Anyone have issues with thyroid?

[Homemaker]

I had my annual gyno check-up today (aren't you jealous!). Anyways, I told him that ever since I weaned my daughter a few months ago, my periods are out of whack, heavy and I get filled with anxiety. He felt my thyroid and said he thinks it is a little enlarged, I am going in the morning for bloodwork and then have a sono appt at the end of the month. Does anyone else have issues with their thyroid? Did you feel better after you strted medication? I have honestly felt like dirt for awhile and have chalked it up to my hormones being out of whack. I would just like to hear that I am not a lone and that you can feel better! Thanks so much!

[homeschoolally]

Treating my hypothyroidism has changed my life! Only have a minute but here are some thoughts for you:

 

Do some research on the #'s used to diagnose--there is some dispute about them and you may be borderline according to one school of thought and full-blown hypo according the other. You may need to print them out to share with your doctor--unless a lot has changed since I was diagnosed 6 years ago.

 

Make sure you get a branded med if at all possible. This in one med that can cause problems with the allowance of variation in generics IME and from my research.

 

Good luck with it! If you are hypothyroid, you won't believe the difference with meds!

[JudoMom]

I had my annual gyno check-up today (aren't you jealous!). Anyways, I told him that ever since I weaned my daughter a few months ago, my periods are out of whack, heavy and I get filled with anxiety. He felt my thyroid and said he thinks it is a little enlarged, I am going in the morning for bloodwork and then have a sono appt at the end of the month. Does anyone else have issues with their thyroid? Did you feel better after you strted medication? I have honestly felt like dirt for awhile and have chalked it up to my hormones being out of whack. I would just like to hear that I am not a lone and that you can feel better! Thanks so much!

 

Yep. Mine was dxed after my 4th son was born. I read at the time that pregnancy can trigger thyroid problems, and went in to get checked.

[Negin]

One word ... yet again ... Iodoral - you can get it on amazon and read more about it. I can share lots of info with you. Just didn't want to overwhelm you.

[micheller1]

I was hypothyroid after every single one of my babies and am once again hypothyroid, probably forever now. As a previous poster stated - meds changed my life!! All of sudden, I felt SO MUCH better!!

 

Last month, my scrip ran out and I was too busy or just forgot to refill it and omgoodness I felt TERRIBLE, terrible doesn't even describe it. But two days back on and I was a new woman!!

 

Good luck and take care of yourself!

[learninearnin]

I've had Hashimoto's disease (it's sort of like hypothyroidism) since I was 12, and meds make all the difference. Be aware though that it takes a little bit sometimes for them to find the correct dosage of hormone, so don't be alarmed if you are changing your Rx slightly every few months. It will settle down and then you'll never know you had anything!

[Parrothead]

One word ... yet again ... Iodoral - you can get it on amazon and read more about it. I can share lots of info with you. Just didn't want to overwhelm you.

Unless one has hyperthyroidism. Iodine is not good for those who's thyroid runs too fast.

 

And with that word of warning you can guess I am one of the "lucky" few who have a hyper thyroid. Meds can be a wonderful thing. Please document how you feel. Document how you feel on your initial dose. If your doctor only goes by the numbers and does not take into consideration how you feel, find another doctor.

Edited September 16, 2010 by Parrothead

[Negin]

Unless one has hyperthyroidism. Iodine is not good for those who's thyroid runs too fast.

And with that word of warning you can guess I am one of the "lucky" few who have a hyper thyroid. Meds can be a wonderful thing. Please document how you feel. Document how you feel on your initial dose. If your doctor only goes by the numbers and does not take into consideration how you feel, find another doctor.

 

I'm not against meds for those who need them. My dh is on meds at the moment. Personally, I do prefer to not take meds, if possible, over the long-term. Short-term, fine. Long-term - only if nothing else works. Just me, personally.

 

Iodoral has helped many. There's a book about iodine deficiency for those who are interested. There are reviews on amazon. The research is also out there.

