"The bioavailability of a Lugol tablet (Iodoral®) containing 12.5 mg elemental iodine was evaluated by measuring 24 hr urine levels of iodide together with the minerals, trace elements and toxic metals before and after administration of this preparation. The results obtained following iodine supplementation revealed that in some subjects, the urine levels of mercury, lead and cadmium increased by several fold after just one day of supplementation."

http://www.vrp.com/articles.aspx?page=LIST&ProdID=1781&qid=&zTYPE=2

I saw this post weeks back, and I didn't reply. I wanted to share my experience with iodine. I started using it in early 2008 when I learned it was beneficial in curing cancer, specifically non-Hodgkins lymphoma--which I had.

In 2003, I had started a large intake of chlorinated tap water to do the "water cure" to treat or minimize a depression I was in. Within a year, a growth emerged on my left nipple (I'm male)--nothing painful, just huge and unusual. Shortly after a diagnosis of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, it was surgically removed, with no recurrences. My lifestyle changed, so the water intake did too.

Anyway, in 2008 I was made aware of iodine. I studied heavily at www.curezone.com, in the iodine forum. As I studied, I learned that chlorine displaced iodine from our bodies. I started consuming iodine, and the well-known bromide detox began. I was ugly with my wife every time I consumed it. It took about 3 months for me to take all necessary precautions, but here's what worked.

Each time I took iodine (Lugol's) I'd:

drink 8-12 oz. of water with 1/4 tsp. of sea salt (every 30 min. until profuse urination starts--this cleared out the bromides quickly--VERY necessary.

1000 mg Vit. C
1000 mg magnesium

IMPORTANT--200-400mg of selenium--until I took this I was constantly ANGRY. Iodine loosens up mercury stored in fat deposits and elsewhere, and it circulated, causing me foul, foul moods. I was dangerous emotionally. Selenium doesn't chelate mercury, but it binds it up, minimizing it's manifestations temporarily. I even notice now if I'm a little off, taking some selenium is like putting a damper on my emotional reactions. I'm married, and I remember thinking "something's wrong with my wife because she's not ready to fight too". I had more energy, yes, but I was a loose canon.

Again, I'll let it be known that iodine does NOT chelate mercury, it merely binds it up. I still have 3/4 of my amalgams in, so I can only keep the damage at bay. 3 months after I get all my metal out, I'll start chelating, but now---NO. (I have experience with that--BAD experience--but that is another story.)

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Alfred

HI Alfred,

I relate. I think these things help displace mercury too. When the body gets more of what it needs, these things compete with and displace mercury and other metals/toxins and seem to create a certain amount of redistribution of them. So as this occurs, as things get stirred up, my symptoms intensify and I too can become moody and rather unpredictable and difficult. I find controlling yeast can help with this and symptoms are more manageable.

This maybe because the gut/liver are less toxic from too much yeast and their toxins and can better eliminate the other stuff...I don't know for certain.

I found that antioxidants/minerals/iodine/selenium and exercise all get toxins moving - but the problem is how my body responds and eliminates that which is being stirred up ready to be excreted. However, if I do not exercise and get enough iodine, the toxins/metals remain tightly bonded/stored. if I do, I can actually feel them coming out. I add hot baths to this too and epsom salts (or baking soda/sea salt). Helps with sweating and some ridding of toxins.

But no, these things in themselves are not chelators. But I believe they definitely do get things moving. I can even taste and smell of metal some days when I exercise/sweat and eat properly. Over time I note improvements. I also have to be careful not to overdo it too because it can have the other effect by overwhelming my system/flooding it, to where it cannot keep up and I get very sick that way also. So it's a case for me of doing enough, but not too much! ;-)

But do keep in mind candida/yeast (if you're not already) and how it can make your moods even worse with these conditions and when you're trying to detox.

Yeah, Bex. First, I didn't clarify that iodine doesn't chelate mercury. It just frees it up since it dissolves fat deposits in the circulatory system. That's why the original poster reported it more in the bloodstream.

Candida. A sore subject. In the last 24 hours I started taking more iodine and hydrogen peroxide (35%) to wipe out the candida. I've been home all summer, and my intellect/curiosity has changed some. I know I very susceptible to candida since my mouth is full of metal, and when I've eliminated it a bit, I was much more mentally and emotionally clear. Like aaaahhh...... I missed that. So I'm focusing on killing it. I'm not a sugar junkie, but when I crave, I often feed it just enough.

Funny here--I just wasn't ok with plain oatmeal to reduce candida every day, and since it must have bromide traces (from flare-ups following consumption), I've avoided it a lot. Do you know of other inexpensive healthy grains I could choose for breakfast? That meal always sets the tone for my day.

Also, do you have any knowledge of coffee instigating candida? That's a rough one for me, since I am on/off with it. Does it affect it?

Alfred

Hi again,

Yep, at first when I started on iodine, I could barely tolerate it and blamed the iodine. I wasn't aware that it was stirring/displacing stored toxins. Over time, I was able to tolerate the iodine.

Oh yeah, candida is a problem. I find that it is not so much about trying to aggressively kill it off, because a certain amount of yeast is normal in the body and in any case, it'll come back. It is about helping the body keep it in better balance and in its less evasive/bad form. The only method that has helped me is consuming foods that are good for me and help my gut/liver/immunity, but ones that do not feed the candida (or at least barely). The diet for me is a must, not an option. I cannot go on it "half pie". I need to be on it fully for results to start showing. I find even feeding it "some" sugar is enough to sustain it. I had to go cold turkey.

