All about iodine. When and where can iodine nets be used as an anti-inflammatory agent? Treatment of acne with white iodine

Iodine is a trace element necessary for the functioning of the thyroid gland. Iodine stimulates the activity of phagocytic cells of the body's immune system, is able to activate oxidative reactions in the body. let's take a closer look at where iodine treatment can be applied

Iodine in the body

According to WHO, almost every 6th inhabitant of our planet experiences a lack of iodine. For a lifetime, we consume no more than 1 tsp. iodine. The main source of iodine in the diet is iodized salt. Seaweed, fish, mussels, and shrimp are also rich in iodine. From vegetables - beets, lettuce, carrots, potatoes, cabbage; among fruits - persimmons, apples, grapes, plums; from cereals - buckwheat and millet; from dairy products - cheese, cottage cheese, milk.

In 1811, the French chemist Bernard Courtoux, having treated seaweed ash with sulfuric acid, isolated the mineral, which was later called “iodine” (from Greek iodes - “purple”) for the color of vapors similar in color to night violet. Further research has shown that iodine is a trace element that is essential for all of us to maintain good health, moreover, it is an important component of thyroid hormones. The lack of this trace element or its large doses cause severe changes in the body.

Iodine deficiency is experienced by residents of regions whose soil and water are poor in this mineral. Iodine deficiency increases the lack of complete proteins in the daily diet, as well as vitamins C and A. This can lead to the development of endemic goiter, in which the thyroid gland is affected, immunity decreases, all metabolic processes in the body are disturbed, memory deteriorates, fatigue, irritability are observed, frequent headache, sudden weight change, causeless sweating and drowsiness. Iodine deficiency conditions underlie heart and vascular diseases, as well as bronchopulmonary diseases.

All kinds of seafood are rich in iodine: seaweed, mussels, crabs and squids. In vegetables and fruits grown on soils containing a significant amount of iodine, this element is also present. If the soil and water of any area contains an insufficient amount of iodine, then in order to avoid the development of mental retardation in children, rapid fatigue in adults and pathology of the endocrine system, complex iodine prophylaxis and iodine treatment should be carried out.

Iodine preparations are used internally and externally

Iodine in tablet form, in the form of salts or other compounds is taken as a dietary supplement to prevent the development of endemic goiter.

The use of drugs containing iodine is contraindicated in case of hypersensitivity to it, the development of allergic reactions (allergic rhinitis, dermatitis, conjunctivitis or swelling of soft tissues), kidney disease (nephritis and nephrosis), pregnancy, hemorrhagic diathesis.

For the treatment of eye diseases, iodine salt (potassium iodide) is used in the form of eye drops, instilled into the eye bag.

Inside they are taken to prevent and treat endemic goiter, chronic mercury and lead poisoning, in the chronic course of inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract, atherosclerosis (reduces blood cholesterol).

And as an external agent, iodine is suitable for treating skin and mucous membrane lesions, in distracting therapy for neurosis and myositis, because it acts as an irritant of skin and mucous membrane receptors, which causes reflex changes in the body's activity.

The advice of traditional medicine has survived to this day, which talks about the use of iodine for the treatment of scab (damage to the scalp), while it is recommended to mix iodine with glycerin and rub the affected skin with the resulting mixture.

Treatment with iodine in medicine

Treatment with iodine in the form of oral iodine intake should be strictly dosed. We get 90% of this mineral from food, the remaining 10% enter the body with water and air. Therefore, walks along the seashore, where the air is filled with healing iodine compounds, is an excellent addition to the daily diet. When taken orally, iodine has an effect on metabolism, enhances the function of the thyroid gland, acting on the formation of thyroid-stimulating hormone in the anterior lobes of the pituitary gland. Iodine affects protein and fat (lipid) metabolism. Since it lowers cholesterol in the blood, it is necessary in the treatment of atherosclerosis, in addition, the trace element increases the fibrolytic activity of the blood.

Preparations containing iodine have antibacterial and antifungal properties. Treatment with iodine with the help of iodine-containing preparations is used externally for the disinfection of wounds and injuries. When applied to the skin, the iodine mesh has a local irritating, distracting and anti-inflammatory effect. It expands the skin capillaries, promotes the outflow of part of the blood and reduces its stagnation in inflamed tissues. Therefore, the iodine mesh can be used in the treatment of respiratory diseases, as well as pain caused by neuralgia, neurasthenia and osteochondrosis.

