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A Speculative Account of the Effects of Iodine Supplementation at Different Doses

Screen Shot 2016-01-08 at 10.14.42 AMThe following Guest Blog Post was written by Malcolm Maclean, MD of the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Maclean serves as a Trustee and Medical Advisor for TPA (Thyroid Patient Advocacy) UK.

Dr. Maclean makes strong speculative proposals in this article as to why there are differing bodily experiences in the use of iodine and the doses used.

Take the time to read the below slowly and carefully–good points to consider!

NOTE: if you are receiving email notice of this blog post, a reply to the email goes nowhere. Instead, you need to click on the title of the blog post, which will take you directly to the STTM blog, and there you can comment.

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The value of iodine

Most folk in the Thyroid Community understand the requirement for Iodine because the body uses it to synthesize thyroid hormone.

But a variety of cells require iodine for optimum function, as well (e.g. breast, ovaries, pancreas and prostate). So Iodine is important for the body quite apart from supplying the thyroid gland with Iodine. This view is not widely held in the mainstream.

Further, several scientific reports point to widespread iodine deficiency, particularly in the UK and parts of Russia, pointing to the value of Iodine supplementation, at least in some cases.

Yet a problem and a challenge

The capacity of Fluoride and possibly Estrogen Dominance to aggravate dysfunctional Iodine metabolism argue for close attention. Because for those who choose to supplement with Iodine (and there is a strong case for this to prevent breast cancer, plus those diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease, see below), the response to such supplementation (based on reported experience of those contributing to Iodine Forums) appears to vary according to:

  1. the baseline Iodine status
  2. the state of the adrenal glands (operating at full strength or in a state of “adrenal insufficiency”?)
  3. whether Companion Nutrients are simultaneously supplemented.
  4. the chosen dose of Iodine
  5. how it is taken (via skin/orally)
  6. the size of the dose
  7. how quickly dosage is introduced

Important Point: For those in the Thyroid Community who have been diagnosed as having Hashimoto’s Disease, Iodine has a reputation for exacerbating Hashimoto’s Disease. However, Iodine may be tolerated provided that the “Companion Nutrients”, referred to above, are in place.

Why are Companion Nutrients important?

Arguably, the adverse effects attributed to Iodine, when used in the situation of Hashimoto’s Disease, are caused by the Iodine-induced, unbalanced and exaggerated activity of the activity of an important and powerful thyroid enzyme: Thyroid Peroxidase, thereby a creating Oxidative Stress and the potential for thyroid cell damage. The Companion Nutrients are designed to support the body’s antioxidant System. Companion Nutrients are used here to prevent damage arising from the unopposed action of Thyroid Peroxidase, as and when Iodine is introduced to the Thyroid Gland, especially in the situation of an inadequate anti-oxidant System.

The purpose of this article

The purpose of this text is to examine the variable experience of those who have reported the effect of supplementing with Iodine and to attempt to explain those experiences according to how the body responds in different metabolic situations. Therefore the purpose is not to influence the reader in any direction (as regards Iodine usage) but to perhaps enable a speculative view of what might happen if/as and when, Iodine is supplemented and why.

I believe that no one should adopt Iodine supplementation without a good deal of reading around the subject, e.g on the STTM and TPAUK websites.

I apologize for the length of this contribution. However, it deals with the complex issue of Iodine effects and it is tricky to give a brief interpretation of this little-understood, but important area, especially for those whose metabolism is out of whack because of the toxic effects of mercury, which has the capacity to damage adrenal, thyroid and methylation function (at least).

So, this text has also been written for those with suspected toxicity (e.g. from dental amalgam) in the hope that the text might explain and emphasize components of the Shade Protocol (designed for the elimination of mercury), which might be ignored by those who, unwisely, are too hasty to get better. 

The right dose of Iodine

I don’t think anyone fully understands what “the right” dose of Iodine is.

If your adrenals are out of whack, Iodine is liable to cause you to crash.

Nor is there agreement on what may be the further results of Iodine supplementation, especially at higher doses.

Some people assert that if you start supplementing with Iodine, two different effects may result, depending on what dose you start at:

Low Dose

Effect: Up-regulation of thyroid synthesis, especially for those who are Iodine deficient (many people are Iodine deficient, so that makes sense). However, if your adrenal function is down, the cells cannot handle the increased levels of stimulation (via thyroid hormone) without a correspondingly elevated level of cortisol.

