Thyroid Treatment Success Secret #6: 

The Dangers of IODINE!

The problem with iodine is if you walk into a health food store and you tell the manager (who usually has no medical background and has no idea what tests need to be run), “I have a thyroid condition.  How can I help myself?” they’ll probably give you iodine, which is one of the WORST things that you can do!

According to one of the foremost leading thyroid experts and author of the book, Why Do I Still Have My Thyroid Symptoms Even When My Lab Tests Are Normal?, Dr. Datis Kharrazian, taking iodine is like throwing gasoline on a fire.  Iodine is a red hot supplement these days and as I’ve mentioned, if you walk into any health food store and tell the manager that you have a thyroid condition, the first thing they’re going to reach for is an iodine supplement.  This is the worst thing that you can do so DON’T DO IT!  Check your multi-vitamin; does it contain iodine?  If so, do not take it!  It could make you worse!

Granted, iodine is vital to thyroid function.  It’s a major co-factor and stimulator for that enzyme, TPO, but for a person with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, for a person with an auto-immune thyroid, for a person where their immune system is attacking their thyroid, supplementing with iodine is literally throwing gasoline on a fire.

Iodine stimulates production of TPO.  This, in turn, increases levels of TPO anti-bodies dramatically, which indicates an auto-immune flare-up.  Some people develop symptoms of an overactive thyroid, while others have no symptoms despite the tests showing elevated levels of TPO anti-bodies; this is why you need to run the tests.  I always advise anyone with an auto-immune thyroid or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis to avoid supplements containing iodine–and yes, this also includes multi-vitamins.

You would be amazed at how many people walk into my door with severe thyroid conditions and they’re taking a multi-vitamin and many other supplements, thinking they’re helping themselves and they’re actually hurting themselves because they’re making their condition worse.

They’re over-stimulating or exceeding metabolic capacity of their immune system and it’s causing a “massive fire” that attacks their thyroid.  Now I know this seems confusing, but the reality is that most health food store managers have no idea of the testing that needs to be done to get a thorough work-up completed on a Hashimoto’s thyroid patient.

I’m going to be addressing those tests in future secrets but, trust me, you need a thorough work-up.  In fact, most patients who are suffering with chronic thyroid problems, who are taking medications and they still have symptoms even though their lab tests are “normal,”  need a thorough work-up.  They need the tests done.

Don’t suffer another minute!  Call our office at 610.558.8920 and schedule your Thyroid Discovery Visits with Dr. Balcavage.  Call now, space is limited!

Know the Autoimmune Triggers!

One of the most common questions I get is… “How did I develop this autoimmune condition?”  Well…it’s pretty much genetics and the environment.  It’s a matter of what came first, the chicken or the egg?  We all know that genetically, you may be at risk for developing certain problems and/or conditions.  If your mom had a thyroid condition, if your grandmother had a thyroid condition, you probably have a thyroid condition too, so there are genetic factors. But, just because we have a genetic prediposition to a specific condition that does not necessarily mean we will develop that condition.

Environmental triggers turn on genetic expression. So it is really our environmental triggers that may play the biggest role in the conditions we develop. Some of the triggers that may cause autoimmune thyroid include: Vitamin D deficiency, Iodine, Leaky Gut Syndrome, Gluten Intolerance, Estrogen Surges, Pregnancy, GI Infections, Blood sugar and Insulin surges, chronic inflammation, etc.

This is where the real doctoring comes into play. We need to help you identify what is causing your autoimmune condition, not just give you a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s. Your autoimmune condition could be caused by one or more of these triggers and we must identify the triggers and remove or support these triggers if we hope to improve your quality of life.

Unfortunately, it is often easier to just give a diagnosis and prescribe medications than do the detective work to find the underlying causes of your thyroid condition. But, this is what makes my practice different! I perform the latest tests that help identify the underlying causes of your reduced health so we can work on removing the triggers and restore your health!

Don’t suffer another minute!  Call our office at 610.558.8920 and schedule your Thyroid Discovery Visits with Dr. Balcavage.  Call now, space is limited!

