Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Stress and Holidays Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Holiday time can be both fun and exciting. However, it is also a time that can induce stress. As a person who has both hosted holiday dinners and attended them, I can confidently say both situations are stressful …
Men’s Health and Thyroid Health Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Thyroid health can be linked to many distinct aspects of our overall well-being. One of these is women’s health, however it also affects men’s health. Let’s get into it, shall we? One common misconception about thyroid …
UNDERSTANDING HYPERTHYROIDISM
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
One topic that I feel does not get enough attention is hyperthyroidism or overactive thyroid. Most people know or have heard of hypothyroidism or underactive thyroid. What they do not know is that the exact opposite can occur and you can end up with too much thyroid hormone in your body. It is an interesting topic so let us get into it, shall we? What even is hyperthyroidism and how does it present itself? Hyperthyroidism is where you produce too much thyroid hormone. Your TSH will be lower than optimum and your T3/T4 will be higher than normal. Hyperthyroidism can sometimes present as something called a thyroid storm. This is dangerous and is beyond the scope of this article. A thyroid storm must be treated conventionally. Once the storm calms and things settle depending on what is going on with the thyroid complementary medicine can be combined with conventional treatments. (1)
The symptoms of hyperthyroidism are sometimes quite similar to those of hypothyroidism. However, in most cases these symptoms are the exact opposite! For example in both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism people experience hair loss, changes in menstrual cycles as well as fatigue. Many with hyperthyroidism will experience a rapid heartbeat as well as a nervous/anxious feeling. Unlike in hypothyroidism where weight gain is common in hyperthyroidism there is an increased appetite but this increase in appetite is accompanied by weight loss. Instead of constipation there is diarrhea. Instead of being cold there is an intolerance to heat, Swelling of the eyes as well as swelling/ enlargement of the neck due to the enlargement of the thyroid is also very common.(2) I will include a picture of all the many symptoms of hyperthyroidism since it affects almost every system! (3)
While we may not know the exact cause of hyperthyroidism we do know certain risk factors. First consuming too much iodine can put you at risk of producing too much thyroid hormone (which is why taking iodine in high doses can be dangerous). Inflammatory and autoimmune problems can affect the thyroid as well. For example, thyroiditis is inflammation of the thyroid. It is interesting because it can initially cause symptoms of hyperthyroidism but overtime the thyroid gets “tired” and this leads to less hormone being produced leading to a switch to hypothyroidism! Interesting stuff! Graves’ disease is an autoimmune that causes 85% of all hyperthyroidism cases!
Thyroid nodules are a growth of extra thyroid cells. These may or may not be able to produce hormones. If they do produce hormones there will be extra hormones leading to hyperthyroidism. If the cells are inactive, they do not lead to hyperthyroidism. (4)
What can you do?
There are herbs and supplements found to be helpful either in studies or in traditional uses passed down through generation to generation. As I mentioned previously in this article a thyroid storm is dangerous and must be treated conventionally until it has passed the dangerous phase. Working with hyperthyroidism is in a way more difficult than hypothyroidism because the increase in hormones can be dangerous. I advise working with a qualified nutritionist from InVite Health.
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UNDERSTANDING HYPOTHYROIDISM Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Hypothyroidism is where the body does not produce enough thyroid hormone. This can happen if there is a problem in the thyroid itself or a problem in the organ that controls the thyroid. For this lecture we will focus on …
Part 2 of Autoimmune Thyroid Disorders Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In our last blog we started by doing an overview of just what constitutes autoimmune thyroid disorders. Just like with any autoimmune disorder it is important to work on our overall health, including our digestive …
Thyroid Autoimmune Disorders!
