Has anybody tried nascent iodine instead of thyroxine
Alternative to thyroxine: Has anybody tried... - Thyroid UK
Alternative to thyroxine
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Woodenjoyce
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SeasideSusieRemembering
Woodenjoyce
Considering that Levothyroxine is a thyroid hormone replacement, nascent iodine is not an alternative as it isn't a thyroid hormone.
Are you diagnosed hypothyroid and on Levo?
If so then supplementing iodine is not recommended unless you have tested and found to be deficient, then it should be supplemented under the guidance of an experienced practioner.
Iodine used to used to treat overactive thyroid so can make hypothyroidism worse. It's particularly not recommended if you have Hashimoto's.
Iodine deficiency isn't common in the UK as iodine is in many foods such as milk, yogurt, white fish, scampi, etc.
I have stopped taking thyroxine 75mg for 1 week now and replaced with nascent iodine and have felt heaps better and have more energy and generally feel better
Did you research first?
Did you test before supplementing?
Are you iodine deficient?
Are you supplementing under the guidance of an experienced practioner who is also giving you guidance on the protocol and cofactors needed when supplementing with iodine?
You might be interested in this article from the Mayo Clinic: mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...
which states:
If iodine deficiency isn't the cause of hypothyroidism, then iodine supplements provide no benefit and should not be used.
In fact, for some people with abnormal thyroid glands, too much iodine can cause or worsen hypothyroidism.
I am confused.
a) How much thyroxine were you taking? (75 milligrams simply cannot be right. 75 micrograms?)
b) How much nascent iodine are you taking?
c) What is nascent iodine? (I am aware you can buy something labelled "nascent iodine" but what is it?)
That is because:
a) everyone always feels heaps better when they stop their levo for whatever reason. It's a well-known phenomena and no-one knows why. But, it will not last. Sooner or later, the symptoms come creeping back. It does not mean you don't need thyroid hormone replacement, because if you are hypo, you do.
b) iodine, in the first instant, stimulates the thyroid, so more hormone makes you feel good. But, this won't last, either, because stimulating a sick gland just hastens it's demise.
Iodine is not a thyroid hormone, it is just one of the ingredients of thyroid hormone. One molecule of T4 contains four atoms of iodine. But, what about the other ingredients? You can't make a cake with just eggs, that would be an omelette. And, in any case, if your oven isn't working, it doesn't matter how much you increase the ingredients, you still won't get a cake.
If you are hypo, you actually need less iodine, not more. Because your thyroid is no-longer using it to make thyroid hormone. However, you cannot live without thyroid hormone, so you need to take thyroid hormone replacement. Not iodine. 
I love this metaphor: "You can't make a cake with just eggs, that would be an omelette. And, in any case, if your oven isn't working, it doesn't matter how much you increase the ingredients, you still won't get a cake." Genius!
Many people with primary hypo feel better for a few weeks when they stop levo - then they crash
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK
You might be interested in a previous post:
OD Of Iodine Causing Hyper
"I was taking too much nascent iodine for the last 3 + years, so I think this is the cause of my issue."
SlowDragonAdministrator
It’s a well known phenomenon that thyroid patients pretty much ALWAYS feel better (for a short while) when they stop taking levothyroxine
But it doesn’t last
How long have you been on 75mcg levothyroxine? That’s only one step up from starter dose. Most people need higher dose than this
Do you have recent blood tests you can share ?
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies
Ask GP to test vitamin levels
You may need to get full Thyroid testing privately as NHS refuses to test TG antibodies if TPO antibodies are negative
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .
Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
Recent post with similar stoppage of levothyroxine
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Iodine is extremely controversial if you have autoimmune thyroid disease also called hashimoto’s. Vast majority of UK patients with primary hypothyroidism is due to hashimoto’s
On reading your question, my first reaction was "Oh no!" As others have said, unless you have been tested and found to be iodine deficient, taking iodine is likely one of the worst things you could do for your thyroid. And, except in rare cases of temporary hypothyroidism, leaving off thyroxine when you are hypo is a recipe for disaster!