It is known that thyroid hormone and cortisol work together. Hence, in the situation of adrenal insufficiency (possibly Mercury-induced in the first place, for some) there is the potential for an adrenal failure-induced “Crash” (= feeling dreadful +/- palpitations =”Thyroid toxicity”). So in these two situations… (a] adequate, vs  b]  inadequate adrenal function…taking Iodine may make you feel better or worse

High dose

Effect: Some people report benefit from the introduction of Iodine at a high initial dosage (going against the principle of starting low, increasing slow). This appears not to make sense.

The theory of taking high doses of Iodine

One theory involves acknowledging that Iodine may function as an antioxidant (that Iodine has antioxidant properties, is accepted, although, perhaps not widely so).  The theory goes: Iodine exerts its antioxidant properties but only noticeably at higher doses.

Further, so the theory goes, that antioxidant effect at higher doses tends to overcome the blockage of adrenal function that is creating impaired adrenal function in the first place. Meaning: Low cortisol synthesis and low cortisol levels, because of Mercury blocking cortisol Synthesis by exerting stress on the anti-oxidant system (Iodine usage here, supporting the anti-oxidant system and opposing Mercury).

That too makes a certain amount of sense, because Mercury is known to be able to block cortisol synthesis by acting as an oxidant and exerting stress on the anti-oxidant system.

Speculatively, once your Iodine dosage has (according to this scenario) restored adrenal function by opposing Mercury effects, any further increase may start to be counter-productive (meaning onset of Iodine overdose).

Speculatively, according to dosage therefore, these situations may result sequentially:

1. Baseline: Iodine deficiency in the diet.

Sub-optimal thyroid function with, perhaps, symptoms of Hypothyroidism.

2. Addition of Iodine at low dosage

a) Improves you if adrenal function is adequate
b) Crashes you if you have adrenal insufficiency

3. Addition of Iodine at high dosage

a) Bypasses the “Crash” effects
b) Remits the oxidative stress which is causing the (Mercury-induced) adrenal Insufficiency (with knock-on low Cortisol levels), enables the adrenals to restore Cortisol synthesis:

Result?  Feeling better

4. Supra-Optimal Iodine Dosage

Meaning: even higher dosage than that necessary to restore adrenal function and Cortisol levels:

Speculatively: Iodine Toxicity

Result: You start to feel down again.

Speculative summary of Iodine effects according to dosage

Starting at a “Low” baseline level (Iodine Deficient status) and from there, increasing daily dosage: Feels down-> Take more Iodine-> Feels better->Increase Iodine dosage. More iodine-> Feels worse-> Increase Iodine dosage. More Iodine->Feels better-> Increase Iodine dosage even further: feels worse

This is all theory and is provided for the benefit of those who speculate about what effects Iodine may have.

In preparing the description of this speculative scenario, I am indebted to the contribution (of a lawyer) to an Iodine Forum, who wrote interestingly on this topic as follows:

“Okay. This all-theoretical, mind you, but based on my experience, I think my theory may be correct. At lower doses of iodine, many of the symptoms labeled as bromide detox are identical to adrenal fatigue symptoms: air hunger, low blood sugar, weight gain, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, palpitations, etc. Another coincidence: the very things that Brownstein etc. recommend for bromide detox are actually things used to alleviate adrenal fatigue: Vitamin C, salt… This may explain many of the symptoms of detox at lower doses. It’s actually adrenal fatigue. Now, iodine can also act as an antioxidant, but only when the body uses excess iodine to make a lipid called delta-iodolactone. But the body will not make this unless it is such a high dose of iodine that the body feels confident that it has enough iodine for its basic needs, so it can use the excess iodine to make this antioxidant lipid. This antioxidant is like 300x more powerful than Vitamin C. I think that you have to take upwards of 100mg of iodine or higher for the body to make this. Because when I take 25mg, I have horrible detox symptoms, but when I take 100mg of iodine I feel normal. I think that at 100mg and up, the body makes delta-iodolactone, and this [is an] antioxidant . It’s the only thing that can account for the fact that people, who can’t take 25mgs without getting sick, can take 150mg without a problem. And there have been about 10 of us who have found this to be true”

