Thyroid 101

Chapter 1

Thyroid 101

N order to underst and t he causes of lo w t hyro id hor mone sympt oms it is import ant to underst and so me o f t he basics about t he t hyro id gland, how it

works and what causes problems. Heres a ver y simple int roduct io n t o all t he charact ers t hat play t heir part in t hyro id healt h.

Pituitary The pit uit ar y is a pea -s ized gland in t he brain. When t hyro id hor mones in t he bloodst ream go down t he pit uit ar y makes a hor mo ne called t hyro id st imulat ing hor mo ne or TSH.

TSH This hor mone t ravels t hrough t he blo odst ream t o t he t hyro id gland and st imulat es t he t hyro id t o make more o f it s hor mones. Heres t he t hyro id.

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Well, OK. I t hought t his was bet t er t han a bloody t hyro id gland. Anyw ay, when your t hyro id is st imu lat ed by TSH it secret es pr imar ily t wo t hyro id hor mo nes. One is called T4 or t hyroxine.
Iodine

Iodine

T4
Iodine

Iodine

T4 is t he pr imar y hor mo ne made by t he t hyro id.

It is also known as t he

prohormo ne or mot her - hor mone because it can beco me ot her t hyro i d hor mones. Not ice t he 4 at o ms o f iodine. T4 is inact ive. It doesnt do anyt hing fo r t he bodys met abo lism or t he mak ing of energy. It must be co nvert ed int o T3.
Iodine

T3
Iodine Iodine

This is T3 wit h one less at om o f iodine. It is t he act ive t hyro id hor mone. It is also called t r iiodot hyronine. The conversio n o f T4 to T3 happens pr imar ily in t he liver. Convers io n simply happens by remo ving 1 at om o f iodine.

T4 T4 T4

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That covers so me o f t he basics o f t hyro id hor mo nes so now let s review so me o f t he most commo n quest ions abou t t he t hyr oid.

What is Hypothyroidi sm ? Hypot hyro idis m simply means t hat t he t hyro id isnt making enough T4 and T3 and so t hese t wo hormo nes are low in t he blood and on blood t est s. There are t wo t ypes o f Hypot hyro idis m, one is Pr imar y Hypot hyro idis m a nd t he ot her is Seco ndar y Hypot hyro idis m. Wit h Pr imar y t here is p lent y TSH and t hus plent y o f st imulat io n but t he t hyro id gland is nt able t o respond. The blood t est wit h Pr imar y Hypot hyro idism will show high TSH and low levels of T4 and T3.
Iodi ne Iodi ne Iodi ne Iodi ne Iodi ne

TSH

T4
Iodi ne

T3

Iodi ne

Secondar y Hypot hyro idis m is ver y differ ent when looking at blood t est result s. Wit h Seco ndar y TSH is lo w for var ious reasons and since TSH is lo w t he t hyro id is not gett ing enough st imulat io n t o make it s hor mones . So wit h Secondar y t he blood t est will sho w low TSH and lo w T4 and T3.
Iodi ne Iodi ne Iodi ne Iodi ne

T SH

Iodi ne

T4
Iodi ne

T3

Iodi ne

Not e t hat bot h condit io ns have low t hyroid hor mo nes so t he way a per son wit h Pr imar y Hypot hyro idis m feels and t he way a per son w it h Secondar y

Hypot hyro idis m will feel are pret t y much t he same. This is why lab t est ing is so import ant .

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If there s plent y of TSH why wouldnt the thyroid be able to m ake m ore thyroid horm ones? The t hyro id needs nut r ient s t o make t hyro id hor mo nes. Just like yo ur body

needs iron and B12 t o make red blood cells so your t hyro id needs iodine, selenium, zinc and iron. Most people don t necessar ily need a pr escr ipt ion for t hyro id medicat ion. They just need t o feed t heir t hyro id gland.

Whats the difference bet ween the thyroi d horm ones T4 and T3? T4 is t he most abundant hor mone produced by t he t hyro id. The 4 in T4 st ands for t he number o f at t ached iodine at oms. It s main purpose is t o make ot her

t hyro id hor mones such as T3 and so it is referred t o as a prohor mone or mot her hor mo ne. T4 does not direct ly co nt rol yo ur met abo lism. I know I am repeat ing myself here but repet it ion helps t o generat e new brain cells and me mor y.

Iodine

Iodine

T4
Iodine

Iodine

T4 must be convert ed to T3 which is t he t hyro id hor mone t hat st imulat es energ y product ion or met abo lis m. regulat es t he cells act ivit y. T3 regulat es met abo lis m by slipping t hrough t he Once at t ached it

membr anes o f your cells and at t aching t o nuclear recept ors.

Iodine

T3
Iodine Iodine

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What about blood test s? This is a most import ant quest ion. To underst and t he causes o f low t hyro id

hor mo ne sympt o ms you must have spec ific lab t est s done. It is import ant to be working wit h a professio na l who uses lab t est result s in t heir overall assessment . I t hink Ive made t his clear wit h t he t wo examples o f Pr imar y and Secondar y Hypot hyro idis m. They bot h have lo w thyro id hor mo nes and almo st ident ica l

sympt oms but t he reaso ns are co mplet ely different . One is a problem wit h t he t hyro id being under nour ished and t he ot her is a problem wit h t he product ion o f TSH by t he pit uit ar y gland. There is nor mally a cont inual balancing act bet ween TSH and T4. product ion by t he t hyro id gland goes down TSH should go up. When T4

When T4 goes down

TSH goes up

And when t hyro id product ion o f T4 increases t hen TSH should go down.
TSH goes down when

T4 goes up

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This is rat her a simp le concept t o grasp and check ing TSH and T4 in t he blood t ells us a lot about t he int eract io n bet ween t he pit u it ar y and t he t hyro id gland. Test ing T4 levels t ells us how much is being made by t he t hyro id gland. T he T4 blood t est also t ells us t wo ot her t hings. All t he hor mo nes in t he blood st ream are eit her bound t o prot eins or are free float ing and available. When you see a la b result for T4 t his represent s t he t ot al T4, bot h t he bound and free . But for a co mplet e assessment as t o why so meone has low t hyro id hor mo ne sympt oms it s ext remely import ant to know bot h t he bound T4 and t he fr ee T4. And to know t his we must t est t he Tot al T 4 AND t he Free T4. Here is an example t o illust rat e.
01

01 >
N O R M A L

01 01

00
00 00 Total T4 Free T4

>

Here t he t ot al T4 ( bound & fr ee) is well wit hin t he nor mal range which t ells us t hat t he t hyro id is producing plent y o f thyro id hor mo ne. Yet look at t he free

T4. It is low which means t hat most of t he t hyro id hor mone T4 is bound up and cant be use d. And what is free T4 used for ? It is used t o make T3, t he act ive t hyro id hor mo ne. This br ings up anot her po int . What good will it do t o know t he Free T4 if we have no idea if it is being co nvert ed to the act iv e T3 t hyro id hor mone? That s why it is also ver y import ant t o check for t his co nver sio n by t est ing t he level o f available T3.