Your body in more normal/balanced health keeps yeast in good balance. But when it's not, it gets out of balance and changes form.

I used to be fine with oatmeal (porridge), but then started having problems with it later on and realised that even a small amount of gluten was affecting me, but I was still ok with high carbohydrate natural foods (as long as I didn't have straight sugar, gluten/ yeast products). I was ok with some brown rice. However, these days, I cannot high carbohydrates. So things have changed. So all grain/fruit and high carb vegetables are off the menu. Though they're natural, they still have potential to feed yeast (depending on how serious the problem is and where the person is at)because of their natural high carb content. So you have to adjust according to what's happening. What worked once, may not work the same later.

If you do not have a serious yeast issue, then some brown rice maybe ok, non gluten foods made with buckwheat/coconut flour maybe ok for you also. Careful of fruit, though health/natural, still contain sugar in the form of fructose. Some can handle limited amounts of fruit, some may not handle any. I was once fine on it, though I had to avoid sugar/gluten/yeast. Now, I cannot have any fruit (aside from lemon/tomatoe), which are low in fruit sugar.

I basically live on a high protein, low carb, high natural fat diet (butter, meat fat, etc). I eat eggs/meat/seeds/low carb veges/good fats etc. May not be ideal for others and may not be necessary to go as strict, but at the moment, it is what helps me and what works. Some fine they do fine with some non gluten grains, limited fruit etc. Fine tune the diet to suit YOUR needs and YOUR response. You get to know what works once you go off the obvious like sugar laden foods, wheat/gluten (which is a pretty common offender) and yeast and go from there.

As for coffee? I cannot drink it AT ALL. Tried that one, because some said it wasn't an issue with candida. All I know is, if I start drinking it? I relapse. So yeah, for me? It's an issue. But I'm ok on herbal/black tea (excluding milk, due to lactose). I hear, at least from a couple of sources that coffee can reduce good bacteria, raise adrenaline/blood sugar, etc, which maybe why I get worse candida after drinking it.

Personally I'd give the coffee a miss, unless you feel certain it's not affecting you.

PS I find consuming more raw salads also helpful in detoxing. Getting as much from food in its natural state. I like to have tomatoes/celery/cucumber/alfalfa/lettuce/red pepper, onion, etc.

"Do you know of other inexpensive healthy grains I could choose for breakfast? "

Don't eat any grains if you have a bad candida problem. Eat eggs and/or nuts/seeds for breakfast. Sunflower seeds without the shells are very inexpensive at some stores(under $2 a pound).

Coffee may help candida grow, or help destroy beneficial bacteria. I limit myself to just one cup a day in the morning(i can't give this up). Drinking plenty of coffee may also stress your adrenals.

In the past I tried eating oatmeal by saturating it with garlic, cinnamon, or other antifungal spices. That strategy still didn't help that much and I had to give it up.

The most important thing is to make sure you don't become constipated, as much of the mercury leaves the body through the bile which is then excreted through the bowel.

Peroxide can be dangerous. Use caution.

I don't believe its common for iodine to detox mercury. Dr Brownstein claimed this on a video and showed a chart where mercury increased substantially after iodine supplementation, but this was only a single patient, and if it was the norm then I'm sure he would have gotten more data by now to show that this happens in a lot of people who take iodine.

Bromine is detoxified by high doses of iodine, and Bromine inhibits lots of enzymes which mercury also does, so the symptoms of both can overlap and seem very similar.

I've had a lot of progress in the past few months from 50mg+ of iodoral or lugols, but still chelating Cutler style with alpha lipoic acid and DMSA to deal with mercury safely.

An interesting note, I wasn't able to tolerate any good dose of lugol's iodine until a full year of mercury chelation. The symptoms were just too awful to cope with. But after a year and some months of chelation I could tolerate high doses of iodine and its been making a big difference over the past few months.

"I wasn't able to tolerate any good dose of lugol's iodine until a full year of mercury chelation."

Iodine is very antifungal. Perhaps you couldn't tolerate the iodine when you had plenty of candida?

I'm not sure if it had to do with Candida, but my adrenals, thyroid, and digestion, along with a few other things, were improved somewhat from the year of chelation...so I think it was probably a number of things that made my body able to tolerate the iodine.

I wasn't able to tolerate sulfur well until I detoxed/chelated more mercury. Then my reactions to sulfur died down. Maybe a similar thing to iodine and other elements/minerals that mercury depletes and competes with for binding sites. If you replace those elements/minerals/nutrients, it does seem to cause a redistribution effect, a stirring up of toxins and metals and it makes you feel poorly or even wretched.

I even had similar to a multi mineral based powder I had. Even good quality antioxidants would do this in the beginning, though they helped at the sametime, so I was able to continue taking the antioxidants, though at a reduced dose until I was more detoxed to tolerate heigher doses without "too" many detox symptoms. I know they are not direct chelators, but they definitely heighten ones detoxification, as well as help replenish what mercury has depleted. So in that respect, I think metals and toxins do get displaced and stirred up.