Identifying If You Are Autoimmune Even If Your Antibody Tests Are Negative!

As I talked about in an earlier post, identifying that someone has autoimmune hypothyroidism and not primary hypothyroidism means a huge difference in the way I want to help them. If you are autoimmune we need to address the immune system and what is causing it to be “out of control”. If you have primary hypothyroidism than the best support may be thyroid medications. It’s just that most people don’t have primary hypothyroidism.

So, how do you know if you’re autoimmune?  How do you know if your immune system is attacking your body?  Well…we just talked about the fact that we run tests, specifically TPO and TGB antibodies, to see if you have an autoimmune thyroid condition or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. But sometimes thyroid antibodies are negative because of the way the immune system is behaving. You are truly autoimmune but the immune system can’t mount an antibody response for the test to be positive (this actually happens quite frequently). When this happens, it’s best to look for other clues that you have autoimmune attack on your thyroid.

One of the simplest clues that indicate that you may have an autoimmune thyroid as the primary cause of your thyroid symptoms is that you already suffer with other autoimmune disorders such as; psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Sjogren’s syndrome,  Celiac Disease, scleroderma,  lupus, etc.

Another clue that you’re autoimmune is that your symptoms may wax and wane.  Symptoms that wax and wane are a sure sign that you are most likely suffering from an autoimmune condition.

A third clue to is that you have a basket of supplements you have used or are using to try and feel better –I mean a truck-load.  I’ve had people bring in so many bottles of supplements it wasn’t funny.  In many cases, the supplements that they are taking were actually making them worse (but that is another topic)! 

Number four…your health fell apart after you got sick or had some type of stressful event.  Whether it be the death of a family member, a really bad emotional experience, or often times  a pregnancy, some stressor often times precedes the decline in health. When someone tells me that it seemed to all start after… that’s when I am definately thinking autoimmune problems.

Number five… If your TSH levels fluctuate everytime you get them checked or your doctor is constantly changing dosages or thyroid medications you can bet you are likely autoimmune.

Number six… If you’ve been to 12 or 15 or 20 different doctors and you have a stack of medical records sky-high, your lab tests are “normal”, and no one seems to know what is wrong, you probably have an undiagnosed autoimmune condition.

And finally, don’t just have you antibodies run once if they are negative. Because the immune system waxes and wanes, the antibody tests should be run multiple times before deciding they are negative.

Hope this helps!

Don’t suffer another minute!  Call our office at 610.558.8920 and schedule your Thyroid Discovery Visits with Dr. Balcavage.  Call now, space is limited!

TPO and TGB Antibody Testing!

In Thyroid Treatment Success Secret #2, we talked about the fact that the number-one cause of hypothyroidism is an autoimmune thyroid, and there has to be a reason why your body is attacking your thyroid. What I want explain in this Treatment Success Secret is what are the tests used to determine if you have an Autoimmune Hypothyroid called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  There are certain tests that need to be run on the thyroid–not just a TSH or a free T3 or a free T4– there are specific antibodies called TPO and TGB antibodies.  If these antibody tests are positive, you have an autoimmune thyroid.  My guess is that your doctor has not run these two tests.

Now there are many other tests that need to be run for the thyroid, but these are the two big ones to determine if you have an autoimmune thyroid.  And if you’re autoimmune, you have to find out why you are autoimmune.  Remember, I said there are two parts to your immune system, TH1 and TH2.  They need to work in balance.  If one is dominant or working harder than the other, it’s usually because there’s something called an active antigen.  And what is an active antigen?  It can be a parasite.  It can be a virus, bacteria, mold or fungi.  It can be a food protein, such as gluten (the protein in wheat, barley and rye) or casein (milk protein).

Your immune system could also become imbalanced because of disregulation due to hormonal surges, extreme stress, blood sugar problems, chronic inflammation, and/or high cortisol levels. Multiple factors can all cause your immune system to run amuck.

Running the Thyroid Antibodies is the first step to identifying if you have an autoimmune thyroid condition. Determining what is causing the immune problem is the next step.

