Optimize Your Health with Iodine

Optimize Your Health with Iodine

RP Personalized Iodine Protocol

Mark Rhodes, PhD, and Val Prisecaru, MS CN

Iodine is one of the more important minerals affecting human health, but in modern times it has become even more critical. In the context of nutrition, iodine is often referred to as a mineral or a trace element, because it is a type of mineral that the body needs in small amounts to maintain proper health. It's commonly found in food sources like seaweed, dairy products, and iodized salt.

Iodine intake was not as critical in our distant past for three reasons. First, a greater percentage of the human population lived closer to oceans, lakes, rivers and streams, and therefore consumed more fish and/or seaweed products. Second, the modern diet is especially devoid of iodine. Even in Japan, nowadays people are consuming less and less kombu each year and replacing it with other forms of seaweed, despite the fact that kombu has by far the highest levels of iodine. Thirdly, the increased levels of toxins (including halogens, perchlorates, other chemicals, and radioactive iodine) require extra levels of dietary and/or supplemental iodine to help flush out other halogens, some pesticides, and other chemicals as well.

This protocol is one of the safest and most effective iodine protocols available today. We have used a version of this protocol for over 2 decades with excellent results and very low risk of complications. We have modified it over the years to keep up with changing doses per pill. We have also verified with many doctors to find out that nearly 100% (verified by lab test) of the U.S. population is iodine deficient.

IODINE CONTENT OF RP IODINE PROTOCOL SUPPLEMENTS:

(DFH Thyroid Synergy capsules contain 50 mcg iodine per capsule      =   0.050 mg iodine)

(NAP Fucus Plus capsules contain ~50 mcg iodine per capsule              =    0.050 mg iodine)

(PF Natural Iodine drops contain 150 mcg iodine per drop                      =   0.150 mg iodine)

(DFH Iodine Synergy capsules contain 10,000 mcg iodine per capsule =  10.000 mg iodine)

SELENIUM CONTENT OF RP IODINE PROTOCOL SUPPLEMENTS:

(DFH Thyroid Synergy capsules contain =   50 mcg selenium per capsule)

(DFH Thyrommune capsules contain      =   83 mcg selenium per capsule)

(DFH Iodine Synergy capsules contain     =   40 mcg selenium per capsule)

**Designs for Health (DFH) Iodine Synergy capsules contain 10 mg of iodine per capsule which is slightly less than the popular 12.5 mg iodine dose. A maintenance dose of 1 to 15 mg of iodine supplementation may be ideal for most individuals after this iodine protocol is completed. Keep in mind that foods and other supplements may also contain iodine, like kombu, Wakame, Hijiki, Irish Moss, alginates, sushi-grade seaweed (nori), bladderwrack, cod, among others.

The reader is encouraged to review the articles, recommendations, and responses of Dr. David Brownstein, Dr. Guy E. Abraham, Dr. Alan Gaby, and Jack Kessler in the Townsend Letter (townsendletter.com, 2005 to 2006) and other referenced publications, to help patients and their practitioners make the best decisions in the context of each patients’ clinical situation. Also, keep in mind that the Japanese people were of a smaller stature and weight and were still easily able to handle the extra iodine, with no major countrywide thyroid issues from iodine toxicity.

(NOTE: Extra sensitive patients can start with step 1 below. Others might start with step 4. See Personalization Section below to determine your ideal dosing ramp. Finally, please read this entire protocol before starting out!)

