Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
In the last article, we looked at what functions the thyroid
plays in our health and general information on it. In this week’s edition we
will take an in depth look at factors that disrupt thyroid function.
There are 7 factors we will discuss in this article. These
are heavy metals, medications, gluten, soy, fluoride, bromines and adrenal
function/stress.
Heavy metals collecting in our bodies interfere with
production of thyroid hormones. Lead, cadmium, mercury and other heavy metals
come from many sources. Lead comes from some old paint and industrial wastes.
Mercury is found in many vaccinations and contaminated water.
Medications such as steroids, barbiturates,
cholesterol-lowering drugs and beta blockers can disrupt thyroid function.
Gluten and other food allergies lower thyroid function by
causing inflammation. Gluten causes autoimmune responses which can be
responsible for Hashimoto’s disease. Gluten sensitivity can cause your
gastrointestinal system to malfunction, leading to leaky gut syndrome. The body
produces antigens to fight the leaked particles. These antigens are similar to
molecules in the thyroid gland. Your body then accidently attacks the thyroid.
Whether you believe me or not, soy is not a health food.
I’ve written entire articles on why soy is bad for you; go to my website to
find them. Specific to the thyroid, soy phytoestrogens are potent anti-thyroid
agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants,
consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
Fluoride is a toxic chemical linked to many health problems.
Recent research has now linked it to thyroid dysfunction. Yes, we are talking
about the fluoride that can be added to your water, and the stuff dentists say
is good for your teeth. In areas where fluoride in water is over the 0.3 mg/L
(0.7 mg/L is the level added to water supplies in the USA), the incidence of
hypothyroidism is 37% higher than areas that do not fluoridate. Because
fluoride is more electronegative than iodine, it displaces it in the body,
disrupting thyroid function and affecting your metabolism. Fluoride promotes
and exacerbates iodine deficiency.
Next are bromines. Bromine is also a halide which competes
for the same receptors the thyroid gland uses to capture iodine. When you
ingest bromine, you displace iodine, which leads to increased risk for cancer
of the breast, thyroid, ovary, and prostate.
Where is bromine found in our daily lives you ask? More
places than you’d ever think. It is in pesticides used on foods such as
strawberries. It is in the plastics where we store our food, and it leaches
into the stored food. Potassium bromate is added to baked goods and flours as a
‘dough conditioner.’ Polybromo diphenyl ethers or PBDE’s is a fire retardant
used on fabrics, carpets, upholsteries and mattresses. Medications such as
Atrovent inhalers and nasal sprays, ProBanthine for ulcers and in some anesthesia
all contain bromines. Brominated vegetable oils (BVO’s) are found in citrus
flavored soft drinks like Mountain Dew, Gatorade and Fresca.
Lastly, stress is one of the worst thyroid offenders. The
function of the thyroid is directly tied to your adrenal function, which is
ultimately tied to how you handle stress. Chronic stress results in increased
adrenalin and cortisol levels. Higher levels of cortisol negatively affect
thyroid production, exactly when you need it the most. This is how stress
causes obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and unstable blood sugar
levels. Prolonged stress causes adrenal exhaustion, or adrenal fatigue, often
found alongside hypothyroidism.
In the next article on the thyroid, we will look at the
associated symptoms of low thyroid hormones and how to best test your levels.