Iodine link to fibrocystic dx

"The Wollf Chaikoff Effect" (too much iodine) has been discredited and disproved. Tho some doctors still remember hearing about it in med school. All that Gaby said was the Japanese take a little less iodine than originally reported. He never disproved that the Japanese take huge amounts and have less breast cancer than the rest of the world.

"Therapeutic doses of iodine vary between 6-50mg/day. "

 

At last I found a holistic reference consistent with what I was told by the chirorpractor last week.  http://www.drbrownstein.com/blog.asp?id=122

 

I spoke with the chiro today and indicated I'm concerned about these massive doses of iodine he recommends (short term btw).  I asked who provides the information that he trusts.  And basically it's the manufacturer of the supplements themselves.  Initially, that tends to make my opinion of the information take a nosedive.  But then, I have to consider that there must be some people in this world who have their hearts and priorities in the right place.  So, off I go for more reading.  The manufacturer of the supplements is Standard Process Inc.  Their rep called me and steered me toward Dr Brownstein's site and also to Guy Abraham.  I'm just getting started, but I think I'll find the most help from a site already mentioned by rosemary.  There's a back and forth debate between brownstein/abraham and gaby.   

 

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I found another source of kelp.  It's from Country Life, and I wrote them to ask if they could tell me how much arsenic is in their product.  They emailed me the full test results of the product.  It was tested for everything including heavy metals and arsenic and more, none was detected for arsenic.  

http://www.country-life.com 

If I can find it today locally, I'm going to start with the low dose, one pill and see what happens over time.

Hi, Rosemary

Did Country Life say how often they test their product and where it's harvested? What I'd really like to hear is that they test every 'batch' and always get it from the same supplier/location (not Japan). When I spoke to Nature Spirit Herbs, they had tested their's once and it was a few years ago. They are in a remote stretch of coast in the NW, with few point sources of industrial pollution, but I'd prefer that they tested more often....

Rosemary, did you say you can't find the Country Life Kelp? I see it on Vitacost for $3.09 for 300 tablets, 225 mcg per tab.

http://www.vitacost.com/CountryLifeNorwegianKelp 

Thanks Kris,

I was too hasty, I got tired of foolin with this and bought some NOW kelp pills 2 minutes before I saw your note.  Figures.   I like their products and they said it was a smaller pill, less filler.  That always gets my attention.

Althea, from what Northrup is saying, it sounds like this is a way to add iodine through the skin then it is a test for iodine deficiency?  Why are we to continue to apply for 12 hours?  If this works to add iodine via skin, I have those drops that are just going to waste that I can use.

I can't help you with the type of iodine you have.  Did you write the company?  

I was just reading this on selenium, you'll have to scroll down quite a bit to get to it.  http://www.ithyroid.com/iodine.htm

Well, how'd I do that.  Did a submit too soon...

Anway, I found this article by Dr Brownstein very readable and informative.

http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-09/IOD_09.htm

In he describes treating 3,000+ patients for iodine deficiency, encountering very few who are allergic or suffering ill effects of large temporary doses.  He states that his medical school training addressed iodine only very briefly, and later in his own practice came to conclusions contrary to what he was taught in school.  I think this explains why there is so much contradictory information on the subject.  He claims many of his patients benefit from increasing their intake of iodine for a variety of conditions, including hypthyroid and breast pain.  

Next, I visited this page where Dr Derry talks about his book "Breast Cancer and Iodine:  How to Prevent and How to Survive Breast Cancer."  By his description, cancer cells become cancer cells when they develop abnormalities and begin to invade connective tissue.  The dividing line between beginning stages and full blown cancer is in situ.  Derry claims proper doses of iodine will reverse the abnormalities and the invasion up to and including in situ bc.  Once it's into the connective tissue, the governing hormone is thyroid.  Derry thinks if the thyroid hormone is at a strong level, the cancer cells are prevented from spreading.  He says iodine is so important because it triggers the natural death of normal cells in the body.

Then he includes a newspaper article which states Derry is being investigated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons based on concerns over prescribing excessive amounts of thyroid hormones.  Derry is criticized because excessive thyroid medication can lead to heart disease and osteoperosis.  Derry is accused of methods which are unconventional, medically inappropriate, and dangerous."  

So, this guy's license is in jeopardy because his patients might develop heart disease and osteoperosis??  And what does Arimidex do??  Cause bone loss.  What does chemo and radiation do sometimes?  Cause heart damage, especially those of us lucky enough to receive the red devil adriamyacin. I just have three words in response.  Pot.  Kettle.  Black. 

Oops, almost forgot the link.

http://www.trafford.com/4dcgi/view-item?item=955 

Now, I'm not claiming to be a fan of Dr Derry.  I'm just sharing information that I find.  It's like that poster in Mulder's office from the X Files "I want to believe."  Truly, I am curious to know more.  After all, if all women need for in situ breast cancer is some iodine treatments, why on earth are we going through surgeries and chemo and rads and years of pills to get rid of the cancer?  I say 'we', but I was a stage 2 gal, not a dcis, so there's clearly a lot I don't know.   I would certainly hate to think that the pharmaceuticals are so greedy that they'd discredit someone who found an answer that's dirt cheap.  

I've read Dr. Derry's book and Dr. David Brownstein's. They have never steered me wrong-- all their info checks out.

I've been taking 25-50 mg a day of Iodoral for two years since reading the research and conferring with an iodine literate doctor. I had to start at a lower level and work up. Iodine gives me more energy and has the side effect of making your skin look better.

