In this video, the speaker discusses the best way to address thyroid issues and the problems with the standard advice and treatment for thyroid problems. They explain that the thyroid can either be overactive (hyperthyroid) or underactive (hypothyroid), with hypothyroidism being more common. They emphasize the importance of considering the health of the thyroid tissue rather than just relying on blood markers, such as TSH levels. The video covers various factors that can affect thyroid health, including toxins, autoimmunity, conversion issues, and stress. The speaker also mentions the significance of iodine and the potential risks of supplementing with iodine, particularly in the case of autoimmune thyroid diseases like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. They provide action steps like following a low-carb diet, avoiding tap water, detoxifying the liver, healing the gut, and considering an autoimmune diet.
Key Insights:
- Thyroid issues can cause symptoms such as fatigue, depression, weight gain, and sensitivity to cold.
- There is a misconception that thyroid problems only affect women, but men can also have trouble with their thyroid.
- The standard treatment for thyroid issues usually involves checking the TSH levels and prescribing synthetic thyroid hormone (Synthroid).
- Thyroid hormone production involves the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and the conversion of T4 to active T3 in the liver.
- A holistic approach is necessary to address various factors affecting thyroid health, including toxins, autoimmune responses, conversion issues, inflammation, and more.
- Goiter, an enlarged thyroid gland, can result from an iodine deficiency.
- Goitrogens, compounds found in certain foods, can compete with iodine for binding sites and worsen iodine deficiency if present.
- Stress can disrupt thyroid regulation and interfere with the conversion of T4 to T3.
- Functional hypothyroidism, where TSH is low but symptoms are present, can be overlooked in the standard model.
- Thyroid autoimmunity, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, is the most common cause of hypothyroidism and should not be ignored.
- Testing for thyroid markers, including TSH, T4, T3, thyroid antibodies, and reverse T3, is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.
- Addressing metabolic health, avoiding toxins and allergens, and promoting gut and liver health are key action steps for improving thyroid health.
Transcript
Hello Health Champions. Today we’re going to talk about the absolute best way to fix thyroid issues and we’re also going to cover why a lot of the standard advice and treatment for thyroid actually makes things worse. So after watching this video, you will know enough to avoid the pitfalls and also to start taking some steps in the right direction.
When you have a thyroid problem, it can run too fast or too slow. If it runs too slow, that’s about 95 percent of the cases and it’s called hypothyroid. The symptoms associated with that are things like fatigue, depression, constipation, dry skin, weight gain, puffy face, hoarseness, joint pain, muscle aches, muscle weakness, elevated cholesterol, heavy or irregular periods, thin brittle hair, slow heart rate or bradycardia, sensitivity to cold, impaired memory, and also we’re going to talk a good bit about the enlarged thyroid gland called a goiter.
Sometimes it seems like we treat thyroid as a female-only disease, as if only women had this problem, because so many of the cases are female. But trust me, it’s not like the ovaries that only women have them. If you’re a man, you have a thyroid and a lot of men have trouble with this.
In terms of diagnosed thyroid problems, there’s about five percent of adults that have a diagnosed condition and most of those are female because females tend to go and complain about those things more than men. They say, „I am tired, I don’t feel so good, I’m sensitive to cold.“ And if you complain about those things, they’re going to check your thyroid. But if you don’t, then they probably will never look.
Even though there’s five percent of adults that are diagnosed, I believe the prevalence is much, much higher. In the people coming through my office, I believe there’s somewhere around 30 to 50 percent of people who have some thyroid issues. And it doesn’t mean that you have a full-blown autoimmune disease or that you have markers way off the chart, but people can have trouble and be affected by thyroid problems at a much more subtle level. So men need to be very aware of this as well because just because you don’t complain doesn’t mean that there isn’t a problem.
Getting your thyroid checked out and taken care of can be very frustrating because the standard treatment model usually falls very short. To understand this, we need to understand how the body makes thyroid hormone. It all starts with the hypothalamus, which is a little walnut-sized gland that sits at the base of the brain. It is your master regulator – your thermostat – and it regulates pH, hunger, thirst, hormones, oxygen levels, and so forth.
The hypothalamus releases a hormone called thyrotropin releasing hormone, which is an instruction to the pituitary to make some TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and tell the thyroid to go to work. TSH is the only thing that is usually tested when evaluating the thyroid. The range for TSH is 0.5 to 5.0, which is considered normal. However, in my experience, the healthy range is around 1.8 to 3.0. The TSH is not even a thyroid hormone; it’s a pituitary hormone that depends on how much TRH the hypothalamus releases.
Based on the TSH, the thyroid produces thyroxine (T4), which is the inactive thyroid hormone. T4 needs to be converted to the active form, triiodothyronine (T3), primarily in the liver. However, stress can interfere with this conversion process. There is also a feedback cycle called negative feedback, where the T4 in the bloodstream signals the hypothalamus and pituitary to regulate the amount of Synthroid, which is a synthetic form of T4.
The standard treatment model is to only check TSH and give synthetic T4 if the TSH is high. However, this overlooks other factors that affect thyroid function, such as tissue damage, conversion issues, autoimmunity, and overall regulation of the thyroid gland.
Thyroid function is complex, and it affects virtually every organ and tissue in the body. Understanding this complexity is crucial for proper diagnosis and treatment. Goiter, or an enlarged thyroid gland, can occur due to iodine deficiency or other factors. Goitrogens, which are compounds in certain foods that compete with iodine, can amplify iodine deficiency symptoms. However, they do not damage the thyroid or interfere with its function unless there is an existing iodine deficiency.
Stress also plays a role in thyroid function, as high cortisol levels can affect the hypothalamus and the conversion of T4 to T3 in the liver. It is important to go beyond just testing TSH and consider other factors that can affect thyroid function, such as toxicity, inflammation, gut health, and autoimmunity.
To address thyroid issues, it is recommended to work with a healthcare professional who can conduct proper testing, including TSH, T4, T3, and antibody tests. Factors such as diet, detoxification, gut healing, and avoiding allergens can also support thyroid health. It is important to understand the underlying causes of thyroid issues, such as autoimmunity (such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), and address them appropriately.
Overall, the standard treatment model for thyroid issues often falls short, and a comprehensive approach that takes into account the complexity of thyroid function is needed for proper diagnosis and treatment.
