THE UNIVERSAL NUTRIENT

There are many ways iodine impacts our health, and if we have deficiencies, it can negatively impact our health. Iodine is involved in immunity, metabolism, energy production, fetal and early childhood cognitive development, hormone production, the conversion of carcinogenic estrogen and progesterone hormone metabolites, heavy metal and radiation detoxification, and more.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IODINE

It is estimated that more than 90% of the U.S. population is iodine-deficient, and up to 74% is severely deficient based on clinical findings and national studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [NHANES I – 1974 and NHANES II – 2000]

Do any of these sound familiar?

Then you—like 74% to 90% of Americans—are likely deficient in iodine.

“Iodine is the body’s first line of defense against infections, the “vehicle” that moves secretions from inside cells to outside cells so they can be used. Iodine is critical to make thyroid hormones (which control cellular voltage) and is necessary to make stomach acid. Most importantly, iodine needs cofactors like selenium and zinc to work correctly. The “Plus” of Lugol’s Plus are those factors to make Iodine work. You can’t just substitute iodine by itself and get the results you need.”

Can iodized salt really provide enough iodine?

The amount of iodine in iodized salt is not sufficient for the body’s overall needs. There are 77 micrograms (μg) of iodine per gram of iodized salt. An individual’s average salt intake is five grams per day, which would be 385 μg per day of iodine. Urine tests actually show lower levels than this estimate, primarily because the iodine in iodized salt is only about 10% bioavailable.

Medical school teaches that the existing iodine in salt is adequate. However, sea salt, which many people use, contains very little iodine. The current recommended daily allowance (RDA) for adults is 150-220 μg per day, a recommendation developed in 1924 based on findings of goiter prevention studies.

This RDA is only the amount that helps prevent goiter and is typically not sufficient for the entire body’s needs

This amount is specifically inadequate to help prevent cancer. The body needs 100 times this RDA alone to produce iodolactone, which is required for normal cell apoptosis.

The thyroid alone needs five to seven milligrams a day of iodine and is first in line for iodine from the diet. That was milligrams (mg), not micrograms (μg); five to seven milligrams is equivalent to 5,000 to 7,000 micrograms.

The current RDA for iodine is a fraction of this (150-220 μg). In terms of how much iodine the thyroid gland needs alone, it is more than 31 times the recommended amount of 220 μg per day! Breast tissue and reproductive tissues require a similar amount. Without adequate iodine, breast and other reproductive tissues can develop fibroids.

Every tissue in the body requires iodine!

Chlorinated water, bakery products, flame retardants and other dietary and environmental issues reduce our body’s ability to use iodine. Chlorine, Fluorine and Bromine compete with iodine in the body. On the periodic table of elements, iodine is in a group called the Halogens. Fluorine, Chlorine and Bromine are in the same Halogen family.

Iodine is lower on the table, which means that the elements above iodine in the Halogens group are much more reactive

Fluorine, Chlorine and Bromine compete with and displace iodine. They are all more reactive than iodine. They are more electronegative than iodine, so they will take binding sites first and even displace iodine that has already binded.

Why Is This Important?

Fluorine, Chlorine and Bromine compete very strongly with iodine. Chlorine and Fluorine are in our water. Bakery products and carpets are now very high in Bromine. Chlorine, Bromine and Fluorine compete with iodine-binding sites on the thyroid hormone. When this occurs, the thyroid hormone does not function as it does when iodine is in place. It creates a state of thyroid deficiency called secondary hypothyroidism.

Even though you may have adequate thyroid hormone levels according to test results, if it is brominated (meaning the iodine-binding sites have bromine instead of iodine), the thyroid hormones do not work like they should! Chlorine and Fluorine in water also compete with iodine and replicate the above situation. Hypothyroidism leads to many serious health issues, including obesity.

Fortunately, iodine supplementation can help increase urinary excretion of Fluorine, Chlorine and Bromine. These elements—Fluorine, Chlorine and Bromine—are toxic to our bodies. Take care to drink pure water and eat non-brominated bread in order to significantly decrease your toxin exposure.

WHAT MAKES DR. TENNANT'S^® LUGOL'S IODINE SPECIAL

Lugol's Iodine is different as it offers both forms of iodine: Iodine and Iodide

The entire body uses Iodine and Iodide, not just the thyroid. Various tissues and organs are designed to concentrate large amounts of iodine and iodide necessary for their normal structure and function. Conversely, low iodine levels are associated with autoimmune thyroid disease, breast cancer, thyroid cancer, goiter and fibromyalgia, as well as cysts and nodules of the: breasts, thyroid and ovaries.

Both types of iodine are needed in the body—breast and prostate tissue prefer iodine and thyroid tissues prefer iodide—and both types are available with a Lugol's solution. Other types of iodine formulations have not been shown to provide this type of tissue-specific support.

LUGOL'S IODINE "LIQUID"

Dr. Tennant’s^® Lugol’s Iodine liquid is an excellent solution for supporting the body’s need for both Iodine and Iodide. Iodine is one of the few elements required for cellular health that the body cannot produce, so it needs to be supplemented through food or additional supplementation.

Dr. Tennant’s^® Lugol’s Iodine liquid is a dissolvable and versatile solution that can be diluted as needed per your healthcare provider’s instructions.

However, iodine needs specific co-factors to be utilized by our body; therefore it is recommend that you take it with RESTORE, since RESTORE has all of the co-factors needed. See below for more information about co-factors.

