12 Uses For Iodine (And Other Useful Tips, Research & Resources)

The following article will give you a better understanding of the most common uses of iodine as a supplement, as outlined by clinical research and by the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Additionally, you will also learn about a simple at-home test that can give you a better idea if you have an iodine deficiency.

1. Radiation Exposure
Potassium iodine has been used to help individuals exposed to radiation by reducing the harmful accumulation of radioactive substances in the thyroid. However, It has been said that nascent atomic Iodine may be 4-7 times more effective than potassium iodide and is much safer to use.

2. General Use as a Sterilizing Agent
Almost all sterilization products for the body have iodine. It is a wonderful wound cleaner, and has even been used to purify water in tablet or liquid form.

3. Preventing Goiter
Inflammation of the throat area and thyroid gland is known as a “goiter.” To prevent this condition, it is suggested to take the daily recommended amounts of a nascent atomic iodine supplement to boost overall thyroid health.

4. Boosting Metabolism
Due to improper thyroid function, metabolism of the body may slow down. Supplementing with nascent atomic iodine may help ensure the smooth functioning of the thyroid gland which in turn helps regulate the metabolism. It can also aid the body in keeping warmth, steadying the heart rate, maintaining a health body weight, and promoting overall digestive health. Here are a few more tips to boosting metabolism.

5. Bacterial Infections
A nascent atomic iodine solution can be used to assist the body in fighting off bacterial infections such as conjunctivitis. Using an iodine tonic as a throat gargle is also helpful for a cough. Iodine also acts as an expectorant of mucous for colds and flu.

6. Breast Health
Much research is currently being conducted on the role of iodine in breast health, including both the prevention of breast cancer, and overall shape and function. Similarly, iodine is a key mineral in mother’s milk, and is passed on to children for their proper growth and development. However, most nursing mothers are extremely deficient in Iodine.

7. Ovarian Health
Again, much research confirms the link between a lack of iodine and ovarian problems, such as cysts, and reproductive ability.

8. Neurological Health
Children can suffer from mental illness and disabilities due to a lack of iodine. It is important that mothers supplement with this micronutrient as a preventative measure. I recommend using only a safe nascent atomic iodine.

9. Vaginitis
Iodine douches have been used to reduce vaginal inflammation, itching and discharge associated with chronic yeast infections.

10. Eye Health
Iodine is commonly used as a treatment for a number of different eye conditions. It is also a natural protectant against UVB radiation.

11. Skin & Hair Health
Iodine is a common aid for skin conditions, such as acne, as well as hair loss. The healthy development of skin, teeth, nails and bone are all related to normal iodine levels.

12. Powerful Antioxidant
Iodine is just as important as vitamin C in terms of antioxidant activity. Specifically, it is a strong antioxidant for the blood. Learn more about the benefits of antioxidants.

Taking an iodine supplement is easy, safe and effective. Although it has a mild metallic taste, it can be taken in fruit juice or water.

Normally, iodine is taken in its sodium iodide form, but I recommend using a more bio-available form of nascent atomic iodine. This form can more readily be absorbed by the human body and tissues.

Purchase a USP Tincture of Iodine from your local drugstore. Use a cotton ball to absorb some iodine from the tincture.Rub about the size of a silver dollar of iodine on your upper inner arm midway between the bicep and tricep muscle. Note the time of application.If the brownish/orange color disappears within 2-4 hours after application you are extremely deficient and could use supplementation. If you are not deficient in iodine then the circle should remain slightly orange 24 hours later.

NOTE: USP Iodine tinctures or solutions you purchase at a drugstore are not for internal or supplemental use. Do not ingest! If you are deficient use a safe nascent atomic iodine supplement.

Drug Interactions: Consult with your doctor before supplementing with iodine if you are currently taking antithyroid drugs, Lithium or Warfarin, as iodine may interfere with the action of these medications.

