Iodine, thyroid, and breast cancer??
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Did anyone catch Dr Oz's program that featured a Dr Joel Mercola (not sure of the spelling) who was talking about a vitamin called Astaxanthin? It wasn't so much about the vitamin that I was interested in, although it might be one to check out... but Oz asked him what he personally took for vitamins - and he had a short list but the one I caught was that he took IODINE! This world class MD and he takes Iodine! It must be telling us something is right with it.
I've been doing the liquid with the dropper every morning and really feeling a difference. I have to take Armour also because I had a thyroidectomy and only have one lobe. I'm really going slowly here just to check for any changes and to know what is working for me.
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I have some happy news to share...
I was taking iodine for quite some time, and then I decided to take advantage of the beach where I live, and absorbe the natural iodine rich air that comes from the sea spray. I spend a lot of time either walking or parking my chair on the shoreline...and just chillin!
On my recent trip to central Autralia...I took iodine drops with me. By the way my iodine drops are clear... so no staining problems.
Anyway...
I have been avoiding a mammogram...due to the pain factor, around my ex-tumour bed. I was thinking of having an MRI...but as I have had dreadful reactions to anaesthetic, pharmaceuticals in general...and even break out in a rash from something as simple as a band aid - the thought of being injected with gadolinium scared me off the MRI. My onc totally understood.
I haven't had a mammogram since around May 2009. My right breast had quite a few clustered calcifications. Late last year my BS sent me a letter, concerning my mammo appointment that I had been avoiding. She then sent one to my onc...who called me, and also sent me a letter to make an appointment to have a mammo. I did not respond. I went to my GP for a pap smear ...who opened my file, and lo and behold my onc and BS...sent her emails, saying that I was being "difficult and uncooperative."
THEY WERE STALKING ME!!!!
Anyway I caved in because I understand that Clustered calcifications are both seen in benign and malignant disease. So I had my ever sooo painful mammo, which was a tad different to the way I was last examined. The tech actually stayed in the room, and didn't leave. Anyway, we got to chatting and she allowed me to view my breast images on the large computer screen. Cool!
I said "they look particularly clean, in both breasts; l can't see anything sinister, like calcifications, can you?"
She said... "No, it all looks very clean to me. It appears that the calcifications have all disappeared"
She then said... "Wait here I'll see what the radiologist thinks." I had my fingers crossed and a huge grin.
They both came back and said. "There's no evidence of calcifications, we'll pass these images onto your oncologist, and I'm sure his conclusion will be the same."
IT WAS!!! He said both breasts were crystal clear...no probs whatsoever.
If I have to be subjected to painful mammos...then I'll do them every two years. In the mean time I will try to find a less painful alternative. I'm hoping that we will eventually have digital thermograms in Melbourne
Here's my latest thyroid function test...
Free T4: 16.4 ---------Units - pmol/L - Ref Range (10.0 - 19.0)
TSH : 1.62 --------- Units - mIU/L - Ref Range (0.50 - 4.00)
Free T3 : 5.8 --------- Units - pmol/L - Ref Range (3.5 - 6.5)
My protocol is working for me.
To the lovely "Natural Girls" on BCO that have contributed to this thread and Breastcancerchoices.org for their wonderful "Iodine resources"...Thankyou from the bottom of my heart...xxxxx
Have a lovely day ladies...x
Victoria
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Victoria- What wonderful news! Just keep breathing that sea air! I hear a cyclone is headed your way, hang on to your chair!
I just got my iodine loading test results. I'm trying to figure it out. There were two numbers given: I&I Loading 33 L. The other was I&I Saturation 66 L. I think it means I am 66 saturation and should be 90. I did speak to Dr. Flechas by phone and he wanted to start me on 50 Iodoral in the am and 50 Iodoral at 3:30 plus ATP Cofactor. I just had bloodwork done to get a thyroid baseline. Now I am ready to start! I am excited.
I have read that a lot of ladies take other things with iodine (I think selenium, magnesium maybe?) I asked Dr. Flechas and he said only the ATP Cofactor was needed.
How much Iodine do you ladies take? Does 100mg/day sound like a lot? Will there be side effects? Any advice is appreciated.
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Victoria...Congrats! It's time to celebrate...you are such an encouragement to all of us!
