Why All Thyroid Function Tests Suck?

Take Your Life Back and Stop Hypothyroidism Naturally at the Source

I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But if I don’t tell you, then no one else will. Often times you look to your doctor for answers and you’ve been raised to believe that your doctors knows exactly what is going on with your health and exactly what to do about it.

But, I’m here to tell you that your doctor and the medical profession in general is more confused than ever regarding hypothyroidism, healthy thyroid function, and thyroid testing.

For what it’s worth, it’s not entirely your doctor’s fault.

Your doctor is really only as good as the thyroid function tests or tools he has available to diagnose you with. And, the TRUTH is that there really is NO perfect test for hypothyroidism.

Don’t get me wrong!

The hypothyroidism testing that takes place today is really abysmal. There is so much more the medical profession could be doing to improve their practices but they simply don’t for a number of social and economic reasons. Unfortunately today, improvements in medical science and testing are only considered if they can generate more profit.

All thyroid tests have their pluses and minuses, which can be expected. But today we’re so far off the mark when it comes to testing and diagnosing hypothyroidism that it really brings into question whose best interests are at mind here?

Bad Tests for Thyroid Function

The issue of thyroid function testing has been a hot debate for more than a century. If we can learn anything from history (which we rarely do) we should learn that thyroid tests come and go with the wind.

There have been a number of previous tests that have been “accepted” and used as the gold standard in diagnosing hypothyroid for years or decades only to eventually be discredited and deemed useless.

So, it’s important to take our current methods of thyroid function testing with a grain of salt because it’s likely that they too will follow suit at some point in time and be deemed unreliable.

Below are some of the commonly used hypothyroidism testing methods and why they are unreliable.

1.  TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) Testing

Odds are, if you’ve been diagnosed as hypothyroid by your doctor then you’ve had your TSH levels measured and they have likely been above “normal” (at least their interpretation of normal that is).

This is currently the standard test that medical doctors use to diagnose hypothyroidism. And it’s the ONLY test they typically run.

If you’re not familiar with human physiology, TSH is a hormone that tells the thyroid gland that more thyroid hormone is needed and to release more thyroid hormone into your bloodstream.

So, if TSH is high then this is thought to mean that your thyroid gland is not able to produce adequate thyroid hormone, thus you must be hypothyroid.

Extraneous Influences on TSH

One of the biggest problems with TSH testing is that it can be influenced by a number of extraneous factors unrelated to the direct function or health of the thyroid gland including:

·         Aging

·         Stress

·         Infection

·         Blood Sugar

·         Excessive T4

·         Etc.

It’s important to understand that any thyroid function test is merely giving you a snapshot of your hormone levels at one single moment in time. And any factor, including the list above, can cause an immediate or drastic change in your hormone levels.

So, let’s say you’re under a considerable amount of stress, you’ve caught a cold, or you didn’t have time to eat before your doctor’s appointment… these variables can affect the outcome of your test.

It’s also important to note that doctors typically prescribe T4 only medications like Synthroid, which can easily lower TSH without actually improving your thyroid function.

Illogical Reference Ranges

Any lab test is only as accurate to the degree that its reference ranges are accurate. And there is a lot of evidence surrounding the illogical reference ranges that have been established for TSH.

The original TSH reference ranges were based on the results of the Protein Bound Iodine test, which was one of the many tests that were deemed unreliable. Basing TSH reference ranges on a test that was proven to be unreliable makes the results of the TSH test… unreliable at best!

Watch this Video - Why TSH is the wrong test for Thyroid Function.

2.  Free T3 Testing

Triiodothyronine (a.k.a. T3) is typically referred to as the “active” thyroid hormone because it is far more metabolically active in your cells than T4, or the “inactive” thyroid hormone. Because of this, we know that T3 is the primary thyroid hormone that your cells use to produce energy.

When thyroid hormone exists in the bloodstream, it relies on carrier proteins to move it within your bloodstream and delivery it to your cells where it is used to produce energy.

One of the biggest arguments today regarding hypothyroidism is that of the Free Hormone Hypothesis. This hypothesis speculates that only “free” or non-bound T3 thyroid hormone can enter your cells and produce energy and that any T3 that is bound to a carrier protein is unavailable to your cells.

However, there have been many studies that have disproven this theory and demonstrated that bound hormones can enter not only cells, but cell mitochondria and cell nuclei.

