How would you Iodine believers proceed?

Hi, I'm new here. Sorry my first post is so long.

I'm a 28m in the Midwest in a fluoridated area - I eat a healthy organic diet (mostly fruit and rice/vegetable dishes)

I bought and read the Brownstein Iodine book, originally because my mom has hypothyroidism but doesn't want to take Synthroid.

I've always had chronic fatigue problems. Although my BMI is not overweight, my face and other areas are puffy so
I look like a fat guy in pictures etc. Also - I have bad skin and low body temp.

So after reading the book I realized I'm actually hypothyroid. Well, I tried the Lugol's Iodine (2 drops) internally, every other day for a week to make sure it was safe for my mom. There weren't too many side affects. Just some mild pressure behind my eyes.

I gave the Iodine and the book to my mom. She's a nurse. She said Iodine was a disinfectant and the doses in the book are insane - so I'd be poisoning myself. Then she threw out my Iodine! (that bitch! lol) I'm joking - she actually has good intentions.

Anyway, until I could get more Lugols to try, I thought I'd give myself an Iodine absorption test by applying a few drops of a tincture of Iodine I picked up from Walgreens(2.4% iodine, 2.4% sodium iodide) to my skin. So I did that last week...

To say my reaction was bad would be an understatement:
- extreme fatigue
- horrible frontal headache
- swollen thyroid/throat

I was bedridden much of the first 2 days. Then the above symptoms would come to me for the next week one at a time on and off (weird).

It is 10 days later. I still feel the swollen throat and feel more tired/cold than usual.

I wasn't prepared with companion nutrients (I thought it's just a tincture on the skin and Brownstein doesn't really insist much on having them in the book) - so I've been scrambling to find those companion nutrients. Now I'm taking them. During the last 10 days I've read a ton of these forums, scientific literature, and all the criticism and praise of Iodine I could find.

I'm worried that I induced a form of autoimmune thyroiditis by supplementing the tincture form of Iodine.

If you also think that - why would that happen only with the tincture form of iodine?

Also if you think it's just a bromide detox - then why doesn't Lugol's cause this reaction in me?

This post is somewhat comforting, countering the scientific literature that says supplementing with iodized salt causes an increase in autoimmune thyroiditis...
//www.curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=1240777#i


Yet it falls short of providing clinical evidence that supping iodine in large doses doesn't increase anti-thyroglobuline and anti-thyroperoxydase anti-bodies which attack the thyroid(whether it's a reaction to extra bromide in the blood or not is irrelevant - if it's so dangerous to detox then why do it?)

As for this forum - I really can't believe the faith people have here in Iodine without questioning if all the bad symptoms people are having is just "Bromide detox".

If it's just detox, then why doesn't everyone have this detox? We're all subjected to bromide in the environment - there's no avoiding it now - yet few people have swollen throats from iodine. The bad symptoms seem different for everyone.

So overall - I don't think I'll restart Iodine unless I can test for my anti-thyroglobuline and anti-thyroperoxydase levels to make sure Iodine (or it's detox effect) isn't destroying my thyroid.

Iodine supplementation looks promising and there is a bunch of anecdotal evidence for it, but it seems risky for me right now.

Anyway if someone has more information to ease my concerns that a swollen throat and worse hypo-symptoms is not causing permanent damage, that would help.

Or maybe someone else has a story of already going through the same symptoms - and cured their fatigue problems with Iodine.

Thanks. -uprightnetizen