Everybody living in the West will have high levels of toxins in the body causing brain fog, lowered IQ, depression, anxiety, low energy, and a depleted immune system. These toxins include heavy metals such as aluminium and mercury from vaccines; chlorine absorbed from swimming pools; fluoride from toothpaste; and bromine from fire retardants in fabrics and carpets.
Because Iodine is a strong detoxing aid for mercury, chlorine, fluoride, and bromine there is a recommended protocol to support the body’s antioxidant system and avoid detox symptoms. The companion nutrients also prevent damage from the unopposed action of Thyroid Peroxidase. Dr Brownstein recommends starting the supporting nutrients two to four weeks before starting Lugol’s iodine supplementation.
Buying Lugol’s in England
- Lugol’s solution is available on eBay in liquid form at different strengths.
- J Crow is the recommended brand of Lugol’s liquid which is available in the UK on Amazon and eBay.
- The Heath Leads brand is NOT recommended.
- Use this tool to calculate how much is in each drop at each strength: dose in a drop calculator by Micah Coffey http://dropulator.com
- You can buy it in tablet form called Iodoral or LugoTabs from Hakala in the USA.
- Hakala LugoTabs are available in 3mg, 6mg, 12.5mg, 25mg, and 50mg. Formulated by J. Charles Hakala – a member of the original “Iodine Project” team.
- After six months at 50mg take a 24 Hour Iodine Loading Test to check your levels of Iodine, Bromine, Chlorine, and Fluoride: https://www.hakalalabs.com/24-Hour-Urine-Iodine-Loading-Test-Kit_p_45.html
How to take it
- Put your Lugol’s drops in a glass of water and drink it – don’t take it neat as it is caustic.
- Swallow tablets with water.
- Take it in the morning as it can be stimulating so avoid it at night.
- Best taken 30 to 60 minutes away from Vitamin C – ie not at the same time.
Supporting Nutrients
Can be taken two to four weeks before starting Lugol’s to prepare the detox pathways.
Vitamin C
Dr Brownstein recommends 3,000 to 6,000 mg of ascorbic acid per day. You can follow this while you are detoxing and switch to the whole food C when you start your maintenance dose or just take the whole food vitamin C.
Since reading Morley Robbins I feel it is better to use whole food vitamin C such as Acerola Cherry or Camu Camu powder or capsules and take them regularly throughout the day. I take one with breakfast, one mid-morning, one at lunch, one mid-afternoon, and one at dinner which is 1,000 mg of vitamin C but because it is from a wholefood source it is more bio-available for the body.
Magnesium
Stephanie Buist Recommends 200-400 mg magnesium oxide, magnesium glycinate, or magnesium citrate.
I take three capsules of Intelligent Labs MagEnhance before bed and I use 20 sprays of Better You Magnesium Oil at night to aid sleep.
The Magnesium Advocacy Group on Facebook is a good place for advice: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MagnesiumAdvocacy/
Selenium
Selenium deficiency is the underlying prerequisite for iodine induced thyroid damage in Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Selenium supplementation is protective and prevents thyroid damage from iodine.
Dr Brownstein recommends 100 to 200 mcg.
Stephanie Buist recommends 200 to 400 mcg.
The Life Extension Se-Methyl L-Selenocysteine version is preferred by many because it is suitable for people with the MTHFR gene mutation.
Too much Selenium is toxic so it is important to do a blood test (via blood draw) called Selenium RBC to determine your status: https://thyroiduk.org/about-selenium/
More information about Selenium: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/selenium/
Niacinamide (B3) 500 mg twice a day. Not Niacin because Niacinamide has fewer side effects, such as flushing. Take at breakfast and lunch as B-vitamins can be stimulating.
Vitamin B2 100 mg three times a day. Take at breakfast and lunch as B-vitamins can be stimulating.
The exact B2 and B3 formulas are combined and available online in one product as the ‘ATP Cofactors’.
A good multivitamin.
STTM and Stephanie Buist recommend taking a good, food state multivitamin. However, Morley Robbins has formulated the Root Cause Protocol with the aim of avoiding iron, calcium, plant based Vitamin A, synthetic vitamin D, and synthetic vitamin C. Following Root Cause means you don’t need to take a multi-vitamin.
http://gotmag.org/the-root-cause-protocol/
Salt and the Iodine Protocol
There are two different times for using salt with iodine.
1. Daily Supplementing
Dr Brownstein Recommends supplementing with 1-1.5 tsp of unrefined salt (Celtic or Himalayan) to assist in the removal of toxins released by iodine. You should not, under any circumstances, utilize table salt. This is a toxic substance that has been cleaned by a brine containing chloride. Unrefined salt such as Celtic Salt contains a full spectrum of minerals. These minerals help to maintain balance in the body and do not “behave” like a refined salt. You will not experience hypertension or edema from a good unrefined salt. Unrefined salt is also healing for the adrenals which can become stressed during detoxing. Not all sea salt is unrefined. It should be gray, red or black in color. If it is white, odds are it is refined.
2. Salt Loading
This is a process that is undertaken ONLY to help when the individual is feeling overloaded by the toxins being released from supplementing with iodine. It should only be used for a few days at a time to relieve symptoms. If you find that you require continued use for longer periods of time, the MG dosage of Iodine should be reduced to slow the release of toxins down and not overload the detoxification pathways.
How to perform the salt loading technique: Add 1⁄2 tsp of unrefined salt into 1⁄2 cup of warm water. Drink the mixture and follow it up with a 12 oz glass of filtered water. Repeat every 30-45 minutes as needed until urination begins. Only do this for a maximum of three days. If detox symptoms persist stop Iodine for two days and then restart at the last dose; known as pulse dosing. Some people regularly stop at the weekends to allow their bodies to catch up with detox.
Further Reading
Stephanie Buist’s Guide to Supplementing: https://steppingstonesliving.com/the-guide/
STTM Companion Nutrients: The Key to Success on the Iodine Protocol: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/selenium/
Lynne Farrow’s Iodine Boosters: http://www.lynnefarrow.net/boosters
Brownstein 5 part lecture on salt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7tpZq-o5OQ
