Unrefined Salt-Iodine Lecture-M Schachter MD ACAM 10-25-10 8-45 PM Reviewed 9-24-18

Unrefined Salt & Iodine:
Misunderstood Nutrients
ACAM Fall Conference 2010
Las Vegas, Nevada
Michael B Schachter MD, CNS
Schachter Center for Complementary Medicine
2 Executive Boulevard
Suite 202
Suffern, New York 10901
Phone: 845-368-4700; FAX: 845-368-4727
Website: www.schachtercenter.com
E-Mail: [email protected]
November 7, 2010 ACAM Michael B Schachter MD, CNS 1

Disclosures
 Xymogen
– Board of Advisors
– Own some shares in company (< 1%)
 American Bioscience Inc.
– Small honorariums for occasional lectures
 Maitake Products, Inc.
– Support for some lectures
 Natural Source (Producers of Beljanski products)
 Rare support for lecture
 No support for this lecture, except from ACAM

Objectives & Sources of Information
 Value of unrefined salt and doses of iodine well beyond
the RDI for clinical practice
 Controversies surrounding each of these areas
 Trace the history for the use of iodine in clinical practice
 Outline suggestions for clinical management of iodine
 Sources of information (No financial interest):
– www.optimox.com; click on iodine research
– www.drbrownstein.com; books & DVDs on Salt & Iodine
– Book: David M Derry: Breast Cancer & Iodine
– www.breastcancerchoices.org
– My articles (2010 and 2013): Integrative Oncology for
Clinicians & Cancer Patients (has discussion on Iodine):
Access from our website: www.schachtercenter.com
Unrefined Salt and Iodine: My Personal
Journey
• 2005-Use of iodine, but adverse effects; became
very cautious about using it
• 2010-Need specific detoxification program to
help tolerate higher doses of iodine, probably
because of bromine overload
• Unrefined salt & other nutrients are key
• Optimal daily dosage 6 to 50 mg (not mcg) for
many patients; others may need lower doses
• My family members & I are benefitting from use
of unrefined salt & higher doses of iodine
• Most patients in my practice also appear to be
benefitting
Refined vs. Unrefined Salt
 Big difference: trace minerals retained (~
80)
 Unrefined: only NaCl-No trace minerals; depletes
body of minerals
 Different salts-different minerals-different tastes
 Celtic salt, Real, Himalayan = Unrefined
 Less iodine than refined iodized salt; Need to get
Iodine from another source
 No studies on unrefined salt

Importance of Salt to the Body
 Body can’t function without salt
 Every cell-requires salt
 Sodium and potassium need to be in balance
 Potassium high in cells
 Sodium high in blood and extracellular fluid
 Salt & water needed for detoxification-especially bromine
 Patients feel better with salt; feel lousy on low
salt diet
 Unrefined salt corrects mineral deficiencies, buffers toxic
chemicals (such as bromides) and contributes to
balancing the adrenals, the thyroid and the entire
endocrine system

Acceptance of Low Salt Diet for
Hypertension
 1904-Ambard & Beujard: Salt deprivation associated
with low BP
 Various animal studies: High salt (refined & 10 to
20X recommended) associated with high BP;
extrapolated to humans
 1979-Surgeon general: Salt causes ↑BP &
need low salt diets; Repeated in 2009
 Pushed by Govt agencies, researchers, medical
schools & dieticians
 Numerous studies-no benefits; yet still pushed. See
Brownstein book and DVD on salt
Consequences of Low Salt Diets
No Health Benefits
• 1995-NYC-8 yr study-hypertensives-stratified for
salt intake-4X as many MI’s in low salt
• 1997-MRFIT-Cutler-NHLBI-6 years-No health
benefits from low salt diets; Confirmed with 14
yrs of data in 1999
• 1997-10 yr Scottish study-No improved
outcomes with low salt diet
• 1998-NHANES-20 years-20% > incidence of MI
• 2002-high quality meta-analysis-BMJ-No benefits
from salt restriction

References Showing Little or No
Benefits &/or Harm from Low Salt Diets
 Smith, WCS, et al. Urinary electrolyte excretion, alcohol
consumption, and blood pressure in the Scottish Heart
Health Study. BMJ. 297:329-330, 1988.
 Alderman, M., et al. Dietary sodium intake & mortality:
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
(NHANES I). Lancet. Vol. 351, Issue 9105, March 14,
1998, 781-785.
 Swales, JD, Salt saga continued: Salt has only small
importance in hypertension. BMJ. 1988; 297:307-8.
 Cutler, JA., et al. An overview of randomized trials of
sodium reduction & blood pressure. Hypertension. 1191;
17 (suppl I): I-27 to I=33. (Suggests low salt diet, but little
evidence to support it)
References Showing Little or No
Benefits or Harm from Low Salt Diets 2
 Midgley, J., et al. Effect of reduced dietary sodium on
blood pressure. JAMA. May 22/29, 1996. Vol. 275, NO
20.
 Alderman, M. Low urinary sodium is associated with
greater risk of myocardial infarction among treated
hypertensive men. Hypertension, 1995; 25:1144-1152.
 Engstrom, A.M. et al. Nutritional consequences of
reducing sodium intake. Ann. Intern. Med. 1983; 98
(part2): 870-872.
 Rio, A. Del. et al. Metabolic effects of strict salt
restriction in essential hypertensive patients. J. of Int.
Med., 1993; 233:409-414.
Dr. Brownstein Cases Responding to
Unrefined Salt & H2O
Seizure disorders Headaches
Hypertension Fatigue
Arthritis Autoimmune
Adrenal exhaustion Fibromyalgia
Muscle cramps CFSIDS
Hypotension

Hydration & Unrefined Salt
 Drink ½ of your weight in pounds as ounces
of water per day [If 200 lbs, then 100 oz of
water]
 Can add ¼ tspf-each quart-1 to 2 tspf-daily-
food and water
 Hypertension-Few hypertensives salt
sensitive & unrefined salt may reduce high
BP by supplying trace minerals & reducing
the secretion of aldosterone, renin and
angiotensin; Ca, Mg and K reduce BP

Myths About Salt
 No difference between refined and unrefined
salt; actually the trace minerals in unrefined salt
make a huge difference
 Low salt diet is good for you; actually it results
in mineral deficiencies and stresses the entire
endocrine system; large studies show opposite
 Salt causes hypertension; actually few
hypertensives salt sensitive & unrefined salt may
reduce high BP by supplying trace minerals &
reducing the secretion of aldosterone, renin and
angiotensin; Ca, Mg and K reduce BP

Iodine
 Non-metallic trace element
 Term iodine from Greek iodes meaning
purple
 Halogen on the periodic table
 Molecular weight = 127 with 53 electrons
 Has more electrons than any other
required element in the animal diet

Electron Structure of Iodine

Periodic Table-Halogen Family in 2nd
Column from Right

Discovery of the Halides in
Chronological Order (from Abraham)

Halogens Compete with Each Other
for Receptor Sites in Body
 Halogens are a class of elements in Group
VII of the Periodic Table
 They include: Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine,
Iodine and Astatine
 Bromine (closest in periodic table) in
particular competes with iodine for
receptor binding sites in the body

Bernard Courtois (1777-1838) Discovered
Iodine in 1811-First Paper 1813
•French chemist-saltpeter (potassium nitrate)
manufacturer
•Saltpeter needed-gun powder
•Napoleon-engaging wars for France
•Seaweed ash-source of making saltpeter
•Sulfuric acid added to remove interfering
compounds before salts could be
precipitated
•One day added too much sulfuric acid-
Iodide oxidized to iodine which sublimated
to form a violet vapor
•Crystals obtained from vapor analyzed &
various iodide salts made (Never published)
•Chemist Gay-Lussac got some; named it
iodes from Greek word violet; later iodine
Dr. Jean- Francois Coindet of Switzerland:
1774-1834: Iodine Treatment for Goiter
•First used iodine to treat goiter around 1820
(though centuries before iodine discovered-
Chinese physicians used seaweed to treat
goiter); these patients HYPOTHYROID
•Used three different preparations-a solution of
potassium iodide-alcoholic tincture
•Dosage of Iodine: 75 mg to 150 mg of Iodine to
treat goiter
•Softening & shrinkage of goiter often in 8 days
•Found helpful in other conditions; became
rage of Switzerland
•Complications, including induced
hyperthyroidism seen by practitioners with
higher doses & sicker pts
•Extremely controversial
Jean Batiste Boussingault (1802-1887):
Showed Iodine prevented Goiter
•French agricultural chemist
•Identified the biological
nitrogen cycle
•Noticed workers in silver
mines didn’t get Goiter &
disappeared when they had
it
•Found iodine in water
prevented goiter-1824
(verified the discovery of
Coindet)
Large Goiter

