Is this gland taking you down? Sixteen Signs You Might Be Hypothyroid...

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Your thyroid plays a part in nearly every metabolic process and when the thyroid isn't working you won't feel well!  This small gland has an average weight of 16.4 grams in the adult. Shaped like a butterfly, it lies low on the front of the neck and below your Adam’s apple and in front of the windpipe. When the thyroid is its normal size, you can’t even feel it.

The thyroid secretes several hormones, collectively called thyroid hormones. The main hormone is thyroxine, also called T4, but there are others, including T3 and even lesser known T1 and T2.   It requires adequate selenium, iodine, zinc, B vitamins and antioxidants for optimal function.  Thyroid hormones act throughout the body, influencing metabolism, growth and development, and body temperature. During infancy and childhood, adequate thyroid hormone is crucial for brain development.  Unfortunately, the thyroid gland is uniquely sensitive to drugs and environmental chemicals which may affect proper function.

More than 10 percent of the general population in the United States, and 20 percent of women over the age of 60, have subclinical hypothyroidism. But only a small percentage of these people are being treated.  It is important to ask your doctor to check you thyroid function if you feel that you are having symptoms.

Often, at first, you barely notice the symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as fatigue and weight gain.  You might simply attribute them to getting older. But as your metabolism continues to slow, you may develop more obvious signs and symptoms.

Top Sixteen Symptoms of Hypothyroid

1. Fatigue
2. Increased sensitivity to cold
3. Constipation
4. Dry skin
5. Unexplained weight gain
6. Puffy face
7. Hoarseness
8. Muscle weakness
9. Elevated blood cholesterol level
10. Muscle aches and pain
11. Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints
12. Heavier than normal or irregular menstrual periods
13. Thinning hair
14. Slower heart rate
15. Depressed mood
16. Impaired memory

Here is a simple checklist of symptoms that may indicate abnormal thyroid function:

____ My facial skin looks or feels thinner
____ My muscles feel weak, particularly the upper arms and thighs
____ I am having difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep
____ I feel fatigued, exhausted all the time

____ I frequently require more than 8 hours of sleep at night

____ I feel better if I am able to take an afternoon nap every day

____ I am unable to tolerate exercise

____ I have less stamina or energy than others
____ My hair is coarse and dry, breaking, brittle, falling out
____ My skin is coarse, dry, scaly, thin 

____ My eyebrows are thinning, especially the outer 1/3

____ I frequently struggle with constipation or hard stools

____ I am always colder than others around me

____ I typically wear a sweater, even in the summer

____ I am having more breakouts or acne
____ I have pains, aches in joints, hands and feet 

____ I experience numbness or tingling in my hands & fingers
____ I am having irregular periods (women)

____ I am having trouble maintaining erection (men)
____ I am having trouble conceiving a baby
____ I have had one or more miscarriages
____ I feel depressed most of the time
____ I feel restless, or anxious 

____ I have puffiness and swelling around the eyes and face
____ My moods change easily 

____ I have difficulty concentrating or focusing
____ I have more feelings of sadness
____ I seem to be losing interest in normal daily activities
____ I'm more forgetful lately
____ My hair is falling out
____ I can't seem to remember things
____ I have no sex drive
____ I am getting more frequent infections, that last longer
____ My eyes feel gritty and dry
____ My eyes feel sensitive to light 

____ I am having difficulty swallowing or feeling a lump in my throat

____ I have a hoarse or gravely voice
____ I have tinnitus (ringing in ears)
____ I feel some lightheadedness or dizziness
____ I have severe menstrual cramps

Other conditions that may be associated with thyroid dysfunction:

• Infertility or frequent miscarriage
• Acne 
• High cholesterol 
• Irregular periods 
• Low libido 
• Fluid retention 
• Difficulty swallowing 
• Respiratory difficulties
• Iron-deficiency
• Glaucoma
• Frequent headaches

Family history that suggests you could have a higher risk for hypothyroidism:

• Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance
• Goiter
• Prematurely gray hair
• Type 1 Diabetes
• Autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, sarcoidosis, Sjogren's, etc.)
• Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Elevated cholesterol levels

Ten Tips To Support a Healthy Thyroid:

1. Eliminate gluten from your diet!  One in three patient's with Hashimoto's thyroiditis are sensitive to gluten.
2. Selenium is essential to a healthy thyroid and the first thing I recommend for those with autoimmune thyroiditis or Hashimoto's.  You can get 200mcg of selenium by eating 2-3 organic brazil nuts daily! 
3. Wild caught fish, like salmon, supple ample omega-3 fatty acids which are essential for optimal thyroid function.  If you don't eat fish frequently, you can supplement with a high quality Omega3 supplement, like Thorne OmegaPlus 2-3 caps daily.
4. Get plenty of sunlight to optimize your vitamin D levels and take 1000-2000IU daily of Vitamin D3.
5. Herbs that support thyroid function include ashwaganda, eleuthero and other adrenal adaptogens. One of my favorite formulas is Gaia Herbs Thyroid Support
6. Dandelion greens, carrots, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, and sweet potatoes are all rich sources of essential Vitamin A 
7. Use organic coconut oil in your cooking -- it's great for high heat cooking and sautéing many different meats and vegetables. 
8. Filter your drinking water from chlorine and other harmful chemicals which suppress the thyroid and block iodine
9. Find daily ways to detox, like using a sauna, taking epsom salt baths, adding chlorella, parsley, or cilantro to your daily smoothie to help your body detoxify from chemical exposures (petrochemicals, PCBs, pesticides, and mercury)
10. Work on lowering stress levels through daily gratitude, prayer, meditation, yoga, deep breathing!

Environmental Toxins May be Poisoning Your Thyroid

Many environmental factors have the potential to impact thyroid function.  Some of these factors include:

• Potassium perchlorate, which inhibits iodine uptake by the thyroid, is used in rocket propellant, fireworks, and automobile airbags. Potassium perchlorate is stable in the environment and contaminates water throughout the United States. Newborns and infants are most susceptible to this inhibitory effect on iodine transport. The thiocyanates in cigarette smoke can have effects similar to potassium perchlorate.
• Isoflavones (phytoestrogens), found in soy proteins, are thyroid peroxidase inhibitors.
• Pesticides induce glucuronidation of T4 and reduce T4 half-life.
• Polychlorinated biphenyls are industrial chemicals that were banned in 1975 but still are routinely detected in the environment. They have been shown to reduce T4 levels in animals and are neurotoxic. Their effect varies because of partial agonist effect at the thyroid hormone receptor and their varied chemical structure.
• Bisphenol A—used in plastics, as resins for coating food cans, and as dental sealants—antagonizes T3 activation of the thyroid hormone b-receptor in rats, causing a thyroid hormone resistance–like syndrome.
• Keep your home free from these and other toxic chemicals
• And read the blog on MTHFR for how your genes can also make you more susceptible to thyroid dysfunction and poor detox!

A Prescription for Hypothyroid

If you are truly suffering from hypothryoid, no amount of nutritional supplementation will replace your abnormally low levels of thyroid hormone.  Ask your doctor to do comprehensive thyroid lab testing including:  TSH, free T4, free T3, total T4, total T3, reverse T3, thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOs), and thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb).  An ultrasound to evaluate the appearance of the thyroid is necessary if you are experiencing symptoms of enlarged thyroid or nodules.

Common drug options for thyroid replacement include:

• T4 preparations
• Synthroid
• Levothroid
• Levoxyl
• levothyroxine
• Tyrosint
• T4/T3 preparations
• NaturThroid
• Armour Thyroid
• ERFA thyroid
• dessicated thyroid
• Westthroid
• Thyrolar
• T3 only preparations
• Cytomel

References:
Could Thyroid Dysfunction Be Causing My Symptoms?
Drugs and Environmental Toxins take on the Thyroid
NEJM: Drugs that Influence Thyroid Function

Zonulin & Leaky Gut: A discovery that changed the way we view inflammation, autoimmune disease and cancer!

