Your endocrine system is responsible for producing thousands of hormones which serve as messengers to the cells of the body. Everything from regulating blood sugar and body temperature to helping your kidneys regulate electrolytes and water levels in the body are accomplished by hormones.

What happens when your endocrine system is not nourished properly or is over-stressed by toxins or inadequate rest?

Your energy declines, toxins and excess sugar back up into your cells and these cells start to wear out. You start to age more rapidly and lose the vitality you desire.

Your thyroid and adrenal glands are like two powerful horses that carry your body (the carriage) through life. If they wear down you'll start to crash. Of all the endocrine glands the thyroid is the most important for regulating cellular energy and metabolism. Without a healthy thyroid all other hormonal functions will suffer.

In this newsletter I'll review the common symptoms and causes of low thyroid function, why conventional lab tests do not identify up to 80% of low functioning thyroid cases, how to self-assess low thyroid function and an overview of the three levels of thyroid and adrenal imbalance and components of programs to correct the condition at each level.

"It is my opinion that the true figure for hypothyroidism is closer to 40% of the population or approximately 52 million adult Americans"

David Brownstein, M.D. author of Overcoming

Thyroid hormones both stimulate the cellular energy production necessary for life, as well as maintain our body's constant temperature. The thyroid orchestrates the development of our brain and sexual maturation. Its hormones stimulate synthesis of the protein building blocks that are necessary for normal growth and to replenish the constant turnover of billions of cells that keep us healthy and renew our bodies. Harmful cellular waste products accumulate without proper thyroid functions.

Common Symptoms of thyroid insufficiency include:

• Fatigue
• Decreased sex drive
• Dry skin
• Premature aging
• Headaches
• Brittle nails and hair
• Hair loss
• Intolerance to cold
• Low or high blood pressure
• Depression
• Memory impairment
• Low immune system
• Constipation
• Poor digestion
• Yeast infections
• Low body temperature
• Weight gain
• Dry puffy skin (myxedema)

Underlying causes of Thyroid insufficiency

1. Iodine/Iodide deficiency
2. Fluoride, chlorine and bromine toxicity
3. Heavy metal toxicity
4. Magnesium, selenium deficiency
5. Low functioning adrenal glands - low cortisol levels.
6. Candida (yeast) overgrowth
7. Low hydrochloric acid production
8. Over consumption of soy products
9. Over consumption of goitrogenic foods such as: kale, broccoli, cauliflower
10. Chemical toxicity including: PCBs, dioxin, DDT and other pesticides, phthalates

Unfortunately conventional labs test are
often ineffective at determining low functioning thyroid. An inability to distinguish between T3 and RT3 (reverse T3) is one of several problems that has led many doctors to fail to diagnose low thyroid function in their patients (see sidebar on problems with conventional thyroid blood tests).

The best way to test for thyroid insufficiency is to take your basal temperature (under the arm) 5 days in a row upon arising before you get out of bed. Place a thermometer under your arm for 10 minutes and record the reading. Do NOT get out of bed while you have the thermometer under your armpit - this will affect the reading. If you consistently measure at less than 97.8. you are likely hypothyroid.

In addition, according to renowned thyroid medical experts Dr. Mark Starr and Dr. Jerry Tennant, clinical assessment of hypothyroid condition can be confirmed through patient self-assessment questionnaires such as Dr. Tennant's hormone imbalance questionnaire.

Importance of Iodine/Iodide in correcting low functioning thyroid.

A simple home iodine deficiency test will let you know if you have an iodine deficiency. Iodine is an essential nutrient not only for the thyroid to manufacture thyroid hormone, but is essential for all cells to function optimally.

Iodine combines with the amino acid tyrosine to form both T4 and T3 hormones. The current RDA of 150 mcg. for iodine is radically lower than the optimal dose for healthy thyroid and immune function which is estimated to be anywhere between 12.5 - 50 mg based on studies of populations such as the Japanese whose women have the lowest rates of breast, uterine and ovarian cancers and whose average daily iodine intake is 13.8 mg per day.

