Iodine Deficiency — The Bromine Conundrum
In his July, 2012 blog spot, Dr. David Brownstein, MD wrote, “Bromine is a toxic substance with no known value in the human body. It is in the family of halides which includes iodine, chlorine and fluoride. Each of these halides can competitively inhibit the other halides. That means that too much bromine can cause the body to excrete iodine and replace iodine with bromine. For example, if the body has too much bromine and not enough iodine, thyroid hormone can be brominated instead of iodinated. Studies have shown that the breasts and other tissues that normally store iodine can accumulate bromine instead of iodine.”
Why is this relevant? Bromine is toxic. It builds up in the breasts and other tissues displacing iodine. Dr. Sherry Tenpenny, OD states, “If you are missing iodine, you are more likely to absorb those smaller molecules [bromine, fluorine, chlorine].”
Dr. David Brownstein, MD states, "The breasts are one of the body's main storage and utilization sites for iodine. . . After my own research and study, I concur with several investigators that iodine deficiency is a causative factor in breast cancer and fibrocystic breast disease. . . Iodine has many anticancer properties. . . Iodine can function as both an antioxidant as well as an oxidant in the body. This dual effect makes it a strong anticancer agent. . . It has been known for over 50 years that there is an association between breast cancer and iodine levels. There have been many articles written in medical literature pointing towards a direct relationship between low iodine levels and the development of breast cancer in various regions of the world, including the United States. . . Although the research is not as complete as it is for breast cancer, I believe the cause of prostate cancer in men is similar to the cause of breast cancer in women. I believe iodine deficiency is one of the links responsible for the increased risk of prostate cancer."
TREN.net editor’s note, All of the cells in your body contain and make use of iodine: Iodine is concentrated in the glandular system of your body, and significant amounts are stockpiled in various organs to include prostate and ovaries. The lack of iodine is thought to cause the prostate to become cystic, swell, and eventually become cancerous.* In addition, there has been an extreme rise in polycystic ovarian disease in women.*
A 2011 online article from BeforeItsNews.com states, “Forty years ago the food industry decided to remove iodine from baked goods and replace the iodine with bromine. Iodine and bromine appear similar to the thyroid gland and bromine easily binds to the thyroid gland’s receptors for iodine. Bromine also can cause impaired thinking and memory, drowsiness, dizziness and irritability. This substitution of bromine for iodine has resulted in nearly universal deficiency of iodine in the American populace.”
Dr. Joseph Mercola states in a 2010 online article, “Bromine exposure depletes your body’s iodine by competing with iodine receptors. Iodine is crucial for thyroid function. Without iodine, your thyroid gland would be completely unable to produce thyroid hormone. Even the names of the different forms of thyroid hormone reflect the number of iodine molecules attached — T4 has four attached iodine molecules, and T3 (the biologically active form of the hormone) has three—showing what an important part iodine plays in thyroid biochemistry.”
Dr. Mercola continues, “If you are exposed to a lot of bromine, your body will not hold on to the iodine that it needs. And iodine affects every tissue in your body—not just your thyroid. One clinical consequence of overexposure to bromine is suppression of your thyroid, leading to hypothyroidism. When you ingest or absorb bromine, it displaces iodine, and this iodine deficiency leads to an increased risk for cancer of the breast, thyroid gland, ovary and prostate—cancers that we see at alarmingly high rates today. This phenomenon is significant enough to have been given its own name—the Bromide Dominance Theory. Low iodine can lead to fibrocystic breast disease in women (density, lumps and bumps), hyperplasia, and atypical mammary tissue. Such fibrocystic changes in breast tissue have been shown to reverse in the presence of iodine supplementation after 3-4 months. Aside from its effects on your endocrine glands, bromine is toxic in and of itself. Bromide builds up in your central nervous system and results in many problems. It is a central nervous system depressant and can trigger a number of psychological symptoms such as acute paranoia and other psychotic symptoms.”
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.