Lugol’s Solution
 Jean Lugol, a 19th century physician in order to
make iodine more soluble in water developed a
solution, which was 5% iodine and 10%
potassium iodide (KI) dissolved in 85% distilled
water (1829)
 Two drops of Lugol’s solution contains 5 mg of
iodine & 7.5 mg of iodide (contained in 1 tablet
of Iodoral (Optimox) or Iodizyme (Biotics)
 Occurs with formation of I3-
 “Lugol’s solution” was used for years to treat
many disorders
Carl Adolph von Basedow (1799 – 1854):
First Gave Iodine for Thyrotoxicosis in 1840
Von Basedow GA.
“Exophthalmos durch
Hypertrophie des Zell Gewebca
in der Augenhoelhle”. Wsrchr
Ges Heilk, 1840; 6: 197; Cited
in:
Abraham G.E., The safe and
effective implementation of
orthoiodosupplementation in
medical practice. The Original
Internist, 11:17-36, 2004

Armand Trousseau (18011867) Accidentally
Treated Hyperthyroidism with Iodine
•1863-Accidentally successfully
Treated exophthalmic goiter
(hyperthyroidism) with iodine instead of
intended digitalis
•Patient got better
•Upon return visit realized mistake-gave
digitalis-patient worse; gave iodine again-
better
•First double-blind study in a
cohort of one patient with
Grave’s disease using Iodine
•He used 75 to 100 mg of
Tincture of Iodine

Prof. Theodore Kocher (1841-1917)
Born in Berne Switzerland & Prof at University
•1909-Nobel Prize for work on The Thyroid
Gland
•Treated Hyperthyroidism with thyroidectomy
•Adamantly against using Iodine for
Hyperthyroidism-Thyroid storm-precipitated in
himself with iodine
•Intimidated many physicians & thyroidologists
and divided physicians into 2 camps (Iodine not
used from 1910-1924)
•Retrospectively, opposition to inorganic
iodine/iodide for Graves' disease proved to be
the main cause of the high rate of pre- and post-
operative mortality, following thyroidectomy.

Henry S Plummer MD-Co-Founder of Mayo
Clinic-First Used Lugol’s for Thyrotoxicosis
•1924-Plummer & Boothby from the
Mayo Clinic reported zero mortality
in 600 cases of thyrotoxicosis treated
with Lugol’s solution. Thought due to iodine
deficiency.
•Daily dosage was generally 180 mg Iodine
given TID for at least 7 days before surgery,
though dosage was individualized
depending on severity of case
•Plummer HS and Boothby WM. "The Value of iodine in
exophthalmic goiter. " J Iowa Med Soc, 1924; 14:65.
•Plummer WA. "Iodin in the treatment of goiter." Med Cl North
America, 1925; 8:1145-1151.
•Both Cited in: Abraham G.E., The safe and effective
implementation of orthoiodosupplementation in medical
practice. The Original Internist, 11:17-36, 2004.
Mass General Study: Lugol’s
Effective-1924 for Hyperthyroidism
• Dr. Starr at Mass General
• 15 drops (about 90 mg) daily for 25 cases
• 80% responded with extensive remission
• 48% responded the way thyroidectomy
responds
• Most of others, success with different
course, remission less extensive
Starr P, Walcott HP, Segall HN, et al. "The effect of iodin in
exophthalmic goiter." Arch In Med, 1924; 34:355-364.

Dr. Frank H. Lahey-Founder of Lahey
Clinic in Boston MA-Advocated Iodine
•1925-Reported very favorable
Results using Lugol’s solution
Before and after thyroidectomy
•Lahey FH. "The use of iodine
in goitre." Boston Med & Surg
J, 1925; 193:487-490, cited in:
Abraham G.E., The safe and
effective implementation of
orthoiodosupplementation in
medical practice. The Original
Internist, 11:17-36, 2004.
Dr. Frank H. Lahey Quote from Paper
"The introduction of Lugol's solution by Dr.
Henry S. Plummer as a method of preparation for
operation in exophthalmic goiter marks a step of
forward progress in the surgical management of this
disease. It has practically eliminated preliminary
pole ligation in our Clinic and has made it possible to
complete the operation of subtotal thyroidectomy in
one stage upon a great majority of our patients. It
has saved for us many of those delirious and
desperately toxic cases which previously died before
any operation could be done upon them, and it has
almost completely done away with post-operative
thyroid reactions. It has been a real boon to the
patient suffering from exophthalmic goiter or primary
hyperthyroidism.”
J.L. DeCourcy MD-1927-Surgery May
Not be Necessary in Some Cases
 1927-Reported that out of 30 cases given

30 to 60 mg three times daily, 11 cases
recovered without surgery (36% success
rate)
DeCourcy JL. "The use of Lugol's solution in exophthalmic

goitre." Ann Surg, 1927; 86:871-876.

Study on Optimal Dosage of Lugol’s for
Grave’s Disease-1930-Thompson
• 1930-Systematic study of wide range of dosages of
Lugol’s solution for Grave’s disease
• Range from 1/5 drop to 30 drops
• 17 hospitalized pts-23 outpatients
• One drop (6.25 mg of Iodine) gave maximum
reduction in basal metabolism
• Quoted several authors in the late 1800s and early
1900s who used Lugol’s solution alone successfully in
Graves' disease, with complete remission of the disease,
eliminating the need for surgery
– Thompson, W.O., Brailey, A.G., Thompson, P.K., et al, the Range
of Effective Iodine Dosage in Exophthalmic Goiter. Arch. Int.
Med., 45:261-281, 1930

Possible Reasons for Adverse Effects of
Iodine for Hyperthyroidism
 Though many successful cases—sometimes severe
reactions, including thyroid storm occurred
 Many reasons-biochemical individuality, environmental
issues-toxic overload or other nutrient deficiencies
 Dosage of iodine too high with loss of balance of
cellular reactions and increased production of
hydrogen peroxide
 Lack of selenium, magnesium, unrefined salt,
sufficient water or other nutrients
 Patients toxic with bromine and bromine mobilized by
iodine administration

Case History-Hyperthyroidism
 MB, 44 y.o. married female accountant with 2 adopted
daughters-first seen by MBS: 7-14-10 for hyperthyroidism
 Scheduled for radioactive iodine treatment within the next
two weeks
 Followed by endocrinologist for 2 years for osteoporosis; Did
thyroid profile-hyperthyroidism (No reported anxiety,
insomnia, palpitations or anxiety; but 25 lb wt loss over past
year (intentional & weighed 148 lbs at first visit); Liver
enzymes elevated
 Primary ovarian failure as an adolescent & on Prempro for 25
years
 Referred my mother-in-law who was patient & watched Dr.
Brownstein’s DVDs on iodine & thyroid disorders & my
lecture on diet, salt & iodine prior to 1st visit
 Program prescribed at first visit.
MB’s Program
 Drink 2.5 quarts of water daily with ¼ tspf of unrefined
salt added to each quart (1tspf salt daily including food)
 Buffered C 500 mg 3 to 6 daily
 Selenium 200 mcg 3 daily
 Magnesium Taurate 125 mg 3 daily
 Multivitamin-Mineral; Calcium; Fish Oil; Vitamin D 5,000
IU daily
 Iodine (mixed iodide & iodine) 12.5 mg. Start with ½ &
work up to 4 daily (50 mg of Iodine)
 Milk Thistle 4 daily
 Plan to switch from Prempro to Bio-identical hormones

