The classic medical approach in evaluating a patient with suspected thyroid dysfunction is to obtain a thyroid profile.  This typically consists of a T3, T4, and TSH or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone.  However, this only provides evidence of the blood levels of thyroid hormones and does not necessarily reflect the functional activity of thyroid hormone at the cellular level (where the action of thyroid hormone is critical in regulating metabolism).  Today, it is known that blood tests are not sensitive enough to diagnose milder forms of hypothyroidism.

One of the most common signs of hypothyroidism is cold fingers and toes.  This results from a low metabolic rate of heat production.  Blood flow to the extremities becomes restricted in order to preserve the body’s heat.  So, if a person is cold while others around him are hot, he is probably suffering from low thyroid function.

Slow relaxation of muscles is another feature of hypothyroidism.  This is most commonly seen as a slow recovery in the Achilles’ tendon reflex.  A slowed muscular response can produce chronic soreness and stiffness (a common feature of the “chronic fatigue syndrome”).

Other signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism include low basal body temperature, poor concentration, constipation, depression, difficulty in losing weight, edema, fatigue, hair loss, headaches, recurrent infections, short-term memory loss, menstrual problems, dry skin, and mood swings.  Causes of hypothyroidism are multi-factorial.  Hypothyroidism has been linked to such potential causes as chemical, pesticide, and/or heavy metal exposure, mercury amalgam fillings, Candida, stress, and viral infections.

One condition of hypothyroidism is called “Hashimoto’s disease.”  The body becomes allergic to its own thyroid hormone.  This can be detected by testing for levels of anti-thyroid antibodies.  The presence of these antibodies suggests an inflammatory condition of the thyroid.  The treatment is thyroid replacement to prevent hypothyroidism.

It is critical that thyroid function be evaluated.  Hypothyroidism may be an underlying factor in a large number of diseases.  Let’s look at some common sense approaches for prevention and treatment of hypothyroidism that may help you to correct this problem yourself.

Royal Recommendations for Prevention and Treatment

1. Avoid refined foods (e.g., white sugar), processed foods (e.g., white flour), and fatty foods.  These are devoid of many of the vitamins and minerals that your thyroid needs for normal functioning.  Iodine, which is nowadays largely obtained from iodized salt, is essential for the production of thyroid.  Apricots, chicken, dates, egg yolks, raw milk and cheese, molasses, parsley, and prunes are good sources of iodine.  Seafood, such as clams, fish, lobsters, and oysters are the richest sources of iodine.

2. Check your food allergies.  (See “Allergy—Foods.”)  An inflammatory reaction caused by food sensitivities will increase the production of adrenal hormones, which have a suppressive effect on the thyroid.

3. Some foods contain substances that prevent the utilization of iodine.  These are termed “goitrogens” and should be eaten in moderation.  These include such foods as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, millet, mustard greens, peaches, peanuts, pears, soybean, spinach, and turnips.  Cooking usually inactivates goitrogens.

4. The recommended daily allowance for iodine is small.  Yet, too little iodine can result in thyroid enlargement or goiter; too much iodine can inhibit thyroid synthesis.  To determine if you are in need of iodine, do the iodine test.  Apply a 3" square application of 2% brown tincture iodine to the skin.  If the patch disappears within less than 24 hours, then apply it again.  Continue to do this until the iodine skin patch remains for 24 hours or longer.  Check your iodine level this way each month.  The iodine absorbed from the skin is a form of supplementation.

5. Drink only distilled, spring, or reverse osmosis water.  Avoid water that has been treated with fluoride and chlorine such as tap water.  Fluoride and chlorine block iodine receptors in the thyroid gland.

6. Exercise stimulates thyroid gland secretion and increases tissue sensitivity to thyroid hormone.  Exercise is a particularly important element in the treatment for hypothyroidism.  This is especially true in overweight hypothyroid individuals who are dieting.  When dieting, a decrease in the metabolic rate occurs as the body strives to conserve fuel.  Exercise has been shown to prevent the decline in metabolic rate in response to dieting.

7. Check your medicine cabinet.  Sulfa drugs and antihistamines interfere with thyroid function and should be avoided if possible.

8. Check your thyroid blood levels.  The body can make what is known as rT3, or “reverse T3”, which is a form of active thyroid that the body is unable to use.  For this reason, in spite of normal blood tests, a patient can still have subclinical hypothyroidism.  This is known as “Wilson’s Syndrome.”  Instead of blood tests, measure your basal body temperature.  This is done by placing a thermometer under your arm for 10 minutes before arising in the morning on two consecutive days.  Your basal body temperature should be greater than 97.8. If not, then you could probably benefit from natural thyroid supplementation.  DHEA, pregnenolone, and progesterone should be considered as well.  (See “Stress.”)

9. Keep your blood sugar stable.  The liver provides about 70% of our active thyroid hormone by converting T4 to T3.  However, it can only provide the active thyroid hormone when adequate glucose is present.  Frequent snacks--for example, eating complex carbohydrates such as carrots, apples or drinking juice between meals--keeps the T3 level normal by providing glucose to the liver. 

10. If your cholesterol level is high, don’t panic.  This usually indicates that the thyroid function in low.  When thyroid is low, cholesterol isn’t efficiently converted into pregnenolone, a master steroid in the body, and blood levels of cholesterol increase.  (See “Cholesterol.”)

11. The presence of mercury amalgam in the teeth, particularly in the upper molars, can induce thyroid dysfunction.  Mercury from the amalgam fillings is absorbed by the body and blocks the receptor sites of Iodine on the thyroid hormone molecule.  Additionally, any heavy metal in excess can interfere with the thyroid function and should be checked.  (See “Chelation Therapy.”)

12. Try supplementing with coconut oil.  Coconut oil provides the thyroid with the saturated fatty acids it needs to produce thyroid hormone.  Coconut oil, often called the “fat-less fat,” makes it possible to go longer without eating, because its pro-thyroid effect.  Farmers have already demonstrated that coconut oil was not good for fattening their animals because it made them lean and hungry.  Coconut oil also protects our tissues against the toxic and thyroid inhibitory effects of the unsaturated fatty acids.

13. Heart rate variability testing, an assessment of heart rhythm, can reveal if an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system exists.  The autonomic nervous system regulates the production of hormones, such as thyroid, in the body.  An imbalance in the ANS can now be treated with non-cognitive biofeedback (e.g., recycling of the heart rate variations). 

14. Supplements found to be of benefit in hypothyroidism include:  vitamins A, C, and E, B-complex, coconut oil, the minerals magnesium and zinc, kelp, and glandular thyroid.  Vitamin A, E and zinc function together in many body processes, including the manufacture of thyroid hormone.  A deficiency of any of these nutrients would result in lower levels of active thyroid hormone being produced.  Be cautious with iodine products as too much iodine can actually inhibit thyroid gland synthesis.

15. Herbs known to be useful in improving thyroid function include bayberry, black cohosh, and goldenseal.

16. Homeopathics to consider include Iodum (if goiter is present), Spongia (if iodine is insufficient), and Thyroidinum (in low potency to stimulate thyroid function).

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