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BETWEEN IODINE DEFICIENCY AND CANCER, ESPECIALLY BREAST CANCER
It seems
that our need for iodine and especially its connection to combating breast
cancer has been kept a big secret.
My
information comes from two books and two website articles:
Please look
at these websites and get hold of these books for a detailed explanation of the
benefits of supplementing iodine.
From 11th
Edition of Encyclopedia Britannica 1910-1911 (Brownstein 2006:8)
“In medicine,
iodine is frequently applied externally … and in the treatment of many
conditions usually classified as surgical.
The usual doses of these iodine salts are from 300mg to 900mg. Their pharmacological action is obscure just
as their effects in certain diseased condition are consistently brilliant and
unexampled. Our ignorance of their mode
of action is cloaked by the term deobstruent, which implies that they possess
the power of driving out impurities from the blood and tissues. The following is a list of the principal
condition in which iodides are recognised to be of definite value: metallic
poisonings, as by lead and mercury, asthma, aneurism, arteriosclerosis, angina
pectoris, gout, goitre, syphilis, haemophilia, Brights’s disease (nephritis)
and bronchitis.”
It is now
suggested that iodine deficiency is one of the main underlying causes of many
varied illnesses including thyroid disorders, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia,
cancer (including cancers of the breast and prostate) and many other health
issues including fibrocystic breasts and ovarian cysts. (Brownstein 2006:54,
25) Animal studies show that iodine
prevents breast cancer and cures fibrocystic abnormalities in their breasts.
(Miller 2006)
Iodine is
the safest of all the essential trace elements being the only one that can be
administered safely for long periods in daily amounts as high as 100,000 times
the RDA. However, this safety record
only applies to inorganic non-radioactive
forms of iodine. The reduced
form of iodine is iodide with an extra electron. Both forms are needed for optimal function
of every organ and cell of the human body.
For over
100 years iodine has been known as the element necessary for thyroid
production, but its other functions have largely been ignored. Iodine is found in each of the cells and
adequate levels are necessary for proper immune system function. Iodine contains potent antibacterial,
antiparasitic, antiviral and anticancer properties. It detoxifies the body of heavy metals
and toxic halides such as bromine, fluoride and chlorine derivatives. It is suggested that iodine is important
in the process of apoptosis, (natural cell death) and in destroying cells that
represent a threat to the body, like cancer cells and cells infected with
viruses. (Miller 2006)
About one
third of the world’s population live in an area of iodine deficiency as defined
by WHO. This measurement is likely to
be the amount of iodine needed to prevent goitre (enlargement of the thyroid). For the thyroid to be saturated with iodine
leaving surplus for other parts of the body to use, much more than the RDA is
needed. A test of 3000 patients in the
This
deficiency is not only due to inadequate iodine intake, but also due to the
increasing exposure of toxins, which means that the body’s need of iodine is
increasing. This is happening while our
dietary intake has decreased. Over the
last 30 years (1970-2000) iodine levels in the
The thyroid
gland primarily uses iodide as does the skin; the breast and prostate glands
use iodine; and other tissues including the kidneys, spleen, liver, blood,
salivary glands and intestines can use either form.
The first
reported connection between hypothyroidism and breast cancer was mentioned in
1896. There is also a direct
relationship between breast cancer (as well as goitre) and regions of the world,
or within a country, where iodine deficiency is prevalent. Please read the books mentioned for details
of how iodine helps.
Iodine
Dosage Levels
The RDA of
150mcg/day is inadequate. This will
prevent goitres but not breast disease. If
iodine consumption is not greater than 2-3mg/day then the thyroid takes it
all. US and European dietary intake is
about 10% that needed to saturate the thyroid and fulfil the needs of the
surveillance system for abnormal cells. (Derry 2001:84)
Mainland
Japanese were measured in 1964 to have been consuming 13.8mg/day of iodine
which is about 100 times the RDA.
Recently it is suggested that their consumption of seaweed has increased
giving a much greater iodine intake of up to 45mg/day.
Dr Guy
Abraham has shown that the required daily intake of iodine necessary for
maintaining iodine sufficiency for the whole body is at least 13mg/day. The thyroid needs approximately 6mg/day, the
breasts need at least 5mg of iodine, which would only leave 2mg for the rest of
the body, which may not be enough in the increasing toxic environment in which
we live. Iodine is one of the
treatments for exposure to radiation – potassium iodide was given to residents
of
“An
effective dose often ranges from 12mg/day to 50mg/day.” (Brownstein 2006:
159) In addition vitamin C and unrefined
(Celtic) sea salt is needed to repair the iodine transport mechanism, together
with the support of a complete nutritional programme.
2 drops of
Lugol’s solution (0.1ml) contains 5mg of iodine and 7.5mg of iodide giving
12.5mg of iodine/iodide.
It is made
up of 10% potassium iodide, 5% iodine and 85% distilled water. 8 drops would provide 50mg/day.
Iodoral is
a tablet form of Lugol’s solution. 4
tablets provide 50mg iodine/iodide.
Much higher
doses of iodine are used by physicians to treat many varied diseases.
Dr Abraham
suggests that his studies indicate that given a sufficient amount the body will
retain much more iodine that originally thought - 1,500mg, with only 3% of that
amount held in the thyroid gland. He
also suggests that supplementation with vitamin C (perhaps 3gm daily) and
magnesium (up to 1200mg daily) and an increased fluid intake supports iodine
assimilation and the detoxification process.
He also suggests using unprocessed sea salt.
For a
fuller reading list please see D. W. Miller at www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller20.html
For
suppliers of Lugol’s Solution and Iodoral see ‘Suppliers’
NB An
alternative to Lugol’s Solution offered by some suppliers is called Liquid
Iodine.
The product
description of this states that each drop contains 75mcg potassium iodide and
the Liquid Iodine Forte contains 150mcg potassium iodide. As we have seen above potassium iodide is
used by the thyroid, the skin and many other organs. However, the breast and prostate glands use
iodine not potassium iodide. Lugol’s
solution contains both iodine and potassium iodide and is therefore preferable
especially for those seeking protection from prostate and breast cancer and
fibrocystic abnormalities in the breast.
August 2007
The above information and that of all the notes from
anticancerinfo.co.uk are purely information and may not be construed as medical
advice or instructions. Readers should
consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health
and wellbeing.