Can You Be Allergic To Iodine? Iodine Reactions Explained

Can you be allergic to iodine or is it possible to have an iodine allergy? Not exactly and here's why...

I realize that this is going to cause some contention, especially among people who believe that they have an iodine allergy but it's something that should be discussed.

Right now, there is a LOT of confusion regarding iodine, whether or not it's safe, how it impacts your thyroid, and whether or not you can be allergic to it.

So let's start with the basics:

Can you be allergic to iodine? No, not in the way that you are thinking. Having said that, there are people who believe that they are allergic to iodine because they've had a bad reaction while taking it. These two things are NOT the same and can be explained.

Why am I so confident that iodine allergy doesn't exist?

For several reasons:

#1. Iodine is not complex enough to trigger antigenicity by the immune system. Iodine is just an element and as such does not have sufficient complexity to trigger an immune response. This response is saved for complex proteins and other things that your immune system can attach to.

#2. Iodine is required for LIFE. Without iodine, you will not survive. How can the human body create an allergy to something that it needs to sustain life? If you truly were allergic to iodine then you wouldn't be able to survive to watch this because iodine is inside your body as we speak. If it weren't then you wouldn't be here.

#3. Iodine is in ALL sorts of foods including foods like bananas, strawberries, deli meat, turkey, all sorts of fish, and so on. If iodine truly caused anaphylaxis then we'd hear about people dying while eating bananas. We just don't see that.

Having said all of this, people can react negatively to iodine which I will explain below. What you have to understand, though, is that these reactions are NOT allergic reactions.

Taking excess iodine can cause some serious issues including hyperthyroidism and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. This is rare but it does happen, especially as you take high doses of iodine.

Most people who take iodine and experience symptoms such as a rash or headaches or other symptoms like that are experiencing a detoxification of halides from their system.

Fluoride, bromide, and chloride all look sufficiently close enough to iodine that they can compete for binding on thyroid hormone. When you take iodine you displace these halides and they are eliminated from the body.

Their elimination can cause acne, headaches, rashes, and so on. But this is NOT an allergy, it's just your body eliminating something that shouldn't be there, to begin with.

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Disclaimer:

Dr. Westin Childs received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic medicine in 2013. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Childs is no longer practicing medicine and does not hold an active medical license so he can focus on helping people through videos, blog posts, research, and supplement formulation. To read more about why he is no longer licensed please see this page: https://www.restartmed.com/what-happe...