Benefits and Disadvantages of Iodine
protects against various forms of cancer, including thyroid cancer.
Iodine is an essential mineral that humans need for optimal health and well-being. Although it’s not commonly known in the medical community, iodine plays a huge part in our well being and we cannot go without it!
There are several types of iodine available and knowing which kind to use and how much you need can be confusing. Iodine is crucial for optimal thyroid health as well as protecting against various forms of cancer, including thyroid cancer.
What we commonly know as iodized salt may not be the best form of iodine supplementation. Many experts now suggest that regular table salt often contains chemicals and anti-caking agents that actually block the uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland, which can lead to or exacerbate hypothyroidism. The iodine added is not always clearly listed on ingredient labels, so unless you are buying truly natural sea salt it’s best to avoid regular table salt altogether.
Natural sources for obtaining iodine are kelp, dulse, bladderwrack, arame, hijiki, wakame, and kombu.
Some other good sources of iodine are the herbs bladderwrack (fucus vesiculosus), yellow dock (rumex Crispus), and organic dulse flakes. Many companies sell potassium iodide drops for babies, which is probably your best choice for supplementing iodine. A few drops on the tongue each day is often all that’s required for general health benefits.
In deciding which type of iodine you choose to take, there are several factors to consider:
1) The molecular weight or size of a mineral compound can determine how readily it will be absorbed and utilized by your body
2) Iodine supplements in the forms of nascent, atomic, and colloidal iodine absorb into your cells more readily than other iodine compounds
3) When choosing a supplement to be sure that it has been created via a safe and natural process. An iodide is an ionic form of iodine, which when ingested gets filtered out by your thyroid gland. There are several different types of iodine available. If you are using regular table salt, it is iodized with potassium iodide instead of actual iodine or iodide.
Most commercial breads contain the dough conditioner ammonium bromate which contains a carcinogen classified as a “Group 2A” substance by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The study was completed by a group of researchers from the University of Hawaii who found that mice fed high doses of the flour-bleaching agent were more likely to develop cancer at several sites in their bodies. Bromated flour causes stomach tumors in rats and is linked with thyroid cancer in people.
Iodine supplementation can be important for women before and after menopause because iodine deficiency can contribute to fibrocystic breast disease and thyroid disorders. It is important not to get too much of this mineral, however, since too much can cause problems such as acne/ dry skin/ cysts/ goiter/ hyperthyroidism/ hypothyroidism. Our bodies need just the right amount of iodine and the symptoms above can signal that you have had too much.
My initial experience with iodine supplementation is that it increased my energy and increased my awareness of deeper issues I was “running from.” It helped me to stop avoiding these deep issues, which allowed their energetic charge to release on its own. That said if your symptoms are acute and you want to try it I recommend either nascent iodine or liquid kelp/dulse.
Be careful because it may cause a flare-up of symptoms but if your body is ready for this then this will help release them faster. Its often best to do tissue salt panels at the beginning and then reintroduce the iodine into your life, especially initially.
Benefits of iodine on the skin:
helps treat acne-used as a cleansing agent-can be used to treat wounds and burns-reduces the appearance of age spots, blemishes, and scars-strengthens your nails
Iodine is a very powerful tool that can be used for multiple applications. I use it as an antiseptic for cuts, scrapes, and rashes. It can be used to treat acne, both topically on the skin and by drinking it with water.
Iodine is also great for use in the bathtub or foot soak. Once the water turns brown/red you know that iodine has entered your body through your feet. If you have any kind of open wound or cut, you should be soaking in the iodine water to take care of that.
I also use it as a skin cleanser and take baths with diluted iodine crystals to help energize my body, especially after exercise. Iodine can be used for wound healing, purifying drinking water, sterilizing surfaces, curing seafood, killing mold on walls or cloths, and removing stains from metals such as silver.
Iodine is a clean and effective way to help your body detoxify itself of the pollutants it comes in contact with every day. I use 10% solution at .5 ounces per gallon, so 1/2 tsp for my foot soak and 1 tsp for my bathtub.
Boil 5 ounces of water and add 1/2 tsp of iodine crystals to it for each gallon desired. You can double or triple the recipe if you want more solutions at once. For my foot soak, I will boil about 2 liters of water and add a few teaspoons of crystals.
After adding the iodine crystals, immediately pour into your bathtub and wait for the water to turn dark brown. The longer you wait, the stronger it will be. If I plan on drinking the water I let it sit for anywhere between 30 min and an hour.
It is easy enough to make solutions at home but it’s available in most drug stores as well. Just make sure you are buying iodine crystals or tinctures, usually available near bandaids.
Disadvantages of iodine:
may are not safe to use with women who are pregnant-may darken skin-if used on children they may develop a condition called hyperthyroidism
If you choose to drink the iodine water I recommend that you do it during or right after exercising. You can also put 1 tsp of the 10% solution in a glass and dilute it with water. Drink this whole glass every 4 hours for the best detoxification results.
If you have any open wounds or cuts then do not use iodine solution on that area of your body. You should also avoid applying iodine to areas that normally contain hair as it may cause permanent discoloration. I usually go about a week before changing up my regiment to prevent the skin from becoming too dry.
If you are experiencing acne, I recommend that you seek professional help before trying iodine. Steaming your face or doing a sauna can be effective in reducing these breakouts naturally. You should also avoid touching your face during this time because bacteria on your hands may cause more acne if they come in contact with your face.
I would recommend you only use the iodine 3 times a week to avoid any dryness of the skin and to prevent it from being over detoxified. If your main concern is acne then I would imagine that 3 times a week will be more than enough, as long as you have been cleared by a doctor before trying this method of alternative acne treatment.
” Iodine is a very powerful tool that can be used for multiple applications. I use it as an antiseptic for cuts, scrapes, and rashes. It can be used to treat acne, both topically on the skin and by drinking it with water.”
The main benefit or reason why I use it is that it helps kills bacteria and purifies water without all the chemicals that are in soaps and other products. I also use it as a skin cleanser and take baths with diluted iodine crystals to help energize my body, especially after exercise.”
In order to make an iodine solution at home, add 1/2 tsp of the crystals per gallon of water.”
If iodine is used for too long or too heavy, it can cause abnormal thyroid function. This is why I only use it 3 times a week and never on broken or irritated skin.”
“I usually go about a week before changing up my regiment to prevent the skin from becoming too dry. The main benefit or reason why I use it is that it helps kills bacteria and purifies water without all the chemicals that are in soaps and other products. In order to make an iodine solution at home, add 1/2 tsp of the crystals per gallon of water.”
If you have any open wounds or cuts then do not use iodine solution on that area of your body. I would recommend you only use the iodine 3 times a week to avoid any dryness of the skin and to prevent it from being over detoxified.
If your main concern is acne then I would imagine that 3 times a week will be more than enough, as long as you have been cleared by a doctor before trying this method of alternative acne treatment.
Iodine deficiency:
may cause depression-may affect thyroid gland sizes-creates brittleness in the hair-increased heart rate. If you experience any of these symptoms then stop using iodine immediately and seek medical help.
“Iodine is a very powerful tool that can be used for multiple applications. I use it as an antiseptic for cuts, scrapes, and rashes. It can be used to treat acne, both topically on the skin and by drinking it with water.”