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Monday, February 27, 2017

3 Dangers of Iodine Therapy for Hypothyroidism


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. Click on image to Read on to find out more.

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

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]

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

Iodine and thyroid autoimmune disease in animal models.


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]


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:







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

Friday, February 24, 2017

What are the BIG Risks of Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Pregnancy?

While many of the health risks associated with hypothyroidism during pregnancy are well known, yet rarely discussed, studies are now showing that these same health risks are just as common among women with subclinical hypothyroidism, who present no signs or symptoms and therefore are never properly tested or treated.  Read on to learn what can be the big risks of subclinical hypothyroidism in pregnancy.

Take Your Life Back and Stop Hypothyroidism Naturally at the Source


Being the proud father of two beautiful and amazing children, I know first-hand what it is like to want the best for your children. I know what it is like as a parent to want to give your children the best possible advantage in life. But few realize that some of the biggest advantages that we can give, or get, in life begin long before birth, with the thyroid health of the mother.

While many of the health risks associated with hypothyroidism during pregnancy are well known, yet rarely discussed, studies are now showing that these same health risks are just as common among women with subclinical hypothyroidism, who present no signs or symptoms and therefore are never properly tested or treated.

It’s a shame that we can spend $125 billion dollars a year treating cancer alone, yet we completely ignore such a simple issue that could potentially help cut future cancer rates significantly.

There is no arguing that our health in general has been declining rapidly for many generations now. Diseases, including cancer and Type 2 diabetes, that were once limited to only the adult population are now becoming more and more common in younger and younger children.

If you understand the fact that “it takes life (a.k.a. energy) to give life (a.k.a. energy)” then you can understand that a new-born child can only be as healthy as the parents that brought the child to life.

If we have any chance at putting an end to this negative health trend then we have to start by giving our children the best possible health advantage that we can, which starts during pregnancy and before.

Effects of Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Pregnancy on Foetal and Future Health

There have been a number of studies showing the increased health risk factors associated with subclinical hypothyroidism in pregnancy.

With respect to foetal health and development, these studies show that subclinical hypothyroidism in pregnancy drastically increases risks for:

·         Miscarriage
·         Premature Birth
·         Placental Abruptions
·         Low Birth Weight
·         Neonatal Respiratory Distress
·         Impaired Motor Function
·         Impaired Intellectual Development
·         Lower IQ Scores for Children


Unfortunately, there has been little done to study the long term effects of maternal hypothyroidism on the future health of the child. But knowing that low birth weight is a common risk factor; we can gain a little more insight into the long term effects by simply looking at the future health risks associated with low birth weight.

Granted, subclinical hypothyroidism in pregnancy is not the only cause of low birth weight, but simply understanding that thyroid function plays a crucial role in growth and development, it should make sense that poor thyroid function is definitely an issue, regardless of the cause.

It should be no surprise that the future health risks of adults who were born low birth weight babies are identical to the common health risks of hypothyroidism:

·         Chronic Infections
·         Asthma
·         Insulin Resistance
·         Diabetes
·         High Blood Pressure
·         Heart Disease

Hopefully this opens your eyes to the fact that the health and thyroid function of your mother had a huge impact on your health today. And it helps to explain how declining health is passed from generation to generation.

Even if you had no signs or symptoms of hypothyroidism during pregnancy, a more recent study demonstrated how millions of women are unknowingly hypothyroid and carry almost all of the same pregnancy risk factors.

Risk Factors of Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Pregnancy

A recent study looking into the effects of subclinical hypothyroidism in pregnancy revealed some striking results. These subclinical cases showed no signs or symptoms of hypothyroidism even though testing showed otherwise.

I have talked in great detail about how hypothyroidism is grossly undiagnosed and this study more than proves this. Of all the women studied, just over 10 percent were diagnosed with overt hypothyroidism where they showed obvious signs and symptoms. Even this is more than twice what the medical community claims.

What’s more striking is that 40% of the women were hypothyroid with no signs or symptoms.

This is a major problem since doctors only test for hypothyroidism when there are obvious signs and symptoms, meaning that they are unknowingly missing 40% of hypothyroidism that requires proper treatment. I’m starting to feel like a broken record when I say this.

