Low thyroid: What to do?

8. February 2009 William Davis (25)
I've gotten a number of requests for solutions on how to solve the low thyroid issue if either 1) your doctor refuses to discuss the issue or denies it is present, or 2) there are government mandates against thyroid correction unless certain (outdated) targets are met.

Oh, boy.

While I'm not encouraging anyone to break the laws or regulations of their country (and it's impossible to generalize, with readers of this blog originating from over 30 countries), here are some simple steps to consider that might help you in your quest to correct hypothyroidism:

--Measure your body temperature--First thing in the morning either while lying in bed or go to the bathroom and measure your oral temp. Record it and, if it is consistently lower than 97.0 degrees (Fahrenheit), show it to your doctor. This may help persuade him/her.(You can still be hypothyroid with higher temperatures, but if low temperatures are present, it is simply more persuasive evidence in favor of treatment).

--Supplement with iodine 150 mcg per day to be sure you are not iodine deficient. This is becoming more common in the U.S. as people avoid iodized salt. It is quite common outside the U.S. An easy, inexpensive preparation is kelp tablets.

--Show your doctor a recent crucial study: The HUNT Study that suggests that cardiovascular mortality begins to increase at a TSH of only 1.5 or greater, not the 5.5 mIU usually used by laboratories and doctors.

--Ask people around you whether they are aware of a health practitioner who might be willing to work with you, or at least have an open mind (sadly, an uncommon commodity).

Also, see thyroid advocate and prolific author, Mary Shomon's advice on how to find a doctor willing to work with you. Yes, they are out there, but you may have to ask a lot of friends and acquaintances, or meet and fire a lot of docs. It shouldn't be this way, but it is. It will change through public pressure and education, but not by next week.

Another helpful discussion from Mary Shomon: The TSH Normal Range: Why is there still controversy? You will read that even the endocrinologists (a peculiarly contentious group) seethingly debate what constitutes normal vs. low thyroid function.

Also, you might remind a resistant health practitioner that guidelines are guidelines--they are not laws that restrain anyone. They are simply meant to represent broad population guidelines that do not take your personal health situation into consideration.

Which statin drug is best?

8. February 2009 William Davis (7)
I re-post a Heart Scan Blog post from one year ago, answering the question: Which statin drug is best?

I still get this question from patients in the office and online, nearly always prompted by a TV commercial. So let me re-express my thoughts from a year ago, which have not changed on this issue.


The statin drugs can indeed play a role in a program of coronary plaque control and regression.

However, thanks to the overwhelming marketing (and lobbying and legislative) clout of the drug manufacturing industry, they play an undeserved, oversized role. I get reminded of this whenever I'm pressed to answer the question: "Which statin drug is best?"

In trying to answer this question, we encounter several difficulties:

1) The data nearly all use statins drugs by themselves, as so-called monotherapy. Other than the standard diet--you know, the American Heart Association diet, the one that causes heart disease--it is a statin drug alone that has been studied in the dozens of major trials "validating" statin drug use. The repeated failure of statin drugs to eliminate heart disease and associated events like heart attack keeps being answered by the "lower is better" argument, i.e., if 70% of heart attacks destined to occur still take place, then reduce LDL even further. This is an absurd argument that inevitably encounters a wall of limited effects.

2) The great bulk of clinical data examining both the incidence of cardiovascular events as well as plaque progression or regression have all been sponsored by the drug's manufacturer. It has been well-documnted that, when a drug manufacturer sponsors a trial, the outcome is highly likely to be in favor of that drug. Imagine Ford sponsors a $30 million study to prove that their cars are more reliable and safer. What is the likelihood that the outcome will be in favor of the competition? Very unlikely. Such is human nature.

If we were to accept the clinical trial data at face value and ignore the above issues, then I would come to the conclusion that we should be using Crestor at a dose of 40 mg per day, since that was the regimen used in the ASTEROID Trial that achieved modest reversal of coronary atherosclerotic plaque by intravascular ultrasound.

But I do not advocate such an ASTEROID-like approach for several reasons:

1) In my experience, nobody can tolerate 40 mg of Crestor for more than few weeks, a few months at most. Show me someone who can survive and tolerate Crestor 40 mg per day and I'll show you somebody who survived a 40 foot fall off his roof--sure, it happens, but it's a fluke.

2) The notion that only one drug is necessary to regress this disease is, in my view, absurd. It ignores issues like hypertension, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory phenomena, lipoprotein(a), post-prandial (after-eating) phenomena, LDL particle size, triglycerides, etc. You mean that Crestor 40 mg per day, or other high-intensity statin monotherapy should be enough to overcome all of these patterns and provide maximal potential for coronary plaque reversal? No way.

