Iodine! Why you Need it…

 

Importance of Iodine

In many American’s diets, iodine is not a regularly consumed nutrient. As a result we are seeing a surge of health challenges arrive and thrive. To combat challenges like thinning hair, hypothyroidism, fibrocystic diseases, low energy and other thyroid related challenges I recommend the consumption of 12.5 milligrams of iodine daily. Your thyroid gland is the storehouse for iodine, and when a person’s body is deficient in iodine other items that are antagonistic to healthy body function take up residence, including bromine, chlorine and fluorine. If you begin a regimen which includes a large amount of iodine you will experience detoxification effects as your thyroid flushes out the negative elements and readies itself for the iodine it needs. To avoid an overwhelming detoxification effect on your body which can include flu-like symptoms a protocol that will allow you to gradually increase the amount of iodine you consume is in order. This protocol includes a low dose iodine product and then, at the graduated stage, high potency iodine products that will help you maintain healthy thyroid function.

Iodine is a trace element and an essential micronutrient. Almost 80 percent of the body’s iodine content resides in the thyroid gland where its sole function is to form part of the two important thyroid hormones – thyroxine and triiodothyronine. These hormones influence the rate of metabolism and are necessary for the regulation of normal growth and development. During our entire lifetime, we only require a little more than a teaspoonful of iodine, but since the body does not store iodine, we need to consume it regularly to support consistent thyroid hormone production. The body is able to absorb iodine in both the organic and inorganic state, both readily available in a normal, well-balanced diet. Iodine is found in iodized salt, water, oysters, fish, beef, pork, eggs, bread, dairy products, apples, cranberries, and many vegetables. As with many other nutrients, young adults and pregnant or lactating women may require somewhat greater iodine intake to support their nutritional needs.

Let’s talk about the two products I recommend:

Prolamine Iodine

How Prolamine Iodine keeps you healthy

Boosts serum iodine levels
Failure to eat a well balanced diet can result in loss of essential vitamins, minerals, and other vital nutrients, including iodine. Prolamine Iodine contains 3 mg of iodine per tablet to help your body maintain a healthy serum iodine level. Proalamine Iodine is most beneficial when used as a short-term mechanism to support serum iodine levels. In the long run, a well-balanced diet is the best way to maintain healthy levels of all nutrients, including iodine. †

Supports normal growth and development
The sole purpose for iodine in the body is to facilitate formation of thyroxine and triiodothyronine. These hormones cannot be formed without it. Triiodothyronine is the hormone intimately involved in the regulation of normal growth and development, and it is produced from the metabolism of thyroxine, which contains four atoms of iodine per molecule. These two hormones help keep young bodies and minds growing and developing at a healthy rate. †

Supports a healthy metabolic rate
The thyroid hormones boost the rate at which the body’s cells use oxygen and organic molecules to produce energy and heat. They are directly and indirectly involved with the growth and maintenance of the skeletal and nervous systems. The thyroid hormones stimulate different types of cells to perform their specific functions, such as protein synthesis, water balance, and many other physiological processes. Without iodine, this would not be possible. †

» What makes Prolamine Iodine unique?

Product Attributes
A distinctive product that contains iodine

» Prolamine Iodine is bound to zein, a protein derived from corn
» To help maintain healthy iodine levels, support thyroid hormone production, and maintain a healthy serum iodine level. †

 

 

The calcium lactate in Prolamine Iodine is from a pure-vegetable source

 

 

 

» Not derived from a dairy source

Manufacturing and Quality Control Processes
Degreed microbiologist and chemist in Standard Process’ on-site laboratories continually conduct bacterial and analytical tests on raw materials, product batches, and finished products

» Ensures consistent quality and safety

Vitamin and mineral analysis validate product content and specifications

» Assures high-quality essential nutrients are delivered

Iodorol^®

 

 

 

High Potency Iodine/Potassium Iodide Supplement 

Iodoral® is a Tablet form of Lugol solution and is available in 2 strengths

»  12.5mg/Tablet
»  50mg/Tablet

»  What makes Iodorol unique?

One 12.5 mg. tablet of Iodorol supplies an amount of total elemental iodine, comparable to the average daily intake of this essential element by mainland Japanese, a population with a very low prevalence of fibrocystic disease of the breast and breast cancer.

Iodine is an essential element. Although its main function is in the production of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland, other organs in the body have a need for iodine in order to function normally ⁽⁴⁾.

Several studies have demonstrated a relationship between low iodine intake and fibrocystic disease of the breast (FDB), both in women and laboratory animals ^(1,2). The minimum amount of iodine required for control and prevention of FDB is equivalent to 0.1mg/kg body weight/day. For example, for a 50 kg woman, the daily amount of iodine would be 5 mg. The thyroid gland needs iodide to function properly. The original study done 80 years ago to control goiter in adolescent girls used 9 mg iodide daily ⁽³⁾.

During the early 1900’s, the iodine/iodide solution called Lugol solution was used extensively, effectively and safely in medical practice, for both low activity and above normal activity of the thyroid gland ⁽⁴⁾. The recommended daily intake for iodine supplementation was 2 to 6 drops of Lugol solution containing 12.5 to 37.5 mg total iodide. That amount was mentioned as lately as 1995 in a book on Pharmaceutical Sciences ⁽⁵⁾. Several investigators have shown convincing evidence connecting inadequate iodine intake and breast cancer ⁽⁶⁾. Japanese women living in Japan consumed a daily average of 13.8 mg total elemental iodine and they experience one of the lowest prevalence (risk) for breast, ovarian and uterine cancer ⁽⁶⁾. In the 1960’s, one slice of bread in the USA contained the full RDA of 0.15 mg iodine. The risk for breast cancer was then 1 in 20 ⁽⁷⁾. Over the last 2 decades, iodine was replaced by bromine in the bread making process. Bromine blocks thyroid function and may interfere with the anticancer effect of iodine on the breast ⁽⁴⁾. Now, the risk for breast cancer is 1 in 8 and increasing 1% per year ⁽⁷⁾.