The results of the study itself showed that these subclinical hypothyroid women presented with almost all of the same risk factors as the women who showed obvious signs or symptoms. And the risk factors were just as significant; which include:

·         Miscarriage
·         Still birth
·         Preterm Delivery
·         Low Birth Weight
·         Small Gestational Age Rates

This shows the obvious need for better testing and screening for hypothyroidism, especially early in pregnancy.

Pregnancy Loss and Neonatal Outcomes in Women with
Thyroid Dysfunction in the First Trimester of Pregnancy


Subclinical hypothyroidism (GpB) was associated with significantly increased foetal loss, preterm delivery, increased low birth weight (LBW)rates and increased small for gestation age(SGA)rates…

Overt hypothyroidism (GpC) was also associated significantly increased foetal loss, increased LBW rates, increased SGA rates and increased incidence of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia…

Watch this Video HERE – Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Pregnancy - How Mom's Thyroid Problems Can Hurt Baby

Thyroid Testing during Pregnancy – Too Little, Too Late?

The author of the above study is using this research to push for routine hypothyroidism screening for pregnant women.

Is this a step in the right direction? Of course it is.

But ideally, we should be diagnosing and treating hypothyroidism well before pregnancy. The focus should be on prevention which should start much earlier in life.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

– Ben Franklin

Children today DO deserve the best possible advantages in life which is why proper screening for children is an absolute must. Plus it doesn’t have to cost anyone a penny. It’s well known that blood tests for hypothyroidism are not cutting it today. Simply monitoring temperature and pulse is a free and far more effective screening.

Imagine that, improving health and saving lives while lowering the cost of healthcare.

What a novel idea…

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



Friday, February 17, 2017

What is really The Best Cooking Oil for Thyroid Health?

Most of the benefits that coconut oil provides for thyroid health, have more to do with its ability to help regulate and correct your physiology to prevent other external influences from suppressing your thyroid. Read on here to learn a few examples of how coconut oil directly or indirectly improves thyroid health and function.

Take Your Life Back and Stop Hypothyroidism Naturally at the Source



It’s no secret that the rate of virtually every disease continues to rise year after year. Often at times if you want to achieve the opposite results with your health, you must take opposite action.

A perfect example of this can be seen by looking at the fats in your diet. Coconut oil is by far one of the best fats, or cooking oils, for thyroid health because of the fact that it’s highly saturated.

Not only is coconut oil a very saturated fat containing 96% or more saturated fat, but it contains next to no polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), which we know are quite thyroid suppressive on multiple levels.

Before you start cringing and squirming in your seat at the idea of using a saturated fat in your diet, let’s think about it for just a second and use a little common sense for once.

We know that unsaturated fats oxidize easily and promote cell damage. The reason they oxidize so easily is because of their weak and unstable chemical structure.

Saturated fats on the other hand are extremely stable and do not oxidize. So, by simply eating coconut oil instead of PUFAs, you’re protecting yourself from accelerated aging and a number of other health problems associated with the oxidative damage caused by PUFAs in your diet.

But won’t coconut oil, being a saturated fat, clog your arteries and cause heart disease?

Unfortunately, that’s what more than a half of a century of brain washing will do to you. But it’s a good thing that you’re too smart to let that continue to happen, right?

In fact there’s lots of research on coconut oil and how it protects against heart disease.

Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) in aging and arteriosclerosis.


The Demographic Yearbook of the United Nations (1978) reported that Sri Lanka has the lowest death rate from ischemic heart disease. Sri Lanka is the only of the countries giving reliable data where coconut oil (containing over 50% medium chain fatty acids) is the main dietary fat.

What baffles me even more is that regardless of the research, the benefits of coconut oil are still being greatly down-played by the medical community.

In fact, here’s a quote directly from a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist regarding the potential benefits of coconut oil for thyroid health:

The misconception that coconut oil can cure underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) arose after publication of a book several years ago touting the beneficial effects of coconut oil. However, there is no evidence that coconut oil stimulates thyroid function.

–       Mayo Clinic Endocrinologist

Even the FDA has stated that coconut oil, being a saturated fat, should be avoided.

