Thyroid Info *goitrogens, zinc, etc . . . .

[Guest guest]

We've also been doing lots of studying about the thyroid since my brother's last blood draw came back as borderline hypo. So, here's some info we have found out.

There are foods called goitrogens, they suppress the thyroid, so if you have someone who is HYPOthyroid (low thyroid), then these foods, would not be that good for them. Here's info on goitrogens:

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http://www.freewebs.com/thyroid/goitrogens.htm

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From: http://www.rawfood.com/forum/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000188

Also watch for goitrogens, healthy foods that supress your thyroid gland.

Here's a long note on that if you are interested

I compiled these notes a while back and post them once in a while for people who I see have questions related to it.

Here's all the foods I found to be listed as goitrogens.

Foods which can suppress the manufacture of thyroid hormone by interfering with your thyroid's ability to process iodide, they are called "goitrogens"

or "goitrous foods." Goitrogens can cause a sporadic goiter, a type of thyroid growth.

You may experience symptoms of hypothyroid (listed below) after ingesting any of the following foods:

PEACHES

PEARS

STRAWBERRIES (info conflicts on this one, one site recommended it being good for the thyroid)

POLYUNSATURATED OILS/NUTS

FLAXSEED

HEMPSEEDS

PUMPKIN SEEDS

PEANUTS

PINE NUTS

MILLET

SOYBEANS/SOY/TOFU/EDAMAME-also I suspect may include other foods with phytoestrogens may affect people with high estrogen already because estrogen causes an increase in the amount of circulating thyroid binding globulin (THG). THG is a protein that "soaks up" freely circulating thyroid hormone, turning it from "free" to "bound" thyroid hormone. So even though your thyroid levels might be normal, less of what your have is active. This contributes to weight gain, less energy and dry skin. Excessively high estrogen may diminish the effectiveness of your circulating thyroid hormones.

TURNIPS

SPINACH

KALE

KOHLRABI

MUSTARD GREENS

CASSAVA ROOT

RUTABAGA

SWEET POTATOES

CABBAGE

BROCCOLI

CAULIFLOWER (ALL BRASSICA FAMILY VEGETABLES) LIMA BEANS BRUSSEL SPROUTS NITRATE-RICH FOODS- LUNCH MEATS RADISHES (may be beneficial or suppressive)

ALSO AVOID:

DAIRY(also iodine from salt licks, hormones) WHEAT CAFFEINE ALCOHOL FLOURIDE (toothpaste) CHLORINE (tap water) IODINE(TOO MUCH, OR UNNATURAL FORMS)CAN CAUSE THYROID STORM CRASH which can produce manic-like or psychotic symptoms PROCESSED FOODS ANTIHISTAMINES SULFA DRUGS LITHIUM (CAN SUPRESS THYROID)-also known to cause acne CARBOHYDRATES-too much can create chemical in your intestines that suppresses thyroid All these foods above can possibly interfere with thyroid function.

Just by supplementing iodine and L-tyrosine you may increase the production of your thyroid gland. They are the two things used in the production of thyroid hormone. People with high blood pressure have to be careful with L-tyrosine.

Other supplements that may help thyroid health: Vit A, B-complex, Vit C, Vit E, zinc, selenium, and iron.

Herbs that may help hypothyroid(low thyroid): Horsetail(helps hair), oatstraw, alfalfa, gotu kola, kelp(natural source of iodine), bladderwrack(iodine), irish moss, coleus foreskohlii, cinamon bark, sargassum, bayberry, black cohosh, ginko biloba, golden seal(short period of time), licorice, rose hips, rosemary

Oils that may be helpful in stimulating the thyroid: Olive oil and coconut oil(highly recommended, both good for cooking), coconut oil is tastes good, it doesn't taste like coconut.

EFA's may be deficient with thyroid problematic people,

Foods recommended for hypothyroidism (low thyroid)that may help thyroid

function:

ALFALFA

LEAFY GREENS(NOT KALE or SPINACH)

BEET TOPS

CARROTS

GREEN PEPPERS

PARSLEY

SEAWEEDS

SPROUTS

WATERCRESS

APPLES

APRICOTS

CRANBERRY

GRAPEFRUIT

GRAPES

PINEAPPLE

Herbs listed that may help lower cholestral: guggul, hawthorne

People who eat goitrous foods and/or have unstable thyroids may experience muscular weakness and constant fatigue, weak slow heartbeat, sensitivity to cold, thick puffy skin, slowed mental process and poor memory, constipation, goiter, hair loss, eyebrow(lack of hair,especially outer third), ridged nails, brittle nails, recurrent infections, skin problems, acne, weight gain, edema, swelling tissues, joint pain, and painful breasts(sensitivity to estrogen).

I saw a paper on the internet which stated the following, but, my gynecologist had never heard of it:

Supplementing iodine is known to cure fibrous breast tissue because iodine and estrogen compete for the same receptors. If there is not enough iodine filling receptors then too much estrogen gets absorbed, producing fibrous tissue(may be early road to breast cancer) and painful breasts. I do notice eating edamame(soybeans, phyto estrogen rich) makes my breast hurt the next day.

People with blood type O may be more suseptible to unstable thyroid function, more likely to be sensitive to these foods. I read that from the author of "Eat Right For Your Blood Type," D'Adamo. He has a website at www.dadamo.com

People with unstable thyroid functions can experience thyroid storm or crash with too much iodine or the wrong form(they may be extra sensitive to iodine supplements), as far as I can tell the most recommended iodine supplement form is seaweed, they sell it in the healthfood stores. I bought the flakes to try.