The only difference between the lawyer’s interpretation of Iodine effect (at high dosage) and my interpretation:

My interpretation is that at high Iodine dosage, that strong antioxidant effect kicks in, thereby enabling Iodine to resurrect the adrenals (and thus cortisol levels) by opposing the strong oxidant and toxic effects of Mercury. The evidence for this speculation?  At high concentration, iodine appears to tighten up the mitochondrial membrane, thereby preventing leakage of cytochrome C from the mitochondria, across the mitochondrial membrane into the cytosol (cytoplasm).

Result? Less  in the cytosol diminishes oxidative processes in the cytosol.

Result? Less risk of the negative consequences of oxidative stress.

Result? Restoration of the important enzymes which have been suppressed by oxidative stress.

Result? Recovery of 17-Hydroxylase, 5′ Deiodinase, and Methionine Synthase, thereby contributing to the recovery of adrenal, thyroid and Methylation function respectively.

There are those, including myself, who attribute their thyroid & adrenal failure to Mercury toxicity (from dental amalgam). Importantly, this interpretation of Iodine effects draws attention to and emphasizes the importance of supplements described in the Shade Protocol (designed for the elimination of Mercury) and also described as the “Companion Nutrients” in “Iodine Context”.

To summarize: Iodine supplementation is a tricky area. Extensive reading prior to any usage is advised. Adrenal function should be good and the Companion Nutrients should be in place as supplements before embarking. Potential effects of Iodine at different doses have been speculatively described. Getting the right dose is especially tricky and there appears to be no way of knowing what is the right dose without just trying and seeing. Few would argue against a daily dosage of Iodine: one milligram per day, properly supported, as described above.

Further, importantly, this text is not a recommendation to start taking Iodine at massive doses, despite the fact that some report benefit from this approach. The reason for such caution is, as usual, that our metabolisms are all different.

Dr. Malcolm Maclean

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** Our “metabolism” as thyroid patients is an important topic. And Janie A. Bowthorpe, M.Ed. is one of several who were asked to speak on this important topic. Register for the METABOLISM SUMMIT which starts February 1st right on your computer. Go here to register: https://tinyurl.com/jp9yx78

** Read the #1 thyroid information anywhere via the revised STTM book and the new STTM II book–the latter totally written by practitioners. //www.laughinggrapepublishing.com

 

 

63 replies

Read these 10 things you can do to live a better life as a thyroid patient!

STTM 10 things

(This post was updated in 2015! Enjoy!)

In my most recent post of May 21st, 2012, I showed you two examples of very poignant emails I get weekly. And the second one revealed how hard it can be when you not only have very little money, but an uninformed doctor who ends up keeping you sick. 

Yesterday, I received another email from a thyroid patient which simply blew me away, directed to the gal above. But it turns out her words are very appropriate for all of us. Read it carefully and enjoy.

Dear friend,

I am also hypothyroid. I am on Armour Thyroid, but if I couldn’t get it, I would still take the following supplements to try and give my thyroid gland the support and boost that it needs in order to make its own hormones. Please consider starting on one or more of these and see how you feel. I’m listing the most important ones first.

1. Sunlight! We all need sunlight every day. Our bodies make vitamin D3 in the skin following exposure to sunlight. People who are overweight are usually low in vitamin D3. D3 helps the thyroid. D3 from sunlight is the best kind; D3 supplements are not as good. Don’t believe the medical profession when they try to scare you off from getting sunlight, and don’t use harmful chemical sunscreens; just cover up with longer clothing after you have had your desired sun exposure. Vitamin D3 actually has a protective effect against most cancers. Best of all, it’s free.

2. Iodine — it is part of the raw material for thyroid hormone. Buy a cheap bottle of simple iodine tincture and paint a drop on your skin each day with a cotton-tipped swab. It helps in so many ways. Not only does iodine supply the thyroid gland with raw material for hormone, but it is the body’s own natural antibiotic. The neutrophils (specialized white blood cells) each contain a speck of iodine to help fight off microbes. And the eyes and ears work better if iodine is sufficient in the body. The ciliary body of the eye has a rich concentration of iodine. And the little cochlea of the inner ear contains fluids — perilymph and endolymph — which contain iodine as well.