Effect of 10 yr of the iodine supplementation on the hearing threshold of iodine deficient schoolchildren. PMID: 16218041Iodine deficiency in 2007: global progress since 2003. PMID: 18947032Mastodynia due to fibrocystic disease of the breast controlled with thyroid hormone. PMID: 7316045Increased incidence of thyrotoxicosis after iodine supplementation in an iodine sufficient area. PMID: 8006325Effectiveness of povidone-iodine in the treatment of non-specific vaginitis. PMID: 2359507Effects of applying povidone-iodine just before skin closure. PMID: 16490976Iodine-induced hyperthyroidism (iodine-induced Basedow’s disease): a current disease picture. PMID: 10407936Medical management of persistent or recurrent differentiated thyroid carcinoma. PMID: 19040983Control of efficiency and results, and adverse effects of excess iodine administration on thyroid function. PMID: 9084691Effects of excess iodine administration on thyroid function in euthyroid patients with a previous episode of thyroid dysfunction induced by interferon-alpha treatment. PMID: 9373459Over-the-counter and alternative medicines in the treatment of chronic vaginal symptoms. PMID: 9207812Iodine and thyroid function. PMID: 9365722Variability of iodine content in common commercially available edible seaweeds. Thyroid. PMID: 15588380The efficacy of povidone-iodine pessaries in a short, low-dose treatment regime on candidal, trichomonal and non-specific vaginitis. PMID: 8290459Zimmermann MB, Jooste PL, Pandav CS. Iodine-deficiency disorders. Lancet. 2008 Oct 4;372(9645):1251-62. PMID: 18676011Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Read the Dietary GuidelinesDietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, according to the US Dept of Health and Human Services and US Dept of Agriculture; 2005. Read the Dietary Guidelines

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Research: Probiotics Help Keep Your Immune System Ready to Fight Off Infections

The ironic tendency for the long term use of anti-biotic drugs to cause secondary bacterial infections over time has troubled medical science for decades.

However, thanks to a recent discovery by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, they may soon have a better understanding why.

The cause – as many of us in the natural health community have suspected for years – appears to be the destruction of beneficial bacteria that normally reside in the human digestive tract. It seems that the presence of this bacteria helps keep the body’s immune system better primed for action against transient, or “bad,” bacteria that may cause infection.

Professor of Microbiology and Pediatrics, Jeffrey Weiser, MD, gives the popular analogy of moving a car. That is to say, it’s significantly easier to move a car that’s engine is running at idle speed than one that hasn’t been switched on yet.

Senior author Jeffrey Weiser, MD, professor of Microbiology & Pediatrics: “One of the complications of antibiotic therapy is secondary infection. This is a huge problem in hospitals, but there hasn’t been a mechanistic understanding of how that occurs. We suggest that if the immune system is on idle, and you treat someone with broad-spectrum antibiotics, then you turn the system off. The system is deprimed and will be less efficient at responding quickly to new infections.” [1]

Resident beneficial bacteria appear to stimulate the production of a particular type of white blood cell, known as a neutrophil, which plays a large role in the human body’s natural ability to fight off foreign pathogens.

Not only do broad spectrum antibiotics kill off the infectious bacteria that causes illness, they also kill the harmless good bacteria as well. This essentially leads the neutrophils to enter a dormant state thereby slowing their response time when faced with a genuine threat. This gives invading bacteria an initial edge when it first enters the body.

Fortunately for individuals who have little choice but to use antibiotic drugs, studies in mice have shown that naturally occurring beneficial bacteria repopulate the digestive tract over time. This is because the bacteria itself is pulled directly from environmental sources such as air and water.

By quickly using up the resources that harmful bacteria need to thrive, probiotics act as a sort of temporary cleaning crew that help prime the digestive tract for more permanent beneficial bacteria. Once they have served their purpose, they are gently passed with other waste from the body.

