Nowadays, emphasis is placed on the harmfulness of iodine because it’s cheap and unprofitable for pharmaceutical companies. Its historic application as a universal medicine has purposely been forgotten.
When I was a young student, iodine and potassium iodine were a universal medicine. Nobody knew how they worked, but we knew it worked exceptionally well.
-Dr Albert Szent Gyorgyi (Nobel laureate who discovered Vitamin C)
Lugol’s iodine is a solution of potassium iodide with iodine in water. It was originally created by Jean Guillaume Auguste Lugol in 1829.
Lugol’s consists of 10 parts potassium iodine to 5 parts iodine to 85 parts distilled water, and proved to be a broad-spectrum anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal remedy. It was a “universal medicine” up until pharmaceutical antibiotics were developed in the middle of the 20th century.
Iodine was once considered to be such an important element that it was added to bread dough.
Lugol’s iodine has been proven to be effective for a myriad of purposes:
1. Balances hormones
Iodine is a mineral that is required for the body to be able to achieve and maintain hormone balance. It’s found in every cell in our bodies, and is especially concentrated in our endocrine glands. It’s best known for its role in proper thyroid hormone production. Signs of a poor functioning thyroid include facial puffiness, dry skin, cold extremities, thick tongue, constipation, loss of hair, weight gain, fatigue and slow reflexes. However, iodine isn’t only beneficial for thyroid health.
Iodine is anti-estrogenic, which is beneficial for both men and women. Both sexes suffer consequences from excess estrogen. In women, iodine can prevent and help treat breast diseases and prevent or help remedy other issues with the reproductive system.
Imbalanced female hormones can cause depression, irregular periods, infertility, premature menopause and more.
Excess estrogen in men can lead to male breast development and erectile dysfunction. Iodine helps remedy this problem because it is an aromatase inhibitor. Aromatase is the enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen.
Unfortunately, there are far too many estrogenic, endocrine-disrupting compounds in our modern environment. Scientists have shown that industrial waste, plastics, and pesticides mimic the female hormone in our bodies (study). You can stay away from eating soy products and still be at risk of developing hormonal imbalance due to the air you breathe, the water you drink and even the clothes you wear.
2. Antibiotic
Iodine was prescribed as a broad-spectrum antibiotic until pharmaceutical antibiotics were created. It works without harming the good gut bacteria, so it doesn’t weaken the immune system.
It is particularly useful against food poisoning.
Iodine is the best antibiotic, anti-virus and antiseptic agent of all time.
-Dr David Derry (Endocrinologist)
I had the seasonal flu this year and was fully recovered in less than five days thanks to Lugol’s iodine. I was taking over 24+ drops of Lugol’s 5% per day.
People used to use it to kill parasites, bacteria, viruses and fungi, and cure bladder infections.
3. Raises IQ
Iodine has been proven to raise IQ. I noticed that I could perform more more complex equations in my head, something that I could not do before I had begun supplementing iodine.
In other words, Iodine can ensure your mind is firing on all cylinders and facilitating a more accurate, comprehensive perception of reality.
This is most likely due to the fact it eliminates fluoride and metals which dumb us down.
It’s not that it makes you “smarter”, it makes you closer to the being you were meant to be.
4. Detoxifies Halogens and Heavy Metals
One of the main reasons everyone is so deficient in iodine is due to the fact that there are toxic halogens in our environment, as well as goitrogenic foods and over-farmed soils. There is Fluoride in public drinking water and medications such as antidepressants, antibiotics, cholesterol lowering drugs, chemotherapy drugs, antihistamines, anti-fungals, and even anaesthesia.
Fluoride, chlorine and bromine are toxic in themselves, but are also highly detrimental because they tend to block your body’s iodine receptors and prevent your body from absorbing the iodine it needs. Bromide is added to bread these days. Chlorine is also added to public drinking water for “sanitization” purposes. Iodine is a non-toxic halogen that is required for optimal health.
Iodine helps remove toxic metals such as mercury and aluminium, which are also in our environment and cause debilitating health problems. For starters, excess aluminium has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease (study). Iodine can prevent and improve cases of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Heavy metals are considered to be one of the primary causes of autoimmune disease.
Supplementing iodine can help detoxify these harmful halogens and metals from your system that most people in the modern world are constantly exposed to.
It is the best way to remove fluoride, bromine, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum and lead from your system.
5. Cancer Prevention
The Japanese have among the lowest cancer rates in the world and they consume on average 13 milligrams of iodine per day.
