Everything You Need to Know About Iodine
Cancer-Fighting Mineral Is Almost Totally Ignored
A Michigan doctor finds that nearly 100 percent of the patients he tests are deficient in a particular mineral.
This mineral is one everyone has heard of — and you probably think you get plenty from your food. The fact is, most of us don’t. And the lack of this vital nutrient is definitely a cause of breast cancer and breast cysts. It’s very likely a cause of prostate cancer, too — and probably a factor in many other types of cancer.
This mineral kills off breast cancer cells without killing off normal cells in the process. It’s ideal for both the treatment AND the prevention of breast cancer.
In fact, keep reading and I’ll tell you about a woman with late-stage breast cancer who saw her tumors disintegrate in less than four weeks thanks to this mineral. Opponents of alternative medicine have a fit when they see a story like this. They call it quackery. I’ll wear the “quack” label with pride.
Amazing non-toxic liquid kills cancer cells
“If I could pick only one treatment to cure my cancer, this would be it,” says a top expert on alternative cancer treatments. It’s one of the world’s most powerful cancer cures, according to research by a scientist at the Detroit Institute of Cancer Research. And you can do it yourself, at home, without a prescription!
Even the mainstream National Cancer Institute has confirmed this treatment’s ability to kill cancer cells. As far as I’m concerned, the real-life experiences of scores of patients are even more impressive. A 54-year-old terminal patient named Robert totally got rid of his cancer in six months. Another patient named Arch was told he had only a 15% chance to live. He’s still alive three years later with “no evidence of cancer in repeated CAT scans.”
No cancer treatment works for everybody — I always feel obliged to remind people. But this is one everybody should know about and check out.
This mineral prevents shocking health problems
When breast tissue cells don’t contain enough of this mineral, they are more likely to be abnormal, precancerous, or cancerous.
But lack of this mineral causes more problems than cancer — lots more. It’s probably the world’s number one preventable cause of mental retardation. That’s according to the UN’s World Health Organization — and they’re not exactly a friend of alternative medicine.
Deficiency in this mineral is also related to child mortality. Millions of expectant mothers are deficient and don’t know it, putting their babies at risk.
The lack of this mineral can be a factor in chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, ADD/ADHD, and even chronic headaches.
You need 83 times as much as the government recommends
The mineral I’m talking about is iodine. The scientists who have actually studied iodine and the doctors who use it in their practice believe we need 83 times as much as the government’s recommended daily allowance (RDA). The RDA is just barely sufficient to prevent goiter, a swelling of the neck caused by a swollen thyroid gland.
And it’s a fact that many Americans aren’t even getting the RDA. This dreadful mistake is because the medical profession sees iodine as a poison, even though it’s dangerous only in very large amounts. Most adults can easily take 83 times the RDA with no problems at all. In fact, that’s roughly the amount Japanese people eat in their seafood-rich diet.
Earlier I mentioned a Michigan doctor. His name is David Brownstein, and he reports amazing clinical results when his patients start supplementing with high levels of this vital mineral.
“Miracle cures” for cystic breast disease are common among women who seek treatment from doctors who know about iodine therapy. A 45-year-old woman came to Dr. Brownstein with a 15-year history of breast cysts. “My breasts feel like two rocks,” she said.
Following iodine therapy, she was thrilled. “The two rocks I had are now soft and normal feeling. All of the cysts are gone and all of the pain is gone.”
One of his patients, a 55-year-old man, suffered from depression and loss of vision for three years. He felt like he was “in a fog”. It turned out his problem was low thyroid function caused by extreme iodine deficiency. After starting a supplement protocol that included iodine, he reported the difference was like “night and day. . .I feel like I am 20 years old.”
A 42-year-old named Paula suffered from severe headaches for more than 10 years. Tests showed her iodine blood-level was essentially zero. She reports, “After four weeks on the iodine, my headaches were over 95% better.”
