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WHY IODINE??

RDA for Iodine                                                  

Pregnancy=220mcg/day

Adult Males and Females= 150mcg/day               

Lactation=290mcg/day

These levels were set up to prevent goiter only without concern for other body tissue requirements.

National Health & Nutrition Survey (NHANES) showed that iodine levels in the United States declined 50% while thyroid illness, breast, prostate, endometrial and ovarian cancers increased.

The World Health Organization (WHO) claims that an iodine deficiency is the world’s greatest single cause of preventable mental retardation.

 72% of the world’s population is affected by iodine deficiency.

Why Are We Deficient in Iodine?

v      Fear of using salt on medical advice, especially those with hypertension.

v      Less than 50% of households in United States use iodized salt.

v      Radioactive iodine used in diagnostic testing exacerbated an iodine-deficient state.

v      Exposures to chemicals and toxins. Goitrogen is a substance that decreases iodine uptake as well as inhibits iodine from binding where it is needed.

They include: Chlorine in pools, cleaning products, water supply, steam from dishwasher, sucrolose (Splenda).

v      Fluoride in water supply, toothpaste, dental treatments, mouthwash.

v      Bromide in some soft drinks (Mountain Dew & some Gatorades), baked goods (they used to contain iodine but it was replaced with bromide in the 1970’s), pesticides, hot tubs, fumigant of produce, and some medications

v      Declining mineral levels due to soil erosion and poor farming techniques.

v      Failure to eat sufficient iodine-containing foods.

v      A combination of any or all of these.

Iodine:

• ­ Is essential for normal growth and development of children
• Deficiency can result in cretinism, mental deficiency, delayed physical and intellectual development and ADHD
• Elevates pH
• Is needed to produce thyroid hormones
• Prevents goiter, autoimmune thyroid conditions, thyroid and other cancers, hypothyroidism
• Is antibacterial, antiviral and antiparasitic
• Is a mucolytic agent (breaks up mucous)

Conditions Treated with Iodine

ADD                                          Parotid Duct Stones                     Headaches and Migraine

Breast Disease                             Peyronie’s                                  Keloids

Dupuytren’s Contracture              Sebaceous Cysts                         Headaches

Excess Mucous ProductioN           Thyroid Disorders                         Ovarian Cysts

Fatigue                                      Cancer (breast, ovarian, thyroid, prostate) Fibrocystic Breasts

Hemorrhoids

Taken from Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, by David Brownstein, M..D. Medical Alternative Press, 2004 along with lecture notes.  Visit www.drbrownstein.com.

Medical Iodophobia

“Medical Iodophobia is the unwarranted fear of using and recommending inorganic, non-radioactive iodine/iodide within the range known from collective experience of three generations of clinicians to be the safest and most effective amounts for treating symptoms and signs of iodine/iodide deficiency. (12.5-50 mg. /day)” Dr. Guy Abraham, 2004

IODINE FACTS:

1. The studies from Mexico and India suggest that iodine can inhibit proliferation of thyroid and human breast cancer cells.
2.  “The breasts are one of the body’s main storage sites for iodine in the body. In an iodine-deficient state, the thyroid gland and the breasts will compete for what little iodine is available.”
3.  “Iodine has been shown to induce apoptosis (death) in breast and thyroid cancer cells”
4. “It is known that ovaries concentrate a large amount of iodine. After the thyroid, the ovaries have the second largest concentration of iodine in the body.  Iodine deficiency produces changes in the ovarian production of estrogens as well as changes in the estrogen receptors of the breasts.  In an iodine deficient state, research has shown that ovarian estrogen production increases, while estrogen receptors in the breast increase their sensitivity to estrogens.  Both of these conditions will increase the risk of developing pathology of the breasts, including breast cancer.” 
5. “Fibrocystic breast disease is a very common condition which is found in up to 2/3 of women, that responds very well to iodine therapy.”
6. “Research in animals has shown that the correction of iodine deficiency results in abnormal breast tissue changing back to normal breast tissue.”

 Iodine-Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It. By David Brownstein, M.D. Pgs 71,77,78,25

 Note: Animal research shows that excessive iodine intake suppresses selenium levels and selenium dependent enzymes including glutathione peroxidase and the deiodinase 1 enzyme essential to thyroid health. The high iodine intake, in the presence of selenium deficiency, results in a decrease in total T3. At least three deiodinase isoenzymes have so far been characterized and are called selenoproteins. Selenium status apparently regulates the expression of these deiodinase isozymes to a different extent indicating that a hierarchy of selenium incorporation exists for these enzymes.

 Take home: When supplementing patients with mg doses of iodine, it may be prudent to make sure their supplement regimen includes 200 mcg selenium as well.

 Source: Effect of selenium supplementation on activity and mRNA expression of type 1 deiodinase in mice with excessive iodine intake.