Stage I: Starting Out (4 weeks)

• DFH Thyroid Synergy & Thyrommune, and NAP Fucus Plus capsules

1. 1 Thyroid Synergy per day for 7 days (50 mcg iodine)

1. 2 Thyroid Synergy per day for 7 days (100 mcg iodine)

1. 2 Thyroid Synergy and 1 Fucus Plus per day for 7 days (150 mcg iodine)

1. 3 Thyroid Synergy, 1 Thyrommune and 1 Fucus Plus per day for 7 days (200 mcg iodine)

Stage II: Addition of Natural Iodine (4 weeks)

• Addition of Professional Formulas Natural Iodine Drops (or equivalent iodine source)

1. 2 Thyroid Synergy, 1 Fucus Plus, 1 Thyrommune, and 1 drop Natural Iodine per day for 7 days (300 mcg iodine)

1. 2 Thyroid Synergy, 2 Fucus Plus, 1 Thyrommune, and 2 drops Natural Iodine per day for 7 days (500 mcg iodine)

1. 2 Thyroid Synergy, 2 Fucus Plus, 1 Thyrommune, and 3 drops Natural Iodine per day for 7 days (650 mcg iodine)

1. 2 Thyroid Synergy, 2 Fucus Plus, 1 Thyrommune, and 4 drops Natural Iodine per day for 7 days (800 mcg iodine)

Stage III: Mini-Ramp-Up (4 weeks)

• Transition to DFH Iodine Synergy capsules

1. 2 Thyroid Synergy, 2 Fucus Plus, 1 Thyrommune, and 6 drops Natural Iodine per day for 7 days (1,100 mcg iodine)

1. You can substitute ~1/10 of an Iodine Synergy capsule for the 6 drops

1. 2 Thyroid Synergy, 2 Fucus Plus, 1 Thyrommune, and 10 drops Natural Iodine per day for 7 days (1,700 mcg iodine)

1. You can substitute ~1/8 of an Iodine Synergy capsule for the 10 drops

1. 2 Thyroid Synergy, 2 Fucus Plus, 1 Thyrommune, and 15 drops Natural Iodine per day for 7 days (2,450 mcg iodine)

1. You can substitute ~1/5 of an Iodine Synergy capsule for the 15 drops

1. 2 Thyroid Synergy, 2 Fucus Plus, 1 Thyrommune, and 20 drops Natural Iodine (~1 dropperful) per day for 7 days (3,200 mcg iodine)

1. You can substitute ~1/3 of an Iodine Synergy capsule for the 20 drops

Stage IV: Main Ramp-Up (3 weeks)

• Practitioner supervision is recommended at these higher iodine levels

1. 2 Thyroid Synergy, 2 Fucus Plus, 1 Thyrommune, and 30 drops Natural Iodine (~1 ½ dropperfuls) per day for 7 days (4,700 mcg iodine)

1. You can substitute ~1/2 of an Iodine Synergy capsule for the 20 drops

1. 2 Thyroid Synergy, 2 Fucus Plus, 1 Thyrommune, and 40 drops Natural Iodine (2 dropperfuls) per day for 7 days (6,200 mcg iodine)

1. You can substitute ~2/3 of an Iodine Synergy capsule for the 20 drops

1. 2 Thyroid Synergy, 2 Fucus Plus, 1 Thyrommune, and 1 Iodine Synergy capsule per day for 7 days (10,200 mcg iodine)

Caution with Higher Doses of Iodine:

When considering an iodine loading protocol featuring higher-dose iodine supplements, caution is advised when the daily dosage exceeds 3 milligrams (mg) per day. A small subset of the population may exhibit sensitivity to higher doses of iodine, and adverse reactions may occur. After close to 2 decades of experience and managing and monitoring this Iodine Protocol for over 5,000 patients, we can say with confidence that every patient has survived 12.5 mg of iodine, but we recognize that a small percentage of patients may have trouble with this protocol. For the record, we have not witnessed even a single patient fail to get to 12.5 mg of iodine per day if ramped up slowly, with healthy diet and lifestyle adjustments (including a reduction in wheat, corn and barley intake), and with supplementation of other important compounds (e.g., selenium, zinc), but it is possible these individuals exist. We highly encourage the reader to seek out the advice of a licensed healthcare professional who is knowledgeable in thyroid and hormonal health before engaging in this or any protocol involving higher doses of iodine supplementation.