This pretty much deflates the entire idea that only “free” T3 can be used by your cells.

Since free T3 accounts for less than five percent of your total T3, testing for free T3 is practically useless for diagnosing hypothyroidism.

3.  Basal Metabolic Rate Tests

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) Tests were extensively used in the early to mid-1900’s before blood tests were developed. This same BMR test is still being used today and is becoming more and more popular in recent years.

The BMR test works by precisely measuring the amount of oxygen that you consume when your body is basal, or completely at rest. Your rate of oxygen consumption can then be used to determine your metabolism and therefore thyroid function.

However, there are a number of factors that make this test unreliable.

For starters, it requires that your body be in a completely basal state which is practically impossible with this method of testing. The only time your body is truly in a basal state is when you first open your eyes in the morning and before you start moving and get out of bed.

By the time you wake up, get dressed, drive through traffic to your doctor’s office, check in, etc., your body is no longer in a truly basal state.

So, how accurate can measuring your “basal” metabolism be if you’re not even in a basal state?

In order to make this test truly relevant, you would have to have your doctor come to your home while you sleep, and then administer the test upon waking.

Even in this scenario, the idea of having your doctor in your home and putting some sort of mask over your mouth upon waking would elicit enough of a stress response to alter the test results.

4.  Thyroid Blood Tests

There are a number of blood tests available for measuring various factors related to the thyroid hormone pathway including TSH, T4, T3, reverse T3, T3 Resin Uptake, Thyroglobulin, etc.

If you understand the physiology and roles that all of these play within the human body, then you can begin to gain some insight into what the potential problems are that are disrupting your thyroid.

However, they do not answer the one single question that continues to elude medicine even today, which is how much thyroid hormones are actually getting to and being used by your cells.

There are a number of physiological and dietary factors that can stop thyroid hormone from actually being used by your cells. Thyroid hormone can be blocked in your bloodstream and it can be blocked at the cellular level.

There is No Perfect Thyroid Function Test

You MUST understand that you can take all of the thyroid hormone you want, you can run labs showing you have more than enough thyroid hormone in your blood, but if that thyroid hormone is not being used by your cells then you are still hypothyroid.

The perfect test for thyroid function would be to directly measure the amount of thyroid hormone being utilized by every cell of your body. But with billions of cells, this is easier said than done.

I think it’s safe to say that we’re not going to see any “perfect” thyroid test any time soon.

What Is the Best Option for Thyroid Function Testing Then?

We’ve already established that measuring various levels of hormones in your blood can provide some useful insight, but fails to tell you the most important thing you need to know, which is how much thyroid hormone your cells are actually using.

Today, this can only truly be estimated through measuring your Basal Metabolic Rate, which has been problematic because it’s impossible to walk into your doctor’s office in a truly basal condition.

Believe it, or not, there is a simple and highly effective thyroid test that can measure your thyroid function in a truly basal state.

By simply taking your temperature upon waking, you can quite reliably determine if your thyroid is able to keep up with the metabolic demands of your body, or if you truly are hypothyroid.

This is exactly how I work with my clients. We don’t rely on misguiding thyroid function tests. We use basal temperature and pulse as well as temperature and pulse throughout the day to determine the metabolic state of the body.

By knowing this information, you can begin to use your diet therapeutically to supply your thyroid and cells with the nutrients they need to keep them running in their optimal state, which is essential for the body and thyroid to heal.

Watch this Video Here – How to Test Your Thyroid - Simple Self-Test

Author Bio:

Tom Brimeyer – The author of Hypothyroidism Revolution – is a practitioner of functional medicine, health researcher and author on nutrition, hormones and hypothyroidism.

His personal mission is to inspire and educate people to take control and achieve true health by correcting their hypothyroidism and underlying causes of their health problems instead of being stuck relying on doctors and drugs that merely cover up their symptoms while their health continues to suffer.

For more details on his program, click on HypothyroidismRevolution.com

Warnings: 4 Types of Toxic Cookware to Avoid & Why

Take Your Life Back and Stop Hypothyroidism Naturally at the Source

When it comes to your health, and the health of your thyroid, it’s the foods that you put into your body that provide the foundation for regulating your hormones, provide the necessary nutrients to help your cells produce adequate energy, and fuel every single process within your body.