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Let us talk about Autoimmune and how it relates to the thyroid. This is important to talk about because thyroid health is much more complex than just under or overactive thyroid. It can be such a complex issue that I will be splitting it into 2 parts. This first part is a breakdown as to what autoimmune thyroid disorder is and the second part will focus on supplements. Let us get into it, shall we? What does autoimmune mean in this context? In this case autoimmune is a term referring to inflammation in the thyroid usually caused by the body’s immune system attacking the thyroid. The most common autoimmune system disorders of the thyroid are Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Graves’ disease, postpartum thyroiditis, and silent thyroiditis. Sub-clinical thyroid disorders can be triggered by leaky gut, and other pro-inflammatory situations including other autoimmune disorders. (1)
Hashimoto’s disease results in a slow decline of hormones as the cells are damaged by the immune system. The symptoms of Hashimoto’s start slow but proceed to more severe hypothyroidism symptoms as they progress. What exactly are these symptoms? See the attached photo. (8)
As for blood tests TSH and T3/T4 will be typical for hypothyroidism but what is unique is the presence of specific antibodies called thyroid peroxidase or TPO. Please see the picture below for typical lab results for hypothyroidism. Hashimoto’s disease is treated in two main ways. The first is to work with the thyroid to help regulate its function. The second is more about the underlying cause. (2)
In contrast to Hashimoto’s, there is Graves’ disease, which results in the overproduction of hormones or in other words the symptoms of hyperthyroidism.(3) Please see the attached photo for these symptoms. (9)
Lab results show typical TSH and T3/T4 for hyperthyroidism as well as antibodies to the thyroid. Please see below for typical hyperthyroidism labs. Radioactive iodine uptake can help determine Graves’ disease. The goal of treatment once again is to work on calming symptoms and address the underlying inflammation. (3) Now if you are wondering what I mean by “normal hypothyroid and hyperthyroid labs” I have included a chart right here so you can compare them! (10)
Postpartum thyroiditis is any thyroid dysfunction that occurs in the first 12 months after pregnancy. This may present as hyperthyroidism type symptoms or hypothyroidism type symptoms, or it may present as hyperthyroidism proceeding into hypothyroidism. Postpartum thyroiditis affects approximately 8% of pregnancies. Of those, one in five will develop permanent hypothyroidism that needs to be treated. Usual blood work will show antibodies to thyroglobulin, thyroid peroxidase, and TSH receptors. There is usually also a lymphocyte infiltration and T cell changes noted. In the initial phase there is usually a suppressed TSH. As time passes, this can shift to an increase in TSH, indicating that there is a shift from hyperthyroid to hypothyroidism. For most women there is no need to treat this condition as hormones will naturally regulate themselves. For others it is important to follow up with a health care provider to address the symptoms of thyroid dysfunction. (4)
Silent thyroiditis or sub-acute lymphocytic thyroiditis is a sub type of Hashimoto’s which features a goiter. In this condition, there are hyperthyroid symptoms followed by hypothyroidism symptoms. This can be diagnosed by a radioactive iodine uptake because in both hyperthyroid/hypothyroid you will have a decrease in iodine uptake. (5)
Goiter is a growth in the neck because of an enlarged thyroid, which is usually caused by iodine deficiency. A goiter or even a growth called a thyroid nodule may or may not be metabolically active. If it is active hyperthyroid symptoms can occur. If it is not active it can present as hypothyroid symptoms or in many cases, they are asymptomatic. Since these growths are most often associated with deficiencies of certain nutrients it is important to include those in any protocol. If they are caused by Hashimoto’s or Graves’ disease or pituitary disease or thyroiditis it is important to work on this underlying cause. Goiters and nodules are usually not treated independently but rather as part of a protocol to treat something like Graves or Hashimoto’s. (6)
Last but not least is sub-clinical thyroid disorders which are usually related to leaky gut and other auto-immune issues such as RA, SLE, and Diabetes. In this situation blood work is normal but is sub-optimum. Treating the symptoms can help with feeling better, but it is particularly important to target other underlying issues such as gut dysbiosis and leaky gut with healthy probiotics.(7)
In our next part of this 2-part mini-series I will be talking about just what supplements you can use to help with the symptoms of autoimmune thyroid disorders. I will be talking about supplements you might expect such as Turmeric, Omega 3s and something you may not expect such as Resveratrol!
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