37 replies to this topic

[24 Is Ours]

Hello,

I've had dark brown eyes ever since I was a kid. After taking Iodoral for almost 2 months now my eyes got really light. They're now a light green and I believe they're still getting lighter!
Detox Maybe?

[stephen_b]

Interesting observation. I've had more of the greens come out in my eyes too (I'm heterozygous for blue eyes). My supplementation of iodine has been on and off lately.

[leha]

Fascinating. How old are you? How much Iodine do you take? My eyes have always been brown on the outside and green in the middle, but I eat iodized salt. I wonder if they could be lightened by more iodine...?

[KimberCT]

Neat.  I noticed the same thing, but in the opposite direction with tyrosine supplementation.  It'd make my eyes a brighter blue rather than their usual light blue.  I've always assumed it was due to increased melanin production.

[24 Is Ours]

My father has blue eyes and my mom has brown. It would be sweet if they turned blue but I doubt it? I had read somewhere that Iodine is found inside the eyes. I'm a 21 year old male and I've been taking 1 Iodoral for 2 months now. Went through a pretty bad detox reaction in the beginning but I'm getting through it and its getting easier with time.

[niner]

My father has blue eyes and my mom has brown. It would be sweet if they turned blue but I doubt it? I had read somewhere that Iodine is found inside the eyes. I'm a 21 year old male and I've been taking 1 Iodoral for 2 months now. Went through a pretty bad detox reaction in the beginning but I'm getting through it and its getting easier with time.

What exactly is a "detox reaction"? Assuming there were toxins in your body that needed to be detoxed, how would iodine cause that? Maybe the color change is due to iodine toxicity; how much are you taking?

[dosquito]

The "detox" would be that of bromine and fluorine. I posted an article a few months ago that showed iodoral supplementation increased urinary excretion of bromide by something ridiculous, like 15x.

[24 Is Ours]

The "detox" would be that of bromine and fluorine. I posted an article a few months ago that showed iodoral supplementation increased urinary excretion of bromide by something ridiculous, like 15x.

Yea, I went through major detox. Headaches, tons of acne, lethargy, brain fog, etc.. It all went away about a month into supplementation though.

Edited by 24 Is Ours, 13 November 2010 - 03:15 AM.

[Lufega]

I'd like to see before and after pictures. This is almost hard to believe. Also, what type and dose of Iodine are you using ?

[niner]

The "detox" would be that of bromine and fluorine. I posted an article a few months ago that showed iodoral supplementation increased urinary excretion of bromide by something ridiculous, like 15x.

Bromide is pretty common; it's a component of seawater and seafood. Human blood has about 5mg bromide per liter. While I don't doubt that large amounts of iodine would tend to push bromide out, so would chloride. Bromide is not really a toxin, at any rate. At least not at the low levels that are normally found. If you took a dose of potassium bromide, it would make you sleepy. That is, however, consistent with the lethargy noted by 24, as is the acne. That actually makes me wonder if 24 didn't read something that suggested these hallmarks of bromine toxicity would be expected as the iodoral drove out the "toxic" bromine, precipitating a placebo response. Acne and tiredness are pretty common, and very very few of us suffer from real bromine toxicity.

I really have to question the idea of fluorine "detox". Aside from both being halogens, fluorine and iodine are very different elements. I can't think of any obvious chemical reasoning for iodine/iodide to displace the much smaller and lighter fluorine in the body.

I don't see how we can rule out iodine toxicity that got better as some enzyme or another got up- or down-regulated.

[dosquito]

Well, niner, that is the real question here for sure. and it's a very important one. I really wish imminst members would treat iodine/iodide supplementation with the attention that it deserves. It could very well be one of the most beneficial or detrimental things to one's health, and we are far from reaching a consensus.

[24 Is Ours]

The "detox" would be that of bromine and fluorine. I posted an article a few months ago that showed iodoral supplementation increased urinary excretion of bromide by something ridiculous, like 15x.

Bromide is pretty common; it's a component of seawater and seafood. Human blood has about 5mg bromide per liter. While I don't doubt that large amounts of iodine would tend to push bromide out, so would chloride. Bromide is not really a toxin, at any rate. At least not at the low levels that are normally found. If you took a dose of potassium bromide, it would make you sleepy. That is, however, consistent with the lethargy noted by 24, as is the acne. That actually makes me wonder if 24 didn't read something that suggested these hallmarks of bromine toxicity would be expected as the iodoral drove out the "toxic" bromine, precipitating a placebo response. Acne and tiredness are pretty common, and very very few of us suffer from real bromine toxicity.

