Iodine and Potassium Iodide

[Yas]

I think my symptoms are from a virus now. Later on that day I had throat swelling and flu symptoms. My right neck, around the throat, was really tender and it hurt if I touched it. ... And the whole thing felt just like a bad flu for me (anyway, sometimes it's kind of hard to distinguish between herx and flu).

I don't know if this sounds crazy, but...

What if flu symptoms and Herxheimer reactions are similar because they are actually the same thing? Is it possible that flu symptoms are actually a Herx reaction, and that when the body fights the cells with flu virus, the immune reaction is detoxing those cells?

Well, yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking after I posted. I know Herxheimer's reactions are basically the die-off caused by a cleansing or detoxing, while the Flu symptoms are also due to the battle happening inside and the die-off but I guess it's different because it's caused by the virus and the normal immune reaction to it, as well as the things the virus itself does to the body (because, from what I understand so far, microbes can trigger specific immune responses that are convenient to them, like coughing for a virus that is airborne and so on...) So, yeah, it's similar but different. OSIT. :P

 

[Persej]

I realized that Amazon's Potassium iodide, high purity crystals 100 grams is for lab or scientific use only, not for food or drug use.
So I have to look for other place for better product that use for food and drug.

You do not seem to understand "legal language". Pure and safe chemicals may be labeled "not for food or drug use" because the seller/manufacturer does not want the legal liability. For example, just TRY to buy DMSO for human use! You will fail! ALL DMSO has warnings against human use! DMSO is only sold as a "solvent", even the DMSO sold as a cream and in a roller ball dispenser.

Even if your KI crystals have some percent of sodium or other trace impurities, you still get the important effects of getting iodide. Why would someone get so concerned about trivial stuff?

I managed to buy Lugol's in local pharmacy but it is not written how much % it has. Probably because it is not planed for human consumption. One lady thought that I will be using it for microscope. So how safe it is to drink it? I would take just one drop.

I plan to buy something more credible from the internet but it will take at least three weeks to get here so I wanted to start with something in the meantime.

 

[Lilou]

I watched an interview with Dr. Brownstein, he said it was the chloride in salt (sodium chloride) that binds to and carries the bromide and fluoride out of the body. The sodium (I think) helps support the sodium iodide symporter system, which is how the body utilizes Potassium Iodide, whereas the iodine is directly absorbed.

I just got my Brownstein book, but haven't read all the details yet.

 

[Divide by Zero]

I watched an interview with Dr. Brownstein, he said it was the chloride in salt (sodium chloride) that binds to and carries the bromide and fluoride out of the body. The sodium (I think) helps support the sodium iodide symporter system, which is how the body utilizes Potassium Iodide, whereas the iodine is directly absorbed.

I just got my Brownstein book, but haven't read all the details yet.

Interesting. I looked up Iodine, Bromine, and Flourine to see what their stable molecular forms are.

Since they are trying to fill up the 1 electron lacking in the outer valence, the natural form is to bond with another molecule of same:
I2
Br2
F2
In solutions they break down as follows:
I2 => 2 I-
Br2 => 2 Br-
F => 2 F-

In order of reactivity of the Halogens we have:
1) F
2) Cl
3) Br
4) I

So, the most reactive being Fluorine, which is probably the most difficult to get rid of. Bromine is less reactive than Chlorine, so the salt helps a lot there!

 

[hlat]

An iodine loading urine test may be available from a doctor south of Asheville, NC.

http://healyourselfathome.com/HOW/NEWSTARTS/1_NUTRITION/MINERALS/IODINE/HOW_TO_SUPPLEMENT/how_to_supplement_iodine.aspx

Iodine-loading, 24-hour Urine test
♦ The concept of this test - is that the normally functioning human body has a mechanism to retain ingested iodine until whole body sufficiency for iodine is achieved.
- An iodine-sufficient person - should eliminate 90% or more of an ingested amount of iodine in the urine over a 24-hour period.
- An iodine-deficient person - will tend to hold onto an ingested amount of iodine if they do not have an optimal amount of body-iodine, and a smaller amount will be found in the urine during the 24-hour collection period.