3) Plaque reversal can occur without a statin agent. While statin drugs may provide some advantage in the reduction of LDL, much of the benefit ends there. All of the other dozens of causes of coronary atherosclerotic plaque need to be addressed.

So which statin is best? This question is evidence of the brainwashing that has seized the public and my colleagues. The question is not which statin is best. The question should be: What steps do I take to maximize my chances of reversing coronary atherosclerotic plaque?

The answer may or may not involve a statin drug, regardless of the subtle differences among them.

Dr. Nancy Sniderman, heart scans on Today Show

5. February 2009 William Davis (6)
While shaving this morning, I caught the report by NBC medical expert, Dr. Nancy Sniderman, about her coronary plaque and CT coronary angiogram.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy




Those of you in the Track Your Plaque program or who follow The Heart Scan Blog know that we should tell Dr. Sniderman and her doctor that:

She has done virtually nothing that will stop an increasing heart scan score! In fact, Dr. Sniderman is now following the "prevention program" that is eerily reminiscent of Tim Russert's program! We all know how that turned out.

It is pure folly to believe that a combination of Lipitor, exercise, and a "healthy diet" (usually meaning a low-fat diet--yes, the diet that promotes heart disease) will stop the otherwise relentless increase in heart scan score.

Dr. Sniderman, please consider:

1) Having the real causes of your coronary plaque identified. (It is highly unlikely to be just LDL cholesterol, though the drug industry is thrilled that you believe this.)

2) Ask yourself (or, if your doctor knew what she was doing, ask her): Why do I have heart disease? LDL cholesterol is insufficient reason--virtually nobody I know has high LDL cholesterol as the sole cause. LDL cholesterol is, at most, one reason among many others, but is insufficient as a sole cause.

3) What is your vitamin D status? Crucial!

4) What is your thyroid status?

5) Fish oil--a must!

6) Do you have lipoprotein(a)? Small LDL?

Just addressing the items on the above checklist would put you on a far more confident path to stop your heart scan score from increasing.

If you were to repeat your heart scan score, my prediction: Your score will be higher by 18-24% per year.

My personal experience with low thyroid

3. February 2009 William Davis (31)
Something happened to me around October-November of last year.

I usually feel great. Ordinarily, my struggles are sleeping and relaxing. As with most people, I have too many projects on my schedule, though I find my activities stimulating and fascinating.

I blasted through a very demanding November, trying to meet the needs of a book publisher. This involved sleeping only a few hours a night for several days on end, all after a full day of office practice and hospital duties.

But it was getting tougher. My concentration was becoming more fragmented. Getting things done was proving an elusive goal. Exercise became a real chore.

Although I usually force myself to go to sleep, I was starting to fall asleep before my usual bedtime, and I was sleeping longer than usual.

It's been a tough winter in Wisconsin. Let's face it: It's Wisconsin. But it's been tough even for this region, with weeks of temperatures consistently below 10 degrees. Even so, I was having a heck of a time keeping warm. Extra shirts, socks, soaking my hands in hot water--none of it worked and I was freezing.

So I had my thyroid values checked:

Free T3: 2.6 pg/ml (Ref 2.3-4.2)
Free T4: 1.20 ng/dl (Ref 0.89-1.76)
TSH: 1.528 uUI/ml (Ref 0.350-5.500)

Normal by virtually all standards. I measured my first morning oral temperature: 96.1, 96.3, 95.9. Hmmmm.

My experience coincided with the Track Your Plaque and Heart Scan Blog conversations about low thyroid being enormously underappreciated, with the newest data on thyroid disease suggesting that a TSH for ideal health is probably 1.5 mIU or less. (More about that: Is normal TSH too high? and Thyroid perspective update .

Could this simply be a case of medical student-oma in which every beginning medical student believes he has every disease he learns about?

Despite the apparently "normal" thyroid blood tests, I took the leap and started taking Armour thyroid, beginning at 1/2 grain (30 mg), increasing to 1 grain (60 mg) after the first week.

Within 10 days, I experienced:

--Dramatic restoration of the ability to concentrate
--A boost in mood. (In fact, the last few blog posts before I replaced thyroid reflect my deepening crabbiness.)
--Large increase in energy, now restored to old levels
--Need for less sleep
--I'm warm again! (It's still <20 degrees, but I get easily stay warm while indoors.)

I am absolutely, positively convinced of the power of thyroid. I am further convinced from the clinical data, patient experiences, and now my own personal experience, that low levels of hypothyroidism are being dramatically underappreciated and underdiagnosed.

I shudder to think of what my life would have been like 6 months or a year from now without correction of thyroid hormone.

Now, the tough question: Why the heck is this happening to so many people?