I really have to question the idea of fluorine "detox". Aside from both being halogens, fluorine and iodine are very different elements. I can't think of any obvious chemical reasoning for iodine/iodide to displace the much smaller and lighter fluorine in the body.

I don't see how we can rule out iodine toxicity that got better as some enzyme or another got up- or down-regulated.

Are you saying my acne was a result of Iodine Toxicity? I don't think so. There is plenty of research out there that suggests otherwise. Considering bromate is added to flour and my diet consisted mainly of pizza and pasta all throughout my younger years, the detox reaction was expected. I'm sure my blood levels of bromide became quite high over years of eating that stuff every day.

Edited by 24 Is Ours, 13 November 2010 - 04:55 AM.

[24 Is Ours]

I'd like to see before and after pictures. This is almost hard to believe. Also, what type and dose of Iodine are you using ?

1/2 Iodoral Tab which is 2.5mg of iodine and 3.75mg of iodide.
I'll work on getting pictures up

[leha]

That's a lot of iodine--well over what's considered the tolerable upper intake (1mg). Iodine is stored in specific bodily tissues, including the eyes, so not surprising that it would have some visible effect on them in huge doses like that.

From the Merck Manual:

Iodine Toxicity

Chronic toxicity may develop when intake is > 1.1 mg/day. Most people who ingest excess amounts of iodine remain euthyroid. Some people who ingest excess amounts of iodine, particularly those who were previously deficient, develop hyperthyroidism (Jod-Basedow phenomenon). Paradoxically, excess uptake of iodine by the thyroid may inhibit thyroid hormone synthesis (called Wolff-Chaikoff effect). Thus, iodine toxicity can eventually cause iodide goiter, hypothyroidism, or myxedema. Very large amounts of iodide may cause a brassy taste in the mouth, increased salivation, GI irritation, and acneiform skin lesions. Patients exposed to frequent large amounts of radiographic contrast dyes or the drug amiodarone also need to have their thyroid function monitored.

Diagnosis is usually based on thyroid function and imaging test findings (see Thyroid Disorders: Laboratory Testing of Thyroid Function), which are correlated with clinical data. Iodine excretion may be more specific but is not usually measured. Treatment consists of correcting thyroid abnormalities and, if intake is excessive, dietary modification.

[24 Is Ours]

That's a lot of iodine--well over what's considered the tolerable upper intake (1mg). Iodine is stored in specific bodily tissues, including the eyes, so not surprising that it would have some visible effect on them in huge doses like that.

From the Merck Manual:

Iodine Toxicity

Chronic toxicity may develop when intake is > 1.1 mg/day. Most people who ingest excess amounts of iodine remain euthyroid. Some people who ingest excess amounts of iodine, particularly those who were previously deficient, develop hyperthyroidism (Jod-Basedow phenomenon). Paradoxically, excess uptake of iodine by the thyroid may inhibit thyroid hormone synthesis (called Wolff-Chaikoff effect). Thus, iodine toxicity can eventually cause iodide goiter, hypothyroidism, or myxedema. Very large amounts of iodide may cause a brassy taste in the mouth, increased salivation, GI irritation, and acneiform skin lesions. Patients exposed to frequent large amounts of radiographic contrast dyes or the drug amiodarone also need to have their thyroid function monitored.

Diagnosis is usually based on thyroid function and imaging test findings (see Thyroid Disorders: Laboratory Testing of Thyroid Function), which are correlated with clinical data. Iodine excretion may be more specific but is not usually measured. Treatment consists of correcting thyroid abnormalities and, if intake is excessive, dietary modification.

