Thyroid Disease: The Hidden Epidemic
by Michael Cheikin, MD
The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland in the front of the
neck. It influences many systems of our body, especially the speed of our
metabolism--the more the hormone, the faster our metabolism goes.
Thyroid medications are some of the most-prescribed drugs in the
country, as much, if not more than diabetes medications. There are many more
that have "sub-clinical" thyroid disease, where the symptoms, such as depression
or high cholesterol are treated by other medications. Since hormones affect
almost every cell of our body, when a gland is not working well, it has a great
influence on our health
In general, we can have too little thyroid hormone, called hypo-thyroidism,
or too much, called hyper-thyroidism. The vast majority of thyroid disease is of
the "hypo-" type--similar to too little insulin in diabetes and too little sex
hormone in infertility, menopause and andropause. It is clear that all of
our glands are under attack. They are some of the most vulnerable tissues in our
body. In most cases, the cause of glandular illness is a combination of factors,
including environmental toxins, nutritional deficiencies, other stressors, and
heredity. In many, there is an auto-immune component, where the immune system
attacks the gland, called "Hashimoto's thyroiditis".
Symptoms
of Thyroid Disease
Hypothyroid symptoms include fatigue, cold extremities, low body
temperature, poor skin healing, dry skin, coarse hair, loss of the outer third
of the eyebrows, constipation, poor immune function, depression, increased blood
cholesterol, blood pressure problems, fibro-cystic breasts, long menstrual
periods, infertility, mild diabetes, muscle and joint pains and in pregnancy and
childhood, mental retardation and developmental delay.
Hyper-thyroidism, which is less common, can manifest as anxiety,
sleep disturbance, heart palpitations, thin, oily skin and hair, frontal hair
loss, bulging eyes (called Graves disease) and other biochemical abnormalities
such as osteoporosis.
This article will focus on hypothyroidism, which can occur at any
age, but is more common as we get older, and for women. Many women develop
thyroid disease in association with pregnancy or menopause.
There is a complex relationship between the thyroid, sex, adrenal,
sugar and hunger-controlling hormones; if one goes off, the others often follow.
Evaluation
of the Thyroid
As most of us have some of the above symptoms, at some point your
doctor will evaluate your thyroid. However, the type of evaluation can vary from
very simple blood tests to more complex procedures that are only done in special
cases.
Most conventional doctors will begin with a
TSH, or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. This
is a hormone made by the pituitary gland (in the brain) which tells the thyroid
how much hormone to make. High
TSH
means the pituitary thinks there is not enough thyroid hormone, which is the
situation in hypo-thyroidism. Low
TSH
implies hyper-thyroidism.
The other common test is the actual amounts of thyroid hormone in
the blood. The most common, T4, can be measured several ways. Since much thyroid
hormone is less active when bound to protein in the blood, the "free" T4 is
measured.
If these two tests are normal, then it is conventionally assumed
that the thyroid system is properly adjusted.
However, 80% of T4 is converted to T3 by organs such as the liver
and muscle. T3 is up to ten times more active than T4. While it is important to
measure T3 at the same time as T4, it is often not tested. Another extremely
important thyroid hormone, Reverse T3, is rarely tested.
Antibodies
to the Thyroid Gland and Components
Even when the above labs remain "normal", the body can be making
antibodies to the thyroid gland or its components. Depending upon what these
antibodies attack, eventually hypo- or hyper- thyroidism will develop. Since
conventional medicine can only treat autoimmune disease with powerful drugs or
surgery, thyroid antibodies are only dealt with when the labs are "abnormal" or
there are other red flags. It's a wait-and-see, while these antibodies are doing
their damage. It's like having foreign invaders in our country and only having
nuclear bombs. We lose if we don't do anything, and we lose if we do something.
Why the
Thyroid Gland: Holistic Theory
There are many theories about why the thyroid gland is so sick, but
no one theory seems to explain it all. The combination of factors include:
1. Autoimmune disease. Holistic medicine proposes that in
autoimmune disease the immune system gets confused and begins attacking the body
itself. Causes of autoimmune disease include chronic stress, adrenal fatigue,
nutritional deficiency, leaky gut syndrome, energetic imbalance and most
importantly environmental toxins (see below).
2. Iodine deficiency and competition. In the 1960's iodine
was removed from bread, replaced by bromine, and added to salt. Currently, our
environment is filled with "halides" that can compete with iodine absorption and
processing. These include: fluoride in water and toothpaste, chlorine in water
and other disinfectants, bromine in foods and in plants, and perchlorates,
industrial toxins that have been found in breast milk.
