By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness
July 18, 2012
Thyroid Series #2:
- Clarifying the confusing world of thyroid testing
- How to assess your stress factor
- What to do to strengthen your thyroid glands naturally
By the time a patient with thyroid problems makes their way to my office, they are often at their wits end. As I mentioned in the first issue of this 3-part series, the early symptoms of an ailing thyroid are vague, and could lead a doctor down a lot of different roads.
A properly functioning thyroid involves hormones, and hormones are complicated. And conditions that affect us in so many ways can be very difficult to diagnose.
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That’s why medical testing is so important. In the case of the thyroid, when medical testing so often sends us down the wrong road, patients suffer. Sometimes for years.
In this issue, I want you to know which tests to request from your doctor if you suspect you have thyroid issues. I also will share the protocol I use with my patients for strengthening your thyroid. And finally, we’ll look at how stress affects your thyroid, and what you can do about it…
There are a number of baseline tests I run on everyone who comes to see me, and thyroid tests are high on that list. This is partly because it is one of the most common – and most commonly undiagnosed – problems I see.
If your doctor has checked your thyroid, you might be familiar with a test called TSH, which tests for thyroid stimulating hormone. This is the one most often used to determine if your thyroid is working properly.
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The problem is that TSH is not a thyroid hormone. Rather, it comes from the hypothalamus to alert the thyroid to make thyroid hormone. This is usually not the source – or an adequate measure – of the real problem with most thyroids.
When you go to your doctor, you want to request a full thyroid panel. It should measure T3 and T4, which are the active thyroid hormones. It should also measure TPO (thyroid peroxidase), which helps turn the thyroid hormone T4 to T3.
This conversation is critical. It is the reason why many patients taking Synthroid, one of the most commonly prescribed thyroid drugs on the market, don’t feel better. This tablet is an inactive form of T4 – but it doesn’t necessarily help your body turn that T4 to the active T3. And if you have any level of adrenal gland fatigue, your normal T4 to T3 change is further impaired.
I realize this may sound a little confusing on paper, but trust me, in your body it all makes sense.
If you are someone who is already under treatment for hypothyroidism and are not feeling better, you’ll also want to request a Reverse T3 (rT3). This will measure the presence of the inactive mirror molecule of T3 that blocks the active hormones from getting to the site and doing their job.
Stress is another huge factor in the epidemic of undiagnosed thyroid issues in this country. Your body produces cortisol in response to stress, and cortisol has a symbiotic relationship with thyroid.
If your stress levels are high over a long period of time, the adrenal glands producing cortisol get overworked. So you don’t have enough cortisol for your thyroid to work properly.
Or you might be over-producing cortisol, which will cause a condition of thyroid resistance.
Either way, when your stress is out of hand, it takes your thyroid with it.
What was once termed a “nervous breakdown” is now known to be adrenal fatigue. And while this was once relatively rare, it has become all-too-common in our chronically stressed out culture. Adrenal fatigue shares many symptoms with hypothyroid, so it is important to also test for this as well. Fortunately, this can be done with a simple saliva test that your doctor can perform or you can do at home. I like the salivary adrenal tests offered by Metametrix, ZRT or Genova Labs.
Getting a solid diagnosis is important, but there’s no need to wait for it before you take steps to strengthen your thyroid. Here is the protocol I recommend…
If you remember from the first installment of this series, I discussed the missing minerals from our top soil as the underlying culprit behind this epidemic of thyroid malfunction. Replacing those minerals is an important first step. And also, combining minerals in ways that will stimulate the body’s ability to both make and turn active and inactive thyroid hormones in the right amounts. If you get tested for these minerals and vitamins, your doctor an make exact recommendations. If you’re not getting tested, you can follow these general guidelines:
- Iodine 6.25 mg daily
- Tyrosine 500 mgm daily
- Zinc 25mg daily
- Copper 1-2 mgm daily (there is a generally accepted 15-to-1 zinc-to-copper ratio needed)
- Selenium 100 mcg daily
- Vitamin B6 50 mgm daily
You can take this combination as supplements. Or, tune in to the next and final issue of the series to learn more about what foods will help boost these minerals in your system.
I’ll also provide you with a link to share this information with anyone who might be suffering in silence with these symptoms.
Thyroid problems are not difficult to address when you catch them early and take the necessary steps. But when left unchecked, they can wreak havoc on your entire metabolic system.