Now for the questions...
Do you have a thyroid autoimmune disease?
Did you do the salt detox?
How much iodine did you take per day?
I'm still in a state of confusion in that I'm not sure what to do. It all seems so complex. My naturalpath as you know took me off idoral. Maybe the iodine didn't work for me because I never detoxed. Even after taking the iodine for several months, I still had lumpy breast. I'm not for sure if the lumps or fatty tissue, or cysts.
I'm looking forward to being where you are.
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It is great to hear your news Victoria. Your reaction is not the only one I have heard of after using iodine. Many women on the iodine forums say the same thing. I do not do mammos, but I can tell all the lumps are gone, including the hard knot around my radiation boost. I attribute this to the iodine, because I felt the difference within a couple of months of using it. I am getting another therm in two weeks. I will let you know how it looks.
Your thyroid numbers look really good too. I would say that you are really getting your body to where it needs to be. I am still working on my thyroid numbers. I think I am just so full of the toxic halides that I am not absorbing enough. I swam in chlorine pools for many years (worked as a lifeguard in college) and then I inhaled chlorine trying to clean the mold off my bathroom walls when our water supply changed. It was horrible. So I am trying to sweat it out with my sauna. It is impossible to sweat without the sauna. We have a blizzard forecast for tomorrow. Looks like a day of shoveling is ahead. Hope you are enjoying summer down under!
Samsue-I have been meeting folks around here who use to work with Mercola. He has been very late coming to the iodine protocol, and is only doing what others tell him. He takes credit for a lot of other peoples research. And he is a prima donna. I walked out on his talk at the Health Expo last year, in spite, because I saw him do it to others. LOL. He walks around with a posse as if he is Oprah or something. You gals have to come to this Expo in Chicago in June. It is quite an experience!
Barry- one out of seven women are iodine deficient. HMMMMM, Isn't that the same rate of breast cancer? Just sayin'.
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vivre...I haven't been swimming since we talked. You made me afraid of the chorine. It was my favorite form of exercise. I don't like walking as much. I feel stuck
Hey, one day, I'm going to get this iodine thing together. What do you think of Resveratrol? I'm hoping it will take care of my Hashi's problem. 0 -
I am curious if iodine would be beneficial for me...
I had a partial thyroidectomy in Nov 10, I choose NOT to do RAI and keep my left lobe producing what natural thyroid hormones that it can. I am taking 30mg of Armour daily and for the most part I am feeling better than I have since my original bc dx in May 09.
I really want to bring balance in my life and I honestly don't think iodine would hurt anything unfortunately I cannot seem to get any of my doctors on he same page regarding balance. I am amazed that my onc put me on Tamoxifen without even checking my hormone levels but that is another thread...
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Barry-Resveratol is an antioxidant that comes from grape seeds and skin. I take it daily in one of my USana supplements. It does not replace iodine. Can you find a salt water pool? That will get you swimming again, AND it is so healthy!
Michelle-have you done any reading on iodine and thyroid? We have lots of links here, but PM me if you need more. You have to at least read Dr. Brownsteins books on iodine and thyroid. They are very informative. And I agree it is hard to find doctors who believe in helping us find this balance. But more and more of them are getting on board. They cannot deny the impact iodine is making for people all over the world who are now using it for thyroid and breast cancer issues with incredible success rates.
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Thankyou ladies for your kind words...x
I've been doing a few cartwheels for some days now...but decided to wait to share my excitement till the "Does this post make my ego look big?" toned down to a mild simmer, and some calmness was restored.
barry : K...so I started taking 383.5μL. And then I sought the advice of another NP, and he told me that you really don't need to take too much iodine or your thyroid could become out of whack. So after having so many good results with my thyroid function tests...I didn't want to risk it, and I dropped my intake considerably...right down to 115.0μL. If I'm not going to the beach then I'll take my drops. I used to take my iodine on its own during the night...as my mother and grandmother have always done. But Vivre kindly pointed me in the right direction, and explained the importance of the companion nutrients.
No I don't have a thyroid autoimmune disease, and I nurture my liver all year round...with a plethora of nutrients. It is extremely important that we all take extra care of our liver.
These are the drops I occasionally supplement with...
BioCeauticals iodine drops...