Apply iodine and for the prevention of atherosclerotic disease. Such patients are advised to eat sea kale and beets, which contain iodine along with potassium and magnesium.

An alcoholic solution of iodine is used to disinfect the near-wound surface, to treat the skin of the damaged area. Along with brilliant greens, iodine is an excellent antiseptic, which is recommended to independently treat pustular skin lesions that have appeared. In case of insufficient effectiveness of these funds, when swelling and soreness of the tissues appear in the affected area, you should seek help from a doctor. Iodine also helps in the treatment of respiratory diseases of the upper and middle sections of the respiratory tube. This method is especially effective for the treatment of inflammation of the oropharynx in children.

In official medicine, iodine tincture is used as an external remedy for inflammatory diseases of the skin and mucous membranes. For a distracting effect, an alcohol solution of iodine is used, applying it to the skin with myositis (inflammatory muscle lesions).

Some iodine preparations (potassium iodide) are prescribed as sputum thinners in inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system.

Folk recipes for iodine treatment

Recipe for a therapeutic compress with iodine. Required: 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, 5 drops of iodine, 100 g of mashed potatoes.

Cooking. Mix butter and puree, add iodine, put the resulting mass on a cloth.

Application. Apply the compress to the neck, fasten. Use at night, remove after cooling.

It is advised to smear the throat with a mixture of iodine and glycerin in case of catarrhal phenomena: an iodine grid is drawn on the skin of the neck, the procedure is repeated for 3 days. After applying the mesh, it is necessary to wrap the neck with a warm cloth.

Preparation of "blue iodine"

Today it has been proven that iodine is toxic. Being the strongest oxidizing agent, it can damage and even destroy living cells. In addition, it binds to blood proteins and forms irreversible compounds, so taking many drugs is unacceptable. In order not to swallow too much, today they have practically abandoned even lubricating the throat with an alcohol solution of iodine, as well as using Lugol's solution because of the colossal doses of this microelement contained in it.

However, in folk medicine for external use, the so-called "blue iodine" is actively used. It is easy to prepare at home.

Required: 1 tsp. (with top) potato starch, 1 tsp. (with top) sugar, 1/4 tsp. citric acid, 1 tsp. 5% alcohol solution of iodine, 200 ml of water.

Cooking. Dilute starch in 50 ml of warm water, add granulated sugar and citric acid, boil 150 ml of water, pour starch solution into boiling water, cool the resulting composition, then pour in iodine solution. The drug can be stored in a closed vessel at room temperature, it does not lose its medicinal properties for several months.

Blue iodine treatment

For cardiovascular diseases, take a drink of 2 tsp. 1 per day. Course - 2 months.

With thyroid disease - up to 4 - 8 tsp. after meals 1 time per day. Conduct 2-3 courses of iodine therapy per year.

For the prevention of "blue iodine" can be taken before meals for 1 tsp.

2 times a week with juice or tea.

"Blue iodine" in folk medicine is used for colitis, enterocolitis and dysentery. For taste, you can add various syrups to it - apple, cherry, apricot, etc. The drink lowers cholesterol and sugar in the blood, cleanses blood vessels, increases the activity of leukocytes and the content of erythrocytes in the blood, and strengthens the immune system.

Contraindications to iodine treatment

With prolonged use of iodine preparations and with increased sensitivity to them, iodism may occur - runny nose, salivation and lacrimation, urticaria, Quincke's edema, acne. Do not use iodine preparations for pulmonary tuberculosis, pregnancy, kidney disease, chronic pyoderma, etc.

It is difficult to overestimate the influence of trace elements on the state of the human body.

The main biological role of iodine is participation in the synthesis of thyroxine and triiodothyronine, thyroid hormones of the thyroid gland. The optimal amount of these substances has a direct impact on many processes occurring in the human body.

Only 150-200 mcg of iodine per day is required to maintain health. Although iodine, which belongs to the halogen group, was discovered a little over two centuries ago (in 1811), Eastern healers used this substance to heal wounds even 1000 years before Christ. It was obtained from seaweed.

