after doing some extensive reading, I have concluded that for some with chronic illness, they have lost the ability to absorb and/or utilize various minerals, including lugols. it can be very tricky to deal with. there are branches of homeopathy, where through the use of the proper remedy, the body's ability to recognize and utilize minerals can be restored. unfortuneatly, this is not something that is well known at all. this cached link contains hints of the issues to which i refer. but, to really understand it, you have to understand homeopathy as well as deficiency issues: