Last week we explored iodine as more than a thyroid nutrient, highlighting its systemic distribution, antioxidant activity, and relevance in women’s health and autoimmunity.
This follow-up expands into additional clinical domains, drawing on broader research and functional medicine perspectives, including insights commonly discussed in the work of Dr David Brownstein MD.
Although iodine is classically associated with thyroid hormone synthesis, it is increasingly understood as a whole body micronutrient with potential roles in immune defence, detoxification, breast health, neurocognitive function, metabolic regulation, and cellular redox balance.
Iodine has long been recognised as a potent antimicrobial in medical and surgical settings. That is the brown liquid they rub onto a surgical site, called POVIDONE IODINE.
But it is also a powerful antiviral and antifuingal.
Beyond topical use, iodine appears to contribute to innate immune defence within mucosal and barrier tissues.
I have recently started using a salt pipe and adding a drop of 12% lugols solution to it and gently sniffing it up each nostril to fight off infections.
I cannot say it is especially enjoyable, but it really does seem to make a huge difference.
Note, I initially used a traditional ceramic salt pipe with Himalayan salt, but even one drop was burning my nose/throat.
So, I switched to a pipe recommended by Sarah Myhill, who was the one that alerted me to this, and it worked really nicely.
Click it for a direct link 👇
The pipe lasts 1 year with salt in-situ the whole time, not changed, then you need to replace the whole thing.
I add 1-2 drops the tube, close one nostril off, and then GENTLY breathe in (gently so you do not suck the liquid into your nostril).
You want the vapour from the IODINE and the salt vapour into your nose/sinus, throat and lungs.
Also, really good is to breath deeply with the pipe via your nostril, and then close off both nostrils and do a Valsalva maneuver.
This pushes the iodine all through the airways and passages for a full infection clear our – really effective for me.
Myhill recommends using it every 2 hours when you feel a infection coming on.
That, plus your ZINC ACETATE (and it must be acetate, left in your mouth for 20-30 minutes) lozenges every 2 hours and you are a virus removing machine.
You can read about that here:
https://academyofchiropracticnutrition.com/evidenced-based-viral-defence/
Iodine accumulates in salivary glands, gastric mucosa, breast tissue, and respiratory epithelium, suggesting a physiological role in first-line immune protection.
Within neutrophils and macrophages, iodine can participate in oxidative pathogen-killing pathways, supporting microbial clearance.
Clinically, iodine sufficiency may be relevant in individuals with recurrent infections, impaired mucosal resilience, or high inflammatory burden, although therapeutic use should always be balanced with thyroid and autoimmune considerations.
Given the information above, at this time of year, with infections running riot, iodine can be a powerful ally for all your patients.
Iodine is essential for brain development, particularly during pregnancy, infancy, and childhood – this is why we add it to our OPTIMAL PREGNANCY MULTI.
Even mild iodine insufficiency has been associated with lower cognitive performance, reduced attention, and impaired executive function in population studies.
In adult clinical practice, iodine status may influence mental clarity, mood stability, fatigue resistance, and cognitive endurance, largely through thyroid hormone signalling, mitochondrial energy metabolism, and oxidative protection within neural tissue.
For patients presenting with brain fog, low motivation, chronic fatigue, or subtle hypothyroid features, iodine is a useful nutrient to trial.
By supporting thyroid hormone synthesis and peripheral conversion, iodine indirectly influences metabolic rate, lipid metabolism, thermogenesis, insulin sensitivity, and mitochondrial efficiency.
Iodine also contributes to skin integrity, wound healing, and hair follicle health. Deficiency states have historically been associated with dry skin, hair thinning, and impaired tissue repair.
At the cellular level, iodine can act as an antioxidant in peripheral tissues, helping modulate oxidative stress and inflammatory cascades. This supports its broader role in tissue resilience and healthy ageing, beyond endocrine function alone.
From what we know from the basic science of iodine and its competition with other halides, specifically bromine, fluoride, chlorine, most people are below optimum and, depending on the individual, this may or may not be symptomatic.
Easy ways to reduce exposure to halides:
Fluoride free toothpaste – many options now including Kingfisher, aloedent and more
Water filter, either jug, drinking water only or whole house filter.
I use this one for my whole house to cover drinking water, and bathing/showers.
https://www.water-for-health.co.uk/products/whole-house-water-filter
At 13,000 mcg (13.0 mg) per 1 ml, it aligns closely with the dosing framework from Abraham and Brownstein while offering superior absorption and tolerability via a liposomal delivery system.
Dosing: Start at 13,00 mcg (1 ml), daily and ideally slowly increase to 52,000 mcg (4 ml) over 2-4 weeks, asses response and then usually dtrop down to 1 ml daily.
Some need more daily.
If you get a detox reaction, the body has been overwhelmed by the halides coming out, just drop the dose and let it settle.
Lots of water and some vitamin C and things ease off, no rush.
With our liposomal manufacturing partners, we have developed INtraCell – Delivery System (DS) to take the iodine from the mouth/gut into the blood and directly into the cells.