3. Selenium — a co-nutrient with iodine. Iodine should always be taken with selenium. I get my selenium in the form of pumpkin seeds, 2 tablespoons each day.

4. Magnesium — I make my own magnesium oil and apply it to my skin daily. Janie will tell you how wonderful magnesium oil is — it helps to burn calories by supplying the “flame” for metabolism. And it’s very anti-inflammatory, with no side effects. My recipe is as follows: Stir a cup of magnesium chloride flakes and a cup of pure water together in a bowl for 5 minutes until dissolved, then pour into a clean plastic spray bottle (like what you might use for ironing). The Zechstein Sea magnesium chloride flakes are the purest; they are from a mine underneath the Netherlands, an ancient sea of 250 million years ago. A 1-kilo bag of Zechstein magnesium chloride flakes should last you more than a year. (From Janie: you can also use a good quality magnesium supplement, which I switched to after this date!)

5. Green leafy vegetables, a dietary source of magnesium — these are helpful in so many ways and are great either raw or cooked. If you cook them, top them with a little salt, a squeeze of lemon juice and a splash of olive oil.

6. Vitamin C — helps the liver to convert T4 to the active T3 hormone. I always have more energy when I remember to take 500 mg of vitamin C twice daily.

7. Coconut oil — really! It supports the thyroid and helps with weight loss. Try to get raw or unprocessed coconut oil, but in a pinch any coconut oil is helpful. Take 1-3 tablespoons per day. Stir it into yogurt and chill it if you don’t like to swallow oil.

8. Avoid refined carbohydrates like the plague, please! They are not food at all. It is impossible to lose weight if one is eating refined cereal, bread, pasta, pizza and sweets. These trigger the body to produce more insulin; the insulin then triggers the cells to store the calories as fat. This is from the book by Gary Taubes, Good Calories, Bad Calories.

9. Avoid using harmful chemicals to clean your house; use vinegar and baking soda for most cleaning jobs. Bleach, ammonia and other chemicals are extremely harmful to your thyroid gland; chlorine displaces iodine in the body.

10. Simplify your personal care supplies to further reduce your toxic exposures (this saves money too). Throw away the fluoridated toothplaste, and brush with baking soda. Hydrogen peroxide 3% makes a good dental rinse. Baking soda dusted under the arms is an excellent and nontoxic deodorant. If your skin is sensitive, mix equal amounts of baking soda and cornstarch and use that as deodorant. Use a soap with a very simple formula and no chemicals. Try to find a shampoo without SLS or parabens (carcinogens). To save even more money, stop using shampoo and wash your hair with a baking soda solution and rinse with a mild vinegar solution. Many people say their hair is lovely with this treatment; google “no poo” to learn more. If you have dry skin, massage in a drop of coconut oil. Don’t use commercial creams or lotions; don’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t eat.

I wish you all possible success with your health. Even if you haven’t much money, there are things you can do to feel better. Please let Janie know how you are doing in a few months’ time, so she can let us know! Your sisters and brothers in the STTM community will welcome your news.

All the best, and don’t lose hope. Better days are ahead. Lots of hugs,

Yvonne in Cyprus

Yvonne is an 57-year-old American whose background is in medical transcription, writing and editing. She is constantly reading in the medical journals and websites, looking for natural and inexpensive ways to improve health. She and her husband eat a Mediterranean diet (organic when possible) with good fats from olive and coconut oils, nuts and cheeses. She thinks every family should have some type of garden, even if it’s just a few herbs in a flowerpot.

Have any other recommendations for someone who is poor with thyroid disease, plus has a doctor who isn’t helping?  Let others know!

P.S. from Janie: I already do many of the above. Do you? I’m big into Vit. C, magnesium and selenium. I also use liquid Vitamin D. I use baking soda for deodorant and non-fluoride toothpaste. I only use organic lotions and soaps.  I outright use one tablespoon vinegar in my morning drink, as well as MCT oil (it’s what’s in coconut oil). I don’t avoid refined carbs totally (I’m too much of a chocolate freak), but I do avoid them in many places. And I love the sun.