MB’s Lab Results Before & During
Treatment
Test July 14 2010 October 4 2010
TSH < 0.01 Low < 0.01 Low
T4 17.0 High 11.8 Normal
Free T4 2.6 High 1.4 Normal
Free T3 783 High 418 Normal
Reverse T3 60 High 38 Normal
Thyroid Peroxidase 36 High 26 Normal
Antibody
Thyroglobulin Antibody 90 High 24 Slightly High
Alkaline Phosphatase 181 High 111 Normal
AST 52 High 24 Normal
ALT 87 High 24 Normal
LDH 227 High 192 Normal
David Marine MD-Pathologist-Ohio
Clinical Trials-Iodine to Prevent Goiter
•Medical Student-Thesis on iodine &
goiter in the early 1920’s-familiar with
Boussingault
•US Govt –study on animals-goiter-
hypothyroid-not reproducing-fed
animals different amounts of iodine
•Expands study to humans-but for
convenience only goiter checked
•Akron Ohio-56% school aged girls-goiter
•6X more adolescent girls had goiter
than boys-due to breast development-
taking iodine from thyroid

Dr. Marine Proves Iodine Prevents
Goiter in Akron Ohio-1924
 Study in Akron (1923)-2305 adolescent girls control group;
2190 in treatment group--No palpable goiters prior to
study-9 mg of iodine/iodide for 2.5 years; No side effects
 End of study: control group 22% goiter
 Treatment group-0.2% incidence of goiter
– Marine, D. Prevention and treatment of simple goiter.
Atl. Med. J. 26;437-442, 1923.
 Replicated in Michigan
 Iodine added to salt and encouraged throughout USA
 Conclusion was: Iodine deficiency no longer a problem
because goiter & cretinism no longer occurred; did not deal
with total body iodine sufficiency

Iodized Salt: A Blessing & a Curse
 Assumed that the only function of iodine
was to make thyroid hormones &
determined that only tiny amounts of
iodine necessary
 Subsequently, in 1980-RDA
(Recommended Daily Allowance) of 150
mcg established and confirmed in 1989
 RDA not based on whole body
sufficiency, but the minimum amount to
prevent goiter and cretinism
Cretinism
•Severe brain damage and
mental retardation in
newborns
•Occurs when pregnant
woman is severely deficient
in iodine
•Virtually wiped out in the
USA with the use of iodized
salt by the general
population introduced in the
1920’s
Use of Lugol’s Solution or SSKI During
the 1930’s & 40’s
 Accepted small doses of iodine could treat and
prevent goiter and hypothyroidism
 Treatment of hypothyroidism in the late 20’s &
30’s became thyroid hormone & not iodine
 Larger doses used to treat hyperthyroidism, but
some bad reactions
 Nevertheless, considered treatment of choice to
treat hyperthyroidism
 Used to treat many other conditions as well

1932-Textbook by Rowland on
Treatment of Diseases of the Thyroid
 Chapters from 24 thyroidologists
 Recommended treatment for hypothyroidism: “The
treatment of hypothyroidism of any type consists merely in
the substitution of thyroid extract for the deficient
secretion. Any form of prepared gland or the active
principle, thyroxin, may be used." (First used 1891 &
adopted in the 1920’s following paper by George
Redmayne Murray of UK in 1920)
 Not all physicians abandoned iodine/iodide, some
continued to use Lugol’s solution or potassium iodide to
treat iodine deficiency and simple goiter.
Abraham G.E., The safe and effective implementation of
orthoiodosupplementation in medical practice. The Original
Internist, 11:17-36, 2004.
Conditions Treated with Lugol’s
Solution
 All kinds of thyroid conditions
 Septicemia
 “Consumption” (Tuberculosis)
 Painted on sore throats and tonsils and
tonsils would shrink
 Gerson used Lugol’s in TBC patients &
cancer patients
 Many other conditions

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (1883-
1986)
•Nobel Prize in Medicine-
1937-for discovery of
vitamin C
•“A discovery is said to be
an accident meeting a
prepared mind.”
•“Discovery consists of
seeing what everybody has
seen and thinking what
nobody has thought”

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi: Quotes from
Bioenergetics-1958
 “When I was a medical student, iodine in the
form of KI was the universal medicine. Nobody
knew what it did, but it did something and it did
something good.”
 ‘If ye don’t know where, what & why, prescribe
ye then K and I.”
 Optimal Iodine concentration for energy transfer
and protection against free radicals: 10-4M
 US population of iodine in serum 10-8M

Iodine Used in Syphilis
• Iodine use began in the 1820’s and was still
being used in 1840 (Salter, The Endocrine
Function of Iodine, Harvard University Press,
1940)
• Dosages: several grams daily to treat sclerotic
lesions of aorta due to syphilis
• Encyclopedia Britannica 1911: “In its tertiary
stages and also earlier—this disease (syphilis)
yields in the most rapid an most unmistakable
fashion to iodides.” Dosages 300 to 1,800
mg/day
From Guy Abraham lecture 2007.

Encyclopedia Britannica: 1911
Edition on Iodides and Syphilis
 “In its tertiary stages and also earlier—this disease
(syphilis) yields in the most rapid and most unmistakable
fashion to Iodides.”
– Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition, XIV, 725-26,
1910-11
 Potassium iodide is most commonly used to treat many
conditions and the usual dose is 5 to 30 grains or more
(300 to 1,800 mg daily)
– After this edition, it was purchased and useful
information about iodine was deleted
– Guy Abraham lecture-2007

Conditions Treated by Iodine Listed
in 1911 by Encyclopedia Britannica
 Metallic poisonings, as by lead and

mercury
 Asthma
 Aneurisms
 Arteriosclerosis…

Dosages of Potassium Iodide
Used in the Early 1900’s
 “The most commonly used salt is the
iodide of potassium…”
 “The usual doses of these salts are from
five to thirty grains or more.” This would
translate to 300 to 1,800 mg daily, more
than ½ of which was Iodine
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica 11th Edition
published in 1910-1911; Cited in lecture by Guy
Abraham MD-Iodine Conference-2007
Francis D Kelly-Article in 1961
Regarding History of Iodine Use
 Iodide “was applied to almost every case that resisted
the ordinary routine of practice”
 Kelly listed 23 medical conditions for which iodine was
prescribed and then added “to mention only a few.”
– Kelly Francis D. Iodine in Medicine and Pharmacy
Since its Discovery in 1811. Proc R Soc Med,
54:831-836, 1961
 Confirmed Szent-Gyorgyi’s statements about use in
the early 1900’s
 From Guy Abraham lecture-2007

Decline of Therapeutic Use of Lugol’s
 Prior to WWII-Lugol’s used by many physicians to treat
many conditions
 1920’s & 30’s: Use of desiccated thyroid to treat most
hypothyroidism
 Around WW II, Iodine not patentable-big Pharma grows-
looking for profits with patentable medications; seeking
safe alternatives to iodine
 Publications of Lugol’s to treat Grave’s disease disappeared
in the 1940’s concurrent with iodophobic publications
 Antithyroid meds developed by leading thyroidologists) to
treat hyperthyroidism; Thiouracil-Astwood-1943-later
others like PTU; 1953-Godley & Standbury-new goitrogen
Potassium Perchlorate; so toxic shortly removed
 The Wolff-Chaikoff Effect-1949
Wolff-Chaikoff Effect
 1948-Thyroidologists Wolff and Chaikoff at the U
of Ca Berkeley did a study to determine effect of
iodine on thyroid function in rats
 At the time, one method of evaluating thyroid
function was to check for uptake of radioactive
iodine by the thyroid
 If uptake was reduced, the thyroid was
interpreted to be underactive
 Potassium iodine (a relatively high dose) was
injected intraperitoneally in the rats

Wolff-Chaikoff Effect (2)
• Then radioactive iodine was administered and the
uptake by the thyroid was measured; little or no
radioactive iodine was picked up by the thyroid
• Wolff and Chaikoff’s interpretation was that iodine
caused hypothyroidism in the rats and declared iodine to
be goitrogenic causing both hypothyroidism and goiter;
though thyroid hormone was not measured in the rats
and there was no evidence of goiter
• They then extrapolated their results to humans and
declared that doses above 2 mg daily of iodide caused
hypothyroidism and goiter (Wolff-Chaikoff Effect)
Wolff, J. & Chaikoff, I.L. Plasma inorganic iodide as a homeostatic regulator of
thyroid function. J. Biol. Chem, 174:555-64, 1948.