How Coconut Oil Helps Thyroid Health

Unfortunately, our lack of understanding of physiology and common sense are really what are holding us back from seeing and understanding the benefits that coconut oil provides for hypothyroidism.

Sometimes you have to look beyond the direct effect on the thyroid gland itself and look at the bigger picture.

Most of the benefits that coconut oil provides for thyroid health, have more to do with its ability to help regulate and correct your physiology to prevent other external influences from suppressing your thyroid.

Here are a few examples of how coconut oil directly or indirectly improves thyroid health and function.

1. Coconut oil displaces PUFAs and their direct harmful thyroid suppressive effects. As I mentioned above, these so called “heart healthy” polyunsaturated fats that are being promoted are well known to suppress your thyroid on multiple levels: at your gland, in your bloodstream, and at your cells.

By simply eating more coconut oil, you are effectively increasing the ratio of saturated fatty acids to unsaturated fatty acids and therefore displacing the PUFAs in your body which directly improves your thyroid health function on all levels.

2. Coconut oil helps regulate blood sugar and stress hormones which suppress thyroid function. PUFAs are also very effective at lowering blood sugar, and by replacing PUFAs in your body with the saturated fat from coconut oil, it helps to regulate blood sugar and therefore suppress stress hormones.

Stress hormones can directly inhibit the thyroid gland by suppressing TSH. They suppress thyroid hormone conversion in the liver. They also increase Reverse T3 production. In general, hypothyroidism sufferers overproduce stress hormones.

Many people experience a greater sense of satiety and improved blood sugar control after replacing PUFAs with coconut oil in their diet.

3. Coconut oil protects cell mitochondria against stress and injury, both of which suppress thyroid function. I talk a lot about the health of your thyroid being largely dictated by your cells ability to utilize thyroid hormone.

PUFAs cause cell damage and alter metabolism on many levels. For starters, I’ve already mentioned that they cause oxidative cell damage which directly damages the cell mitochondria and inhibits your cells ability to utilize thyroid hormone properly.

This is why everyone is so gung-ho on antioxidants today. Everyone is unknowingly pumping their bodies full of bad oils that are causing the very oxidative damage that these antioxidants are trying to protect against.

Coconut oil acts as a potent antioxidant by helping to offset the pro-oxidative effects of the PUFAs, which in turn improves mitochondria and cell health, and promotes the healthy use of thyroid hormone by your cells.

Fractions of coconut oil are now even being used by medicine in the treatment of many kinds of cancers, which in itself goes to show you that coconut oil does play a direct role in improving cellular energy production and therefore improving thyroid function.

What Kind of Coconut Oil Is Best for Thyroid Health?

As with most health foods, as they become increasing popular, more and more low quality products begin to hit the market. Coconut oil is no different.

This is why it’s important to get coconut oil from a reputable source, since the chemical processing often negates the benefits of the oil itself and introduces other potential harmful components.

This is what has driven most people to rely on unrefined virgin coconut oil, but even this isn’t ideal for most people since unrefined coconut oil still contains coconut particulate which can irritate the digestive tract and increase estrogen and stress hormone production.

This is why often times a properly refined (expeller pressed) coconut oil can be a much better option for thyroid health.

Watch this Video HERE - The Coconut & Thyroid Connection - Coconut Oil Benefits for Thyroid Health

Read these related articles:






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



Thursday, February 16, 2017

5 Worst Cooking Oils for Your Thyroid

Today I want to talk about a very important but confusing topic that has a much bigger impact on hypothyroidism than you realize. There is a lot of confusing and false information that continues to circulate across the globe regarding what fats and oils are truly healthy.

Take Your Life Back and Stop Hypothyroidism Naturally at the Source



Today I want to talk about a very important but confusing topic that has a much bigger impact on your thyroid than you realize. There is a lot of confusing and false information that continues to circulate across the globe regarding what fats and oils are truly healthy.

Unfortunately, you and millions of other people have been led to believe that all of these so called “heart healthy” oils in your diet are preventing future health problems while the reality is that they are not only heart UN-healthy but are linked directly to hypothyroidism.

