| "body"> | | | | While many hyperthyroid people try to limit thyroid |
| Have you heard of goitrogens? A Goitrogen is a | | | | output by restricting their iodine and eating more |
| substance in some foods that prevents the thyroid | | | | goitrogen foods, this strategy can backfire. Iodine |
| gland from working correctly by blocking the uptake of | | | | restriction causes the thyroid to increase in size (goiter) |
| iodine. Iodine is essential for the production and | | | | in an effort to filter more blood to get more iodine. |
| activation of thyroid hormone and is one of the main | | | | When iodine is then re-introduced to the diet or |
| minerals that helps speed up cellular metabolism. | | | | accidentally ingested, the thyroid now grows even |
| Goitrogens get their name from the term "goiter," | | | | larger than before because now it has a larger |
| which is an enlargement of the thyroid gland. The | | | | capacity to do so! |
| thyroid gland lies just above the collar bone in the neck | | | | Therefore the consumption of goitrogens to control |
| area. If the thyroid gland is having difficulty making | | | | hyperthyroidism is not a good strategy. It is better to |
| thyroid hormone, it may enlarge as a way of trying to | | | | increase foods high in copper as well as increase |
| compensate for inadequate hormone production and | | | | copper's effectiveness to normalize the thyroid |
| can be seen or felt as a soft pad about 2-5 inches in | | | | function. After that, the body will tolerate iodine without |
| diameter on the neck, usually on one side but | | | | increasing thyroid hormone production. |
| occasionally on both sides. | | | | Why is preventing thyroid disease so important? 2005 |
| Goitrogens can induce hypothyroidism and goiter. I bring | | | | statistics for this disease show:o Hypothyroidism |
| it up this month because often diet foods contains | | | | affects over 11 million Americans (1999 statistics.)o If |
| goitrogens. When eaten in large amounts, the dieter | | | | untreated, hypothyroidism can lead to myxedema |
| wonders what they are doing wrong and why they | | | | (retention of fluids under the skin) and eventually coma, |
| are not losing weight. | | | | which has a mortality rate of 80%.o Nearly one out of |
| More than four cups/week of the following foods--in | | | | 50 women in the United States is diagnosed with |
| the RAW form only--will interfere with your thyroid | | | | hypothyroidism during pregnancy.o Six out of every |
| gland function. You can eat as much of these foods | | | | 100 miscarriages are associated with thyroid hormone |
| cooked as you want to--except tofu and soy | | | | deficiencies during pregnancy. This seems to be the |
| products which we will talk about later. The foods are: | | | | biggest thing I see in my own practice. |
| Brussels sprouts, cabbage of all kinds, cauliflower, kale, | | | | Foods that stimulate the thyroid gland include: caffeine |
| kohlrabi, peaches, pears, rapini (a vegetable similar to | | | | (coffee, tea, cola, and chocolate,) avocado, coconut, |
| broccoli,) spinach, strawberries, radishes, rutabagas and | | | | and saturated fat. An overabundance of these foods |
| turnips. | | | | in your diet are not good either. |
| Other foods that have goitrogenic activity are | | | | I think the best way to handle these kinds of problems |
| soybeans (tofu), pine nuts, peanuts, millet, and rapeseed | | | | is to find out what the core cause is, correct that, |
| (Canola Oil.) | | | | minimize what you can, eliminate what you can and |
| Goitrogenic foods are typically high in sulfur (especially | | | | repair the damaged thyroid cells with protomorphogens |
| the Brassiform family of plants such as kale, | | | | and glandular supplements. If the client prefers to go |
| cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kohlrabi and | | | | the medical route and take drugs for the rest of their |
| broccoli). Sulfur, copper, and iron interact with each | | | | lives, the best bet is to get on a thyroid drug that |
| other and need to be in perfect balance for everything | | | | seems to work and stay on it. Switching brands or |
| to work correctly. So, some researchers think that | | | | changing protocols is just another bag of worms and |
| when you eat an excess of sulfur, it competes with | | | | causes even more problems. Armour thyroid seems |
| iron and copper and can cause anemia. This brings up | | | | to be the best drug for most of my clients. |
| a good question because LOTS of people are on | | | | Alternative therapies that seems to be working: A few |
| MSM, Glucosamine sulfate and Chondroitin | | | | minutes of heat applied to the thyroid gland for several |
| supplements lately which are all high in sulfur. | | | | months also helps. Some people also need a great |
| The main component in soy causing thyroid problems | | | | mineral and vitamin program. One huge problem I see |
| are isoflavones. Genistein is a soy isoflavone marketed | | | | coming up is that we are exposing ourselves to |
| as a hormone substitute for women and appears to | | | | excess stress from our busy lives and to lots of |
| reduce thyroid hormone output by blocking activity of | | | | electromagnetic fields. Plasmas screen TV's, computer |
| an enzyme called thyroid peroxidase. This enzyme is | | | | monitor screens, microwave ovens, cell phones and |
| responsible for adding iodine onto the thyroid | | | | cell towers are a huge drain on the system and really |
| hormones. Thyroid hormones must typically have three | | | | disrupt the hormones. |
| or four iodine atoms added on to their structure in | | | | I will say that once people get on thyroid medications, |
| order to function properly so this enzyme is pretty | | | | they seem to be on them for the long haul. It seems to |
| important. Most goitrogens are inactivated with heat, | | | | be too much for them to drastically change their |
| but there is some evidence that isoflavones in soy are | | | | lifestyles. They can't seem to stick to a program that is |
| not heat inactivated. | | | | working. They want to test the limits of it and end up |
| Ask you can see, this stuff gets pretty complicated. | | | | crashing and going back on drugs. Thyroid hormone |
| We fix one thing in our world and several other | | | | dips and peaks are just too stressful on the body to |
| challenges pop up! | | | | try to wean off thyroid drugs for most cases. |