Iodine, thyroid, and breast cancer??
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Hi all, I am new to this thread as I just started Iodoral this morning. My doc prescribed that I start with 1/2 tab for a week and then go to a full tab. I'm sure this has been covered at some point in this string, and I apologize for bringing it up again! But, I have been extremely nauseous all day. Did anyone have this as a side effect when they started the Iodoral? If so, how long did it last? It is really awful...
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deni63,
I've never heard of nausea with Iodoral but have heard of stomach upset in people taking either Lugol's solution or compound pharmacy versions of iodine that don't have the enteric coatings.
I believe Iodoral was invented precisely to avoid stomach upset. It's supposed to be dissolved in the small intestine. Still, you never know. Why don't you stop for 48 hours and restart with 1/4 tab. Did you buy your Iodoral from a known source?
Please don't tell me you bought it on Ebay
I've heard of places selling counterfeits. Oh, I hope you feel better. Nausea is the worst. I'd rather have a toothache than nausea.
xo
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I definitely did not buy it on ebay! My doctor's office has a pharmacy where they sell supplements - very reputable. Yeah know it could be a combo of things. I've been on prednisone for a few days because of a bad allergic reaction I got from pulling weeds in the yard. Plus, menstrual stuff going on. Maybe it was just bad timing to start it in the midst of everything. I like your suggestion. I will lay off of it for 48 and try a 1/4 tab to start. You always have such great advice. Thanks Anom! And yes, nausea is really the worst...
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deni, so sorry to hear your having nausea. ugh, nausea is just so nasty.
You're starting out with a very low dose. It doesn't seem likely to me that such a low dose would cause nausea, but people on the iodine list have reported nausea as a detox symptom. Headaches tend to be more commonly reported.
The main area where you might want to increase awareness is detoxing. Iodine is a halide, and so are floride, chlorine and bromine. They compete for the same receptors. As iodine levels rise, the other halides, which are toxic, get displaced and can cause ill feelings as they move toward the exit. So if you're constipated, you might want to switch gears and get things moving along better and then go back to iodine.
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Hi Althea, constipation is definitely not a problem for me. But, headaches are. If headache is even a whisper of a symptom or side effect of something, I will get one. I haven't yet with the iodoral - but it is only my second day of taking 1/2 a tablet. Does detoxing start that quickly?
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Yes, it can start right away. And then it can go on for a long time. Toxins can get into muscles and tissues and camp out. When our detoxing efforts coax the toxins out of their resting places, people usually have some kind of reaction. Detoxing is a process, not an event.
Bromine is frequently in the flour of bakery products. Pepperidge Farm does not used brominated flour. If you buy organic flour, that will not have bromine either. If you drink any citrus flavor beverages, look for brominated vegetable oil on the list of ingredients. Lemony gatorade drinks have it and mt dew is the worst in the soda world for brominated vegetable oil.
It's hard to say what's causing your nausea. For a while I tried tweaking my supplements one at time 4 weeks apart. I gave up on that and reckoned I'd rather remove one thing at a time if I get a bad reaction. You could try skipping iodoral for a few days and see how you feel.
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Althea, thanks for that great information. I am going to start with skipping the iodoral for a few days and then picking it up again, slowly. I have to say, my diet is extremely clean and I haven't eaten any processed foods, sugar or dairy for over 5 months now. Without that junk in my system, would I still have a strong detox going on? I don't eat flour, soda, bakery products etc. I would think that most of the heavy duty detoxing would have taken place by now, but who knows??
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Deni-I thought the same thing. I had been eating clean for over a year before I started iodoral. I had done a liver cleanse, had a colonoscopy, so I thought I was really detoxed. I was feeling great. After 2 days on iodoral, I felt like I had been hit with a ton of bricks. I was soooooo tired and my head was throbbing. Obviously, I still had a lot of this stuff in me. I did the salt loading only once, peeed it all out, and I was back to normal. Remember it took years to get this stuff built up in us. Rome wasn't built in a day.
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Viv- good point. So, what dosage did you begin at? And, you say that the side effects did not last very long? I was feeling so great and now I feel about as old as Rome!
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vivre ~ Just wanted to tell you that splitting the Iodoral tablet and having both halves during the day has worked beautifully. The sleeplessness was gone within a day. I did have a mild headache for about 3 days, but it seems like this is normal. Deanna
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Deni-I get my in capsules I took 2 for 2 weeks, half a dose of 50 mg. Then after I detoxed, I worked up to 4 a day, which is what I do now.
Anom, do you know if it is a good idea for someone who has just been dx'd to take iodine, before beginning any treatments? Have there been any studies that shows it shrinks tumors?
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Anom,
Who soon prior to surgury would you stop taking calcium? And you would take the magnesium right up until the day prior to surgery? Just checking. Thanks for the info on mannesium and hospitals and surgery, I had not heard that!!
