I started noticing cherry angiomas on my skin in the past few years. They look like small, bright red moles.
If you search online, most sites say that they are something that just happens to people as they become middle-aged. I started seeing them a few years ago. I’m 44 now, so OK, I guess that makes sense.
But still, I wondered… could it be a sign of something wrong with me?
What Are Cherry Angiomas?
Cherry angiomas (also called cherry hemangiomas, Campbell De Morgan spots, or Senile angiomas) are small red or purple spots on the skin.
Cherry angiomas are cherry red papules on the skin containing an abnormal proliferation of blood vessels… Cherry angiomas are made up of clusters of capillaries at the surface of the skin, forming a small round dome (“papule”), which may be flat topped. They range in colour from bright red to purple. (Source)
The close-up photo of a cherry angioma above is kind of pretty, but in real life cherry angiomas are not very attractive.
Yuck, right?
OK, so first of all, that picture is not of ME. And also, I don’t have anywhere NEAR that many.
I just have a few here and there. I have several on my cleavage and torso, and a couple on my arms and legs.
Cherry Angiomas, Iodine, and Bromide Detox
I was curious about what caused cherry angiomas. You see something weird on your skin and it makes you nervous. Like, what are these things?
I found found some websites the other day that explained that cherry angiomas are a sign of bromide poisoning. In fact, it can be a sign that bromide is detoxing from the body.
Check this out:
Cherry angiomas are caused by bromine poisoning. Research conducted by Drs. A. D. Cohena, E. Cagnanob, and D. A. Vardya, shows the correlation between bromine poisoning and cherry angiomas.
Mysterious red moles appeared on researchers’ bodies after working for extended periods of time with brominated compounds.
Bromine poisoning, stored in the fat tissues, is a halogen. It is a known disruptor which prevents the absorption of iodine in the body.
The body attempts to move the toxin away from vital body organs storing it in fat tissues and in the skin where it resides as “red dots.” (Source)
Now this makes a lot of sense to me. Because I started taking iodine back in 2007. And iodine detoxes bromide.
I took about 50 mg of Iodoral per day for about a year. It was after that that the cherry angiomas started showing up.
(Click here to read my old posts about iodine deficiency and our consultation with an iodine doc.)
What Is Bromide and How Does It End Up In Our Bodies?
Bromide is a chemical element in the halogen group (along with fluoride, chlorine and iodine). Bromide is found in many processed foods including bread made with enriched flour. It is used to make food last longer and increase shelf life. Bromine is toxic to the human body and is carcinogenic.
Bromide is an insidious, additive used in many common products, and as a pesticide. Because of the sheer amount of bromide-supplemented products, exposure to this man-made additive has caused a depletion of iodine in human populations. Studies in lab animals provide alarming evidence that even small amounts of bromide exposure can be toxic. (Source)
Bromide is a halide (in the halogen group, same as fluoride), and as a result, it competes for the same receptors that are used in the thyroid gland to capture iodine (as well as the breasts and ovaries, where iodine is stored). When iodine is displaced, it inhibits thyroid hormone production and can result in hypothyroidism.
Sources of Bromide:
- Pesticides (methyl bromide)
- Plastics
- Bromated flour also called “Enriched Flour”
- Brominated vegetables
- Brominated vegetable oil in citrus sodas and sports drinks
- Asthma inhalers
- New furniture, carpeting, bedding, cars
- Flame retardants especially in children’s clothing and mattresses
- Cosmetics
- Hair permanents and coloring
- Hot tub and swimming pool treatments
A bromide dominance condition may develop when bromide, acquired through environmental, occupational, iatrogenic or dietary exposure, causes bromide levels in the body to rise high enough to inhibit iodine enzyme metabolism. (Source)
We can also develop bromide dominance when we have an iodine deficiency. According to some doctors, most people today are iodine deficient. We are eating less of the foods that contain iodine (seafood and seaweed, for example). Also, many people are eating a lot of foods that inhibit iodine absorption, such as soy milk and other soy foods and raw leafy greens (think green smoothies) and other goitrogenic foods.
