creeps in gently over months.

Iodine is integral to reducing thyroid goiter and nodules and normalizing cystic breast, uterine and ovarian tissue. It creates an antimicrobial shield which makes most fungal and bacterial problems irrelevant and it costs about a dollar a week.

Yet iodine is not well understood. Doctors will caution against using it but splash it liberally in and onto bodies during surgery. Naturopaths are reluctant to prescribe more than the recommended daily allowance yet those who aren’t afraid of it use unnecessarily high doses. Few prescriptions for iodine include selenium which is necessary to regulate it’s effects.

We can thank Guy Abrahams for his “Iodine Project” of the mid 1990’s. Our current knowledge and use of iodine is through his work (alongside Brownstein and Flechas) to learn how iodine changed from being a safe, effective standard medicine that was widely used to one that was literally vilified from the 1950’s onward.

Let’s look at thyroid self analysis, then at iodine forms, functions, dosing and cautions.

Thyroid Self-Check

To assess a thyroid gland’s health we look at it’s structure and it’s function.

Thyroid Structure:

The thyroid gland is fine tissue wrapped around the trachea. Palpating with the finger tips is as useful as an ultrasound to determine the physical state (structure) of the gland, except in cases of larger and firmer goiters. You’re checking for size and firmness, it should feel fine and soft, although this is rare, most thyroid glands have some degree of firmness or enlargement. If nodules exist they can be felt with firmer pressure into the gland.

This is a normal healthy appearing thyroid. You actually can’t see it! The three anatomical features that locate it are

• The windpipe (trachea) descending from top center of the circled area
• The sternal notch described by the lower half of the circle, connecting to the collar bones
• The sternocleidomastoid origin (tendon) connecting at the top point of the sternal notch and framing the windpipe.

A healthy thyroid has fine tissue that’s wrapped around and against each side of the windpipe, under the sternocleidomastoid tendon, where the red shaded areas are. To check the left side of the gland stand to the right of the patient, fold back the first and pinky fingers of your right hand and with the second and ring fingers gently feel against the sides of the windpipe itself, under the sternocleidomastoid (don’t go as wide as the sternocleidomastoid). Reverse this procedure for the other side.

Here is an example of a goiter. This one is obvious, most are smaller than this. It wouldn’t be useful to try palpating it, it needs an ultrasound scan.

Keep observing, you’ll see goiters everywhere and the main reason for them is a chronic deficiency of iodine. Goiters can slump downward and fill the sternal notch. A common goiter is in a teenage girl – her mother was deficient so during gestation the daughter was left even more deficient. At puberty the developing breast tissue sequestered the last iodine reserves to the cost of thyroid function. She’s likely to have weight gain, mood and hormonal imbalances.

Goiter

An enlarged thyroid is a goiter (also spelt goitre). In most cases its due to a chronic deficiency of iodine. One explanation is that the gland enlarges so as to capture as much iodine as possible but this is not strictly true. It’s caused by a sequence of events as an adaptive response to low iodine availability whereby reduced thyroid hormone synthesis triggers higher TSH (thyroid stimulation hormone) leading to enlargement and proliferation of thyroid tissue cells. The essential treatment is iodine, starting very slowly and then maintaining a moderate daily dose over time, most likely a few years, supported by overall metabolic health management.

However I’ve seen a massive goiter caused by high iodine intake. It had grown as high as the chin and it had slumped down behind the collar bones and sternum into the chest cavity, with surgery strongly advised to remove it. Yet thyroid function remained normal. The goiter was likely caused by oxidative stress in the presence of selenium deficiency. We stopped iodine intake and supplemented selenium (plus ample Vitamin C and a few other basics) and the goiter reduced to normal size within a couple of months.

This is a rare practical insight into one of iodine’s main effects: highly vasculated organ tissue like thyroid, breast, uterus, ovary, testes, prostate, pancreas, lung, become fluid and flexible. Thus the tissue was able to contract in this case. However it is rarely that easy. As goiters enlarge they become firmer and it takes considerable time for the tissue to take up iodine. The goal is full body sufficiency and in larger goiters it could take years. Higher doses may be welcome.