Don’t suffer another minute!  Call our office at 610.558.8920 and schedule your Thyroid Discovery Visits with Dr. Balcavage.  Call now, space is limited!

Even if you have been told you are not intolerant to gluten, I would recommend you can be tested with Cyrex Labs new Wheat/Gluten Proteome Sensitivity and Autoimmunity test. This is by far in my and other experts opinions, the best and most comprehensive gluten test available today. Dr. Karrazian explains why in this article.

What Dr K. hints at in this article is that going gluten-free may not be good enough for a lot of people. One of the reasons is what is called cross-reactivity. Cross-reactivity means that other foods look so similar to gluten that the immune responds like you are eating gluten. The immune system ramps up the same immune response creating more inflammation and autoimmune attack. Some of the cross-reactive foods are dairy, milk chocolate, american cheese, coffee, and gluten-free grains.

Another reason going gluten-free may be good but not good enough is because of a problem called intestinal permeability. About 70% of the immune system lies in the intestinal barrier. It is there to protect us from things outside the body (the inside of your intestines is technically outside the body) getting across the intestinal barrier and into the body. Think of the intestinal lining like the screens in your home. The holes are large enough to let air in but small enough to keep unwanted bugs, bees, flies, and critters out. If I punch some holes in the screen, those things get in your home and create kaos. In the body, it is very similar. If the intestinal lining gets disrupted/damaged, undigested food, bacteria, parasites, etc get across the barrier and the immune system goes into overdrive. The ensuing immune response promotes inflammation and drives autoimmunity.

There are two pathways that can be damaged with intestinal permeability. The first is through the cell the second is between the cells. These pathways can be damaged by multiple substances including: foods, medications, antibiotics, stress, hormone deficiencies, nutrient deficiencies, bacteria, parasites, etc. Going gluten-free alone often times will not heal the damage between the cells. So, if one pathway heals and the other is still disrupted, permeability is still present and immune reaction, inflammation and autoimmunity still occurs. Cyrex Labs also has in my opinion the best available test to measure intestinal permeability. This test is critical to understanding intestinal lining integrity. The intestinal lining will breakdown BEFORE most people become symptomatic and pathology is evident on biopsy or scope. Any inflammation of the GI tact will drive brain based inflammation causing symptoms of brain fog, attention problems, fatigue, sleeping challenges, memory problems and more.

Check out this video from Cyrex Labs:

Dr. Balcavage

Eating gluten increases the need for thyroid hormones

A new study shows Hashimoto’s patients with symptomless celiac disease (i.e., no digestive complaints) require 49 percent more T4 to achieve the same TSH levels as non-celiac Hashimoto’s patients.

After the patients followed a gluten-free diet for 11 months their TSH levels came down with the same T4 requirement as the non-celiac

Gluten sensitivity linked with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism

This is yet another study that demonstrates the clinical association between gluten sensitivity and Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism. It is very rare to find a person with Hashimoto’s who does not have some degree of gluten sensitivity or full-blown celiac disease.

Gluten overstimulates the immune system

Gluten sensitivity is basically defined as any immune response to gluten.

Celiac disease is defined generally as an autoimmune response to intestinal tissues upon gluten exposure, as well as overall activation of the immune system Various labs classify celiac disease using different criteria, including genetic testing and intestinal biopsy.

Either way, such an immune response is never good for a person with Hashimoto’s or other autoimmune disease.  The immune system is already imbalanced and overactive during an active autoimmune condition. A consistent immune reaction to a regular food in the diet only makes the immune system more volatile, further exacerbating the autoimmune condition.

This overall activation of the immune system creates inflammation and explains why symptoms of gluten sensitivity vary. For some the inflammation may target the joints, creating pain and swelling. For others skin rashes and skin disorders ensue. Many others suffer inflammation in the brain, resulting in brain fog, mood and anxiety disorders, or memory loss.

The list of inflammation-induced symptoms brought on by a gluten sensitivity goes on and depends upon the person’s genetic makeup. Needless to say such systemic inflammation also flares up an autoimmune condition.