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Here s anot her illust rat ion.

01 01 >
N O R M A L

01
01 00 00 00 Free T4 Free T3

>

Here we have plent y o f free and available T4 but low levels o f free T3.

This

indicat es poor T4 to T3 convers io n and uncover s anot her cause o f low t hyro id hor mo ne sympt o ms. It is ver y import ant t o underst and t he import ance o f t hese four lab t est s because wit hout t hem you just cant det ermine t he reaso ns for low t hyro id hor mone sympt oms. A co mpr ehensive t hyro id panel must inc lude TSH, Tot al T4, Free T4 and Free T3. There ar e ot her t est s as well which we will cover a lit t le lat er on but t hese are t he foundat io n.

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Chapter 2

Summary of the Seven Causes

ext well go a lit t le deeper in t he causes of low t hyro id hor mone sympt oms. I believe you alr eady have enough knowledge t o underst and

t hese seven causes but Ill st ill keep it ver y simple and basic. Believe me whe n I say t hat by t he t ime you finish t his book you will possess a ver y t horough educat io n on t hyro id hor mones and a comprehensive per spect ive o n t he reasons for low t hyro id hor mone sympt o ms.
Lab Test Results

ab result s ar e ver y import ant in t he scient ific approach t o underst anding a persons illness yet when it co mes t o the t hyro id how t hese result s ar e

oft en mis int erpret ed is t he first cause o f why low t hyro id hor mo ne s ympt oms are oft en not t reat ed. Let s say t hat a perso n vis it s t heir phys ician wit h all t he co mplaint s o f hypot hyro idis m. The first t hing t he doctor must do besides examining t he pat ient is t o order lab t est s. Let s say t hat t he physic ian, like most phys icians, orders t he t ypical t hyro id t est s. Here are t he result s.
03 02 >
N O R M A L

02 01 01 00

>

TSH

Total T4

You may already recognize t his and be able t o underst and what t hese result s mean and how t o int erpret t hem. Remem ber, when T4 goes down TSH should go
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up in an at t empt to st imulat e t he t hyro id to make more hor mo nes. In t his case t here is more t han enough TSH yet t he t hyro id is unable t o respond which is reflect ed in low T4. To t he phys ician t hese result s confir m t hat t h e pat ient is suffer ing fro m Pr imar y Hypot hyro idis m. This is a simple and st raight forward case. The pat ient would be prescr ibed a t hyro id medicat ion. T here is a lot more t hat can be done and needs t o be done which I ll explain in a lat er chapt er. Yet in t he real wor ld Hypot hyro idis m does not develo p suddenly o ver night . A

person just doesnt wake up one mor ning wit h sympt o ms t hat are reflect ed wit h ver y high TSH and ver y lo w T4. Developing Pr imar y Hypot hyro idis m wit h

t hese lab result s can t ake years and even decades. So how might t he result s have looked 5 years before for a perso n wit h Pr imar y?
01 01 >
N O R M A L

01
01 00

>

00
00 TSH Total T4

Here we have bot h TSH and Tot al T4 in t he nor mal r ange w it h TSH being on t he high side and T4 on t he low side. Ive seen t his pat t ern hundreds of t imes. A person wit h t hese lab result s will o ft en suffer fro m low t hyro id hor mone sympt oms because o f sub-optimal t hyro id hor mo ne levels. To me t hese lab

result s represent a pre-st age of hypot hyr oidis m and need t o be t reat ed before t hey develop int o Primar y Hypot hyro idism. This st age responds ver y well t o supple ment s and nut r it ion which is covered in anot her sect ion. P eople shouldnt have to wait anot her 5 year s unt il t he ir Using la b

t hyro id finally fa ils and t hey are d iagnosed wit h hypot hyro idis m.

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work is a great way o f knowing t he r easo ns for s ympt oms and t o beg in t reat ment before t he condit io n beco mes more severe. Remember t hat we already covered Secondar y Hypot hyro idis m where t here wasnt enough TSH t o simulat e t he t hyro id g land? Heres what t he lab r esult s look like for Secondar y.
01 01 >
N O R M A L

01 01 00

>

00
00

TSH

Total T4

Here t he level o f Tot al T4 is o n t he ver y low side o f nor mal pr imar ily because t he t hyro id is not being st imu lat ed by TSH. Here t he phys ician gives t he

diagnosis o f S econdar y Hypot hyro idis m and must t hen invest igat e more deeply t he reasons for t he low TSH. T his is a more complicat ed cond it io n t han Pr imar y Hypot hyro idis m but t here are cert ainly a number o f t hings t hat can be do ne as you will soon see. Remember t hat t wo people, one wit h Pr imar y Hypot hyro idis m and t he ot her wit h Secondar y will have ver y similar symptoms because t hey bot h have low cir culat ing t hyro id hor mones. Then what about t hese result s?

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01 01

>
N O R M A L

01 01 00 00 00 TSH Total T4

>

Here t he TSH is approaching t he lower limit o f nor mal and t he same for T4. Yet because t hey bot h fall wit hin t he nor mal range t his perso n would not receive any diagnosis or help wit h impro ving t heir sympt oms. Yet it is just a mat t er of t ime unt il t his person would beco me hypot hyroid . act ion. At t his st age it is t ime t o t ake It is st ill a ver y t reat able co ndit io n as you will see and I ve seen t he

t reat ment work over and over aga in. The t ake- ho me here is t hat hypot hyroidis m, eit her Pr imar y or Secondar y, develops gradually over years and decades. Treat ing t hese pre- st ages is ver y impor t ant not only for prevent ion but for helping t he pat ient to recover t heir healt h and vit alit y. There ar e many wa ys o f improving t hese pr e- hypot hyro id co ndit ions including nut r it io n, supplement s and phar macy.

