Martha's Minute: Bet You Didn't Know

My friend, Dr. DeSilva, did a fun series called "Bet You Didn't Know" that I knew you would love. Enjoy these "minute" tidbits!

Nutritional Deficiencies

Nutritional deficiencies also play a big role in thyroid dysfunction. These include deficiencies of

iodine, vitamin D, omega-3 fats, selenium, zinc, vitamin A, and the B vitamins. Most people simply aren't getting enough iodine in their diet to begin with. The amount you get from iodized salt is just barely enough to prevent you from getting a goiter.

How Much Iodine Do You Need for Thyroid Health?

In Japan, the daily dose of iodine obtained from the diet averages around 2,000 to 3,000 micrograms (mcg) or 2-3 milligrams (mg), and there's reason to believe this may be a far more adequate amount than the US recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 150 mcg. Some argue for even higher amounts than that, such as Dr. Brownstein, who recommends 12.5 milligrams (mg) on a regular basis. Another proponent of higher iodine amounts is Guy Abraham, an ob-gyn and endocrinologist at the University of Southern California.  There's a fairly careful study showing that the thyroid gland does not start to downregulate until we get to 14 or 14.5 milligrams of total iodine and iodide. This is probably why Dr. Abraham first, and then others, have designed both liquids and tablets that come out with 12 or 12.5 mg. For most women, six to six and a quarter milligrams, and for the guys, who don't have as much massive breast tissue, recommendations are to stay with three milligrams. 

Iodine Helps Protect Breast Health Too...

There's compelling research suggesting that iodine is equally important for breast health, and that iodine – not iodide – combines with a lipid to form molecules that actually kill breast cancer cells. "Breasts are big sponges for iodine," according to Dr. Wright, a leading researcher. "Not iodide so much; that's the thyroid gland. But if you have enough iodine, why, those molecules are just sitting there ready waiting to kill new breast cancer cells!" According to Dr. Wright, iodine is also crucial for other breast-related problems, such as fibrocystic breast disease, for which iodine works nearly every time. Interestingly, for severe cases, it's recommended to swab the entire cervix with iodine. For breast cancer prevention, most physicians recommend more than three milligrams of iodine for women.

To learn more, visit us at Advanced Health Clinic

Understanding the Causes of Hypothyroidism

Chronic Inflammation

The next major factor that affects thyroid function is chronic inflammation. The biggest

source of this chronic inflammation is gluten, the protein found in wheat, barley, rye, spelt, and oats. Gluten is a very common allergen that affects about 10 to 20 percent of the population. This reaction occurs mostly because of our damaged guts, poor diet, and stress. In addition, hybridized and genetically modified grains with very strange proteins, makes us sick. Our bodies say, “What’s this – it must be something foreign. I’d better create antibodies to this, fight it, 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. One method of helping with sensitivities is NAET. NAET is a non-invasive, drug free, natural solution to alleviate allergies of all types and intensities using a blend of selective energy balancing, testing and treatment procedures from acupuncture/acupressure, allopathy, nutritional, and kinesiological disciplines of medicine. For more information, visit Advanced Health Clinic

Understanding the Causes of Hypothyroidism

Stress Management

We have been looking at the underlying causes of thyroid dysfunction. Another big factor that interferes with thyroid function is chronic stress. There is an intimate interaction between stress hormones and thyroid function. The more stress you are under. the worse your thyroid

functions. Any approach to correcting poor thyroid function must address the effects of chronic stress and provide support to the adrenal glands. Dr. Norman Shealy has reported that most Americans have increasing adrenal burnout by and after age 50. Symptoms include fatigue and various problems with memory, as well as multiple other symptoms that may include any or every organ in the body, including the thyroid gland.Basically it means you have, or have had, more physical, chemical and/or emotional stress than you can handle. Managing stress is a critical component to having healthy thyroid function. We have great resources to help with stress management at Advanced Health Clinic and Therapeutic Spa

Understanding the Causes of Hypothyroidism

Environmental Toxins

One of the most important factors that lead to hypothyroidism is exposure to environmental toxins such as pesticides, which act as hormone or endocrine disruptors and interfere with thyroid hormone metabolism and function. In one study, it found that as people lose weight they release pesticides from their fat tissue. This can then interfere with thyroid function and caused hypothyroidism. The toxins created a slow metabolism and prevented them from losing more weight. The study highlights the importance of overall detoxification.