Wolff-Chaikoff Effect (3)
 In 1969, Wolff again reiterated his assertion of this effect
in another paper (Wolff, J. Iodide, goiter and the
pharmacologic effects of excess iodide. Am. J. Med. 47:
101-24, 1969.) while he was at the NIH and carried a lot of
influence
 This is how the toxic dose was established !!!!
 Swallowed hook, line and sinker by the medical
establishment, including most orthomolecular and
alternative practitioners
 Resulted in massive mistreatment of patients
 Abraham’s interpretation was that the radioactive iodide
uptake test only works when the thyroid is deficient in
iodine and by giving the rats iodide, they became iodine
sufficient (In other words, the W-C interpretation was in
error)
 Nevertheless, its effect on medicine has persisted
Critique of the Wolff-Chaikoff Effect
 Women in US who have low iodine intake have one
of highest breast cancer rates
 Women in Japan with lowest breast cancer rates
ingest about 13 mg of iodine daily from seaweed
and show no evidence of toxicity from iodine
(increase hypothyroidism or other thyroid
conditions)
 David Marine in the 1920’s used 9 mg of sodium
iodide in 2,190 students for 2.5 years to cure and
prevent goiter --0.2% goiter in treatment group and
22% goiter in control group at end of study.
(Marine, D. Prevention and treatment of simple
goiter. Atl. Med. J. 26:437-442, 1923.
Critique of the Wolff-Chaikoff Effect (2)
 Studies show that 5 mg or more of iodine can
reverse fibrocystic breast disease without side
effects (Finley, J.W., Bogardus, G.M. Breast cancer
and thyoid disease. Quart Rev Surg Obstet Gynec,
1960; 17:139-147.)
 Prior to World War II, many physicians used Lugol’s
solution (at much higher doses than 2 mg of iodine)
to treat all kinds of medical conditions, especially
those involving the thyroid gland with no reports of
it causing hypothyroidism
 Both hypo and hyperthyroid conditions were treated
with Lugol’s solution
 Higher doses were needed for hyperthyroidism-
average 90 mg daily resulted in 90% remission
Critique of the Wolff-Chaikoff Effect (3)
 Women on thyroid hormone have an increased
risk of developing breast cancer, which may
occur as a result of using thyroid hormone in
iodine depleted women (aggravates iodine
deficiency in the breasts)
– Chandrakant, C & Wolfe, John N. Breast cancer: relationship to
thyroid supplements for hypothyroidism, JAMA, Sept 6, 1976-Vol
236, No.10, 1124-1127.
 Despite all of this, the Wolf-Chaikoff effect has
persisted
 Did the acceptance of the Wolf-Chaikoff effect
impede medical progress for the past 50 years?

Radio-active Iodine Introduced in
the 1980’s to treat Thyrotoxicosis
 1980’s-Use of goitrogens reduced because of
poor results
 Inorganic iodide reintroduced, but the wrong
kind (Abraham)
 Radioactive Iodine wipes out the thyroid gland
and may increase cancer risk in the area
 Current standard of care: Antithyroid drugs-
Radioactive Iodine-Thyroidectomy
 Shouldn’t we go back to Lugol’s

Iodine: Prevalent View
 Physicians horrified-mg doses; will damage
thyroid
 Merck Manual: Toxicity: Chronic iodine
toxicity when iodide above 2 mg/day.”
 Linus Pauling Institute: RDA for Iodine
sufficient; no supplementation is necessary
 Jeff Bland: nothing about higher doses of
iodine in Functional Medicine Update (FMU)
over the last 10 yrs

Conventional Medicine’s Positive
View on Iodine
 Essential element
 Used to make thyroid hormones (and not
needed anywhere else in the body)
 Prevents goiter (enlarged thyroid)
 Helps to prevent miscarriages and/or severely
damaged children (cretinism)
 Microgram quantities are all that is necessary to
prevent goiter & cretinism
 You can get all of the iodine needed from using
iodized salt
Bernard Eskin MS, MD-Evidence that
Breasts Need Larger Amounts of Iodine
•Prof-Ob-Gyn-Drexel
Univ. in Philadelphia PA
•Published well over 100
Peer-reviewed journal
Articles
•Author &/or Editor of
20 textbooks
•1960s-recognized iodine
was major activator for
metabolism of breast
and critical for nursing
Breast Cysts & Breast Cancer and Iodine
 Website: www.breastcancerchoices.org 3 cases of
breast cancer reversed with iodine (Brownstein)
 Finley-reversed cystic breast disease-1 year with 5 mg
daily (Finley, J.W., Bogardus, G.M. Breast cancer and
thyoid disease. Quart Rev Surg Obstet Gynec, 1960;
17:139-147)
 Numerous rat studies-Eskin-iodine deficiency causes
breast abnormalities-cysts & cancer*
*Eskin, B. Mammary gland dysplasia. JAMA. 200, 1967.
*Eskin, B. Iodine & mammary cancer. Adv. In Exp. Medicine & Biology.
Vol.91, 1977
*Eskin, B. et al. Iodine metabolism & breast cancer. Trans. NY Acad of
Sciences. 32:911-947, 1970,

Organ Preferences for Iodine and Dosage
 Thyroid gland, skin & salivary glands prefer the iodide form*
 Breasts, ovaries and prostate prefer the elemental iodine form
(Reason for increased goiter in pubescent females is that as
breasts develop, they use more iodine)*
 Therefore, a combination product is probably best
 Dr. Brownstein claims that the combination of the two works
much better than just potassium iodide, which he had used
previously
 Fat sequesters iodine (not iodide); so that an obese person
would require more iodine to reach optimal levels in the
breasts, ovaries, prostate, uterus and prostate)
*Eskin, B, et al. Different tissue responses for iodine and iodide in rat
thyroid and mammary glands. Biological Trace Element Research,
1995, 49:9-19.

Breast Cancer and Iodine
 Iodine deficiency predisposes to breast cancer & high fat
diet predisposes to Iodine deficiency. (J Epid Comm
Health 2000; 54:851-858.)
 Japan and Iceland have high Iodine intake and low
goiter and breast cancer, just the reverse occurs in
Mexico and Thailand. (Finley, J.W., Bogardus, G.M.
Breast cancer and thyoid disease. Quart Rev Surg Obstet
Gynec, 1960; 17:139-147.)
 Iodine protects against estrogenic effects in breast
cancer. JAMA 1967; 200:115-119, Adv Exp Med
Biol,1977; 91:293-304.
 Thyroid hormone therapy contributes to breast cancer in
Iodine deficient women. JAMA , 1976; 238-1124.

Breast Cancer, Iodine and Bromine
 Female rats require 20 to 40 times the amount of Iodine
needed to control breast cancer & fibrocystic disease than to
prevent goiter. (Can J Surg 1993; 36:453-460, Biological Trace
Element Research, 1995; 49:9-19.)
 When Iodine was used in dough during the sixties one slice
of bread a day contained the RDA of 150 mcg, average
iodine intake was > 700 mcg daily and the breast cancer
risk was 1:20. With the replacement of iodine in bread dough
by the goitrogen bromine, average iodine intake reduced below
RDA of 150 mcg and the rate of breast cancer increased to 1:8
(Absorption of iodine from bread much better than from iodized
salt); Is there a causal relationship?
 To overcome the effects of goitrogens in the food chain such as
bromine in dough, amounts of Iodine used in Japan would be
necessary. (Hormone & Metabolic Res 1995, 27:450-454.)