But, many people are ingesting more than just the foods they think they are eating. Many people are unknowingly ingesting toxins in their foods directly from their cookware. And research continues to show that these toxins are contributing to a number of very common and serious health problems today.

Does this mean that you need to go out and spend lots of money buying all new cookware?

Of course not!

But, sometimes the better cookware for your health is also better for your wallet.

Most of us primarily use one or two pots or pans regularly, so simply getting one or two inexpensive non-toxic ones can go a long way in protecting yourself and your family from chronic exposure to these common toxins.

Below, we’ll take a look at the common types of cookware you want to avoid, if possible, and why they are toxic to your health, followed by two safe types of cookware and how to test them to ensure that they are non-toxic and safe.

4 Types of Toxic Cookware to Avoid & Why

There are various types of cookware being sold today, mostly for their ability to resist corrosion and conduct heat. But far less attention has been given to the toxic effects that they can have on the human body.

Most of the different metals being used in cookware today are we’ll know toxins that have been linked to a number of diseases from Alzheimer’s to even heart disease and cancer.

Toxic Cookware #1 – Aluminium Cookware

Aluminium is one source of cookware that is used because it is inexpensive and is a great heat conductor. But, aluminium is a very well recognized neurotoxin that is known to inhibit more than 200 biological processes within the human body.

Cooking acidic foods or using salt in your cooking can leach aluminium out of your cookware and into your food, where it can easily make its way into your body.

Toxic Cookware #2 – Cast Iron

Most people don’t realize it, but cast iron is another very potentially toxic type of cookware. For starters, most cast iron cookware on the market is treated with soy oil which is very thyroid suppressive to begin with.

But few people realize the potential dangers of iron to their health. Studies have shown that stored iron in your body is the strongest indicator of heart disease, more so then cholesterol.

Body iron stores and presence of carotid atherosclerosis. Results from the Bruneck Study.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7918313

In a logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, sex, and all major vascular risk markers, ferritin emerged as one of the strongest indicators of carotid artery disease in both sexes (40 to 59 years; odds ratio, 1.54 per 100 micrograms/L; P < .001).

Iron is known to promote lipid peroxidation, destroy vitamin E in your body, and feed estrogen, all which suppress your thyroid. Iron will also destroy vitamins directly in your food.

There is also quite a lot of research demonstrating iron’s role in both heart disease and cancer. Below is just one of many studies demonstrating this.

Putative role of dietary trace elements in coronary heart disease and cancer.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7881323

Epidemiological evidence linking measures of high iron nutritional status with both coronary heart disease (CHD) and cancer is accumulating…

Toxic Cookware #3 – Austenitic Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is another commonly used type of cookware that is generally thought to be safe. About 70% of stainless steel is austenitic, where nickel is added to prevent corrosion and pitting of the metal itself. While the nickel does help it to last longer, it also makes it more expensive and introduces a number of health risks.

Austenitic stainless steel is typically labelled with either the old 18/8 or 18/10 designation or with the newer 300 Series designations based on the amount of chromium and nickel added: i.e. 301, 302, 304, etc.

However, nickel is more toxic than both iron and aluminium. It’s a very common allergen which is most evident by its use in jewellery, which commonly causes inflammation or a rash to form where the metal contacts the skin.

Nickel has also been linked directly to cancer.

Toxic Cookware #4 – Non-Stick (Teflon Coated) Cookware

Teflon is the chemical non-stick coating that is commonly used with cookware today. Initial research was thought to have shown that Teflon was safe when heated to low temperatures; however more recent research has demonstrated otherwise.

There is also a lot of controversy surrounding other non-stick variations, which are quite toxic and never approved for use in cookware, yet they have been found in cookware in detectable levels. These non-stick variations have been shown to cause cancer, disrupt the hormonal system, and be toxic to the liver and immune system.

As non-stick cookware ages and becomes worn from use, the risk of ingesting Teflon or its toxic by-products increases drastically.

2 Types of Non-Toxic Cookware

When it comes to non-toxic cookware, there are a couple of great choices that you can’t go wrong with.

Pyrex Glass

Pyrex glass in general is always a great choice for baking as it’s durable, inexpensive, and non-toxic. However, it can’t be used stovetop.