In order to create a more hospitable intestinal environment for healthy bacteria to colonize, I also recommend using a quality probiotic supplement such as Latero-Flora and Garden of Life’s Primal Defense Ultra.

Latero-Flora is one of the finest probiotic supplements available anywhere in the world. It’s unique formula is derived from microorganisms found in Icelandic soil. As one of the best probiotic supplements, Latero-Flora is 100% safe and all natural. I personally take it every morning, and so does my family.

One alternative to taking a probiotic supplement, is to eat an abundance of probiotic foods. These would include cultured yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, miso soup, tempeh, kimchi, blue-green algae and some dark chocolates. These would all make great additions to your diet, however, you’re still better off taking a probiotic supplement, as they have more microorganisms that are beneficial to your health.

If, for whatever reason, you are forced to take antibiotics, I strongly recommend that you supplement with Latero-Flora, or some other probiotic supplement, to help restore the natural balance of bacterial life your body depends on to function at its best. Not only will you feel healthier, but you will give your immune system the best chance to fight off infections.

Let me hear your thoughts! Do you take a probiotic supplement or eat probiotic foods? If so, please share your experience with everyone in the comments below.

~Dr. G

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Research: Children Born with Low Vitamin D Levels May Develop More Respiratory Infections

Any parent can tell you that respiratory infections are all too common in caring for a very small child. Bronchial infections are, in fact, one of the leading cause of hospitalization in American newborns.

Building upon earlier studies which indicate a strong connection between high blood serum concentrations of vitamin D and healthy immune function in adults, a Massachusetts General Hospital-based research team has recently published new findings which suggest a similar relationship for vitamin D in newborns and infants.

The team reexamined data sets previously collected as part of the New Zealand Asthma and Allergy Cohort Study — an often cited standard among pediatric researchers — to determine if there was a connection between vitamin D, asthma, and other forms of respiratory infection common in very young children.

The original New Zealand study followed over 1,000 local area children from birth through their first five years of life. Individual newborn vitamin D levels where initially measured using samples of umbilical cord blood. Three months following birth, and then annually thereafter, infant health was documented via a series of questionnaires. Emphasis was placed on signs of respiratory aliment (such as wheezing), asthma, and other forms of infectious disease in children.

While cord blood samples showed signs of low vitamin D levels in nearly all of the infants studied, upwards of 20% qualified as severely deficient. Children in this latter percentage were twice as likely to have suffered respiratory infection by their 3-month checkup.

Data collected over the next several years further supported these preliminary findings. The lower a given child’s vitamin D levels at birth, the more likely they were to have fallen ill due to respiratory infection.

However, much to the surprise of the followup researchers, a similar trend was not observed in instances of asthma.

While children with asthma whom had low vitamin D levels at birth were prone to attacks and other related complications, they did not appear statistically more likely than their less deficient peers to develop the condition itself. This suggests that the causes and triggers of asthma may well be wholly independent of one another.

Carlos Camargo, MD, DrPH & Lead Researcher for this Study: “Our data suggest that the association between vitamin D and wheezing, which can be a symptom of many respiratory diseases and not just asthma, is largely due to respiratory infections. Acute respiratory infections are a major health problem in children.” [1]

For all the remedies and preventatives directed at keeping young children healthy, modern medicine appears to have grossly underestimated vitamin D’s power when it comes to bolstering the human immune system. Evidence supporting this theory continues to mount — and this most recent study is only another drop in the bucket. In fact, other Vitamin D studies indicate it may help prevent the flu, prevent arterial stiffness and fight Crohn’s Disease… just to name a few.

A growing number of experts now recommend significantly increasing (perhaps even doubling) the current recommended daily intake of vitamin D, specifically because of it’s immune enhancing potential. No official changes have yet been made, but in the meantime, it may still be worth incorporating a high-quality vitamin D3 supplement into your family’s diet, as well as getting plenty of sun. This is the D3 supplement that I personally use and would recommend to everyone else.

~Dr. G

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