HEALTH: Thyroid Hormone Therapy Appears To Cause Breast Cancer (NEWS, ACTION ALERTS!)

[Guest guest]

Nearly every physician in the United States will reach for a

prescription pad to order thyroid hormone when he sees a patient with

goiter or symptoms of hypothyroidism. This can be exactly the wrong

thing to do if the patient has deficient stores of iodine.....

 

 

Thyroid Hormone Therapy Appears To Cause Breast Cancer

by Dr. James Howenstine, MD

July 27, 2006

NewsWithViews.com

 

Medical journals and textbooks typically portray iodine as an

unimportant substance which should be taken in small amounts[1] because

of it's dangers. Actually approximately one third of humanity has iodine

deficiency.

 

When humans lack iodine the thyroid gland enlarges (goiter), nodules

appear in the thyroid gland and over a period of time cancer may appear

in a thyroid nodule. Conventional medicine treats thyroid gland

enlargement with thyroid hormone without considering the possibility

that the hypothyroidism and goiter may be due to lack of iodine. This

failure to diagnose and treat iodine deficiency can lead to an increased

risk of breast cancer and the longer the diagnosis is missed the greater

the chance that breast cancer will occur. Women taking thyroid hormone

appear to be twice (12.1%) as likely to develop breast cancer as women

not using thyroid hormone (6..2%). Women who had taken thyroid hormone

for 15 years had a 19.5% incidence of breast cancer whereas women who

have only taken thyroid hormone for 5 years had only a 10% incidence of

breast cancer. Why is this?

 

The essential trace element iodine may be the most important least

publicized mineral in existence. Iodine is the only element needed in

hormones and in the production of hormones. The iodine containing

hormones are involved in the creation of embryos, development of brain

function, growth, metabolism and maintenance of body temperature. This

means that proper amounts of thyroid hormone, estrogen, progesterone,

testosterone, insulin, growth hormone etc. can not be made when iodine

is lacking from the body. One third of all individuals on Earth are

functioning with subnormal levels of iodine. Low intake of iodine is the

leading cause for intellectual deficiency in the world.

 

There is strong evidence that iodine lack predisposes to breast cancer.

One out of seven women in the U.S. has deficiency of iodine proven by

urine iodine screening tests (urine I less than 50 ug/L). This is the

same incidence for breast cancer seen in U.S. women. Without bothering

to check urine for iodine, physicians visited by a woman with a goiter

or symptoms of hypothyroidism are routinely prescribing thyroid hormone

therapy.

 

Hintze et al[2] compared the results of 400ug/L of Iodine with 150ug of

T4 (synthyroid) for 8 months and then four months after stopping

therapy. The results clearly favored iodine therapy. Both treatments led

to similar suppression in the size of the goiter. However, four months

later the size of the thyroid had returned to pre-treatment levels in

the group treated with T4 hormone. The group who had received iodine

therapy continued to have normal sized thyroid glands four months after

therapy was stopped. Several investigators have concluded that iodine

lack is a probable cause for breast cancer in women.[3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

 

Demographic studies in Japan and Iceland revealed that both countries

have a high intake of iodine and low incidences of goiter and breast

cancer. In Mexico and Thailand where iodine intake is low there is a

high incidence of goiter and breast cancer.[8] Thyroid gland size

measured by ultrasound is significantly larger[9] in Irish women with

breast cancer than control women.

 

Administration of thyroid hormone to iodine deficient women appears to

increase the risk of developing breast cancer. In a group of women

undergoing screening mammograms the incidence of breast cancer[10] was

twice as high in the women taking thyroid hormone. for hypothyroidism

(probably caused by iodine lack) than in women not taking thyroid

supplements. The mean incidence was 6.2% in controls and 12.1% in women

on thyroid hormones. The incidence of breast cancer was twice as high in

women taking thyroid hormone for more than 15 years (19.5%) compared to

those on thyroid hormones for only 5 years (10%).

 

In the state of Michigan, during a period of iodine supplementation in

bread (1924-1951) the prevalence of goiter diminished from 38.6% to

1.4%. Of interest the incidence of breast cancer remained unchanged

during this time frame. This information was used to suggest that iodine

supplementation had no effect on the incidence of breast cancer.

However, Ghent and Eskin were able to show in women and female rats that

the amount of iodine needed to protect against fibrocystic disease of

the breast and breast cancer was at least 20 to 40 times greater[11]

than the iodine needed to control goiter.

 

In the 1960s mandated iodine containing dough was equivalent to the RDA

of 150 ug per slice of bread. At that time the incidence of breast

cancer was only 1 in 20.[12] In the past 20 years the use of iodine

supplementation in bread was eliminated and a goiter producing substance

toxic to the thyroid gland (bromine) was introduced as replacement for

iodine. The risk for breast cancer is now 1 in 8 and this risk is

increasing by one percent[13] each year. The decision to replace iodine

in an iodine deficient population with a goitrogen was illogical lacking

in common sense. The damaging effects of bromine on thyroid tissue also

appears to contribute to the development of auto-immune diseases in the

thyroid gland (Hashimoto's thyroiditis).

 

The mammary glands have a trapping system for iodine similar to that of

the thyroid gland. The breasts effectively compete with the thyroid

gland for ingested iodine. This distribution of iodine to both breast

and thyroid gland in pubertal girls explains why goiter is 6 times more

common in girls than pubertal boys. The disappearance of iodine into

breast tissue in women leads to decreased ability to supply the thyroid

gland with an adequate amount of iodine. The development of a goiter in

young girls indicates deficient distribution of iodine to both breast

and thyroid tissue. Treating such a patient with thyroid hormone is not

sensible and appears to increase the risk of breast cancer.