Speaking availability

3. February 2009 William Davis (5)
Just a quick announcement:

If you would like to hear more about the concepts articulated in The Heart Scan Blog or in the Track Your Plaque program, I am available to speak to your group.

Among the possible topics:

Return to the Wild: Natural Nutritional Supplements That Supercharge Health
Why this apparent "need" for fish oil and other heart-healthy supplements? I discuss why some nutritional supplements make perfect sense when we are viewed in the context of primitive humans living modern lives, while other supplements do little.


Shrink Your Tummy . . .or, Why Your Dietitian is Fat!
Weight loss doesn't have to involve calorie counting, deprivation, or hunger pangs. But the conventional "rules" for weight loss and health have to be broken.

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Extraordinary Heart Health
Heart health is something that you can seize control over, something identifiable, correctable, and . . . reversible. Much of this can be achieved with little or no medication, nor procedures. I detail all the enormously empowering lessons learned through the Track Your Plaque program.


I can also present in-depth yet entertaining discussions on the power of vitamin D, natural cholesterol control, screening for heart disease, and similar topics covered in the blog.

To learn more, just e-mail us at contact@trackyourplaque, or call my office at 414-456-1123.

Learn how to eat from Survivorman

31. January 2009 William Davis (22)

Look no farther than Discovery Channel to learn how humans were meant to eat.

The Survivorman show documents the (self-filmed) 7-day adventures of Les Stroud, who is dropped into various remote corners of the world to survive on little but ingenuity and will to live. Starting without food or water, the Survivorman scrapes and scrambles in the wilderness for essentials to survive in habitats as far ranging as the Ecuadorian rainforest to sub-arctic Labrador.

What does Survivorman have to do with your nutrition habits?

Everything. The lessons we can learn by watching this TV show are plenty.

Survivorman plays out the life we are supposed to be living: slaughtering wild game with simple handmade tools and his bare hands, identifying plants and berries that are safe to eat, trapping fish, scavenging the kill of other predators. He's even resorted to eating bugs and caterpillars, particularly following several days of unsuccessful hunting and scavenging.

What is notable from the Survivorman experience is what is absent: In the steppe, desert, tundra, or jungle, you will not find bread, fruit drinks, or Cheerios. You won't find farm-fattened, corn-fed livestock with meat marbled with fat.

Imagine the result of such an experience for us, drawn out over 6 months. Even an obese, diabetic, gluttonous, XXX dress size 350-lb woman would return a lean 105 lbs, size 0, non-diabetic, fully able to run miles in the wild tracking game.

Survivorman's quiet desperation of living in the wild, preoccupied with worries over where his next meal might be found, is a stark contrast to the bloated, shelves stacked floor-to-ceiling supermarkets, and our modern society's all-you-can-eat several times per day lifestyle.

Am I advocating selling the car and house and chucking modern society for the "safety" of the jungles of Borneo?

No, of course not. I am advocating taking a lesson from the clever experiment conducted by Mr. Stroud, a return-to-the-wild experience that should teach us something about how perverse our modern nutritional lives have become.

CIS: Carbohydrate intolerance syndrome

28. January 2009 William Davis (28)
Carbohydrate intolerance comes in many shades and colors, shapes and sizes.

I call all of its varieties the Carbohydrate Intolerance Syndrome, or CIS. (Not to be confused with CSI, or Crime Scene Investigation . . . though, come to think of it, perhaps there are some interesting parallels!)

At its extreme, it is called type II diabetes, in which any carbohydrate generates an extravant increase in blood sugar, followed by the domino effect of increased triglycerides, reduction in HDL, creation of small LDL, heightened inflammation, etc. and eventually to kidney disease, coronary atherosclerosis, neuropathies, etc.

An intermediate form of carbohydrate intolerance is called metabolic syndrome, or pre-diabetes. These people, for the most part, look and act like diabetics, though their reaction to carbohydrate intake is not as bad. Blood sugar, for instance, might be 125 mg/dl fasting, 160 mg/dl after eating. The semi-arbitrary definition of metabolic syndrome includes at least three of the following: HDL <40 mg/dl in men, <50 mg/dl in women; triglycerides 150 mg/dl or greater; BP 135/80 or greater; waist circumference >40 inches in men, >35 inches in women; fasting glucose >100 mg/dl.

This is where the conventional definitions stop: Either you are diabetic or have metabolic syndrome, or you have nothing at all.

Unfortunately, this means that the millions of people with patterns not severe enough to match the standard definition of metabolic syndrome are often neglected.

How about Kevin?