Additional recommendation from Janie: 

I think it’s also important to add that in addition to all the ways you can live a healthier life, also consider adding T3 to your T4, or look into natural desiccated thyroid with it’s five thyroid hormones. The latter is even cheaper than T4-only. Updating your thyroid treatment is not based on opinion! It’s based on the experiences of patients worldwide who found they got much better results, and which Stop the Thyroid Madness is about–worldwide experiences and wisdom!

Namaste Janie

* Check out 12 issues that can cause issues with conversion of T4 to T3: //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/2015/01/20/12-ways-make-thyroid-treatment-worse/

* Have you Liked the STTM Facebook page? Get daily tips and inspiration! https://www.facebook.com/StoptheThyroidMadness

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Who has the vision and courage of Dr. Lowe…and a message from Acella about delays

Each day, when I think about the passing of Dr. Lowe (which you can read about here), I reel in shock at this huge loss in our fight for better thyroid treatment and SANITY.

And now we have to ask: who will fill those shoes when it comes to the continuation of thyroidscience.org and the courageous message of Dr. Lowe?? Even the front page contains an important article  titled “TSH is Not the Answer,” a report Dr. Carol Rowsemitt and Dr. Thomas Najarian: Their explanation and verification  i.e. Dr. Lowe fought for what PATIENTS ALREADY KNOW TO BE TRUE about the lousy TSH lab test!

And Lowe announced that he was next coming out with an article concerning ” false statements of fact online about T3-containing thyroid products including Armour Thyroid” by The British Thyroid Association and UK Royal College of Physicians.  He continued: ” The scientific facts patently show the falsehood of the two organizations’ statements. Is this a failure of responsibility to study scientific issues before making public pronouncements on them? Or do the statements constitute science fraud?”    Unless it was already written, we might never see this article. But we all know the truth.

The loss of Dr. Lowe propels me to ask: Who do YOU see as a medical professional who has the following qualities:

  • high intelligence
  • an interest in true science rather than blindly following research with outcomes based on who paid for certain studies
  • the courage to speak the truth, even if it goes against the grain of staid medical opinion
  • compassion for thyroid patients and the willingness to listen to their experiences

Who, as a medical professional, can patients give a vote of confidence to as someone who can continue the legacy of Dr. Lowe?  Propose some names by commenting on this blog post below. (If you are reading this via the Email Notification, click on the title of this post, which will bring you directly to the blog post where you can leave a comment).

A MESSAGE FROM ELLEN GETTENBERG of ACELLA (THE MAKERS OF GENERIC DESICCATED THYROID CALLED N.P. THYROID)

Over the past several weeks, Acella has experienced production planning issues associated with NP Thyroid.  We sincerely apologize for this and want to inform our valued customers that we are putting measures in place now to prevent any further limited supply.  We anticipate improved availability by the end of January.  Please check back here on our website for further updates.  If you need additional information, please email us through the “Contact Us” page on NPThyroid.com.

Ellen Gettenberg
Director, Marketing| Acella Pharmaceuticals
9005 Westside Parkway | Alpharetta, GA 30009
www.acellapharma.com

WANT TO PAY IT FORWARD AS TO WHAT STTM HAS GIVEN YOU?

Out of my own savings last Fall, I paid for three months in hiring a publicist for the message of Stop the Thyroid Madness…i.e. through the end of December. My goal is to reach far more who may not understand WHY they have problems thanks to the lousy TSH lab test or T4-only meds like Synthroid, Levothyroxine, etc. And she has done a fabulous job in getting interviews and articles out there–you can see what she has done on the donation page mentioned below.

After December, patients donations completely paid for January. Now we are working on February, and nearly half way there. But this will end sooner than later if more donations don’t come in. Go here to read about it and Pay It Forward.

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED YOU MAY NOT NEED HC TO HEAL YOUR ADRENALS? OR IF ON HC, YOU CAN DO THIS A LOT FASTER?

UK thyroid and adrenal patient Paul Robinson made a VERY interesting discovery–that he could heal his adrenals with his unique use of T3. Yup, and he SUCCEEDED. And it’s quite exciting news for adrenal fatigue patients.  Additionally, if you are on T3, his  T3 titration process alone is vastly superior to most other recommendations in the use of T3, and means you can use less!!