Some forms of iodine are harmful. Iodoral is not. All of us need a combination of iodine and iodide, the two forms of iodine used throughout our bodies. Iodoral and Lugol are the only supplements containing these two nutrients. Lugol, however, tastes foul.

Interestingly, over the past 30 years, Americans’ iodine intake has declined 50% while thyroid disorders have significantly increased during that period.

Iodine plays a significant role in preventing hormonal imbalances and regulating the thyroid

Your thyroid gland needs iodine (again, the right kind) whether it’s working normally, is underactive (hypothyroid), overactive (hyperthyroid), or enlarged (goiter). Enough iodine normalizes all these conditions.

I have lots more info, but I don't want to overwhelm anyone further.

[*Jessica*]

I'm not against meds for those who need them. My dh is on meds at the moment. Personally, I do prefer to not take meds, if possible, over the long-term. Short-term, fine. Long-term - only if nothing else works. Just me, personally.

 

Iodoral has helped many. There's a book about iodine deficiency for those who are interested. There are reviews on amazon. The research is also out there.

Some forms of iodine are harmful. Iodoral is not. All of us need a combination of iodine and iodide, the two forms of iodine used throughout our bodies. Iodoral and Lugol are the only supplements containing these two nutrients. Lugol, however, tastes foul.

Interestingly, over the past 30 years, Americans’ iodine intake has declined 50% while thyroid disorders have significantly increased during that period.

Iodine plays a significant role in preventing hormonal imbalances and regulating the thyroid

Your thyroid gland needs iodine (again, the right kind) whether it’s working normally, is underactive (hypothyroid), overactive (hyperthyroid), or enlarged (goiter). Enough iodine normalizes all these conditions.

I have lots more info, but I don't want to overwhelm anyone further.

I would love to hear more. I have a referral to an edocrinologist today to hopefully get my hypothryoid issues under control.

[Negin]

I would love to hear more. I have a referral to an edocrinologist today to hopefully get my hypothryoid issues under control.

Jessica, I have lots more info, but for now, I'll focus on Iodoral, which is a great supplement from my experience as well as from what others have posted - recommendations from both ends of the spectrum - endocrinologists to naturopathic types. You can read more than 50 reviews on amazon. I'm now taking 3 a day and feel much better - less monthly bre@st pain and discomfort (virtually none), less hair loss ... just better overall. Here's the info and it's a lot.

 

More than 90% of us are low in iodine.

Whole body iodine insufficiency is contributing to numerous health problems from hypothyroidism to breast cancer and fibromyalgia.

Today's environment makes it almost impossible to get the amount of iodine you need.

1. There's very little iodine in the soil. So unless you're eating a ton of iodine-rich foods like kelp, seaweed and shellfish, you're not going to get much iodine from your diet.

2. Many salt companies have stopped adding iodine to table salt. While commercial table salt usually contains iodine, this is not the best way to boost iodine intake. In fact, “salt iodination, which is performed routinely in many countries, may increase the incidence of overt hypothyroidism,” a new Greek study concludes. Kelp and other sea vegetables are excellent sources of natural iodine. Use Seaweed Gomasio (Amazon has this also) to season your food, rather than iodized salt.

3. Food manufacturers have stopped using iodine in baked goods and are using bromine instead. Bromine (a halogen) competes with iodine to get into your cells. So the more bromine you consume, the less iodine you get. Unfortunately, many foods today (primarily baked goods) are loaded with bromine.

4. Our water supply contains chlorine and fluoride, both of which are halogens. Again, halogens compete with iodine to get into your cells.

And you can't avoid chlorine and fluoride simply by drinking filtered water. That's because you get a hefty dose any time you bathe, shower, soak in a hot tub, or swim in a swimming pool.

5. Most conventional doctors never test for iodine deficiency. They figure there's no need to test iodine levels when they can just test your thyroid function instead. The problem with this is that the most widely used thyroid test, the TSH, is wildly inaccurate. Reason: While the TSH measures thyroid hormone, it can't tell the difference between active thyroid hormone with iodine and de-activated thyroid hormone with bromine or chlorine or fluorine. So the test shows you have plenty of thyroid hormone. But most of the thyroid hormone isn't doing its job!

