Potassium Iodide / Lugol's Iodine Solution uses

The use of Potassium Iodide.

Potassium iodide is associated with a large part of our society with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. After the explosion of the nuclear power plant, Lugol's liquid was administered, in particular, to children and pregnant women. It prevented the absorption of the radioactive iodine isotope from radioactive fallout resulting from a power plant explosion. This is just one of the very many uses of potassium iodide.
Lugol's liquid was developed by Jean Lugol in the 19th century. The solution is obtained by solubilization (the process of increasing the solubility of a substance). Elemental iodine is very sparingly soluble in water, but due to the presence of potassium iodide, which is a solubilizer, it is possible to obtain an iodide solution of an appropriate concentration.

Getting Lugol's Liquid Solution.

Potassium iodide is dissolved in a little water, iodine is dissolved in this concentrated solution of potassium iodide. After complete dissolution, make up the solution to 100 parts with water.
The obtained Lugol's solution should be stored in vessels with a glass stopper, protecting against sunlight. Lugol's solution can be used twice a day by adding, for example, 5-10 drops of the liquid to milk with honey.

Potassium iodide in medicine.

Potassium iodide is in the form of white, hygroscopic crystals. Most often it is a component of iodine preparations, expectorants, antiatherosclerotic drugs and drugs used to treat the thyroid gland.

Iodine, the so-called tincture of iodine.
Iodine is often used for disinfection and has been in medicine for years. It is a dilute solution of iodine in ethanol with a concentration of approx. 90% by volume. with the addition of potassium iodide, which is a solubilizer. Iodine is in the form of a dark brown liquid, used to disinfect the skin, minor wounds, and can be used to treat water.

Interesting fact with the use of iodine.

Iodine is absorbed through the skin and mucous membranes, which is one of the reasons why walks by the sea are recommended. To check whether our body needs iodine, you can moisten a piece of skin with iodine in the evening, which will turn yellow. When we wake up in the morning, most of us will have no trace of iodine. The skin has absorbed iodine, which is a signal that the body needs this element and is often deficient.

Ailments resulting from iodine deficiency.

Iodine is a very important element that the body needs. Deficiency of this valuable element can cause many health ailments.
Hypothyroidism and thyroid hyperplasia. The disease manifests itself as a reduced secretion of thyroid hormones, which can be determined after a specialist examination. Symptoms that accompany the disease are weakness, drowsiness, freezing extremities, decreased mental and physical efficiency and muscle pain. Symptoms that appear, also in the case of disturbed thyroid function, are rapid weight gain, infertility, fatigue, depression, recurrent infections of the upper respiratory tract, deterioration of the skin condition (dry), weakness and excessive hair loss. It is also worth adding that a significant proportion of patients develop cardiological problems as a result of thyroid disorders. Iodine is most important in treating the thyroid gland because the greatest concentrations of iodine throughout the body are found in the hormones of the thyroid gland. The lack of iodine is very quickly manifested in the disturbed functioning of the thyroid gland.
Endocrine disorders. Iodine has a huge impact on the endocrine system of women. It regulates estrogen levels, imbalance causes breast overweight, lumpiness and soreness, and even cancer.
Disorders of the nervous system, including the brain. Iodine is very important in fetal life, because the developing baby is exposed to damage to the nervous system due to the lack of this element, which can lead to mental retardation.
Hashimoto's disease. Inflammatory disorders, i.e. chronic thyroiditis. The disease can develop asymptomatically for years. The symptoms are the same as in the case of hypothyroidism. A significant amount of the disease affects women, which may be caused by disorders of the endocrine system. However, the causes of the disease are still unclear. There are several possible causes, including: excessive and prolonged iodine consumption, taking immunomodulatory drugs, stress and genetic predisposition.
Irritability, reduced resistance to stress. Losing patience, anxiety, excessive nervousness, etc. The symptoms should not be underestimated as they may contribute to the development of depression and loss of joy in life.

The best place to buy Potassium Iodide online would be HD Chemicals online shop. We care about quality products suppied to UK market. 

Potassium iodide dosage.

According to WHO, the maximum daily dose of iodine is 600 µg, and 2000 µg (2 mg) is a toxic dose. However, I did not come across any specific information regarding overdose cases. When analyzing the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the administered doses were over 30 times higher than those reported by the WHO as toxic. People were then administered 65 mg of iodine (10 drops of Lugol's solution).
Currently, the daily dose of potassium iodide used in the United States for an average person is 150 mcg (0.15 mg), for pregnant women it is 220 mcg, and during lactation it is 290 mcg. All the time, however, it is recommended to use higher doses up to 300-400 mcg.
The studies on the dosage of potassium iodide were carried out by Dr. Abraham, who investigated the body's reaction to iodine loading. In the load test, 50 mg of iodine was administered, and after 24 hours, a healthy organism excreted 90% of this dose. The remaining 10% of the dose, i.e. 5 mg, was taken by the body, after adequate iodine saturation, American scientists recommend 1-3 mg a day.
Japanese scientists recommend much higher doses of iodine, up to 13 mg, which are also tolerated by the body. For centuries, the Japanese have been the nation with the highest iodine intake. This is largely due to a diet rich in seafood, seaweed and eggs. The Japanese provide even more than 13 mg of iodine daily, which is 100 times more than the doses adopted by American scientists. Certainly iodine is a safe and very important element in our body.
After analyzing the various variants of the daily intake of iodine, I leave the topic of dosage to individual interpretation and consultation with a trusted specialist.