THYROID HORMONE THERAPY APPEARS TO CAUSE BREAST CANCER

[Guest guest]

I couldn't make hide nor hair from this article, but my mom took synthroid for

40 years. Is that supposed to be the good medicine or the bad medicine?? She

never had cancer. jb

 

 

Angls4Hope wrote:

 

=========================================================

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 -

Sign Up For Free E-Mail Alerts

E-Mails are used strictly for NWVs alerts, not for sale

 

 

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/16/2006 7:14:56 A.M. Mountain Standard Time,

zmansgram writes:

 

I couldn't make hide nor hair from this article, but my mom took synthroid

for 40 years. Is that supposed to be the good medicine or the bad medicine??

She never had cancer. jb

 

 

 

*****Once a patient is on synthroid for 10 yrs plus, it is virtually

IMPOSSIBLE to get them off of it. I know I'm one of those people.....<sigh> I

take

200 mg daily, BUT I also take 25 mg of Iodoral in the am and in the

pm.....those of us who have been on this crap synthroid need to add T3

(compounded)

daily. I'm in the process of getting this done, but with the new lung tumor it

isn't a priority. Just trying to get my cancer protocol tweaked and into a

routine is taking up my time. This protocol is non-stop and a FULL TIME

JOB....<sigh> BTW, the cancer protocol is entirely alternatives and NO western

medicine crap.

 

Angel Huggzzz

Linda or Angel

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

, Judy <zmansgram wrote:

>

> I couldn't make hide nor hair from this article, but my mom took

synthroid for 40 years. Is that supposed to be the good medicine or

the bad medicine?? She never had cancer. jb

 

 

I read it but I more so think that woman who are hypothyroid may tend

to be estrogen dominant, which in itself lends to breast cancer. So

the boat in my opinion seems to be missed in this article. Also

estrogen dominance can also effect the cortisol by binding it. Since

cortisol is needed for the transference of T4 into T3. It all seems

to have a domino effect since the adrenals/thyroid/hypothalamus all

work together, depending upon one another. If you read Dr. John Lee's

work or Dr. Alfred Plechenr it explains the cancerand immune

connection with hormones.

 

-Michele

[Guest guest]

Judy - I believe what Dr.Howenstine is saying is that thyroid

hormones are prescribed when the real problem is a lack of iodine. He

states that Iodine is the only thing needed in hormones and in the

production of hormones. Iodine is a natuaral mineral. (put Synthroid

in your search bar and look at the side effects and interactions with

pharmaceuticals and foods!!)MY attention was drawn to the point the

Dr. made that a low Iodine level is the leading cause of intellectual

deficiency in the world. Think I might have mine checked - lol. Helen

 

, Judy <zmansgram wrote:

>

> I couldn't make hide nor hair from this article, but my mom took

synthroid for 40 years. Is that supposed to be the good medicine or

the bad medicine?? She never had cancer. jb

>

>

> Angls4Hope wrote:

>

> =========================================================

> 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 -

> Sign Up For Free E-Mail Alerts

> E-Mails are used strictly for NWVs alerts, not for sale

>

>

[Guest guest]

weeeelll,

 

i'm not too sure what to make of this either. about 45% of my mother's

family, male and female, myself included, have thyroid disease. none of them

got or has breast cancer. many of us take armour thyroid instead of the

synthetics. i have a difficult time believing it's simply and iodine

deficiency, when that many family members going back several generations

struggle with this, yet other members of the same family who live in the same

house, eat the same foods aren't afflicted.

 

 

 

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Mortgage rates near 39yr lows. $510,000 Mortgage for $1,698/mo - Calculate new

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[Guest guest]

This is an interesting topic...just thought I would share my two

cents. From all the reading I have done on thyroid problems...I've

come across articles linking thyroid problems with breast cancer

too. The most interesting article was one that pointed the finger

at the law that let companies expell a certain amount of radioactive

iodine (unstable radical capable of causing cancer) in the 90's.

Since then, there has been an increase in thyroid cancer and breast

cancers. I believe that when the thyroid is low on iodine

(naturally occuring mineral in our soils and foods) it enlarges to

allow for more blood flow and tries to " catch " more iodine...and if

radioactive iodine is the only iodine present, the body will store

it and try to use it...which means the unstable form will be

uploaded into the thyroid and possibly cause thyroid cancer...it is

also possible the hormones themselves cause breast cancer because

the breast tissue is fatty and fatty tissues store toxins and the

synthetic hormones may be seen as toxins to the body...

 

Nevertheless, nobody has ever talked me out of believeing that if

you eat a truely clean diet of quality vegetables and a moderate

amount of free-range, clean meat that you will not suffer from any

type of cancer or heart disease or diabetes or arthritus...the major

killers/diseases here. Its clear they are all diet related by the

statistics, but I think it is the grains that are causing the

problems...they are cheap and all, but that doesn't mean eating them

every day is good for you...grains are naturally only available once

a year, but we have made them available year round...for more info

on the topic, I reccommend mercola.com

 

Josh

 

 

 

 

 

, Angls4Hope wrote:

>

>

> =========================================================

> 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 -

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