 

Symptoms of Iodine Deficiency

Adrenal Fatigue

Cardiac arrhythmia

Diabetes (both types)

Fibrocystic breast disease

Fibromyalgia

Graves’ disease

Hormone resistance syndromes

Hypertension

Obesity

PCOS

Sleep apnea

Thyroid Disorders – sub-clinical hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroiditis

 

BENEFITS OF CORRECTING AN IODINE DEFICIENCY

THYROID

Interestingly, over the past 30 years, Americans’ iodine intake has declined 50% while thyroid disorders have significantly increased during that period.

Iodine plays a significant role in preventing hormonal imbalances and regulating the thyroid

Your thyroid gland needs iodine whether it’s working normally, is underactive (hypothyroid), overactive (hyperthyroid), or enlarged (goiter). Enough iodine normalizes all these conditions.

 

PROTECTS BREASTS – Fibrocystic Breast Disease, Breast Cancer (as well as endometrial and ovarian cancers)

What most people don’t realize is that next to the thyroid, iodine is concentrated in breast tissue. It can protect against fibrocystic breast disease and even breast cancer.

Iodine helps to normalize the impact of estrogens on the breast. It decreases or turns off the estrogen receptor sites in the breast.

Iodine is critical for breast tissue function and has been shown to be lower in cancerous breast tissue. Research has found strong evidence that women who are deficient in iodine are more prone to breast cancer.

Back in the ’70s, scientists noted geographic differences in the rates of breast cancer (as well as endometrial and ovarian cancer), depending upon dietary iodine intake. Where iodine intake was lower, the incidence of these cancers was higher. Diets low in iodine can lead to more circulating estrogen levels in the body.

Recent research has shown that iodine treatment improves fibrocystic disease in 70 percent of the women tested.

As our intake of iodine has declined, breast cancer has increased.

When bromide gets into the tissues, it displaces iodine, which, again, is essential for breast health. Some women with fibrocystic breast disease find their cysts and tenderness disappear after iodine supplementation.

 

HELPS REMOVE CERTAIN TOXINS FROM BODY

Iodine protects us from two toxic elements – fluoride and bromide. These toxins are in our water, hot tubs, non-organic foods, and some soft drinks. Bromide is even used in some asthma drugs. If you don’t have enough iodine, chances are you have too much fluoride and bromide. Sufficient iodine pulls these toxins out of your body.

 

FIGHTS FATIGUE and gives greater energy

 

NORMALIZES SEVERAL HORMONES – Without enough iodine, your hormones won’t work at their best. If you and your doctor can’t explain why the hormones you’re taking aren’t working the way they should, insufficient iodine may be the reason.

[Negin]

CORRECTING AN IODINE DEFICIENCY:

I think it was Dr. Nan Fuchs who wrote: “I've had women come into my office who look like the poster child for underactive thyroid. They're overweight, they're losing their hair and eyebrows, their skin is dry, and they tell me they feel cold all the time. Yet when their doctor gave them a thyroid test, it came back normal!

When I put these women on iodine supplementation, their conditions improve dramatically. Their skin improves, they stop losing their hair, and they finally lose that excess weight — and keep it off.”

 

The RDA for iodine is 150 mcg. This amount was set based on the amount needed to prevent goiter. This amount will prevent goiter but it will not prevent breast cancer or its precurser fibrocystic breast disease or other serious diseases and symptoms listed above.

Breast tissue and other reproductive organs require much more iodine than the thyroid gland. Many researchers now believe that you may need 100 to 400 times the RDI.

The average consumption of iodine from seaweed by the mainland Japanese is nearly 14 mg. They have some of the lowest incidence of iodine-deficiency diseases like goiter, hypothyroidism, and cancers of the reproductive system (breast, ovaries, and uterus).

 

The Japanese consume 89 times more iodine than Americans due to their daily consumption of sea vegetables, and they have reduced rates of many chronic diseases, including the lowest rates of cancer in the world.

