You need to take iodine to be able to stop taking thyroid meds, and you have to get over the allergies if that’s a problem taking iodine, so we will start with discussing eliminating allergies first, and then move on to discuss stopping meds last.
Nobody can fix an “iodine allergy” if they think they are allergic to iodine, because the consensus is that you have to avoid things if you are allergic to them.
But that viewpoint is all wrong. We have seen many people overcome allergic reactions to taking iodine. So how is that even possible? They overcome it with copper and zinc and our protocol! But let’s discuss the theoretical idea of an iodine allergy.
- True iodine allergies are likely impossible due to iodine’s essential role in human physiology.
- Iodine is crucial for thyroid hormone production, with no known biological substitute.
- Thyroid hormones contain iodine atoms: T3 contains 3 iodine atoms, while T4 contains 4 iodine atoms.
- Adverse reactions to iodine supplementation may be due to detoxification of seven major toxins: mercury, aluminum, arsenic, lead, cadmium, bromine, and fluoride.
- Allergic reactions are primarily a histamine response, and histamine is released in response to toxins. This supports the idea that “iodine allergies” may actually be reactions to toxins mobilized by iodine.
Often people with iodine allergies have two problems. First, they often have copper deficiency symptoms (and copper is a major factor in making 7 natural antihistamines).
Second, they have often taken an iodine-based contrast media or dye used to obtain better medical imaging scans such as for a CAT or MRI scan.
- People who blame iodine for adverse reactions after taking iodine are committing the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy (“after this, therefore because of this”). They are failing to see the intermediary step that iodine mobilizes and detoxes real toxins, and that there are many ways to get through and past such detox reactions by taking other nutrients, and by slowly scaling up.
- Supplementing with other nutrients (e.g., copper, zinc, potassium chloride, boron, selenium, Vitamin C, and B Vitamins, magnesium) can help manage detoxification symptoms. More specifics on why these are important will follow.
- Millions of people have taken high doses of iodine (e.g., 50 mg) without issues and often report health improvements.
- The Wolff-Chaikoff effect (reduced thyroid hormone production with high iodine intake) is not universally observed in people taking high iodine supplementation. Its incidence rate is variable and not well-established in the context of supplementation, and therefore, not a valid concern, because iodine supplementation does not destroy the thyroid gland, it improves it and heals it.
- When observed, lower thyroid hormone levels with increased iodine intake may indicate improved efficiency or reduced need for hormone-mediated iodine transport, rather than a harmful effect. Iodine is known to increase the sensitivity of iodine receptors.
10A. Lower heart rate in athletes who exercise is a positive adaptation.
10B. Lower insulin secretion when people heal from diabetes and increase insulin sensitivity is a positive adaptation. (Iodine also restores and increases insulin sensitivity.)
10C. Lower cortisol when a person eats regularly and lowers stress is a positive adaptation.
10D. Lower thyroid hormones are likely also a positive adaptation, and not evidence, and certainly no proof, of any disease.
- A hypothetical scenario where increased iodine intake led to ever-increasing thyroid hormone production would be far worse, potentially causing severe imbalances or hyperthyroidism. Neither one happens.
- Historical research published at optomox.com shows that high iodine supplementation was used to treat and prevent both hyper and hypo thyroid problems as well as goiter, extremely successfully, as indicated in double-blind placebo-controlled studies across thousands of people. Iodine cannot both treat and cause hypo and hyperthyroid conditions, so one group of people is likely lying.
- Current recommended daily allowances for iodine are far too low for optimal health.
Here is a brief overview on why we need the other nutrients, in the context of taking iodine.
Selenium:
Essential for making Thyroid hormones
Helps protect against oxidative stress during detoxification, and for Hashimoto’s.
Essential for making metallothioneins and glutathione, enzymes for detoxing.
Recommended dose: 200-400 mcg per day
Vitamin C:
Acts as an antioxidant
Helps the Thyroid uptake and absorb iodine in people who have trouble absorbing iodine.
Supports the body’s detoxification processes
Typical dose: 1,000-3,000 mg per day, divided into smaller doses
Magnesium:
Supports overall cellular function and detoxing
Vital for making ATP for energy
Can be a source of chloride (magnesium chloride), for detoxing bromide.