Each Dose (1 Drop = 38.35μL) Contains:
Potassium Iodide.....................................................................125.4μg
equiv. to iodine...............................................................95.87μg
equiv. to potassium..........................................................29.52μg
Victoria
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LMAO Victoria!
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Victoria, your results are so fantastic! Good on ya mate! Your numbers look good too on the bloodwork.
Michelle, my onc refused to test my hormone levels also. To this day, I can't reconcile how anyone can find it logical to prescribe hormone therapy without knowing what the hormones levels are in the first place.
Dr Brownstein is the leading authority on iodine and good luck finding a local doctor who subscribes to his theories.
The iodine protocol I follow is this:
50 mg Iodoral or more per day
2000 mg vitamin C or more per day
400 mg magnesium or more per day
200 mcg selenium
1/2 teaspoon unrefined salt or more per dayIodine is a halide it's a substance that every cell in our bodies need, not just the thyroid. Serious competition for receptor sites come from other halides: chlorine, flouride, bromine, perchlorates. Chlorine and flouride is in the water, bromine is strewn throughout every home, business, and automobile in the form of fire retardants. Bromine is also used on produce and golf courses. Ever wonder what's in your dust? Probably a lot of things, but for sure, fire retardant particles. Same goes for that 'new car smell'.
Therapeutic doses of iodine are high because much of it simply goes right through without attaching to receptors due to all the competition. Bromine is the one that typically causes discomfort as it's displaced. ...and once it is displaced, you want your pathways to the exit to be working at full capacity.
Bromine literally stinks. You know when it's leaving if your urine is cloudy and has a strong smell. For me, unfortunately, my armpits do the same thing from time to time. Peeeuuwwww! Other symptoms include headaches, acne, brain fog, lethargy, constipation. Downing a glass of warm water with a quarter or half teaspoon of unrefined salt will help relieve symptoms because the salt should get urine flowing more readily.
If you're taking the protocol without any improvement in how you feel, look to your diet and focus on foods that will support liver function. That was the tipping point for me anyway.
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Victoria,
Congratulations! That is wonderful news about the disappearance of the calcifications! Wow.
I now have calcifications around the incision. Never ever had any before. I was disappointed to learn of them showing up and asked if they will go away and I was told no. So I am particularly interested to learn that yours went away.
I don't follow the same protocol as you with the iodine supplements because my thyroid is normal, so I never thought to supplement with iodine.
I was sorry to hear that swimming in chlorine pools depletes iodine in the body. Swimming is such a wonderful exercise. I love it. The fitness centre where I am a member has no plans to convert to salt water, so I am stuck with the chlorine. I hate chlorine but I love the svelte appearance and strength that I gain from doing laps. I grew up alongside the beaches in Sydney Australia and swam in salt ocean water that filtered into the rock pools at the beach. It is only the last couple of years that I have begun swimming once again, but alas it is in the chlorinated pool. So now I am just wondering what to do to combat the effects of the chlorine. I suppose I could always soak in the tub filled with iodized sea salt water when I come home. Mmmm.
Anyway, once again congratulations Victoria, I can't wait to tell my doctors!
Glenis
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Althea: Thankyou kindly...I'm pretty chuffed myself!
Vivre: Oh what the heck...here's a big hug anyway. You know how fond of you I am!
Painterly: I was beginning to panic about the findings for a while there. And then some of the ladies here also emphasised the importance of keeping an eye on those calcifications. Then I watched a Dr Oz show...and Sheryl crow said that her calcifications turned into cancer and that really concerned me, so l thought I had better take it more seriously. Then the whole gadolinium debate came along and I prolonged it even longer. Luckily for me the test results were all clear.
My thyroid is also normal...so I drastically toned down my dosage...and only supplement with a couple of drops when I'm on holiday.
Thanks for the congrats!
Victoria
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I have posted this in another thread but haven't gotten alot of hits so I wanted to ask here. I recently had my first themography. It shows a hot spot on my right breast....the left breast was my original bc. I had sworn off mammograms but now my NP and the thermography report is highly recommending one. I dont like the dye in the MRI either. I am at a loss of what I should do. What would you girls do?
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Sorry, I posted on the wrong thread.
