Clinical Experience With Inorganic Non-Radioactive Iodine/Iodide
by David Brownstein
I have been interested in iodine supplementation for years. I have a holistic family practice in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Michigan resides in the Goiter Belt of the United States where the soil is deficient in iodine. Although I long suspected iodine deficiency in many of my patients, my initial uses of potassium iodide gave suboptimal results. Some patients did improve, but many did not notice any appreciable improvement. This article was written to assist the reader in implementing orthoiodosupplementation in their practice. This article will be divided into 2 parts: Part I will describe a doctor’s (your author) introduction and education about the clinical uses of iodine while Part 2 of this article will give the reader ‘clinical pearls’ about how to integrate and use iodine in their practice. Part I: A Doctor’s Introduction and Education about the Clinical Uses of Iodine. Approximately one and a half years ago, I read a letter to the editor in the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients titled "Iodine Supplementation Markedly Increases Urinary Excretion of Fluoride and Bromide". In this letter, Dr. Guy Abraham described the iodine/iodide loading test and its value at assessing whole body sufficiency for iodine. In addition, the article describes the detoxification effects of the toxic halogens, bromide and fluoride when iodine is in the orthoiodosupplementation range. I was intrigued at the idea of not only measuring body iodine levels but using a combination of iodine and iodide rather than using iodide alone. This started me on a long journey of researching and learning all that I could about iodine deficiency and iodine supplementation. Dr. Abraham was instrumental in teaching me about iodine.
One and a half years ago, I began testing my patients for the loading test. Although I expected lowered body iodine levels, I was not ready for the magnitude of the results. After testing over 500 patients, I found that 94.7% of my patients are deficient in inorganic iodine. Many of these patients were already being treated by me for thyroid and other endocrine imbalances, including SSKI. When physiologic doses of iodine/iodide were added to their regimen, many of these patients showed dramatic improvement in their condition, especially patients who were non-responders, even though some were taking SSKI. The illnesses that iodine/iodide has helped are many. These conditions include Fibromyalgia, thyroid disorders, chronic fatigue immune deficiency syndrome, autoimmune disorders as well as cancer. Most patients who are deficient in iodine will respond positively to iodine supplementation. In fact, I have come to the conclusion that iodine deficiency sets up the immune system to malfunction which can lead to many of the above disorders developing. Every patient could benefit from a thorough evaluation of their iodine levels. Iodine deficiency is often thought of as synonymous with thyroid malfunction, particularly with the development of goiter. The research is clear that iodine deficiency can lead to cysts and nodules of the thyroid gland. David Marine reported the benefits of treating school-aged children with iodine/iodide (Lugol’s solution) nearly 70 years ago. Marine looked at two groups: a control group and a treatment group, which received 9mg/day of iodine/iodide. The iodine/iodide treatment group had a 0.2% incidence of goiter while the control group had a 22% goiter – a 110x difference. This was the first U.S. iodine study showing the decline of goiter formation with the use of iodine. Shortly after this study, iodized salt was initiated which was a great success in eliminating goiter in the U.S. In medical school, little was taught about iodine. Specifically, we were taught that the iodization of salt was implemented to prevent goiter and therefore no further iodine was necessary in the diet. After studying the literature on iodine, I realized what I was taught in medical school was incorrect. The iodization of salt was adequate to lessen the prevalence of goiter, but it did not address the rest of the body’s need for iodine.
When I began testing my patients for iodine levels, I was amazed at the prevalence of iodine deficiency. As previously stated, 94.7% of my patients have tested low for iodine. I have noticed those patients with chronic illnesses, from autoimmune disorders to cancer, often have lower iodine levels as compared to relatively healthy patients. I was initially hesitant to use higher (>1mg) doses of iodine due to my concern about causing adverse effects. In reviewing much of the literature there was concern about larger doses of iodine causing hyperthyroid symptoms. However, a further, more exhaustive review of the literature failed to prove that iodine, in milligram doses ever was shown to cause hyperthyroid symptoms. In fact, as iodine levels have fallen over 50% in the last 30 years in the United States, autoimmune disorders and hyperthyroid symptoms have been increasing at near epidemic proportions. After testing individuals and finding low iodine levels, I began to use smaller milligram amounts of iodine/iodide (6.25mg/day). Upon retesting these individuals 1–2 months later, little progress was made. I therefore began using higher milligram doses (6.25–50mg) to increase the serum levels of iodine. It was only with these higher doses that I began to see clinical improvement as well as positive changes in the laboratory tests. Why would people need the larger doses of iodine? Why have iodine levels fallen 50% in the last 30 years? As I pondered these questions, I came to the conclusion that the toxicity of modern life must be impacting iodine levels. It is well known that the toxic halides, fluoride and bromide, having a similar structure as iodine, can competitively inhibit iodine absorption and binding in the body. November 4, 2010 © Copyright 2010 Optimox
|