Problem with Lab Ranges

We just cover ed t he reaso ns for t reat ing a perso n before t heir lab result s fell out of t he labs nor mal r eference range. what is nor mal and what is not ? As an example let s look at TSH to underst and t he pr oble m we physic ians are faced wit h. TSH was t he first lab t est doct ors used t o diagnose hypot hyro idis m. But what about t hese ranges t hat dict at e

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Before t hat doct ors based t heir diagnosis on t he appear ance and co mplaint s o f t he pat ient . When t he TSH blood t est was int roduced in t he ear ly 60s d oct ors were co nfused because t he blood t est result s for so me pat ient s ca me back in t he nor mal range on pat ient s who t he doct or knew was obvio usly hypot hyro id. P hys icians who

had been t reat ing hypot hyro id pat ient s for years decided t hat t he new TSH la b t est was unreliable. S ince t hat t ime t he TSH lab t est has rema ined t he same. What has change d is t he refer ence range. T he upper nor ma l limit has co me down over t he years. Now it is 4.5. The Amer ican Associat ion o f

About a year ago it was 5.5.

Clinical E ndocr ino logist s ( AACE) want s it t o be even lower, t o 3.0. Let s look at t he o ld and t he suggest ed new upper nor mal and what it might mean t o t he public and t o physicians.
1.2

Old > New > >

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0 TSH Total T4

Here we have result s for TSH and T4.

Wit h t he o ld upper nor mal o f 4.5 t his

person would not be diagnosed wit h Pr imar y Hypot hyro idis m. But if labs would lower t his t o t he new upper nor mal o f 3.0 as suggest ed by t he AS CE t his perso n would now receive t he diagnosis and a prescr ipt io n. This means t hat pot ent iall y

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millio ns o f people for mer ly considered normal would now receive a diagnosis. So really, it all co mes down t o whet her or not a phys ician is willing t o use t hese new AACE guidelines. I hope you are beginning t o recognize not only how import ant t hyro id la b t est ing is but also t he import ance o f working wit h a phys ician who is able t o int erpret lab result s based upon research and current phys ician gu idelines. There is a lot more infor mat io n on lab r eference ranges and t he pre - st ages o f hypot hyro idis m in t he Advanced chapt er. Thi s has only been an o ver view or summar y.

Poor Conversion of T4 to T3

oor conversio n is t he seco nd leading cause o f low t hyro id hor mones. Remember t hat T4 is t he inact ive t hyro id hor mo ne and must be convert ed t o T his is called

t he act ive T3 hor mone by simply r emo ving 1 at om o f iodine. conver sio n.

I f you have poor conver sio n t hen yo ull have low levels o f T3 and because o f t his youll have t he same sympt o ms as a person w it h eit her Pr imar y or Secondar y H ypot hyro id ism. Just as a reminder here is an example o f t he lab result s for poor conver sio n.
01

01
>
N O R M A L

01 01 00 00 00 Free T4 Free T3

>

Here we have plent y o f free and available T4 but it s not being convert ed t o T3 and t hus free T3 is low.

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I f you read any med ical phys io lo gy bo ok publishing in t he last 10 years it descr ibes T3 as t he t hyro id hor mo ne t hat cont rols and regulat es t he body s met abo lis m and t hat T4 must be co nver t ed to T3. inc lude free T3 in t heir lab r equis it io n. Yet most doctors do not

Also t here is no for ma l medical

diagnosis for hypot hyro idism due t o poor conver sio n. As ment io ned, t his conversio n happens pr imar ily in t he liver as well as ins ide cells. Knowing how to improve liver funct ion and which specific supp lement s promot e opt imal co nver sio n are provided in t he chapt er on t hyro id so lut io ns .

Hypothyroidism
At first you may wo nder why I ve included h ypot hyro idis m as t he t hird cause o f low t hyro id hor mo ne sympt o ms. T he reason is because many people diagnosed wit h hypot hyro idis m and t aking t hyro id medicat io n are st ill having low t hyro id sympt oms. There are a few reaso ns for t his which I ll br ie fly ment ion. The most widely prescr ibed t hyro id medicat io ns are S ynt hro id and L -T hyroxine. Bot h of t hese are synt het ic mimics o f t he T4 our t hyro id makes. And just as our T4 needs t o be co nvert ed t o T3 so does this t hyro id medicat ion. T herefore o ne reason for a per son not feeling 100% bet t er on t heir t hyro id medicat ion is because o f poor or inco mplet e conversio n. There is also t he fact t hat in t he first place t he pr imar y cause o f low t hyro id hor mo nes is t he lack of specific essent ia l nut r ient s. Just because you ve replaced your t hyro id hor mo ne doesn t mean you st ill wo nt be having ot her problems due t o t hese deficiencies. And also remember t hat t here are at least 6 ot her causes for low t hyro id hor mo ne sympt o ms and a person diagnosed wit h hypot hyro idism must st il l invest igat e all t hese ot her reasons. Is hypot hyro idis m a cause of low t hyro id hor mone s ympt oms? Most definit ely and it t akes mor e t han a t hyro id pr escr ipt io n t o resolve t hem. So met imes a t hyro id prescr ipt ion is abso lut ely necessar y but t his doesnt mean it s t he onl y t hing t hat will help.

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Short ly I will be expla ining exact ly how to opt imize t hyro id hor mo ne levels for t hose t aking a t hyro id prescr ipt io n.

Autoimmune Thyroid Disease (AITD)

utoimmune t hyro id d isease is t he fourt h reason for low t hyro id hor mo ne sympt oms and besides nut r ient defic ienc ies is t he major u nder lying cause By aut o immune is meant t hat t he immune syst em is

of hypot hyro idis m.

att acking t he bodys t issues and wit h AIT D it is t he t hyro id. AITD can exist dur ing any pre - st age o f hypot hyro idis m. One t yp ical set of

sympt oms o f AITD is t he ro ller - coast er ing s ympt oms o f feeling racy o ne da y and exhaust ed t he next . It can also present as s imply fat igue as well as all t he ot her low t hyro id hor mone sy mpt oms.
Theories

There are a few t heor ies about how AITD develops. viral or bact er ial. self dest ruct . Ill br iefly expla in.