Kevin, a 56 year old financial planner, is 5 ft 7 inches, 180 lbs (BMI 28.2). His basic measures:

HDL 36 mg/dl
Triglycerides 333 mg/dl
BP 132/78
Waist circumference 34 inches
Blood sugar 98 mg/dl

Kevin meets the criteria for metabolic syndrome on only two of the five criteria and therefore does not "qualify" for the diagnosis.

Kevin's basic lipids showed LDL 170 mg/dl, HDL 36 mg/dl, triglycerides 333 mg/dl.

But take a look at his underlying lipoprotein patterns (NMR):

LDL particle number 2231 nmol/L (equivalent to a "true" LDL of 223 mg/dl)
Small LDL 1811 nmol/l
Large HDL 0.0 mg/dl


In other words, small LDL constitutes 81% of all LDL particles (1811/2231), a severe pattern. Large HDL is the healthy, protective fraction and Kevin has none. These are high-risk patterns for heart disease. These, too, are patterns of carbohydrate intolerance.

Foods that trigger small LDL and reduction in healthy, large HDL include sugars, wheat, and cornstarch. Kevin is carbohydrate-intolerant, although he lacks the (fasting) blood sugar aspect of carbohydrate intolerance. But he shows all the underlying lipoprotein and other metabolic phenomena associated with carbohydrate intolerance.

We could also cast all three conditions under the umbrella of "insulin resistance." But I prefer Carbohydrate Intolerance Syndrome, or CIS, since it immediately suggests the basic underlying cause: eating carbohydrates, especially those that trigger rapid and substantial surges in blood sugar.

CIS is the Disease of the Century, judging by the figures (both numbers and humans) we are seeing. It will dominate healthcare in its various forms for many years to come.

The first treatment for the Carbohydrate Intolerance Syndrome? Some would say the TZD class of drugs like Avandia. Others would say a DASH or TLC (American Heart Association) diet. How about liposuction, twice-daily Byetta injections, or even the emerging class of drugs to manipulate leptin and adiponectin? How do "heart healthy" foods like Cheerios and Cocoa Puffs fit into this? (Don't believe me? The American Heart Association says they're heart healthy!)

The first treatment for the Carbohydrate Intolerance Syndrome is elimination of carbohydrates, except those that come from raw nuts and seeds, vegetables, occasional real fruit (not those green fake grapes), wine, and dark chocolates.

Making sense out of lipid changes

27. January 2009 William Davis (9)
Maggie had been doing well on her program, enjoying favorable lipids near our 60-60-60 targets (HDL 60 mg/dl or greater, LDL 60 mg/dl or less, triglycerides 60 mg/dl or less). Last fall, her last set of values were:

Total cholesterol: 149 mg/dl
LDL cholesterol: 67 mg/dl
HDL cholesterol: 73 mg/dl
Triglycerides: 43 mg/dl

The holidays, as with most people, involved a frenzy of indulgent eating: Christmas cookies, cakes, pies, stuffing, potatoes, candies, etc.

Maggie returned to the office 6 pounds heavier with these values:

Total cholesterol: 210 mg/dl
LDL cholesterol: 124 mg/dl
HDL cholesterol: 57 mg/dl
Triglycerides: 144 mg/dl

In other words, holiday indulgences caused an increase in LDL cholesterol, a reduction in HDL, an increase in triglycerides, an increase in total cholesterol.

What happened?

At first glance, many of my colleagues would interpret this as fat indulgence and/or a "need" for statin drug therapy.

Having done thousands of lipoprotein panels, I can tell you that, beneath the surface, the following has occurred:

--Overindulgence in carbohydrates from the goodies triggered triglyceride (actually VLDL) formation in the liver, released into the blood.
--Increased triglycerides and VLDL triggered a boom in conversion of large LDL to small LDL (since triglycerides are required to form small LDL particles) via cholesteryl-ester transfer protein (CETP) activity.
--Increased triglycerides and VLDL interacted with HDL particles, causing "remodeling" of HDL particles to the less desirable, less protective small particles, which do not persist as long in the blood, resulting in a reduction of HDL.

The critical factor is carbohydrate intake. This triggered a domino effect that is often misintepreted as excessive fat intake or a genetic predisposition. It is nothing of the kind.

I discussed this phenomenon with Maggie. She now knows to not overindulge in the holiday snacks in future and will revert promptly back to her 60-60-60 values.

