Hypothyroidism - A 7-step Plan to Boost Your Low Thyroid

Hi, this is Dr. Hyman. Welcome back. Why are we seeing an epidemic of thyroid problems? As I said before, over 30 million women and 15 million men suffer from low thyroid function. The question is, why are we suffering from such an epidemic of hormonal problems? Chronic thyroid problems can be caused by many factors including environmental toxins like pesticides which act as actually hormone disruptors or endocrine disruptors and interfere with thyroid hormone metabolism and function. In fact one study found that as people lost weight they released pesticides from their fat tissue. This then interfered with their thyroid function and caused hypothyroidism. The toxins created a slow metabolism and blocked their metabolism and prevented them from from losing more weight. This study highlights the importance of detoxification overall and it's quite a significant finding showing exactly how toxins interfere with thyroid function. I also see the effect of heavy metals such as mercury on thyroid function. I see many people with chronic hypothyroidism and other thyroid problems because mercury interferes with normal thyroid function. The other big factor that interferes with thyroid function is chronic stress and all of us suffer from that a little bit. There's an intimate connection between stress hormones and thyroid function. The more stress you're under, the worse your thyroid functions. And any approach to correcting poor thyroid function must address the effects of chronic stress and provide support for the adrenal glands. The next major factor that affects thyroid function is chronic inflammation. The biggest source of chronic inflammation that affects the thyroid is gluten. and that's the protein found in wheat, barley, rice, belt and oats. For many reasons gluten is a very common allergen affecting probably 10 to 20% of the population. Now this reaction occurs mostly because of our damaged gut, poor diet and stress. I also think eating Franken foods such as hybridized and genetically modified grains with very strange proteins makes us sick. Our bodies say, what's this? I've never seen this before. This must be something foreign. I better create antibodies to fight this. and get rid of it. This chronic inflammatory response interferes with thyroid function and contributes to the epidemic of inflammatory diseases in the developed world. Lastly, nutritional deficiencies play a big role in thyroid function and dysfunction in particular, including deficiencies of iodine, vitamin D, omega-3 fats, selenium, zinc, B vitamins, and vitamin A. And I have seen so many patients with low thyroid function that were just ignored. One young woman came to see me who had over 30% body fat and was unable to change her body no matter what she did or how hard she worked. She ate perfectly, she exercised with a trainer every day and her body wouldn't budge. She also had a slightly depressed mood and other vague symptoms. I treated her with a low dose of Armour thyroid which is a natural thyroid replacement and she not only lost 20 pounds and improved her body composition but also her mood symptoms resolved and all her other symptoms went away. So once I have asked about all the symptoms, I've done a thorough physical exam for the signs of low thyroid and I've considered all the potential causes of low thyroid function like toxins, allergens, stress and nutritional deficiencies, the next thing I do are the right tests. Now most doctors just check something called thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH which unfortunately is not a full picture of the thyroid. In fact, The interpretation of this most of the time is incorrect. The newer guidelines of the American College of Endocrinology consider anybody with a TSH level of over 3 as having hypothyroidism. Most doctors think that only anything over 5 or 10 is worth treating. Unfortunately, this leaves millions suffering unnecessarily. There are also other tests including free T3 and free T4 and thyroid antibodies that are essential. I also look for associated problems such as gluten intolerance, food allergies, heavy metals, vitamin D deficiency, selenium, vitamin A, zinc and omega-3 fat deficiencies. It's very important to realize that there are many things to consider in a careful approach to hypothyroidism. It is one of the most common problems I treat and seeing it and treating it properly makes one of the biggest differences in the quality of life for my patients. Unfortunately, using the old guidelines and thinking, conventional medicine misses millions who suffer with hypothyroidism. In fact, one large survey at a large county fair, they tested everybody who walked through the gates with conventional thyroid testing, just the TSH. And they found that according to even conservative conventional standards, that half of all the people who had hypothyroidism were undiagnosed, untreated and suffering. So I encourage you to do the following steps. Make a thorough inventory of the symptoms that I mentioned in my first blog to see if you might suffer from some of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. Two, get the right thyroid tests including TSH, free T3, free T4, TPO and antithyroglobulin antibodies. Four, check for celiac disease with a celiac panel. Five, check for heavy metal toxicity. And six, check your vitamin D level. Once you have confirmed that a sluggish thyroid is contributing to your symptoms, The good news is that there are many, many, many things you can do to help correct your thyroid problem. I've developed a seven-step plan to address hypothyroidism. First, identify and treat the underlying causes of hypothyroidism like food allergies, gluten, heavy metals, nutritional deficiencies and stress. Then support your thyroid with optimal nutrition that includes foods that contain iodine, zinc, omega-3 fats, selenium, and more. And then eliminate adrenal exhaustion and minimize stress by engaging in a comprehensive stress management program. Then you want to engage in thyroid stimulating exercise, because exercise boosts your thyroid function. Then you want to consider using supplements to help enhance thyroid function, including all the nutrients needed for proper thyroid metabolism and function. You also want to use saunas and heat to eliminate stored toxins and pesticides on your fat. which interfere with thyroid function. And lastly, you want to use thyroid hormone replacement therapy to help support your thyroid gland when needed. I believe a comprehensive approach is needed to address the chronic thyroid issues we're facing and to diagnose them properly. And unfortunately, most of the options for healing by conventional care are quite limited and only provide a partial solution. But by following my seven-step plan, you can achieve optimal health and ultra wellness.