Japanese populations have historically consumed significant amounts of dietary iodine from seaweed intake, possibly consuming a minimum of 7,000 mcg iodine daily from kombu alone. (24) Estimates of the average daily Japanese iodine consumption vary from 5,280 mcg to 13,800 mcg; (25,26) by comparison the average U.S. daily consumption is 167 mcg. The Japanese, therefore, consume dietary iodine approximately 5-14 times above the upper safety limit of 1 mg by U.S. standards. Mean urinary iodine levels in Japanese populations are approximately twice the levels found in the U.S. NHANES 2001-2002 data. (27) These higher levels, however, appear to have no suppressive effect on thyroid function as indicated by thyroid volume measurements, the accepted standard for assessing thyroid enlargement. A study comparing urine iodine and thyroid volume in Japanese children showed 16 percent of those tested excreted over 1,000 mcg/L. (24) Elevated levels of urinary iodine did not predict increased thyroid gland volume, as might be expected from data in studies of Chinese populations associating excess levels of iodine with autoimmune thyroiditis and hypothyroidism. (28) Japanese women who consume a traditional high-seaweed diet also have a low incidence of benign and malignant breast disease. (29) Japanese women who consume a Western diet low in seaweed or who emigrate to the United States lose this protective advantage and gain the same risk for fibrocystic breast disease and breast cancer as their Western counterparts. (30,31) Japan also has a low incidence of iodine-deficiency goiter and autoimmune thyroiditis. (32) It has been hypothesized the amount of iodine in the Japanese diet has a protective effect for breast and thyroid disease. (25)


http://findarticles....n27943644/pg_2/

[leha]

Got anything from a medical journal? Not saying you're wrong, but the source isn't direct and I wasn't able to find what the references were referring to.

[leha]

Looking in PubMed, I was unable to find anything supporting your claims about the quantities of iodine consumed by the Japanese, but I did stumble upon this, which I thought might be relevant to some degree:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/19678737

[niner]

The "detox" would be that of bromine and fluorine. I posted an article a few months ago that showed iodoral supplementation increased urinary excretion of bromide by something ridiculous, like 15x.

Bromide is pretty common; it's a component of seawater and seafood. Human blood has about 5mg bromide per liter. While I don't doubt that large amounts of iodine would tend to push bromide out, so would chloride. Bromide is not really a toxin, at any rate. At least not at the low levels that are normally found. If you took a dose of potassium bromide, it would make you sleepy. That is, however, consistent with the lethargy noted by 24, as is the acne. That actually makes me wonder if 24 didn't read something that suggested these hallmarks of bromine toxicity would be expected as the iodoral drove out the "toxic" bromine, precipitating a placebo response. Acne and tiredness are pretty common, and very very few of us suffer from real bromine toxicity.

I really have to question the idea of fluorine "detox". Aside from both being halogens, fluorine and iodine are very different elements. I can't think of any obvious chemical reasoning for iodine/iodide to displace the much smaller and lighter fluorine in the body.

I don't see how we can rule out iodine toxicity that got better as some enzyme or another got up- or down-regulated.

Are you saying my acne was a result of Iodine Toxicity? I don't think so. There is plenty of research out there that suggests otherwise. Considering bromate is added to flour and my diet consisted mainly of pizza and pasta all throughout my younger years, the detox reaction was expected. I'm sure my blood levels of bromide became quite high over years of eating that stuff every day.

No, I don't think a detox reaction was expected. For one thing, bromide has a half life of 12 days, so it's not like it's going to get stored up over the course of years. For another, bromate is a stable ion that will mostly be excreted as unchanged bromate. People can consume grams of potassium bromide without ill effect, so it's a little hard to believe that you would see symptoms from the few milligrams of bromide you might have displaced with an iodine OD. On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised to see those symptoms from the iodine itself, at those levels.

[24 Is Ours]

The "detox" would be that of bromine and fluorine. I posted an article a few months ago that showed iodoral supplementation increased urinary excretion of bromide by something ridiculous, like 15x.

Bromide is pretty common; it's a component of seawater and seafood. Human blood has about 5mg bromide per liter. While I don't doubt that large amounts of iodine would tend to push bromide out, so would chloride. Bromide is not really a toxin, at any rate. At least not at the low levels that are normally found. If you took a dose of potassium bromide, it would make you sleepy. That is, however, consistent with the lethargy noted by 24, as is the acne. That actually makes me wonder if 24 didn't read something that suggested these hallmarks of bromine toxicity would be expected as the iodoral drove out the "toxic" bromine, precipitating a placebo response. Acne and tiredness are pretty common, and very very few of us suffer from real bromine toxicity.

I really have to question the idea of fluorine "detox". Aside from both being halogens, fluorine and iodine are very different elements. I can't think of any obvious chemical reasoning for iodine/iodide to displace the much smaller and lighter fluorine in the body.

I don't see how we can rule out iodine toxicity that got better as some enzyme or another got up- or down-regulated.

Are you saying my acne was a result of Iodine Toxicity? I don't think so. There is plenty of research out there that suggests otherwise. Considering bromate is added to flour and my diet consisted mainly of pizza and pasta all throughout my younger years, the detox reaction was expected. I'm sure my blood levels of bromide became quite high over years of eating that stuff every day.