Nickel-Free Stainless Steel

For cooking stovetop, there are certain kinds of stainless steel that are safe. One of the best non-toxic options is to use nickel-free stainless steel, which does not contain the toxic nickel component that most stainless steel contains.

The upside to this type of stainless steel is that it’s cheaper because nickel is expensive and increases the cost of the cookware.

The downside is that the nickel helps make the cookware more resistant to corrosion, so nickel-free stainless steel cookware will be less corrosive resistant and therefore not last quite as long.

How to Choose the Right Stainless Steel

There’s a very simple way to determine if stainless steel cookware contains nickel or not. Stainless steel itself is magnetic, however, when nickel is added, it loses its magnetic properties.

Simply testing cookware with a magnetic will tell you whether or not it’s safe. If the metal is magnetic and the magnet sticks firmly to it then it’s nickel-free and safe. If the metal is non-magnetic and the magnet does not stick to it, then this means that it contains nickel and should be avoided.

Watch these 2 videos below – The Best Non Toxic Cookware for Your Kitchen plus Healthy Pots & Pans? The Best Non Toxic Cookware

Read the following related topics:

10 Hypothyroidism Diet Tips to Help Heal Your Thyroid

What is a Good Diet for Hypothyroidism?

3 Ways Coffee Can Heal Your Thyroid and Save Your Life

Hypothyroidism and Cholesterol – What You Don’t Know CAN Kill You!

5 Worst Cooking Oils for Your Thyroid

What is really The Best Cooking Oil for Thyroid Health?

3 Dangers of Iodine Therapy for Hypothyroidism

 

5 Best Ways to Protect Yourself from Iodine Toxicity

Caffeine and Cancer – The Hard Truth You Can’t Deny

Author Bio:

Tom Brimeyer – The author of Hypothyroidism Revolution – is a practitioner of functional medicine, health researcher and author on nutrition, hormones and hypothyroidism.

His personal mission is to inspire and educate people to take control and achieve true health by correcting their hypothyroidism and underlying causes of their health problems instead of being stuck relying on doctors and drugs that merely cover up their symptoms while their health continues to suffer.

For more details on his program, click on HypothyroidismRevolution.com

Caffeine and Cancer – The Hard Truth You Can’t Deny

Take Your Life Back and Stop Hypothyroidism Naturally at the Source

When I was young and naive, I use to despise coffee. Not because I believed that it had any sort of negative effects, but because of the idea of using something that I falsely believed to be nothing more than a stimulant, never sat well with me.

That was also the time when I truly believed that I was in perfect health. During this same time, my cholesterol and blood pressure started to rise and along with the emergence of a number of small and relatively subtle hypothyroidism symptoms that I chose to dismiss and ignore.

I continued to ignore coffee until I began to really study the effects of diet and the foods we eat on our human physiology. I actually started to understand how coffee affected my own physiology and that it was NOT just some sort of stimulant. It was much, much more than that. That’s when I started using it therapeutically with myself and my clients with quite amazing results.

The sheer fact that coffee alone has been shown to decrease mortality rates and increase longevity should be more than enough to convince most sceptics that there’s much more to coffee than meets the eye.

Aside from the mere fact that coffee will help you live longer, there have been a number of other recent studies on coffee showing the truly wide range of health benefits it has to offer. One such recent study was on caffeine and its effects on skin cancer.

Caffeine’s Effects on The Most Common Cancer

The most common cancer found today is a form of skin cancer called basal-cell carcinoma, affecting as many as 30% of people in their lifetime.

A recent study was published on the effects of caffeine on skin cancer where 112,897 people were followed over a 20 year period. Over this period of time, 22,786 people were diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma.

Increased Caffeine Intake Is Associated with Reduced Risk of Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Skin

http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/72/13/3282

Our findings argue that caffeine intake in men and women are inversely associated with risk of BCC.

Caffeine intake was analysed throughout this study with respect to diet including tea, cola, and chocolate which are also sources of dietary caffeine aside from coffee.

While these other sources of caffeine did help protect against this cancer, coffee proved to provide the most significant protection, likely because of the higher caffeine content as well as the additional nutrients that coffee provides.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news for all of the decaf drinkers out there, but decaf coffee did not provide the same protective benefits.

The results of this study were also backed by the results of mice studies which have demonstrated the same effects on skin cancer.