How to Give Yourself Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: 101

25. January 2009 William Davis (18)
I borrowed this from the enormously clever Dr. BG at The Animal Pharm Blog.


How to Give Yourself Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: 101

--lack of sunlight/vitamin D/indoor habitation
--mental stress
--more mental stress
--sleep deprivation... (excessive mochas/lattes at Berkeley cafes)
--excessive 'social' calendar
--inherent family history of autoimmune disorders (who doesn't??)
--wheat, wheat, and more wheat ingestion ('comfort foods' craved in times of high cortisol/stress, right? how did I know the carbs were killing me?)
--lack of nutritious food containing EPA DHA, vitamin A, sat fats, minerals, iodine, etc
--lack of play, exercise, movement (or ?overtraining perhaps for Oprah's case)
--weight gain -- which begins an endless self-perpetuating vicous cycle of all the above (Is it stressful to balloon out for no apparent reason? YES)


If you haven't done so already, take a look at Animal Pharm you will get a real kick out of Dr. BG's quick-witted take on things.


We are systematically looking for low thyroid (hypothyroidism) in everyone and findings oodles of it, far more than I ever expected.

Much of the low thyroid phenomena is due to active or previous Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the inflammatory process that exerts destructive effects on the delicate thyroid gland. It is presently unclear how much is due to iodine deficiency in this area, though iodine supplementation by itself (i.e., without thyroid hormone replacement) has not been yielding improved thyroid measures.

I find this bothersome: Is low thyroid function the consequence of direct thyroid toxins (flame retardants like polybrominated diphenyl ethers, pesticide residues in vegetables and fruits, bisphenol A from polycarbonate plastics) or indirect toxins such as wheat via an autoimmune process (similar to that seen in celiac disease)?

I don't know, but we've got to deal with the thyroid-destructive aftermath: Look for thyroid dysfunction, even in those without symptoms, and correct it. This has become a basic tenet of the Track Your Plaque approach for intensive reduction of coronary risk.

Framing

24. January 2009 William Davis (0)
Heart health without a 12" incision



Heart health for less than $44,483 (Cost of a coronary stent according to the American Heart Association 2008 Update)



Track Your Plaque: A drug-free zone



"Healthy" people are the most iodine deficient

"Healthy" people are the most iodine deficient

5. June 2009 William Davis (27)
Ironically, the healthiest people are the most likely to be deficient in iodine.

Why?

Healthy people tend to:

--Avoid iodized salt because of public health advice to limit sodium
--Use sea salt to obtain minerals like magnesium--but sea salt contains little iodine
--Limit meat--Carnivores obtain more iodine than vegetarians or vegans. In one study, up to 80% of vegans were iodine-deficient (Krajcovicova-Kudlackova M et al 2003).
--Exercise--Substantial amounts of iodine are lost through sweating. In a study of high school soccer players, 38.5% were severely iodine deficient, compared to 2% of sedentary students (Mao IF et al 2001).


That is indeed what I am seeing in my office, as well: The healthiest, most attentive to healthy eating, and most physically active are the ones showing up with small goiters (enlarged thyroid glands) and increased TSH and low free T4 levels.

Why am I checking thyroid and talking about iodine? Because even the smallest degree of thyroid dysfunction can double, triple, or quadruple your risk for cardiovascular events. See the posts Is normal TSH too high? and Thyroid perspective update.
Tags :

Comments (27) -

  • thequickbrownfox

    6/6/2009 9:07:44 AM |

    Interesting. Your posts are very informative but could I suggest that you consolidate them all into one document per topic (e.g. iodine). I realise it might be too early to do this in some cases if you are on a journey of discovery yourself but I think it would be very valuable to have all of your thoughts on a subject cohesively presented in one chunk. As it stands, you have to be following this blog to get the full picture of what you're talking about, unless you are willing to trawl through previous posts.

    Perhaps you could do it in the form of an editable wiki-like page which shows past changes, or just a post that keeps getting edited with a "last updated" note. Or failing all of that you could just tag all your iodine-related posts with "iodine".

    I think you have something valuable to say but if you want it to be accessible to wandering internet users you should think about the presentation more.

    Thanks and keep up the good work!

  • steve K

    6/6/2009 12:42:03 PM |

    you seem to be basing your views on thyroid and heart disease on the HUNT study, and the more recent one you cite, however, the results seem to indicate low thyroid and cardiac events more associated with woman then men.  There did not appear to be a relationship with low thyroid and coronary events in men.  If so, why the across the board reoommendation for iodine for both me and women in light of data not crystal clear for men?

  • TedHutchinson

    6/6/2009 1:21:26 PM |

    I find using the search facility brings up all the blogs on Iodine
    However perhaps you are right as there are now sufficient blogs about IODINE for them to be given their own label.

  • Keenan

    6/6/2009 4:00:35 PM |

    Do healthy people limit meat? Or do you mean people that are attentive to their health, even if they're following not-so-great advice?

  • Allison

    6/6/2009 4:12:12 PM |

    I disagree with thequickbrownfox.  Repetition is good.  After the first two iodine posts I made a mental note to get some iodine or kelp and promptly forgot.  It was after the third iodine post that I finally acted: I bought iodine and started taking it.  

