Updat on Potential danger of using Iodine for Afib

Because my Thyroid THS count was up to 9.8 I was tested for antibodies and found to have Hashimoto's.

I cut down on on Lugol's Iodine from 8 mg to Nil over three weeks and three weeks later was tested agian. I was hoping for some reduction to avoid having to take Levothyroxine.

I've just had the results. TSH 3.57, my lowest level for nine years!

Is my heart missing the Iodine? Well it's certainly not as settled as it was but chances are this was too many blood pressure lowering supplements. (See recent post on Too Much Magnesium?)

Sam

P.S. Forgot to mention that I also stopped the very small amount of home-made organic whole wheat bread I was having and, at Jackie's suggestion, started cleaning my teeth with Baking Soda instead of Flouride toothpaste.

Sam

Sam - I have a recollection of something relevant to this topic... if I can find the resource quickly, I'll post it here for you in a day or two.

Jackie

My TSH level has gone from 5.72 to 10.78 in the last 8 months. I only take 1 mg of Nascent Iodine. I am afraid of taking more. I am trying to determine if my diet is a factor for the increase. I tend to eat a Keto/Paleo diet but I do drink green smoothies. Thus, I have count down on the raw greens (such as swiss chard, collards, beet greens, etc.) in the smoothies to see if this is the reason for the increase. Instead I eat cooked greens. I also test my blood sugar every morning which has mostly been in the normal range. My heart doctor wants me to see an endocrinologist as well as test my TSH level again. Any information would be helpful. Thank-you.

Marsh

Marsh - as you know, the TSH is not the only measure of thyroid function, but it is the one most frequently monitored by most doctors who are not practicing functional medicine. A level that high, though, does point to something definitely amiss. It's known that cruciferousvegetables in the brassica family... eaten raw.... produce goitrogens that can help influence thyroid function...and are known to cause hypothyroidism.

I've read numerous reports cautioning about the raw kale smoothie craze that causes problems for some individuals.
Cooking or light steaming apparently helps prevent the negative effects.

Oregon State offers this report: [lpi.oregonstate.edu]

As for Iodine, the thyroid must have it for function. Other tissues in the body also depend on iodine to remain healthy... including maintenance of healthy breast tissue.

A number of years ago, I tested for iodine and was found to be a bit low. As a result, I took supplemental iodine and iodide combination and was able to eliminate some and reduce the size of other thyroid nodules. I typically take between 6.25 and 12.50 mg daily, now for maintenance and the nodules continue to shrink. That helps keep all the numbers in my complete thyroid profile about where they need to be. Since I can no longer use the Armour thyroid hormone, I find that I am increasingly noting more "hypo" symptoms and the numbers track accordingly. I never found it to be a contributor to Afib. But we know that either hypo or hyper-thyroidism definitely can contribute to AF.

Because of my iodine deficiency history and the horrific problems that resulted many years ago, I have spent a lot of time reading and listening to teleconferences by many of the doctors who talk about the pros and cons of iodine supplementation, testing and dosing. There is one camp that endorses very high dosing and others take a more conservative approach. My FM MD felt comfortable doing the testing which is a loading dose and then measuring how much is retained in the body and how much is excreted via urine collection so that you replace what's missing rather than be overdosing needlessly.


I posted this about iodine intake to Sam in another thread - check out the other contributions at that link as well.

[ PM ]
Re: Potential Danger of using Iodine for Afib
May 31, 2016 06:25PM


[www.afibbers.org]


Sam - I thought you’d be interested in this about high-dose iodine treatments.

While there are doctors including Dr. Brownstein and his cohorts, Abraham, Flechas and Hakala, who are strong proponents of high dose iodine (Iodoral), there are many who discourage high dosing and are in favor of just repleting natural requirements for thyroid functionality. The Dr. Nikolas Hedberg I mentioned is highly regarded for his functional approach to thyroid issues, writes in his book, The Thyroid Alternative, (2011) these points that may be of interest:

“A few physicians are purported to treat not only thyroid disorders but fibrocystic breast disease, fibromyalgia, chronic Fatigue, prostate health and immune function with high doses of iodine. The information these physicians present is very intriguing but it appears that their original conclusions have gaping holes that must be accounted for. These physicians are promoting doses of iodine in the range of 12.5 to 50.0 mg of iodine per day. This is based on research of the average daily intake of Japanese mainlanders. Unfortunately, the studies were misquoted; thereby leaving no sound research to support such high doses of iodine.