Coffee is More Than Just a Food

If you believe that skin cancer is the only form of cancer that coffee helps to protect you against, then you would be greatly mistaken.

There are many other very common forms of cancer that coffee and caffeine help to protect against including breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer, just to name a few.

It’s time that we stop looking at coffee as just some food and start seeing it for its true potential as an important nutrient that can help restore dysfunction and maintain the healthy function of the human body.

But it’s also important to use it correctly which most people do not. Today, most people rely on coffee just to get them through the day while ignoring the importance of their diet to their health.

Coffee should be looked at and used as a supplement, and therefore play a role in supplementing an already health diet.

Watch the 2 videos about Caffeine and Cancer – Caffeine and Cancer plus Is Coffee Bad for You?

Read the following related topics:

10 Hypothyroidism Diet Tips to Help Heal Your Thyroid

What is a Good Diet for Hypothyroidism?

3 Ways Coffee Can Heal Your Thyroid and Save Your Life

Hypothyroidism and Cholesterol – What You Don’t KnowCAN Kill You!

5 Worst Cooking Oils for Your Thyroid

What is really The Best Cooking Oil for Thyroid Health?

3 Dangers of Iodine Therapy for Hypothyroidism

 

5 Best Ways to Protect Yourself from Iodine Toxicity

Author Bio:

Tom Brimeyer – The author of Hypothyroidism Revolution – is a practitioner of functional medicine, health researcher and author on nutrition, hormones and hypothyroidism.

His personal mission is to inspire and educate people to take control and achieve true health by correcting their hypothyroidism and underlying causes of their health problems instead of being stuck relying on doctors and drugs that merely cover up their symptoms while their health continues to suffer.

For more details on his program, click on HypothyroidismRevolution.com

5 Best Ways to Protect Yourself from Iodine Toxicity

Take Your Life Back and Stop Hypothyroidism Naturally at the Source

There’s no denying the fact that iodine has become a popular treatment method for hypothyroidism today.

And rightfully so, considering that most websites discussing the topic of hypothyroidism bombard you with advertisements for the latest and greatest iodine supplements that are sure to cure your hypothyroidism.

But have you ever stopped to question the safety or legitimacy behind saturating your body with unnatural amounts of iodine?

The popularity behind the use of iodine for hypothyroidism has been largely fuelled by iodine’s use, centuries ago, in the treatment of goiters.

This, along with other false beliefs regarding your body’s need for iodine, has led some practitioners to recommend that you saturate yourself with iodine, because of the ridiculous belief that more is always better.

Unfortunately, the only ones who win are those selling iodine supplements because the more you use, the more money they make.

Iodine toxicity is a bigger problem than most people realize.

I recently discussed some of the specific dangers of iodine toxicity related directly to thyroid function in my blog post 3 Dangers of IodineTherapy for Hypothyroidism.

How Much Iodine Are You Getting?

Of course, there is a lot of variation from person to person with respect to the amount of iodine people consume on average per day. There are certainly some people who are truly deficient in iodine although this is quite rare today.

Seeing as how the recommendation for iodine is currently 150 mcg per day, it should be easy to understand how one can effortlessly achieve the recommended amount.

Below are a list of some common foods and their iodine content which can give you a better idea of how much iodine you are getting in your diet:

3 ounces of meat contains 15 mcg of iodine

3 ounces of shellfish contains 21-37 mcg of iodine

3 ounces of cod contains 99 mcg of iodine

8 ounces of milk contains 58-116 mcg of iodine

1 large egg contains 18-29 mcg of iodine

1 medium size potato contains 60 mcg of iodine

1 quarter teaspoon of iodized salt contains 115 mcg of iodine

1 ounces of seaweed contains 18,000 mcg of iodine

Getting enough iodine in your diet is oftentimes achievable in a single meal. A single serving of fish with a potato alone can provide you more than enough iodine in a single serving. This is without the inclusion of additional sources of iodine that most people are exposed to on a daily basis such as iodized salt.

How to Protect Yourself from Iodine Toxicity

Below are some simple guidelines to help you protect yourself from the negative effects of excess iodine.

Protect Yourself from Iodine Toxicity #Tip 1 - Avoid Iodine Supplements

To give you an idea of the potency of many iodine supplements today, most people are using 12.5 mg to 100 mg of iodine daily, which equals 80 to 650 times the recommend daily allowance.