Iodine and Bromide Detox
Chemicals like bromide and fluoride are stored in fat tissue, as well as the thyroid gland, breasts and ovaries (where they displace the iodine that should be stored there).
Iodine detoxes bromide (and fluoride) out of the body.
As explained above, when the chemicals are detoxed from the body, they show up in the skin. The skin is one of our major detoxification organs.
To repeat:
The body attempts to move the toxin away from vital body organs storing it in fat tissues and in the skin where it resides as “red dots.” (Source)
As I always say, I’m not a doctor. But this is all very interesting, don’t you think?
I’m thinking these red dots may very well be a good thing. I think they may have appeared as I started to detox. But then I stopped taking the iodine. I think I should have continued.
I did notice that some of the red spots (cherry angiomas) faded on my legs over the past several months since I raised my metabolism by eating more and helping my thyroid. A connection?
I also wonder if the magnesium (chloride) oil and baths I was taking six months ago were helping me to detox.
Just this morning I was reading one of David Brownstein’s wonderful books called Salt – Your Way To Health and discovered that the chloride in salt helps the kidneys to clear or detoxify the body of bromide, which is a potent poison that is stupidly used in both medicines and foods, especially the white bread you buy from a store. It is just one more reason to sustain the conclusion that magnesium chloride is more effective than other forms of magnesium.
Needless to say, I’m back on the Iodoral and I’m using the magnesium oil again. I’m betting that if I keep it up, these red dots will fade.
Learn More About Cherry Angiomas, Iodine & Bromide Detox
Cherry Angiomas: An Early Warning Sign
Bromide Dominance Theory
How Competitive Inhibition Causes Iodine Deficiency
The Top Trio in Self-Health Care at Home: Magnesium, Iodine and Sodium Bicarbonate
The Iodine Group Website
Salt – Your Way To Health by Dr. David Brownstein
{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
interesting. thanks
This is very interesting. My husband has had these spots since I met him over 30 years ago. We’ll have to check into it.
I would just like to make a comment on iodine supplementation. I was just diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis this summer and have been trying to research as much as possible about it. Many, many places have said that it can be harmful for those who are hypothyroid to take additional iodine. In the case of Hashimotos, it can make things quite a bit worse. Please check things out thoroughly for yourselves before just jumping in with supplementing any isolated nutrient. There are some people who do benefit from it, but make sure which way is the case for you.
I have Hashi’s too and when I started taking iodine my goiter got much larger and began choking me. Don’t believe everything you read.
Best thing I did for my Hashi’s was to give up gluten.
I supplemented with iodine and caused myself to be hypothyroid. My levels normalized when I stopped taking it.
I was scared out of taking iodine years ago and kept experiencing hair loss and weight gain no matter what I did.
I finally started taking Lugol’s iodine and four days later my hair stopped falling out.
I regret not starting on iodine sooner.
So while I see what you’re saying, I don’t think it’s a great idea to scare everyone away from iodine supplementation either. I am so thankful for my iodine.
I agree, it really depends on the individual.
I think it is something that needs to be taken under a practitioner’s supervision.
Perhaps… But taking iodine as a supplement is something that people have done for a long time, including people in Dr. Weston Price’s book, Nutrition & Physical Degeneration.
They may have been eating iodine rich foods, but that is quite different from supplementing with Iodoral, with is a mix of iodine and iodide. I took Iodoral early in my healing journey and had a massive bromide detox, to the point of bromism. I went stupid and was drooling, could not speak…practically a vegetative state. This was under a doctor’s supervision and with previous urine tests to support the fact that I was iodine deficient. Apparently, he’d ramped up the dosage too quickly, and it was too high of a dosage (50 mg). It caused big problems and if Matt hadn’t caught it and started me on a salt flush immediately, who knows what might have happened. Now, iodine is necessary and for some, supplementation (through foods or supplements) may be helpful, but just willy nilly application through self-diagnosing after identifying with a few symptoms online is advised against for all of us. I am a firm believer in taking charge of your health and I do advise having a team of supportive practitioners of your choosing, knowing the possible side effects of ANYTHING and how to mitigate them quickly. In my practice, I see cherry hemangiomas often, generally in my GAPS clients. When I was training with Dr. Campbell-McBride, she addressed these and the connection to the liver. If someone is dealing with difficulty detoxing, it’s important they not overload their body with supplements (helpful or otherwise) unless it’s specifically tailored to their needs at the time and adjusted when no longer necessary (or given in combination with synergistic vitamins/minerals). Again, the information is helpful and there seems to be a connection, but I think extreme caution should be exercised when undertaking any iodine supplementation.
