Iodine: The Natural Solution
Supplemental Protocol for Total Body Health

Orthoiodosupplementation is the daily amount of the essential element iodine needed for whole body sufficiency.  Whole body sufficiency for iodine is assessed by an iodine/iodide loading test.  The test consists of ingesting 1 tablet of a solid dosage form of Lugols solution (Iodoral®), containing a total of 50 mg iodine/iodide.  Then urinary iodide levels are measured in the following 24 hour collection.  The iodine/iodide loading test is based on the concept that the normally functioning human body has a mechanism to retain ingested iodine until whole body sufficiency for iodine is achieved.  During orthoiodosupplementation, a negative feedback mechanism is triggered that progressively adjusts the excretion of iodine to balance the intake.  As the body iodine content increases, the percent of the iodine load retained decreases with a simultaneous increase in the amount of iodide excreted in the 24 hour urine collection.  When whole body sufficiency for iodine is achieved, the absorbed iodine/iodide is quantitatively excreted as iodide in the urine.  In the U.S. population, the percent of iodine load excreted in the 24 hour urine collection prior to orthoiodosupplementation averages 40% in more than 7,000 loading test performed by Dr. Jorge Flechas. 

After 3 months of supplementation with 50 mg Iodoral®/day, most non-obese subjects not exposed to excess goitrogens achieve whole body iodine sufficiency, arbitrarily defined as 90% or more of the iodine load excreted in the 24 hour urine collections.  Adult subjects retained approximately 1.5 grams of iodine when they reach sufficiency.  A repeat loading test following 3 months on orthoiodosupplementation is recommended. 

The goal of orthoiodosupplementation is not the treatment of disease, but the supply of optimal amounts of an essential nutrient for whole body sufficiency and for optimal mental and physical performances.  Whole body sufficiency for iodine correlates well with overall wellbeing, and some subjects could tell when they achieved sufficiency even before knowing the results of the test.  Iodine sufficiency was associated with a sense of overall wellbeing, lifting of a brain fog, feeling warmer in cold environments, increased energy, needing less sleep, achieving more in less time, experiencing regular bowel movements and improved skin complexion.  Whole body iodine deficiency, based on the concept of orthoiodo- supplementation, may play an important role in several clinical conditions.  Hundreds of physicians and other health care providers are now using the loading test and implementing orthiodosupplementation in their practice, using a tablet form of Lugols solution (Iodoral®).  A very good correlation between the results of the loading test and clinical response of their patients to iodine supplementation was reported.  For consistency and reproducibility of results, the same Lugols tablet is used in the loading test and in the orthoiodosupplementation program.

Procedure for the loading test

The test kit contains a 50mg Iodoral® tablet, a 3 Liter orange urine collection jug, 2 vials, 16 ounce collection cup, and shipping material (including a prepaid return mailing label and a zip lock bag with absorption materials to be wrapped around each specimen vial before shipment).

We recommend this general outline for the 24 hour testing procedure:

1. Discard the first morning void
2. Take 1 tablet of Iodoral 50mg
3. Start collection of urine, following instructions contained in the kit;
4. The first void on the following morning should be included in the urine collection
5. If total urine volume is above 3 Liters, follow instructions supplied with the kit.

Bromide testing
In addition to the Iodine testing, we also offer Bromide testing to determine if this toxic goitrogen is present in the body.   Excessive Bromide levels can lead to decreased thyroid function as well as general body fatigue. 

Supplement Suggestions

According to Dr. Guy Abraham in his Nov. 2004 publication: The Safe and Effective Implementation of Orthoiodo- supplementation In Medical Practice the best results are obtained with a complete nutritional program which includes Iodine.  The program suggests the following supplementation plan:

Multivitamin                                                           3 tabs twice daily
Gynovite® (peri/post menopause)
Androvite® (men)
Optivite®                (Pre-menopause)                               

ATP CoFactors  (B-3 & B-2)                                            2 tabs twice daily
Mag-200  (Magnesium Oxide)                                          2 tabs twice daily
Vitamin C (slow release) 500mg                                     2-6 tabs daily
Celtic Sea Salt®                                                                ¼- ½ tsp. daily
Iodoral® 12.5mg                                                                1-4 tabs daily