One is t hat t he or igin is

Anot her is t hat t hyro id cells beco me inflamed and begin t o

Thyro id cells make hydrogen peroxide which causes iodide t o beco me iodine. This is a necessar y st ep in t he making o f thyro id hor mo nes. What st imulat es t he product ion o f H 2 O 2 inside t hyro id cells is TSH and you know what st imulat es TSH. It is low levels o f t hyro id hor mo nes in t he blood. Now as TSH goes up because o f low t hyro id hor mones it will st imulat e t he product ion o f H 2 O 2 inside t hyro id cells . But what do you t hink will happen i f t hese t hyro id cells don t have enough iod ide? Insuffic ient iodide result s in t he low pr oduct ion o f t hyro id hor mones. Low

pro duct ion o f t hyro id hor mones will co nt inue t o cause t he pit uit ar y t o produce more and more TSH. Cont inued product io n o f TSH will maint ain abnor mally

high levels o f H 2 O 2 in t hyro id cells which creat es more infla mmat io n. Now if a person is defic ient in ant io xidant s such as glut at hio ne t o quench t his inflammat io n t here will be so me degree of dest ruct ion o f t he t hyro id cells. This

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is when t he immune syst em st eps in t o clean up t he debr is and t his increases t he likelihood of developing aut oimmune t hyr oid disease. Unfort unat ely mo st peop le are not screened for AITD. As you will lear n in t he Advanced chapt er unt il AITD is addressed t hrough supple ment s and phar macy a person will be unable t o recover normal t hyro id hor mo ne levels or t heir healt h. The so lut io ns sect ion will give det ails on a protocol t hat has been effect ive in over 80% o f t he cases. T his protocol includes t he necessit y o f specific

supple ment s, changes in nut r it ion and a t hyro id prescr ipt io n.

Poor Binding of T3 to Cell Receptors

he fift h r eason for having low t hyro id hor mo ne s ympt oms is due t o T3 being unable t o bind t o t hyro id recept ors inside t he cells o f t he body. T3 is

t he act ive hor mo ne but if it cant bind it cant improve t he met abo lism o f t he cell. I f a good port ion of free T3 cannot bind t o t hese recept ors a person wil l exper ience low t hyro id hor mo ne sympt o ms. There ar e pr imar ily t hree reasons for why T3 cant bind. The fir st t wo reasons relat e t o a prot ein co mplex which is at t ached t o t he se recept ors. When levels o f t his prot ein co mpl ex are low t hen T3 cannot

opt ima lly bind. This prot ein co mplex is made o f vit amin D, a ret ino id ( vit amin A) and a prot ein. A per son wit h subopt imal levels o f vit amin D and vit amin A may exper ience lo w t hyro id hor mone sympt oms due t o poor binding of T 3 t o t hese prot ein co mplex es on recept ors. I will exp lain exact ly how t o int erpret vit amin D lab t est s and t he dosing o f a vit amin D supple ment . The t hir d reason for poor binding o f T3 to recept ors is due t o a deficiency o f cort iso l, a hor mone produced by t he adr enal glands. anot her cause of low t hyro id hor mo ne s ympt oms. Low cort iso l levels are

Ill expla in t he best way o f

t est ing cort iso l levels and so me o pt ions on how to opt imize cort iso l levels.

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Bound Thyroid Hormones- Estrogen & Progesterone

ou already know t hat t hyro id hor mo nes are circulat ing t hrough t he bloodst ream as e it her bound t o prot ein or free and available. When a

large percent age o f t hyro id hor mo nes are bound t hen a perso n w ill exper ience low t hyro id hor mone sympt oms. One prot ein t hat binds t hyro id hor mo nes is called t hyro id binding glo bu lin or TBG. TBG is made in t he liver and it s product ion is increased w hen a per sons est rogen levels are elevat ed. elevat ed binding o f T4?
01

Reme mber what t he lab r esult s look like for

01 >
N O R M A L

01 01

00
00 00 Total T4 Free T4

>

This result t ells t he physic ian t hat t oo much T4 is bound up and unavailable. The mo st commo n reason for low fr ee T 4 wit h a nor mal t ot al T4 is increased est rogens due t o est rogen birt h cont rol pills. Ot her t han oral co nt racept ives

incr eased est rogens can also be caused by poor liver met abo lis m or break -down of est rogens, t he use o f an over t he count er hor mone called DHE A, and excess body fat . The fir st t hing t o do is t o assess est rogen levels but alwa ys in relat io n to progest erone. When progest erone le vels are ver y low it will exaggerat e t he

negat ive effect s of est rogen. Thus t here is an opt imal rat io of progest erone t o est rogen. E ven if est rogen is wit hin t he nor mal r ange, if progest erone is ver y low it can give r ise t o excess binding o f TH.

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Assessing est rogen and progest erone is ver y eas y t hrough saliva hor mo ne t est ing. I ll expla in about how you can get t hese t est s done wit h kit s delivered to your ho me and t he mo st nat ural and effect ive ways t o im prove t he rat io of est rogen t o progest erone.

Environmental & Nutritional Factors

This last cause o f low t hyro id hor mone sympt oms includes a wide var iet y having to do wit h our enviro nment , nut r it ion and t he eco lo gy o f our int est inal t ract .
The External

Environment al chemicals disrupt t he nor mal funct ioning o f t he t hyro id and ot her glands o f t he endocr ine syst em. T hese chemicals have been given t he name o f endocr ine disrupt ing chemicals or EDCs and ar e found in cosmet ics, pest icides and ot her co mmo n sources. Their negat ive effect s are many and people who are mo st suscept ible are deficient in t he prot ect ive t race element iodine. We are a lso exposed t o anot her cat egor y of element s called halo gens. Halogens inc lude bro mine, fluor ine, chlor ine a nd iodine. When iod ine beco mes

insufficient t hese ot her ele ment s bind t o iodine recept ors in t he body causing low t hyro id hor mo ne product io n and a number of ot her problems. iodine t o disp lace t hese ot her halo gens is one effect ive so lut io n. P lease do not jump t o t he conclusio n of t aking high doses o f io dine and pot assium iodide. As you will find in lat er chapt ers iodine can be har mful i f The use of

you have a t hyro id aut o immune co ndit io n or have a defic iency o f ant ioxidant s. I will expla in more lat er on. SAD or seasona l affect ive disorder, caused by lowered exposure t o sunlight , leads t o let hargy and depr essio n. The connect ion wit h lo w t hyro id hor mone

sympt oms is t hat wit h S AD an enz yme t hat t ransport s T3 int o t he brain is reduced. T3 is believed t o have a direct effect upon t he met abo lism and

regulat ion o f brain neurotransmit t ers.