I just want to be a positive voice here for iodoral supplementation when you have Hashimoto’s. After my initial diagnosis I was put on Low Dose Naltrexone (most docs won’t know about it, so you can educate yourself by google) and gluten free diet. My symptoms eased a lot. My doc said no to iodine. 2 years later I read the work of dr David Brownstein and started iodoral. I knew within minutes of taking that first 25mg dose that my body needed it. My energy improved incredibly and my antibody numbers reduced by hundreds…. and like Ann Marie I developed cherry “whatsits”. Individual results will vary. I am incredibly grateful for iodine supplementation. Thanks for a fab article Ann Marie!
I agree with you! There is so much information on the Internet and I think people should work more with practitioners (that they like and believe will help them). I also think people need to take a look at both symptoms and tests.
I had a terrible time with both high and low doses of iodine and will not take it for awhile at all.
People are different and iodine supplementation can help or hurt someone.
A great youtube lecture capture on psychoneuroimmunology.
http://youtu.be/3R9mD-iJZIg
I truly believe that all these “diseases” eg. hypo/hyperthyroid, cancer, lupus, etc. are directly correlated with emotions and stress. Our thoughts create disease and there is extensive scientific research to back it up. The works of Candace Pert, for example in “Molecules of Emotion” etc.
I am fascinated by this topic and how neuropeptides and neurotransmitters are created by our thoughts. Much like Emoto, and his studies on how our thoughts influence the shape of water molecules, our physiology is directly linked to our thoughts.
Think about multiple personality disorders and how one personality will have all the physiology of type 1 diabetes and then when that same body switches to a different personality, the diabetes disappears completely to be replaced by some other disease like hypothyroid or lupus. The mind is very very powerful.
Neuropeptides/neurotransmitters are almost identical in chemistry to seawater. This means that our bodies produce neurotransmitters effortlessly. SSRI’s can also boost the production of specific neurotransmitters however, studies do show that we can create, almost effortlessly, just by thought, the correct neurotransmitters to create a feeling of well being. In others words, we create our own serotonin, endorphins, etc. just by thinking.
Diet hacking, hypochondria/orthorexia is very stressful on our bodies. All of this obsession over what we are eating and how it affects us, our weight, and self image is harmful. These thoughts are wreaking havoc on our homeostasis. We become out of balance. The worry over weight gain, belly fat, body shape, what we eat etc.
The theory behind RRARF and why it works is that we have released the negativity and stress associated with obsessing over what we eat and how it affects our bodies.
Stop obsessing. Believe that the food that you are eating is nourishing your body. Once the belief sets in, you are well on your way to true health. Intuition is your friend. It will guide you to the right path. The point of life is to be happy and to experience joy, and that, my friends, will not come from the outside.
@Vivian
I’m a big believer in RRARF! However… I also know that pesticides and chemicals in our environment DO make us sick.
I am not orthorexic, we eat out often, and we don’t worry about pesticides etc. when we do. But I do try to buy organic food for the majority of our meals, and I do try to avoid beauty products that are toxic.
I think it’s a balance. You shouldn’t stress about it or make yourself crazy with it. But just as I wouldn’t buy a house next to a nuclear reactor, or bathe in sewage, I also also do my best to avoid putting toxic chemicals into and on my body on a daily basis.
I agree with you. It seems doing our best most of the time, and not obsessing about food ALL of the time, is the easiest way to live a healthy life. If we spend all of our time obsessing over something we eat when we go out occasionally, it causes stress that all of that good food we eat at home has to work overtime to overcome. Moderation works best for me.