To put that into perspective, there are some studies that demonstrate the toxic effects of even a small excess of iodine, from as little as 1 mg.

If you suspect an iodine deficiency then it’s important to use proper testing to determine this prior to diagnosing yourself based solely on assumptions. Measuring your iodine intake as well as testing your urine to determine how much iodine is being excreted is one way to measure your potential for deficiency or toxicity.

Blindly taking iodine supplements puts you at a much greater risk of iodine toxicity which can further damage your thyroid and oftentimes contributes to the development of autoimmune thyroiditis.

Watch these videos here – Warning:Iodine Supplementation (Deficiency, Thyroid Issues) plus Iodine Supplement Warnings

Protect Yourself from Iodine Toxicity #Tip 2 - Avoid Iodized Salt

During the mid to late 1800’s iodized salt was beginning to be used to reduce the prevalence of goiters in many countries. During that time, iodine deficiency was a much bigger issue.

But as you can see by simply looking at the iodine content in the list of common foods above, iodine deficiency is not as common you as might think.

Seeing as how as little as ¼ tsp. of iodized salt provides almost your entire recommended daily allowance of iodine, it should be easy to see how the use of iodized salt can have quite the dramatic effect on your daily iodine intake.

It is also well known that hypothyroid sufferers lose sodium rapidly through their urine. Because of this, their need for salt (sodium) increases which only further compounds this problem and increases your risk of iodine toxicity.

Because of this, it is advisable to get your iodine from other dietary sources and to avoid iodized salt altogether.

Protect Yourself from Iodine Toxicity #Tip 3 - Avoid Seaweed and Other Excessive Sources of Iodine

The idea that seaweed, kelp, and other sea vegetables are rich in thyroid and therefore must be healthy for your thyroid has led many to label iodine-rich foods like seaweed as super-foods.

But the extremely high iodine content can quickly become counter-production. Many types of seaweed provide as much as 4,500 mcg of iodine per ¼ oz., which is 30 times more than the recommended daily allowance.

Protect Yourself from Iodine Toxicity #Tip 4 - Focus on Natural Foods that Contain Healthy Amounts of Iodine

The easiest way to avoid iodine toxicity is to simply focus on eating a naturally healthy diet that contains healthy amounts of iodine.

However, the topic of a truly healthy diet is quite complex as there are many other factors aside from iodine content that are important in overcoming hypothyroidism.

These dietary factors, along with a step by step plan on how to heal your thyroid, are discussed in detail in my Hypothyroidism Revolution Program.

Protect Yourself from Iodine Toxicity #Tip 5 - Don’t Fall for Un-Scientific Testing

Many practitioners who support using high doses of iodine for hypothyroidism also push various tests to determine your potential for iodine deficiency, most of which have been proven to be scientifically invalid.

One such unscientific test that has gained popularity is the iodine spot test. The claim is that you can tell if you are iodine deficient by painting a spot of iodine on your skin. If it disappears quickly then this is believed to be a sign of deficiency.

However, this test holds no scientific basis. Iodine can quickly be converted into colorless iodide through its interaction with many substances.

The bottom line is, avoiding iodine supplements, iodized salt, and other foods that are abnormally high in iodine is a necessary and important step in avoiding iodine toxicity and properly regulating thyroid function.

Of course there is always the possibility that you could truly be iodine deficient and if you do suspect this, then do yourself a favor and get the proper testing you need to be properly diagnosed.

Blindly taking an iodine supplement, or any other supplement for that matter, is an accident waiting to happen.

Read the following related topics:

10 Hypothyroidism Diet Tips to Help Heal Your Thyroid

What is a Good Diet for Hypothyroidism?

3 Ways Coffee Can Heal Your Thyroid and Save Your Life

Hypothyroidism and Cholesterol – What You Don’t Know CAN Kill You!

5 Worst Cooking Oils for Your Thyroid

What is really The Best Cooking Oil for Thyroid Health?

3 Dangers of Iodine Therapy for Hypothyroidism

 

Author Bio:

Tom Brimeyer – The author of Hypothyroidism Revolution – is a practitioner of functional medicine, health researcher and author on nutrition, hormones and hypothyroidism.

His personal mission is to inspire and educate people to take control and achieve true health by correcting their hypothyroidism and underlying causes of their health problems instead of being stuck relying on doctors and drugs that merely cover up their symptoms while their health continues to suffer.