Iodine & Japanese
• Highest iodine intake in the world due to
seaweed in diet (10 mg or more daily)
• Lowest cancer rate in the world, especially
for breast, prostate, ovarian, EXCEPT for
stomach
• Stomach cancer probably due to high
concentration of nitrates in diet to form
nitrosamines' (preserved foods), which blocks
uptake of iodine in the stomach
• Japanese move toward western diet-same
risks as westerners

Small Thyroids in Iceland-1
• Iodine deficiency makes thyroids enlarge to
20 gms or more
• Japanese thyroids are low in keeping with
high iodine intake from seaweed
• Prior to WWI, thyroid glands of Icelandic
males 14 gms & women 12 gms (lowest in
the world)
• Leftover fish parts were ground up and given
to dairy cows as part of their feed
• Breast cancer rate was extremely low

Small Thyroids in Iceland-2
 40’s & 50’s-competition of fishing industry & more
efficient harvesting system-↓ fish parts-much less
fish to dairy cows
 1960’s-fish parts to designated countries & amounts
of iodine following internationals standards of iodine
intake (level to prevent goiters)
 Breast cancer rate rose 10 times-approaching US
breast cancer rate
 Never before had there been such a drop in dietary
iodine intake-except when Japanese move to USA
and adopt western habits (their breast cancer rates
also go way up)
Dr. Brownstein’s Breast Cancer
Cases in Iodine Book
 60 y.o. English teacher-Dx breast cancer 1989-No
conventional treatment
 Treated with 2 mg Iodine & nutritional program &
thyroid hormone with Dx of hypothyroidism
 1985-Metastatic breast cancer with fatigue, weight loss
& increased cancer markers-felt terrible
 Found MD who increased iodine to 50 to 62.5 mg daily
 After 6 weeks on program, repeat PET scan showed
tumors disintegrating
 Long-term did well.
 Page 61 of book and follow-up phone call to Dr. B
Dr. Brownstein’s Breast Cancer Cases
in Iodine Book
• 73 year old dx-2003--declined conventional
treatment & took 50 mg of Iodoral daily.
Ultrasound of the breast 18 months later showed
reduction in size of cancer -2 years later-no
evidence of cancer
• 52 year old with breast cancer and no
conventional treatment-After 3 years of Iodoral 50
mg per day- mammograms and ultrasound exams
show decreasing size of the tumor with no
progression
• All patients doing well as of a few months ago

Iodinated Lipids and Cancer:
Relationship to Iodine Dosage
 1976-Rabinovitch-3 levels of iodine in
dogs-6 weeks-Iodinated lipids found only
in dogs with highest level of iodine
 1994-Dugrillon reported for 1st time delta
iodolactone in a human thyroid following
10-day ingestion of 15 mg of iodide

High Doses of Iodine at 100X RDA
 Forms iodinated lipids, such as Delta-
Iodolactone, which causes apoptosis in cancer
cells; does not do this in microgram doses of the
RDA
 Recent work show strong anticancer activity in
breast cancer cells
R.E. Nuñez-Anita, et al. A complex between 6-iodolactone and the

peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor type gamma may
mediate the antineoplastic effect of iodine in mammary cancer.
Prostaglandins &Other Lipid Mediators, Volume 89, Issues 1-2, June
2009, Pages 34-42

Iodine Induces Apoptosis in Human
Breast Cancer Cells
• Molecular iodine (I2) is known to inhibit the induction
and promotion of N-methyl-n- nitrosourea-induced
mammary carcinogenesis and to regress 7,12-
dimethylbenz(a) anthracene-induced breast tumors
(rats)
• Iodine induced apoptosis in all of the following cell lines,
except MDA-MB-231: Cytotoxicity of iodine on cultured
human breast cancer cell lines, namely MCF-7, MDA-MB-
231, MDA-MB-453, ZR-75-1, and T-47D.
Schrivastava A, Tiwari, M, et al. Molecular Iodine Induces Caspase-
independent Apoptosis in Human Breast Carcinoma Cells Involving
the Mitochondria-mediated pathway.The Journal of Biological
Chemistry, 281, 19762-19771, 2006.

Iodine’s Role in Preventing &
Treating CV Disease
 1958: Finland had the highest rate of CAD
mortality in Europe
 More prevalent in Eastern Finland compared to
Western Finland—Why?
 Researchers checked 47 variables & found
greatest statistical difference between East &
West was iodine intake
 Risk of death from CAD was 353% higher in
individuals with goiter & people with goiter died
at a younger age
Increase in Iodine in Finland Results in
Decreased CV Mortality
 1970: looked at elements in drinking water in 21
Finnish cities and strongest correlation was
inverse relationship between iodine & CV disease
 Finland added iodine to dairy feed and animal
salt
 Past several decades, CV mortality has
decreased over 50% and life expectancy has
increased by 5 years
 Finland currently has the highest iodine intake of
any European country
Rabbits, Atherosclerosis, T4,
Desiccated Thyroid & Iodine
• Control rabbits given cholesterol-marked
atherosclerosis
• Cholesterol rich diet plus T4 slight atherosclerosis
• Cholesterol rich diet plus either desiccated thyroid
or iodine-absence of atherosclerosis
• Iodine has independent positive benefit with
cholesterol rich diet and is synergistic with
desiccated thyroid
• Potassium iodide loses effect if thyroid gland
previously removed
Turner, KB. Studies on the prevention of cholesterol atherosclerosis in
rabbits I The effects of whole thyroid and of potassium iodide. J.
Exp Med, 1933 June 30; 58(1): 115-125. and Ibid. J Exp Med. 1933
June 30; 58(1): 127–135.
Cardiac Arrhythmias—Does Iodine
Deficiency Play a Role? Amiodarone
 Amiodarone: organic iodine-containing drug used to treat
cardiac arrhythmias (Contains 70 mg of Iodine per 200 mg
tablet and releases 9 mg per day of Iodine); sustained release
form of iodine
 Iodine release may be the active therapeutic agent, while the
rest of the molecule accounts for the toxicity factor (though
conventional view is that iodine is the toxic factor)
Phillippou G, et. al. Clinical Endocr, 1992; 36: 573-578.
 1998-Amiodarone prescriptions in Europe, N. America & S.
America 100 X that of Japan (dietary intake of iodine is 100 X)
Connolly, SJ. Evidence-based analysis of Amiodarone efficacy &
safety. Circulation, 1999, 100: 2025-34

The Iodine Project-Guy
Abraham MD-Begun in 1997
 Became aware of study-5 mg of iodine daily for
a year cured cystic breasts with no significant
side effects
 Could all the textbooks be wrong about the
toxicity of iodine at more than 1 or 2 mg daily?
 Intensive library research: many papers at
website: www.optimox.com. Click on iodine
research
 Jorge Flechas MD & David Brownstein MD-
involved with iodine project
Why are we not all using Iodine?
Medical Iodophobia
 For reasons discussed in this presentation, Dr.
Abraham formulated the concept of “medical
iodophobia
 “Medical Iodophobia is the unwarranted fear of
using and recommending inorganic, non-
radioactive iodine/iodide within the range known
from collective experience of three generations
of clinicians to be the safest and most effective
amounts for treating symptoms and signs of
iodine/iodide deficiency (12.5 to 50 mg/day)”
Dr. Guy Abraham, 2004
Forms of Inorganic Iodine
 Iodide-Negatively charged ion or anion (I-)
usually used as potassium iodide or
supersaturated potassium iodide (SSKI)
 Elemental iodine-Two atoms of iodine
form the elemental iodine molecule (I2)
 Elemental iodine form is necessary to
make thyroid hormones; thyroid cells take
in iodide using the symporter system and
then convert iodide to iodine using the
enzyme thyroid peroxidase (TPO)
The Sodium-Iodide Symporter
System in the Thyroid
 Iodide is actively transported into thyroid cells by
the Sodium-Iodide Symporter system (Channels into
cells)
 600 mcg per day able to enter the thyroid (4 times
the RDA)
 Bromine and other toxins may damage this system
 TSH stimulates formation
 When larger doses of iodine given to deficient
patient, TSH may go up for months, but does not
require treatment if no hypothyroid sxs present