Experience shows a gluten-free diet is a must

In my experience, most Hashimoto’s patients fall somewhere between gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.  Nevertheless, almost all patients with Hashimoto’s improve on a strict gluten-free diet, even if they do not fit the established criteria of celiac disease. By strict I mean you are 100 percent gluten-free. Because the immune reaction to gluten has been shown to last up to six months after exposure, cheat days or occasionally eating gluten will derail the therapeutic benefits of a gluten-free diet.

Practitioners wrong when they say gluten OK

I have seen many patients over the years with Hashimoto’s whose health care practitioners have told them they can eat gluten because they had a normal gluten antibody test (meaning there is no sensitivity) or they did not have the gene for gluten sensitivity. This a horrible mistake and a complete disconnect with the realities of what a serious immune trigger gluten is for most people with Hashimoto’s, unassociated with celiac disease.

Problem lies with incomplete gluten testing

I am now convinced that part of the problem with negative gluten antibody tests is improper testing. The general gluten antibody test conducted by most labs today is only testing a small portion of the gluten protein, alpha-gliadin.

In reality, an individual can have an immune response to various parts of the gluten protein, including omega-gliadin, gamma-gliadin, wheat germ agglutinin, and deamidated gliadin.

In my practice the only valid and complete gluten assessment is a panel called the Wheat/Gluten Proteome Sensitivity and Autoimmunity test by Cyrex Laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona. The panel also provides testing for transglutaminase antibodies, the marker for autoimmunity against intestinal tissue. This marker strongly suggests celiac disease or at least an autoimmune reaction in the small intestine in response to gluten.

Other factors in gluten testing

If you are a thyroid patient who tested negative for alpha-gliadin antibodies and have been told it is OK to eat gluten, that advice could be harmful to your condition as you may be reacting to one of these other components of gluten.

Also, newer research shows that people may have a gluten cross-reactivity, meaning they react to other foods as if they are gluten, another scenario for which Cyrex Labs screens. Lastly, if your immune system is depressed and exhausted, you may not be able to make enough antibodies to register positive on a lab panel, even though an immune reaction is taking place. In this instance, restoring immune health will often then produce a positive antibody response to gluten on a lab test.

Both the scientific and clinical evidence linking gluten with Hashimoto’s and autoimmune disease in general is too powerful and abundant to ignore. A strict gluten-free diet is the first and most important step to managing your Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.

Auto Immune Thyroid (aka. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis) is the #1 Cause of Hypothyroid in the U.S.!

The #1 cause of low thyroid or hypothyroid in the United Statesis something called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or autoimmune thyroid.  It’s an autoimmune condition and it means that your immune system is attacking your thyroid.

An autoimmune condition is where your immune system is attacking a part of your body, and in this case, it is attacking your thyroid gland.  Remember, your thyroid controls your body’s metabolism.  ALL OF IT!

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (aka. autoimmune thyroid) is the #1 cause of low thyroid in the U.S. So, if you have thyroid symptoms you should be evaluated to see if this is the cause. When you have Hashimoto’s, your immune system is attacking your thyroid, and it is killing it. You don’t have just a “thyroid” problem, you have an “immune” problem!  Unfortunately, thyroid hormones do nothing for this autoimmune attack.  You will continue to lose more and more of your thyroid  by taking the medications.  It is a slow, progressive, downward slide.

So the problem isn’t just your thyroid: it is your immune system.  You have an immune system problem, and you need to heal your immune system.  Thyroid hormones are not going to help you heal your immune system.

There are two parts to your immune system, TH1 and TH2, and they should be in balance, kind of like a teeter-totter effect.  One should not be higher than the other.  If your immune system goes out of balance because of stress (physical, chemical or emotional), one system (TH1 or TH2) will become dominant and this will cause your immune system to attack your body.  There are specific blood tests that can be run to determine if you are autoimmune and if one part of your immune system is dominant.

