Dr. Derry’s evidence-based idea, of course, is that iodine is a powerful antiseptic element. If we put it into masks, solutions, aerosols, and oral products that we ingest (such as Lugol's solution), the iodine can kill influenza viruses. One such virus is the H1N1 virus that causes swine flu.

Iodine hasn’t been tested against the H1N1 virus. But as Dr. Derry shows in his paper, iodine is a powerful germ-killing element. The studies he reviews in his paper make iodine a strong candidate for protecting us from the swine flu.

Iodine Provides a Complex, Integrated System of Protection. Dr. Derry describes the different routes by which iodine can protect us from infections. He notes that iodine is steadily excreted in the urine. However, as it circulates through the blood, it is absorbed by many tissues. Thyroid tissue absorbs a good bit and manufactures thyroid hormone from it.

But iodine is also absorbed by many other tissues. Ultimately, it ends up in the mucus secreted by the mucous membranes of various tissues. The tissues include the salivary glands, the mouth, nose, throat, stomach, and the lungs. The iodine in the mucus secretions is lethal to bacteria and viruses.

How Does Iodine Kill Germs? Dr. Derry wrote that researchers think free iodine reacts with one or both of two amino acids, “tyrosine” and “histidine.” The reaction between the iodine and the amino acids alters the natural structure of proteins that contain the amino acids (that is, the reaction “denatures” the proteins). If the altered proteins are part of the cell wall of bacteria and viruses, or is a crucial enzyme within them, then altering the proteins kills the germs.

The stomach mucosal lining takes up iodine from the blood. It then secretes it into stomach cavities. According to Dr. Derry, “Free iodine in the stomach kills bacteria and viruses and it deactivates biological and chemical toxins.”

Also, volatile iodine in the lungs may also enter the bronchial tubes and protect against germs there. This might protect against air borne viruses the way iodine aerosol sprays do.

He goes on to say, “Overall, we see there is a complex integrated system for protecting humans from viral or bacterial invasions via oral, nasal, and gastrointestinal routes. This system depends on taking adequate iodine orally.”

How Much Iodine to Take. Dr. Derry mentions the iodine in iodized salt. He said salt contains too little iodine to protect us from bacteria and viruses. To boost our defense against infections, he recommended that people supplement their diets with about 12 mg of iodine each day. He wrote that this is the average amount of iodine that Japanese people have ingested for centuries.

Dr. Derry’s Closing Remarks. I believe Dr. Derry's closing remarks in his paper are so important that they warrant repeating. He wrote: "Hard, fast, and exacting rules for preventing an influenza pandemic cannot be laid down. However, definite, prearranged, overall systematic planning is necessary. All possible methods of prevention and intervention should be taken into consideration so that the greatest amount of good to the largest number of people results."

He then wrote regarding the use of iodine, ". . . data reviewed here [in his paper] indicate that this approach, done properly, could help arrest an epidemic and possibly save many lives, especially those of medical
personnel, from this horrible disease."

I strongly encourage readers of ThyroidScience.us to print and study Dr. David Derry's paper. It's one of the most practical and instructive papers our open-access journal Thyroid Science has ever published.