Hypothyroidism: A Barrier to Weight Loss and Feeling Good
Hypothyroidism affects around 0.9% of men and 4.8% of women over 20 years-of-age with an additional 0.4% of males and 0.9% of females having undiagnosed hypothyroidism. Many people have mild or subclinical hypothyroidism and have no idea. 1 There is a bit of controversy surrounding optimal lab values. As with most things, some people who have a “normal” lab value may actually have hypothyroidism.2 This is especially true in the case of the most common type of hypothyroidism: autoimmune hypothyroidism (also known as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis).3 Lab values can vary greatly looking terrible sometimes and looking perfect at other times.4
The most common symptoms of hypothyroidism are fatigue, depression, dry skin, hair loss, constipation, sensitivity to cold, memory loss, and weight gain. Hypothyroidism is very common among women going through menopause; it is an often overlooked cause of depression, fatigue, and foggy thinking. 5
Hypothyroidism also increases your risk of other diseases. It can cause increased cholesterol in the blood, increased risk of heart disease, more problems with blood sugar control and diabetes, vitamin B12 deficiency, and increased risk of estrogen-driven cancers such as breast cancer.6
Types:
- The most common type of hypothyroidism in the United States is autoimmune Hashimoto’s thyroiditis; it accounts for 80% of all cases. This is not really a problem with the thyroid but a problem with the immune system attacking the thyroid.
- Hypothyroidism can also be due to removal or destruction of the thyroid gland from treatment of hyperthyroidism or thyroid cancer. There is no thyroid to work with here. Supplementation of thyroid hormone is required.
- Another type is due to nutritional factors such as tyrosine or iodine deficiencies. These are less common in developed countries especially since the use of iodized salt became so prevalent. A better source of iodine is seaweed. Adding a little seaweed to soups, stews, and beans can provide great support for the thyroid as well as adding valuable minerals.
- Malfunctioning of other glands can cause hypothyroidism.
- Finally, another type of hypothyroidism is called functional hypothyroidism. This occurs when the thyroid makes plenty of thyroid hormone, but the body is unable to convert it from the inactive form (T4) to the active form (T3).
Treatment:
When thinking about treatment of any condition, the first thing that must be understood is the cause and/or the mechanisms that are going wrong in the body. In the case of hypothyroidism, some of the mechanisms and causes are listed above. I am going to talk most about Hashimoto’s as it is by far the most common cause of hypothyroidism.
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, again, is not a true thyroid problem; the thyroid gland is doing what it is supposed to do to the best of its ability. The problem is that your immune system is attacking and destroying the thyroid gland and/or thyroid hormone. The standard therapy for this condition is to give Levothyroxine (synthetic T4 thyroid hormone). This is not a bad idea as it will provide the thyroid hormone your body needs to function properly. Do not use alternative forms of thyroid hormones in this case. These are made from animal thyroid glands that are very similar to our own thyroid glands. Since your immune system is already attacking thyroid tissue, it would be like adding fuel to the fire.
Supplementation of thyroid hormone should not be all that is done! This does not address the immune system attacking the thyroid gland—the root cause of the condition. Calming this immune response requires a multi-system approach especially involving the immune system, digestive system, systems of elimination, and the endocrine system.
Treatment of dysbiosis:
There is a correlation between abnormally high levels of certain bacteria (most notably Yersinia enterocolitica and Borrelia burgdorferi) in the digestive system and autoimmune hypothyroidism.789 Abnormal levels of bacteria in the digestive system is generally called “dysbiosis.” You must correct the dysbiosis in order to treat the autoimmunity.
- Probiotics are “friendly” bacteria that you can take orally to compete with the bacteria that are out of balance. A high quality probiotic and a high enough dose are essential. Typical doses are 5-20 billion cfu’s per day. It is also good to use a probiotic with several strains of bacteria in it.
- Avoiding aggravating foods is a must. Foods can aggravate for a number of reasons none of which are good. Foods that are most commonly a problem in dysbiosis are gluten-containing grains (wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, oats), unfermented dairy products, and sugar. Traditional allergy testing is not always sufficient in uncovering these aggravating foods. The best test of all is elimination of foods. This is difficult to do on your own so get help from friends and family.
- Nutrient-rich broths are very soothing to the stomach and intestines providing gelatin, nutrients, and minerals.12, 13
Calming of the Immune System:
We can also take steps to directly dampen or calm the immune response. This requires more technical knowledge of the immune system that is beyond the scope of this article. But there are some foundational therapies that are almost always helpful.
- Vitamin D is the most important vitamin you can take to calm the immune system. We are finding out just how important vitamin D is in many processes in the body. I recommend taking around 2000iu’s of D3 per day. Vitamin D stimulates the T-regulatory cells of the immune system.
- Avoiding aggravating foods is important in this system as well.
Avoiding Toxins and Increasing Detoxification
The thyroid gland is also very sensitive to toxins from the environment. Avoid as many sources of toxins as possible and then help your body get rid of the toxins that it has accumulated. I will cover this in more detail in another article
- Avoid known toxins, read labels, and educate yourself on what is in your food, soap, and cosmetics. Use environmentally-friendly cleaning products.
- Use a good water filter for your drinking, cooking, and bathing water.
- Drink plenty of water to flush out the body. Monitor your urine and drink enough so that your urine is a very light yellow.
- Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit. The compounds found in vegetables and fruits (especially berries) are essential for the detoxification process.
Balancing the Endocrine System
The thyroid is part of the endocrine (hormonal) system and therefore has a lot of interaction with other glands that make hormones. Of most importance is working with the adrenal glands and the sex hormones to decrease problems in those systems. This is a complex subject that will have to wait until another article dedicated to the subject.
- Get plenty of sleep. Also, get to sleep at the same time every day.
- Reduce stress by taking at least some time for your spiritual practice (prayer, meditation, Nature walks) and time for yourself (leisure time) every day.
There is so much that can be done to address hypothyroid conditions allowing sufferers to feel better and prevent further health problems. But it requires thinking past the thyroid gland alone and addressing imbalance throughout the body.
- Bjoro, T et al. European Journal of Endocrinology , 2000 ↩
- Bakin, HJ et al. Endocrine Practice, Vol 8(6), 2002: 457. ↩
- Endocrine Society http://www.endo-society.org ↩
- Kharrazian, D. Autoimmune Thyroid Research and Practice Updates. 2008. ↩
- Beers, MH and Berkow, R. Merck Manual, 17th ed. Merck Research Laboratories, 1999: 94. ↩
- Bakin, HJ et al. Endocrine Practice, Vol 8(6), 2002: 457. ↩
- Velez, ML et al. Endocrinology 147(7):3260–3275 ↩
- Arscott, P et al. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 75(1): 295-300. ↩
- Salvatore Benvenga, Fabrizio Guarneri, Mario Vaccaro, Libero Santarpia, Francesco Trimarchi. Thyroid. November 1, 2004, 14(11): 964-966. ↩
- Gottschall, E. Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet. ↩
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Psychology Syndrome. ↩
- Fallon, S. Nourishing Traditions. ↩
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Psychology Syndrome. ↩