Can help with muscle relaxation and stress reduction during detox
Common dose: 400-600 mg per day
Zinc:
Important for immune function, making hormones, making antihistamines such as DAO, and balancing copper
Supports the body’s ability to utilize iodine
Typical dose: 15-50 mg per day
Copper:
Works together with zinc and iodine
Is needed in making 7 different antihistamine enzymes to reduce allergic reactions
Copper is Vital for making ATP
Supports proper thyroid function; and making Thyroid hormones
Typical dose: 5-30 mg per day
Again, it’s copper and zinc together that eliminate allergies because both are needed to make several antihistamines: DAO, SOD and metallothioneins.
See more on metallothioneins that detox mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium:
https://revealingfraud.com/2022/04/health/how-to-detox-mercury-with-copper-zinc-selenium/
Vitamin B complex, including B1,2,3,5,7,12, but not B6 nor B9:
Supports energy production, Vital for making ATP
Helps the body cope with stress during detoxification
Strongly advised to buy each individual B Vitamin separately, to avoid excessive intake of toxic B6 and B9
Why to avoid B6 and B9:
https://revealingfraud.com/2022/03/health/vitamin-b6-a-nerve-toxin/
https://revealingfraud.com/2023/04/health/folate-b9-a-nerve-toxin/
Potassium:
Helps hydrate the body, and lower excessive sodium, and provides a source of chloride to help detox bromides with iodine.
Supports proper cellular function
Can be used as potassium chloride
Typical dose: 1000 to 4000 mg per day
Boron:
Supports bone health, and helps detox fluoride.
Also used to balance body’s ph back to alkaline, helps reduce burning eyes from acidic iodine.
May help with the utilization of other minerals
Common dose: 20-50 mg per day
See also, for more details on the full protocol:
The Copper Revolution Protocol:
https://revealingfraud.com/2024/06/health/the-copper-revolution-protocol-june-2024/
This article is not the “how to” guide. It’s more of an explanation of why everything works.
For the “how to” see the protocol guide linked just above.
How to stop taking Thyroid Meds:
To get off thyroid meds is rather easy, once you adjust to tolerate iodine. Follow the guide, starting just the same as everyone else, with copper, zinc and Vitamin C first. After about 2 months on copper, and adding other nutrients on the protocol, after you get all allergic reactions under control, then start iodine last. If iodine is too difficult, then stop iodine. Instead, start MSM Sulfur and deal with that initial detoxing for about a month. Then start iodine a second time. If it’s still causing trouble, give it another 1 month break, and start again, very slowly, making sure you have read several guides and know what you are doing.
After slowing working up with iodine over about a month from 1 mg/day up to 50 mg/day, you should be ready to quit taking thyroid medicines…
If you feel “over-energized”, and have allergies under control, that’s the time to try tapering off of thyroid meds. (People with thyroid trouble often say that sounds too good to be true, but that’s what happens when you fix low copper, low magnesium, low B Vitamins and low iodine and get past detox symptoms.) You should be able to cut the dose of the thyroid medicine in half every week and taper completely over 1-3 weeks. Some people never even feel the need to taper or slowly wean off, they just quit all in one day, and that works, too.
In helping nearly 50,000 people in our forum, we had one person who bought into the mainstream lies and assumed she developed hyperthyroidism from iodine. All because of one symptom, burning eyes. She then quickly resorted to repeated slander, which prevented her from being able to listen to the solutions for that particular problem, and there are several. We have also had burning eyes from iodine, and this is not proof of hyperthyroidism. It’s a rather normal problem, and can be easily fixed:
- More zinc. 2. Switch to less Lugol’s iodine, and more potassium iodide, which is less acidic. 3. More boron, which is highly alkaline. 4. Try calcium, another alkaline mineral. 5. Try potassium, another alkaline mineral.
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My Wife’s Brief Story on How She Stopped Taking Thyroid Medicines.
We developed the Copper Revolution Protocol together by sharing our notes on all things healthy. We decided to simply do many of the most healthy things, and watch our health continue to improve. A big part of this process was to determine what was working, and what was not working, by doing the same things, comparing notes on how we felt, and continuing our research.
Jennifer has been taking iodine for far longer than I have, she has been on iodine for about 15 years now. She and I were already doing many of the same things back when we met in 2018, about 6 years ago: iodine, selenium, magnesium, B Vitamins, MSM Sulfur, boorn, etc. After she was on copper for a month from around 9-15 mg, she decided she could try to quit thyroid meds, which she had been taking for many years. She did have to overcome the fear of the alleged “thyroid storm” of symptoms that might happen when quitting these meds. But that never hit. So, overcoming her fear, perhaps with the bravery and intuition inspired by copper, she quit, and there were no side effects, and that was that. It was that easy.