I just ordered my second "Iodine loading" test yesterday from FFP labs. ($80.00). I have been on the Iodoral supplement (50) for over 3 months now. I want to get it tested before I "go off it" 2 weeks prior to surgery. They are wanting me to stop all supplements except multi, C, and Calcium!! I am not stopping probiotic or stool softeners, or I will pay dearly in the constipation department!!! (TMI !!!!)
Spring.
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Hi everyone,
Just joined this thread and wondering if there are any issues with taking DIM, synthroid and Iodoral? I've been hypothyroid for the past 20 years and was just diagnosed with BC this past January. I've been reading through this thread and am wondering if anyone knows if taking DIM would interfere with my thyroid medication and if I should take Iodoral to supplement? Should I have my thyroid levels checked again before I start? I'm "supposedly" going to start Tamoxifen in the next couple of weeks and am looking for alternatives.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Terri
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Terri,
I switched to nature-throid (from synthroid) you may want to check that out. This is dessecrate thyroid vs synthetic (my take) and I think better. I take DIM Iodoral and am also hypothyroid. The Iodoral can change your tyroid hormone levels, and I'm still adjusting to the switch to NatureThroid and taking the iodine. I'd suggest working with your doctor (I use my GP for this), an occasional check, etc. That's what I am doing.!!
Spring.
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Spring, I wouldn't be taking calcium in the first place but if you do, I would stop 48 hours before so your mineral/ratio stabilizes.
Terri, yes you can take all three. The main thing is to never take thyroid meds or DIM without iodine. Dr. Flechas mentions a study about the longer you take thyroid meds, the greater your chance of breast cancer. I posted it to this thread if you want to scroll back.
Dr. Brownstein explains that thyroid meds limit iodine metabolism so you need to compensate by taking more iodine. DIM also is a "goitrogen," which inhibits thyroid function. Which is why you need to compensate for by taking iodine.
Good luck!
xo
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anomdenet: So much to learn! I'm really nervous about trying something new but I realize that some Dr's just follow the book and there are alternatives. How much iodine do you suggest I start out with? if I take the nature-throid like Spring, do I still need to take iodine?
Terri
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Anom, I am osteopenic, meaning I have bone issues. That's why I take calcium.
Calcium somehow messes with the Iodine?
I ordered my second Iodine loading test... so after this, I'll see where my numbers are (after supplementing for 3+ months, per Dr. Flechas).
Then I'll have a consult with him and I intent to tell him all my supplements, and how much. I am hoping he will fine tune for me....
Spring.
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Terri,
Personally, I would start with one tablet of Iodoral and see if you get any detox. Then increase it. Drs. Flechas and Brownstein would probably start you with four tablets. At some point, you should probably get the Iodine Loadting Test and phone consult with Dr. Flechas. breastcancerchoices reimbursed at lot of us for the test because we registered our test results for the study.
Spring,
Osteopenia is a metabolic disorder, not a calcium deficiency. The objective is to ABSORB your dietary calcium the way you did 15 years ago. Adding more calcium isn't going to help your absorption, it will just play havoc with your mineral balance/ cardiac rhythms. D3 alone should help with osteopenia because you will absorb more calcium. Progesterone helps even more.
Also, Dr. Abraham has said the single worst obstacle to iodine absorption is calcium supplementation. I suspect this is because calcium makes you excrete magnesium which is vital to iodine absorption.
How are you feeling in anticipation of surgery? Remind us of the exact date just before and we'll send you a mass healing vibe {{{{8}}}}
xox
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Anom, September 3. ahhhck! Huge reconstruction surgery. <gulp gulp gulp>. Mass healing vibe appreciated!!!
Anom, will do the iodone loading test when we return from vacation (can't imagine leaving the container of pee in the refrigerator at a family reunion!! LOL!!) and then consult with Dr. F about my results, and my "List O'Supplements", incl. how much magnesium, D3 and calcium, buffered C, etc. I see this as a learning process. One good thing about surgery, will be off from work for weeks and finally able to read some of these books., Like Dr. Lee's!!
But in mean time, I will stop the calcium a few days prior to surgery, as you mentioned!
Spring.
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Spring, did you order something in addition to the loading test? It should be $42. I was also charged $2.50 for the 50 mg of iodine. I wasn't told about that in advance, but it was a lucky accident. I'd been taking iodoral for 5 months by the time I took the loading test. Somehow I had determined that 5 tablets of 12.5 mg each added up to 50 mg. When I opened the package to find 4 tablets, I finally realized my math skills are nearly nonexistent anymore. Talk about brain fog. For 5 months I took 62+ mg/day thinking it was 50 mg.
Anyway, the sample you collect can also be tested for heavy metals and bromide. You could ask about getting that done also. It would be good information to have.
