Thyroid disease is one of the most under and misdiagnosed diseases in the world right now. The statistics are grim. Feeling tired, bloated and suffer brain fog and poor memory? You should be looking at your thyroid.
Over 20 million people could be walking around with this debilitating condition and 60% of them will never know.
Imagine that. Waking up every day with terrible fatigue, gaining weight, losing hair. And it only gets worse. Yet you don’t know what’s causing it.
Do you know your risk level?
I didn’t either.
My good friend Dr. Izabella Wentz has designed a free 30 second test that can give you a great foundation for discovering your personal risk.
Not only is Dr. Wentz one of the most cutting edge thyroid researchers anywhere, she has her own secret. 
Dr. Wentz suffered from weight gain, fatigue, body pains, brain fog and panic attacks for almost 10 years.
She has created this short, powerful quiz to raise awareness about thyroid conditions. Dr. Wentz doesn’t want others to suffer needlessly like she did!
Click here to take the quiz and discover your risk level now!
Watch the Thyroid Secret Docuseries
And I am one of them!
What is the Thyroid?
This remarkable gland in the neck affects every cell in your body, regulating cell metabolism like a thermostat. Your body needs a constant level of heat to perform its functions. There’s a huge difference in how your cells function, whether they are cold or warm.
Your own immune system is fighting your thyroid or something is preventing the hormones from getting into cells. Your whole system slows down.
Symptoms of Thyroid Dysfunction
Symptoms of low thyroid often develop gradually and can sometimes take years to manifest. If you suspect you may have a thyroid problem, look at your symptoms and your history carefully, yourself. Nothing is more important but your own sense about how our own body is working — or not working.
Symptoms and Risk Factors
- Heavy since childhood
- Family history of thyroid problems
- Weight gain
- Low energy, fatigue, need lots of sleep, trouble getting going in the morning
- Tendency to feel cold, particularly in the hands and feet
- Tendency toward excessive weight gain or inability to lose weight
- Hoarseness, gravelly voice
- Constipation
- Depression, including postpartum
- Low blood pressure
- Low heart rate
- Reduced sex drive
- Poor concentration and memory
- Swollen eyelids and face, general water retention
- Cellulite formation
- Thinning or loss of outside of eyebrows
- Weak, brittle nails
- Coarse, dry hair
- Hair loss
- Tend to have a low temperature (under 97.8)
- Headaches (including migraines)
- High cholesterol
- Lump in throat and trouble swallowing
- Goiter; enlarged, swollen, or lumpy thyroid (look at the base of your throat, below your Adam’s apple)
- Infertility, impotence
- Fibrous or fibrocystic breasts
- Development of ovarian cysts
- Menstrual problems, including excessive bleeding, severe cramping, irregular periods, severe PMS, scanty flow; early or late onset of first period; premature cessation of menstruation (amenorrhea
Causes of Thyroid Dysfunction
For most people, a lot triggers for low thyroid function.
Genetics. You have relatives that have thyroid problems.
Low-Calorie Dieting and Nutrient-Deficient Diets. Within hours of restricting calories, the thyroid will slow down and remain slow until the ordeal (the famine, the diet) is over.
Hormonal Events. Hormonal events throw many vulnerable people into low-thyroid states. Even if you passed through puberty normally, a miscarriage, abortion, or pregnancy may have depressed your thyroid function. The final hormonal trigger, menopause, is often confused with low thyroid function, as symptoms look very similar.
Chemicals in Water. The water supply is loaded with halogens like fluoride, chlorine, and bromine, which compete with iodine for absorption in our bodies and suppress thyroid function. Most water supplies are treated with fluoride and chlorine. Every time you take a shower, your skin absorbs both these chemicals. Get a shower or whole house filter. Every time you swim in a pool or jacuzzi, you absorb chlorine or bromine. Drink spring water or be sure your water filter removes chlorine, fluoride and hydrocarbons (another thyroid suppressor). Time to switch to fluoride free toothpaste! To remove chemicals like chlorine and fluoride, I recommend a PureEffects Water Filter.