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As you know a limit ed exposur e t o sunlight also lowers t he bodys product ion o f vit amin D. Weve alread y br iefly ment ioned t he import ance o f vit amin D for

t he binding o f T3 to ce ll r ecept ors.

The Internal

The eco logy o f t he small and large int est ines has a great influence upon our healt h. Part of t his eco logy inc ludes t he billio ns of benefic ial bact er ia t hat

provide import ant B vit amins and prot ect us fro m bact er ia, parasit es a nd a n over-growt h of yeast . This flora also helps t o absorb and recyc le iodine. There are a couple o f import ant for ms of good bact er ia t hat I ve found t o be mo st effect . These are in t he chapt er t hat covers t he best supple ment s and

supple ment manufact urers.

Nutrient Deficiencies

There are many nut r ient s necessar y for t he product ion, met abo lis m and ut ilizat io n o f t hyro id hor mo nes. We will cover t hem all in det ail ver y short ly. For now let s look at just one o f t hem, vit amin A. Bes ides it s import ance in T 3 recept or binding, vit amin A defic ienc y can cause an improper response o f TSH t o circulat ing t hyro id hor mones. Here ar e t wo

examples o f how vit amin A deficiency can show upon on t hyro id lab result s.
01 01 >
N O R M A L

01
01 00 00 00 TSH Total T4

>

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Look familiar ? It looks like t he pre -st age of Secondar y Hypot hyro idis m. One of t he reaso ns for t he low TSH is because vit a min A is necessar y for t he product ion o f TSH. Vit amin A a lso improves t he co nver sio n o f T4 to T3. Well be co ver ing all o f t he essent ial vit amins and minerals necessar y fo r opt ima l t hyro id hor mone product io n
Dieting

The t emp erat ure of our body is an expressio n o f our met abo lic rat e and is direct ly relat ed t o t he number o f calor ies we eat dur ing t he day. I f we do nt eat enough calor ies our body cools because our met abo lism slows down. This happens because our bodys response to e at ing less food is t o lower t he product ion o f t hyro id hor mones and t he conversio n of T4 t o T3. adapt at ion mechanis m t o conser ve t he bodys fuel. This is why low calor ic diet ing doesnt work for losing weight . It may This is a n

t emporar ily but not in t he lo ng run. Well cover t he best approach t o die t ing in anot her chapt er.
Summary

This has been an over view o f t he 7+ causes o f low t hyro id hor mo ne sympt o ms. I believe by now you are ready t o mo ve on t o t he next level and t o hear so me int erest ing st or ies fro m researcher s fro m around t he wor ld. So let s get st art ed on t he second leg o f our jour ney.

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Chapter 5

Breast Cancer
In t he last 40 year s t here were t wo ver y import ant st udies o n breast cancer. One was published in The Lancet in 1976. It present ed a glo bal per spect ive, searching for answers t o t he quest ion o f why breast cancer was higher in so me part s of t he wor ld t han ot hers. This invest igat ion uncovered t he fact t hat

Japanese wo men had a much lower incidence o f br east canc er t han wo men living in t he Unit ed St at es. Examining cult ural and lifest yle differences t he y

disco vered t hat t he nut r it ional int ake o f iodine in t he Japanese diet was about 15 t imes t hat of t he U.S. Dur ing t hat same t ime t he hot t est resear ch was focusin g o n t he link bet ween est rogen and breast cancer and t he st udy hypot hesized t hat iodine might help t o met abo lize or shift est rogens away fro m t he est rone (E1) for m towards est r io l (E3). began. As a result o f T he Lancet st udy r esearch int o iodine and br east disea se
i

The ot her import ant st udy on breast cancer was do ne at t he Univer sit y o f P isa in It aly. T hey examined t he incidence o f t hyroid disease in 102 wo men wit h duct al infilt rat io n carcino ma. All had t hyro id blood t est s and t hyro id ult r asounds. The result s were significant . Of t he 102 women just under half o f t hem had a t hyro id disease. Wit h what youve a lready lear ned about subclinical and

subopt ima l hypot hyro idis m alo ng wit h t he lack o f using ext ended t hyro id la b t est ing and t he call for lowe r ing t he upper nor ma l limit for TSH by t he Amer ican Associat io n o f Clinical E ndocr ino logist s, Im sur e t hat t he number o f women in t his st udy wit h t hyro id disease would have been even higher. This st udys co nclusio n focused so lely on a reco mmendat io n t ha t physic ians t reat ing wo men wit h breast cancer should be screening t hem for t hyro id disease. But I believe t he result s unco vered so met hing o f much gr eat er significant . ii

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Might t hese t wo st udies ho ld t he keys for prevent ing and possibly t reat ing breast cancer ? Could it mean t hat t he causes for a wo men developing no nt oxic go it er or t hyro id aut oimmune disease or low t hyro id hormo nes be t he sa me causes behind t he development o f breast cancer ? Could it mean t hat t he develo pment of t hyro id disease is a r isk fact or for breast disease? Could it be t hat if we know how to prevent and t reat t he var ious t hyro id diseases and t hrough t he opt imiz at io n o f t hyro id hor mone levels t hat we could also prevent and t reat breast disease and breast cancer ? I believe t he answer to all four o f t hese quest io ns is yes!

