start taking iodine!

I was just wondering if there is anyone out there who is taking iodine and selenium and has not stopped their hairloss?
This summer I tried the IH top 3 with no results. Recently I started iodine and selenium and have stopped my hairloss. I have also put back ecklonia cava in my regime and now it is finally working its wonders! you need to fix the thyroid first people!

How much do you take?

right now 4 drops of lugols 2%.

ps. does anyone know if that equals 12.5mg?

Congrats 1...!

To answer your question 5 "vertical" drops of Lugol's 2% = 12.5 mg of "Iodine."

If you're doing horizontal drops then double that. e.g. 5 horizontal drops of Lugol's 2% = 25 mg of "Iodine."

And as you know Lugol's contains Iodine and Iodide. When people refer to how many mg's you should be taking they are referring to the Iodine content as noted above. The "Iodide" content of 2% Lugol's is 4% potassium Iodide. In other words

5 "vertical" drops of Lugol's 2% = 25 mg of "Iodide"

I hope that makes sense.

What age/ Norwood class are you?.

Interesting. How does an initial dose of iodine help? Cos the supps dont work for me either.

Sorry iv missed this but how is selenium important and how much should we be taking?

It's usually best to run an Iodine loading test before you start taking iodine.

I started with 2 drops of lugols 5% with no significant change, and now, from monday i´m taking 8 drops (50 mg) and my mood and awareness have improved. I wonder how long should i be taking this dose, is there any sign that tells you to cut off on iodine?

But what are you mixing your Lugol's with when you take it? Just curious.

I usually do the drops into a bottle of water. What's with selenium though? It should only be the lugol's that's doing anything in this case, right?

I have been on Iodine(magnascent Iodine 2% 2 drops daily) and selenium for now over 5 months. My hair has not improved during this time, in fact, I have been thinning rapidly this fall.

m1234 wrote:Sorry iv missed this but how is selenium important and how much should we be taking?

Selenium is must if you are taking iodine to support the thyroid. It also supports the thyroid alone. I wouldn't take large amounts of iodine without selenium.

I'm thinking about one thing...would a supplement like Tri-iodine (http://www.iherb.com/EuroPharma-Tri-Iodine-12-5-mg-180-Capsules/20512?at=0) be helpful for the thyroid despite it's condition (hypo, normal, hyper)?

Thanks paradox.
So how much selenium should we be taking?

Iodine has been shown to treat all stages of thyroid output, although it can cause a temporary rise in already hyper individuals which you should warn them about. I personally think that if your adrenal glands are in a state of insufficiency you should avoid iodine until they are recovered. At least that has been my own personal experience/conclusion. It seems to just be too stimulating in cases of adrenal fatigue where you are very sensitive to things.

m1234 wrote:Thanks paradox.
So how much selenium should we be taking?

honestly I'm not sure because I don't take iodine other than what's in my multi-vit in the form of kelp. There is selenium in my multi as well. CS could probably answer that, and I think it is iodine dose dependent to an extent. I'm sure you'd be ok finding a selenium supplement and following the directions.

drinking water with lugol's iodine drops in it - just out of curiosity, will it stain your mouth?

I did the iodine loading test with lugol's iodine last night. I painted my inner left arm and the colour hasn't completely disappeared yet. It's been 22 hours now. It's faded somewhat, but it's clearly still there. FYI, i eat lots of miyeok seaweed (wakame) every single day, so maybe that's why the stain isn't disappearing. in any case, i still might try ingesting some.

Also, i asked this before but i'll ask again - does anyone know if it's safe to paint lugol's iodine on the neck (thyroid area)? And has anyone tried applying the iodine on their scalp or forehead? I'm asking this because this is apparently a well known treatment for alopecia areata... i'm wondering if it will work for androgenetic and/or diffuse alopecia.

I am a NW2 and definitely have androgenic alopecia. I forgot to mention I do a salt water flush after I take my iodine daily.

I agree that we should fix our thyroid, and, or adrenals, but only if they actually need it. Perhaps it would be a good idea to run a few tests prior to starting? I have been on iodine for three months now and have noticed some improvement in my overall well being, but my hair has continued to slowly decline. The only measurement I have regarding my thyroid is a low (97f) morning basal body temp. My TSH was 3.01 prior to starting the iodine, it's now down to 1.8.

HairSeeker,

I agree completely...get testing done! I know everyone isn't able to afford it, but I had it done and wish I would have done it a long time ago. I would have saved tons of money on the "shotgun" supplement approach. I have adrenal fatigue for certain. It always bothered me trying to guess if I had thyroid or adrenal problems, and what might be going on with testosterone and estrogen. Much better to see it on paper!

jksl - Iodine spot testing unfortunately isn't all reliable, since most of it get evaporated. So the true test is an iodine loading test.

I think it's safe to say that 98% of us will be deficient, if not 100%.

Regarding adrenal fatigue, getting your vitamin D levels up to optimal levels could give a large number of cases. Other than that, insure sufficient vitamin C, magnesium, selenium and iodine.

My TSH was 3.01 prior to starting the iodine, it's now down to 1.8.

See if you can get Free T3, Reverse T3 done.

If you cannot stand the taste, I put drops of iodine in empty gel caps , swallow immediately with plenty water, before the cap starts to dissolve.

I added Selenium with iodine intake recently which definitely helps.