3. Toxins. Certain foods, such as soy, gluten, dairy and
sugar, can act as toxins by blocking nutrient absorption or causing immune
system confusion. Known toxins in our air, food and water include: heavy metals
(i.e. lead and mercury), pesticides, plastic residues, and thousands of others.
Toxins can come from within, such as the case of chronic constipation or chronic
yeast infections, which overwhelm the liver and other detoxification methods of
the body.
4. Nutritional deficiency.
Many conventional foods are nutritionally deficient. Besides iodine, the thyroid
gland needs the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, oils, amino acids and other
factors to properly function. Many women are nutritionally deficient before,
during, or after pregnancy, which further stresses the body.
5. Stress. Our lifestyles do not allow for adequate rest and
recovery. Since the thyroid gland is the gland that controls whether we're going
fast or slow, it may simply "burn out", like the pancreas burns out in diabetes.
The adrenal hormones, the shock-absorbers of our body, intimately interact with
thyroid hormones. Adrenal dysfunction often accompanies thyroid dysfunction but
is rarely tested conventionally.
6. Energy. The thyroid gland is located near our "throat
chakra". In yoga theory, each chakra is involved with a certain emotional and
spiritual aspect of our multi-dimensional nature. The throat chakra has to do
with our feelings of expression, being heard, having a voice, being creative,
and having meaning.
7. Genetics. There is certainly a genetic tendency toward
thyroid and auto-immune disease. However, as discussed in other articles, these
genes are like switches that can be turned on or off by factors under our
control. Most authors agree (and is evidenced by studies of identical twins
raised in different environments) that only 20% of our illness is determined by
genes, the other 80% by lifestyle.
Holistic
Evaluation and Treatment
The comprehensive, multi-dimensional holistic approach lends well to
approaching thyroid disease. It is not one blood test and one pill.
The evaluation includes lab testing for essential nutrients such as
selenium, iodine, zinc, omega-3 oils and tyrosine. Other hormones, such as
adrenal, sex and insulin need to be measured. Hidden infections such as Lyme,
Epstein - Barr virus and Candida can contribute to thyroid disease and are
sometimes very difficult to detect. Searching for toxins such as lead, mercury,
fluoride and bromide are essential. Testing for pesticides and petroleum toxins
may also be indicated. Looking for past and present stressors is often fruitful.
Treatment of thyroid begins with education, since interacting with
conventional practitioners while on non-conventional protocols is a life-long
task.
Changes in lifestyle are often necessary. These include reduction or
elimination of grains, dairy, alcohol, nightshades or other foods. The
sleep-wake cycle, work and environmental stressors, and relationships often need
to be addressed.
Nutritional supplements are usually required to help the body's
metabolic processes and to get rid of toxins. Often, a formal detoxification
process is required. Modalities such as yoga and acupuncture can be very
helpful.
If a person is already on thyroid medication but remains
symptomatic, then oftentimes a change in the formulation of thyroid hormones is
necessary.
Not all tests and treatments are "covered" by insurance, so there is
some cost involved in properly evaluating and healing the thyroid. However, most
patients can achieve substantial improvements that vastly outweigh the above
inconveniences.
Thyroid health has been correlated with healthy longevity. Since the
thyroid affects so many tissues and functions of the body, thyroid health can
ultimately save huge amounts of time, energy, money and can gain substantial
improvement in the quality of life.
*IMPORTANT
NOTES:
1.
This educational material may not be used to influence medical care without
supervision by a licensed practitioner.
2. These contents may not be
reproduced in any form without express written permission. © 2007-2017 by
Michael Cheikin MD
3. Dr. Cheikin's website has related
articles such as "Hormonal Web", "Adrenal Fatigue" "Auto-immune Disease", "Leaky
Gut" and others.
Michael
Cheikin MD is a holistic physician, Board Certified in Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation ("Physiatry"), Pain Management, Spinal Cord Medicine and
Electrodiagnostic Medicine and licensed in Medical Acupuncture. Dr. Cheikin has
extensively studied yoga, diet and metabolism, Ayurvedic, Chinese and energy
medicine and other alternative modalities for over 30 years. He specializes in
obscure, chronic and severe problems that have not responded satisfactorily to
other methods of healing. www.cheikin.com
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