I looked up "Nascent iodine":
From Wikipedia:
"Nascent Iodine sometimes known by the generic term atomic iodine or generic trademark name Atomidine or by the misname detoxified iodine, is a liquid orally administered supplemental form of iodine, claimed to be in the monatomic state,[1][2] originating from a 1931 Edgar Cayce formula. "
And:
"Edgar Cayce (/ˈkeɪsiː/; March 18, 1877 – January 3, 1945) was an American self-professed clairvoyant who answered questions on subjects as varied as healing, reincarnation, wars, Atlantis, and future events while allegedly asleep. A biographer gave him the nickname, The Sleeping Prophet. A nonprofit organization, the Association for Research and Enlightenment,[1] was founded to facilitate the study of Cayce's work.
Some consider him the true founder and a principal source of the most characteristic beliefs of the New Age movement.[2]
Cayce is also notable for his contributions to the notions of diet and health, particularly the issues of food combining, acid/alkaline diet, and the therapeutic use of food. "
Sounds like a quack, big time!
greygoose in reply to
Sounds like someone else we know!
Please be careful. It was too much iodine that helped to wreck my thyroid. I was taking supplements and didn't realise that they also had iodine in them.
Iodine would only work if the reason for hypothyroidism was purely lack of iodine and nothing else. Thyroid hormones are made up of iodine and the amino acid tyrosine, so a protein- and iodine-deficient person might get back normal thyroid function by eating more protein (animal protein) and iodine rich foods. BUT, in the UK, we are not diagnosed as hypo until thyroid function has been largely destroyed (usually by autoimmune disease), so it cannot make enough hormone any more. Adding iodine and tyrosine would be like putting petrol in a car with no engine - you still aren't going to get it started. It would also not help with central hypo as the problem is not with the thyroid but the pituitary gland or hypothalamus - so you'd be putting extra petrol into the full tank of a car with the starter motor missing - still not going anywhere
Hello
I actually do take Lugols iodine and have been for 5 months and so far so good. I’m still taking levothyroxine lowish dose and metavive I as well. Also selenium with the iodine is a must.
I know it’s controversial but it has made me feel a lot better. Dr Guy Abraham and Dr David Brownstein have used it a lot in people with various diseases including hypo and hyper thyroid & breast cancer.
They suggest 95% of the population is iodine deficient and it’s the cause of numerous modern day health issues.
As others have said you do need to be careful and work with an iodine literate practitioner.
Good luck
in reply to Polly91
Hi Polly91. I have a few questions on this:
Have you been tested and found to be iodine deficient?
Are you living in a low iodine area?
“They suggest 95% of the population is iodine deficient and it’s the cause of numerous modern day health issues."
Are you in America? Iodine deficiency is rare in the UK and the dangers of overdosing therefore greater.
See this article: webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingre...
Some quotes (over 3 pages), emphases added in Bold/Italic:
"Large amounts or long-term use of iodine are POSSIBLY UNSAFE. Adults should avoid prolonged use of doses higher than 1100 mcg per day (the upper tolerable limit, UL)"
"UNSAFE when taken by mouth in high doses. Do not take more than 1100 mcg of iodine per day if you are over 18 years old; do not take more than 900 mcg of iodine per day if you are 14 to 18 years old. Higher intake has been shown to cause thyroid problems in the newborn in some cases."
"Autoimmune thyroid disease: People with autoimmune thyroid disease may be especially sensitive to the harmful side effects of iodine."
"Thyroid disorders, such as too little thyroid function (hypothyroidism), an enlarged thyroid gland (goiter), or a thyroid tumor: Prolonged use or high doses of iodine might make these conditions worse."
PLEASE be careful. Not all practitioners are trustworthy or "iodine literate", whatever they claim.
So far you seem to have got away with it, but...
Polly91 in reply to
Thank you Jnetti I really appreciate your message.
I have been tested using a fairly crude test and it showed deficiency.
My practitioner does seem to be iodine literate and after 5 months I feel well.
I hope I continue to do so. Concomitant selenium is important.
Dr Brownstein has written a good book on iodine as well as you tube videos and another good book is Iodine Crisis by a journalist Lynn Farrow. There is a school of thought that believes the thyroid does heal - ie it’s not necessarily irreversible in all cases. Adrenal health also v important for thyroid healing.
I will take a close look at your link - thank you.
Just out of curiosity, was that 'crude' test an iodine patch on the skin?
Yes
Well, that test was discredited a long, long time ago. It tells you nothing because so many things can affect the speed of the uptake, including temperature, wind speed and altitude. So, I would advise you to get proper testing.