What is useful iodine for the body

Iodine is responsible for the normal functioning of the hormonal system, in particular the thyroid gland, and the production of the hormone thyroxine. This organ produces specific cells - phagocytes, the main task of which is the detection and neutralization of damaged cells and pathogens.

Iodine is involved in the synthesis of protein compounds and the formation of cartilage tissue, as well as in the functioning of the brain. The optimal concentration of the microelement in the body ensures the performance of the nervous system and is responsible for the state of mental health. Due to the intake of the recommended daily intake of iodine, increased irritability is eliminated and efficiency is increased.

The trace element is indispensable for maintaining the beauty of the skin and skin appendages (nail plates, hair), as well as bone tissue and teeth. The intake of optimal microdoses of iodine with food or dietary supplements helps to activate all types of metabolism, enhance the processes of burning subcutaneous fat and dissolve the unaesthetic cellulite crust, since this substance is directly involved in the process of lipid metabolism.

Signs of iodine deficiency in the body:

• dry skin, brittle hair and nails, delamination of the nail plate and ends of the strands;
• excessive fatigue, apathy, drowsiness, bouts of blues, aggression and irritability;
• decreased ability to memorize and assimilate the information received;
• unreasonable increase in body weight while observing the usual diet;
• hoarseness of voice;
• tissue swelling;
• chills;
• arrhythmia, jumps in blood pressure;
• constipation;
• increase in blood cholesterol levels.

With a decrease in thyroid function and a lack of iodine, an endocrinologist diagnoses hypothyroidism and prescribes appropriate treatment. Folk methods for determining the presence of iodine in the body include the application of an iodine grid: if the strips disappear during the day, then there is a deficiency of this microelement.

In rare cases, there is an excess of iodine in the body, as a result of which the thyroid gland begins to synthesize an excessive amount of hormones, and hyperthyroidism, thyrotoxicosis develops. This condition can cause an excess of daily doses of iodine coming from outside or metabolic disorders. Only an endocrinologist can accurately determine the state of the thyroid gland after conducting appropriate laboratory tests.

What foods contain iodine

1. From time immemorial, seafood has been recognized as the leader in iodine content: sea salt, seaweed (kelp, bubbly fucus), scallops, rapana, mussels, shrimps, lobsters, oysters, squid, crabs, etc. There is a trace element in marine fish. Only two tablespoons of seaweed or 0.15 kg of hake, haddock, pink salmon provide the body with a daily portion of a valuable compound.
2. The content of iodine in various fruits and leafy greens directly depends on the amount of this trace element in the soil. List of vegetable crops in which the highest concentration of iodine is observed: tomatoes, carrots, beets, potatoes, radishes, garlic (especially green arrows), bell peppers, eggplant, turnips, spinach, onion feathers, blue varieties of onions, lettuce, asparagus, legumes. It should be noted that the use of white cabbage and radish leads to leaching of iodine from the body.
3. Iodine-containing fruits: feijoa, citrus, pineapple, banana, black grapes, including dried, melon, persimmon, prunes, currants, dates. There is iodine in mushrooms, especially in champignons, Polish and white, mushrooms, russula, butter and other hats, as well as in truffles.
4. Other products containing iodine: walnuts, water, milk, cereals, especially millet and buckwheat, bread, meat (turkey, beef, veal, pork), hard cheeses, butter.

Benefits of iodine for skin, hair and nails

Dry, thinned, flaky at the ends and damaged hair is one of the signs of iodine deficiency in the body. Before you spend money on expensive cosmetic procedures to restore your hair, go through an examination by an endocrinologist for the content of a microelement in the blood (an analysis is made for the content of thyroid hormones).

Sometimes, in order to normalize the condition of curls, nails and eliminate dry skin, it is enough to adjust the diet by enriching it with seafood and other products with an active compound, or include dietary supplements with iodine in the menu, for example, fucus bubble capsules or dry kelp powder.

With the help of local hand baths with the addition of sea salt and a few drops of alcoholic tincture of iodine, you can significantly strengthen the nail plates. And the so-called iodine mesh will significantly reduce the period of recovery of edematous tissues after bruises and inflammation.