After just 26 days of taking an iodine dose that would shock most conventional doctors, a woman with late-stage breast cancer found her tumors were disintegrating, as shown by PET scans. Joan (that was her name) said, “I am so grateful for this information as it is surely saving my life.”
Dr. Brownstein found that another woman with breast cancer tested very low for iodine levels. She had a history of breast cysts — typical of women with iodine deficiency. With the help of iodine supplements she was able to stop the progress of her tumors — without surgery, radiation or chemotherapy.
But there’s more. This woman, named Joyce, exclaimed, “I felt wonderful once I started taking iodine. All my friends started asking me what I was doing, since I looked so much better.”
Goiters, “poison”, and medical blunders
Years ago, in the 1920s, doctors first discovered that iodine deficiency causes goiter. The early experiments produced amazing results. Before iodine was introduced into the American diet, 40 percent of the children in some communities had enlarged thyroid gland (goiter).
Just four years after iodine was introduced, the number of goiter cases went down 75% and by 1951 fewer than one percent of school children had goiter.
I have vivid memories of seeing a woman with goiter when I was maybe five years old. She had a huge swelling as big as a baseball hanging from her neck. That’s my childish memory. Maybe it was only as big as a golf ball, but it was shocking. It’s hard to believe this condition used to affect millions of people.
This epidemic was totally wiped out by supplementing with a mineral — iodine. As you probably know, the authorities took the approach of adding iodine to salt. Later, the baking industry started adding iodine to bread and other wheat products as a dough conditioner. At one time you could get your entire RDA of iodine from one slice of bread.
In spite of this huge success story, the medical establishment has practically forgotten iodine. These days, fewer than half of us use iodized salt. And just as you would expect, medical tests indicate the average American’s iodine level has plunged 50 percent.
According to Dr. David Brownstein, “I was taught in medical school that there is enough iodine in salt to supply the body’s need for iodine. In fact, this has been taught in every medical school for over 80 years. However, there were no studies to back up this claim. . .”
Even if you use iodized salt, the amount of iodine is tiny compared to what you need. And meanwhile, the baking industry has stopped using iodine as a dough conditioner. Why? Because — in yet another blunder — the medical establishment claimed the levels of iodine in bread might be unsafe.
Now get this: to replace iodine, the baking industry began to use a related element — bromine — that’s actually toxic. It attaches to your body’s iodine receptors and thereby BLOCKS the iodine you need! Unbelievable. Doctors pressured the food industry to stop using a vital nutrient and substitute a toxin.
Cancer Defeated Newsletter
By Lee Euler
Issue #9
[ SOURCE: http://www.cancerdefeated.com/newsletters/Cancer-fighting-mineral-is-almost-totally-ignored.html ]
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IODINE & THYROID DEFICIENCIES; Linked To Thyroid and Breast Cancer, Fibrocystic Breast Disease,
Infertility, Obesity, Mental Retardation & Halide Toxemia.
Summary by Laura Power, PhD, LDN
© August, 2006
EPIDEMIC
There is an epidemic of Iodine deficiency in this country – one that affects every man, woman
and child – and especially vegetarians.
Over the last 30 years our Iodine intake has declined 50% (removed from our food supply!), while the ingestion of toxic competing halogens (bromine, fluorine, chlorine, perchlorate) has dramatically increased in food, water, medicines and the environment.
[For example: Iodine in wheat has been replaced with Bromine, the gas used to fumigate your house for termites!] Simultaneously there has been a related increase in the rates of thyroid disease, breast cancer, fibrocystic breast disease, prostate cancer, and obesity — plus developmental delays and mental retardation in children! Meanwhile in Japan Iodine intake is up to 100 times higher, while all of these same diseases are significantly lower!