Breast Tissue
First let s examine what we know about breast t issue and t he development o f bre ast cancer and known r isk fact ors. Breast cancer does not develop over night . Breast t issue does not advance fro m healt hy t o malignant wit hout going t hr ough t he var ious st ages o f dysplasia, cyst ic and fibrot ic wit h t ender ness, pain and swelling. Wit h all our

sophist icat ed imaging t echno logy searching for t he sma llest of malignant growt hs we have forgott en t he fact t hat benign br east t issue changes ar e a r isk fact or for develop ing breast cancer and need t o be t reat ed and prevent ed. The search for t he cure for br east cancer is dr iven by r esearch pr imar ily support ed by t he ideal o f a drug which t arget s cell recept ors or genes or a medica l procedure. Research must broaden it s focus t o include prevent io n. The general cat egory for all breast t issue changes ot he r t han cancer is called benign breast disease (BBD). According to a 2005 art icle in t he New England Journal of Medicine BBD is a r isk fact or for developing breast cancer. iii Logically, t hen, t o lower t he inc idence of br east cancer we need t o treat and prevent BBD.

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In 1997 t he Ghent Report was submit t ed to t he FDA.

It was a double blind

st udy invo lving 92 wo men wit h Fibrocyst ic Breast Disease which fa lls wit hin t he cat egor y o f BBD. The wo men wer e t reat ed wit h iodine wit h significant improvement in br east t ender ness, nodular it y, fibrosis, t urgidit y, and t he number o f macrocyst s. iv T he research clear ly ind icat ed a viable and effect ive t reat ment for benign br east disease. T he Ghent Report was r efused by t he FD A saying it could not endorse t he t r ial since iodine is a nat ural subst ance and not a drug. Anot her st udy published in The Breast Journal in 2004 invo lved 111 wo me n wit h Cyst ic Mast alg ia, painful br east s due t o cyst s. T hese select ed part icipant s had t o have moderat e t o severe breast pain for 6 days o r more each mo nt h. A significant improvement in breast pain, t ender ness and breast nodular it y was exper ienced wit hin 3 mo nt hs using 6mg o f iodine t aken daily. v Might it be a simple case t hat t he higher int ake o f iodine in t he Japanese wo men simply reduced t he incidence o f benign breast disease which lo wered t heir r isk of developing breast cancer ? Could it be t hat simple? Let s hope so.

NIS Channels
There is anot her qualit y about breast t issue t hat was recent ly discovered. For a lo ng t ime we knew t hat t he absorpt ion of iod ine int o t he t hyro id gland was regulat ed by a specific channel called t he sodium - iodide symport (NIS). In t he ear ly 2000s we disco vered t hat breast t issue also has t hese same NIS channels. I nit ia lly we t hought t hese appeared in breast t issue o nly dur ing t he

last t rimest er of pr egnancy in order t o supply iodine dur ing lact at io n. Yet t hese channels also appear in t he duct al cells o f t he br east , t hose cells most suscept ible t o breast cancer. vi So now we know t hat iodine helps t o improve BBD and t hat breast t issue has spec ific NIS channe ls for iodine absorptio n. concer ns t hat need t o be addressed. Knowing t his br ings up severa l

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The fir st is t hat t he Nat ional and Nut r it ional Sur ve ys in t he 1990s det er mined t hat approximat ely 36 millio n peop le in t he U.S. are iodine defic ient . vii T his figure I am sure could easily be doubled if we were t o include t he cat egor y o f iodine insuffic iency. Ever yo ne wit h iodine deficiency and iodine insuffic ienc y are at risk for t hyro id disease. The seco nd concer n is for t he people diagnosed wit h hypot hyro idis m who are t aking a t hyro id prescr ipt io n. As you know by now t he pr imar y cause o f This fact t hat most people wit h
viii

hypot hyro idis m is a lack of io dine.

hypot hyro idis m are defic ient in iodine has been co nfir me d.

And even t hough

t heir pr escr ipt ion is correct ing a deficiency o f t hyro id hor mo nes t hey will st ill suffer t he co nsequences o f an iodine defic iency and t he increased r isk o f developing breast disease. The t hird concer n is again for a person t aking a t hyro id prescr ipt ion. Wit h

S ynt hro id or L-Thyroxine a persons t hyr oid hor mo ne levels will incr ease while t heir TSH will decline, o ft en significant ly. maint aining opt ima l TSH levels ensures T his present s a danger because t he number and upregulat io n

(act ivat io n) of NIS channels in t he t hyro id, breast and ot her t issues. Low levels of TSH, o ft en occurr ing wit h t hyro id medicat io n, will indirect ly r educe t he upt ake of iodine int o t he breast and ot her t issues. ix people, iodine and iodide opt imizes TSH levels. It is my belief t hat ever yo ne wit h t hyr oid disease is at risk for develo ping benign breast disease.
x xi

Fort unat ely, for ma ny

Breast Tissue & Estrogens

At pubert y nor mal breast t issue growt h is pr imar ily gover ned by est rogens which bind t o est rogen recep t ors on breast cells. Research in t he 1970s

disco vered t hat malignant breast cell gr owt h was st imu lat ed by est rogens i f t hese cells had est rogen recept ors. It was also discovered t hat t he est rone (E1) for m o f est rogen binds ( st imulat es) t o t hese r ecept or s 5 t imes lo nger t han t he ot her t wo for ms of est rogen, est radio l (E2) and est r io l (E3). xii

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Most research has been dir ect ed t owards est rogens and t heir recept ors on breast cancer cells and ver y lit t le on est rogens and benign breast disease even t hough BBD is a known r isk fact or. r isk o f developing BBD. prolifer at ive breast In 2008 t he Journal of the National Cancer T heir conclusio n; T he prevailing hypot hesis successive st ep s

Institute disclo sed a st udy showing t hat women t aking est rogen have t wice t he

concer ning t he nat ural hist or y (progressio n) o f br east cancer is t hat benig n diseaserepr esent s preceding t he development o f invasive breast [cancer]. xiii prevent ion as well as t reat ment . So now we know t hat est rogens are r elat ed t o t he develop ment of BBD and we know t hat iodine improves t he sympt oms and cellular changes o f BBD. The

Again, we need t o focus o n

quest io n t hen is how might iodine help to reduce t he negat ive effect s o f est rogen?