One of my favorite quotes that I find applicable to many situations in life, including this one, is…

“Insanity is repeating the same behavior and expecting different results”
–       Albert Einstein

The entire “heart healthy” marketing movement was driven by the fact that polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) could lower cholesterol. Even though it’s still going strong today, the entire cholesterol myth has been debunked by science long ago which I cover in some detail in my blog post: Hypothyroidism and Cholesterol – What You Don’t Know CAN Kill You!

If all of these polyunsaturated fats were so “heart healthy” then why has heart disease continued to rise in spite of our drastic increase in the use of these oils?

According to statistics from the FDA, our use of “heart healthy” polyunsaturated oils has increased by more than 330% since 1970 with the average person today consuming 51.9 lbs. per year as opposed to only 15.4 lbs. per year in 1970.

If over the course of 40 years these “heart healthy” oils have not made any bit of impact in heart health then why do we continue to push them as if another 40 years might provide some different results?

That’s not wishful thinking… That’s pure insanity.

That also doesn’t paint a good picture for polyunsaturated fats but believe it or not, polyunsaturated fats can paint a good picture, so to speak…

PUFAs – Great for Paint, Bad for Hypothyroidism

Polyunsaturated fats were once used almost exclusively for paint varnish. You see, polyunsaturated fats work great for paints because they oxidize and dry very easily allowing paint to be liquid and then dry when applied to a wall.

But somewhere between the lines of ignorance and “insanity”, as Albert Einstein would have said, we’ve completely ignored the obvious dangers of these fats in favor of unscientific research and false promises.

It is very well known that polyunsaturated fats oxidize rapidly when exposed to oxygen and heat, and this oxidation creates free radicals, oxidative damage, and cell death. Killing your own cells definitely doesn’t improve your health in case you were wondering.

Regardless of how these oils are processed and manufactured, oxygen is abundant in the human body which is heated to roughly 98.6 °F. Needless to say, your body is a perfect environment for the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids.

But that’s only part of the problem…

Polyunsaturated fats also promote and cause hypothyroidism on multiple levels.

1.   Polyunsaturated fats block the thyroid gland from secreting thyroid hormone.

2.   Polyunsaturated fats block the transport of thyroid hormone to your cells within your bloodstream.

3.   Polyunsaturated fats block your cells from properly utilizing the thyroid hormone that is available.

5 Worst Oils for Cooking

The only way to stop the thyroid suppressive effects of most cooking oils is to avoid them altogether. Unfortunately, this is difficult because these toxic oils are so inexpensive.

Because of this, people continue to use them in their kitchens and they are used extensively in restaurants and commercial food products where inexpensive oils lead to greater profits.

Below are five of the worst oils you can use which are highest in polyunsaturated fat and pose the greatest risk to your thyroid.

Vegetable oil, which is not included in the list above is nothing more than a generic name for the combination of one or more of these oils, but predominantly consists of soybean oil, which is likely the worst of them all.

1.   Soybean Oil – Saturated fat: 15% Monounsaturated fat: 23% Polyunsaturated fat: 58%

2.   Corn Oil – Saturated fat: 13% Monounsaturated fat: 28% Polyunsaturated fat: 55%

3.   Cottonseed Oil – Saturated fat: 26% Monounsaturated fat: 18% Polyunsaturated fat: 52%

4.   Sunflower Oil – Saturated fat: 10% Monounsaturated fat: 45% Polyunsaturated fat: 40%

5.   Peanut Oil – Saturated fat: 17% Monounsaturated fat: 46% Polyunsaturated fat: 32%

When Will the Insanity End?

How much longer do they have to keep repeatedly pushing and promoting the use of these oils before we realize that ignoring the science that is right in front of our eyes is true insanity?

By continuing to follow the health advice of the masses, how can you logically expect different results? How can you expect anything but more hypothyroidism, heart disease, and cancer?

Sometimes the only way to achieve opposite results is to take opposite action.

Watch this Video HERE - 5 Worst Cooking Oils for Your Thyroid by Hypothyroidism Revolution




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


Wednesday, February 15, 2017

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

Even though the link between hypothyroidism and cholesterol has been well known and documented since 1936, very few people today understand this connection or are even aware of it.

