Iodine and Potassium Iodide

[T.C.]

I've kinda be on and off it but using it regular since November, just starting the saltwater though as I was kinda repulsed by it.

What kind of salt are you using?

 

[Yas]

I've applied iodine topically and am taking a homeopathic remedy that helps flush out lymphatic fluid.

Which homeopathic remedy are you taking and what strength? I think I have some swollen lymph nodes so I'm interested in looking into it.

It's called Lymphdiaral, recommended by above mentioned doctor. It's a composite of several remedies. You can buy it here, though perhaps you'll find a better price somewhere else, since I paid much less here in Europe.

Thanks for sharing that Aiming!

Regarding lymph nodes, I think that getting 1-3 lymphatic massage sessions could be very helpful as well.

Some people mentioned water retention and many mentioned stiff shoulders and neck, as well as tonsils and throat inflammation, the latter can very well be related to the thyroids, but it also relates to lymph nodes. Lymphatic drainage is more often used after surgery to help with water retention issues, but many health practitioners advice to do it just to stimulate the body's own ability to detox.

The fluid around all your cells is called lymph fluid. It moves waste products through various lymph channels and nodes which have two main outlets (thoracic ducts) on either side of your spine around the shoulder areas of your back. Pressure, stiffness, or pain building up in this region is a sign of lymphatic congestion.

Your lymph is more active at night while it orchestrates housecleaning. If it is already sluggish the thoracic ducts can swell in the shoulder area and apply pressure to nerves that can make an arm or hand fall asleep while you are sleeping. Some people notice this happening when they move their lymph during exercise. Clogged lymph also causes headaches that start as pressure in the back of your neck and can make the top of your head, behind your sinuses, or whole head feel highly pressurized.

Your lymph system is a pressure system that runs best on physical activity and movement. This is why weather fronts (pressure changes) can cause a flare up in lymph-related symptoms and so can flying in an airplane. Stagnation (sitting all day) is a major problem. Any exercise helps. Building upper body strength over time can solve lymph problems of long duration (don't push too hard if your shoulders are real tight, do lots of stretching instead).

When your lymph is clogged your body looks for alternative ways to get rid of trash. Plan B is making mucous out of it. Lots of mucous in the morning is a sure sign of a problem. Regular drainage during the day or after eating a meal are other signs of trouble. Another strategy is to shunt toxins in the direction of your skin, which contributes to acne, dry skin, and other skin issues especially from the chest or back on up to the neck and face.

If your lymph is clogged then lactic acid and other inflammatory debris will accumulate in the fluid around cells and have no place to go, as the main plumbing outlets (thoracic ducts) are clogged or their trash clearing function is reduced below optimal levels.

Pressure occurring more on the left shoulder/back area relates to digestion, both of your legs, and pressures on the left side of your head (including ear popping and ear ringing). Pressures on your right shoulder/back area relate to liver function, including pressures on the left side of your head. Many struggle with both sides.

When children develop lymphatic congestion then their ears do not drain properly as the pressure back up won't let them, in turn causing various ear-related issues.

In your body's system of economy the lymph system is also used to absorb most dietary fat, which goes up the left side lymphatics. Some dietary fat is good for the lymph in that it helps move it along. Too much fat can cause a back up. This is why some children develop congested lymphatic systems from too much dairy. It is also why you notice mucous after eating. Eating before bed handicaps your lymph function by clogging it with too much to do. Diets too low in protein cause the lymph system to not have enough pressure to move your lymph very well at all. Stagnation is the enemy of your lymph system. Consistent exercise or activity at a level you can do is required for healthy lymph function.

The natural house cleaners within your lymph system are called macrophages. Unfortunately, they have a temperamental union and when they have too much work to do they go on strike.

Here's another article about it: http://draxe.com/lymphatic-system/

It might be a bit silly, but it makes me think of the feng-shui idea that it is very important to keep the drainage system in a house functioning well and avoid any stagnation. I've read that it is very important to keep a good flow in the bathroom for example, because it's where all the "negative" energy/waste gets flushed. That's common sense, allright, but sometimes we can forget about it. So, keeping a good flow in the lymphatic system seems to be equivalent in keeping our waste pipelines flowing and being able to flush.

From what I can gather, any movement/body work can improve the flow, but a lymphatic drainage is specific to this aim, so it will give it a boost and it is a very gentle massage. This could also be helpfull for the people who just can't do exercise.