And btw, Lugol’s changed my life in wonderful ways. I was always very thin until I had a hysterectomy. Menopause symptoms and obvious hormonal imbalances arrived immediately, and I gained weight along with a host of other not-fun symptoms.
I read about iodine supplementation for a LIST of symptoms and ailments, many of which I had. I tried it cautiously, planning to see how I felt after a day, a week, a month, etc. My hair stopped falling out immediately, and after using it for several months, I am thinner and more energetic, plus I sleep more normal hours now. I am one of the individuals that iodine supplementation did help.
Hello, thank you for an interesting post. I have a question.
My son has a rare epileptic disease, Dravet Syndrome. For 5 years only 1 out of 20 different medications has worked: Potassium Bromide, sold under the name Dibro Be: http://www.drugs.com/international/potassium-bromide.html
Do you know if this drug has any similarities with the Bromide, you are mentioning in this article?
Thanks! Best from Mie, Denmark
@Mie
I have no idea about that but I would look into it if I were you.
So, i have had the same suspicions for the past 6 months myself! My mom started using magnesium oil on her back and then I saw 3 or 4 cherries. appear on that spot..And I started drinking beet kvass, morning and night, and now I notice 1 more cherry. My mom and I both suffer from a vitamin D deficiency…I am currently on prescription for….wonder if there is a correlation? I say this because my mom and I have both had a cherry on our bellies as long as I can recall…and then more with the mag oil and beet kvass….I am bewildered to say the least.
@Nicole
That is really interesting!
Thanks for this post! I am also 44 an have seen these show up in the last few years. Mainly in cleavage area. I remember when I was a child, that my mom had them, too. I also thought it was just part of getting older. I purchased some liquid iodine a few weeks ago, but haven’t been using it. I had read conflicitng information about using iodine and have stayed on the fence since then. Not sure what to do… This post makes me think it could be something I may benefit from.
Makes sense! How did you figure out your Iodoral dose, and does it have a taste? Do you take it with juice? I’ve had some in my pantry for months and need to start taking it.
I started with 50 mg per day but it made me feel sick/exhausted from detox symptoms so I’m now taking 1 capsule (12.5 mg) per day and I will work up. I’m also going to start doing magnesium choloride baths a couple times a week, and I’m doing sea salt in water. I may also add the vitamin C.
Vitamin C is really important. It helps to support the adrenals during the detox (among other things). Selenium (a non -ate or -ite form) and magnesium are also important to the protocol.
Some natural health practitioners feel that it’s best to paint a small patch of the liquid iodine on the skin and the body will absorb what it needs.
Putting iodine directly on the skin, unless using a carrier oil such as coconut oil, can cause dermatitis which can be hard to get rid of. That said, there are benefits for both topical and internal applications. But topically, there should be a carrier oil used.
OMG! This is so timely. Thank you for posting this. I swear, it seems like everything I’m going through in relation to diet and health always seems to pop up on your blog.
I noticed a red pimple like spot on my arm a few weeks ago that wouldn’t go away. Now I realize it’s most likely a cherry angioma. I’ve also been supplementing with tons of sea salt for my adrenals and magnesium. So based on this info, it would appear that I’m bromide detoxing. Wow! This makes me not want to detox for fear that more will crop up. Plus, my adrenals don’t need the stress.
Thank you for sharing!
What about being born with one? My daughter has a large hemangioma on her chest…
I was born with several of these and they haven’t changed at all. Even when I was taking Iodoral and detoxing lots of bromide I never got more of them, and they never got bigger.
There is probably more than one explanation for these angiomas. My dad had a bunch of them so maybe I just inherited mine.
I also have these and got my first one in my early twenties. Never really took notice of it. In my mid 30′s started getting more (once again not as many as the pic) but still enough to get me worried. They seem to come in spurts, more so when terribly stressed (was self employed during that period, but battling to make ends meet). Recently started a new job and as a result am less anxious about income and finding that no new ones have appeared. I think Vivian makes a very important point about stress and our thinking patterns and how it relates to disease.
