By Bob Livingston
#Iodine #water #health #twill #tcot #sbalich
New findings in a report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) put us all in a very dangerous predicament.
It appears that previous estimates — based on unpublished Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data — that 110 million of us are drinking water contaminated with highly invasive and persistent chemicals could be far too low.
“It’s nearly impossible to avoid contaminated drinking water from these chemicals,” David Andrews, a senior scientist at EWG and co-author of the report told Reuters news agency.
He’s not talking about lead, as in Flint, Michigan. This is more sinister. This is about the 4,700 chemicals that constitute the group of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
EWG found that on average six to seven PFAS compounds were found in water at the tested sites — including many sites where none had been previously found. These chemicals have even been found in polar bears in the Arctic Circle, as the chemicals have worked their way into the food chain through fish and other sea creatures the bears eat.
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, studies in humans with PFAS exposure have shown that PFAS may:
- Interfere with the body’s natural hormones
- Increase cholesterol levels
- Affect the immune system
- Increase the risk of cancers
The European Journal of Public Health published a study that found “In both sexes, statistically significant increases in mortality rates and rate ratios were detected for all causes mortality, diabetes, cerebrovascular diseases, myocardial infarction and Alzheimer’s disease. In females, RRs significantly higher than 1.0 were also observed for kidney and breast cancer, and Parkinson’s disease. Increased risk, although not statistically significant, was observed for bladder cancer in both sexes, and for testicular cancer, pancreatic cancer and leukemia in males only.”
Some of these substances can have an almost 100-yearl half-life in the environment, and can remain in our bodies for a decade at a time.
Life changes
A complicating factor that affects hormonal balance as we age is our exposure to these unregulated fluorinated chemicals, the environmental pervasiveness of which has been hidden from us for years.
Why are they used so often and in so many applications? Wired Magazine points out: “Next time you pick up a pizza from your favorite pizzeria and toss the box in your front seat, think about why the grease doesn’t saturate through the cardboard onto your upholstery. Or when you hear popcorn bursting in a bag in your microwave, consider why the oil doesn’t ooze out and the paper doesn’t burst into flames, even when some kernels turn black.” It’s because there’s some form of PFAS in the packaging.
Versions of these pollutants were also used for decades in stain and water repellants, packaging, firefighting foams and some cosmetics.
As we age, the shift in hormone balance often results in a wide range of physical complaints, poor concentration and memory lapses. Infestation by these common PFAS could initiate them, and certainly enhance these issues. The toxins can also lead to unnatural weight gain, especially around the midsection.
Nature’s solution
Water itself is an amazing substance that enhances digestion and elimination. “We have an increased need for water because our diets contain mostly processed, low-water-content food, and our bodies need the extra to help flush out all the toxins we’re taking in,” says Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald in The Detox Solution.
But what do we do when the water itself is toxified?
Iodine has a detoxifying effect on the body. Chances are that most of us have an iodine deficiency. We can assume this because iodine is generally low in agriculture soils everywhere. While iodine is important for the entire body, it is concentrated in the prostate gland, the thyroid and breast tissue — all affected by PFAS chemicals.
Iodine supplementation markedly increases urinary excretion of, and safely displaces or flushes chlorine, bromine, fluorine, lead, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum and mercury from the body. In today’s world, this is huge!
The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for iodine is outright deception. The medical establishment, embodied in the Institute of Medicine, says 1,100 micrograms per day is sufficient for adults and less for children.
Guy Abraham, M.D., at UCLA School of Medicine and researcher of iodine, says that 12.5 milligrams per day (that’s 12,500 micrograms) is the optimal dose — that’s more than 11 times more than the RDA. Chances are very high that most of us are not getting nearly enough iodine.
Natural or food grade iodine in your diet is important. Since our soils are mostly depleted of necessary nutrients, daily iodine supplementation is crucial for detoxifying the body of man-made chemicals. There are several natural food iodines. I take four to six drops of Lugol’s Iodine in water almost daily. It is very safe. I have bought Lugol’s iodine at Walgreens. Even when too much iodine is taken, it is excreted.