    I also appreciate that the posts are brief; I have bookmarked dozens of long posts in Dr. Eades' blog that are always too long to read right now.  

    Don't change anything.  I love this blog the way it is.  Thank you for taking the time to pass along your knowledge. Smile

  • kris

    6/6/2009 6:14:20 PM |

    i think the search option on the upper left corner works just fine if some one searches it for example. iodine, thyroid, vitamin d3 etc.

  • Nameless

    6/6/2009 11:02:16 PM |

    Although I think Dr. Davis is right about many things, I'm not so sure he's so right about iodine. Why not recommend iodine testing first? Supplementing with no idea if the person is deficient or not doesn't make sense to me.

    If thyroid function is low, what if it's due to Hashimoto's and increased iodine worsens the condition?

    I would have a concern about the person who glances over these blogs, feels their suspected sluggish thyroid needs some iodine help, then worsens their health due to Hashi's.

  • Kismet

    6/7/2009 1:32:00 PM |

    steve K, you're right. The data in men is not convincing re. iodine or thyroid; difficult to say why exactly. However, I've read some convincing mechanistical evidence suggesting that low T3/T4 levels likely promote CVD. It's quite a believable hypothesis.

    However, I'm somewhat worried about 'messing' with such an important hormone, even though we don't understand all the details and don't have a clue what the 'default setting' of our body is and whether the default values would be any good re. long term health (not just CVD).

    IIRC Hypothyroid snell dwarf mice exhibit an increased life span and no clear benefits of T3/T4 supplementation have been demonstrated in the elderly/very old.

    Hi Nameless! Even though Dr. Davis has presented some interesting evidence showing that healthy people may be more prone to deficiency, I second what you say:
    Get a doctor's opinion before treating yourself, check thyroid levels and also try to get baseline iodine levels (urinary excretion).

    Even though iodine (and vitamin D) are free of side-effects in most people, there are diseases which can precule supplemenation (w/o medical supervision at least).

  • Anonymous

    6/7/2009 9:38:14 PM |

    Iodine does not worsen Hashi's. It's used to cure Hashi's.

  • kris

    6/8/2009 2:23:25 AM |

    the study:
    "IIRC Hypothyroid snell dwarf mice exhibit an increased life span and no clear benefits of T3/T4 supplementation have been demonstrated in the elderly/very old".
    However, few things these studies are not able to demonstrate that how do these mice feel and they don't have to live and perform in a society like us humans?
    people with hypothyroid may look normal, are able to complete day to day tasks like a normal person(specially high will power individuals, athletes etc.). But yet these individuals feel terrible from inside.  The symptoms may includes the followings:
    Over reacting,
    Over thinking,
    Irritability,
    Low stamina even though 7 days week at the gym and eating healthy,
    See themselves as victims for no apparent reason,
    Not successful in relationships.
    Not being able to hold job.
    Split personality in seconds.

    I believe that the only doctors, who are hypo or hyper themselves and have treated their thyroid misery successfully, can then understand fully as to what this disease is all about and what was poor patient crying about?  This is not even close to one study fits all kind of disease.
    The notion "get doctor’s opinion" has gotten low marks on my list after suffering with hypo all of my life and going through bunch of most dumb doctors that I have seen and I can bet that most of those doctors themselves are suffering from either low iodine or thyroid.
    When someone gets medical college's degree and license, doesn't necessarily means that he or she is "God". My faith has completely shaken in most of these doctors who try to fit every human being in to the "normal" test numbers.
    The internet is the best thing happened to the society. Where no one needs any "degree" to give their opinion. Where no medical college can suspend any license to punish people, who don't fall in to the drug company driven education trap.  
    Even for a moment, if we believe in the notion of “get doctor’s opinion”. Then Doctor Davis is a doctor and he is giving his opinion. What is wrong with it?
    me and my family has suffered for all of our lives with simple stubbornness of the stupid doctors and i don't wish any body else to go through the same. therefore the best remedy is to educate your self. your body is the most important tool that good has given. spend some time educating your self.  
    As  Dr. Abraham, G.E   is explaining that,
    “The worst form of domestic bioterrorism is the dissemination of iodophobic misinformation in order to discourage the use of adequate amount of iodine for whole body sufficiency (orthoiodosupplementation).2-4 Today, the public relies heavily on the Internet for health information. Rarely do they search for the original publications. Whoever supplies health information on the Internet controls the health of the Internet user. Control of health information on the Internet by iodophobic bioterrorists is a real threat to a population who depends on this source of information to make health-related decisions. Such a population is vulnerable and most likely will end up adopting iodophobic decisions to their detriment. Once caught in the iodophobic Net, it becomes a vicious cycle, difficult to exit.
    Iodophobic bioterrorism can be prevented through education of health care professionals and the public at large. Remember that the easiest and most effective way to destroy a nation is the removal of iodine from the food supply. Iodophobic bioterrorism is a real threat to our nation, and the enemies within our gates masquerade as guardians of our thyroid gland”.
    Here is link to the full article.

    http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-04/IOD_04.html

  • Nameless

    6/8/2009 4:01:29 AM |

    I've read conflicting info regarding iodine and Hashimoto's. There is some data suggesting iodine can make matters worse.