P.S. A good way to get rid of them is to use a cheap hobbyist soldering iron. Heat it up real good and lightly just touch the skin, they disappear never to return. They basically just scab over and within a few days you would never even have known they were there. Anyway my two cents worth. Greetings from South Africa.
@Antony
Yikes! That sounds painful!
Not at all…Worth the slight discomfort…They basically just melt off. Permanent solution to an unsightly problem…
Awesome! I have tried everything to get rid of cherries, from painting them with iodine (removes warts) to freezing with liquid nitrogen (removes everything!) and they always come back the same! I have a hard time believing they are caused by any kind of detox as mine have never changed in form or size or number. I think my husband has a soldering iron… I know what I’ll be doing tonight
An important thing to know about iodine supplementation is that you do not take iodine by itself. It is part of a protocol (as per Dr. David Brownstein). The other supplements are very important.
There are people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis who take iodine successfully and who have reduced their symptoms, but taking iodine alone may not be a good idea.
It is also important to know that for several reasons, going by TSH levels alone are not always the best way to guage thyroid function.
Another place for information on this topic is the iodine users discussion group at Yahoo.
Yes that is true. Click here to see the protocol on Breastcancerchoices.org:
http://breastcancerchoices.org/iprotocol.html
Hey cheeseslave!
First of all, I wanted to say that I love your website! I’m german, a 22 year old student and I live in Berlin.
I really can’t rememeber how I found your website in the first place (must have been a year ago or so), but I’m so glad I did. I’m kind of stalking your website everyday…hope you don’t mind having a german stalker
When it comes to iodine, I use a sea salt that has algae added. It’s from Rapunzel. Have you ever heard of it? It’s really good, I can only recommend it.
Hope you’re having a nice day!
best wishes from Berlin!
Hallo Anna
How are you? Can you please tell me the name brand of this algae sea salt it sounds exactly what i need
danke
Christa
Any thoughts on using kelp for iodine?
The issue with kelp is the very real possibility of it being contaminated with heavy metals. Since the reactor blow-up in Japan, the iodine in kelp may also be contaminated.
There are, apparently, contaminant-free sources for kelp but I’d be very careful. Even then you’d probably have to eat a lot of kelp to get enough iodine.
Yes you have to take a lot of kelp and it’s hard to know how much you are getting.
Very interesting. I have teensy tiny red dots the size of the head of a pin all over the inside of my upper arms and my cleavage. I have a few on my thighs as well. They are just under the skin, and if I scratch at them, it seems to open them up a bit, but I wouldn’t consider them to be “raised bumps.” I can’t decide if they are cherry angiomas or petechia. I have had them for a couple of years (I am 26 years old). I can’t figure out in my case what the cause could be…everything I have read recommends seeing a doctor, but I hate conventional medicine and have not ventured out to see a naturopath yet. They haven’t seemed to have gotten any worse since I changed my diet/lifestyle about 1.5 years ago, but they haven’t gone away, either. I keep hoping they’ll go away eventually or that I will read something that clicks so I can figure out what the cause of them is…
Cherry Angiomas are also a sign of Estrogen Dominance, a common imbalance I see in both my female and male patients.
Hi Ann Marie,
Thank you for this post. I have read other things about these bumps – that they are related to estrogen dominance, or a way for copper to be stored outside the body. This is the first time I have heard about bromide, but generally the whole idea of the body finding a “safer” place for toxic compounds makes sense.
I want to point out that I believe for some people these cherry angiomas do not look red. Mine, which are the same in size and character, are brown, because I am African-American. There is no mention of this in any of the literature (this is very common – the normal medical model is not a person of color), but I thought I’d point it out in case any of your readers are not pale-skinned. I notice that as I clean my liver my spots fade a bit, and they proliferate when I feel my liver is “clogged”.
Thanks for your inquisitive mind!
@Jennifer Henry
Excellent point — thanks so much for your comment!
