The Benefits of Hair Enhance Hx- InVite Health Podcast, Episode 581
Amanda Williams MD, MPH talks about her inspiration behind formulating Hair Enhance Hx and how it can help support hair issues like hair loss
Tag: hair loss
Thyroid Health In Relationship To Women’s Health
Women’s health can be impacted with thyroid dysfunction. There are specific signs to look for and if they occur to try using a natural supplement to help balance the symptoms. Read more to find out how you can help your thyroid function in relation to women’s health.
All About Hypothyroidism
hypothyroidism
Written by Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
For further questions or concerns email me at carcidiacono@invitehealth.com
The thyroid can experience multiple dysfunctions. Here’s what you need to know about hypothyroidism.
What Is Hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism is where the body doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone. This can happen if there is a problem in the thyroid itself or if there is a problem in the anterior pituitary which is the organ that basically controls the thyroid. For this lecture we will focus on the thyroid itself.†
In typical hypothyroidism blood tests will show higher than usual TSH and lower than usual T4 & T3. For a more in-depth explanation, feel free to see last week’s blog on thyroid testing.†
ALL ABOUT THYROID TESTS. Read Now>>
Normal TSH is .5 to 5mu/l and normal T3 is 80-220mg/dl. T4 is 5-12ug/dl. However, this is where it gets interesting because “normal” doesn’t mean optimum. The optimum range for TSH is 1.3-2.5mu/l. For example, a value of 3 indicates what is known in the holistic community as “sub-clinical hypothyroidism” and is very often accompanied by symptoms of low thyroid. While sub-clinical hypothyroidism isn’t usually severe enough to warrant conventional treatment, certain supplements have been found in studies to alleviate symptoms.† (1)
What, exactly, are the most common symptoms of a low thyroid? To start, you may experience difficulty concentrating as well as fatigue. There is also a feeling of being cold as well as slow heart rate which is often associated with shortness of breath. Weight gain is often associated with low thyroid. Hair loss is another symptom that often has people coming in to see a nutritionist. Just a heads up: if you are having hair loss, getting your thyroid tested is a great first step to finding out what is going on. Less commonly known as a symptom is depression. In women, menstrual cycles can often be heavier than usual (although as the hypothyroidism persists, it can progress to lighter than usual cycles). Since hypothyroidism is associated with a slowing down of things, it makes sense that there is delayed tendon reflexes. That is where the doctor hits your knee and you get to kick him. Constipation as well as changes in digestive health are also noted. I’ve included a picture for a system by stem breakdown of all the symptoms of hypothyroidism since the thyroid affects almost every system.† (2)
Now what can potentially lead to the symptoms of hypothyroidism? In many cases too little iodine is a trigger. Also treatment with radioactive iodine can affect the thyroid. Injury to the hypothalamus or anterior pituitary can also lower the amount of thyroid hormone produced. Obviously, being born without a thyroid or having thyroid surgery can cause the thyroid hormone to be low. Even certain prescription medications can cause low thyroid as a side affect.†
Autoimmune such as Hashimotos Hypothyroidism, Postpartum Hypothyroidism as well as Myasthenia Gravis can cause the symptoms of hypothyroidism. But since this is such a large topic, I’ll talk about this later on.†
Last but not least, any autoimmune disorders such as celiac disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, and even diabetes can affect the thyroid. From a more holistic point of view, “leaky gut” can also affect the thyroid. Which is why so many holistic practitioners say treat the gut!† (3)
How to help your thyroid
Working with hypothyroidism is one of those things that requires a gentle touch, if you will. Many of the studies find herbs and supplements to help moderate thyroid symptoms, but they are very strong. I advise working with a qualified nutritionist from InViteⓇ Health.†
- Bladderwrack or kelp: Studies have shown that this helps with providing iodine to help in the case of iodine deficiency which is very common in hypothyroidism. In fact, studies have shown the iodine in kelp to be much easier for the body to use than just taking iodine by itself!† (4)
See InViteⓇ Health Thyroid HxⓇ to find this amazing source of iodine!†
- Ashwagandha: Studies once again show that this amazing herb is helpful for the thyroid. Studies have shown that Ashwagandha helps subclinical hypothyroidism in just over 8 weeks! Other studies show an increase in T4 from the baseline.† (5)
See InViteⓇ Health Thyroid HxⓇ to find this amazing plant!†
3.Coleus forskohlii has been found in studies to work to increase synthesis of T4 by the thyroid. In one animal study, levels of TSH went down, while the levels of T3/T4 went up.† (6)
See InViteⓇ Health Thyroid HxⓇ to find this amazing plant!†
- Black Cumin seed or Black Seed has been found in studies to have a protective role in hypothyroidism. In 1 study black cumin raised T3.† (7)
See InViteⓇ Health Black Seed with Rosemary and Cordyceps as well as our InViteⓇ Multi for Men!†
- L-tyrosine, zinc, and selenium are all important nutrients for producing thyroid hormones.† (8)
See InViteⓇ Health Thyroid HxⓇ, Zinc tablets/lozenges, Immunity HxⓇ, as well as all our wonderful InViteⓇ multivitamins!†
- Glandular type supplements are also an option for thyroid disorders and are available at select InViteⓇ stores! For more information call 212-249 -2036.† (9)
These are very basic ideas for hypothyroidism. But this is a very complex issue. Working on diet, stress and even gut health are all important aspects of helping our thyroid. This is why it is so important to get the blood work and a list of medications you take for any reason and visit a store such as our 71 Street store. This ensures the best protocol for you.†
BEING MINDFUL ABOUT STRESS – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 474. Listen Now>>
Next week, hyperthyroidism!