An amazing discovery a few years ago revolutionized our ability to understand the gut and permeability and how this impacts a wide range of health conditions from cancer to autoimmune disease to inflammation and food sensitivities. 

This little molecule, zonulin, has quite a story...

Zonulin is the "doorway" to leaky gut

Zonulin opens up the spaces between the cells of the intestinal lining. That normally occurs, in order for nutrient and other molecules to get in and out of the intestine. However, when leaky gut is present, the spaces between the cells open up too much allowing larger protein molecules to get into the bloodstream where an immunologic reaction can take place. Once that happens, the body is primed to react to those proteins each and every time they appear.  It can also cause leakage of intestinal contents, like bacteria into the immune system creating inflammation and overloading the liver's ability to filter out this garbage.

Triggers that open the zonulin doorway

Based on Dr. Fasano's research, we know that the two most powerful triggers to open the zonulin door are gluten and gut bacteria in the small intestine.  Gliadin causes zonulin levels to increase both in those people who have celiac disease and those who do not.  As the zonulin level rises, the seal  between the intestinal cells diminishes, opening up spaces between cells that allow all sorts of things to pass right through.  This is called "leaky gut".  Its as if the security guard that keeps the bad guys out is taking a nap! Sometimes large food molecules will pass through to the immune system.  The immune system thinks they are foreign invaders and will mount an immune response leading to food sensitivities.  In addition this immune activation leads to more damage to the intestinal cells (called enterocytes) and the gut becomes more inflamed and more permeable or "leaky".  As the damage continues, the microvilli that line the intestines and absorb nutrients become damaged, leading to other nutrient deficiencies.  

Top causes of increased zonulin and development of leaky gut:

1. Overgrowth of harmful organisms, like bacteria or yeast in the intestine 
1. SIBO = small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
2. Fungal dysbiosis or candida overgrowth
3. Parasite infections
2. Gliadin in the diet (gluten containing foods)

Gliadin is a protein in wheat, that like gluten, is a trigger for people with celiac disease. However, a study published in the Scandiavian Journal of Gastroenterology in 2006 clearly showed that gliadin can affect zonulin even in people without the gene for celiac. The researchers concluded that

Based on our results, we concluded that gliadin activates zonulin signaling irrespective of the genetic expression of autoimmunity, leading to increased intestinal permeability to macromolecules.

The significance of this is that gluten affects intestinal permeability in all persons to different extents.  It also means that 100% of patients with autoimmune disease or leaky gut could potentially benefit from a gluten-free diet.

Elevated zonulin levels and leaky gut are also associated with the following:

1. Crohn's disease
2. Type 1 Diabetes
3. Multiple Sclerosis
4. Asthma
5. Glioma
6. Inflammatory Bowel Disease

In conclusion the article states: 

Genetic predisposition, miscommunication between innate and adaptive immunity, exposure to environmental triggers, and loss of intestinal barrier function secondary to the activation of the zonulin pathway by food-derived environmental triggers or changes in gut microbiota all seem to be key ingredients involved in the pathogenesis of inflammation, autoimmunity, and cancer. This new theory implies that [once this path is activated] it can be... reversed by preventing the continuous interplay between genes and the environment.

Zonulin and Its Regulation of Intestinal Barrier Function: The Biological Door to Inflammation, Autoimmunity, and Cancer