The RDA limits for vitamins and minerals were established after World War II. One of the last essential elements included in the RDA system was iodine, established in 1980 and confirmed in 1989 ⁽⁸⁾. The RDA for iodine was based on the amount of iodine/iodide needed to prevent goiter, extreme stupidity and hypothyroidism ⁽⁹⁾. The optimal requirement of the whole human body for iodine has never been studied. Therefore, the optimal amount of this element for physical and mental wellbeing is unknown. Based on demographic studies, the mainland Japanese consumed an average of 13.8 mg daily and they are one of the healthiest people on planet earth ⁽⁶⁾. Lugol solution is a time-tested preparation with a proven track record for over 150 years. Two drops contain 12.5 mg iodine/iodide, an amount very close to the 13.8 mg average intake of mainland Japanese.

»  Formulation

Administration of iodine/iodide in liquid solution is not very accurate, may stain clothing, has an unpleasant taste and causes gastric irritation. Iodoral® is a precisely quantified tablet form containing 5 mg iodine and 7.5 mg iodide as the potassium salt. To prevent gastric irritation, the iodine/iodide preparation was absorbed unto a colloidal silica excipient; and to eliminate the unpleasant taste of iodine, the tablets were coated with a thin film of pharmaceutical glaze ⁽¹⁰⁾.

»  Suggested Use

The suggested daily amount is 1-4 tablets/day as recommended by your physician. Work closely with your physician and natural healthcare provider while on the Iodoral® program. Report to your doctors any history of thyroid surgery and/or radiation, chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (Hashimoto), and any previous problem with your thyroid. Before starting Iodoral®, your doctor will order blood tests for hematology, blood chemistry and thyroid functions. If you are taking thyroid hormones, let your physician know about it. Be aware that Iodoral® enhances the response of your body to thyroid hormones ^(4,6). Subjects on Iodoral® feel warmer in cold environments and that is expected. However, you will need to cut down the amount of thyroid hormones if you experience palpitation, anxiety, increased sweating and intolerance to heat. That is because Iodoral® decreases your need for thyroid hormones. Keep a record of what you observe while on Iodoral® and show it to your physician and natural healthcare provider.

To test whole body sufficiency for iodine, 4 tablets of Iodoral® are ingested, followed by 24 hr. urine collection. The more deficient a subject is in iodine, the more iodine is retained by the body and the least excreted in the urine. Sufficiency is achieved when 90% or more of the ingested amount is excreted in the urine. In most subjects tested, 3-4 tablets of Iodoral®/day were required to achieve whole body sufficiency within 3 months and the body retained approximately 1.5 gm iodine at sufficiency ^(4,8). The best response in patients with FDB was observed with ingestion of 2 tablets twice a day ⁽⁸⁾. Click Here to view or order an Iodine Loading test.

The Importance of Nutritional Counseling

Self diagnoses and treatment based solely on information found on the web or by word of mouth can be dangerous. For example, bodies can absorb up to a 300 percent difference in supplements, so a healthy dose for one, even a recommended dose on a package, can be toxic for another. Consultations are available to help you get the right supplements and the right dose for you. Once you begin the consultation process you will receive a complete supplement recommendation that will be tailored for your heath needs using expertise gained over 30 years in practice as a DC and NHD.

I recommend supplementation primarily with Standard Process brand products which are only legally available thru a doctor/patient relationship. If you find these products for sale on the internet; this is a violation of Standard Process guidelines. The products found on the internet are not guaranteed by Standard Process to have been stored properly and many are expired. We drop ship all Standard Process lab items directly from the company’s warehouse to your door, ensuring the freshest possible supplements arrive.

This Month!!! (August ’09)

Order a 30-Minute Consultation – Dr. Bob’s Get Well to Stay Well Program – using coupon code CONSULT8 for only $125 (normally $135) also, you’ll receive FREE shipping on any nutritional supplement order over $75.

Special offer from a previous article on Energy and Weight Loss: This month only receive FREE SHIPPING on Dr. Bob’s Weight Loss and Energy Formula.

 

 

 

 

This Week ONLY!!

Receive FREE Shipping on an order of Iodorol from our E-Store using coupon code IODOROL

References
1) Ghent, W., et al, Can. J. Surg., 36:453-460,1993.
2) Eskin, B., et al, Biological Trace Element Research, 49:9-19, 1995.
3) Marine, D., Atl. Med. J., 26:437-442, 1923.
4) Abraham,G.E., The Original Internist, 11:17-36, 2004.
5) Gennaro A.R., Remington: 19th Edition, 1995, Mack Publishing Co, 1267.
6) Abraham, G.E., Flechas, J.D., Hakala, J.C., The Original Internist, 9:30-41, 2002.
7) Epstein, S.S., et al, Breast Cancer Prevention Program Macmillan, NY, 1998, pg5.
8) Abraham, G.E., The Original Internist, 11:(2) 29-38, 2004.
9) Abraham, G.E. Townsend Letter, 245:100-101, 2003.
10) Abraham, G.E., Flechas, J.D., Hakala, J.C., The Original Internist, 9:5-20, 2002.

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