PERSPECTIVE— 

This week, on A Different Perspective, guest speakers Doctors Shane and Courtney review what we’ve learned during thyroid month and cover thyroid interference. What traumas, toxins, and thoughts can interfere with thyroid function? Watch now to find out! 

Review 

• What does the thyroid do? 
  • Breathing 
  • Heart rate 
  • Heart health – contraction & CRP 
  • Cholesterol levels 
  • Central and peripheral nervous systems 
  • Body weight, 
  • Muscle strength 
  • Menstrual cycles 
  • Body temperature 
  • Digestion-T4/T3 
  • Bone health-calcitonin 
  • Development and IQ 
  • Immune system 
• Most common symptoms  
  • Hypo 
    • Trouble sleeping 
    • Tiredness and fatigue 
    • Difficulty concentrating 
    • Dry skin and hair 
    • Depression 
    • Constipation 
    • Sensitivity to cold temperature 
    • Frequent, heavy periods 
    • Joint and muscle pain 
  • Hyper 
    • Trouble sleeping 
    • Restlessness 
    • Rapid heartbeat 
    • Anxiety, irritability 
    • Sweating 
    • Tremors 
    • Loose stool 
    • Weight loss 
    • Weakness 
    • Thin skin and hair 
    • Heat intolerance 
• Having the same symptoms doesn’t mean you have the same causes or triggers 
• The thyroid makes 6 different hormones; one medication doesn’t cover all of it. 
• 4 questions you must ask 
  • Production—do you make enough 
    • Nutrients needed:  
      • Tyrosine  
      • Iodine  
      • Iron  
      • Zinc  
      • Selenium  
      • Vit B, C, D & E 
  • Conversion—does your body convert T4 into T3? 
    • Nutrients needed:  
      • Selenium  
      • Iron  
      • Glutathione  
      • Zinc  
  • Destruction—is there an autoimmune issue? 
    • An estimated 23.5-50 million people are affected in the U.S.  
    • Autoimmune disease is a leading cause of death in women ages 15-64.  
  • Interference—what is triggering it? 
    • Stress  
    • Subluxations  
    • Toxicities  
    • Leaky gut  
    • Deficiencies  
    • Viral load  
    • Halogens 
    • Interference definition 

Interference breaks down into traumas, toxins, and thoughts 

• Trauma—severe and micro 
  • Puts stress on nervous system  
  • Body needs nervous system to communicate with the brain 
  • Confusion of a radio signal 
• Toxins 
  • Halogens—second to last column on the periodic table 
  • Iodine is needed, the other halogens will compete for receptors 
    • Fluoride 
      • Teflon-coated non-stick pans. 
      • Prozac, Paxil, some other SSRI antidepressants, antacids, antibiotics, and antihistamines can all contain fluorine. 
      • Wineries use fluoride-based pesticides in their vineyards. 
      • Fluoride exposure and hypothyroidism in a Canadian pregnancy cohort 
      • Swish-and-spit: your town qualified if you were at a higher percentage of fluoride in drinking water than what the above study found to be too much. 
    • Bromine 
      • The Bully of the Halide Group 
      • Brominated flour “dough conditioner” called potassium bromate 
      • Methyl bromide (pesticide) used mainly on strawberries 
      • Soft drinks (including Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Sun Drop, Squirt, Fresca and other citrus-flavored sodas), in the form of brominated vegetable oils (BVOs) 
      • Medications such as Atrovent inhaler, Atrovent nasal spray, Pro-Banthine (for ulcers), and anesthesia agents 
      • Fire retardants (common one is polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs) used in fabrics, carpets, upholstery, and mattresses 
      • Hot tubs and pools 
    • Chlorine 
      • Drinking it 
      • Showering in it 
      • Swimming pools 
      • A good water filter is essential  
        • Berkey  
        • Radiant life  
  • Heavy metals 
    • Mercury 
      • Negative associations observed between Hg and TH levels are consistent with proposed mechanisms for Hg toxicity in which Hg accumulates in the thyroid and reduces iodide uptake at the sodium/iodide symporter by binding to iodide  
      • Mercury impairs selenium activity (when they bind) and enzymes 
        • Either stops activity  
        • Or slows activity 
      • Thyroid can’t function normally without selenium 
        • Selenoproteins: deoidinases and glutathione peroxidase 
      • Selenium “antagonistic to the toxic effects of mercury” 
      • Neutralizes damaging particles (free radicals) 
      • Sources: 
        • Thermometer 
        • Fish 
        • Metal fillings in your teeth 
  • Viruses 
    • Needs a host cell 
    • What happens if that cell is your thyroid? 
      • Your body is smart—it’ll try to get rid of that virus and may sacrifice some of the thyroid to do so. 
      • Epstein-Barre, Mono, etc. 
  • Leaky gut 
    • Zonulin and its regulation of intestinal barrier function: the biological door to inflammation, autoimmunity, and cancer 
    • Zonulin, regulation of tight junctions, and autoimmune disease  
    • There are only two recognized stimuli that open doors for a gut “leak”  
      • Gluten 
      • Bacterial imbalance of GI 
    • Leaky gut is now viewed as a pre-condition to autoimmune disease 
  • Infections 
  • Parasites 
  • Yeast overgrowth 
• Thoughts 
  • Cortisol  
    • Secreted by adrenals 
    • Cortisol is going to block conversion 
    • Lowers TSH 

Whose advice are you taking? 

• We’ve never seen someone come in with complete testing for their thyroid. 
• Without a roadmap, you end up lost 
• We’re constantly exposed. The health of the United States isn’t getting better.