Taken from Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, by David Brownstein, M.D. Medical Alternative Press, 2004 along with lecture notes.  These Statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

First Magazine Article featuring Dr. Randolph & Genie James

First Magazine has recently accessed C.W. Randolph Jr., M.D. and Genie James, M.M. Sc., co-founders of the Natural Hormone Institute, as medical experts on key women's health topics including groundbreaking news on options for hormone replacement therapy.  First is available on newsstands across the country.  In the meantime, be sure to check out the latest news on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and hormone health.  See link below.

Vitamin K1 Retards Bone Loss

For their study, researchers recruited 155 healthy postmeno-pausal women between 50 and 60 years of age and divided them into three groups. The first group received a daily supplement containing calcium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin D. The second group received the same nutrients as the first group plus vitamin K1 supplements. The third group received an inactive placebo supplement.

After three years of treatment, the placebo group had lost approximately 5% of total bone mass, compared to 3.3% for the group receiving the vitamin supplement plus vitamin K1. The group receiving the vitamin supplement alone demonstrated a 4.6% decrease in total bone mass. No significant differences were observed among the three groups for bone mineral density measured in the lumbar spine (lower back).

“Recently, amazing new functions of vitamin K have been discovered, notably in the fields of bone and vascular health,” researcher Dr. Cees Vermeer of the department of biochemistry at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands told Life Extension. “There are several forms of vitamin K, and in the present paper we have investigated its most common form, vitamin K1. It was found that—in combination with minerals and vitamin D—increased intake of vitamin K1 had an independent beneficial effect on bone. As compared to minerals plus vitamin D alone, the intake of extra vitamin K (1 mg/day) retarded postmenopausal bone loss by 35-40% during the entire three-year study period.”

*Editor's note: Most Life Extension members take 10 mg of supplemental vitamin K, which is ten times more vitamin K than was used in this study. Most Life Extension members also take hormone supplements such as DHEA and progesterone to help maintain healthy bone density.

Information taken from www.lef.org

Cranberry, the natural antibiotic

By growing the digestive tract bacteria E. coli in various concentrations of cranberry juice or its tannin compounds known as proanthocyanidins, Dr Camesano and her team observed an increasing effect on the bacteria with higher concentrations, which suggests that whole or undiluted cranberry products could have the greatest benefits. By changing the shape of bacteria from rods to spheres, altering their cell membranes, and making it difficult for the bacteria to make contact with cells, E. coli was prevented by cranberry from adhering to cells, which is an initial step in all infections.

In previous research conducted by the team, it was discovered that cranberry juice caused the small tendrils known as fimbriae that exist on the surface of E. coli to become compressed, making it more difficult for the bacteria to bind to the urinary tract lining. The finding of the current research that cranberry altered the rod shape of E. coli has never before been observed. Additionally, gram-negative E. coli began behaving like a gram-positive bacteria, leading the researchers to believe that cranberry juice altered the bacteria's cell membrane--another new finding.

"We are beginning to get a picture of cranberry juice and, in particular, the tannins found in cranberries as potentially potent antibacterial agents," Dr Camesano stated. "These results are surprising and intriguing, particularly given the increasing concern about the growing resistance of certain disease-causing bacteria to antibiotics."

Information taken from www.lef.org

Healthy hormone levels lower cholesterol

Twenty-seven men and 46 women between the ages of 25 and 81 with elevated cholesterol levels were included in the current study. A lipid profile was obtained and the hormones pregnenolone, DHEA, progesterone, total estrogen and total testosterone were measured upon the participants’ initial visits and at several points during treatment. Subjects were treated with bioidentical pregnenolone and DHEA as oral supplements, and topical triestrogen, progesterone and testosterone gels. Hormone dosage was determined by hormone levels ascertained during the trial.

All of the participants were found to have lower total cholesterol levels after youthful hormone levels were restored, with total cholesterol dropping below 200 milligrams per deciliter in 61.6 percent of the group. Mean serum total cholesterol was reduced from 252 milligrams per deciliter before treatment to 192.8 milligrams per deciliter. Mean serum triglycerides were lowered by 35.5 percent. Men experienced a greater reduction in both cholesterol and triglycerides than women.

The authors propose that most cases of elevated cholesterol arise as a reaction to the age-related decline in hormone production. Because cholesterol is necessary for the production of hormones, the liver may overproduce cholesterol in an attempt to restore them by elevating their precursor. Lead researcher Sergey A Dr Dzugan, MD told Life Extension, “The findings support the hypothesis that hypercholesterolemia is a compensatory mechanism for life-cycle related down-regulation of steroid hormones and that broadband steroid hormone restoration is associated with a substantial drop in serum TC in many patients. This idea may be a very important in treating migraine, fibromyalgia, fatigue syndrome, depression, bipolar disorder and ADHD patients who often have many hormonal axes imbalanced. It is vital that the hormone levels be tests and the normal amounts restored using bio-identical to human hormones."

Information taken from www.lef.org