Here are some examples of goiter

1. Very mild, beginning to fill sternal notch

2. Quite common, the horizontal lines across the throat are obvious. She will have a range of symptoms which could include weight that won’t shift and hormonal imbalances.

3. Obvious, even to a doctor! Most likely treated by surgical removal with thyroid hormone replacement medication.

4. Classic untreated goiter

Thyroid Function:

For thyroid function the two “doctor free” analytics are the basal temperature and the calcium/potassium ratio on a hair mineral assay.

A basal temperature chart is a simple direct monitor, like a bathroom scale. Keep a chart and track the trends, you’ll learn a lot. Take your axilla (armpit) temperature on waking but before getting out of bed, it should be 36.5⁰ – 37.0⁰.

Here’s a sample chart to start with. Ideally your temperature should be in the shaded area but if it’s over the line at 36.2 you’re probably alright. Click on the image to enlarge it for downloading.

This temperature reading is helpful for anyone working to restore thyroid function, especially to monitor progress when withdrawing from medication. There’s nothing to gain by withdrawing too much or too quickly. Thyroid function may be restored however it requires a deep metabolic shift, it takes time to nourish and rebalance. Establishing your average basal temperature is a useful indicator, and even though it may be affected by a range of factors such as fatigue, poor circulation, some illnesses, and sluggish adrenal activity, its a powerful baseline insight. If your health plan can raise your basal temperature you’ll be safe to reduce the thyroid medication a little (try 25 mcg steps).

The Calcium/Potassium ratio on a hair test indicates the cellular effect and cellular response to thyroid hormone – the end result of thyroid hormone’s activity upon the cells, not the overt thyroid hormone levels. Excess thyroid hormone tends to reduce calcium in the blood and eventually in the tissues, elevated tissue calcium is associated with a sluggish thyroid cellular effect. Potassium sensitizes tissues to thyroid hormone, low hair potassium would indicate diminished thyroid activity. It’s “whole of metabolism” factor, more complex than TSH level for example. These minerals plus the amino acid tyrosine intimately link the thyroid and adrenals together.

Here’s a link to the hair test https://www.supporthealth.com.au/product/hair-mineral-analysis/

A side note regarding the recent scare story about Levothyroxine causing cancer: I don’t think this is a concern in the way it was described, it’s part of the barrage of deflections and diversions from the real reasons for the surge in hot cancers since the covid vaccine event. Any potential for cancer would be a factor of overall depletion and malaise concurrent with poor thyroid function. Also I don’t think you should worry about toxicity from Levothyroxine, its main problem is how it levels out the subtleties and nuances of the circadian and other rhythms and encourages the thyroid gland to atrophy, without even considering the thyroid/adrenal axis as an obvious part of it.

Forms of Iodine

Iodine is a soft, blue-black metallic element which is soluble in ethanol and glycerin, it will dissolve in water if potassium iodide is added.

The body only uses ‘iodide’ which is the salt form such as potassium iodide or ammonium iodide. Elemental iodine is readily converted to iodide during digestion.

The 200 year old standard is Lugol’s iodine, a blend of iodine and potassium iodide in water, it contains 6.25mg Iodine per drop. There is Iosol, a blend of iodine and ammonium iodide in glycerin, containing 1.8mg per drop. Another form is Nascent which is elemental iodine at 0.4mg per drop.

SSKI (saturated solution of potassium iodide) is very useful. It contains 50mg per drop and may be used as a short term antibiotic – the basic ‘rule of thumb’ is 3 drops, up to 3 times daily, for up to 3 days, but I think it is largely irrelevant in an iodine sufficient person. However an extremely valuable remedy is SSKI mixed 50/50 with DMSO to make a transdermal iodine, it has many uses. On a cotton tip for a gum abscess, on a tick bite to neutralize microbes and toxins, on any fungal problem (e.g. fungal nail), on contractures like Dupuytrens.

Iodine function

Thyroid hormone is built on a backbone of iodine and is the master regulator of metabolism – involving mitochondrial activity, thermoregulation, growth and development. Iodine is also integral to neurological function, numerous iodine dependent enzyme systems, epithelial and secretory systems, immune and redox modulation and more.