Dr. Abraham & Dr. Brownstein’s Theory of
Autoimmune Disease Thyroid Disease
 Thyroid cells take in iodide by the symporter
system & convert Iodide to Iodine in the presence
of H2O2 [derived from oxidative phosphorylation
and catalyzed by intracellular calcium] utilizing the
Thyroid Peroxidase Enzyme (TPO)
 Too much H2O2 damages the TPO enzyme &/or
thyroglobulin protein & antibodies are formed
against them (autoimmune antibodies) leading to
the development of autoimmune disease
 Glutathione peroxidase & selenium are necessary
help to break down H2O2 to H2O

Dr. Abraham & Dr. Brownstein’s Theory of
Autoimmune Disease Thyroid Disease-2
 Excessive amounts of H2O2 may occur with
selenium deficiency
 Magnesium reduces intracellular calcium and
slows H2O2 production
 Iodinated lipids (formed only when dosages of
iodine beyond the RDA are taken) inhibit the
formation of too much H2O2
 Deficiency of magnesium, selenium and iodine
contributes to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis & other
thyroid autoimmune diseases
Iodination of Tg by TPO Using H2O2
and Iodide (Abraham): Balance is Key

Suggested Protocol for Optimal Iodine Use-Can
Administer Protocol before starting Iodine
 At least 2 quarts of unfluoridated and unchlorinated
water daily-1/2 body weight in ounces of water daily
 Unrefined Celtic or sea salt-1 to 2 tspf or more daily
(Add ¼ tspf per quart of water)
 Selenium 200 to 400 mcg daily
 Vitamin C 3,000 to 6,000 mg or more daily
 Magnesium : 300 to 600 mg or more daily
 Iodoral: Start ½ tablet & increase by ½ tablet/ every 2
weeks until up to 1/2 to 4 tablets daily
LEVEL EVIDENCE UNAVAILABLE-RECOMMENDATIONS
FROM CLINICAL EXPERIENCE OF DR. BROWNSTEIN
& OTHERS
Locations of Iodine in the Body
• Every cell in body contains iodine
• Concentrated in the glandular system
• Found in salivary glands, CSF, the brain*
(concentrated in substantia nigra-area of
damage in PD), gastric mucosa, choroid
plexus, breasts, ovaries and ciliary body of
the eye
– *Adrasi, E. Iodine concentration in different
human brain parts. Analytical & Bioanalytical
chemistry. November 13, 2003.

Iodine Loading Challenge Test
 Give 50 mg of Iodine & collect urine for 24
hours
 If body iodine is sufficient, excrete 90% of
iodine (Several labs do test)
 Use to monitor dose
 Healthy people-90% excretion in 3 months
 Sick people-may take a year or more to
obtain normal tests
 If sodium-iodide symporter abnormal, can
get false normal reading
Dosage of Iodine
 Lugol’s Solution-2 drops = 5 mg iodine & 7.5 mg
Potassium Iodide
 Available as tablets or capsules (Iodoral 12.5 mg
= 2 drops of Lugol’s) = Biotics Iodizyme (others)
 Start low and go slow while on detoxification
program
 Full dose: 6 mg to 50 mg for most pts
 Cancer patients: may benefit from 50 mg or
more
 Loading test helpful to help monitor dose
Contrast RDA & Optimal Amts of
Iodine: Dosage is Key!!!!
• Adult Males & Females 150 mcg/day
• Pregnancy 220 mcg/day
• Lactation 290 mcg/day
• Optimal (Abraham-Flechas-Brownstein) 12.5 to 50
mg or more (NOT MCG)
• Japanese women ingest: about 13 mg daily with
benefits and no problems
• Forms iodinated lipids-causes apoptosis in cancer
cells; does NOT do this in mcg doses
• Recent work show strong anticancer activity in
breast cancer cells at higher doses
New Uses of Iodine as a Chaotropic
Element to Remove Toxic Metals
 Chaotropic element = increases the solubility of
proteins in water and this may be one of the
mechanisms involved in the elimination of lead
and other heavy metals.
 Iodine doesn’t bind to the metal; rather it
changes the structure of water, making the
metals more soluble in water. Increases the
wetness of water.
Hatefi Br Y and Hanstein W.G. Solubilization of Particulate Proteins and
Nonelectrolytes by Chaotropic Agents, Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA,
62:1129-1136, 1969. Cited in Guy Abraham Lecture at Iodine
Conference-2007
Iodine Increases Toxic Mineral
Elimination
 Iodine (12.5 to 50 mg daily) increases urinary
excretion of lead and mercury as early as 24
hours post iodine intake.
 Mixing lead acetate (clear and soluble) and
Potassium Iodide (Clear and soluble) forms lead
acetate (yellow and insoluble)
 In intestinal tract, when lead from liver binds to
iodine, it forms lead iodide, which prevents its
reabsorption after elimination by the liver
Abraham, G.E. The Orig. Int. 12(2):57-66, 2005

Chinese Human Study on Iodine and
Lead Poisoning-1999
 KI added to table salt at a concentration of 1% (10 mg
per gram of salt) on 50 workers exposed to high lead
levels
 Following iodide supplementation, urine lead levels
increased significantly by the 3rd day and reached peak
levels after 9 days. Urine lead concentrations reached
normal values by the 4th week.
 Lead levels were 43.5 micrograms % pre and 17.6
micrograms percent post intervention. The upper limit
of blood lead considered safe in the work place is 20
micrograms/Liter.
 Mean hemoglobin concentrations increased from 10.1 to
12.8% (p = 0.05).
Chinese Human Study on Iodine
and Lead Poisoning-1999 (2)
 All parameters of lead toxicity improved
markedly. With an estimated ingestion of
10 gms of salt, these workers received
100 mg KI containing 75 mg iodide
Hu et al. 1999

Effects of Iodine on Thyroid
Medication Dosage
 1/3 off thyroid hormones
 2/3 stay on, possibly lower dosage
 Iodine insufficient hypothyroid pts have
increased cancer risk of cancer if given
thyroid without iodine
 Both Iodine and Desiccated thyroid may
be needed for optimal effects, especially in
CA pts

David M Derry, MD, PhD-Advocate for
Use of Iodine and Thyroid Support
•1962-MD-Univ British Columbia
•1967-PhD-Biochemistry-McGill
•1967-1972: Basic research & taught
medical students-Univ of Toronto-Asst
Professor
•1972-General practice in Victoria British
Columbia
•1973-1984: Interest in vitamins, Linus
Pauling work
•1984-Interest in thyroid problems and
later iodine
•2001: Book Breast CA & Iodine
•2002-Medical license suspended

David Derry MD, PhD-Breast Cancer &
Iodine-Book Published 2001
•Iodine and evolution-Unicellular organisms don’t
use iodine
•How iodine kills bacteria, viruses, etc…Combines
with tyrosine & histidine of cell wall & denatures
proteins
•Iodine is trigger for apoptosis for CA cells
•Iodine & thyroid act as team to prevent & treat
cancer
•Iodine: 1st phase up to Ca-in-Situ-apoptosis
Dr. Schachter •Thyroid strengthens connective tissue & helps
has no prevent invasion & metastases
financial •Thyroid helps other glands to permissively function
interest in this better
book •Reacts with allergenic proteins to reduce allergies
and autoimmunity
Dr. Derry’s View on TSH
• TSH-poorly correlated with hypothyroid sxs
– Too sensitive; under treatment; 1/3 previous dosage
to reduce symptoms (1 Gr instead of 3 or 4)
• 1st part 20th century-treatment-based on sxs
• Before 1960-CPK, cholesterol, BMR used
• CFS & fibromyalgia-paper in 1930’s-hypothyroid;
cleared if treated early-later chronic and difficult to
treat; if chronic long time to resolve sxs (months)
• Search for reliable lab test-RAI in the 40’s, 60’s
PBI, , T4, finally TSH in 1973-4

