Edge on Health Blog

Protect Your Breasts with an Iodine Supplement.

Is there a woman anywhere in this country who’s not aware of breast cancer? Yet for the month of October, the media will focus on breast cancer awareness.

For all the billions of dollars poured into research, cancer walks, and pink ribbon campaigns, we still don’t know what causes breast cancer. For decades, researchers have been exploring a multitude of potential breast cancer risks. But the media has overlooked a vital one, iodine deficiency.

“Iodine is critical for breast tissue function,” says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, “and has been shown to be lower in cancerous breast tissue.” Another researcher, Guy E. Abraham, MD, has found “strong evidence that women who are deficient in iodine are more prone to breast cancer.”

Back in the ’70s, scientists noted geographic differences in the rates of breast cancer (as well as endometrial and ovarian cancer), depending upon dietary iodine intake. Where iodine intake was lower in areas like the Great Lakes region, the incidence of these cancers was higher. Diets low in iodine can lead to more circulating estrogen levels in the body.

Women with fibrocystic disease (benign breast lumps) are four times more likely to develop breast cancer, the Mayo Clinic finds. But double-blind research at Queen’s University in Ontario has shown that iodine treatment improves fibrocystic disease in 70 percent of the women tested.

Dr. Ann Louise’s Take:

“You have breast cancer” are probably four of the most devastating words for women. Women are more terrified of breast cancer than any other disease. This is why I’ve been such a crusader for the most powerful and effective natural treatments. I want to make sure you’ll never hear those four words.

What most people don’t realize is that next to the thyroid, iodine is concentrated in breast tissue. Iodine helps to normalize the impact of estrogens on the breast. Iodine decreases or turns off the estrogen receptor sites in the breast. So when there is a lack of iodine, breasts overreact to estrogen, which then leads to pre-cancer and then full-blown breast cancer.

Many researchers now believe that you may need 100 to 400 times the RDI. Iodine is not just a mineral, it is an adaptogenic substance that helps reduce stress, regulate the thyroid, support your adrenals, promote HCL (hydrochloric acid) for digestion of protein, iron, and calcium, and boost immunity.

Unfortunately, depletion of iodine in soils, low consumption of iodine-rich sea vegetables and seafood, and iodine blockers have led to a nationwide iodine deficiency.

The Bottom Line:

The most accurate way to assess your body’s iodine levels is by taking an Iodine Loading Test. This is a 24-hour urine test specifically developed by Dr. Abraham. It assesses the amount of iodide in your tissues following an intake of a combination iodine and iodide supplement, called Ioderal.

The test results can also show if your iodine absorption is being blocked by other chemicals (chlorine, fluoride, and bromide), which compete with iodine. When you have sufficient levels in your body, iodine helps you detox, pulling these toxic chemicals out and eliminating them.

Depending upon your test results, you may need 1 to 4 tablets of Ioderal, a combination of 5 mg of iodine and 7.5 mg of potassium iodide. Additional research by Dr. Abraham and David Brownstein, MD, finds that vitamin C improves the transport of iodine in the body. I suggest at least 1 to 3 grams of additional vitamin C daily.

For more on iodine for breast health, read Nan Kathryn Fuchs’  The Health Detective’s 456 Most Powerful Healing Secrets ($18.95, Basic Health, 2006).

Source: http://www.breastcancerchoices.org/iodineref.html

Tags: breast cancer, fibrocystic disease, iodine, iodine deficiency, thyroid, vitamin c

This entry was posted on Friday, October 2nd, 2009 at 3:10 pm and is filed under Women's Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.