Reference Articles:

Abraham, G.E., Flechas, J.D., Hakala, J.C., Orthoiodsupplementation: Iodine Sufficiency of the Whole Human Body.  The Original internist, 2002.
Abraham, G.E., Flechas, J.D., Hakala, J.C., Optimum Levels of Iodine for Greatest Mental and Physical Health.  The Original Internist, 2002.
Abraham, G.E., The Safe and Effective Implementation of Orthoiodosupplementation in Medical Practice.  The Original Internist,, 2004.
Abraham, G.E., The concept of Orthoiodosupplementation and its clinical implications.  The Original Internist, 2004.
Abraham, G.E., Serum Inorganic Iodide Levels Following Ingestion of a Tablet Form of Lugol's Solution: Evidence for an Enterohepatic Circulation of Iodine.  The Original Internist, 2004.
Abraham, G.E., Flechas, J.D., Hakala, J.C.,Measurement Of Urinary Iodide Levels By Ion-Selective Electrode: Improved Sensitivity And Specificity By Chromatography On An Ion-Exchange Resin..  The Original Internist, 2004.
Flechas, J.D., Orthoiodosupplementation in a primary care practice.  The Original Internist, 12(2):89-96, 2005.
Brownstein, D., Clinical Experience with Inorganic, Non-Radioactive Iodine/Iodide.  The Original Internist, 12(3):105-108, 2005.
Abraham, G.E., Brownstein, D., Evidence that the Administration of Vitamin C Improves a Defective Cellular Transport Mechanism for Iodine: A Case Report.  The Original Internist, 2005.
Abraham, G.E., The Wolff-Chaikoff Effect: Crying Wolf?  The Original Internist, 2005.
Abraham, G.E., Brownstein, D., Validation of the Orthoiodosupplementation Program: A Rebuttal of Dr. Gaby's Editorial on Iodine.  The Original Internist, 2005.
Abraham, G.E. Brownstein, D., Flechas, J.D., The Saliva/Serum Iodide Ratio as an Index of Sodium Iodide Symporter Efficiency.  The Original Internist, 2005.
Abraham, G.E., The Historical Background of the Iodine Project.  The Original Internist, 2005.
Abraham, G.E., The History of Iodine in Medicine Part I: From Discovery to Essentiality.  The Original Internist, 2006.
Abraham, G.E., The History of Iodine in Medicine Part II: The Search for and Discovery of Thyroid Hormones.  The Original Internist, 2006.
Abraham, G.E., The History of Iodine in Medicine Part III: Thyroid Fixation and Iodophobia.  The Original Internist, 2006.
Abraham, G.E, MD, Roxanne C. Handal, BS & John C. Hakala, RPh A Simplified Procedure for the Measurement of Urine Iodide Levels by the Ion-Selective Eleectrode Assay in a Clinical Setting The Original Internist, Sept 2006.
Abraham, G.E. The Combined Measurement of the Four Stable Halides by the Ion-Selective Electrode Procedure Following Their Chromatographic Separation on a Strong Anion Exchanger Resin: Clinical Applications. The Original Internist, Sept 2006.
Abraham, G.E., Flechas, J.D., Evidence of Defective Cellular Oxidation and Organification of Iodide in a Female with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue..  The Original Internist, 2007.
Abraham, G.E., Brownstein, D., A Simple Procedure Combining the Evaluation of Whole Body Sufficiency for Iodine with the Efficiency of the Body to Utilize Peripheral Iodide: The Triple Test.  The Original Internist, 2007.
Abraham, G.E., Flechas, J.D., The Effect of Daily Ingestion of 100 mg Iodine Combined with High Doses of Vitamins B2 and B3 (ATP Cofactors) in Five Subjects with Fibromyalgia. The Original Internist, 2008.
Abraham, G.E. Facts about Iodine and Autoimmune Thyroiditis The Original Internist, 2008.
Abraham, G.E. The Bioavailability of Iodine applied to the Skin The Original Internist, 2008.