How to properly use iodine as a disinfectant

One of the most famous effective antiseptics, actively used for over 100 years, is a five percent alcohol solution of iodine. It is hardly possible to meet a person who has never used iodine in his life, along with a solution of brilliant green and hydrogen peroxide. They regularly smear knees and elbows with children's microtraumas, and are also used as part of "sea water" for gargling with inflammation and sore throat (salt and a few drops of iodine are dissolved in a glass of warm water).

The tool has disinfecting, antimicrobial, antifungal, wound healing, anti-inflammatory, anti-edematous properties and is widely used for the rehabilitation of wounds and other skin lesions. A vial of iodine, as a rule, is present in any first aid kit and is a means of quick treatment both at home and in a hospital.

For minor skin lesions, treatment with iodine tincture is carried out using a cotton swab, abundantly dipped in liquid. The procedure prevents the development of inflammation, accelerates the processes of epithelization (healing) and destroys pathogenic microflora, preventing infection from entering the wound. The use of iodine as a local antiseptic is recommended for children from the age of three.

Open bleeding wounds should be treated with hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexine. Iodine in this case is applied only along the outer edge of the wound to prevent infection. Internal tissues cannot be treated with iodine tincture before epithelialization, since the agent can cause a burn, which will significantly slow down healing.

How to treat toenail fungus with iodine

Onychomycosis or fungal infection of the nail plate is quite common. Iodine tincture is an effective, proven over the years and cheap remedy for the problem. As practice shows, this tool allows you to completely restore the nail and destroy the fungus, but only at the initial stage of the disease.

Previously, the nail plate is cut as much as possible, and filed along the edges and on top with a nail file. Every evening, you should steam your legs or hands in a bath with laundry soap and soda, wipe them dry, and then pour the affected nail with alcohol tincture.

If there is no result for a month, you should visit a dermatologist as soon as possible, who will prescribe the appropriate treatment with modern pharmaceutical preparations (ointments, varnishes, gels, sprays, drops, tablets).

To prevent infection from entering the body, do not forget to treat the nails and adjacent skin with an iodine solution after a pedicure, manicure, removal of the cuticle or mechanical damage to the periungual fold (it is most convenient to do this with a cotton swab).

Treatment with thyroid iodine

Iodine is not synthesized in our body, but only comes from food, dietary supplements or medicines. When diagnosing hypothyroidism, the endocrinologist prescribes the appropriate iodine-containing pharmaceutical forms, the intake of which is permissible only under the supervision of a doctor. At the same time, the nutritionist adjusts the diet, reinforcing it with iodine-containing products.

For the treatment of thyroid nodules, the following recipe is used: grind buckwheat in a coffee grinder, grind walnut kernels, mix with natural honey (1:1:1). In this composition, nuts are a natural source of iodine. Take a tablespoon of the mixture three times a day with a glass of water. The course of treatment is 30 days, repeated after a three-month break.

What is radioactive iodine?

The isotope I-131, or radioactive iodine, is a form of trace element used to treat thyroid disorders. Therapy is carried out only under the supervision of a specialist. The decision on the need for such treatment is made by the doctor after a complete examination of the patient.

Treatment with radioactive iodine

By means of radioactive iodine, nodular formations on the thyroid gland are removed. This therapy destroys the tumor in the organ, preventing the formation of metastases in oncology. In a hospital, the patient takes the isotope I-131 (radioactive iodine) in the form of gelatin capsules (orally) or an aqueous solution. Accumulating in the cells of the thyroid gland, the substance irradiates (gamma and beta) the entire organ or the thyroid residue (if the thyroid gland was previously removed).

The use of iodine in the garden and vegetable garden

An alcohol five percent solution of iodine is a very valuable composition for summer residents. And the point is not only in its ability to effectively disinfect minor abrasions, cuts, scratches and other damage to the skin, but also in undoubted benefits for many cultivated plants. Experienced gardeners with the help of iodine successfully solve problems that arise during the growing season, using a cheap, but undoubtedly powerful and natural remedy.