(1) https://www.uclahealth.org/endocrine-center/normal-thyroid-hormone-levels
(2) Longo DL, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Jameson JL, Loscalzo J (2011). “341: disorders of the thyroid gland”. Harrison’s principles of internal medicine (18th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0071748896.
(3)[8] Garber JR, Cobin RH, Gharib H, Hennessey JV, Klein I, Mechanick JI, Pessah-Pollack R, Singer PA, Woeber KA (December 2012). “Clinical practice guidelines for hypothyroidism in adults: cosponsored by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American Thyroid Association”. Thyroid. 22 (12): 1200–35. doi:10.1089/thy.2012.0205. PMID 22954017.
(4)Catarino, M. D., Silva, A., & Cardoso, S. M. (2018). Phycochemical Constituents and Biological Activities of Fucus spp. Marine drugs, 16(8), 249. https://doi.org/10.3390/md16080249
(5)Sharma, A. et al. (2018). Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha Root Extract in Subclinical Hypothyroid Patients: A Double-Blind, Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 24(3), 243–248.
(6)Hameed, S. I., Al-Shahwany, A. W., & Salih, S. J. (2020). Evaluation of the Activity of Some Plants Extracts on Thyroid Gland Regulation in Female Albino Rats. Iraqi Journal of Science, 254-265.
(7)Ismail, M. et al. Effect of Nigella sativa L. on serum concentration of thyroid hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone and glucose in alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits. Ir Vet J. 2003;59(9):462–4.
(8)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19594417/
(9) https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2014-08/thyroxine-and-triiodothyronine-commercially-available-thyroid-supplements
Getting to Know Omega-3s – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 526
Your body needs omega-3s to function properly, but most Americans are lacking these important fatty acids. Here’s why that’s a problem for immunity, brain health and more.
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A healthy thyroid gland is essential for your overall wellness, especially for energy levels and healthy weight. Turn to nutrients that can help keep this gland functioning properly.
Finding The Root Cause Of Hair Loss – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 323
hair loss
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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When it comes to hair loss, many people start to go into panic mode when they start to see that their hair is thinning out. There are multiple reasons as to why someone can be losing hair or have thinning hair to a degree that you are just not happy with. I want to talk about some of the common causes and what you can be doing, especially when you look at different nutrients because different vitamins and minerals certainly can provide an awful lot of support for someone who is experiencing hair loss.†
Did you know that roughly 50% of men will have some degree of loss by the time they’re 50 years old? When you look at women, by the time they’re roughly 70 years old, about 40% of women experience a significant amount of hair loss. We really want to understand the different types of hair loss, the exacerbating reasons as to what brings that on and then the different ways in which you can approach your particular type of hair loss.†
Damaged Hair + Dry Air = Hair Nightmare – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 204. Listen Now >>
How to help the various causes of hair loss
Many people have probably heard of the different medications that people can use, including rogaine and propecia, which have been out for a very long time. We have seen many people respond quite well to those. But, if we’re not partnering that up with vitamins and minerals and addressing that, then we certainly don’t see the same outcomes, which is why vitamins and minerals really do play a key role in this.†
When looking at the different causes of hair loss, certainly we can look at the hereditary genetic factors, which is what falls into the androgenic alopecia category. That would be the male-pattern baldness that most people are familiar with. This can happen with women as well. Interestingly enough, this happens along the same pathway. It is when we are getting an over-conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone. One of the natural ways to try to target that would be utilizing something such as saw palmetto, for example. We want to try to impede that pathway and that loss of testosterone that ends up creating too much dihydrotestosterone. Oftentimes, I would have people who were concerned about hair loss look at our Prostate Hx formulation, which contains a good amount of saw palmetto extract. Even though this formula is for the prostate, these nutrients are so powerful that they can be utilized for many different purposes in the body. Even with women, you may want to consider that Prostate Hx formulation because getting 450mg of that saw palmetto can do an awful lot to really yield you some good support to the hair loss itself.†
Other different factors that we know create havoc would be hormonal issues. Certainly thyroid abnormalities and issues during menopause or pregnancy can impact this. There’s a lot of hormonal control in the health of our hair. We can look at different medical causes, like autoimmune conditions that have been linked with hair loss.†
It’s Time To Go Clean With Your Hair Care Routine! – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 180. Listen Now >>
We can look at different medications. When people are on different chemotherapy agents, hair loss is going to be the given outcome. We can also look at things like beta blockers. Someone taking a beta blocker for high blood pressure, for example, may start to lose hair over time and they never correlate it to their actual medication that they’re on.†
Oftentimes, nutritional deficiencies are commonly overlooked. We realize that essential fatty acids are really important for maintaining the health of our hair. If we have deficiencies in essential fatty acids such as omega-3s, which we know most Americans do, this can lead to additional hair loss. We can look at low levels of iron, zinc, biotin and Vitamin D. These have all been linked and correlated to hair loss.†
Tune into the full podcast episode for more details on how to combat the various sources of hair loss.
