Potassium iodide

[mhackett234]

When my son and I became suspicious about 2 years ago that we might have an iodine deficiency, we stumbled on Lugol's Solution and took 3 drops of it in our food for a few months. Extensive reading brought me to "Betadine", a potassium iodide solution sold in stores as an anti-biotic for scraps and minor cuts. An 8 oz bottle is about US$8.00. We bought some roll-on applicators and I began slathering it on my forearms. I had had over 500 liquid nitrogen topical treatments for pre-cancerous lesions on my body over a period of 15 years (from severe sunburns as a child--I am white as snow). The new skin lesions, that had already begun appearing during the year since my previous liquid nitrogen treatment, subsided and disappeared after using the Betadine. I currently rotate around parts of my body with Betadine application, e.g. right arm this week 3x/week, week rest, left arm, week rest, then right thigh, etc. I no longer have lesions that require liquid nitrogen treatment. From the literature, my body absorbs the iodine it needs from the skin applications and the rest transpires into the air. International health statistics say that upwards of 80% of people in developed countries are iodine deficient. If any of you have similar skin lesions, try the Betadine and get back to us. I jumped in and was slathering almost my whole body in the beginning, but you can start off with just one spot 2 inches square which would be about the area this over the counter "medicine" was intended for.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

mhackett234 I think it would be a very good idea if you also add to your post that it would be best to test for iodine deficiency before taking any supplement.

It is very easy to get iodine from food - non organic cows milk, yogurt, cod, haddock, all contain good amounts. One glass of milk and one yogurt daily give the recommended amount. Levothyroxine contains 4 molecules of iodine and T3 contains 3 molecules of iodine, so if taking either of these there is another source of iodine.

For anyone interested, a non-loading urine iodine test will give your iodine level and is available from Genova through ThyroidUK.

For anyone with Hashimoto's, it's said that iodine can make it worse.

[mhackett234 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Doctors often rely on a "one test / one drug fits all" approach. e.g. A1C and Metformin for type 2 diabetes or TSH and T4/T3 for low thyroid. Testing for iodine deficiency/sufficiency is iffy at best. Unlike your teeth that you can count on to still be there the next morning, iodine levels come and go rapidly depending on the biological circumstances. Also, iodine is not easily found in the modern diet, restrictive diets, or malnutrion which is why 80% of the world population is iodine deficient or at the cusp.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to mhackett234]

Yes, there are 'iffy' tests for iodine, such as the iodine patch test to see how quickly your body absorbs the iodine, or the urine iodine loading test which deems 98-99% of people who do this test to be iodine deficient.

My personal experience of the non-loading iodine urine test was that when first tested I was sitting half way through the range. My then 'practioner' suggested a multi vitamin/mineral supplement which contained iodine. I questioned this, saying I wasn't deficient yet this supplement contained 150mcg iodine. No problem she said, it's only a small amount. That small amount is actually the recommended daily amount. After a few months I retested, my iodine level had shot up from 150 (100-199) to 250. I stopped the supplement.

And the British Diatetic Association wouldn't agree with you that iodine is not easily found in the modern diet.

bda.uk.com/foodfacts/Iodine...

Milk and dairy products

Cow’s milk .... 200ml .... 50-100mcg iodine**

Organic cow’s milk .... 200ml .... 30-60mcg**

Yoghurt .... 150g .... 50-100mcg**

Cheese .... 40g .... 15mcg

Fish

Haddock .... 120g .... 390mcg

Cod .... 120g .... 230mcg

Plaice .... 130 .... 30mcg

Salmon fillet .... 100g .... 14mcg

Canned tuna .... 100g .... 12mcg

Shellfish

Prawns .... 60g .... 6mcg

Scampi .... 170g .... 160mcg

etc

So no exactly hard to get the recommended 150mcg daily.

[mhackett234 in reply to SeasideSusie]

So many people worldwide are deficient in iodine because they don't eat cod (almost extinct) or any seafood or else very, very little seafood. Either they don't like the taste or smell of seafood, it is unavailable, or are dietarily ignorant or are too poor to buy milk and fish. And even if some iodine goes in through the mouth, it doesn't mean your body is able to utilize it. For instance, there are cruciferous vegetables, phytates in beans & nuts, bromides, etc. that interfere with iodine's availability in the human body.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Could you please quote the literature which says: From the literature, my body absorbs the iodine it needs from the skin applications and the rest transpires into the air.

[mhackett234 in reply to helvella]

The "Literature" is my general reading, which is considerable and eclectic. Iodine is a bit unusual as an element. It is my understanding that Iodine crystals "transpire" into the air without going through a liquid stage. Any school chemistry book probably discusses or at least mentions it. Carbon dioxide (dry ice) "transpires" similarly. As for absorption into the body through the skin, many substances both harmful and helpful pass through the skin into the body. Again a school biology book will probably explain it. The Internet, of course, is full of good info and crap info. What might look like a good research paper, however, may have been funded by an organization that will profit from a pre-conceived so-called "scientific" outcome. Let's face it, there are probably more PhD's in India than in Europe. Money can buy "fake research" where the many, many desperate unemployed PhD's are scrambling for an income. Do a web search "transdermal iodine" for more info -- I got 403,000 hits.

[SmallBlueThing in reply to mhackett234]

Forgive me if I lump your "slathering almost my whole body" in with the "crap info".

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to mhackett234]

The usual term is "sublime" - going straight from solid to vapour form.

My question was really asking how the process miraculously allows only what is required to be absorbed - then ensures that the rest sublimes. Indeed, your claim is somewhat stronger, as it implies there is no sublimation until the requirement has been met! But perhaps you didn't mean to say that?

[mhackett234 in reply to helvella]

If you are not keeping your iodized salt in an air-tight container, there is very little iodine left a month after opening the original box. Same goes for sea salt. Iodine "sublimes". On the other hand, some people refuse to use iodized salt because it is "tainted" or "a government plot". My original post merely recounted what I have been doing to help my historical and now borderline hypothyroidism. The soils in the American Midwest are notoriously iodine deficient. Goiter was common when I was a kid. World health organizations and data say there is a world wide deficiency of iodine. In America they use bromine to condition and whiten bread. Bromine displaces iodine in the body, etc. etc. etc. I am pretty sure that I am now NOT deficient in iodine and deficiency for me is not part of any health problem I might have. And, thanks to the Potassium iodide applications to my skin, I also don't have to go to a dermatologist to have skin lesions burned (frozen) off me anymore. I think I am a winner. The human body does a good job of excreting in the urine excess iodine, and my usage is far from overkill. When I see statistics on how many tons of synthetic prescriptions are consumed by people each year...