New Mineral Developments

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to the new members. We are now up to 36 and still growing fast. I

just sent out 8 invitations to new people who are interested. We drove up to

San Francisco for the weekend and I have been buried in group and other emails

since getting back. It's really great to see all the new postings!

It was especially wonderful to receive Vivian's (VZZZ) email to the group

about how she is feeling so much better, has tons of energy, can now run

again, and feels like she has her life back!! This is how I've been feeling

and it's so great that someone else is experiencing the same benefits. She

has been following my suggestions and was bold and went with the 8 mg of

copper a day and has now experienced an amazingly fast recovery (just 2

weeks). I was studying my diary and it looks like it took me longer--maybe 6

weeks to start feeling better (but I was only taking 4 mg a day). Anyway this

is fantastic news and really adds alot of support to what we're doing.

A few notes: Bob mentioned that 125 mg of zinc a day was the maximum

recommended and I think that's a good limit to stay under. More important

than the absolute limit is not to take zinc without copper. The Nutrition

Almanac under zinc also states copper should always be supplemented with zinc.

I would recommend that everyone not exceed 100 mg of zinc and 12 mg of copper

a day and keep the ratio at 8:1 to 10:1 (zinc in mgs. to copper in mgs.)

Several people are now reporting neck pains (C3, C4) prior to other

hyperthyroid symptoms. We need to find out if a neck injury or problem can

precede and possibly cause hyperthyroidism, or if the neck pain is one of the

first symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Anyone else have this?

A note on multi-vitamins-minerals: Many are very low in copper in relation

to the amount of zinc and may be contributing to hyperthyroidism. Just add

extra copper to make sure you don't get further deficient in copper.

Now for some really interesting news. Lorna (nymph10103) sent information to

me which was posted on the hypothyroid board by Dr. Biamonte, who is a

doctor of nutripathy (the pathology of nutritional deficiencies). He is

studying the role minerals play in thyroid function and has developed a

treatment program for hypothyroidics based upon this study. I am attaching

the information from his web page for your study.

The basic minerals he says are important for hypothyroidics are iron,

manganese, iodine, potassium, selenium, and zinc and you will read about their

roles. There is one area where I have a different opinion. He states that

copper and mercury are toxic metals which need to be removed from the body. I

think that copper is essential and just needs to be balanced with the zinc in

the proper ratio. And the mercury just needs to be balanced with the

selenium.

I have written to him requesting further information and his comments on the

story of my recovery and my theories of hyperthyroidism. It will be

interesting. I am so pleased to have found someone who has been studying

these things. I asked him to join our group and feel that he is a legitimate

expert who could really help us.

I hope everyone studies the following attachment and shares their insights.

09/04/98

WellnessWeb Homepage

Alternative/Complementary

Medicine Homepage

THE NEW APPROACH TO LOW THYROID CONDITIONS

by Biamonte, DN, CCN

Many years ago, Dr. Broda , MD, wrote a book entitled Hypothyroidism:

The Unsuspected Illness. In his book, Dr. brought

light to low thyroid conditions as an unsuspected cause of

numerous health disorders. He utilized the basal temperature

test, taking ones underarm body temperature the very first thing

in the morning to discover ones thyroid efficiency. This clearly

proved that a condition of low thyroid function can exist even

when blood tests are normal. When Dr. found a patient who

had a lower-than-normal body temperature, he would treat them

with thyroid medication. His patients had miraculous

improvements, correcting a multitude of health disorders. More

recently, Dr. Denis , MD, also wrote a book, called 's

syndrome. Dr. expanded Dr. theory and

advanced the treatment. Drs. and both discovered

that although the thyroid appears normal based on blood work, a

low body temperature and/or a low metabolism still exist,

indicating a hypothyroid condition.

Symptoms of low thyroid can include:

Loss of hair

Weight gain

Cold hands and feet

Dry skin

Low body temperature

Low blood pressure

Low adrenal function

Menstrual irregularities

Infertility

PMS

Osteoporosis

Sugar cravings and hypoglycemia

Unexplained fatigue

Chronic fatigue

Constipation

Muscle cramps and spasms

Problems digesting fats and oils

Sluggish liver

Copper toxicity

Respiratory infections

Lowered resistance to colds and flu

High blood pressure

Migraines and chronic headaches

Why This Happens

Thyroid function can break down for various reasons. Here is a

simple explanation of what can go wrong.