According to papers published by Aceves and Cann, the average daily dose of iodine intake by Japanese is 5,280 micrograms or 5.28 mg/day. 22, 23 Also an FAO/WHO world report states the average daily intake of iodine by the Japanese is in the range of two to three milligrams per day.** Nagataki states in a recent paper: “The average of dietary iodine intake due to the ingestion of seaweeds is 1.2 mg/day in Japan.”24. Contrary to what some physicians hav led us to believe, experts in Japan do agree that iodine in excess can be detrimental and the average dose of iodine per day is false.” (page 98- references at the end) I had also heard another physician, some time ago, explaining this discrepancy and it was noted that the 12 mg number came about because the decimal point was omitted in one of the initial reports… and no one caught the error.

The Thyroid Alternative References
22. Cann SA et al. Hypothesis: iodine, selenium and the development of breast cancer. Cancer Causes Control. 2000;11(2):121-7
23. Moss, J (2007) A perspective on High Dose Iodine Supplements-Part V. The Japanese Experiment with Dietary Iodine. Moss Nutrition Report #218
24. Nagataki S. The average of dietary iodine intake due to the ingestion of seaweeds is 1.2 mg/day in Japan. Thyroid, 2008:18(6):667-68
** [www.fao.org]
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On the teeth sensitivity issue…. Consider brushing with sodium bicarbonate to alkalize oral tissue which helps eliminate sensitivity from an acidic tissue and salivary content in the oral cavity. You could even swallow small (extra) amounts to help with body tissue alkalinity and pH overall.

Be cautious with your brushing technique – be sure your brush is not “hard” and scrubbing back and forth causes erosion where the enamel (hard) joins the softer root surface known as the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ). Mechanical erosion happens easily and quickly from hard pressure/scrubbing. Sensitivity occurs where the enamel thins at the CEJ and the root surface (cementum) is then also abraded by harsh scrubbing so the tissue recedes exposing more sensitive tooth structure.

Dental plaque is also highly acidic, causes sensitivities and promotes decay in areas in exposed areas or in hidden areas. Between brushing sessions, you can dab on small amounts of the sodium bicarbonate or swish with a solution of the soda and water until you notice relief. If the sensitivity is mostly at the CEJ, use a very soft brush and a gentle, circular (tiny) motion with no scrubbing back and forth across several teeth at once. It will take time to get relief.

As you noted, there are toothpastes and rinses that help remineralize and eliminate sensitivity but typically they typically contain high levels of fluoride and a slew of other chemicals that make me cringe when I read the labels… so hopefully, the alkaline pH will begin to provide some relief for you.

I wish you well with the Hashimoto’s. If I were you, I’d stop adding the iodine right away. Unfortunate about your home-baked bread, but you also need to avoid all sources of gluten and not just wheat.

Best to you,
Jackie

Thank you, Jackie. One thing I failed to mention. Three days before testing my thyroid (T4 was normal, didn't test for T3), I had finished an antibiotic (Docycl) as a precautionary measure for a tic bite that resulted from a tic embedded in my head. At the time, I didn't think about the possibility of the antibiotic affecting the results of my lab work. However, I don't know if this antibiotic would have affected the TSH results. I later took a blood test testing for lyme disease and it came out negative. Hopefully, this is a true result.

It has been ages since I have eaten raw kale due to the discussion on this site about a possibility of kale contributing to afib.

Thank you for the link.

When I first developed flutter and fib I was put on Amiodarone. After about 2 years my TSH went through the roof and the specialist at UCSF determined that the Amiodarone had built and stored iodine in levels enough in my body to burn up my thyroid.so I was changed to Flecainide which worked fine,and Tapazole to calm my thyroid, which took nearly a year to become effective.

Of course the end result was a hypothyroid condition which still exists years later but fortunately is well treated and controlled with Naturethroid.

As a side but related issue, my hand surgeon who is also a musician who operates on many musicians with RSI injuries like carpal tunnel, swears that there's a relationship between TSH level and nerve damage. He thinks everyone should medicate to keep their TSH between 1.0 and 2.0, not the 0.6 - 3.6 "normal" range.

Gordon

Hi Gordon, your have a very thyroid-enlightened hand surgeon ... Kudos to him!

Be well
Shannon