Four key strategies to improve the outcome of this journey toward achieving a healthier digital balance include replacement practices, social bonds, and mindfulness. Eating sulfur-rich foods like eggs, broccoli, and garlic helps enhance the function of glutathione, a major antioxidant produced by the body that is heavily involved in detoxification. Salt loading can potentially help us bind and remove bromine that has been knocked loose by iodine.
Very little maintenance is required to keep your spa water crisp and clean with bromine. Make it a part of your weekly ritual, like watering the garden or filling the bird feeder, and your work will reward you every day with a warm, relaxing soak in your own home spa. Most people, if they do have an iodine allergy, are allergic to the iodine in radiological contrast dyes, not inorganic iodine or iodide, like in supplements. Iodine/iodide allergic people can usually be treated using the NeuroModulation Technique.
I’m not sure how, but it seems like constant salt loading reduces our ability to bind bromine and remove it, which is the exact reason we’re using salt loading in the first place. High levels of bromide chronically impair the membrane of neurons, which progressively impairs neuronal transmission, leading to toxicity, known as bromism. Bromide has an elimination half-life of 9 to 12 days, which can lead to excessive accumulation. Historically, the therapeutic dose of bromide is about 3 to 5 grams of bromide, thus explaining why chronic toxicity (bromism) was once so common. While significant and sometimes serious disturbances occur to neurologic, psychiatric, dermatological, and gastrointestinal functions, death is rare from bromism. Detoxification consists of mobilization, binding, and removal.
Furosemide may help aid urinary excretion in individuals with renal impairment or where bromide toxicity is severe. In one case, hemodialysis was used to reduce bromide’s half-life to 1. Iodine is often overlooked due to toxic behaviors, such as toxic cookware, cooking methods, and storage methods. In most cases, it is an un-diagnosed detox or adrenal issue. The body is equipped to flush out iodine it cannot absorb and use, so the risk of buildup is minimal.
In the end, I feel that keeping bromine exposure to a minimum is pretty straightforward. All of the other recommendations listed above are relatively simple. Additionally, you don’t have to buy an in-home sauna (although I do have a mini sauna and love it)—many gyms have saunas.
While we live in a world where it’s impossible to steer clear of all toxins and endocrine disruptors, your best defense is offense. I realize that switching out a mattress can be a big expense. If your mattress is relatively new and it’s too soon to scrap it, you can minimize the toxic exposure by encasing it inside an organic, waterproof cover. To add another layer of protection, put an organic topper on your mattress.
Detoxes should always be monitored, as toxins being bound and removed should alleviate them. High levels of bromide in experimental animals can influence their iodine metabolism in two parallel ways. BVO, a vegetable oil modified with bromine, was used in small amounts as a stabilizer for thyroid health. A full-body detox is part of regular organ function, with the body naturally eliminating harmful substances through the kidneys, liver, digestive system, skin, and lungs.
During these discussions, I have learned a lot of details about how various things work or do not work for others. This is actually part of how I originally how I learned so much about health. You’ll also receive regular, helpful insights from us on thyroid, general hormone, cognitive, and immune health. Start with one or two buckets full of water if you are only lowering it.
Although this process is relatively safe, we’re all very different. So it might not be the best idea to dive into this method full force and assume there are no drawbacks. This is why I save salt loading for bromine detox symptoms, and get as much salt as I can on my food. Iodine poisoning is a serious health issue that requires immediate attention and management. The patient’s condition can be severe, requiring hospitalization or prolonged observation in the emergency department. The treatment involves supporting the airway, breathing, and circulation, and if unstable, a cardiac monitor with supplemental oxygen and two large-bore intravenous catheters is necessary.
You can also lower the bromine level by adding a neutralizing chemical, such as sodium thiosulfate, to the water. Neutralizers are available online, but it’s best to purchase from a local dealer, who you can consult before adding extra chemicals to your spa. We sell iodine supplements to help you maintain an already healthy state. Should you suspect you have an unbalanced thyroid, please contact a healthcare professional who has a good holistic understanding of adrenal and thyroid function. If I don’t notice relief and do not urinate in minutes, my body may have needed the sodium, and used it for other processes instead of binding with bromine. But instead of depending on salt loading, I increase the amount of salt I intake on my food while possibly also reducing or pausing my iodine intake.
The body has a natural ability to detox these substances, but if they anchor to an iodine receptor before they are detoxed, the body cannot get rid of them until it lets go. Common detox signs include headaches, agitation, palpitations, nervousness, jitters, or irritated thyroid symptoms. To facilitate the excretion of bromine, Dr. Brownstein recommends a combination of vitamin C, unrefined salt, and magnesium, including baths of Epsom salts. Bromine poisoning is treated with supportive medical care (for example, oxygen, fluids given through a needle into your vein) in a hospital setting. (An antidote is a medicine that reverses the effects of a poison.) The most important thing is for people to remove themselves from the exposure site and seek medical treatment as soon as possible.
Iodine deficiency can manifest as an enlarged thyroid or hypothyroidism. Iodine detox, also known as iodine loading, is a process where individuals consume a high dose of iodine to help remove toxic elements like bromide, fluoride, and chlorine from their bodies. Iodine supplementation helps the body excrete excess bromine by reversing the competitive inhibition of halogens. Iodine chelates heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, aluminum, and halogens such as fluoride and bromide. Most people are contaminated with these toxins, leading to bromide intoxication, which can result in feelings of dullness, apathy, depression, headaches, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. To address this imbalance, individuals may take iodine to detox from these elements, which can lead to headaches.
The majority of the population has unbalanced thyroid function, with 80% of those suffering from underactive thyroid. I use a mason jar because it has measurements on the side. Then I drink the salt and fill the jar up to 12-16oz of plain water and drink that right away. Sometimes I notice my brain fog clear within seconds, sometimes I feel it slowly help. There is some information about electrolytes damaging liver and kidney cells in order to increase hydration.
We wouldn’t dream of renting or selling your email address. Jill, you do a fantastic job of straddling the line between conventional and holistic ways of treating the thyroid. In addition to Jill’s bromine detox blog, she has been a health and wellness writer and contributor for many prominent blogs and websites.
