hypothyroid – Wilson's Syndrome

When Inflammation Leads to Autoimmune Disease

Tags: atherosclerosis, cardiovascular, hashimoto's disease, hypothyroid, metabolic syndrome, TSH|

Over the next few blog posts, I’d like to talk about the important role of inflammation in causing thyroid dysfunction. Scientists are discovering that inflammation is at the root cause of many chronic illnesses. It can be triggered by foods you eat, such as sugar, acid forming foods, dairy, meat and allergenic foods, like soy. It also worsens with a common condition known as leaky gut syndrome. This is when the lining of the intestinal tract is damaged (by alcohol, medications, or poor food choices), causing gaps which allow oversized particles to leak through. When these particles fail to exit

The connection between headaches and thyroid function

Tags: headache, hypothyroid, low temperature, migraine, Wilson's Temperature Syndrome|

It’s really amazing when you think about how the thyroid is connected to almost every system in the body. A new study supported the connection that I’ve talked about frequently, finding that possible risk factors for developing thyroid dysfunction may be headaches and migraines. Over the course of this twenty year study, researchers found that people who suffer from headache disorders have a 41% increased risk of developing hypothyroidism in the future. That’s significantly higher than the group people without headaches, who only had a 21% increased risk of developing hypothyroidism.

The majority of the people who developed

Balancing stress, cholesterol and thyroid

Tags: cholesterol, exercise, hypothyroid, stress, thyroid, thyroid meds, TSH, yoga|

High cholesterol is one of the many common co- symptoms that occurs with hypothyroidism. Elevated cholesterol can lead to atherosclerosis or “clogged arteries”, putting a person at risk for coronary artery disease, stroke and heart attack. Statin drugs are commonly prescribed to reduce cholesterol levels, but they come with risk for other side effects, such as muscle pain, liver damage, or neurological effects. So it makes sense to consider alternative, natural approaches to help maintain normal cholesterol levels.

A recent small study was conducted in India, where hypothyroidism is quite prevalent, to determine if a consistent yoga program could help address

Who Gets Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome?

Tags: hormones, hypothyroid, low temperature, T3, Wilson's Temperature Syndrome|

Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome is the cluster of often debilitating symptoms especially brought on by physical or emotional stress that can persist even after the stress has passed (due to maladaptive slowing of the metabolism). It usually responds characteristically to the normalization of body temperature patterns (especially through the use of a special T3 therapy protocol and/or certain natural medicines). It is characterized by a body temperature that runs, on average, below normal, but routine thyroid blood tests are often in the “normal” range.

Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome is especially brought on by stresses such as: childbirth (#1 cause), divorce, death

Finding Balance for Women

Tags: endocrine, estrogen, hormone balance, hypothyroid, infertility, testosterone, womens health|

The endocrine system is a complex interconnection of hormonal signals and active hormones that trigger each other. In a past article, we referred to the endocrine system as the conductor of an orchestra, who directs musicians to play louder or softer in order to make beautiful music. The endocrine system uses hormones to signal organs to work efficiently together. But instead of making music, the endocrine system coordinates mood, energy level, metabolism, and more.

When women have low thyroid hormone, it often impacts the hormones related to their ovarian cycle, causing infertility or irregular periods. A recent study

Wondering why you’re cold?

Tags: chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, fatigue, freezing, hypothyroid, low temperature, thyroid, Wilson's Temperature Syndrome|

The primary sign for Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome (WTS) is low body temperature, which can sometimes be the sole indicator that thyroid hormones aren’t quite right. Often, standard thyroid tests don’t reflect Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome because there are different ways that the body can experience hypothyroidism that tests can’t measure. For example, there may be a problem with thyroid hormone transport, T4 to T3 conversion, or perhaps thyroid receptors that just aren’t responding to thyroid hormone appropriately. No matter what the cause, the end result is that the person experiences low body temperature and hypothyroid symptoms that can include

Stress: A one-two punch to the thyroid

Tags: adaptogen herbs, cortisol, endocrine, hypothyroid, iodine, selenium, stress, T3, thyroid|

Last month I wrote about the endocrine system and how adrenal overload can cause fatigue, weight gain, and eventually affect the thyroid. This month, I’d like to focus on how life’s stresses impede the production and utilization of thyroid hormone and what you can do about it.

You already know that long term, chronic stress is one of the most common factors for adrenal dysfunction. When adrenals suffer, it influences other related endocrine organs, such as pituitary and hypothalamus. Collectively, this is called the “HPA” axis, or the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, which works on a feedback system. The

Optimize Thyroid – Adrenal Cross-talk

Tags: adrenals, cortisol, fatigue, hypothyroid, stress, thyroid, TSH|

Last week we talked about how chronic stress and cortisol wears out the adrenals, and how tired adrenals affect thyroid function. But there’s actually more to the story. Did you know that not only is thyroid hormone activity regulated in part by stress hormone activity, but the reverse is also true. The two hormonal systems interact throughout your body, in different tissues. Thyroid hormone sets a kind of “baseline” activity level and stress hormones, secreted from your adrenal glands, speed it up or slow it down.

The interaction is complicated and affects body heat, blood flow, heart rate, blood

Is your body a symphony?

Tags: adaptogens, adrenal fatigue, Ashwagandha, eleuthero, hypothyroid, stress, T3, thyroid|

I am often asked if the adrenals are important in relation to the thyroid. My answer is YES- very important! For such a small pair of organs, the adrenal glands have a lot of influence over our entire wellbeing. They are part of the endocrine system, a collection of tiny organs that work in concert to control the production and secretion of the chemical messengers produced in our body. Some of these include hormones and neurotransmitters, which send signals and instructions to different parts of our body. Similar to the conductor of an orchestra, who signals certain players on

Is your doctor practicing ageism?

Tags: aging, hypothyroid, low temperature, T3, thyroid|

Have you been told your thyroid is a little low, but that it’s OK because you are “old” and that’s what happens to old people?

Well, a low temperature may not affect your life expectancy but it can have a huge impact on your quality of life. The list of symptoms is long, and it includes fatigue, intolerance to cold, dry skin, puffy eyes, muscle cramps, weak muscles, constipation, depression, slow thinking and poor memory. Your doctor may tend to dismiss these symptoms as simply signs of aging, but where does one draw the line? It’s