It is essential during foetal development and during early childhood for neuronal migration, myelination and synaptogenesis. Failures during this time are irreversible later.

Literally every cell benefits but iodine isn’t stored in the body, it is continually circulated and excreted. We benefit from regular intake – supplemental iodine is retained throughout the body in enzymes, glands and lipids until sufficiency is achieved, after which the surplus is released, mainly through the urinary tract and mucous membranes. This is the antimicrobial shield, from the surface of internal membranes to the whole body.

Iodine effectively penetrates and disrupts biofilms within the body. Biofilms are attributed to 80% of chronic infections, against which antibiotics are insufficient or ineffective. These include

• Indwelling devices: catheters, prosthetic joints, pacemakers, implants.
• Chronic wounds: diabetic foot ulcers, pressure sores.

Dosing

Most people are chronically depleted and if you haven’t been regularly dosing you’re sure to need supplementing.

The Recommended Daily Allowance is 150 micrograms (about 1/7 of a milligram) but this amount barely covers thyroid function.

Contrast this with the dose of 50mg daily as determined by the Iodine Project.

My long-term experience is that to saturate all tissue a daily dose of around 5 mg daily over about 6 months is all that is needed. After this time a daily dose around 1 mg is ample to support full iodine function and to maintain an antimicrobial shield.

I prefer not to use Lugol’s iodine because the energy is too harsh, the drop doses too strong and the potential for potassium iodide to cause nodules. I won’t use Nascent because the dose is too low, the bare elemental form is lean and non-nourishing and it’s way too expensive.

I prefer Iosol. The elemental iodine is from seaweed, and the iodide is ammonium iodide which easily dissociates to leave free iodine. It’s in glycerin with a faint sweetness, is perfectly water soluble so spills won’t stain clothing, it’s easily absorbed with a gentle energy. It’s drop dose is ideal – 3 drops daily up to body sufficiency (5.4mg), 1 drop daily thereafter (1.8mg). Even 4 drops a week are enough.

I support this intake of iodine with a daily dose of 300 micrograms of Selenium as selenomethione. Both taken together in the morning. Iodine is energizing so it’s best to start the day with it.

Every 3 months or so take a week or two off them both to let the body rebalance itself.

This article is about optimizing the power of iodine, yet a little goes a long way. Even a single dose will supply the thyroid for a long time. I heard of a trial in India where pregnant women were given a single dose of about 60 mg and were followed into their child’s infancy. Birthing and childhood wellness outcomes were much improved over baseline and the beneficial effects lasted a few years.

Cautions

These cautions for iodine should be irrelevant in an iodine sufficient person, they will happen in an iodine-starved person at the beginning of supplementation.

These could be

• Toxicity from absorbed halogens being displaced by iodine. The body’s burden of bromides and fluoride, as well as microbes and other toxins, will be pushed into circulation by iodide and must pass through the liver and kidney. Also, selenium displaces lead from bone and mercury from the brain.
• A severe hyperthyroid reaction (Jod-Basedow phenomenon) is likely in about 3% of people. A full-on thyroid storm causes palpitations, tachycardia, arrhythmias, sweating, muscle weakness and pain in the thyroid. A transdermal iodine formula will avoid this problem and usage over few months should allow normal oral dosing.
• A general malaise from lowered thyroid function and released toxins. This is unlikely and I’ve never seen it.

A longer term effect to watch for is a jittery nervous system from too much iodine, which could be as little as 1 or 2 mg daily.

Always start with a small dose of iodine and increase it slowly over one month. I recommend diluting the starting drop, put it into a little water in a glass and have half (or a quarter) of it. Always reduce the dose if you experience any signs of unpleasant nervous system activity, even if you’ve been using it for a long time.

You’ve done the hard work of becoming sufficient and you’ve very much simplified your health’s “clinical picture”. You only need top-ups from now and you’ll be sensitive to your needs.

Here are two articles for further reading

A summary of supplemental Selenium