    And iodine doesn't 'cure' Hashimoto's (or at least I haven't found any evidence it cures it). It may improve thyroid function if hypo, but Hashimoto's is when thyroid antibodies attack the thyroid gland. Selenium + thyroid hormones can lower these antibodies, but I haven't read any data as to iodine having the same effect.

    http://thyroid-disorders.suite101.com/article.cfm/iodine_and_hashimotos_thyroiditis

  • Anonymous

    6/8/2009 4:46:37 AM |

    How much of this is localized?  Isn't Dr. Davis located in Wisconsin, which known to have low iodine in the soil?

  • Dr. William Davis

    6/8/2009 12:17:13 PM |

    Thanks for the wonderful description, Kris.

  • Dr. William Davis

    6/8/2009 12:19:41 PM |

    Iodine does indeed make Hashimoto's worse if taken during a flare-up. Iodine will make any form of hyperthyroidism worse, for that matter.

    However, it does not mean that iodine is not important for health for the other 99%+ of people, those not in the midst of a hyperthyroid flare.

    Iodine need is life-long. That's why, when people are deprived for years, iodine provided to an iodine-deficient person can encounter a thyroid unaccustomed to sufficient iodine. This can also provoke transient hyperthyroidism. I've seen this happen twice in the last several hundred people.

  • TedHutchinson

    6/8/2009 1:46:39 PM |

    There is quite a long lecture from Dr. Brownstein at this link.
    Iodine_->The_Most Misunderstood_Nutrient Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It.
    Dr. Brownstein feels iodine is the most misunderstood nutrient.
    He feels it is impossible to achieve your optimal health when there is iodine deficiency present.

  • StephenB

    6/8/2009 5:13:16 PM |

    Dr. Davis, any thoughts about why hypothyroidism and low ferritin levels seem to be associated? Does iodine deficiency adversely impact iron storage?

  • Nameless

    6/8/2009 5:57:56 PM |

    But what about Hashi people who become even more hypo with iodine treatment?  I know this sounds contradictory to what you are saying, but it's been reported on pubmed as occurring (autoimmune reaction causing more thyroid destruction perhaps?).

    Most of the articles I've read, in fact, say not to supplement iodine above RDA if you have Hashi's.

    For Doctor Davis' patients, this may be fine, since they are under a doctor's care. But I expect a decent percentage of people reading this blog who decide to take iodine won't be taking it through a doctor,  restrict only to RDA levels, get full thyroid workups or even iodine testing. I'm just saying some caution should be considered too... hence why to get tested before supplementing.

  • kris

    6/8/2009 7:07:35 PM |

    "Iodine does indeed make Hashimoto's worse if taken during a flare-up".
    Dr. Davis, while we are at this subject, here is more about hashi and iodine.

    http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-34820500_ITM
    or
    http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-22/IOD_22.htm

  • kris

    6/8/2009 11:04:16 PM |

    back in 2007 i read this. it came from another blog by Dr. Joe(don't know the last name)and it helps adding another dimension to this puzzle.
    "Graves' Disease Caused by a Tummy Ache?
    If you are like most people (and even most doctors), you may have a hard time wrapping your mind around the fact that a problem in your gut can cause a problem in your thyroid (which is way up in your neck). There is strong evidence that proves that this just might be the underlying issue in many cases of Graves' disease.
    Graves thyroiditis, also known as Graves' disease, is an autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid gland. While there can be acute attacks of thyroiditis, Graves' disease is usually a more slow acting autoimmune disorder.
    There is evidence that a specific strand of pathogen (though there can be many different kinds not as well documented) called Yersinia enterocolitica that has been shown to cause Graves thyroiditis.
    A common medical treatment for Graves thyroiditis is radiation or surgical removal of the thyroid gland. The thought is that if you remove the overactive thyroid gland, then you remove the problem. This line of thinking ignores the fact that there is still the underlying problem of the Yersinia enterocolitica.
    If the treatment was aimed in addressing the pathogen Yersinia enterocolitica instead of the thyroid, you may have been able to forgo the ablating of the thyroid gland.
    So how did Yersinia enterocolitica even get into the bloodstream to cause Graves' disease?
    Most likely in cases of dysbiosis (or overgrowth of unhealthy bugs within your gut lining), there is an overgrowth of Yersinia enterocolitica within the gut. When this pathogen is allowed to flourish in the gut lining, changes to the gut lining may enable Yersinia enterocolitica to pass through when it should not.