♦ Method:
(1) Empty bladder
(2) Ingest 50 mg of iodine/iodide
(3) Measure total urine for 24 hours and send urine sample to a laboratory to be tested for iodine content.

Most people can just assume they are iodine deficient, simply start iodine supplementation and not bother with the test.

For those who are interested, Dr. Flechas (828-684-3233) offers the iodine-loading test for ~$75 at www.helpmythyroid.com/iodine.htm

http://www.helpmythyroid.com/iodine.htm

Jorge D. Flechas, M.D.
#80 Doctors Drive Suite 3
Hendersonville, NC 28792
Office: (828) 684-3233
Fax: (828) 684-3253
Email: _ffp_lab@yahoo.com

 

[wattsup]

Hi, here is my "cook book" recipe

I'm on my 5th day.

Total products intake by day:

- Celtic Sea 3 tablespoons

Excuse me, but it has been said so many times, what part of 1 teaspoon a day do you not understand? WOOPS, sorry, typo error! 1 tablespoon per dose

- Lugol's 5% 50mg
- Vitamin C 4g

Why so high on both the lugol's and the Vite C? Do you have a chronic or acute condition? Yes, chronic fatigue, brain fog, memory problem

- Selenium 100mcg
- 500 mg of magnesium
- MSM 1000mg, helping me to get less joints problem

Why don't you hold back on something like MSM so as to see what the other supps might do? Will stop MSM to see, thanks for the advise!

3am- 1 tablespoon Celtic Sea Salt in water. (I use my coffee machine to make my water warm)
6.5am: breakfast.
9.5am: Lugol's 4 drops, selenium 100mcg, I cut the pill in 2 because I had to much energy on by taking a 200 mcg dose.
10am: vitamin C 2g
12noon: 1 tablespoon Celtic Sea Salt in warm water.
1pm: lunch
3pm: Lugols, 4 drops.
1 to 2 hour nap.
5pm: vitamin C 2g.
6.5pm: 1 tablespoon Celtic Sea Salt in warm water.
7pm: dinner. 1000 mg MSM
10pm: magnesium.

Upon starting, with 100mcg of selenium, I was not able to get to sleep. Last saturday to sunday I slept only 2hrs. My body was like shaking inside of me. By cutting the selenium by half, made it better for me.

Lot's of neck pain as I can barely look back without it hurting. In order to help for my neck pain,
I've added MSM. Will keep you update if it works. Brain fog moderate to heavy.

I have fatigue as I cannot sleep more than 4 hours strait. Been like that for the last 10 years. That's why I've included the nap part in my list here. With my protocole, I see an increase of productivity but still have to take my afternoon nap.

Is there someone that knows a procedure for attenuating brain fog?

Have you been keeping up with the thread??? Yes, have read it but, since English is not my first language, I may not got it exactly correct.

Thanks Laura, your help is much appreciated!

 

[Laura]

Laura:

Excuse me, but it has been said so many times, what part of 1 teaspoon a day do you not understand?

Wattsup:

WOOPS, sorry, typo error! 1 tablespoon per dose

That's still TOO MUCH.

A teaspoon is about 5 grams and that's the total for the day that you should take at maximum! Brownstein recommends dividing it into two doses of 1/3 to 1/2 tsp. per dose. I just take one dose a day so I put it all in one.

But a TABLEspoon (a precise measure in the US) is TOO MUCH. It is 14 to15 grams.

 

[wattsup]

Laura:

Excuse me, but it has been said so many times, what part of 1 teaspoon a day do you not understand?

Wattsup:

WOOPS, sorry, typo error! 1 tablespoon per dose

That's still TOO MUCH.

A teaspoon is about 5 grams and that's the total for the day that you should take at maximum! Brownstein recommends dividing it into two doses of 1/3 to 1/2 tsp. per dose. I just take one dose a day so I put it all in one.

But a TABLEspoon (a precise measure in the US) is TOO MUCH. It is 14 to15 grams.