There is a correlation between low iodine intake and prostate, stomach, and breast cancer. (study),
- Using breast cancer cells (MCF-7 cells), researchers demonstrated that Lugol’s solution (5% iodine) affected 43 genes involved in cell cycle growth, proliferation, and differentiation.
- The link between gastric cancers and areas of endemic goiter dates back to the 1920’s.
- Countries with high iodine intake have much lower rates of prostate cancer compared to countries that have low iodine intake.
6. Stifles the Most Common Causes of Premature Death
Heart disease and diabetes are among the deadliest of human diseases, and iodine has been prove to help treat and prevent both.
It helps in dissolving plaque in the arteries, helping prevent heart attacks and strokes, and alleviates other problems linked to atherosclerosis.
Iodine is not only good for the cardiovascular system, it is crucial. Sufficient iodine is needed for a stable rhythmic heart beat. Iodine, directly or indirectly, can normalize serum cholesterol levels and normalize blood pressure. (source)
It also attaches to insulin receptors and improves glucose metabolism, which prevents the lifestyle-induced Type 2 diabetes.
Dr. George Flechas has found that iodine can reduce the need for insulin in diabetic patients, using 50 to 100 mg of iodine per day. Of 12 patients, 6 were able to completely come off their medications with random glucose readings below 100 mg/dl and a HbA1c less than 5.8 (normal), and the other 6 were able to reduce the amount and/or number of medications needed to control their diabetes. (source)
7. Vital for Pregnancy
An iodine deficiency during pregnancy can lead to severe mental retardation, ADHD, depression and dwarfism. It is required for the proper development of the child.
How to Use
We know iodine is important, but no one can give a straight answer when it comes to actually taking iodine as a supplement. Since doctors no longer recommend Lugol’s Iodine, we’re left with a few books, Google, and health forums to figure it out.
“Supplementation with high doses of iodine may be the safest, easiest, most efficient, and also an inexpensive way to push through a health crisis affecting the nation”
Dr. Guy Abraham, an endocrinologist and researcher dedicated to exploring the health benefits of iodine.”
I used to supplement high doses of Lugol’s iodine every day. I was taking 100 mg per day with 200 mcg of selenium, vitamin C, magnesium and B Vitamins, which is referred to as “The Iodine Protocol.” These companion nutrients help with the detoxification process and supposedly make sure the body is making best use of the Iodine.
In my personal case, this protocol helped fix what I believe to be a mild, undiagnosed case of hypothyroidism.
However, I don’t like the idea of taking what feels like a medicine cabinet’s worth of pills and tinctures everyday. High doses of iodine and those companion nutrients are not necessary unless you have severe health issues. If you do have severe health issues, you should be working with a medical expert who is competent when it comes to using iodine.
Excess Selenium has been shown to increase the risk of prostate cancer. (source) I’ve written another article about supplements that you should avoid HERE
Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
-Mark Twain
If you are eating a nutrient-dense diet, you don’t need to supplement selenium, magnesium, vitamin C or B vitamins.
Iodine, however, is much more difficult to obtain from diet alone these days and is an essential element for human health. Some researchers say that the introduction of seafood into the diet allowed the human brain to evolve to its current size. (source)
Even though salt is iodized, the quantities it contains are not enough to prevent many diseases, and the form of iodine it contains can’t be fully used by the body, which is why iodine supplementation is typically required, unless you regularly consume seafood and sea vegetables.
Dr. Jarvis, who was a naturopathic doctor from Vermont, had a sane, reasonable method of using iodine for general health maintenance/prevention which he outlines in his book, Folk Medicine.
If you would like to purchase this book, click HERE
Dr. Jarvis’ method is to take Lugol’s 5% iodine twice per week, every week. If you are under 150 pounds, take 1 drop twice per week. If you are over 150 pounds, take 2 drops twice per week. It should be consumed with two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to enhance absorption. Honey can be added if desired.
If you are going through a stressful period of overwork, take that dose, which is dependent on your weight, every day until the stressful times are over.
If you have a child that can’t sit still and concentrate, give him or her 1 drop of Lugol’s in water whenever necessary.
That’s pretty much all Dr. Jarvis says about iodine, and that’s what I do now.
If I’m sick or have food poisoning every now and then, I’ll take much higher doses for short periods of time until I feel better.
Lugol’s Iodine is not a silver bullet to health, but it is definitely a tool that everyone should have in their arsenal. (if you are not allergic, obviously).
If you would like to purchase a bottle of J. Crow’s, the highest quality Lugol’s Iodine, click HERE.