As I indicated in an earlier article, iodine deficiency is rampant and is a great contributor to low thyroid function.

In the May 2005 issue of Dr. Jonathan V. Wright’s NUTRITION & HEALING newsletter, Dr.Wright, my favorite nutritionist, reports that breast cancer is twice as common in women taking thyroid supplements. He believes that much higher dosages of iodine might not only prevent breast cancer but also restore thyroid function.

You may remember that I was able to restore thyroid function in only 60% of individuals with 1500 micrograms of iodine daily.

The average intake of iodine in Japan is a whopping 13.8 milligrams, almost ten times what I have been using. Breast cancer in Japan is also the lowest in the world.

Several prominent research authorities, including at least one Nobel laureate, are recommending 12.5 mg of iodine daily, best taken as a mixture of iodine and iodide.

Iodine has many other benefits, including helping your body eliminate toxic minerals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum and mercury. And, delightfully, high doses of iodine help eliminate bromide and fluoride from your body!

Some studies have demonstrated that 12.5 mg of iodine is safe and does not harm any other system. But 20 mg of iodine daily can cause hyperthyroidism.

Lugol’s solution has been around for almost two hundred years and 2 drops daily contains 12.5 mg of iodine—5 mg of iodine and 7.5 mg of iodide, the ideal combination. A natural tablet, Iodoral, is available at some compounding pharmacies, some heath food stores and at the Tacoma Clinic Dispensary as well as at the Shealy-Sorin Wellness online store.

Drs. Abraham and associates have further documented the critical importance of total body iodine content in an excellent article available on the internet under Iodoral.

Measurement of urinary iodide levels by ion-selective electrode: Improved sensitivity and specificity by chromatography on an ion-exchange resin.

Guy. E. Abraham M.D.1, Jorge D. Flechas M.D.2 and John C. Hakala R.Ph.3

”There is convincing evidence that I deficiency predisposed to fibrocystic disease of the breast (FDB) and breast cancer. Administration of thyroid hormones to I-deficient women increased further their risk of breast cancer. Forty years ago, the risk ratio for breast cancer in our population was one in twenty and now it is one in eight, coincident with an increased prevalence of I deficiency in our population (1).”

Interestingly, women with larger breasts need even more iodine! Since the prostate is so similar to breast tissue, I suspect strongly that the prostate will also benefit from these larger amounts of iodine. And I predict that it may also be a major assistant in lowering High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein. For men and women, the evidence is clear enough.

I will begin taking not my usual 750 micrograms of Liquid Iodine but start the 12.5 mg in Iodoral. I recommend you consider this also.

C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D. is the father of holistic medicine from the Shealy-Sorin Wellness Institute.  He recommends autogenic focus (the basis of the Biogenics System) as part of your commitment to self-health and optimal longevity. Register to download your FREE autogenic focus MP3 now.