by Paul Fassa
Health Impact News

The importance of iodine supplementation is a topic found in the alternative health media, mostly to regulate thyroid activity.

But the importance of iodine for other organs and its function as a disease fighter and preventive are not well known. The fact is that all our cells use iodine for optimum functioning.

While more are beginning to realize the importance of iodine for proper thyroid function and protecting the thyroid against radioactive iodine-131 from nuclear bomb testing and nuclear plant disasters such as the most recent Fukushima catastrophe, the importance of iodine supplementation is underestimated nutritionally and medically, while iodine fears, are greatly exaggerated.

Dr. Guy Abraham, the national father of higher dosage iodine calls such fears about iodine “idophobia”.

Using High Dose Iodine with Severe Diabetes Patients

Dr. Jorge Flechas, MD, is a primary care physician who specializes in high dose iodine therapy (orthoiodosupplementation), something only a very few doctors understand as applicable for many disease situations.

Dr. Flechas facetiously calls the Appalachian Mountain area near Ashville, NC, the goiter belt because there are so many hypothyroid (insufficient thyroid functioning) and goiter cases within that population.

He reported on an ER case who became his patient and part of an iodine for diabetes human trial:

“It was while treating a large 320-pound woman with insulin dependent diabetes that we learned a valuable lesson regarding the role of iodine in hormone receptor function,” Dr. Flechas wrote.

Her random blood sugar levels were at 1,380 mg/dl. She was hospitalized and started on insulin and instructed to follow her glucometer readings.

She was also put on a more suitable diet for diabetes and prescribed a regimen of 50 mg of iodine daily.

Four weeks later her glucometer readings were at 98, and she had quit all of her diabetes medications, including the insulin.

Two years later and 70 pounds lighter that woman was still maintaining excellent glucose readings with her daily high dose supplement of 50 mg of iodine. Since that case, he and his staff treated twelve diabetics using high dose Iodoral (brand name) potassium/iodide tablets at 12.5 mg each.

Six of them were able to completely wean off pharmaceutical diabetes medications and still be able to maintain a hemoglobin A1C of less than 5.8 with the average random blood sugar of less than 100. To this date these patients continue to have excellent control of their Type II diabetes.

The others improved and managed their diabetes with less pharmaceuticals or just one. His additional diabetes 1 patient cut insulin intake more than half from using iodine supplementation within a few weeks.  (Source)

Iodine’s ability to revive hormonal sensitivity back to normal significantly improves insulin sensitivity and balances other hormones. Dr. Flechas’s therapy for diabetics ranged from 12.5 to 50 milligrams during his studies. He went higher, up to 100 mg for some cases, among others with similar health complications after the trial of high dose iodine therapy for the 12 diabetics.

Nascent iodine is also used among some holistic doctors and naturopaths. It offers the atomic version of elemental iodine, which some consider more able to saturate cells without conversion or transport mechanisms that iodide, a salt version of iodine, require.

Reasons for Needing More Than the RDA of Iodine Supplementation

Most people are not getting enough iodine in their diet. The government recommended RDA is barely enough to prevent goiter.

Apparently most commercial table salt is no longer iodized, and hypothyroidism is constantly increasing and causing several other health issues regarding the endocrine system.

Chlorine, fluoride, and bromine are all in the same family as iodine, and tend to displace iodine in your thyroid gland. Chlorine used to eliminate most pathogens from drinking water was increased during the Bush Jr. Administration. Most of our nation’s tap water is also fluoridated.

Some time ago, iodine was used for baking bread. Now it is not. Instead, bromine is used. Read the labels to determine if your purchased baked goods are unbrominated or do not contain bromine or bromides. Look hard and close because that’s rare.

Dr. Brownstein recommends 12.5 milligrams (mg) on a regular basis. His mentor, Dr. Guy Abraham, an endocrinologist and professor at the University of Southern California started this whole approach to increasing iodine supplementation with his Iodine Project and Orthoiodosupplementation, very likely the inspiration for Dr. Flechas.

Pioneer natural and functional medicine clinical practitioner Dr. Jonathon Wright uses iodine therapy for thyroid issues and other medical problems, especially breast cancer treatment and prevention.

In an inteview by Dr. Joseph Mercola, Dr. Wright stated:

There’s a fairly careful study showing that the thyroid gland does not start to downregulate until we get to 14 or 14.5 milligrams of total iodine and iodide. This is probably why Dr. Abraham first, and then others, have designed both liquids and tablets that come out with 12 or 12.5 mg.

Oddly enough, in 1829, Dr. Lugol put together a combination of iodine and iodide. Two drops of that stuff equals exactly to 12.5 milligrams. How did Dr. Lugol know? We don’t know. But it works so well for people ever since 1829 that it’s still available (with a prescription) as Lugol’s iodine…

Usually, in my practice, I’ll say, ‘One drop of Lugol’s, which is six milligrams; six and a quarter.’ Or for the guys, who don’t have as much massive breast tissue, let’s stay with three milligrams. [To] prevent cancer, I want more than three milligrams for the ladies. (Source)

Caveat: Keep in mind that the RDA for iodine is 150 mcg (micograms) while these and other doctors are using measurments in milligrams (mgs) which is a huge difference.

Therapeutic high amounts of iodine can be obtained from SSKI (super saturated potassium iodide). There is the possibility of overdosing if not monitored by a qualified holistic medical practitioner.

It’s wise to be on the alert of some symptoms or overdosing, although consequences of overdoing iodine dosing are easily dissipated after stopping or lowering the dosage.

According to nutritional pharmacist Ben Fuchs:

Iodine improves insulin response. All the cells in the body use iodine. [But] You can take too much iodine!

A 130 milligram [mg not microgram or mcg] daily dose is a lot and one probably shouldn’t be on that much iodine for much more than a month, although I must stress this is still guesswork.

If you do take high concentrations of iodine, be vigilant for any unusual symptomology. Hyperthyroidism (oily or sweaty skin, high blood pressure, heart palpitations, jitteriness, bulging eyes are some symptoms). (Source)

Excess iodine can also cause symptoms such as pain in your mouth or throat or a metallic taste in your mouth, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and difficulty urinating.

But all practitioners who administer higher doses of iodine therapeutically say these conditions are rare and are quickly ameliorated by reducing the dosage or stopping for a short while and resuming at more moderate supplemental doses.