There seems to be an epidemic of low thyroid recently, especially among women. I see so many patients on Synthroid or other hormone replacements. Were they just born with faulty thyroid glands?
According to my wellness training, thyroid problems are typically the end result of an imbalance that involves much of the hormonal system. And like many chronic diseases, it begins with lifestyle. Most of us start out with thyroids that are perfectly fine, but after years of poor diet, stress and other lifestyle problems, the glands begin to lose their ability to make and regulate thyroid hormones.
What are these lifestyle problems? The biggest hormone disruptor for most of us is diet. Sugars and high-carb diets cause insulin release in response to the spike in blood sugar. After several years of chronically high insulin levels, the whole system can be “thrown out of whack.” Many people notice they “crash” a few hours after a sugar dose. This is a sign that the body is starting to lose its ability to control blood sugar, and the sugar high then turns into a low. The adrenal glands may be affected by this imbalance, as they are involved in blood sugar regulation; cortisol, the hormone used to control chronic stress, may be released when blood sugar drops, to help raise it up to normal. The whole hormonal system is interrelated, of course; these imbalances will eventually destabilize it, ultimately affecting the thyroid.
Another way our lifestyles affect thyroid hormones is through liver stress. The liver activates much of the hormone made by the thyroid, and if it doesn’t do its job the result will be low levels of active thyroid hormone in the blood. Many things stress our livers, including junk food, trans fats (artificial fats that used to be recommended as healthy, but now are known to be toxic) and toxins, as well as the blood sugar stresses I mentioned earlier.
Chemicals like BPA and phthalates (used in plastics) can stress the liver, as well as disrupt the hormonal system directly. A study done by the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine reviewed the phthalate levels in 25 Mainers, and none of them were free of the chemicals, including those who took steps to try to limit their exposure to toxins. (The researchers did not comment if any of the women “had grown little beards.”) These chemicals are best known for disrupting sex hormones (they are similar to estrogen) but they also interfere with the thyroid.
Lots of patients get great relief from taking thyroid hormones, sometimes within a day or two of starting them. But the idea that a complex problem like low thyroid levels can be fixed by taking a hormone pill is a little simplistic, at least from a wellness viewpoint. And easing the symptoms does not address the underlying cause. Rebalancing the hormonal system naturally, (or, more accurately, helping the body to rebalance itself) can be a slow process, and typically requires lifestyle changes, especially improving the diet. Acupuncture is very helpful, as are nutritional supplements; we often use them to improve gland function, starting with the adrenals. Herbs are also useful; they can be used to boost liver function, help with hormone balance, and even support the thyroid directly. Some patients do well enough that they are able to wean themselves off their meds, with their doctor’s help; others need the support of the meds indefinitely. But anyone who makes the effort to naturally reduce stress on their hormonal systems will find they are rewarded with better energy, sleep, digestion and even thyroid function, without the side effects typically associated with medications.
Dr. Michael Noonan practices chiropractic, chiropractic acupuncture and other wellness therapies in Old Town. He can be reached at noonanchiropractic@gmail.com.