Dr. Derry on the Thyroid Gland
• Develops 22nd day of life, same time as CNS
• First gland to develop & most important
• Turns genes on and off-Key to CNS development
• Thyroid hormone helps communication among cells,
organs and organ systems
• View on cancer related to work of Dr. David Clarke,
Jr-2 phases of cancer-up to CA-in-situ (occult Ca) &
spread of cancer within Connective tissue
• Thyroid strengthens CT-decreasing spread
(myxedema characterized by weak CT & mucin
accumulation)
• Cancer pts to receive enough TH to make
comfortable; cut back if ↑ thyroid sxs

Local Regulation of Thyroid
Hormone
 Thyroid hormone regulated locally to
various organs
 One regulation is deiodinase (T4→T3);
different deiodinases in different organs
 Example: starvation; brain deiodinase
upregulated 10x and liver deiodinase ↓
 Symptoms associated with various organs
 High enough dose allows TH to correct sxs.

Dr. Derry’s Views on Iodine
• Only chemical element with 2 meteoric rises 100 years
apart (1820’s and 1920’s) in popularity & use by medical
establishment; due to side effects of high doses & probably
deficiencies of necessary nutrients
• At same time-in between & after fell into obscurity, in spite
of its importance to vertebrates & especially humans
• Single cell organisms-no iodine
• First signs in algae-allowed for development of multicellular
organisms
• Seaweed concentrates iodine 20,000 times the ocean
concentration
• Discusses evolution of nucleus, mitochondria, etc…
• No mechanism for reabsorption of iodine
Properties of Iodine According to
Dr. Derry
• Trigger for apoptosis of abnormal cells
• Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic
• Coats proteins to prevent allergies & autoimmunity
• Deactivates poisons in stomach
• Necessary for formation & secretion of thyroid
• Necessary for structure & organization of organs
other than thyroid (breast, ovaries, etc…)
• Combines with lipids to prevent oxidation when
traveling through body
• Crucial for pregnancy and lactation

Jonathan Wright MD
•Pioneer in integrative medicine
in state of Washington
•Written many books & articles
•Has a newsletter Nutrition &
Healing
•Gives courses in nutritional use
of supplements for physicians
with Alan Gaby MD
•Presenting at this conference
•One of few nutritional MD’s who
strongly advocated iodine (SSKI)
for a variety of conditions
J. Wright Newsletter: Nutrition and
Healing: Vol. 12, Issue 4; May 2005
 Why you need 83 times more of this essential, cancer-
fighting nutrient than the “experts” say you do
 “Even if you’re eating a healthful diet, taking a good
multivitamin/mineral supplement, and all your major
health markers are within normal ranges, you should still
reconsider your intake of this nutrient.”
 The RDA barely scratches the surface
 Reluctant to go beyond 20 mg daily
 Long time advocate of use of SSKI for a variety of
conditions: 1 drop of SSKI = 50 mg of I

Alan Gaby MD Questions Value of
Relatively High Doses of Iodine
•Expressed concern in article in Townsend Letter
re: routine use of megadose iodine therapy
(Primarily concerned with Abraham arguing that
high doses of iodine good for everyone)
•Cited published research –iodine might increase
hypo & hyperthyroidism & autoimmune
thyroiditis
•Criticized use of term
orthoiodosupplementation until high dosages
proven safe & effective
•Said Lugol’s solution was used primarily for
infections & hyperthyroidism & not as general
•Order online: treatment
www.doctorgaby.com/order.php
•MBS No financial interest
Alan Gaby MD Questions Value of
Relatively High Doses of Iodine-2
 Questioned how closely possible adverse effects
were monitored by Brownstein at his clinic
 Advocated a systemic study for adverse side-effects
 Suggested some benefits may have been due to
removal of bromine from patients (Brownstein
would agree)
 Suggests high dose iodine therapy (higher than
doses recommended by Brownstein & Abraham)
were abandoned for heart failure & suggests again
doses might be problem long term

Abraham & Brownstein Respond to
Gaby
• Drs. Abraham & Brownstein wrote two long
rebuttals to Gaby with several references
• Articles can be found online at Townsend
Letter’s website: See:
• http://www.townsendletter.com/AugSept2005/g
abyiodine0805.htm
• All 4 articles can be accessed from this website
• My experience generally verifies Abraham &
Brownstein’s views, though Gaby’s points need
further evaluation

Extrathyroidal Benefits of Iodine by
Donald W. Miller MD
 Prof of Surgery-University of Washington
School of Medicine
 “growing evidence that iodine provides
important extrathyroidal benefits when
taken in milligram amounts, in doses 100
times more than its RDI”
– Miller Jr.,DW. Extrathyroidal benefits of
iodine. J. of American Physicians & Surgeons,
Vol 11 (4), Winter 2006.
National Health & Nutrition Survey (NHANES): Re-
emergence of Iodine Deficiency
 Iodine levels in the United States declined 50% during the
past 30 years (1971-2000)* as measured by iodine in urine
(Proportion of US population with moderate to severe iodine
deficiency has gone from 2.6% in 1970 to 11.7% in 2000 and
16.8% in 2005).
 During this time, thyroid cancer and other thyroid illnesses,
breast cancer , prostate cancer, uterine endometrial cancers
and ovarian cancers all have increased dramatically; Iodine
deficiency can cause all of these problems as shown by
correlation studies of goiter with these conditions
Hollowell, JE et al. Iodine nutrition in the US. Trends and public health
implications: Iodine excretion data from NHANES I and III (1971-74
and 1988-94). J Clin Endocrinol Metab 83:3401-3408. 1998 & Thyroid
15:692-9, 2005.

Iodine in Pregnant Women
 Nearly 17% of US women of childbearing age had
moderate to severe iodine deficiency (Thyroid 15: 692-9,
2005)
 “More than 70% of women with access to dietary iodine
may remain at risk for unrecognized iodine deficiency
during pregnancy” and most prenatal multivitamins lack
adequate iodine; only 28% of prescription prenatal
vitamins contain iodine (Family Practice News: 11-13-08)
 Low iodine during pregnancy plays role in lower IQ’s,
ADD & ADHD, health problems and probably autism
 Brownstein declares this to be: “a public health disaster
that is unparalleled!”

Pregnant Women in Boston
 100 consecutive pregnant women
 50% were taking less than the RDA of
iodine of 220 mcg per day
 9% were below 50 mcg per day (WHO
classifies below 50 as moderate to severe
iodine deficiency)
Thyroid 2004, 14, 327-8.

Iodine in Breast Milk
• 47% of women sampled showed levels of
iodine in milk insufficient to meet infants
requirements- J. Clin Endocrin. & Metabolism-
check year
• 13 breast feeding women [12/13 (92%)
inadequate iodine]
• 9/13 (69%) had high concentrations of
perchlorate (goitrogen-inhibition of iodine)
Env Sci andTech, Vol 42, No 21, 2008

Most Prenatal Vitamins Lack Proper
Amount of Iodine
• Most prenatal vitamins do not contain any iodine
• Ones that do have considerably less than RDI for
pregnant women
• Boston New England Journal of Medicine suggest
that some prenatal vitamins do not contain the
amount of iodine that they should.
• Researchers from the Boston University Iodine
Research Laboratory tested as many as 60
different brands of prenatal vitamins, finding that
the majority of them that contained iodine, did not
contain as much as was implied on their labels.