THE 4 FUNCTIONS OF IODINE
1. THYROID, METABOLISM & WEIGHT
Iodine is the key to a healthy thyroid and metabolism. It is best known for being a part of thyroid hormones, which are used in every cell of our bodies to regulate metabolism and weight by controlling the burning of fat for energy and heat. Over 100 years ago iodine was shown to prevent and reverse goiter (swelling of the thyroid) and hypothyroid. Iodine deficiency may also be involved in autoimmune disorders such as Grave’s and Hashimoto’s diseases; as studies have shown iodine-deficient patients have a higher rate of anti-thyroid antibodies.
Thyroid hormones are required for growth and development of children. Iodine also controls metabolism in other ways. It is important for the other endocrine glands: the adrenals, pituitary, gonads (sex glands), pancreas, pineal and thymus. Iodine is also involved in digestion, and is concentrated in the salivary glands and gastric mucosa. It has also been associated with: excess mucus production, fatigue, hemorrhoids, headaches, keloid
scarring, and migraine headaches.
There is an epidemic of obesity and overweight in this country. And no wonder! Iodine is crucial for metabolism and weight loss. Iodine stores in fat cells. Toxic halogens can also store in fat cells, blocking the release of fat and blocking weight loss. Low thyroid has long been associated with modest weight gain. But patients with low iodine levels AND accumulation of toxic halogens are showing a disturbing trend of being unable to lose weight beyond a certain plateau. By some estimates 50% to 60% of our population is now considered obese. The best therapy in most cases is brief high-dose iodine (12.5 mg/day) combined with L-Tyrosine (1000 mg/day) to make more thyroid hormones. Also essential are dry-heat or far infra-red saunas for detoxification of other halogens, 25% calorie reduction, and consistent exercise.
2. MENTAL DEVELOPMENT VS RETARDATION
The World Health Organization (WHO) has related iodine deficiency to mental retardation, cretinism, increased child and infant mortality, infertility, and socioeconomic decline — and more recently developmental delays (ADD, PDD, LD). Iodine and thyroid hormones stimulate the development of the brain and nerves. Hence it is important for intelligence and memory.
It was shown to make a difference of 13.5 points on IQ tests between iodine deficient and iodine sufficient areas. Iodine is crucial to brain development, and is concentrated in the brain, cerebrospinal fluid, and the eye, as well as the substantia nigra of the brain (an area associated with Parkinson’s Disease). High amounts of iodine are excreted in breast milk to help develop a baby’s growing brain and nervous system. Some evolutionary biologists believe iodine and eating seafood played an important role in human brain development and evolution.
3. FERTILITY
The World Health Organization has also related iodine deficiency to infertility. Iodine is most important for women, because it is most highly concentrated in the thyroid, breasts and ovaries. Iodine deficiency can lead to menstrual irregularities, infertility, early menopause, and ovarian diseases. But it is still vital for men, especially for the prostate.
4. ENHANCED IMMUNE FUNCTION
Iodine is now known to play an essential role in immune function. It has potent anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic, anti-viral, and anti-cancer activity. For centuries it has been used topically to kill bacteria. Until recently it was the leading anti-parasitic drug (yodoxin or iododoxin). High-dose iodine has been shown to kill breast and thyroid cancer cells (induce selective apoptosis). It is also a potent antioxidant. More recently, iodine deficiency has been related to: thyroid cancer, fibrocystic breast disease, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, and prostate cancer. In the 1960’s when iodine intake was higher (and toxic halogens lower) the risk for breast cancer was 1 in 20; today it is 1 in 8 and increasing by 1% per year! Iodine deficiency has also been associated with the following: parotid duct stones, sebaceous cysts, and vaginal infections.
CAUSES OF IODINE DEFICIENCIES
WHY ARE IODINE LEVELS SO LOW?
According to the NHANES data iodine levels in the USA have fallen by about 50% over the last 30 years. Why? There are many reasons. According to the World Health Organization, about one-third of the world’s population live in Iodine deficient areas, which affects 129 countries.