Take Your Life Back and Stop Hypothyroidism Naturally at the Source



The topic of cholesterol is one that has been near and dear to my heart for more than a decade now. I have a family history of high cholesterol and heart disease and when I was younger and didn’t know any better, I always feared my “genetics” were going to get the best of me.

As I got older, my cholesterol did become a problem but I’m happy to say that using the very principles that I now teach, my cholesterol has normalized to within normal range without the use of drugs.

For me, cholesterol was never a problem until I graduated college, got my first job, started a family, and began enduring the common stressors of everyday life. This is a common theme for most people which should go to show you that your cholesterol levels have a lot to do with stress.

As my cholesterol continued to rise, I tried a number of diets to help lower my cholesterol and improve my health. I tried low-fat diets, low-carb diets, the blood-type diet, gluten-free diets, the newer “fad” paleo diet, etc.

What I discovered is that not only did none of these diets improve my cholesterol, but many of them actually caused my cholesterol to reach all-time highs.

But within a few months of using the same dietary principles that I use today, my cholesterol dropped more than 30 points to within “normal” levels for the first time since my college years.

Little did I know at the time, but previously poor diets and stress had made me hypothyroidism which was really the underlying cause of my high cholesterol. And by simply improving my thyroid function, my cholesterol normalized.

The Link between Hypothyroidism and Cholesterol

Even though the link between hypothyroidism and cholesterol has been well known and documented since 1936, very few people today understand this connection or are even aware of it.

The truth is that you are being left in the dark when it comes to your cholesterol. Just mentioning the word cholesterol is enough to make most people cringe in disgust. But have you ever thought about WHY we have cholesterol in the first place?

Cholesterol happens to be the precursor to every vital protective hormone that your body produces. Without it, you would not be able to produce these protective hormones and you would die. It’s as simple as that. So, cholesterol is not quite as bad as you may think.

Your body needs cholesterol, vitamin A, and active T3 thyroid hormone (sorry Synthroid users but your inactive T4 thyroid hormone doesn’t cut it) to produce the multitude of protective hormones that play an integral role in preventing and overcoming hypothyroidism. Some of these protective hormones include:

·         Pregnenolone
·         Progesterone
·         DHEA
·         Testosterone

Think about it for just a minute…

Your body NEEDS active T3 thyroid hormone to use cholesterol. If you are hypothyroid and therefore lack active T3 thyroid hormone then your body simply cannot use cholesterol to make the hormones it needs. As a result of not being able to use cholesterol, it naturally rises.

Here’s a simple graph that shows this effect. Using TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) as an indicator of thyroid function, you can see that “bad” cholesterol increases as thyroid function decreases in both men and women.


The bottom line is that high cholesterol is nothing more than a sign and symptoms of Hypothyroidism.

What You Don’t Know About Heart Disease, Hypothyroidism and Cholesterol

There is a simple saying that you need to understand when it comes to Heart Disease

“Correlation does not imply causation.”

Just because a study may show that people with elevated cholesterol have a higher risk of Heart Disease, it does not IMPLY that cholesterol is the CAUSE of Heart Disease.

I just explained how Hypothyroidism is the underlying cause of high cholesterol, so it’s sufficient to say that Hypothyroidism is also the true underlying cause of Heart Disease. High cholesterol is nothing more than a symptom of the real problem.

Using cholesterol lower drugs or even suppressing your cholesterol through diet does NOT solve the underlying problem of Hypothyroidism. It only makes matters worse because as you suppress cholesterol, you further suppress your body’s ability to produce those vital protective hormones that you desperately need to survive.

By suppressing cholesterol, you’re only adding the problem and taking one step closer to death.

This is why so many men at high risk of Heart Disease suffer from low testosterone and many associated symptoms including:

·         Fatigue and Low Energy
·         Loss of Libido
·         Erectile Dysfunction
·         Excessive Muscle Wasting
·         Inability to Handle Stress

This is also why so many women at high risk of Heart Disease suffer from low progesterone and many associated symptoms including:

·         Fatigue and Low Energy
·         Weight Gain
·         Osteoporosis
·         Breast Cancer
·         Depression

Between the extremely high prevalence of Hypothyroidism and the extremely high use of Statin Drugs and other cholesterol lowering medications, it is no wonder that today we’re seeing more and more cases of Hypothyroidism being misdiagnosed and mistreated.