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LUGOL'S IODINE PLUS "CAPSULES"

Dr. Tennant’s^® Lugol’s Iodine Plus is not your ordinary Lugol’s Iodine supplement.

CO-FACTORS IN LUGOL'S IODINE PLUS

For your body to use iodine it is important that you also have the co-factors present for absorption. Dr. Tennant’s^® Lugol's Iodine Plus is a complete iodine supplement solution with all the necessary co-factors for proper iodine metabolism.

What are the co-factors in Lugol’s Iodine Plus and what do they do?

Selenium

• Selenium is the primary mineral responsible for T4 to T3 (thyroid hormones) conversion in the liver.
• Selenium and Iodine/Iodide, along with Zinc, are essential in the conversion of carcinogenic estrogen and progesterone metabolites.
• Supplementation or consumption of high amounts of Iodine without Selenium can induce AIT (autoimmune thyroiditis) and goiter.
• Selenium and Iodine/Iodide can reduce goiter and inflammation of the thyroid gland.
• Selenium supplementation reduces TgAb that may be elevated by taking Iodine.
• TPOAb levels is inversely associated with Selenium levels (higher physiological Selenium levels are associated with lower antibody levels and vice versa).

Zinc

• Zinc may be helpful in patients with low T3 and may contribute to the conversion of T4 to T3. ⁽¹⁾
• Zinc may be helpful in normalizing levels of rT3.
• Zinc, Selenium and Iodine/Iodide are essential in the converting of carcinogenic estrogen and progesterone metabolites.

Vitamin C

• Clinical case studies by Drs. Abraham and Brownstein have shown that the administration of Vitamin-C can improve defective cellular transport mechanisms for iodine. ⁽²⁾

Fulvic Acid Trace Minerals and Elements

• Fulvic acid molecules carry up to 60 minerals and elements and help improve absorption and facilitate transport to cells.
• Fulvic acid molecules are negatively charged and donate electrons for membrane and cellular functions, including mitochondrial energy production.
• Iodine sufficiency and Humic and Fulvic acids help protect glands from radiation poisoning. Radioactive elements have an affinity for Humic and Fulvic acids. They form organo-metal complexes of different adsorptive stability and solubility. Uranium and Plutonium are influenced by Humic substances, as are other polluting metals, each being solubilized and absorbed, thereby annihilating the specific radioactivity. ^{(3, 4)}

Read More: Humic and Fulvic Acids

Without these supporting nutrients, iodine metabolism can be impaired and iodine supplementation efforts may not be as effective!

Luglo's Iodine Capsules

We know capsules are not as excited as the ingredients but Dr. Tennant's® Lugol's Iodine capsules, but we want you to know they are special.  To allow us to deliver our Lugol's Iodine and the co-factors at their highest quality and potency we choose to invest in a very special chlorophyll-lined capsule which ensures each dosage of Dr. Tennant's Lugol's Iodine Plus is at its highest quality so you can get the highest health benefits.

USING LUGOL'S IODINE AS A NATURAL THERAPY

• Check with your healthcare provider to make sure you should take an iodine supplement and that there are no contraindications (such as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis).
• Best if taken in the morning.
• Can be taken at the same time as other products and with food.
• Do NOT take with probiotics as iodine will render the probiotics ineffective.
• Do NOT take with chlorinated or fluoridated water.
• Lugol's Iodine liquid should be shaken well before each use and mixed in water to take. Follow with a glass of filtered water. Remember the liquid is a 2% Lugol’s Iodine product — it does not contain any co-factors found in the Lugol's Iodine Plus capsule product.
• Lugol's Iodine Plus capsules should be followed with a full glass of water.
• No need to be refrigerated after opening.

References

1. Patients with low levels of free T3 and normal T4, but elevated rT3 and mild to moderate Zn deficiency, taking oral zinc supplements for 12 months normalized the serum-free T3 and total T3 levels, decreased the rT3 and normalized TSH levels. (Nishiyama S, Futagoishi-Suginohara Y, Matsukura M, et al. Zinc supplementation alters thyroid hormone metabolism in disabled patients with zinc deficiency. J Am Coll Nutr. 1994 Feb;13(1):62-7). Biochemistry. Second edition. Stryer and Lubert, editors. Freeman, New York, 1975; 240-246.
2. Abraham GE. “The safe and effective implementation of orthoiodosupplementation in medical practice.” The Original Internist, 2004; 11(1):17-36
3. Yuan, Shenyuan; et al; Application of Fulvic acid and its derivatives in the fields of agriculture and medicine; First Edition: June 1993
4. W.R. Jackson PhD. (1993) Humic, Fulvic and Microbial Balance: Organic Soil Conditioning (pp. 762-763).

Iodine—Frequently Asked Questions

Featured Products in This Article:

Dr. Tennant’s^® Lugol’s Iodine PLUS: A great solution for supporting the body’s need for Iodine and Iodide. Iodine is one of the few elements required for cellular health that the body cannot produce, so it needs to be supplemented through food or additional nutrition. Contains all the cofactors that make iodine usable in the body.

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Dr. Tennant’s^® Lugol’s Iodine: A great solution for supporting the body’s need for Iodine and Iodide. Iodine is one of the few elements required for cellular health that the body cannot produce, so it needs to be supplemented through food or additional nutrition. Contains NO cofactors to work correctly; therefore additional ingredients are necessary, such as those found in Restore.

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Dr. Tennant’s^® Restore: All RESTORE formulas will provide the cofactors necessary for Lugol's Iodine liquid to work correctly in the body. Supplementation of iodine alone will not provide the desired effect.