This is because most of the iodine resides in the sea and seashores, while most inland areas are iodine deficient. Other contributing factors include: diets low in fish, shellfish or seaweed, vegan or vegetarian diets, poor availability of iodine in salt, poor farming techniques, avoidance of salt due to fear of high blood pressure, the ingestion of toxic halogens, and the use of radioactive iodine in many medical procedures (which competes with natural iodine). In addition, past sources of iodine in food have been removed. For example: Iodide was used as a dough conditioner in baked goods from the 1960’s to the 1980’s, but has since been replaced with bromide (a toxic halogen). Cow’s udders and milking buckets were swabbed with iodide to kill germs. But no longer.
The reason is “THE WOLFF-CHAIKOFF EFFECT”, which has been a disaster for iodine. This experiment led to a fear of iodine, and iodine being removed from the American food supply for over 30 years! This paper has been quoted by many, but understood by few. It was misinterpreted, and used to describe a case of hypothyroidism caused by excessive iodine intake.
In fact: toxic radioactive iodine was injected intravenously. It had nothing to do with food or supplement iodine intake. And it cannot explain why high intake of natural iodine does not cause the same effect.
[ SOURCE: http://www.laurapower.com/page26.html ]
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The Silent Epidemic of Iodine Deficiency
By Nancy Piccone
In 2008, researchers concerned about the growing threat of iodine deficiency analyzed 88 samples1 of iodized table salt—the main supply of this critical micronutrient for most people.2
Less than half of those tested contained amounts of iodine sufficient for optimal health.
Coupled with the trend of reduced salt consumption, rates of iodine deficiency are now reaching epidemic levels.
In the developed world, iodine deficiency has increased more than fourfold over the past 40 years. Nearly 74% of normal, “healthy” adults may no longer consume enough iodine.3,4
In this article, the latest data on this dangerous trend are presented. You will learn of iodine deficiency’s profound impact on overall health. You will discover iodine’s vital role in thyroid function and its link to obesity, cognitive impairment, heart disease, psychiatric disorders, and various forms of cancer. You will also find out how iodine can help ward off breast cancer and fibrocystic breast disease.
Unknowingly Robbing Our Bodies
In nature, iodine is a relatively rare element. It’s found in abundance in the ocean. Its presence in soil, on the other hand, is very low in many places around the world, including the United States.
Iodine is essential to life and especially crucial for brain development in children, making its deficiency the number one cause of preventable mental retardation worldwide.
It also plays a central role in healthy function of your thyroid gland. This is why the most visible symptom of iodine deficiency is goiter—the unsightly, painful enlargement of the thyroid gland that manifests as an enormous swelling around the neck and larynx.
Unknowingly Robbing Our Bodies
While goiter was relatively common a few generations ago, most middle age and younger Americans have never seen it. This is largely due to the industry practice of salt iodization in this country, first implemented in the 1920s after the effects of iodine deficiency were recognized and since emulated around the world.2,5,6 (The Morton company was the first to add iodine to salt in 1924, after a successful public health campaign.)7 Unfortunately, as evidenced by recent FDA findings, many table salt makers are now failing to add iodine in quantities sufficient to support optimal health.
Other consequences of iodine deficiency, so-called iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), are subtle and may inflict greater damage.6,8 It is estimated that IDDs affect between 800 million and 2 billion people worldwide; reduction in salt intake is likely to drive those numbers still higher.2,9-11
The health benefits of reducing salt intake have been well established.9,12,13 Millions of Americans are slashing their use of salt to protect themselves against high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
But by cutting our salt intake we are also cutting our iodine intake, which is why mean urinary iodine levels (a measure of iodine sufficiency) plummeted by more than half over a 20-year period.4,14 Additional, otherwise healthy behaviors have also contributed to inadequate iodine intake. (See Table 1.)
The danger of low dietary iodine is further compounded by your body’s decreased ability to utilize it, the result of contamination by a ubiquitous environmental toxin called perchlorate.