Another very common problem includes drinking chlorinated and fluoridated water, and eating brominated flour. Chlorine, fluoride, and bromine are all in the same family as iodine, which can displace iodine in your thyroid gland. Heavy metals such as mercury can also affect thyroid function. One of the principal causes of hypothyroidism is related to elevated reverse T3 levels, which can become elevated in response to heavy metal toxicity.
In such cases, detoxifying before beginning thyroid treatment is recommended. The detoxification protocol will vary depending on your level of lead, cadmium, mercury, and other heavy metals. Some people get these efficiently out of their bodies within 10 to 15 chelation treatments. There are other people, particularly those who lived in major metropolitan areas all their lives, where it takes 30 or 40 chelation treatments to pull out all the toxic metals. 95 percent of the time, those with elevated reverse T3 levels will see their levels revert back to normal after undergoing chelation with EDTA and DMPS, which draw out cadmium, lead, mercury, and other toxic metals. In essence, heavy metal toxicity can cause a functional form of hypothyroidism.

THYROID QUESTIONNAIRE

This questionnaire helps you determine the function of thyroid hormone in your body. It does not matter if you have had lab tests that say your thyroid is OK or that you may be taking prescription thyroid medication, you still may have problems with metabolism that directly relates to how thyroid hormone is functioning in your body.

Scoring: in front of each question enter the following score:

10 – If this is a noticeable issue or significant problem

5 – If this is a problem, but not a major issue

2 – If this happens every now and then, but you don’t notice it too much

0 – If you seldom or never have this issue.

                 1) Are you cold (cold hands/feet)?

                 2) Do you have a swelling in the neck area?

                 3) Are you overweight? (10 if over 20 lbs, 5 if 10-19 lbs, 2 if 5-9 lbs)

                 4) Can you eat very little and still not lose weight (or you gain weight too easily)?

                 5) Are you tired all the time?

                 6) Do you wake up with headaches/heavy head that wears off as the day progresses?

                          7) Do you always need a lot of sleep, and even then you don’t feel well rested?

                 8) If you sit down during the day do you get tired (energy drops when you stop moving)?

                 9) Does your energy significantly drop in the afternoon?

                 10) Do you rely on caffeine, nicotine, or some other stimulant to keep your energy going?

                   11) Women - Are your moods noticeably worse with your menstrual cycle or transition? Men - Do you lack a morning erection (never get one=10, sometimes=5, occasionally=2)

                 12) Does stress cause you to feel irritable too easily (short fuse, low tolerance)?

                 13) Are you depressed, easily prone to depression, and/or feel less communicative or witdrawn?

                 14) Are you prone to depression in the fall or spring?

                 15) Does your head feel heavy (and/or your memory/concentration is noticeably declining)?

                 16) Is the outside portion of your eyebrows thinning (or gone)?

                 17) Do you have dry skin and/or dry hair?

                 18) Do you have rough patches of skin on your elbows?

                 19) Is your hair falling out (or less body hair in general: head, legs, arms, eyelids, eyebrows)?

                 20) Are you prone to constipation (including having to strain to eliminate)?

                 21) Do you have numbness in your extremities or have carpal tunnel syndrome?

                 22) Are you prone to facial fluid retention, especially around the eyes?

                 23) Is your voice hoarse or coarse?

                 24) Do you get muscle cramps or have general muscle weakness?

                 25) Do you have high or low cholesterol?

(10 if over 250, 5 if 220-249, 2 if 201-219, 10 if under 140, 5 if 141-160)

                 Total

If your total score is over 100 you have a significant metabolism problem. Thyroid hormone is not working in a proper manner. Thyroid issues are causing other health problems.

If your score is in the 50-100 range, you have a noticeable metabolism problem. Thyroid hormone function in your body is struggling. Steps need to be taken to prevent health issues from magnifying.

If your score is in the 20-49 range, you are showing signs of metabolism wear and tear. The higher your score in this range the greater the need to take preventive steps to keep your health on track.

If your score is under 20, your metabolism is in good condition.

