Why do 37 million people suffer from some form of thyroid imbalance?
The thyroid is not a gland that acts alone. It is part of a closed loop feedback inhibition hormonal system involving primarily the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Thyroid.
Remember that that the hormonal system is really the non-electrical communication system in the body that allows the many body tissues to get the same message essentially for whomever is capable of listening.
Medications Lists:
Hypothalamus
(TRH - Thyroid Releasing Hormone)
Pituitary
(TSH - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone)
Thyroid
( T4 & T3 )
93% 7%
T4 - must be converted 
T3 - immediately used
T3 - immediately usedto T3 primarily in the Liver in body tissues
Liver
(Majority of T 4 - is converted to T3 and secondary components)
Thyroid Conditions
Do I have it, what are the symptoms and what can I do about it.
T4-Thyoxine is named for the
4 Iodine molecules attached to it.
T3-Triiodothyronine is named for the
3 Iodine molecules attached to it.
How does the Thyroid malfunction?
Hypothyroidism (Low Thyroid)
- Hashimoto's Thyroid Disease:
In this situation and the most common requiring immediate medical intervention, is actually an auto immune defensive reaction of the body attacking itself in particular thyroid tissue.
- Lab diagnosis utilizes the TGB & TPO (thyroid peroxidase antibody) test. Make sure your health care practitioner includes this lab at least once in his/her thyroid evaluation.
Functional Thyroid Imbalance
Thyroid-Adrenal-Pituitary
axis disruption:
- Once gross pathology is ruled out by a simple lab test, it is imperative to review functional abnormalities. Here is where the challenge lies that applied kinesiology (chiropractors) may have a unique advantage.
- Remembering that the Thyroid can not self-regulate one must look elsewhere when confronted by imbalance.
- The key is either the Pituitary or Hypothalamus.
- The most common condition that disrupts Pituitary function is heavy metal toxicity from amalgam fillings.
- The most common condition that disrupts Hypothalamic function is any long standing chronic illness, long term stress and especially long term emotional stress.
- Avoiding Horomone disruptors discussed below.
Hyperthyroidism (Elevated Thyroid)
- Graves Thyroid Disease:
Often associated with Goiter or an enlarged Thyroid gland.
Fairly uncommon and can be associated with tumor activity or a past reaction to elevated TSH levels as the gland tries to accommodate to the Pituitary's request to make more Thyroid hormone!
Additional information
"Why do I still have Thyroid symptoms"
when my lab tests are normal
by
Treatment Options
As bizarre as it may seem the most common approach to treating thyroid imbalances as well as thyroid disease, whatever the cause, is the same! Replace the body's thyroid hormone with an external source. And commonly, only one lab value is generally used to routinely monitor thyroid function (TSH) Thyroid Stimulating Hormone.
Routine blood laboratory tests will usually include TSH. If you are on thyroid medication, the TSH level is the laboratory test commonly used to monitor your thyroid. This TSH lab test is considered the key because physiologically, medicine presumes that the ability of the pituitary to monitor body's own thyroid levels is perfect. It is a simple as that!
Treatment options that focus on functional imbalances may take a different approach. Once determined that there is no thyroid - pituitary pathology of immediate or life threatening emergency then then the diagnosis can take on a different strategy by evaluating and treating using applied kinesiology (N.O.W.) techniques:
- Pituitary stressors
- Hypothalamus stressors
- Thyroid stressors
- Adrenal stressors
- Emotional factors
- Other variables that adversely affect these hormonal systems are
Iodine look-a-like chemical compounds that compete and replace iodine in the thyroid. They are called hormones disrupters. These chemicals are known as toxic halides. They include fluoride, bromine, and chlorides. Fluoride is by far the worst offender due to its abundance as an additive in 90+% of the nations drinking water and in fluoride toothpaste. Bromides are plentiful in pesticides, plastics and commonly found in small quantities in bread dough, and citrus flavored soft drinks.
- Iodine is an essential trace mineral for healthy thyroid function. For reasons just mentioned, it is wise to take iodine in a prophylactic quantity. Occasionally in thyroid deficiency conditions direct iodine supplementation is warranted.
Prophylactically, if one can not obtain adequate food sources, taking a monthly supplement is a good idea. Women appear to need greater amounts of iodine than men as breast tissue is believed to consume some of the body's iodine supply.
Generally one can obtain sufficient quantines in organic foods, especially in seaweed and kelp. Of course iodized salt is a common source as well.