Will do, I just saw that while keeping up with this thread... Thanks again Laura.

 

[T.C.]

I realized that Amazon's Potassium iodide, high purity crystals 100 grams is for lab or scientific use only, not for food or drug use.
So I have to look for other place for better product that use for food and drug.

You do not seem to understand "legal language". Pure and safe chemicals may be labeled "not for food or drug use" because the seller/manufacturer does not want the legal liability. For example, just TRY to buy DMSO for human use! You will fail! ALL DMSO has warnings against human use! DMSO is only sold as a "solvent", even the DMSO sold as a cream and in a roller ball dispenser.

Even if your KI crystals have some percent of sodium or other trace impurities, you still get the important effects of getting iodide. Why would someone get so concerned about trivial stuff?

I managed to buy Lugol's in local pharmacy but it is not written how much % it has. Probably because it is not planed for human consumption. One lady thought that I will be using it for microscope. So how safe it is to drink it? I would take just one drop.

I plan to buy something more credible from the internet but it will take at least three weeks to get here so I wanted to start with something in the meantime.

Well, as long as it actually is Lugols, I haven't seen a percentage higher than 15%. So one drop should be fine as long as - at the bare minimum - you have your natural salt to take with. Do you have some vit C, NAC, ALA, other detoxing supplements? You'll want to get some selenium to take with it to prevent/mitigate any negative effects on the thyroid, too.

If you've read the thread, you'll know what symptoms to be looking out for as you start to detox, so just up the dose gradually.

 

[T.C.]

For those who may need SSKI, here's a tutorial on how to make it:

Part 1 _https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwOI2_Kg5IU

Part 2 _https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdrazIr5frI

Quite a funny guy, actually :)

 

[Woodsman]

I've been at this for 3 days now.

1/2 tsp salt, then 5 drops 5% Lugol's.

I began while still experiencing a mild sore throat and head ache from some other malady. Flu season, I suppose.

I didn't notice any change, but I suspect I screwed up the dosing; I was including Vitamin C with the salted water, and took the Lugol's shortly afterwards. So.., pretty much was just drinking salty water for no reason. (I didn't read the forum thread thoroughly before beginning.)

Day 3, got it right. (Drank salt water first, no Vit C, then took the Lugol's about half an hour later with food.)

The immediate effect was that I went to bed an hour later, still with a lingering head ache, slept deeply and woke up feeling profoundly well rested. I never (or rarely) feel that well rested and at peace body-wise upon waking. I don't know if it was the iodine, or the fact that my head was pain-free for the first time in a couple of days. Either way, it was quite noticeable.

Beyond that.., I've not noticed anything really new.

I suspect I'll know more in another week or so.

I'm going to keep the dosage the same, at 12 mg per day.

 

[T.C.]

Looking into Iodine's role in protecting against BPA and phthalates.

Found this nice little paper: _http://www.healingpathwaysmedical.com/docs/Iodine_Lecture.pdf

Xenoestrogens are a common occurrence due to plastics, pesticides, etc. Iodine aleviates.

Then, this paper:

_http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/1103582/

Relationship between Urinary Phthalate and Bisphenol A Concentrations and Serum Thyroid Measures in U.S. Adults and Adolescents from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2008

John D. Meeker, Kelly K. Ferguson

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Environ Health Perspect 119:1396-1402 (2011). http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1103582 [online 11 July 2011]

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Abstract

Background: Limited animal, in vitro, and human studies have reported that exposure to phthalates or bisphenol A (BPA) may affect thyroid signaling.

Objective: We explored the cross-sectional relationship between urinary concentrations of metabolites of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and BPA with a panel of serum thyroid measures among a representative sample of U.S. adults and adolescents.

Methods: We analyzed data on urinary biomarkers of exposure to phthalates and BPA, serum thyroid measures, and important covariates from 1,346 adults (ages ≥ 20 years) and 329 adolescents (ages 12–19 years) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2008 using multivariable linear regression.