Now the problem with an autoimmune condition is it just doesn’t attack one area of your body…your thyroid.  It can attack other areas of your body.  It can attack your pancreas, causing diabetes, or it can attack your gut — your stomach lining, (causing IBS), or it can attack your joints (rheumatoid arthritis).  It can attack your entire body.  You need to be tested to see if you are having an autoimmune condition, and if that is what is causing your thyroid condition.

Don’t suffer another minute!  Call our office at 610.558.8920 and schedule your Thyroid Discovery Visits with Dr. Balcavage.  Call now, space is limited!

Lab Testing Ranges are EXTREMELY Broad!

Why do you still have thyroid symptoms when your lab tests are normal?  Why do you have still have thyroid symptoms when your TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) is between .35 to 5.0 which is the “normal lab range”?

Most likely, your M.D. has only ordered one thyroid test, which is TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone).  If you are lucky, maybe he has have ordered a couple more.  From your M.D.’s perspective, if your TSH level is within that very wide lab range of .35 to 5.0, you’re normal, there’s nothing wrong with you!  BUT—and this is a HUGE “BUT”—the OPTIMAL LEVEL or “functional level” for TSH is 1.8 to 3.0.  So you could still be “normal” in the medical doctor’s eyes but abnormal in the functional or optimal range.

It’s only when that range is above 5.0 that the medical doctor will put you on a thyroid hormone such as Synthroid or the generic, Levothyroxine.

BUT, as I mentioned, in a medical doctor’s eyes, if your thyroid TSH is within .35 to 5.0, YOU ARE NORMAL!  There is NOTHING wrong with you.  “It’s ALL in your head!”  “You don’t need medication, because you don’t have a thyroid problem!”  Even though you still may have all the thyroid symptoms: extreme fatigue, hair falling out, etc., you’re NORMAL!  Well…you and I both know that you are not “normal”. If you were, you would not be suffering from symptoms!  You could be within the “normal” TSH range of .35 to 5.0 but still be outside the optimal range of 1.8 to 3.0.  Your TSH level could be at 4.2, and that’s why you’re having the problem; it’s outside the “optimal” or “functional” range.  The same is true for any other of the thyroid blood tests such as Total Thyroxine (TT4), Free Thyroxine Index (FTI), Free Thyroxine (FT4), Free Triodothyroxine (FT3) and the three or four other tests that need to be run on your thyroid to get to the EXACT cause of your problem.

If you are sick and tired of BEING sick and tired…call our office  at 610-558-8920 for a Thyroid Consultation and Report of Findings.  Just ask for our “2 Visit Internet Special!”

Physicians were informed to consider very low levels of cholesterol as potential warning signs of a serious disease or as signals of rapidly declining health.

The study included 4520 men and women between the ages of 65-84.

The study concluded that low total cholesterol was associated with a higher risk of death.

Low cholesterol level is a robust predictor of mortality in the nondemented elderly and may be a surrogate of frailty or subclinical disease according to the research team.

References:
Brescianini S, Maggi S, Farchi G, Mariotti S, Di Carlo A, Baldereschi M, Inzitari D; ILSA Group. Low total cholesterol and increased risk of dying: are low levels clinical warning signs in the elderly? Results from the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003 Jul;51(7):991-6.

Schupf N, Costa R, Luchsinger J, Tang MX, Lee JH, Mayeux R. Relationship between plasma lipids and all-cause mortality in nondemented elderly. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005 Feb;53(2):219-26.

Cholesterol has gotten a bad reputation as being a problem. Too often when cholesterol levels are elevated doctors are in a hurry to lower the numbers with medication thinking that if high levels are bad and we give you something to lower the number the patient will be fine. This is far from the case. The real problem is what is causing the elevated cholesterol levels in the first place. Elevated cholesterol level are a symptom of a bigger metabolic problem. The real doctoring comes from identifying what is CAUSING the elevation, not from artificially lowering the number with medications. This study shows another reason why artificially pushing cholesterol levels too low can have significant negative consequences on someones health. If you have high cholesterol levels you owe it to yourself to find out what is causing the elevated levels at what you can do to improve levels naturally. — Dr. Eric Balcavage