For more details on his program, click on HypothyroidismRevolution.com

3 Dangers of Iodine Therapy for Hypothyroidism

Take Your Life Back and Stop Hypothyroidism Naturally at the Source

Iodine therapy has become quite popular as a “potential” solution for hypothyroidism today. Much of its popularity arises from its use in treating goiters centuries ago.

But today, could it be causing more harm than good?

It is well known that the thyroid gland requires iodine to produce thyroid hormone. But few people understand the potential dangers of iodine therapy and excessive iodine consumption.

Dangers of Excessive Iodine

Today, iodine deficiency is extremely rare even though it is still being touted as a major cause of hypothyroidism. Because of the misleading idea of iodine deficiency, the market has become flooded with iodine supplements that claim to cure hypothyroidism, which in actuality pose a greater threat to your thyroid and health than you realize.

The FDA recommends 150 mcg (micrograms) of iodine daily for healthy thyroid function. This accounts for iodine in your food, as well as any additional supplementation.

As early as the 1970’s it was determined that people in the US were getting 10 times more iodine than they needed which grossly exceeds the recommended allowance.

With so much focus on iodine’s historical role in the treatment of goiters as well as the more recent discovery of its role in the production of thyroid hormone, very little, if any, attention has been placed on the dangers associated with iodine toxicity.

Because of this, most people are completely unaware that excess iodine is also a common cause of goiters, hypothyroidism, and thyroiditis today.

History of Iodine Therapy

The use of iodine therapy for goiters had actually been documented for thousands of years prior to the discovery of the thyroid gland.

One of the first documented cases of goiter treatment goes as far back as 1600 B.C. (more than 3600 years ago) by the ancient Chinese. At that time, what they only understood as a swollen neck was treated with the use of burnt sponge, which reduced the swelling.

The fact that burnt sponge was used as a treatment for goiter continually throughout history from 1600 B.C. through the 1800’s is a testament to its effectiveness. However, the mechanism by which burnt sponge acted was entirely unknown throughout this entire period.

It wasn’t until 1820 that Dr. Jean François Condet discovered that iodine was the active ingredient in the burnt sponge remedy. It was at this time that iodine therapy first became popular.

However, in 1820 as the use of supplemental iodine began, Condet also discovered the issue of iodine toxicity and attempted to warn people of the dangers.

History Repeats Itself – When Will We Learn From Our Mistakes?

When I was young kid in school, I once questioned my history teacher as to the importance of studying history. His answer, which suited me at the time, was that studying history was important so that we don’t make the same mistakes over again.

I suppose there is truth to this in theory but unfortunately, this is rarely the case in reality.

With Condet’s discovery in 1820, the iodine “fad” began. Iodine became readily available in supplemental form and its popularity rose dramatically. People even wore small containers of iodine around their necks so that it was conveniently available when they wanted it.

But the fad didn’t last because iodine quickly gained negative publicity from its over-use and the increased incidence of iodine toxicity.

But this wasn’t the end of the iodine fad…

In 1896 Eugen Baumann discovered that the thyroid gland was rich in iodine. Shortly after this discovery, in 1910, iodine supplementation was back on the map as a very popular treatment for thyroid disorders.

Iodine Deficiency Is Not the Cause of Goiter or Hypothyroidism Today

It wasn’t until the major advancements in science in the 1940’s that scientists began to recognize that there were other factors involved in the process of hypothyroidism that iodine supplementation did not solve.

If iodine therapy was the end-all solution then it would be safe to say that the occurrence of hypothyroidism would have drastically decreased during this time. The incidence of goiter may have decreased but this was also largely due to the development of modern industrialized farming practices and the introduction of iodine into the food supply. However, the incidence of hypothyroidism was still quite prevalent.

As industrialized farming practices were improved, the majority of food was being grown in iodine rich soil and people began to consume more than enough iodine from the foods they ate.

At this point in time, it was understood that iodine deficiency alone, was not the cause of hypothyroidism or goiters. As mentioned above, in the 1970’s it was found that people were getting as much as 10 times more iodine than they needed.

Scientists then began focusing on other causes such as anti-thyroid foods as well as other very interesting concepts. One such theory was that the common day demands on the body had increased which in turn, increased the body’s need for MORE thyroid hormone. As a side note: This is an important subject that will be covered in more detail in the future.