There are two primary reasons people have low levels of iodine

• Iodine deficiency in diet due to depletion of iodine in the soil and lack of consuming iodine rich foods - primarily seafood and sea vegetation.
• Increased exposure to chlorine, flouride, and bromine from drinking and bathing water, flouridated toothpaste and adding bromine to processed food supply. These three chemicals displace iodine in the cells aggravating current sub-optimal dietary intake.

I highly recommend everyone filter their drinking water and bathing water from chlorine and fluoride. Realize that standard carbon filters do not take out fluoride from water. You will need a more effective purification strategy such as reverse osmosis or distillation - each of which has their own disadvantages. To assess advantages/disadvantages of various systems I would do an internet search. A good starting point is this site on comparing different systems.

I also highly recommend getting a shower filter to remove chlorine from your shower water since you will absorb more chlorine from a 10 minute shower than drinking 6-8 glasses of chlorinated water.

Overview of Thyroid Hormone Chemistry

Every single muscle, organ and cell in the body depends on adequate thyroid hormone levels for achieving and maintaining optimal functioning. Thyroid hormone acts as the body's metabolic regulator.

In a hypothyroid state the thyroid is releasing inadequate amounts of thyroid hormone to meet the body's metabolic demands and the overall metabolic rate is reduced. This can manifest as fatigue, weight gain, cold hands and feet and any combination of the symptoms listed above.

In the hyperthyroid state the opposite is occurring - too much thyroid hormone is being released cause hyperactivity, excess sweating and many other symptoms.

The thyroid gland produces two major hormones, Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothryronine (T3). The thyroid produces 4 times as much T4 as T3. T3 is 300% more active than T4 and in fact ideally the majority of T4 is converted to T3 inside the cells.

The thyroid gland is stimulated to produce hormones by another hormone TSH - thyroid stimulating hormone produced by the pituitary gland. When adequate amounts of thyroid hormone are in circulation TSH levels are lowered.

There are numerous factors that reduce one's inability to convert T4 to T3 including the following:

• Nutrient deficiencies: chromium, cooper, iodine, selenium, zinc, vitamins A, B2 , B6, B12
• Medications including: beta blockers, birth control pills, estrogen, steroids, lithium and more
• Excess consumption of soy products and cruciferous vegetables
• toxins including: fluoride, chlorine, pesticides, mercury and lead.
• Adrenal hormone insufficiency (you tube clip of me explaining adrenal insufficiency)
• stress and radiation exposure including EMFs from cell phones and computers
• Alcohol
• Supplements such as alpha lipoic acid.

Because such a large percentage of the population has one of more of these contributing factors which inhibit T4 to T3 conversion and conventional thyroid medical tests cannot distinguish T3 from reverse T3 it is no wonder than so many people are suffering from a hypothyroid condition.

Steps to take for evaluation of thyroid/adrenal imbalance

Conventional lab tests can be helpful to identify hypothyroid conditions in approximately 1 in 4 cases, but for the other 3 out of 4 cases you'll need other forms of assessment which may include:

• Basal temperature - as directed above
• thyroid and adrenal hormone assessment questionnaire
• Any lab tests you already have on hormone function
  
• iodine deficiency assessment: either the self test described above or iodine loading test from a lab. If you want this test let me know and I will connect you with a reputable lab.
• Live blood cell analysis which will give you a good idea of how toxic your bloodstream is,shows radiation and chemical damage levels to blood cells and gives secondary indications of candida and fungal overgrowth of the intestinal tract.
• Adrenal gland function assessment either through:

1. lab tests, this is done by testing saliva levels and costs anywhere from $100 to several hundred dollars;or
2. through a combination of the above adrenal gland function questionnaire and a simple test you can do with a blood pressure monitor (which can be purchased at a drug store for between $25-$60).

Take your blood pressure while sitting down in a chair and record this number, then lie down on your bed or couch and relax for several minutes then stand up and take your blood pressure after you are standing up for 15 seconds.

Your blood pressure should go up on the second test or at least stay the same, if the second test registers a lower blood pressure that means your adrenal glands are too weak to pump up your blood pressure when you stand up and is a strong indicator of at least a mild adrenal insufficiency.

• Hair mineral analysis can help identify mineral imbalances, toxic metal levels and thyroid/adrenal function.

It is not necessary to have all of these assessments, just the ones that make sense for your circumstances and are affordable for you.