1. Thyroid hormone is made from a protein called

TYROSINE. Tyrosine can be made by converting

phenylalanine, another protein, into tyrosine. This is

done with the help of iron. If iron is too low, this will

not occur.2. Once tyrosine is made, it goes to the

thyroid gland. The mineral manganese is then used to help

convert it into thyroxin, a thyroid hormone. Thyroxin is

also called T4. This is the same substance that doctors

give as medication. Iodine, found in kelp and sea food,

is also involved. Low manganese or iodine can inhibit

this process.

3. Once thyroxin is made, it goes to the liver. Some

of it is set aside for reserves. This is called reserve

T4. The reserves are used for times of illnesses or

stress. In the liver it is changed to a substance called

T3. T3 is actually the hormone the body will later use.

This conversion is dependent upon zinc. Copper can

antagonize zinc, so excessive levels of copper may

interfere with this conversion.

4. Once converted, T3 must be accepted by the cells of

the body. Our cells are more or less responsive to T3.

Excess amounts of calcium make the cells less responsive

while potassium makes them more responsive. An imbalance

of either calcium or potassium can alter this mechanism.

5. Once in the cell, the mineral selenium helps the

hormone work. Low levels of this mineral will cause

inactivity of the hormone. Selenium also helps the

production of an enzyme that aids in the conversion of T4

to T3.

Imbalances in any of the above nutrients can cause a condition

where the reserve T4 hogs the enzymes involved in T3 conversion.

T3 is actually the hormone the body will use, but it may not work

properly because needed enzymes are being hogged by the reserve

T4. During times of illnesses and stress, the body forms more

reserve T4 thinking it will soon need it. This sets up a

potentially vicious cycle, whereby T3 conversion could be

impaired. The basis of low thyroid conditions that do not show up

in blood work is that the nutrients that are involved in the

conversion of T4 to T3 and that help it work become too low. So,

while the hormone may show normal levels in the blood, if it is

of poor quality it may not work well in the body.

The Solution

A four-step program has recently been developed to help

restore proper thyroid function. The first step is to eliminate

any infections, particularly viruses which can attack the

thyroid. The next step is to detoxify the liver and digestive

tract so that the nutrients needed for thyroid function can be

utilized. The third step is to detoxify the body from toxic

metals, such as mercury and copper, which are commonly found in

excess with low thyroid function. The last step is to rebalance

the body with any of the nutrients mentioned above as determined

by laboratory testing.

When the body has accumulated proper levels of nutrients, the

thyroid has a chance to begin working again. In many cases we

have seen that body temperature begins to rise after only a few

months.

Synthetic Medication Doesn't Always Work

Sometimes patients who are put on thyroid medication will find

that after an initial improvement their symptoms either return or

worsen. This is because thyroid medication may cause the thyroid

gland to stop producing thyroxin on its own. Also, some people

have an auto-immune problem where their own body is attacking the

thyroid gland. It usually does this as a result of a viral or

parasitic infection in the gland. Once the infection is

eliminated the person must be very careful not to take anything

too stimulating to the thyroid as this can cause the immune

system to attack itself (i.e., the thyroid).

Another factor involved in thyroid function is diet. Diets low

in protein and high in fats can interfere with thyroid function.

Adequate protein is required to produce the thyroid hormone. Fat

has been found to be antagonistic to thyroid function and it also

lowers metabolism. Also, thiocyanate, a substance found in

vegetables from the cabbage family, has an antagonistic effect on

the thyroid. Excessive intake of thiocyanate foods can cause a

disease called goiter. Goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid

gland where it becomes slow and underactive.

The solution to all this is to be tested by a qualified

nutritionist in order to detect any vitamin or mineral

imbalances. As you probably already know, excesses of one vitamin

or mineral can actually cause a deficiency in another. The key to

a properly functioning thyroid is balance. The correct levels of

nutrients can be achieved through proper testing and a specific

nutritional program tailored to individual needs. As you can see,

there are many factors involved with proper thyroid function. The

good news is that there is hope to correct slow thyroid function

in many people. Age is not a factor. As long as someone still has

a portion of their thyroid gland undamaged, it is possible that

it may begin to produce hormone again on its own.

Dr. Biamonte is the Director of The New York Center

for Clinical Nutrition, located in Manhattan. He holds a

Doctorate of Nutripathy, a Degree in Natural Healing, and a

Masters in Clinical Nutrition. He is affiliated with the

International Academy of Nutrition and Preventative Medicine. Dr.

Biamonte is listed in the Directory of Distinguished Americans

for his research in nutrition and physiology.

See also: The Thyroid

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