One Reason Your Thyroid Might Not Be
Working Properly
So, I thought I had done everything right. I had switched
from just synthetic T4, to natural desiccated thyroid extract containing, T3
and T4. Three months after making these changes, I went back to my doc for the
results of my blood test, and all my hormones, not just my thyroid were just
where they needed to be. I felt great!
Then, something began to change. Over the
next several months I started to feel more tired, achy, depressed and bitchy.
Then the anxiety started. Around that time I went in for another blood test
review, and lo and behold, my thyroid levels had completely bottomed out, along
with my estrogen and testosterone levels. My doc was stunned! He asked me about
dosage, and was I taking my morning dose on an empty stomach etc. With nothing
more to offer, he suggested I take both doses in the morning, thinking that the
afternoon dose was being absorbed by food.
It was just my shear fortune that on my way home I stopped
to see my awesome chiropractor. Dr. Barry Goldberg, (my absolute hero!) did
some muscle testing, and after a few tests Dr. Goldberg concluded that I was
completely deficient in iodine.
If you want to learn more about Muscle Testing, go to this
web site.
Iodine deficiency! For the love of Pete! Who would have thought?
Since that day, here is what I
have learned.
1.
Your thyroid needs iodine to make the various
thyroid hormones.
2.
Most people do not get enough iodine from their
diet. Iodine is found mainly in sea vegetables such as kelp and seaweed, and in
Scallops and Cod.
3.
Don’t count on iodized salt because:
a.
Most of the iodine “evaporates” from the salt
container
b.
Our bodies do not absorb this particular form of
iodine well
c. Chlorine, fluoride and bromine are all in
the same chemical family as iodine and can displace iodine in your thyroid
gland. In this blog, I will just speak to the bromine problem.
What the heck does
that mean?
Here’s the deal. Bromine is in a ton of processed foods and
sodas. Bromine is used as an anti-fungal pesticide and is sprayed directly onto
strawberries. Bromine is in our swimming pools, hot tubs, and in many of the
medications we take. Bromine is also found in most commercial bakery items and
many types of flour. And here is my favorite. Bromine is used in many types of
asthma inhalers. And since, I have asthma, and use my inhaler a few times a
day, I was breathing bromine right into my system!
What to do?
Dr. Goldberg immediately suggest I begin
taking an iodine/iodide supplement called Iodizyme-HP, a product manufactured
by Biotics. I began taking one tablet a day, which was 6.25 mg a day.
It took two weeks for me to get well from this. During that
time, I still woke up with panic attacks and horrible anxiety. During the day,
all I could do is sit around like a slob and watch stupid TV shows. After two
weeks though, my brain began to clear, the panic attacks and anxiety went away,
and I began to feel much better. Over the next couple months I have increased
my dose to four tablets a day, two in the morning and two in the evening.
Now I am back to living my life, writing, being a wife and mother and doing the things I love to do the most.
Although it is outside the scope of this particular blog on
the thyroid gland, I feel it is necessary to mention that Iodine deficiency
also plays a critical role in breast cancer. For more information, refer to
this article.
In my next and final blog regarding the thyroid gland, I
will be discussing the role of Reverse T3, Cortisol, and other mineral deficiencies in hypothyroidism.
Stay tuned.