There is a large body of evidence suggesting that low cancer rates in Japan are a result of their substantially higher iodine levels. Iodine has documented antioxidant and anti-proliferative properties.

A strong case can be made that your iodine RDA should be closer to what the Japanese consume daily, if breast cancer rates are any indication. Low iodine can lead to fibrocystic breast disease in women (density, lumps and bumps), hyperplasia, and atypical mammary tissue. Such fibrocystic changes in breast tissue have been shown to reverse in the presence of iodine supplementation after 3-4 months.

 

Increase your intake with mineral-rich sea vegetables (agar, hijiki, kombu, nori, and wakame) at least twice a week. You can eat as much seaweed as you want. Brown seaweeds are highest in iodine. They include all forms of kelp. Fucus, also known as Bladderwrack, is considered to be the best for underactive thyroids. Hijiki and Sargassum are two other forms of brown seaweeds. Red seaweeds include dulse, nori, Irish moss, and Gracillaria.

Since toasting doesn’t affect seaweed’s iodine content, you can eat it dried or dried and toasted. Toast some in the oven or in a dry frying pan to see if you prefer that taste. You can also powdered seaweed to your food or add larger pieces of seaweed to soups, grains, or vegetables. Seaweed should be an enjoyable addition to your diet, not an unpleasant experience. If you simply don’t like its taste, you can get it in capsules.

Use 5-10 grams of mixed brown and red seaweed for thyroid problems. This is about 1 ½ teaspoons per day. If you’ve been told that your thyroid is borderline-low, eating seaweed makes sense. But remember, you need to eat seaweed every day or take iodine in a different form.

Not all seaweeds are safe to eat. Some come from polluted waters.

Be more cautious and talk to a naturopath if you’re on thyroid meds and want to try seaweed.

 

Sea vegetables (agar, arame, hijiki, kombu, nori, sea palms, and wakame) have some of the highest mineral content of any plants—especially calcium, iron, and iodine (the latter of which supports thyroid health)—all vital for women). Sea veggies are well known to protect against environmental pollutants; McGill researchers find that the alginic acid they contain reduces the amount of radioactive materials absorbed through the intestinal wall. If you haven’t yet developed a taste for these superfoods, a dash of Seaweed Gomasio (a seasoning combining them with sea salt) on other foods will do just fine.

Use iodine-rich Seaweed Gomasio to season your food.

 

Instead of using seaweed to boost your iodine levels, you might consider taking an iodine supplement. Iodoral is a very good one.

When we take 50 mg of iodine/iodide a day, it acts as an adaptogen, regulating various body functions. This is the amount that most of us need.

Not just any iodine will do. Kelp and iodized salt just won’t give you even close to the 50 mg required amount. Neither will seaweed nor fish, unless you eat enough of them every single day. The Japanese have adequate iodine, but we can’t get enough from our diet unless we eat high-iodine seaweed every single day. We’re extremely deficient. We’ve been on a low-iodine diet all our lives and they haven’t. And it’s rare for most to eat seaweed daily.

 

Some forms of iodine are harmful. Iodoral is not. All of us need a combination of iodine and iodide, the two forms of iodine used throughout our bodies. Iodoral and Lugol are the only supplements containing these two nutrients. Lugol, however, tastes foul.

 

You may need 1 to 4 tablets of Iodoral, a combination of 5 mg of iodine and 7.5 mg of potassium iodide. Additional research finds that vitamin C improves the transport of iodine in the body, so it may be best to take Iodoral with Vitamin C.

Studies show that women who weigh about 110 pounds need at least 5 mg of iodine a day for normal breast function. If you’re heavier, you may need more.

Start off slowly over a 4 week period.

Take 1 pill for 30 days

Then 2 pills for 30 days

Then maybe 3 for 30 days

Then 1 in morning and 1 in evening for 30 days

Can then go back to taking 1 or 2 a day to maintain

Your body will know....listen to it...

One Iodoral tablet provides 12.5 milligrams of iodine/iodide which is about the amount the average Japanese consumed in 1964 in their everyday diet.

Iodoral is the best way to get the recommended amount of iodine.