Continuous Monitoring and Professional Guidance: Continuous monitoring under the guidance of a healthcare professional is highly recommended when on an high-iodine supplementation protocol. Regular assessments will help in personalizing the iodine dose according to the individual’s tolerance and response, ensuring that the supplementation remains within a safe and effective range.

Final Thoughts: While iodine is a crucial element for thyroid health and overall well-being, its supplementation should be individualized and carefully monitored to prevent potential risks such as iodine-induced thyroid dysfunction (see Section VII for personalization of your Iodine Protocol). Ensuring that the protocol is well-suited to the individual’s health status and thyroid function will optimize the benefits of iodine supplementation while minimizing any potential adverse effects.

Stage V: Super-Saturation

• Optional (practitioner supervision is highly recommended at these levels)

• Decisions on Saturation Dosage. You and your healthcare practitioner will need to decide whether to stay at this level (healthiest thyroid and breast cancer population in the world) or work toward saturation, which is usually somewhere between 15 mg to 30 mg of iodine per day.

• Caution. Be cautious in going over the maximum daily iodine dose of 12.5 mg per day for the 4-6 month saturation phase. Even if you’re still not experiencing significant hyperthyroid symptoms, I would still consult with a qualified practitioner before reaching or exceeding these limits. Please also note:

• If you are a female (or male) with breasts that are larger (or smaller) for your size, you may want to consider increasing (or decreasing) the dosage.

• If you have autoimmune thyroiditis or any thyroid-related autoimmune or cancer issue, it is highly recommended to work with a qualified healthcare practitioner that specializes in those disorders or diseases prior to utilizing any of the supplements listed in this protocol, especially the higher-dose iodine ones.

• Saturation Dose Adjustments. For a relatively healthy person who is self-treating and not working with a seasoned healthcare practitioner knowledgeable in hormonal and especially thyroid health, it is not suggested to go beyond 12.5 mg iodine per day, even with this slow, gradual protocol. That said, individuals who may require more iodine include:

• Larger individuals

• Females (reproductive and breast tissues require more iodine)

• Females (and males) with larger breast sizes (more breast tissue)

• Hyperthyroid Symptoms. At this point, make sure there are no major symptoms of hyperthyroid (increased palpitations / heart racing, anxiety, weight loss despite increased appetite, fatigue, muscle weakness, mania, sweating, and/or intolerance to heat). If you do experience symptoms, I would reduce the iodine dose by half, wait for symptoms to improve, then increase slowly again (even more slowly this time). If symptoms appear at approximately the same dosage as before, you should consider that dosage level your max dose and back off to around 75% of that max dose. Do not exceed that 75% of max dose again. So, for example, if symptoms appear at 20 mg daily iodine, drop back to 10 mg of iodine and slowly ramp up, and if symptoms appear again at 20 mg, then 15 mg is your new max daily dose.

Stage VI: Maintenance

• Maintenance Dose. After maintaining this level for 4-8 months (depending on the toxic load your body is carrying), you will want to reduce your daily intake to a maintenance dose of 3-15 mg per day. As stated previously, please refer to articles and papers starting in 2005 by Drs. David Brownstein, Guy Abraham, and Alan Gaby, as well as Jack Kessler, regarding optimal dosing of iodine and related supplement ingredients. Optionally, reduce the Fucus Plus dosage to just 1 capsule per day. However, if you are a larger person, and/or blood type O, and/or a Lewis “nonsecretor”, it is suggested that you continue with 2 capsules of Fucus Plus per day.  Discuss with your qualified healthcare practitioner what maintenance doses are best for your situation.

