on the surface, it can look that way. However, look at the adjunct protocol;

* 50 mg Iodoral minimum for Breast Cancer (may start with 12.5 mg).

Some practitioners may recommend another form of Iodine such as Lugol's solution. Iodoral is the Lugol's formula in tablet form especially designed to avoid gastric irritation.

* Vitamin C - 3,000 mg per day (more may be necessary to detox bromide).

* 300-600 mg magnesium oxide or comparable magnesium supplement.

* 200 mcg selenium.

* 500 mg niacin (B3) twice a day. (NOT niacinamide) Start lower to avoid flush.

* 100 mg Vitamin B2 three times a day.

* A comprehensive vitamin and nutrition program.

* (Feb 2008) Dr. Guy Abraham cautions that "excess calcium supplementation
(2,000-3,000 md/day) has been the most common cause of poor response to Iodine supplementation." Vitamin Research News Vol. 22. Number 2.

...one realizes the Iodine protocol is much more than iodine alone. No element\mineral works alone. The second to last bullet includes "a comprehensive vitamin and nutrition program." I would put the emphasis on "nutrition program"; much easier said than done in this day and age; most people flat out refuse to change diet due, in large part, to social\peer pressures.

The protocol, in other words, is broad spectrum. I suspect most people would be optimum with between 8 and 12 mg a (most) day(s) from primarily food sources. 8 for men, 12 for women. Over time, the needed iodine stores would be replenished. In cases where painful fibrocyctic breasts or cancer were an issue, a more aggressive approach would be needed IMO.

If I were one of the people that experienced a noticeable positive change with the supplementing of iodine and its adjunct protocol, I would not think it over hyped at all... on the other hand, if I had experienced a huge negative result, I would... and I did after a time using Lugol's and Iodoral. Keep in mind here that I, unlike many\most who choose to take up the iodine protocol, did all the cleanses and radically changed my diet well before starting iodine... in addition, I focused on broad spectrum mineral\element replenishment and had been using Laminaria digitata kelp along with dulse, giving me approximately 8 - 12 mg of Iodine a day for about a year and half before starting I... and I had, long before that, always eaten seaweeds in my diet as seaweed soups, sushi, and sashimi, etc. eating it once a week or so; thus my initial Iodine needs likely were not anywhere near what a nutritionally void individual's may be\have been. In addition, I had done a few courses of Edgar Cayce 's I protocol over the previous 20 years.

Even though I no longer supplement as some choose to do (I still take approximately 4 - 12 mg a day in diet through seaweeds etc.), SSKI , Lugol's, Iodoral, and perhaps, soon to be magnascent, are now, what I consider valuable, parts of my "in stock" medical arsenal now... more in preparation of other's needs than for myself as I tend to recognize the need, and very poor diet of most.

While one like yourself, may look at Iodine as over hyped, one must take individual dietary, and environmental exposure history into account before passing judgment.

In addition, many may have issues understanding toxicity vs. Herxheimer.

This is where debate is born... "need" is individually relevant and extremely variable... and who is to say, save for the iodine supplementing individual themselves, who has a FULL understanding, and IS completely honest in their disclosure of, their past and present diet\environmental history, what is toxicity vs. Herxeimer when an obvious problem is realized?

That said, ANYTHING we are exposed to, through diet or environment, including, and possibly especially supplementation, alters our physical chemistry and genetics\DNA.

This is adaptation, polymorphism, pleomorphism, indeed, evolution itself... thus we then pass THE (OUR) changes in our genes - biochemistry onto our children for better or worse.

grz-

Not sure I agree about that oxidative damage part. Iodide, is not an oxidizing agent, as its outer shell of electrons is full, and I haven't seen any literature indicating it is oxidizing. I used to mess around with pyrotechnics 30 years ago, and never saw Iodine used or mentioned as being an oxidizer in anything I read, although a dozen other things were. If you're aware of any references, etc relating to Iodine as an oxidizer , please pass on a link.

Regarding "megadosing", I don't know what that is, but suspect you mean "taking large quantities". Probably large quantities of anything that we normally get only in small amounts are not good.

I think the amounts of Iodine that have been clinically proven beneficial are very well defined. People who exceed those amounts, do so of their own volition. I can't stop them any more than I can stop my neighbor from drinking too much beer on Saturday night. On that note, I'd say that beer is over-hyped, can't watch a stinkin football game without seeing half a dozen beer commercials. And alcohol is present in a large number of traffic fatalities, which are about 50,000 per year in the US. So, the media over-hypes something that is a contributing factor in tens of thousands of deaths !!

World is full of responsible, and irresponsible people. Some of them are bound to over-do it with anything presented to them.

A DVD is available free of charge at the bottom of the page at the link below, for those interested.


http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Iodoral.htm



I've written to MD's on many occassions with questions, and have received replies over 2/3 of the time. I bet that if you're curious about oxidative damage and iodine, and if you wrote to Professor Abraham or one of those other MD's, they would reply. and the reply you would get from them is probably going to be of better quality than what you get off a web blog page where most everyone is anonymous.

where is your evidence for this?

no oxidative problems with KI. it can be taken by the gram. has been for over 100 years. i do it every day. got any questions for me?