I had 3 sessions of drainage and, even though I got some flu symptoms immediately afterwards, it did seem to help a bit, especially concerning intestinal cleanse, yet, from what I understood, that can be because the lymphatic drainage flushes through the intestines primarily.

Just my two cents :)

 

[Laura]

I guess it's time for me to report in again.

I'm still doing my "cycles" of iodine though with slight modification. I'll take 1 drop for a couple of day, then two drops for a couple of days (12%), then a 130mg KI capsule, then a day off, then start over. I've also mixed up about half a bottle of 2% iodine tincture with a couple droppersfull of 12% lugols into a full jar of rose scented DMSO cream and smear that on myself now and again.

I've used pure 12% lugols on a mole on my face... very carefully just getting it on the mole and blotting any that might drip down. It went through some weird stages and oddly, it didn't even sting with the straight lugols. Finally, it just turned black and flaked off. The mole is gone now.

The problem with my breast is almost completely gone.

I take the co-factors only every once in awhile but do take minerals a couple times a week and still take my magnesium every night.

Since I received my food sensitivity test results, I've been very strict on that score and do feel a difference. It's like the last recurring vestiges of pain have disappeared.

Since I tested with antibodies for candida, I'm taking fluconazole right now for that but so far, any die-off symptoms I might have are very mild if present at all.

So, overall, I think the process has been worth it (including that brutal antibiotic regime). I DO feel different though sometimes it's hard to say exactly how or why. I feel more like myself, I guess is the only way I can express it.

 

[Gaby]

So, overall, I think the process has been worth it (including that brutal antibiotic regime). I DO feel different though sometimes it's hard to say exactly how or why. I feel more like myself, I guess is the only way I can express it.

That is great to hear!! :) Thank you for sharing

 

[Ollie]

Sorry I'm sure this has been answered but how much is 1 drop?

I thought it was 0.5ml but the pharmacist was pretty adamant that it's 0.3ml

Edit: I think I mean 0.05ml. I just took a 0.05ml dose but there was about 3-4 drops coming out of the metric syringe/dropper.

From memory, I seem to recall that, for a single drop, 0.3 is from a lugol type bottle ('valve') and 0.5 is from a dropper (separate from bottle neck 'valve'). The dropper provides a larger drop.

 

[Altair]

The small size of the thyroid along with the hypechoic reflex basic structure of the sonography could point to a autoimmunethyroiditis.

When I asked him what he thought is the reason for the small size, the doc said it could be due to a lack of selenium.

Well, it was speculated in the ultrasound report that it could be a "autoimmune thyroiditis". That means, the docs were suspecting a condition like Hashimoto's. A conservative approach was hinted, i.e. selenium supplementation.

We have discussed how it is very important to supplement the cofactors and selenium when there is suspicion of autoimmune conditions involving the thyroid gland. Going VERY easy with the iodine is of utmost importance as well. Any excess iodine given too soon might lit up the fire. All the iodine has to be metabolized without excess oxidative stress. So the important thing is to calm down oxidative stress, going very slowly with the iodine.

Gaby, can it be beneficial to take additionally L-Tyrosin to boost iodine metabolisation and hormons production?

 

[Gaby]

Gaby, can it be beneficial to take additionally L-Tyrosin to boost iodine metabolisation and hormons production?

I think it is useful, yes. Several people have reported feeling better with L-tyrosine.

 

[Aiming]

Well, it was speculated in the ultrasound report that it could be a "autoimmune thyroiditis". That means, the docs were suspecting a condition like Hashimoto's. A conservative approach was hinted, i.e. selenium supplementation.

We have discussed how it is very important to supplement the cofactors and selenium when there is suspicion of autoimmune conditions involving the thyroid gland. Going VERY easy with the iodine is of utmost importance as well. Any excess iodine given too soon might lit up the fire. All the iodine has to be metabolized without excess oxidative stress. So the important thing is to calm down oxidative stress, going very slowly with the iodine.

(...)

Potassium iodide might be safer than lugol in case there are reactions that are not manageable with standard measures to deal with detox reactions.

I would concentrate on selenium supplementation + cofactors. Do work on the detox and go very easy on the iodine.

How much lugol are you taking?

I'm not taking any iodine currently. Before the onset of the swelling of the axillary lymph nodes it was one week of a low dose 1-2 drops of 12%. I've already been taking the cofactors daily, have started upping the selenium and now added the L-tyrosine. Thanks for your comments, Gaby, and thanks Yas for the post about the lymphatic massage, that's something that's crossed my mind as potentially useful, too.