Please talk to your Health Care Practitioner if you are experiencing symptoms. For assistance, please contact us at Advanced Health Clinic

7 Steps to Better Thyroid Health

Tired? Mental Fog? Nervousness? Did you know that your thyroid gland may be the issue? Your thyroid plays a part in almost every other system in your body. It is often called the

master gland. All other bodily systems also affect your thyroid. As a result, symptoms of thyroid imbalance may begin when your thyroid gland is not producing enough hormones, or when there are imbalances in other body processes that interfere with your thyroid.

Hormones can rejuvenate, regenerate and restore. They are powerful chemical messengers that circulate throughout the body and travel to specific cells to orchestrate many vital internal functions. Low thyroid affects more than 30 million women and 15 million men. Hypothyroidism is far more prevalent than once thought. Some experts believe that anywhere between 10 and 40 percent of Americans has a sub-optimal thyroid function. 

Thyroid hormones are used by every cell of your body to regulate metabolism and body weight by controlling the burning of fat for energy and heat. They're also required for optimal brain function and development in children. If you feel sluggish and tired, have difficulty losing weight, have dry skin, hair loss, constipation, cold sensitivity, and/or lack of sweating, these could be signs of hypothyroidism. Having a healthy thyroid is a critical step in balancing your body to achieve optimal, vibrant health. 

Here is my 7 Step Guide to Healthy Hormones.

Step 1:

Treat the Underlying Causes — Identify and treat the underlying causes of hypothyroidism, like food allergies, gluten, heavy metals, nutritional deficiencies, and stress.

Step 2:

Optimize Your Nutrition — Support your thyroid with optimal nutrition, including foods that contain iodine, zinc, omega-3 fats, selenium, and more.

Step 3:

Minimize Stress — Eliminate adrenal exhaustion and minimize stress by engaging in a comprehensive stress management program.

Step 4:

Exercise — Engage in thyroid stimulating exercise, which boosts thyroid function.

Step 5:

Supplement — Use supplements to help enhance thyroid function, including all the nutrients needed for proper thyroid metabolism and function.

Step 6:

Detoxification Therapy - Eliminate stored toxins which interfere with thyroid function by detoxing the heavy metals through IV Chelation therapy, Oral Chelation, Cilantro (supplement), Calli Herbal Tea, saunas and/or heat therapy.

Step 7:.          

Thyroid Hormones — Use thyroid hormone replacement therapy to help support your thyroid gland.

To learn more, visit us at Advanced Health Clinic

The Power of Balanced Hormones

The Power of Hormones
Hormones can rejuvenate, regenerate and restore. They are powerful chemical messengers that circulate throughout the body and travel to specific cells to orchestrate many vital internal functi
ons. But even a small fluctuation in hormone levels can cause big changes at the cellular level — or disrupt the delicate balance throughout your entire body. Too much or too little of a hormone can have serious consequences for your overall health and well-being.

Choosing Hormone Replacement Therapy

Maintaining this delicate hormone balance is one reason to be cautious when selecting hormone replacement therapy. The goal should always be hormonal balance that is predicated on research rather than experimentation or guessing. Many therapies merely attempt to replenish estrogen and/or progesterone and testosterone, but they never achieve homeostasis.

Any endocrinologist will tell you that hormone balance is the foundation of health. Research continues to demonstrate that hormones are the key to the intricate interrelationships of the body’s systems. They play a pivotal role in our overall health.

The Danger of Hormone Imbalance

You can see why hormone fluctuation and depletion during perimenopause, menopause and andropause wreak havoc on the body. Research repeatedly points to the relationship between the hormone imbalance in perimenopause, menopause, and andropause and an increased risk for developing cancer, osteoporosis, stroke, thyroid malfunction and other age-related disorders.

It’s considered the norm for men and women to experience a decline in health at this stage of the aging process. Both women and men are likely to experience problems such as depression, anxiety, memory loss, sleep disturbances, libido issues and sexual dysfunction, just to name a few of the issues.

Help for Hormone Imbalance

You do not have to suffer through these life-altering symptoms! Help is available — naturally and safely — Contact me at AdvancedHealthClinic

7 Steps to Healthy Hormones - Step 3: Supplement With Adaptogen Herbs

Healthy Hormonal Balance requires Healthy LifeStyle choices. We have been talking about the 7 Simple Steps to Healthy HormonalBalance. This blog we are on Step 3: Supplementing with Adaptogenic Herbs.