• Thyroid Multivitamin to Standard Multivitamin Transition. At this time, you can always discontinue the Thyroid Synergy supplement, and start a more standard, maintenance multivitamin, like one of these:

1. DFH Complete Multi™ with Copper

2. DFH Complete Multi™ with Copper + Iron

3. DFH Twice Daily Multi

4. DFH Primal Multi

Stage VII: Personalization of your Iodine Protocol

Opus23 Genetic Panels: For optimization of your Iodine Protocol, you will need to do several things:

1. Answer the RP Iodine Protocol Questionnaire (www.geneticwellbeing.com)

2. Have your genomic data files uploaded to Opus23 Pro by a qualified practitioner (minimum 2 data files from this list: Genomic Spotlight, Genomic Insight, AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage, and SelfDecode) (www.datapunk.net/Opus23)

3. Instruct your healthcare practitioner to order these 5 panels from Atlas Genetics (a.k.a., the “Iodine Protocol Fab-5”):

1. Val’s Pure Hypothyroid Panel

2. Val’s Pure Hyperthyroid Panel

3. Val's Thyroid Dysregulation Panel (same allele, “wonky thyroid”)

4. Val's Thyroid Differentiation Panel (hypo- vs. hyper-)

5. Val's Thyroid Cancer Panel

1. Order labs that include a thyroid panel, and try to get salivary testing over urine or blood testing whenever possible

2. If you score high on the Hypothyroid Panel or the Wonky Panel, or you have hypothyroid symptoms, you will need to also get checked for Anti-TPO (Thyroid Peroxidase) and Anti-TG (Thyroxine) Antibodies (I would get checked for both regardless). Before initiating any higher-dose iodine protocol, testing for TPO antibodies along with other thyroid antibodies is recommended, as it can help rule out autoimmune thyroid conditions such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, where extra caution with iodine supplementation is advised due to the potential exacerbation of the autoimmune response, that can manifest in hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, thyroid cancer, or a combination thereof.

3. If you score high on the Hyperthyroid, Dysregulation/Wonky, and/or the Thyroid Cancer Panel, or you have any hyperthyroid symptoms, you should also get checked for Anti-TSH Antibodies (again, I would get checked for all the thyroid-related antibodies, if possible).

Thyroid Cancer and Hyperthyroidism History: Individuals with a personal or family history of thyroid cancer or hyperthyroidism should exercise caution. Higher doses of iodine in such populations should be approached with extra care as it may influence the underlying thyroid condition or predisposition.

Thyroid Cancer vs Other Cancers Risks: One major reason clinicians advise against taking higher-dose iodine is because of some of the epidemiological studies linking increased iodine levels to thyroid cancer. This is incorrect for 3 reasons.  The relative risks in terms of lifetime probability of developing each type of cancer for an individual in the United States based on available statistics up to 2022 are:

1. Lung and Bronchus Cancer: About 1 in 16 (6.25%) for men and 1 in 17 (5.88%) for women.

2. Colorectal Cancer: About 1 in 23 (4.3%) for men and 1 in 25 (4%) for women.

3. Prostate Cancer: About 1 in 8 (12.5%) for men. (Only men are at risk)

4. Breast Cancer: About 1 in 8 (12.5%) for women. (Men can also develop breast cancer, but the risk is much lower, about 1 in 833, or 0.12%)

5. Melanoma of the Skin: About 1 in 34 (2.9%).

6. Pancreatic Cancer: About 1 in 64 (1.6%).

7. Leukemia: About 1 in 58 (1.7%) for men and 1 in 81 (1.2%) for women.

8. Ovarian Cancer: About 1 in 78 (1.3%) for women. (Only women are at risk)

9. Endometrial Cancer: About 1 in 36 (2.8%) for women. (Only women are at risk)

10. Thyroid Cancer: About 1 in 250 (0.4%) overall.

Thyroid cancer is by far the least likely for anyone to diagnosed with. Therefore, treatments and preventatives that reduce the risk of other cancer types listed above should take preference over the increased risk of a rare, easily treatable cancer like thyroid.

NOTE: These numbers are estimates and should be used for general comparison only. Actual risks can vary based on a multitude of factors, including genetic predisposition, lifestyle, environmental exposures, and more. For precise information tailored to an individual's circumstances, it's always best to consult with a healthcare provider or a specialist in cancer epidemiology.

Thanks again and don’t forget to order your Iodine Panel from Atlas Genetics at www.geneticwellbeing.com !