Thyroid Conditions

Thyroid conditions are very common in this country, and seven times more common in women than in men.  The reason for this discrepancy is that men need iodine primarily just for their thyroid gland, whereas women need iodine not only for their thyroid, but also for their breasts and ovaries.  So if a man gets a marginally adequate amount of iodine in his diet, he can devote all of it to his thyroid gland.  Whereas if a woman gets the same amount of iodine in her diet, she has to split that marginal amount of iodine three ways since it must be shared by the thyroid, ovaries and breasts.

In the ancient past glaciers scraped away most of the iodine-containing soil from this continent.  That is why our soil is still iodine deficient today; and that is why the food grown on that soil is also deficient in iodine.  Research has found that cultures that have much larger dietary iodine have a fraction of the thyroid disease as well as a fraction of ovarian cancer and breast cancer.  There are also several other factors that contribute to this discrepancy in disease rates.

Most physicians screen for thyroid disease by using only one laboratory test called TSH.  However, research shows that thyroid dysfunction usually has to be in the advanced stages before it results in a TSH level that is outside of the normal range.  In our office we do much more comprehensive testing for thyroid function, so are able to identify thyroid problems much earlier.  This has a side benefit in allowing us to effectively treat such conditions much more easily and with natural nutrients.

In addition, the more comprehensive testing we do enable us to determine whether the thyroid problem is caused by a pituitary that can’t make enough TSH, by a thyroid gland that’s not making enough thyroid hormone, by the liver and kidneys not being able to convert enough T4 thyroid hormone into the more active T3 thyroid hormone, by iodide or iodine deficiency, by autoimmune thyroid disease or by other factors.  By finding out the cause of the thyroid imbalance first, we can be much more effective with our treatment strategy.

So if you have thyroid hormone symptoms such as low energy, cold hands and feet, cold body, mental fogginess, dry skin, hair falling out, or depression and your regular physician has not been able to identify the cause, give us a call so that we can find out what’s causing your condition and prescribe effective, natural, safe treatment.