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I found this thread and have read all that everyone has written. I thought I had a thyroid problem because all of a sudden I was tired and started gaining weight. I got my thyroid levels checked every 3 months because my doctor said lets make sure things are not changing. Then I was diagnosed with BC, when they tested my thyroid from port wah lah, hypothyroid. Since removal of breast and lymphs and after chemo (I couldn't have radiation because of autoimmune problems), my levels have changed again and getting back to normal that thyroid medication has been cut in half, then in half again. Waiting on this weeks results. I had a hysterectomy 14 years ago and said where is the estrogen coming from and was told the thyroid and pituitary glands. I was always thin (wearing a size 2), but from all the cancer medication I gained weight, then doctors said with your weight gain hormones stay in fat cells. I said wait a minute, I walk four miles a day, I eat a vegan diet, I gained weight on the meds you gave me and now you talk about fat cells! I am finding that it's a crap shoot, they don't know what causes what and they can only guess. I'm trying to find a natural way. I was put on Femara, with the doctors knowing I have thrown blood clots, that I had osteoporosis and liver was damaged during chemo. Side effects on Femara were too much, so I had to stop. I am a single mom, looking for alternatives for cutting my estrogen levels which my tumor and lymphs showed to be over 98.9% ER and PR positive. I'm someone willing to do life changes and work hard to turn things around. Any ideas any of you ladies have I would be grateful to listen to and at least try. Thank You.
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Barry - to your theory on connective tissue health - I have diffuse connective tissue disease due to Lupus. Does that mean I get breast cancer? My daughter who does not have DCTD has breast cancer: ER+, PR+ and HER+, another tumor ER,PR+, but HER2-.
Thyroid cancer is a real problem and we need to insist on having it checked with our yeraly check-ups. Also, as Dr. OZ said, we need to insist on neck shields when having and upper body x-rays as in dental care.
Also, any good researcher does not use data from more than 5 years - and that is stretching it in medicine - except for historical context.
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M360-I am reading Dr. Brownstein's book called Overcoming Thyroid Disorders and he states that often thyroid issues go undetected because doctors just rely on the TSH test. If they do not test the T3 and T4, they may not see anomolies. Also, he prefers to go by symptoms. He explains how many people with autoimmune diseases are left to suffer because their symptoms are dismissed because their test results look normal. In any case, check out our natural girls thread for more support and information. And start reading. You can get well and stay well. I know. I am thriving proof.
motherofpatient-According to Dr. B, Lupus is also an autoimmune disease caused by thyroid disfunction. Find a doctor who really understands how to treat the thyroid with the iodine protocol. Also, you need high quality supplements of Vit C and D. Have you done blood tests to determine you vitamin and mineral deficiencies. All disease is a result of oxidation of cells. Healthy cells cannot be corrupted by cancer cells or other pathogens.
And Dr. Oz is a jerk. He gives out so much misinformation. He pushes vacinnes all the time because they pay for his show. I saw his thyroid program and the docs he had on were saying to just take out the thyroid, and gave no information on anything but the pharma protocols. He does this with everything. He is starting to have some holistic doctors on, but he does most of the talking. And I heard his wife speak at the Health and Freedom expo. She is just capitaliziing on his name, trying to sell her book. People were buying it like it was popcorn because her name was Oz. I looked through it and it was basically a waste of $$$, just common sense. I walked out of her speech after 10 minutes. (actually Mercola was there and he stayed only 5!)LOL
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Vivre is right that some doctors only rely on the blood tests for thyroid which are completely unreliable. Any good doctor goes by symptoms the patient reports such as easy weight gain, dry skin, cold hands and feet, fatigue and many others on the thyroid symptom list.
Also, a good doctor often does a trial of natural thyroid hormone to see if the patient improves. If they improve, that is diagnostic of hypothyroidism. Integrative doctors now use iodine more instead of thyroid hormones. Some use both.
I've noticed you don't have to have every symptom on the list. I have a very thin friend who is very hypothyroid.
PS- Even the best doctors have to cover their butts by giving the thyroid blood tests even if they ignore the results and rely on symptoms.