No, I don't think a detox reaction was expected. For one thing, bromide has a half life of 12 days, so it's not like it's going to get stored up over the course of years. For another, bromate is a stable ion that will mostly be excreted as unchanged bromate. People can consume grams of potassium bromide without ill effect, so it's a little hard to believe that you would see symptoms from the few milligrams of bromide you might have displaced with an iodine OD. On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised to see those symptoms from the iodine itself, at those levels.

When I originally first decided to try iodine about 6 months ago using a potassium iodide dropper, I broke out in bromide acne as well. I was using 2 drops of World Organic iodine in a glass of water every morning which was equal to 150mcg. After 3 weeks of supplementing I started getting strange fungal looking acne and my body started going through serious detox but at the time I had no idea what was going on. I was unaware of the benefits of iodine and its role in ridding toxic halogens from the body so I stopped taking it and did some research. I came to realization that I was going through detox and decided to up my dose of the Iodine and use 4 drops. I started getting really nauseous everyday but I had done my research and pulled through. Then I came across Iodoral and the reaction only got worse, the amount of acne tripled and I started having hallucinations and dark thoughts ( sounds crazy but check this out: http://www.medterms....rticlekey=23343 ). This was infact due to the bromine coming out of my fatty tissues and into the blood stream. These symptoms went away with SALT LOADS! (Chloride displaces bromide, you were correct). After all of this, I could say my mental/physical energy improved dramatically ! : )

Bromide is STORED in fatty tissues and in IODINE RECEPTORS. (which are everywhere in our body!)

Take a look at some of these links:


http://www.iodine4he...in_halogens.htm
http://www.breastcan...odineindex.html

Edited by 24 Is Ours, 13 November 2010 - 08:03 PM.

[24 Is Ours]

I'd like to see before and after pictures. This is almost hard to believe. Also, what type and dose of Iodine are you using ?

Before and after..

Iodoral

Best I can do on the pictures, I'm not making this up and have no reason to.

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Edited by 24 Is Ours, 13 November 2010 - 08:20 PM.

[leha]

When doing research it's best to avoid relying on the claims of the people selling the product you are researching (or any product, for that matter).

Here is the link to PubMed, the clearinghouse for virtually all valid scientific research available on the Internet:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/

If you can't find support for a claim on PubMed, or if you can't find any research on the claim published there in the last 4-5 years, chances are that it has been ruled out as effective or applicable, and probably for good reason. There are exceptions to this rule (rare diseases that don't get revisited often, etc.), but not in the case of breast cancer research, which is an ongoing and active research subject.

Iodine is cheap and unregulated, so it makes the perfect product to market to unsuspecting people who are seeking answers to their health concerns. Don't be duped by marketing claims.

[leha]

Also, have you told your doctor what you're doing, or any of the symptoms you've had since you started doing it?

[Ark]

have you had any other changes in vision?

[stephen_b]

Looking in PubMed, I was unable to find anything supporting your claims about the quantities of iodine consumed by the Japanese

Could dietary seaweed reverse the metabolic syndrome? (PMID 19713172)

Incidence of the metabolic syndrome is increasing worldwide, with notable exceptions of some Asian countries where seaweeds are commonly consumed. 13 men (mean age 47.4+/-9.9 yr) and 14 women (average age 45.6+/-12.2 yr) with at least one symptom of the metabolic syndrome were recruited in Quito Ecuador to a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial. Subjects were assigned to either Group 1 (1 m placebo, followed by 1 m 4 g/d seaweed [Undaria pinnatifida]) or Group 2 (1 m of 4 g/d seaweed, followed by 1 m of 6 g/d of seaweed). Blood pressure, weight, waist circumference, inflammation biomarkers, and lipids were measured monthly. Repeated measures analysis of variance with Tukey's multiple comparison tests were used for statistical analysis. In Group 2, systolic blood pressure decreased 10.5 mmHg after a month of 6 g/d seaweed (95% CI: 4.1, 16.8 mmHg; p<0.05), primarily in subjects with high-normal baseline blood pressure. Waist circumference changed only for women participants, with a 2.4 cm decrease in Group 1 after treatment with placebo (95% CI: 1.0, 3.7 cm; p<0.01). In Group 2, women had a mean decrease of 2.1 cm after 4 g/d (95% CI: 0.4, 3.7 cm; p<0.05) and a further 1.8 cm decrease after 1 m 6 g/d seaweed (95 % CI: 0.1, 3.4, p<0.05). No other changes were observed. Consumption of 4 to 6 g/d seaweed, typical for most people in Japan, may be associated with low metabolic syndrome prevalence.