 

[Gaby]

I'm not taking any iodine currently. Before the onset of the swelling of the axillary lymph nodes it was one week of a low dose 1-2 drops of 12%.

Diluting the 12% to yield a lower percentage (one drop of 2%-5%) will be safer when you feel ready to re-start. You can even give the heel dosing protocol a try when you are ready to experiment again:

http://www.lynnefarrow.net/sensitive.html

 

[Aiming]

I'm not taking any iodine currently. Before the onset of the swelling of the axillary lymph nodes it was one week of a low dose 1-2 drops of 12%.

Diluting the 12% to yield a lower percentage (one drop of 2%-5%) will be safer when you feel ready to re-start. You can even give the heel dosing protocol a try when you are ready to experiment again:

http://www.lynnefarrow.net/sensitive.html

Alrighty, will do. Thanks for your advice.

 

[SeekinTruth]

So, overall, I think the process has been worth it (including that brutal antibiotic regime). I DO feel different though sometimes it's hard to say exactly how or why. I feel more like myself, I guess is the only way I can express it.

That is great to hear!! :) Thank you for sharing

Yeah, great to hear about the progress. It's been one heck of a wild ride for you, and seems to have paid off. I'm still not sure how to interpret the food allergies angle - it seems more time and data may be needed to have a better idea what it's really indicating, what the benefits will be of taking them at face value, and if it makes sense to follow that approach as another experiment. Some more results of eliminating the problem foods in the results for those already having done them, and if there's a definite trend of improvements, etc. will be interesting to know about (also it needs to be done in a consistent way, I guess for reliable trends to show). Time will tell, I guess.

 

[Rhythmik]

I was going to wait a while to report in but I've had some relatively intense effects. I've only taken it for 2 days (2 drops of 5%). I was starting to feel some flu-like symptoms before I started so not sure if the iodine has just exacerbated it, but the the first 24 hrs I had a HUGE amount of mucus exiting (nose and lungs). My main problem though is I can't sleep! My whole body is extremely sore, but mostly in my back. My nights are very restless and I can't sleep for more than 1-2 hours at a time. My train of thought are also very strange. It's almost like I'm in a dream state but not really because I'm still awake, and I'm bouncing between clear thoughts and a confusing depression. Also I have zero desire to smoke and I've completely lost my appetite.

I've been taking salt water, vit C, selenium, magnesium. I will go purchase the other cofactors asap. Is there anything specific that can help me sleep? Because I'm not sure if I should continue with the iodine or take a break, I just don't want it to negatively affect my daily life.

 

[Lilou]

I would advise to discontinue the iodine, Rhythmik and since vitamin C is an antidote, drink several grams to counteract the effects. Maybe as much as 4-5 grams or until your stomach rumbles. Were you taking 2 drops per day of the 5% Lugol's? Or you took 2 drops total over 2 days?

Some people have experienced very startling reactions with just small amounts. Sorry to hear you can't sleep and hope it passes soon.

 

[Rhythmik]

Thank you Lilou, I believe I took 1 drop the first day and 2 drops the second day (close to 0.05ml)

 

[Konstantin]

I was going to wait a while to report in but I've had some relatively intense effects. I've only taken it for 2 days (2 drops of 5%). I was starting to feel some flu-like symptoms before I started so not sure if the iodine has just exacerbated it, but the the first 24 hrs I had a HUGE amount of mucus exiting (nose and lungs). My main problem though is I can't sleep! My whole body is extremely sore, but mostly in my back. My nights are very restless and I can't sleep for more than 1-2 hours at a time. My train of thought are also very strange. It's almost like I'm in a dream state but not really because I'm still awake, and I'm bouncing between clear thoughts and a confusing depression. Also I have zero desire to smoke and I've completely lost my appetite.

I've been taking salt water, vit C, selenium, magnesium. I will go purchase the other cofactors asap. Is there anything specific that can help me sleep? Because I'm not sure if I should continue with the iodine or take a break, I just don't want it to negatively affect my daily life.

I have the simmilar intense reaction with only few drops of iodine too. So,as other have suggested , just stop the iodine and continue with co-factors. Even that tiny quantity of iodine is too much for your system in the moment. After everything sets down try very low dosages. You will be fine. Just take it easy. Take care