Results: Among adults, we observed significant inverse relationships between urinary DEHP metabolites and total thyroxine (T4), free T4, total triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroglobulin, and positive relationships with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). The strongest and most consistent relationships involved total T4, where adjusted regression coefficients for quintiles of oxidative DEHP metabolites displayed monotonic dose-dependent decreases in total T4 (p-value for trend < 0.0001). Suggestive inverse relationships between urinary BPA and total T4 and TSH were also observed. Conversely, among adolescents, we observed significant positive relationships between DEHP metabolites and total T3. Mono(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate, a secondary metabolite of both DBP and di-n-octyl phthalate, was associated with several thyroid measures in both age groups, whereas other DBP metabolites were not associated with thyroid measures.

Conclusions: These results support previous reports of associations between phthalates—and possibly BPA—and altered thyroid hormones. More detailed studies are needed to determine the temporal relationships and potential clinical and public health implications of these associations.

Key words: biomarkers, epidemiology, exposure, population, risk

So there's an inverse relationship between levels of thyroid hormone and levels of BPA, phthalates, etc. I'm wondering if the glands and cells are saturated with iodine, whether there's nowhere for these EED's to bind to.

It'd be a great advantage if we have to eat tinned food and plastic bottled water at some point. Backs up iodines anti-cancer properties, from another angle, too.

 

[Persej]

Well, as long as it actually is Lugols, I haven't seen a percentage higher than 15%.

It looks and smells like iodine, and it is written Lugol's so I guess it most probably is. :)
And as you say the 15% is the maximum that I could find and that was my main concern.

So one drop should be fine as long as - at the bare minimum - you have your natural salt to take with. Do you have some vit C, NAC, ALA, other detoxing supplements? You'll want to get some selenium to take with it to prevent/mitigate any negative effects on the thyroid, too.

I'm taking salt water (himalayan) for couple of days now. I have selenium, vitamin c, magnesium, b vitamins, and plan to get silymarin. I'm also thinking to maybe buy this: http://www.select-milk.com/en/products/goat-whey

In my country it is very popular for liver problems. My cousin who was heavy alcoholic cured his jaundice with cow whey.

If you've read the thread, you'll know what symptoms to be looking out for as you start to detox, so just up the dose gradually.

Yes, I'm reading this thread every day. The main problem as I can see is that some people start with too much or increase the dose too soon. I will go slowly.

 

[Bo]

I will be starting as of today. I am gonna go slowly and build up overtime.

Week 1: 1 drop (6,25mg / 5% lugol)
Week 2: 2 drop

I will go on like this until I find what I believe would be the best dose for myself. Supplements I will use are (NAC, Vitc-yes vitc 2hours after lugols-, Magnesium) and obviously salt water.

A small update, I am on my 3rd day and had a running nose/flu like symptoms on the second day. I have to say though that when starting the first drop, I already had a mild sore throat, but that sore throat cleared up very quickly after 1 drop of lugol, though in effect it seemed to trigger a runny nose.

In any case on this 3rd day the runny nose seems to have stopped, though i still feel a bit 'sickish/tired/irritated' but everything is quite managble atleast. Will continue with 1 drop daily until a week has passed and then move on to 2 drops daily.

 

[Laura]

I will be starting as of today. I am gonna go slowly and build up overtime.

Week 1: 1 drop (6,25mg / 5% lugol)
Week 2: 2 drop

I will go on like this until I find what I believe would be the best dose for myself. Supplements I will use are (NAC, Vitc-yes vitc 2hours after lugols-, Magnesium) and obviously salt water.

A small update, I am on my 3rd day and had a running nose/flu like symptoms on the second day. I have to say though that when starting the first drop, I already had a mild sore throat, but that sore throat cleared up very quickly after 1 drop of lugol, though in effect it seemed to trigger a runny nose.

In any case on this 3rd day the runny nose seems to have stopped, though i still feel a bit 'sickish/tired/irritated' but everything is quite managble atleast. Will continue with 1 drop daily until a week has passed and then move on to 2 drops daily.

Most guys with no overt problems probably shouldn't go higher than two drops. And take a day or two off each week.