Take the time to find out for yourself!!  There’s a good summary of what he discovered in the new STTM Facebook Adrenals group (and please note this group is for PATIENTS ONLY, not medical professionals. And for approval to the group, you canNOT have a hidden info and friends. We have to be this way to keep out spammers, and to see that you are who you say you are).  You can also order his book from this Recommended books page on STTM. To order the patient-to-patient STTM book, go here.

 

23 replies

Taking your temp, Selenium and RT3, TPA’s Autumn Newsletter, and HealthcheckUSA’s discount to STTM readers

NOTE: though this post was originally written in 2011, it can still contain relevant information for you today to consider, or do further research on. 

(Photo graphic by thyroid patient Sam Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Baku city.)

TAKING YOUR TEMPERATURE CORRECTLY?? Possibly not.

Thanks to Dr. Broda Barnes, informed thyroid patients know the importance of taking one’s temperature, especially just before we get out of bed in the morning. According to Barnes, we can suspect a thyroid problem if that temp is below 97.8. Conversely, healthy thyroid function (or adequate treatment) would  put our before-rising temp from 97.8 to 98.2. (Menstruating females would need to be aware of higher temps right after ovulation.).

Today, we favor the mercury thermometer over digitals for accuracy. But are we using the mercury thermometer correctly? Maybe not.

A discussion between thyroid patients recently underscored the need to leave it in the mouth longer than the 5 minutes we thought was adequate. Thyroid patient Jennifer states: At 5 minutes it read 97.6, at 10 minutes it read 97.8 and at 15 minutes it read 98 degrees. After that, it stayed 98 degrees.  We then discussed the fact that manipulating the muscle in the back of throat could have caused the final temp. But her experiment, as well as others, underscored that we need to be holding that mercury thermometer in our mouths no less than five minutes, and ten is probably better.

DOES SELENIUM REALLY CAUSE A RISE IN REVERSE T3 (RT3)?

The above statement about selenium causing excess RT3 has oft been repeated from group to group for a few years. But it may be very wrong.

For example, this study shows selenium did not cause a rise in RT3, and in fact, lowered  it. Here is one which shows LOW levels of selenium can result in increased RT3. This medical book states that though RT3 comes from T4, it also concludes that  low selenium increases RT3.

In other words,  though the enzymes that convert T4 to T3,  and convert T4 to RT3, are selenium dependent to do their job, that doesn’t mean that selenium is going to increase your RT3.  Bottom line, many thyroid patients love selenium, especially with its power to lower Hashimoto’s antibodies, and being anti-cancer. Suggested levels are no more than 400 mcg.

TPA’s AUTUMN NEWSLETTER IS OUT–many good articles!

TPA stands for Thyroid Patient Advocacy, and is a UK charity organization started by Sheila Turner. Check out the articles below in the latest newsletter.

Page 5: The Big Question – Is There an Anti-T3 Conspiracy.  Eric Prichard critically questions why those in Endocrinology need to cite numerous anti-T3 studies, in spite of many other studies which reveal the activeness and superiority of T3. Is the UK and other dark age countries ever going to get it?

Page 9:  Why I Believe T3 Should Be the Very Last Treatment that Thyroid Patients Consider.  Don’t let UK’s Paul Robinson’s title fool you. He believes in the efficacy of T3, but underscores why it can be complex to dose with just T3. Especially compelling are what follows Paul’s article, titled MEMBERS SUCCESS STORY.  Story 1 is about an individual who, when dosing T3 in the early morning hours, was able to get off all adrenal meds. Story 2 is about a gal’s successful transition from T4 to T3.

Page 15:  Thyroid Patients Have Come a Long Way, Baby….But We Still Have a Way to Go!  Though there are now numerous patient groups on the net and many lives have changed, Janie Bowthorpe (yes, me) explains how many doctors still have a long way to go in understanding how T4 and TSH fail patients, just as desiccated thyroid or T3 have turned miserable lives around.

READING THIS BLOG POST VIA AN EMAIL NOTIFICATION??

If you want to respond to this post, click on the title at the top of the email, which will take you directly to the blog post on the STTM site. Then click on Comment. If YOU want to be notified by email, signup below on the lower right side.

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