Excess Estrogen. Increased estrogen and progesterone bind to thyroid hormones, preventing them from being used by the body. Birth control pills is a common cause of thyroid problem due to increased estrogen. Excess estrogens in the body can be caused by poor liver function or break down of estrogens and excess body fat (which actively produces estrogen). Even if you have low estrogen levels, you can be plagued with estrogen-mimicking substances that block thyroid hormones. For a complete list of estrogenic substances to avoid, see my article Estrogen Dominance Syndrome.
Copper and Mercury Toxicity. Copper and mercury interfere with the thyroid by antagonizing or opposing zinc, manganese and selenium needed for thyroid function. Unfortunately, mercury toxicity are almost universal today. Mercury gets into our bodies from dental fillings, large fish and shellfish, and the burning of coal, which releases mercury in the air. To learn more, read Mercury Toxicity. Copper toxicity can be due to adrenal insufficiency, vegetarian diets, zinc deficiency, stress, etc. To learn more, read Copper Toxicity Syndrome. Listen to this podcast on Copper Dysregulation.
Nutrient Deficiencies. These include low levels in our food of bioavailable zinc, selenium, iodine, manganese and others needed for proper thyroid functioning.
Parasites. Parasites can exacerbate thyroid problems.
Vegetarian Diets. Eating a vegetarian diet can cause you to become anemic or iron deficient, needed for vigorous thyroid function, along with other nutrients such as selenium and zinc. These nutrients are found plentifully in red meat. They are more difficult to get from foods on a vegetarian eating plan, especially if you are vegan (no animal products). I advise eating red meat once a week for healthy thyroid function.
Soy. Soy can have a powerfully negative effect on your thyroid, actually inhibiting its ability to produce its primary hormone, T4. If you are having a lot of soy milk, edamame, tofu, soy burgers, soy shakes, soy bars or you’ve started on a diet program where the meal replacement shakes/bars/snacks use soy as their protein source, you may want to reconsider. For more information, see my article Little Known Dangers of Soy.
Goitrogens. Goitrogenic foods (members of the cabbage family) contain thiocyanates, which inhibit thyroid function. Cooking only destroys this compound in goitrogenic foods to a degree. These include Chinese cabbage, broccoli, watercress, kale, rutabaga, turnips, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, radish, horseradish, kohlrabi, collard, rape and mustard greens. Millet is the most goitrogenic food on earth. Beware of it in gluten-free products. Sufficient iodine in your diet can assist in combatting goitrogenic foods. Goitrogens only present a problem to your thyroid in the absence of sufficient iodine.
Iodine. Our thyroid hormones are composed of tyrosine (an amino acid, protein building block) and iodine. Tyrosine is easy to find in all animal, and in many vegetable, protein sources. Iodine is harder to find. So, the government began iodizing salt to prevent goiter (caused by too little iodine). As a result, autoimmune thyroiditis, aka Hashimoto’s (caused by too much iodine), became epidemic. Too much iodine can cause hyperthyroidism. One quarter of men and up to half of women are iodine deficient. If you squirm at the thought of eating fish or seaweed, Hain makes iodized sea salt or you can take Nascent Iodine (I take Global healing center’s Detoxadine).
Intolerance to Gluten. Wheat, rye, and barley contain a thyroid-irritating substance called gluten. Gluten intolerance is a common cause of Hashimoto’s. It is autoimmune condition that often clears up when victims stop eating breads, pastas, pastries, etc. Many can achieve normalization of their thyroid function if they adopt a gluten-free diet. For more information, see my article Gluten Sensitivity Affects 1 in 3.
Excessive Stimulant Use. Sugar, caffeine, cocaine and others temporarily increase thyroid activity. A rebound action causes lowered thyroid activity when the stimulant dose off. Reduced thyroid function and adrenal fatigue (which negatively impacts the thyroid) can happen.
Prescription Drugs. Estrogen (including the estrogen in birth control pills) and prescription lithium are well known thyroid-inhibiting drugs. Sulfa drugs and anti-diabetic drugs slow thyroid function. There are many thyroid inhibiting medications.
Stress. Stress weakens the thyroid gland. The stress can be physical, emotional, financial, or other.
The Thyroid Secret