Beginning Iodine Supplementation
at Various Stages of Pregnancy
• Three groups of pregnant women started on 200
mcg per day of Potassium iodide at different
stages of pregnancy
– Group I-Started at 4th to 6th week of pregnancy
– Group 2-Started at 12 to 14 weeks of gestation
– Group 3-Supplementation started only after delivery
• All of babies given a neurocognitive evaluation at
18 months of age
• Mothers continued iodine until lactation fished
• The earlier the iodine was started, the higher the
IQ at 18 months
Thyroid Vol 16, 2006 or 2008, pages
ADHD in Offspring of Mild-Mod. Iodine
Deficiency-in Italy
 10 yr period: prospective study of the neuropsychological
development of the offspring of 16 women from a
moderately iodine-deficient area (A) & 11 control women
from a marginally iodine-sufficient area (B)
 Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was
diagnosed in 11 of 16 area A children (68.7%) but in
none from area B
 Major IQ difference: 92 vs 110
 F. Vermiglio, V. P. Lo Presti, et al. Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity
Disorders in the Offspring of Mothers Exposed to Mild-Moderate
Iodine Deficiency: A Possible Novel Iodine Deficiency Disorder in
Developed Countries, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &
Metabolism Vol. 89, No. 12 6054-6060, 2004
Iodine deficiency, more than cretinism
and goiter
 Hypothesis that iodine deficiency may give rise
to subtle impairment of thyroid function leading
to clinical syndromes resembling hypothyroidism
or diseases that have been associated with the
occurrence of hypothyroidism.
 Suggest that iodine deficiency may be
associated with: obesity, attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), psychiatric
disorders, fibromyalgia, and malignancies
Verheesena,RH & Schweitzerb, CM. Iodine deficiency, more than
cretinism and goiter, Medical Hypothesis; 71 (5), 645-648, 2008
Why Are USA Citizens Deficient in Iodine?
 Large areas of US-very low iodine in soil
 Fear-salt causes high blood pressure
 < 50% of households use iodized salt
 Substitution of bromine for Iodine in bread
 Iodine in dairy products drastically reduced
 Don’t eat seaweed & do eat soy
 Exposures to goitrogens (halogen family
elements: fluoride, bromide, chlorine and
perchlorate)

Goitrogens
 Any chemical or food substance that interferes
with the formation of thyroid hormones
 Chemicals: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
organophosphate & organochlorine pesticides,
dioxin by products, organochlorine chemicals,
thiocyanate
 Foods: Millet, cassava, Brassica family (cabbage,
brussel sprouts, broccoli) (cyanoglycosides
yielding thiocyanate)

Perchlorate
• Comes from making rocket fuel & other
manufacturing
• Dumped into water supplies
• Massive contamination of water in various
parts of the USA (southern CA and Colorado
River basin: gets on crops from these areas)
• Gets into food supply and winds up in
mothers’ milk
• Goitrogen and very toxic

Bromide-A Competing Halogen
 Term bromide comes
from the Greek work
“bromos” meaning
“stench”
 Bromine is a red, dense
liquid with a sharp,
distinctive smell. It is
Antoine Jerome Balard poisonous and is
(1802-1876)-French
Chemist-Discovered extremely corrosive to
Bromine in 1826 skin
Bromide-A Competing Halogen 2
• Competes with iodine for absorption and reduces
iodine in thyroid and skin
– Pavelka, S. High bromine intake affects the
accumulation of iodide in the rat thyroid & skin. Biol.
Trace elem. Res. 2001. summer: 82 (1-3): 133*
• Binds to iodine receptors and blocks iodine’s
action; replaces iodine in thyroid gland and causes
hypothyroidism-thyroid tests can’t distinguish
– Buchberger, W. Effects of sodium bromine on the
biosyntheses of thyroid hormones and
brominated/iodinated thyronines. J. Trace Elem. Elec.
Health Dis. Vol. 4. 1990, p25-30.*
• Iodine deficiency causes bromine to be more toxic
* Cited in Brownstein D. Salt Book

Exposure to Bromides
• Major bromine and bromide exposure in the USA
• Baked goods (they used to contain iodine as decaking agents,
but it was replaced by bromide in the 80’s); All non-organic
bread, bagels, cakes, cookies, etc..)
• Some soft drinks, such as Mountain Dew & some Gatorades
– Horowitz, B. Bromism from excessive cola consumption. Clinical
Toxicology, 35(3), 315-320, 1997.
 Pesticides (PCBs and others) on non-organic fruits and
vegetables
– Van Leewen, FX. The toxicology of bromine ion. Crit. Rev. Toxicol.
1987; 18:189-213.
 Hot tubs
 Fumigants of produce
 New cars, fabrics, flame retardants and many other
environmental exposures
 Medications-[e.g. For Asthma-Atrovent Inhaler, Atrovent Nasal
Spray, Ipratropium Nasal Spray, Pro-Panthine (bladder dysfunction)]

Toxic Effects of Bromine/Bromides
(Bromism)
• Feelings of lethargy and dullness
• Depression
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Delirium
• Psychomotor Retardation
• Hallucinations
• Schizophrenia
Levin, M. Bromide psychosis: four varieties. Am J Psych.
104: 798-804, 1948.

Pharmacokinetics of Bromine
• Half-life of bromine-humans-12 days
– Soremark, R. Excretion of bromine ions by human urine.
Acta Physiol. Scand. 50,306, 1960.
• Rats-half-life bromine-3 days
• On low salt diet-half life bromine 25 days-833% increase
• Toxic bromine stays in body much longer with low-salt
diet
• Need adequate chloride (NaCl) to rid body of bromine
(low Cl-increases Br reabsorbtion in kidneys)
– Rauws, AG. Pharmacokinetics of bromine ion-an overview.
Chem. Toxic Vol21, No1, 379, 1983.

How To Get Rid of Bromine
• Stop inorganic baked goods, fruits and vegetables
• Reduce environmental exposures as much as possible
• Drink good quantities of pure water (wt in lbs divided by
2) in ounces
• Ingest 1 to 2 tspf daily of unrefined salt
• Ingest optimal amounts of iodine supplement containing
iodide and iodine
• Take large doses of vitamin C
• Ingest at least 200 to 400 mcg Selenium daily
• Brownstein: “It is nearly impossible to optimize the
detoxification pathways in the liver when the patient is
on a low-salt diet. Unrefined salt should be part of any
healthy eating plan.

Worldwide Iodine Deficiencies
 Worldwide-soil in large geographic areas is
deficient in iodine. 29% of world’s population in
130 countries
 WHO: Iodine deficiency-world’s greatest single
cause of preventable mental retardation & is # 1
cause of under functioning intellect. J Clin
Endocr and Met 1998; 83:3401-08
 Iodine: most deficient trace mineral in the world.
1/3 of all peoples are deficient. J Clin Endocr
and Met 1998; 83:3398-3400

Worldwide Iodine Deficiency
Iodine Deficiency None Mild Moderate Severe
Median Urine Iodine, >100 50-99 20-49 < 20

mcg/Liter of spot
urine
Goiter prevalence < 5% 5-20% 20-30% > 30%
Neonatal TSH > 5 < 3% 3-20% 20-40% > 40%

IU/ml Whole Blood
Cretinism 0 0 + +
Adapted from the World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children's
Fund (UNICEF)/International Council for Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders
(ICCIDD). (From Medscape 8-09)
Possible Clinical Indications for
Therapeutic Iodine Use
 Cancer-especially breast, prostate, uterine
 Thyroid conditions
 Cardiovascular conditions
 Allergies
 GI conditions
 Cystic breasts, diabetes, infertility and other
endocrine imbalances
 Infectious diseases (All)
 Neurological & psychiatric conditions
Summary
 Use of unrefined salt & milligram doses of
iodine remains controversial
 Evidence presented that using unrefined
salt and milligram doses of iodine under
the proper conditions should significantly
improve patient care
 Recommended that various sources of
information be reviewed and evaluated

Unrefined Salt-Iodine Lecture-M Schachter MD ACAM 10-25-10 8-45 PM Reviewed 9-24-18

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 1927-Reported that out of 30 cases given

DeCourcy JL. "The use of Lugol's solution in exophthalmic

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 Metallic poisonings, as by lead and

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R.E. Nuñez-Anita, et al. A complex between 6-iodolactone and the

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