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Vivre thank you so much for the heads up the book by Dr. Brownstein, I ordered it online. My gut feeling is that most of my problems have been thyroid related. I grew up as a child in the "thyroid belt" in the U.S., and we were given iodine supplements as kids in school. When I went away to college to the west coast doctors said that all was fine. My doctors have always done the T3 and T4 tests but I truly believe that maybe some of the mushrooms that I take daily, and herbs could have given me a false negative. I look forward to reading and educating myself on a natural way to create change within. I'm doing green drinks every morning and eating vegan and I use steam to clean no perfumes or pesticides. For years I've lived this way, personally I was shocked when I got BC, never thought it would happen to me. However, I do believe we can change through life changes and foods etc., I'm staying positive and look forward to finding what others have done and how they are doing with such. Thank you all for the response.
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M360- I found the breastcancerchoices.org site very informative. They also offer a free 24 hour iodine loading test to BC women. They are a not for profit and are trying to do research on iodine and BC. I just began my iodine program. Good luck! By the way, what kind of steam cleaner do you use? I have been thinking of buying one.
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Oh my Lord .. I've never heard or read anything about this .. I had thyroid cancer over 20 years ago, breast cancer diagnosis on 8/14/09 .. DCIS, Stage 1 .. er/pr negative - her2neu positive. 0/3 negative nodes. Bilateral mastectomy, 1/12/10. .. immediate tissue expander, followed by reconstruction surgery.
Thank you ... printing off information.
Vicki Sam
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Ladies,
Can you please help me here? I got my thyroid test in late Fall, and my results were:
Free T4 1.26
TSH 1.2
I don't have any T3 listed at all, but my endo noted that results are "normal". Did he test for the right things?
Also, wondering about the BC choices.org. I contacted Dr. Flechas' office last year, and they wanted me to pay $40 for my iodine test... I thought it was supposed to be free? Is that the case with all of you?
Thanks in advance,
Marianna
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Marianna-Dr. Brownstein's book does a great job of explaining what we should look for in the thryroid panel and why we cannot just rely on the test results alone. I really think you should read his books. Get them at the library if you do not want to buy them, but I like to have them for constant reference. I do not feel right to constantly keep putting his recommedations here when he does such an incredible job of explaining it to us. I also put some links on my website for other places to get tested and where to buy iodoral. I am not sure Dr. Flechas' lab is still accepting women into his study and he only gives one loading test for free. One of these days I am going to spend the $$ and send a sample to different labs so I can compare the results. Maybe if we all did that we could find a lab that we all trust?
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I just received a free 24 hour loading test through brestcancerchoices.org last month. This included a free phone consult with Dr. Flechas. You can only get this by going through the breastcancerchoices.org site, not Dr. Flecha's private office There is a link on one of the tabs (I think it is breast cancer project). It requires you to e-mail a history etc so they can include it in their research. PM me if you can't find it and I will get the direct link. I am now on iodine and I found their Iodoral prices much less expensive than other places, and it is nice to know it funds their non profit.
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I am in awe of you guys.
I just got off the synthroid because I was about to eat my cat....soooo hungry all the time and gaining weight.
So my TSH is back up to 6.4 (it was 3.7 on 0.25 mcg synthroid - but still hungry and anxious and 1.7 on 0.50 mcg and very hungry....good things was bone and muscle pain where gone on synthroid).
So I just take Iodide and get retested?
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how about armor thyroid?
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Marianna, you need to contact breastcancerchoices.org to participate in the iodine project. They'll send you a questionnaire. If you're eligible and if they have funds available, you can be reimbursed for the cost of your test. While you're at it, a bromide test can be conducted at the same time as the iodine. It's not part of the reimbursement, but it is very worthwhile information to know. Bromide and iodine are both halides and they compete for the same receptors. Bromide is part of our every day lives and is a big part of why people invariably get results that indicate iodine deficiency.
calico, iodine works best in combination with companion supplements, aka the iodine protocol. A previous post of mine on this page gives the details of the protocol. Also, many people who follow the iodine protocol are also on thyroid meds. Armour thyroid or Naturethroid are prescription only and the preferred brands of many who are taking the iodine supplements.
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I just got my 24 hour loading test results. I haven't had my consult with Dr flechas yet but if I read this report correctly, I seem to be at 97% ???? If so, YAY !!!!!!!!!!
Range ml/24hr
Total Urine Vol: 2,200
Post Loading: 49 >44 mg/24 hr
Post Saturation 97 >90 % Total
Terri
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That looks awesome terri. Did you have a bromide test done too?
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