Originally developed for explosives and rocket fuel,18 perchlorate now pervades ground water and food supplies throughout the US. It’s even used as a flavor-enhancer in certain foods.19-21 Perchlorate blocks the thyroid gland’s ability to absorb and utilize dietary iodine, an effect that is of concern when iodine intake drops off.18,22
The US recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for iodine is 150-290 micrograms (mcg) for adults, while the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has set the tolerable upper limit at 1,100 mcg.18,23,24
Your Thyroid Gland and the Role of Iodine
These guidelines may be inadequate to address certain health conditions.
They were first established as sufficient only to prevent goiter. Daily doses for optimal health of 3,000-6,000 mcg have been used without side effects in studies of people with other iodine deficiency-related health conditions such as polycystic breast disease.18
By way of comparison, the average daily Japanese consumption of iodine ranges from 5,280 to 13,800 mcg of iodine, with no harmful effects and a host of benefits.18,25,26 The Japanese experience is shedding new light on the importance of iodine, not only for thyroid health, but on other body functions as well. In particular, compelling evidence is emerging about the role of iodine in maintaining breast health, a major concern for millions of American women.
Since thyroid function is a puzzle to many people, we’ll begin with a brief overview of that important gland and its requirements for iodine. Then we’ll turn to the role of iodine in maintaining breast health, particularly in preventing breast cancer and fibrocystic breast disease.
Your Thyroid Gland and the Role of Iodine
What You Need to Know: Iodine Deficiency
Your thyroid gland is located in the front of your neck, just below your voice box. The thyroid produces two forms of thyroid hormone, both of which are derived from the amino acid tyrosine and several atoms of iodine. Thyroid hormones control your body’s metabolism, regulating everything from body temperature and heart rate to glucose consumption and even blood lipid levels.27-29
Too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) results in an excessively high metabolic rate. People with this condition have rapid heart rates and often palpitations,29 excessive sweating, and may feel much warmer than other people do, even in a cool room. In extreme cases they may lose weight and experience muscle weakness.
Too little thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) results in just the opposite set of symptoms: a slower than normal heart rate,29 a chronic feeling of being cold, constipation, unexplained weight gain, dry skin, hair loss or coarse dry hair, weakness, muscle aches, depression, and fatigue.30,31 In extreme cases, people with low thyroid function experience cognitive decline,32 and babies born to mothers with inadequate iodine levels are at high risk for a unique form of mental retardation known as cretinism. Cognitive impairment caused by low thyroid function is reversible with iodine or thyroid hormone supplementation.32,33
[ SOURCE: The Silent Epidemic of Iodine Deficiency ]
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Iodine is one of the most important minerals required for healthy cellular and complete metabolic function. There is no life without iodine and it has been estimated that the entire population is deficient in iodine. For thyroid support and to protect against forming of a goiter, only small amounts of iodine are required. But today, doctors have found that all tissues of the body require iodine.
The breasts, ovaries, uterus and prostate tissue require large quantities of iodine. In the early 1900s Dr. Szent-Györgyi, the discoverer of vitamin C, was reported to have said that they did not know what iodine did in medical terms but it did everything good and was used for almost all health conditions. It is also reported that he himself ingested 1,000 mgs a day of iodine.
The quality of health of Japanese women is far superior to women in the United States. It has been estimated that Japanese women ingest 12.5 mgs of iodine daily. On the island of Okinawa there are a higher percentage of people over 100 than anywhere else in the world. It has been reported that they ingest, through their diet, 80 to 200 mgs of iodine daily.
Could iodine be the missing link to good health? According to several holistic physicians, the answer would be yes. The book by Dr. David Brownstein, Iodine, Why You Need It and Why You Can’t Live Without It, says it all.*
“Iodine is the most misunderstood nutrient. After 12 years of practicing medicine, I can say that it is impossible to achieve your optimal health if you do not have adequate iodine levels. I have yet to see any item that is more important to promoting health or optimizing the function of the immune system than iodine.”
–David Brownstein, M.D.
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Cure Breast Cancer – Iodine
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