Cases such as the one below reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine are becoming a common day occurrence:

Hypothyroidism Misdiagnosed as Statin Intolerance


Case Report: A man age 56 years presented to a specialty lipid clinic for management of combined hyperlipidemia and myositis…. Over the next several years, the atorvastatin dose was increased to 40 mg/d. During this time, the patient developed leg fatigue while walking up stairs, diffuse muscle pain, and weakness.

What You Don’t Know About Cholesterol Drugs

Drug manufacturers have published a lot of research in order to persuade your doctor to prescribe you their cholesterol lowering drugs and to help make you feel all warm and fuzzy about taking these drugs daily.

You’re taking these drugs because they prevent heart disease, make your healthier, and improve your quality oflife, right?

You might want to think twice and educate yourself…

There have been a number of independent research groups that have analyzed the research data that these drug companies are using to promote the effectiveness of their cholesterol lowering drugs in preventing Heart Disease. Their results tell quite a different story.

In most cases, independent researchers have reported that there are just as many non-supportive research trials as there are supportive trials and the non-supportive research has been largely ignored while the supportive trials are being cited 6 times more frequently. It has also been brought to light that there has been NO non-supportive research cited after 1970, while such research does exist.

This only goes to show you that if there is research that does NOT support the efficacy of the drug, it can simply be ignored and disregarded in order to obtain the desired statistical results.

It doesn’t matter how you look at it. It’s biased research.

Because of independent research, there is now evidence that Statin Drugs do NOT prevent heart disease and some even show that they actually worsen your risk. Below are just a couple of studies showing this:

Statins for primary prevention: at what coronary risk is safety assured?


Results: The regression line describing the relationship between mortality benefit and risk suggests that statin use could be associated with an increase in mortality of 1% in 10 years. This would be sufficiently large to negate statin’s beneficial effect on CHD mortality in patients with a CHD event risk less than 13% over 10 years.

Cholesterol lowering trials in coronary heart disease: frequency of citation and outcome.


Conclusions: Lowering serum cholesterol concentrations does not reduce mortality and is unlikely to prevent coronary heart disease. Claims of the opposite are based on preferential citation of supportive trials.

Risks Associated With Low Cholesterol

Before putting your faith in any drug, it’s important to also look at the potential side effects. In most cases, using a drug to avoid one health problem only exposes you to an increased risk of developing a number of other health problems.

Statin Drugs in particular have been linked to an increased risk of:

·         Progressive Muscle Disease
·         Diabetes
·         Liver Damage
·         Digestive Problems
·         Immunological Disorders
·         Memory Loss
·         Lou Gehrig’s Disease

Maybe you’re a betting man (or woman) and you’re willing to take the risk of developing any of these other health issues and you truly believe that cholesterol lowering drugs are saving your life.

Maybe you’re of the mindset that whatever doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger?

Maybe you still believe that the lower your cholesterol the better?
Here’s some more research for you…

Low cholesterol is also associated with increased death due to both cancer and suicide. So, even if, by any stretch of the imagination, cholesterol lowering drugs were to improve your risk of dying from Heart Disease, you may just be increasing your risk of developing cancer or one of the many other degenerative diseases.

Protect Your Thyroid and Protect Your Heart – It’s That Simple

We could go on for days about cholesterol and heart disease but the bottom line is simple, correct the underlying problem of Hypothyroidism and you won’t have to worry about Heart Disease.

If modern medicine would place a little more focus on understanding Hypothyroidism and the underlying cause of the disease instead of trying to merely treat these various symptoms, we might start seeing some major improvements in our health and health-care system.

Endocrinologist and thyroid expert, Dr. Broda Barnes, said it perfectly when stated that if you suffer from Hypothyroidism and you don’t die early from infectious disease then you’ll die a little later from Cancer or Heart Disease.

Watch this Video Here - The Link between Hypothyroidism and Cholesterol - How Hypothyroidism Affects Cholesterol Levels

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

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