 

Study of radioiodine uptake in normals and women with fibrocystic breast

disease FDB reveals that the FDB breasts were able to take in 12.5% of

the iodine dosage compared to only 6.9% in normal breasts. This proves

the existence of considerable iodine depletion in the breasts of women

with FDB.

 

There is considerable evidence for an increased risk of thyroid cancer

as well as breast cancer in persons with iodine deficiency. Untreated

iodine deficiency leads to goiter, thyroid nodules and eventually some

of these nodules become malignant. The decreasing intake of iodine has

resulted in an increase in thyroid nodules and increase in thyroid

cancer. In 2001 there were 19,500 new cases of thyroid cancer in the

U.S. with 14,900 of these cases occurring in women.

 

Iodine has a role in promoting general well being as well as protecting

against infections, degenerative diseases and cancer. Iodine promotes

the normal killing of defective and abnormal cells (apoptosis). Thus,

iodine helps the body's surveillance system to detect and remove

abnormal cells. Additionally, the presence of iodine triggers

differentiation away from the more dangerous undifferentiated type of

cell toward normal cells. The presence of adequate levels of iodine in

the body (Japanese diet with lots of sea vegetables and fish) reduces

reactive oxygen species (ROS). in the body which decreases the oxidative

burden in the body This results in slowing of degeneration disease

processes and decreasing the risk of cancer.

 

Nearly every physician in the United States will reach for a

prescription pad to order thyroid hormone when he sees a patient with

goiter or symptoms of hypothyroidism. This can be exactly the wrong

thing to do if the patient has deficient stores of iodine. Insist on

obtaining a 24 hour urine collection for iodine to eliminate iodine lack

as the cause for your symptoms (values below 50 ug/liter are abnormal).

Thyroid hormone therapy in the presence of iodine deficiency increases

the risk of breast cancer and probably thyroid cancer as well.

Endocrinologist, Dr. Guy Abraham, formerly of the U.C..L.A. Department

of Endocrinology, is convinced that everyone needs to be on iodine

therapy until their iodine stores have been fully restored. After this

time frame periodic intake of iodine will help insure that the many body

functions requiring iodine run smoothly.

 

A dosage of two tablets of Iodoral twice daily for three months followed

by one Iodoral tablet daily for a year will restore iodine stores for

most persons. At that point periodic taking of an Iodoral tablet daily

one month out of 4 to 6 months etc. will be adequate to maintain iodine

stores. Iodine stores can be easily monitored by taking 4 Iodoral

tablets (50 mg iodine) and collecting a 24 hour urine sample for iodine

content. If 80% of the ingested iodine is found in the urine collection

the iodine stores are normal. Iodoral can be obtained from Optimox Corp.

Torrance, Cal. To purchase a referral from a health care practitioner is

needed.

 

Footnotes:

 

1, Abraham, Guy F. et al Orthoiodosupplementaion: Iodine Sufficiency Of

The Whole Body pg 1

2, Hintze, G. et al treatment of Endemic goiter due to iodine deficiency

with iodine, levothyroxine or both:results of a multicentre trial.

European Journal of Clinical Investigation, 19:527-534, 1989

3, Eskin B et al Mammary Gland Dysplasia in Iodine Deficiency JAMA ,

200:115-119. 1967

4, Eskin B Iodine and Mammary Gland Cancer Adv. Exp. Med. Biol.,

91:293-304, 1977

5, Ghent, W. et al Iodine Replacement in Fibrocystic disease of the

Breast Can. J. Surg. , 36:453-460, 1993

6, Eskin B. et al Different Tissue Responses for Iodine and Iodidein Rat

Thyroid and mammary Glands Biol. Trace Element Research 49:9-19, 1995

7, Derry , D Breast Cancer and Iodine Trafford Publishing, Victoria B.C.

, 92, 2001

8, Finley JW., Bogardus, G.M., Breast Cancer and Thyroid Disease Quart.

Review Surg. Obstet. Gyn. 17:139-147, 1960

9, Smtyhe, P. , Thyroid Disease and Breast Cancer J. Endo. Int. ,

16:396-401, 1993

10, Ghandrakant, C. et al Breast Cancer Relationship to Thyroid

Supplements for hypothyroidism JAMA, 238:1124, 1976

11, Backwinkel, K., Jackson, A.S. Some Fearures of breast Cancer and

Thyroid Deficiency Cancer17:1174-1176 , 1964

12, Epstein, S.S., Sherman, D. Breast Cancer Prevention Program

Macmillan , NY. 1998 pg 5

13, Ibid

 

© 2006 Dr. James Howenstine -

 

Dr. James A. Howenstine is a board certified specialist in internal

medicine who spent 34 years caring for office and hospital patients.

After 4 years of personal study he became convinced that natural

products are safer, more effective, and less expensive than

pharmaceutical drugs.

 

This research led to the publication of his book A Physicians Guide To

Natural Health Products That Work. Information about these products and

his book can be obtained from amazon.com and at

www.naturalhealthteam.com and phone 1-800-416-2806 U.S. Dr. Howenstine

can be reached by mail at Dr. James Howenstine, C/O Remarsa USA SB 37,

P.O. Box 25292, Miami, Fl. 33102-5292.

 

E-Mail: dr.jimhow

 

http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james47.htm

 

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