Iodine for strawberries and strawberries

Spraying strawberry and garden strawberry bushes with a solution of iodine (8-10 drops per standard bucket of water) protects plantings from gray rot, a fungal disease that causes serious damage to berries. The procedure is carried out three times, starting from May and until the flowering period, with an interval of 10 days. In addition to the fight against diseases, this event activates the growth processes, increases the immunity of plants and their fruiting.

Iodine for tomatoes

To increase the resistance of tomato seedlings against late blight, a few weeks before planting, they are watered under the root with water with the addition of iodine (1 drop per 3 liters of water). Watering tomato bushes after moving to a permanent place (bed or greenhouse) with a solution of iodine (3 drops per bucket of water) at the rate of 1 liter for each plant is an excellent top dressing. Iodine, absorbed by tomatoes from the soil, increases the number of ovaries and the size of future fruits.

To combat late blight, the main enemy of tomato plantings, the following remedy is used: a liter of whole milk and 15 drops of iodine tincture are added to a bucket of pods. Abundant irrigation of tomato bushes is carried out every two weeks, starting from the moment of transplantation to a permanent place. This composition helps prevent the development of a fungal disease or minimize its manifestations.

Iodine for cucumbers

Iodine is also effective against downy mildew in cucumber plantings. The prepared solution (1 liter of skimmed milk is poured into a bucket of water and 11-13 drops of iodine tincture are added) is sprayed over the leaves of the cucumber planting when the first signs of the disease appear. The procedure is repeated after 10 days.

Here is such a unique product can be purchased for a penny at any pharmacy. Take on board recipes for the use of iodine, and you can make your life much easier!

It is one of those pharmaceuticals that is known not just to a large, but to a huge number of people. Any wound, scratch or cut and we immediately run for iodine to lubricate the affected skin area with it. You can use iodine externally without fear, but its use inside requires special attention from a person. Do not be surprised, iodine can really be taken orally. Maybe you hear about it for the first time, but it's all reality, not fiction. In fact, most people are used to the fact that iodine can only be used externally. You are very much mistaken. If you look "the truth in the face", then only an alcohol solution of iodine is used externally. However, today there is also an tincture of iodine, which just the same can be taken orally in the fight not just with a large, but with a huge number of ailments .. site) will talk to you right now.

Iodine tincture

How to take tincture of iodine?

Treatment syphilis involves taking twenty-five drops of iodine tincture two to three times a day. Iodine should be diluted in milk. Therapy of chronic bronchitis, as well as toxic goiter, provides for the following scheme for the use of this pharmaceutical agent: on the first day, the patient should drink only one drop of a five percent tincture of iodine, on the second day - two drops, on the third - three drops, and so on up to ten, that is, on the tenth day you need to drink ten drops of tincture. After that, we start the countdown. The solution should be diluted with milk. You can drink it both before and after meals.

Lugol's solution

The so-called "blue iodine" will help to get rid of numerous ailments, as well as to normalize the work of the whole organism. Remember, iodine, like many special dietary supplements (dietary supplements), also helps to strengthen the immune system. Strong immunity is a guarantee of health! Treat with iodine and be healthy!

The human body contains 25 mg of iodine. This is a rather small amount, but the value of this element is very large. The fact is that most of the iodine is in the thyroid gland, which plays a leading role in the body, regulating metabolism.

Therefore, iodine deficiency leads to serious failures of all its systems. As a result, the mental and physical development of a person suffers, the so-called endemic goiter occurs.

The daily human need for iodine is approximately 3 μg per 1 kg of body weight. During pregnancy, with increased growth and hypothermia of the body, this need increases. Large doses of iodine, already 2-3 g, are deadly to humans. But this applies only to the pure element of iodine.

And inorganic salts of iodine - iodides - are completely harmless. Even if, after taking a large amount of iodides, the concentration of iodine in the blood increases 1000 times, then after 24 hours it will return to normal. Iodine is excreted from the body by the kidneys and salivary glands.

Functions of iodine in the body

If there is a sufficient amount of iodine in the human body, it, concentrating mainly in the thyroid gland, for each circulatory cycle - 17 minutes - kills unstable microbes that have entered the blood in one way or another.