Since iodine has finally broken into the news, more docs are catching on. There is a directory of iodine literate practitioners.

See: www.breastcancerchoices.org/ipractitioners

Rosemary,

I've taken the Iodine Loading Test three different times. It took a while for me to get my level up because my "sodium iodide symporters" (the iodine absorbers) weren't working well.  They were like dry sponges that can't absorb water.

A lot of the iodine I was taking passed into my urine the first few months. Then the symporters repaired themselves and I began absorbing according to the next tests.

My thyroid tests came out normal except the second test in which my TSH was high (80). The doctor explained that the iodine docs disregard TSH while people are first taking iodine if the patient is feeling well. Apparently, the TSH can be high while the body is making more symporters.

My regular doctor freaked out when he saw the high TSH but he called the Iodine literate doc and now understands

All the brain fog I had before iodine is gone. I have energy. The neckache I had for years went away. My weight is now normal.

These things didn't happen overnight-- except for the brain fog lifting!

Tilt  ...catching up to this thread...ran through bookmarking the references...a good read.

Checked sources of iodine...we use sea salt to cook pasta...handful.  The box (1 Kg) states 100g of product contains 3 mg of iodine...probably not all is absorbed by the pasta and there is some loss of value in the water.  

We eat a mixture of red, white meats and fish during the week...this is a source but I don't know exactly how much. 

A friend recommended that we try Eden Organic Seaweed Gomasio instead of table salt--Organic Sesame Seeds, Sea Salt, Sea Vegetables:  Organic Dulse, Nori, and Kombu.  I had no idea before recently how much good it did for us.

a favorite salad....steamed string beans--cool--dress with olive oil, lemon juice and sprinkle on grosso (large) sea salt.  I crave to eat this..probably my body telling me something?

This is fascinating information to read.  I've always felt that I "blew out a tire" working two jobs, college degree at night, raising two boys alone.  It was around the same time of the hypothyroid diagnosis (early 90's) that they removed a benign tumor from near the nipple area....the BC of 2005 was found in the same breast. 

Curious too that when I had a CAT before the thyroid dx...they doc told me that I reacted to the iodine contrast ...possibly allergic?  Strange.  The reaction was hives.

I had hives too when I was young--walking from heat to cold I'd break out in huge welts...sometimes needed to sit in cornstarch bath to sooth them. 

For three months before I was diagnosed with the BC my body broke out in hives ... the docs never did find out why ... but the hives disappeared after the BC surgery.  Strange.

This connection between thyroid and BC wouldn't surprise me.

Diagnosed hypothyroid with nodules (bx b9) in the early 90's...Took Synthroid until I moved to Italy--now, Eutirox .112--labs as of July '07--

TSH = .07 micrU/ml

T3   = 2.5 pg/ml

T4   = 2.0 ng/dl

Anti Perossidasi tiroidea = 10  

When I take a higher dose of Eutirox .125 I don't feel so well....aggitated, rapid heart beats on occasion.  I take the higher dose when I begin to feel sluggish.

I was told by doctors years ago that Synthroid was stable and the generics weren't as stable....I endocrinologist told me there was another prescription available that was more stable relative to T3 and T4 levels....haven't tried it yet, but thinking to ask when I get the next prescription.

Rosemary -- your question of when is it too much iodine?....you listen so well to your body that I think you'll know...but the thyroid panel I agree might help.  

Best wishes to all ... as always

Marilyn,

I'm happy that cp418 stumbled upon that article about iodine.  I never would have thought that my juicing was causing my continuous tiredness. I would have lost that bet.  Nor would I have ever given any thought to not salting meaning anything other than having lower blood pressure.  It's amazing the things we learn on these boards.  I can still juice but I'm picking different veggies to use.  I got my kelp pills in, they don't look too large so today I start.

I looked at it. As far as I can see it says low TSH for hyperthyroid- which I know- I've had this for years- but usually thyroxine is HIGH in hyperthyroid- low in hypothyroid. TSH is generally high in hypothyroid. It gets a little confusing with the highs and lows- the profile patterns in hyper and hypo are opposite. The pattern my current labs show reflects aspects of both- low TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone- typical in hyper) and low thyroxin (typical in hypo). Does this make sense. Now I have to become an endocrinology expect and a bc expert .

Rosemary,

I felt fine when my TSH was 80. No flaky dry skin, no constipation, more energy. So the iodine doc said the "gold standard" was how I felt or what he called, "the clinical picture." That's why they say the TSH wasn't relevant.

Apparently regular docs have been trained to rely on the TSH and not so much how the patient looks and feels.

One time I stopped iodine for a week before oral surgery (oral surgeon said to stop ALL supplements). The skin on my arms got so dry and flaky --the surgeon asked what was wrong with my skin!

As soon as I went back on the iodine, the skin returned to normal.

Allyson, a few people on the Yahoo Iodine Group have reported what you have, the hyper/hypo condition. Stephanie, the moderator, knows a lot and works with Dr. Brownstein in a research capacity.

It might be worth dropping in to share your story and get feedback. They are located at:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/iodine/

Anomdenet,

I wish more Dr.'s would treat the symptoms instead of a blood report.  All's well, goodbye.  Meanwhile, all is not well.   Well I'm going to use the warm up for my dose.  If I get warm, I found my dose.  I hope I get there before summer starts here, then I won't know what the dose should be.

Allyson,  tell us what you find out.  I'm very interested.