Terri, welcome to the thread. There's a lot to learn about iodine, and there's a lot of conflicting information out there. Go to breastcancerchoices.org to ramp up your learning curve. They're also providers of iodoral at the best price, plus their sales support their research project. You can read the experiences of others at the yahoo group for iodine. There's lots of people taking 50 mg/day, but you can start out with just one 12.5 mg tablet per day to see how it goes.
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Hey Anom
What is up with this?
http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2009/08/13/eu-ban-will-end-walkers-use-of-iodine
Do you think iodoral is next? I know the freaking doping agency is out to ban alternatives but have you heard of a movement to try to stop this?
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Vivre, I saw some mention of this on the Yahoo Iodine Group. The US government wouldn't dare try this. The grass roots iodine movement would take to the streets. Two years ago, the DEA cut down on the amout of Lugol's iodine you can buy because meth dealers were using it for something. But the EU seems to be under the impression that iodine is toxic even tho it has been widely used in published medicine since 1830. I gather Europe doesn't have an iodine educators? Doesn't it drive you nuts when patients in the street know more about the medicines than the law makers?
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Anom, appatently, only the "first" test you do as part of the study is at the discout rate of $42.00. She told me any follow up are not discounted, hence the $80 bucks. I decided not to do the other testing given the cost. Maybe another time!
Cripes Vivre. Just cripes is all I can say! I guess we'll have to keep an eye on that...
Spring.
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Double ouch on the cost of the test! I had already inquired about subsequent tests being reimburseable, and the answer on that was no. I didn't realize the $42 was a discounted rate. Dang, I wish a wealthy benefactor would adopt the iodine project. I would think followup test data would be vitally important, esp since some of us are having absorption difficulties.
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Thought this was an interesting article someone posted on the iodine group:
http://jeffreydach.com/2009/08/16/the-thyroid-nodule-epidemic-by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx
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I am a newbie to the alternative forums. I am digesting all of this as fast as I can, but is it recommended that I test for iodine deficiency prior to taking the supplement? You know, for the past few years I have been exclusively using a salt from France called "Baleine", which I buy at Bristol Farms. On the container it clearly states, "this salt does not supply iodide, a necessary nutrient." My DH pointed this out to me last month, so I went out and bought an iodized version. Holy cow! I doubt I get much iodine from foods - I rarely eat yogurt, only get milk products essentially vis a vis milk in my coffee and I have miniscule egg protein intake - I have gastroinestinal allergies to whole eggs. Lab tests recently showed thyroid levels are normal, however, I am lethargic and have little energy. As you can see in my siggy, I am Vit D deficient [will be retested late next month.] Could I just start on the Iodoral without getting tested, or is this risky? Sorry for the long diatribe...
Deborah
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I started supplementing with iodine sporadically last year. Then I decided to order some iodoral from breastcancerchoices.org in december. I didn't get tested until I'd been supplementing five full months. I learned my absorption rate is pitiful, which can happen when things called our symporters are damaged.
First of all, when you say you've been tested and thyroid levels are normal, find out if your doctor even knows what tests to order. TSH by itself insufficient, even though some doctors use it exclusively, often complicated further by their use of a 'normal' range that became outdated in 2002. 'Old normal' topped out at 5.5, 'new normal' was redefined in 2002 at 3.0, and most women feel their best when TSH result is around 1.0. Don't be surprised if you have a doctor who is of little help with a thyroid imbalance, and good luck finding one.
Second of all, breastcancerchoices has a research project that is collecting data from bc survivors and they'll facilitate reimbursement for a test of your iodine levels. It's a one-time only, unfortunately, and full cost is $80. So if you have ample resources, multiple tests is ideal. Otherwise, there's nothing risky in supplementing without testing first. Chances are, you'll be deficient and the supplements will help. Once you reach adequate saturation, you'll simply excrete anything extra.
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althea: Thank you....I just went online to look at my thyroid values from last May and my TSH was 0.81 [norm: 0.4 - 4.00] so I see it is certainly borderline low but not far from 1.0 - if that is where "optimum" seems to be. So I think I will supplement now and then work on testing.0
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althea ~ I have 2 questions on the TSH level information you laid out. My most recent bloodwork shows my TSH was 1.8, with the normal range shown as 0.350-5.500. If the top end of the normal range has decreased in recent years and 1.0 is better, are you saying that lower is better? I didn't realize that. Also, isn't is ridiculous that the lab where I had my bloodwork done would show a range that's outdated by 7 years??? I want to ask them about that, so can you possibly point me to the study or paper that redefined the range?
Deborah ~ That's interesting about salt. I've not only used mostly Maldon salt for several years, but I also use very little salt in cooking, and also try to avoid salty food when eating out. I'd never thought about the iodine issue. Deanna
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Deanna: I know...I did not think about it until my DH pointed it out...but he was not being a purist from a health standpoint - he just thought I was buying DESIGNER salt all these years and was trying to make a point about my "fancy" salt - inferring it was inferior by his "and look - it does not even have IODINE!" Heck, I just liked the look of the canister.....
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