    Once Yersinia enterocolitica is in the bloodstream, your immune system recognizes it, tags it is a foreign invader, and then attacks it.
    It is believed that the protein makeup of Yersinia enterocolitica is similar to that of the protein structures on the thyroid. What happens is your immune system gets "tag happy" and tags your thyroid gland as well. Now your body cannot decipher a difference between Yersinia enterocolitica and your thyroid gland. You now have what is known as an autoimmune disease".

    if we read here:
    http://books.google.ca/books?id=O2R2OU62e3wC&pg=PA14&lpg=PA14&dq=iodine+Yersinia+enterocolitica&source=bl&ots=wJThoF5O-V&sig=49ltwzAKE8sFbgVY7fPS1eYJjhE&hl=en&ei=a5UtSruvCaPQMoOhqM0J&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#PPA14,M1
    about infective agents and iodine, it may shed some light on this mystery.

  • Anonymous

    6/9/2009 4:45:58 PM |

    You might want to change the title of the post from "healthy" to "health-conscious." People who limit salt, fat, and meat, and who knock themselves out with exercise are not healthy, as your examination of them attests. They care about their health, but because they have assimilated all the current but erroneous commonplaces about how to be healthy, ironically they are unhealthy.

  • mike V

    6/10/2009 3:10:08 PM |

    Hi Doc:

    The fundamental importance of thyroid and vitamin D status to heart, vascular, and general health have interested me for many years, and your willingness to provide some informal feedback from your patient base is unique.

    I have another supplement that I have studied, and used moderately for going on  20 years, and which I believe has significance in the broader context. (personally I am in excellent health in my 74th year).
    The supplement is melatonin, which has been primarily asociated with sleep, but which I believe is much more fundamental. (relevant to TYP?)
    I imagine that a high percentage of both your patients and blog followers are in their mid to later years, and may have used or considered it.

    The following LEF article sums it up pretty well. Would you please consider, and give us your assessment.

    http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2008/aug2008_Beyond-Sleep-New-Medical-Applications-for-Melatonin_01.htm

    Regards,

    MikeV

  • homertobias

    6/10/2009 3:10:33 PM |

    Dr Davis

    Check out Kamstrup's new article on LP(a) in the new JAMA.  Interesting stuff.  Two new THYROMIMETIC drugs in the pipeline to lower LP(a)?  I wonder just what is the relationship between thyroid function and LP(a) levels.

  • mike V

    6/10/2009 3:34:09 PM |

    Sorry,
    I missed the fact that melatonin had previously been a topic in May.
    Mike V

  • Someone

    10/1/2009 7:05:16 PM |

    I started to take some custom lugols ( 7 % , 99.9 pure , 40% grain alcohol , 1 mg free iodine with around 3 mg KI) diluted in distilled water in small quantities of 10mg 2 months ago. I take in morning with empty stomach; I eat lot of Mg in fruits etc. I also eat yogurt a lot all my life.

    First I found that my lungs were more effective and my heart was very calm even when doing exercises. (Like the right ventricular was more effective with iodine supplement)

    after around 150mg ingested, after one month I started by having a slight pinching sensation on my heart just couple millimeters far from the sternum bone, on the left.

    After taking some more up to 350 mg cumulative dose for 2 months I had many upsets especially in the evenings. It happened 7 times, but last night I panicked because my heart seems to stop working in the right ventricular for around 30 seconds, I was in sweat, shaking white and in shock. But no heart pain or chest pain at all, just a very bad discomfort, a feeling of something disturbed or that the heart pulse on the right side was very weak. The void in my chest lasted all morning, Aspirin didn’t help at all. I spent most of the day in bed because it seems to help my heart. Any effort brings back the symptoms.

    Very important is that these heart problems happen only when I take breaks from iodine; it seems to happen around 4 - 6 days after i stop taking iodine.

    I am taking an appointment with doc today.

    I really don’t feel with fever, or anything. Just this heart problem...

    I also experienced a metallic taste after 1.5 month and this is when I started to take 4 - 6 days breaks of iodine intake.

    Probably that if I am to resume iodine intake my heart will go back to normal but I won’t take it before I see a doctor.

  • Treatment for heart disease

    9/27/2010 12:46:57 PM |

    Heart  disease is one of the most  dangerous disease which takes thousands of life every years all over the world. If we know its symptoms and Treatment for heart disease. We can prevent is to large extent.

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