Problems with Iodine Therapy for Hypothyroidism

We’ve already established that the recommended daily allowance of iodine is 150 micrograms. Most of the popular iodine supplements today are recommending the use of 12.5 milligrams or more. That’s 83 times the recommended daily allowance.

Many proponents of iodine therapy recommend as much as 50 milligrams to 100 milligrams of iodine daily which is 350 to 650 times the recommend daily allowance.

This is a sure way to develop iodine toxicity, which is known to be quite dangerous to your thyroid!

Iodine Therapy Danger #1 – Excessive Iodine Causes Autoimmune Thyroiditis

There is quite a bit of research showing that excessive iodine greatly increases your risk of developing autoimmune thyroiditis. Considering the prevalence of thyroiditis today, this is a topic that deserves far more attention than it currently gets.

Below are just a few of the many studies that have demonstrated this link:

Induction of autoimmune thyroiditis in chickens by dietary iodine

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/230/4723/325.abstract

These results suggest that excessive consumption of iodine in the United States may be responsible for the increased incidence of autoimmune thyroiditis.

[Spontaneous Hashimoto-like thyroiditis in cats]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9065031

Animals with excess iodide intake, however, show an aggravation of the autoimmune inflammatory activity.

Iodine and thyroid autoimmune disease in animal models.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11396701

In general, iodine deficiency attenuates, while iodine excess accelerates autoimmune thyroiditis in autoimmune prone individuals

Iodine Therapy Danger #2 – Excessive Iodine Can Cause Hypothyroidism

Excessive iodine was once used to treat hyperthyroidism because of iodine’s ability to suppress thyroid function. However, in hypothyroid people or people with normal thyroid function, it has the same effect and can lower thyroid function far below normal.

For many, this is a temporary effect that subsides after the source of excessive iodine is removed. However, there are many cases of iodine-induced hypothyroidism that continue long term.

[Hypothyroidism related to excess iodine]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12448334

WOLFF-CHAIKOFF’S EFFECT: The thyroid gland has a capacity to reduce thyroid hormone production in the presence of excess iodine by reducing the organification of the iodine.

Iodine Therapy Danger #3 – Excessive Iodine Can Cause Goiters

While many people are led to believe that iodine is the only way to treat hypothyroidism and goiters, most are unaware that excessive iodine can actually have the opposite effect and cause hypothyroidism as well as the formation of goiters.

There are a couple of common ways this occurs…

Excessive iodine can cause thyroid cells to divide and grow in number. This causes an overall enlargement of the gland itself. But, when this occurs your cells lose the ability to make thyroid hormone.

Excessive iodine can cause Iodide Myxedema. This is where there’s an accumulation of connective tissue as well as an increase in edema around the neck and thyroid. This is most commonly seen in those who suffer from Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.Iodide

Myxedema is also common in areas of Japan where seaweed soup is commonly consumed which can contain 80 to 200 mg of iodide.

As you can see, there are some very serious dangers associated with the use of iodine therapy for hypothyroidism. The bottom line is that today, we are posed with a far greater risk of developing iodine toxicity than we are of an iodine deficiency.

And instead of falling for the latest and greatest “fad” thyroid supplement, it’s important to understand what you are putting in your body and the potential negative effects it can have on your thyroid and your health.

Watch this Video HERE and this Video TOO about the dangers of iodine therapy for hypothyroidism

Read the following related topics:

10 Hypothyroidism Diet Tips to Help Heal Your Thyroid

What is a Good Diet for Hypothyroidism?

3 Ways Coffee Can Heal YourThyroid and Save Your Life

Hypothyroidism and Cholesterol –What You Don’t Know CAN Kill You!

5 Worst Cooking Oils for Your Thyroid

What is really The Best Cooking Oil for Thyroid Health?

Author Bio:

Tom Brimeyer – The author of Hypothyroidism Revolution – is a practitioner of functional medicine, health researcher and author on nutrition, hormones and hypothyroidism.

His personal mission is to inspire and educate people to take control and achieve true health by correcting their hypothyroidism and underlying causes of their health problems instead of being stuck relying on doctors and drugs that merely cover up their symptoms while their health continues to suffer.

For more details on his program, click on HypothyroidismRevolution.com