Iodine
First let s exa mine so me glo bal st at ist ics on breast cancer. I pulled out one st udy fro m a year before t he Lancet s 1976 global cancer sur vey t hat I beli eve helps t o prove a po int . Before t he spread of int er nat ional fast food chains most people pr imar ily at e t he food of t heir cult ure t hat was grown and r aised locally. Older st udies may o ffer clearer ins ight s t han more recent st udies because o f food impo rt at ion and t he relocat io n of populat ions. I took a look at t he growt h o f t he largest fast food chain wit h t he great est influence upo n t he eat ing habit s o f people around t he wor ld. In 1948 McDonalds was founded. B y 1958 it had so ld 1,000,000 hamburger s By 1967 McDonalds opened in

rang ing in pr ice bet ween 15 and 19 cent s.

Canada and Puert o Rico. By 1978 t he 5, 000 t h McDo nalds opened in Kanagawa, Japan. Of course I am not saying or inferr ing t hat McDo nalds hamburger s ar e t he cause o f higher rat es o f BB D or breast cancer in t he Unit ed St at es but I am

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t rying t o recognize t he var iable o f subst it ut ing food out side ones regio n and cult ure. In a 1975 art icle in Health & Poli cy Planning t hey also reviewed t he int er nat ional incidence of breast cancer. In 1975 in Nort h Amer ica t here were approximat ely 105,300 wo men diagnosed wit h breast cancer, an average o f 57 for ever y 100,000. T hat same year Japanese wo men had 11,500 wit h an average of 20 for ever y 100,000. xiv Lat er st udies have shown t hat Japanese wo me n

relocat ing t o t he U.S. have an almo st ident ical rat e o f breast cancer as wo me n living here. Maybe io dine is t he major fact or and maybe it isnt . But as we go int o t his next sect io n let us hypot hesize for t he mo me nt t hat iodine is t he pr imar y means o f prevent ing BBD and breast cancer.

Iodine Research
One met hod of researching a subst ance wit h suspect ed ant i -carcinogenic effect s is t hrough animal st udies. cancer. To t est a This o ft en invo lves using genet ically designed r at s ant i -carcinogenic

who respond to a specific carcinogen by developing t he corresponding specific subst ances abilit y it is given

simult aneously wit h t he carcinogen t o obser ve it s effect in prevent ion or in delaying t he onset of t he cancer. In 2001 a st udy used iodine in t he for m of an ext rac t fro m seaweed t o obser ve it s prot ect ive effect s against t he car cino gen DMBA. t hree groups. T he rat s were placed i n

One group was fed co mmercial feed while t he ot her 2 were fed

t he same feed mixed wit h d iffer ing amount s of t he seaweed ext ract . The conclu sio n was, significant suppressio n o f t umor growt h was obser ved in groups 1-B and 1-C ( seaweed mixed into feed) co mpar ed wit h 1 - A (regular feed). T hese result s suggest t hat iodine is t ransport ed t hrough t he serum int o Wakame

mammar y t issues and induces apopt osis (deat h of t he cancer cell).

(seaweed) suppressed t he pro liferat io n of DMBA induced mammar y t umors. xv

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Their second st udy t ook a differ ent rout e for t he ingest io n o f t he seaweed ext ract , ext remely st rong suppressive effect in rat mammar y car cinoge nesis when used in daily dr inking wat er. xvi Anot her st udy fro m 1996 expressed t heir result s by st at ing, T he dir ect upt ake of inorganic iodine by br east t umors led t o t he suppressio n o f t umor growt h. xvii Anot her way t hat resear ch can invest igat e a subst ance i s t hrough t he use o f human cell cu lt ures. body. These st udies are referred t o as in vit ro or out side t he

One st udy o bser ved t he effect of t he seaweed ext ract upon 3 kinds o f Again, t he same apopt osis or cell deat h was

human br east cancer cells.

obser ved. T hese effect s wer e st ronger t han t hose o f chemot herapeut ics widely used t o t reat human cancer ce lls. xviii Even t hough t hese st udies are ver y impressive it st ill remains unclear as t o how iodine works.

Iodine & Estrogen

Weve already cover ed t he benefic ial effect s of iodine upo n benign breast disease wit h one of t he leading causes o f BBD being high est rogens. So what is t he link bet ween est rogen and iodines abilit y t o count eract t he effect s o f it ? Some believe t hat io dine shift s t he t hree est rogens, E1, E2 and E3, towards E3. This would help since E1 st imulat es breast cells 5 t imes lo nger t han E2 or E3. Yet I could not find any research t hat proved t his effect . All was hear say and speculat io n. But what has sur faced in t he fie ld o f genet ic resear ch explains how iodine reduces t he st imulat ory effect s of est rogens. I promise t o keep t his ver y simple. Iodine and iodide alt er t he expressio n o f sever al genes in t he est rogen pat hway. Iodine and iodide down regulat e (quie t ) several est rogen recept or genes wit h t he result being a slo wing or repressing o f est rogens effect s o n breast cancer cel l met abo lis m. T his helps t o explain t he role o f iodine in bot h prevent io n and

t reat ment of BBD and breast cancer if br east cells hav e est rogen recept ors.

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This research went one st ep furt her. prevent ion and t reat ment

Current ly one pr escr ipt io n used for t he cancer is

of est rogen recept or posit ive br east

Tamoxifen. How Tamoxifen works is not fully under st ood but is supposed t o fit ont o t he est rogen recept or to block est rogen engagement . Yet t his drug has t he pr imar y side effect of causing drug resist ant cancers because Tamo xifen st imulat es a gene t er med CCND1. cancer. These genes lead t o a t ype of unt reat able

As it t urns out t heir ext ensive st udy showed t hat iodine and iodide

decrease CCND1 rep licat io n and t hus enhances t he efficacy o f Ta mo xife n t herapy. xix