Adaptogens are a unique class of healing plants that promote hormone balance and protect

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the body from a wide variety of diseases.

In addition to boosting immune function and combating stress, research has shown that adaptogen herbs enhance hormone balance by:

·        Improving thyroid function

·        Lowering cholesterol

·        Reducing anxiety and depression

·        Reducing brain cell degeneration

·        Stabilizing blood sugar

·        Supporting adrenal glands

Scientists in the former USSR laid the groundwork for adaptogenic research, publishing more than 1,000 studies on the herbs during the 1960s and ’70s.

3 Properties of an Adaptogenic Herb: 

1. It’s nontoxic, meaning it’s safe for everyone. 
2. Its benefits are nonspecific, meaning it improves the entire body’s resistance to stress, not just one particular system or organ.
3. It balances bodily functions, regardless of where the disruption may originate.

 In other words, an adaptogen works like a tuning fork on your body: It helps bring your system back into harmony after a day of discord. This is why Adaptogenic herbs are so powerful in bringing the body back into a healthy hormonal balance.

The Effect of Iodine on the Thyroid Gland

The effect of iodine on the thyroid gland

Found mostly in the thyroid gland, iodine is produced by the body and is essential for normal growth and development. In addition, iodine is an essential component of the thyroid hormones T4 and T3.

Hypothyroidism, or low thyroid function, is the result of low levels of the thyroid hormones T4 and T3, which can be caused by iodine deficiency. Symptoms of such a deficiency include reduced mental function, sluggishness, lethargy, weight gain, reproductive failure, depression, irritability, muscle weakness, and goiter formation.

According to Dr. Kelly Lee and colleagues in Nutrition Reviews, "new data indicate a sharp decline in iodine intake in the U.S. during the last 20 years, especially in women of reproductive years."
Iodine deficiency can occur when daily intake falls below 150 mcg per day, the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). It is for this reason that healthcare professionals should inform their patients of the potential therapeutic uses of iodine, especially in the prevention and treatment of hypothyroidism.
However, high levels of iodine intake (1,000 to 2,000 mcg per day) temporarily cease production of thyroid hormones. Thus, excessive iodine intake has also been associated with the increased incidence of hypothyroidism.

The U.S. "has a unique set of public health concerns regarding both iodine deficiency, especially in women, which may result in goiter formation, and the effects of too much iodine on certain individuals who are at risk" for certain thyroid conditions. For this reason, it is important that patients and healthcare professionals keep in mind the RDA of dietary iodine.

Nutr Rev 1999;57(6):177-81.

Advanced Nutrition Publications ©2002

Thyroid Health

Thyroid hormones positively affected by selenium and vitamin E intake

High levels of stress can negatively affect the synthesis and metabolism of thyroid hormones (T4, T3). This may result in reduced thyroid hormone activity (hypothyroidism) and various health challenges including weight gain, lethargy, reproductive failure, depression, irritability, memory loss, muscle weakness, and more serious long term effects such as congestive heart failure.

In an effort to counteract the negative effects of stress on thyroid hormones, researchers such as Dr. L. Yue and colleagues investigated the ability of vitamin E and selenium to support healthy thyroid function. By observing the metabolic changes of T4 and T3 in experimental rats, Dr. L. Yue and colleagues sought to determine the relationship between selenium and vitamin E deficiency and thyroid hormone disturbances. Rats were either fed a selenium and vitamin E supplemented diet or a selenium and vitamin E deficient diet for 8 weeks.

Upon conclusion of the study, the rats that were deficient in selenium and vitamin E demonstrated a 36% decrease in T3 levels and a 32% increase in T4 levels. This in comparison to the selenium and vitamin E-supplemented rats that had "significantly higher" levels of T3, according to Dr. Yue and colleagues in the Chinese Medical Journal.


This study, among others, demonstrates the role of vitamin E and selenium in protecting and ensuring thyroid health, helping to defend against the inevitable stresses of life.
Chin Med J 1998;111(9):854-57.

Advanced Nutrition Publications ©2002