Interesting article! I have Hashimoto’s and have the red spots which started appearing after having kids. What’s amazing is that I have pretty much every symptom listed in the article you linked to about bromide toxicity. I’m on the fence about taking iodine though as I have had issues with any thyroid supplement that contains iodine and have a fear that it makes the antibody attack on my thyroid worse. I would love to find out if I’m low in iodine but sadly up here in Canada they have yet to introduce a lab test for iodine levels.
I recommend you join the Yahoo group for iodine users. There are a few Canadians on the group, including me.
If you are interested in starting iodine, but apprehensive, you can hear from others with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis who have done well with iodine, and you can read the research they have in their files. The list owner is a naturopath who has worked with Dr. David Brownstein.
It is important to know that taking iodine alone is not recommended. It should be taken in conjunction with other supplements such as selenium which help with iodine uptake and the elimination of toxins such as bromine.
I have not tested my iodine levels but I believe that you can order the tests through the mail. I have done another test through an American company without problems.
Does anyone know of a good practitioner in the Denver/Boulder area? I had a couple of these but suddenly little dots have popped up all over my upper arms and thighs! I have hypothyroidism and estrogen dominance (oh joy). If I can’t get rid of them naturally, I feel like I will need to get laser treatment before these things get out of control! Thanks in advance.
Hi Cheeseslave!
I’m a board certified dermatologist who sees tons of cherry angiomas on most of my patients. Much of what I do is dermatology on elderly patients. I came across your post while trying to find some photos for a presentation.
The fact is that most people will develop at least a few cherry angiomas in their lifetime, some perhaps as young in their twenties or thirties, and most by their 60′s or 70′s. I have not yet noted anyone give me a correlation with iodides and bromides. Most of the medical literature around bromides centers around acne-like dermatoses.
You can easily remove cherry angiomas with very light electrocautery in the office. Most dermatologists have the equipment to do it, and it can be very cosmetically satisfactory if done by someone who does it all the time. Since it is often not covered by insurance, I recommend negotiation to bring the price down, especially if there are only a few that are bothersome.
Hope this is helpful!
Any update?
Interesting. Keep us updated
“Yuck, right?
OK, so first of all, that picture is not of ME. And also, I don’t have anywhere NEAR that many.”
Really? You’re writing about a skin condition using the word “yuck” and caps for emphasis?
Way to make other sufferers FEEL BAD and make yourself look INSECURE.
my naturopath said these are genetic. hit it with an ILP laser and they will be gone
I’d love to hear if you have an update at all? I’ve just been noticing these lately and I was worried, so I googled and found this. I’ve been taking Iodine quite regularily lately in the hopes of helping my Thyroid, so perhaps they are related? Would love to hear from you if you have an update on if it helped at all? Thanks!
Hi all!
I have many of these coming up on around my chest and on breasts and have been on and off detoxing. I have an autoimmune disorder ITP with about 70k platelets and also have been told im hyperthyroid now. i am 28 years old i am i guessing its all linked. i read also chinese garlic has loads of bromide and i was consuming lots of garlic at one point! eek
take care x christa
I have these too. They started when I was extremely stressed out and restricting my diet heavily because my nursing baby was reacting to everything that I was eating. They are on my arms and chest. Some are tiny, like pinpricks, and some are slightly bigger, like a red freckle or very small mole.
What would be awesome is if we didn’t have to find the cause for them ourselves!!! If there was actually a natural doctor who knew the reasons for them and had been successful in healing his patients cherry angiomas! I know they aren’t from getting older… I’m only 30…one very ignorant np told me they were. The first few appeared for me in the beginning of my extreme postpartum insomnia (followed by 12+ thyroid disease symptoms). I hadn’t slept in about 8 days. I remember freaking out noticing them. The only place I had ever seen them was on my dad, who was in his late 60′s, very unhealthy, and basically covered in them- chest, arms, legs…probably 50 or more on his body. I didn’t see many more for the next few years. Until a few months ago, when my menopausal symptoms got severely worse. It seemed to coincide with my thinning skin, wrinkling, developing of age spots, etc. I’m assuming they are thyroid disease or hormonal related for me. But if hormonal, which hormonal deficiency is it?