Thyroid Hormones
It looks like weve co me full cir cle. T o begin at t he beginning let s examine t he P isa st udy for a mo ment and rem e mber t hat 46% of t he wo men wit h breast cancer suffered fro m o bvious t hyro id disease. Nont oxic go it er was t he most pronounced. It is caused by a co mbinat io n o f t wo t hings, low iodine and elevat ed est rogen. Low iodine and incr eased est rogens

are bot h invo lved wit h breast disease and t he increased r isk o f developing breast cancer. E levat ed est rogen blo cks t he upt ake of iodine int o t he t hyro id cells and incr eases t hyro id cell growt h. xx Resear ch has shown t hat wo men wit h go it er s have t hree t imes t he inc iden ce o f breast cancer. xxi The ot her major t hyro id disease in t he Par is st udy was wo men wit h aut oimmune t hyro id disease. One t heor y o n t he or igin of AITD is an iodine deficiency whic h weve alr eady covered in det ail in t he Advanced chapt er. Research is no w

beginning t o make anot her connect ion bet ween AITD and breast cancer. T here is evidence t hat pat ient s wit h AITD may also have ant ibodies which at t ack t he NIS channels in var ious t issues inc luding breast which lower s iod ine upt ake. xxii This evidence is st il l inco nclusive yet anot her st udy r emarked, t his inhibit io n o f iodine upt ake is due t o unknown fact ors present in t he sera ( blood) o f Hashimot os and Graves pat ient s. xxiii

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These t wo reasons, low iodine levels as the pr imar y under lying cause o f AITD and t he inhibit io n o f iodine absorpt ion int o breast t issue seem ver y plausible causes or at least r isk fact ors for AITD pat ient s t o develo p BBD and breast cancer. Just recent ly, in 2008, t he Critical Revie w of Oncology and Hematology published an art icle fro m t he US C/Norr is Co mprehensive Cancer Clinic and t he Keck S chool o f Medicine at USC in Los Angeles, Califor nia. We believe t hat t he t hyro id disease- breast cancer relat io nship provides a unique opport unit y t o find out t he causes of breast cancer. xxiv They propo se t hat t he reduct io n of br east cancer in hypert hyro id pat ient s or wit h incr eased levels o f t hyro id hor mone, or iodine t o be t he dr iving biochemica l mechanis m t hat generat es apoptosis or t he dest ruct io n o f cancer cells. xxv T he ir resear ch examined t hyro id co ndit io ns which lower ed t he inc idence o f breast cancer. Anot her reason why plent y o f t hyro id hormo nes ar e import ant in t he pr event io n of BBD and breast cancer is because t hese hor mo nes st imu lat e t he product ion o f SHBG or sex hor mo ne bind ing glo bulin. xxvi SHBG is a prot ein t hat bind s

est rogen. I f SHBG goes down t hen more est rogens are fr ee and liberat ed t o bind to est rogen recept ors t hroughout t he body inc luding breast t issue. Wit h

hypot hyro idis m or lower t hyro id hor mones t his will lead t o a lower ing o f SHB G and t he increase in free est rogens.

Progesterone
A ver y simple st udy was per for med by Linda Cowan and her t eam. Fro m 1945 to 1965 a t ot al o f 1,083 wo men were evaluat ed and t reat ed for infert ilit y. T hese women were placed in 2 groups, one having infer t ilit y because o f a progest erone defic iency and t he ot her having non - hor monal causes. They were t hen fo llowed t hrough 1978 t o det ermine breast cancer incidence. Wo men in t he progest erone defic ienc y group had 5.4 t imes t he r isk o f premenopausal br east ca ncer co mpared wit h t he second group. Cowan could not

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explain t his higher r isk t o be anyt hing other t han low progest erone. Co mpar ed wit h cont rols t his progest erone deficiency group exper ienced a 10 fo ld increase in deat hs fro m all malignant neoplasms. xxvii Ho w might t his relat e t o t he P isa st udy and The Lancet art icle? Nont oxic go it er, t hyro id aut oimmune disease and low levels o f iodine cause subclinical and subopt ima l hypot hyro idism. This leads t o lower levels o f free T3 because as far back as 1999 research has shown how T3 st imulat es t he ovar y cells t o convert pregnenalo ne int o progest erone. Lo w t hyro id hor mones lead to low progest erone and according t o Cowans r esearch t his increases a wo mans r isk for deve loping breast cancer. xxviii

HuffPuff
I know your head must be spinning by no w. Mine is! T his chapt er has t aken me by far t he lo ngest t ime because of so many int er connect ions. One last considerat ion and t hat is environment al carcinogens and t heir impact upon breast t issue. Carcino gens have been in t he pub lics mind for t he last 20 to 30 year s. The word carcinogen refers t o any subst ance or part icle t hat

promot es cancer by inducing uncont rolled, malignant divis io n and t he for mat io n of t umors. In 1977 a jour nal showed how, Iodine defic ient breast t issues are mor e suscept ible t o carcinogen act io n and pr omot e lesio ns ear lier and in gr eat er profusio n. xxix We already d iscussed t he P ar is st udy from 2008 which ident ified endocr ine disrupt ing chemicals found in cosmet ics and pest icides leading t o development al defect s and alt ered t hyro id met abo lis m wit h t he major t arget of t hese chemicals being t he NIS channels. T his report confir med t hat t he negat ive effect s of t hese chemicals were most pronounced in people wit h iodine defic iency.

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Summary
The WHO est imat ed 2 billio n o f our worlds populat ion suffer fro m iodine defic iency and our Nat ional Healt h Sur vey est imat ed t hat 36 millio n Amer icans suffer t he same. I believe t hese figures would be increased co nsiderably if we were t o include t hose wit h iodine insufficiency. T he wor ld and especially our nat ion is suffer ing fro m obesit y and a host of sympt o ms relat ed to t he mult iple causes o f lo w t hyro id hor mone s ympt oms, hor mone defic iencies, BBD and cancers. I t ruly believe t hat t he prevent ion and t reat ment of BBD and breast cancer must int egrat e t he use o f iodine and iod ide and must co mprehensively invest igat e t he seven causes of lo w t hyro id hor mone symptoms and t hyro id disease. I believe t hat as we opt imiz e t hyro id ho r mone levels in t he ear liest st ages we will prevent hundreds o f millio ns o f wo men fro m suffer ing t he consequences o f benign breast disease and br east cancer.

Treatment
Could I vent ure to say t hat t here is a t reatment for breast cancer ? I wonde r how lo ng it would t ake before t he cr it ics would dig t heir claws int o t his book to t ear apart t he research and glo bal st udies Ive sit ed. My suggest ion t hen is not to t reat breast cancer dir ect ly but to invest igat e your t hyro id hor mo ne st at us and t o cor rect any causes t hat may be leading t o low t hyro id hor mo ne s ympt oms. S imple? Mais oui!

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