Thyroid function in early pregnancy in Japanese healthy women: relation to urinary iodine excretion, emesis, and fetal and child development. (PMID 19258403)

The distribution of urinary iodine concentrations was large, and the average was extremely high. There were significant positive correlations between urinary iodine and serum TSH (r = 0.1326; P < 0.005). Serum TSH during early pregnancy in mothers had no relevance to parameters in neonates, scores of fetal maturation, or child developmental testing in their infants.

PMID 17316117:

The present study clearly indicated a high iodine intake in Japanese schoolchildren

Finally, there is "The average of dietary iodine intake due to the ingestion of seaweeds is 1.2 mg/day in Japan" (PMID 18578621, full text here).

Iodine is cheap and unregulated, so it makes the perfect product to market to unsuspecting people who are seeking answers to their health concerns. Don't be duped by marketing claims.

Conversely, just because hucksters oversell something doesn't mean it must be bad.

StephenB

Edited by stephen_b, 14 November 2010 - 03:44 AM.

[leha]

Thank you, Stephen. I had been looking for info on breast cancer and iodine and missed those. Is there are review somewhere that ties the seaweed benefits to the iodine?

[24 Is Ours]

have you had any other changes in vision?

I'm nearsighted and my vision improved slightly. I still have to wear my contacts though.

[24 Is Ours]

Thank you, Stephen. I had been looking for info on breast cancer and iodine and missed those. Is there are review somewhere that ties the seaweed benefits to the iodine?

I'm sure not Iodine alone but rather the combination of other antioxidants in seaweed can contribute to a lower risk for breast cancer.



Low Serum Iodine levels linked with breast cancer.

Iodinated compounds (so-called XI) may exert inhibitory effects on adenylate cyclase, NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced form)-oxidase and TPO activities [27]. This effect seems to require oxidation of I- to I2 because inhibitors of TPO or I- trapping can reverse the inhibitory effect [29]. It has also been suggested that such inhibitory actions of iodo-compounds on cell proliferation might play a role in the breast [30,31]. Some support for a role for iodine in the human breast is provided by our own findings [20], which showed that tissue iodine levels were relatively low in patients with breast cancer as compared with normal tissues or benign breast tumours (fibroadenomata)

High Antioxidant levels beneficial to prevention of breast cancer.

The frequent coexistence of iodine and selenium deficiencies and the importance of replacing both to maintain thyroid function is well established [39]. It has also been suggested that a combined iodine–selenium deficiency may facilitate the development of breast cancer [31]. Selenium deficiency results in diminution of selenium-containing antioxidative enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase, deiodinases and thioredoxine reductases [39,40], leading to increased levels of reactive oxygen species. These oxidants can inactivate many enzymes, are a feature of lipid peroxidation and DNA damage, and have been shown to be associated with carcinogenesis in the breast [41]. On the other hand, increased serum levels of antioxidants have been associated with reductions in breast cancer risk [42]. There is also some evidence that iodide itself may act as an antioxidant [43]. Selenium deficiency is associated with AITD perhaps as a result of increased inflammatory activity arising from decreased activity of selenium containing antioxidative enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase [39], whereas increasing dietary selenium or administration of selenomethionine have also been reported to diminish TPO antibody levels [44,45].

http://www.ncbi.nlm....cles/PMC314438/

Edited by 24 Is Ours, 14 November 2010 - 03:02 PM.

[24 Is Ours]

Also, have you told your doctor what you're doing, or any of the symptoms you've had since you started doing it?

I'll be going in for a thyroid check up soon to make sure my TSH levels are still normal.

Edited by 24 Is Ours, 14 November 2010 - 03:05 PM.

[david ellis]

Using Iodoral my TSH went from 1.9 to 3.14 uIU/mL in 10 weeks. This Tuesday I will find out what my TSH is after 6 weeks without Iodoral. Hopefully it will again be below 2. YMMV.

[24 Is Ours]

Using Iodoral my TSH went from 1.9 to 3.14 uIU/mL in 10 weeks. This Tuesday I will find out what my TSH is after 6 weeks without Iodoral. Hopefully it will again be below 2. YMMV.

How much were you taking?