Thank you. To get tested now would mean coming off iodine which I don’t want to do just now.
It’s early days but since getting very sick in May 2018 and it lasting well over a year this is the best I have felt.
I hope I don’t experience the negative effects of iodine but so far so good.
As long as you appreciate the risks you are taking.
Yes I guess there are risks with any therapy but I appreciate many people consider iodine to be a very risky supplement to take. Based on what I have read and my own experience I think the benefits outweigh the risks.
How long after taking it did you feel very unwell?
A couple of months, if I remember correctly, it was a long time ago. But, the effects continued long after I'd stopped the iodine.
This is what I’ve learned so feel free to ignore 😀
Virtually all our cells have iodine receptors. These receptors get blocked with other halides like bromide, flouride, chlorine due to our environment and also due to lower intake of iodine.
When we start replacing with iodine we push out the other halides ie disturb them from where they have become lodged and these make us feel quite unwell as they are circulating in our systems and shouldn’t be. So all sorts of symptoms occur eg sore throats , runny nose, headaches, tiredness, hair loss, tooth ache etc etc
Once these are out the body starts to heal. But this can take from 3 months to over a year depending on your state of health , nutrition and amount of halide toxicity.
It’s critical to take selenium alongside iodine to ensure conversion of T4 to T3. High protein breakfast is also recommended.
It’s also advisable to take some T3 for some people who have low conversion - this kick starts the thyroid.
All in all can take a year to 2 years to heal thyroid and adrenals and some people will always need some T3 or Levothyroxine but it may be much lower dose than when you start.
It’s also advisable to take some T3 for some people who have low conversion - this kick starts the thyroid.
Well, I doubt that, for a start. You cannot 'kick start' a sick thyroid, or one that is being attacked by Hashi's. This throws al the rest of the theory into doubt.
I think if conversion is very low you need T3 to kick start everything. So perhaps I did not phrase it quite correctly. But it’s just how I’ve understood it.
No, if conversion is very low, you need T3 to live. It doesn't 'kick-start' anything.
Fair enough. Although I had been “living” for over a year with very very low levels of T3
Well, it's not instant death. It's long, slow and miserable, gradually fading, able to do less and less and developing more and more other health problems as organs fail. And, it's a toss up which one will actually kill you. But, none of that has anything to do with iodine.
If you are taking levo and metavive, do you know how much thyroid hormone you are taking in total? And, do you know that 100 mcg T4 will give you 65 mcg iodine which is recycled in the body, and 25 mcg T3 gives you 12.2 mcg iodine? Was that taken into consideration when your dose of iodine was decided? Do you have any idea how much iodine you are getting from your diet? It all mounts up and it is very easy to over-dose.
I speak as someone who was prescribed iodine by a lazy, ignorant doctor back in the dark days when I was ignorant. It had a devastating effect on me. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
Thank you Greygoose
Yes I believe all this is taken into consideration. Brownstein, Abraham’s Et al suggest much higher doses of iodine are needed as we are more deficient than ever because of the widespread use of bromides and fluorides which competitively bind to iodine receptor sites.
I’m sorry it had a devastating effect on you.
They may suggest it, but that doesn't make it correct. And, if you're hypo, you need less iodine, not more, because the thyroid is no-longer using it to make thyroid hormone.
I guess it depends on what you believe. I have read a few research papers and I think they could be right. They suggest thyroid gland uses the iodine to start making hormone as well as all the other glandular tissues in the body that need the iodine eg breast, ovaries, prostate, skin, joints etc.
So far the iodine is helping me. Long may it continue. But I appreciate its not for everyone.
The bromide issue most often referred to seems to be its use as a dough conditioner in baking. Which is prohibited in the EU. Hence not usually an issue here.
(There may still be issues from things like fire-proofing treatments of textiles, etc.)
Yes that’s correct bromide was used as a dough conditioner in US but may not be used now. The bigger exposure to bromides is as you say through flame retardants which are ubiquitous-computers, new cars, mattresses , sofas etc. Also many medicines contain bromide or fluorides as do some foods that contain preservatives.
The increased bromide exposure coupled with the increased use of fluoride (and decreased use of iodine) has resulted in the deficiency in iodine.
I thought it was still in use? (Though with various restrictions such as need to label products in California as a potential carcinogen. And voluntary removal by some companies.)
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