Resistant microbes are weakened by the passage of blood through the thyroid gland and die after a few cycles of blood circulation. With a low content of iodine, iron is deprived of the element it needs for normal functioning. There is a direct relationship between a person's energy reserve and the level of consumption by him in one form or another of iodine.

The second function of iodine is to have a sedative (calming) effect on a person.

The third function of iodine in the human body is to increase mental abilities. Under the influence of iodine, oxidative processes occur in the body that positively affect brain activity, and the elasticity of blood vessels increases.

The most known iodine preparation to us is iodine tincture, five percent. It is she who we get when we cut ourselves, injure ourselves, in order to protect ourselves from the penetration of infection and pollution into the wounds. But not everyone knows that iodine can help in other cases.

Ways to use iodine

Very well help inhalation with iodine in diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Fill the kettle a quarter with water, let it boil, put 5 drops of iodine into it. Make a spout out of thick cardboard and put it on the spout of the teapot. Breathe for twenty-two minutes a day. Application of iodine

For diseases of the throat and oral cavity, prepare a solution for rinsing, add to a glass of warm water:

• Soda-teaspoon;
• Salt-teaspoon;
• A few drops of iodine.

This solution can be rinsed often, eight times a day.

Everyone knows the disinfectant effect of iodine, but it is also an anti-inflammatory and irritant.

Application of iodine solution

We all know the treatment procedure - iodine mesh. When you draw a grid with 1x1cm squares with a cotton swab. Where the iodine mesh is applied will be important.

In diseases such as bronchitis, tracheitis, pneumonia, vertical lines are drawn along the midline of the chest, then parallel to it from both sides through the middle of the clavicle. Then, parallel to the drawn stripes in the middle, you need to draw another line.

On the back, draw two vertical stripes on both sides parallel to the spine through the inner edge of the shoulder blade and in the middle between the drawn stripes and the spine. Horizontal stripes on the back and chest are drawn along the intercostal regions, since there are vessels and nerves.

If you have osteochondrosis, then draw vertical stripes on both sides parallel to the spine through the inner edge of the scapula, along the spine. Horizontal stripes along the intercostal spaces.

Be sure to check the sensitivity to iodine. Several lines are applied on the inside of the forearm. After fifteen minutes, check for redness or swelling.

The iodine grid should be drawn no more than three times a week.

But remember that at a temperature and high sensitivity to iodine, it is forbidden to draw a grid.

Applications of iodine in traditional medicine

Let's look at the use of iodine in other situations, not only for disinfecting wounds.

1. Iodine 5 drops are poured into a glass of water or milk. Accepted at:

• lead or mercury poisoning;
• With endocrine diseases;
• With inflammation of the respiratory tract.

2. In a glass of milk, drop a drop of iodine, put a little honey, drink with atherosclerosis once a week, in the evening, after meals.

3. If you have a cough, put three drops of iodine in a glass of hot water and drink.

4. When a runny nose is just beginning and there is no swelling in the nose, drink half a glass of water, adding five drops of tincture of iodine. With a runny nose, open the tincture of iodine and inhale the vapors as often as possible.

5. Iodine tincture is used to disinfect water, for this you need to drop three drops per liter of water and leave for half an hour.

We all know the solution Lugol, more suitable for oral administration. To prevent iodine deficiency, take Lugol's solution:

• If body weight up to 65 kg - one drop;
• If body weight is more than 65 kg - two drops.
• Drink twice a week, twenty minutes before meals.

Lugol's solution is perfect for lubricating the throat with tonsillitis and pharyngitis.

Contraindications

But it should be remembered that it is often impossible to use iodine preparations inside. Since this can lead to:

• runny nose;
• Laryngitis;
• lacrimation;
• bronchitis;
• Skin rash.

If, after taking iodine preparations, you notice something is wrong with yourself, then immediately stop taking iodine. With great care, women over 45 years of age should take iodine.

To remove and cleanse your body of excess iodine, you need to drink a lot and increase salt intake. It is necessary to refuse the use of iodine in the following cases:

• jade;
• tuberculosis;
• Furuncles
• Hemorrhagic diathesis;
• acne;
• High sensitivity to iodine.

Conclusion: now you know other ways to use iodine, use them, but do not forget about contraindications and consult a doctor before taking iodine orally.

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