Alessio Fasano

Abstract:
The primary functions of the gastrointestinal tract have traditionally been perceived to be limited to the digestion and absorption of nutrients and to electrolytes and water homeostasis. A more attentive analysis of the anatomic and functional arrangement of the gastrointestinal tract, however, suggests that another extremely important function of this organ is its ability to regulate the trafficking of macromolecules between the environment and the host through a barrier mechanism. Together with the gut-associated lymphoid tissue and the neuroendocrine network, the intestinal epithelial barrier, with its intercellular tight junctions, controls the equilibrium between tolerance and immunity to non-self antigens. Zonulin is the only physiological modulator of intercellular tight junctions described so far that is involved in trafficking of macromolecules and, therefore, in tolerance/immune response balance. When the finely tuned zonulin pathway is deregulated in genetically susceptible individuals, both intestinal and extraintestinal autoimmune, inflammatory, and neoplastic disorders can occur. This new paradigm subverts traditional theories underlying the development of these diseases and suggests that these processes can be arrested if the interplay between genes and environmental triggers is prevented by reestablishing the zonulin-dependent intestinal barrier function. This review is timely given the increased interest in the role of a “leaky gut” in the pathogenesis of several pathological conditions targeting both the intestine and extraintestinal organs.

Constipation Trouble? Here's 5 Tips to Get You Going...

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Here's 5 Simple Tips to Keep You Going...

Constipation is one of those topics few like to talk about. If you've suffered from this problem, though, you know it can be both painful and frustrating.

Almost everyone gets constipated at some time during his or her life. It affects approximately 2% of the population.  Women and the elderly are more commonly affected.

You are considered constipated if you have two or more of the following for at least 3 months:

• Straining during a bowel movement more than one-quarter of the time
• Hard stools more than one-quarter of the time
• Incomplete evacuation more than one-quarter of the time
• Averaging less than one normal formed, but soft stool daily

Common causes of constipation include:

• Inadequate water intake
• Inadequate fiber in the diet
• Disruption of regular diet or routine
• Traveling
• Inadequate exercise or immobility
• Eating large amounts of dairy products
• Stress
• Resisting the urge to have a bowel movement too frequently
• Overuse of laxatives (stool softeners) 
• Low thyroid hormone
• Neurological conditions, like Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis
• Too much calcium in supplements or antacids
• Certain medications, anti-depressants, pain killers, and iron supplements
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Pregnancy
• Colon Cancer

If you simply treat the causes and the symptoms go away!

Here are five simple natural suggestions to "keep you going":

1. Probiotics - When the wrong bacteria or yeast gain control of the bowels, they slow things down to ferment foods just how they like them. A good quality probiotic like, lactobaccilus or bifidobacter can help change that. You'll want to take a dairy-free brand with at least 25 billion cfu's per capsule daily
2. Dehydration - Without enough fluids to move things through the intestinal tract, the feces becomes hard and your digestion slows way down. Drinking a large glass of water upon waking improves bowel movements in most cases. Drinking a large glass of water few hours of the day can also alleviate IBS symptoms.
3. Fiber - For both constipation and IBS, dietary fiber is the first line of intervention for symptom relief. I usually recommend patients add 2 TBSP of ground flax seed or chia to their breakfast or smoothie.  Another way is to use psyllium caps or powder. 
4. Vitamin C - One symptom of vitamin C deficiency is constipation. Taking vitamin C in amounts just below bowel tolerance (gas, bloating or diarrhea) can definitely improve bowel movements and regularity. Start slow with 3000 mg spread throughout the day and every 2-3 days add another 1,000 mg to the regimen. When you reach bowel tolerance and stools loosen up, back off a little and maintain the dose that works for you
5. Magnesium - if patients I see are complaining of difficulty with constipation, the first thing I usually recommend is adding magnesium citrate at bedtime.  Many patients sleep better, have less muscle pain and bowel function dramatically improves with a little magnesium.  Doses typically range from 300-600mg but may go upwards of 1000mg daily.  

Still no relief?!  If the five suggestions above don't relieve your constipation, then you might have food sensitivities...  A common symptom of food sensitivity is constipation. Studies show that milk can cause constipation and a more recent study also implicates gluten. Constipation is more likely to occur in children fed gluten at at less than six months of age with a 35% increased risk of constipation.  You might try doing a three week elimination diet avoiding the common culprits:  gluten, dairy, sugar, and soy. 

If you have slow moving bowels, bowel pain or both, find the cause and fix it! Treating the symptoms only hides the causes, allowing your problems to grow into bigger problems.