Even if your thyroid has been tested, many sources say a person can read normal, but still be suffering the symptoms of this problem. Like if you have too much estrogen and too much bound, unusable thyroid hormone. A more accurate test is to take your temperature in the morning(without moving, the first 15 minutes) use an accurate thermometer. Take it about 5 days in a row and if it is consistently below a certain temperature( 97.8) then your thyroid is not functioning optimally. Usually TSH is measured by the doctor first, but, there are other tests that can be done to pinpoint the problem if your temp is low and your TSH came back normal. The temperature taking is the more accurate overall picture of function. A friend of mine read that it is suggested for women take their temperature the morning of their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th day of your period for accuracy. A womans temperature dips low around ovulation.

I have personally noticed extreme fatigue and breakouts after eating a lot of goitrous foods over a course of days and weeks. I end up in bed feeling poisoned. I had loads of hair loss after taking flaxseed oil for six months.

It ended abruptly when I switched to fish oil (it may have contain iodine?) and I started having major regrowth. However, too much fish or fish oil can over stimulate. Seems like finding the right balance is the key.

When I avoid these thyroid suppressing foods I have many more days with normal energy, better mood. When I supplement L-tyrosine and iodine, I tend to have much more energy, no cold feet at night. Easier to wake up, better sleep. No hair loss. More productive days. My skin seems to be breaking out more, however. On the other side, eating the suppressing foods makes even worse breakouts and I feel terrible. So hopefully since I am feeling better with the avoidance of the food and supplementing the iodine and L-tyrosine my skin may get worse before it gets better? We'll see.

Your thyroid gland is resposible for regulating your basic metabolic rate,hair, nails and immune response to the intestines(food allergies, reactions), your body temperature(regulates burning of energy to keep you warm).

I put together this list of foods and thyroid information from reading about

15 different articles on the internet and from a few different textbooks(Merck manual). As I read, most of the infomation was repeated and confirmed by most sources, so I assume it is reliable. However, I have no medical training and am not accredited to evaluate the validity of any internet site. I did my searches on google.com by typing in

+"thyroid"+"goitrogens" or phrases like +"supresses thyroid", if anyone

wants to see the articles I came across. Don't just take my word for this, read on your own before changing anything in your diet, also realize many people may benefit by eating these foods if their thyroid is OVERactive. So each person has their own individual situation and each person needs different food choices, a different balance.

I consider the information above valuable because if a person has low thyroid or an unstable thyroid and inadvertantly tries a raw food diet choosing too many foods on this list they may end up in bed with no energy, hair falling out, skin breaking out, etc... They may think it is a normal detox process, which is the only answer people had for me. I knew it wasn't a good thing, I couldn't do it longer that 2 weeks. I suspected it wasn't detox because I did sustain a raw fruit smoothie diet with sashimi and eggyolks with high energy for a month. So it was only when I did the raw salad diet that I felt so tired and sick.

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http://www.drpressman.com/YourHealth/Goitrogens.htm

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http://www.ithyroid.com/goitrogens.htm

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http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george & dbid=47

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http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

This link above, has a list of foods that are "good for you", but if you click on the different foods, if they have are a goitrogen, most of the time, they mention it on here.

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Some things say that you can cook the food and then it is okay to eat (not a goitrogen anymore), but not all things say that. And, they say, it *might* take out the goitrogenic problem.

I am sure you could probably have a nibble of a goitrogen every now and then. BUT, we are not going to give my brother any goitrogens, because we want to make sure his thyroid is functioning JUST perfect!

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Another thing that we've just found out about that is bad for the thyroid is Flouride. Here's a couple things we've found lately, you can do more research for yourself also .

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The Effects of Fluoride on the Thyroid Gland

By Dr Barry Durrant-Peatfield MBBS LRCP MRCS

Medical Advisor to Thyroid UK

There is a daunting amount of research studies showing that the widely acclaimed benefits on fluoride dental health are more imagined than real.

My main concern however, is the effect of sustained fluoride intake on general health. Again, there is a huge body of research literature on this subject, freely available and in the public domain.

But this body of work was not considered by the York Review when their remit was changed from "Studies of the effects of fluoride on health" to "Studies on the effects of fluoridated water on health." It is clearly evident that it was not considered by the BMA (Britsh Medical Association), British Dental Association (BDA), BFS (British Fluoridation Society) and FPHM, (Faculty for Public Health and Medicine) since they all insist, as in the briefing paper to Members of Parliament - that fluoridation is safe and non-injurious to health.

This is a public disgrace, I will now show by reviewing the damaging effects of fluoridation, with special reference to thyroid illness.

It has been known since the latter part of the 19th century that certain communities, notably in Argentina, India and Turkey were chronically ill, with premature ageing, arthritis, mental retardation, and infertility; and high levels of natural fluorides in the water were responsible. Not only was it clear that the fluoride was having a general effect on the health of the community, but in the early 1920s Goldemberg, working in Argentina showed that fluoride was displacing iodine; thus compounding the damage and rendering the community also hypothyroid from iodine deficiency.

Highly damaging to the thyroid gland

This was the basis of the research in the 1930s of May, Litzka, Gorlitzer von Mundy, who used fluoride preparations to treat over-active thyroid illness. Their patients either drank fluoridated water, swallowed fluoride pills or were bathed in fluoridated bath water; and their thyroid function was as a result, greatly depressed. The use in 1937 of fluorotyrosine for this purpose showed how effective this treatment was; but the effectiveness was difficult to predict and many patients suffered total thyroid loss.

So

it was given a new role and received a new name, Pardinon. It was marketed not for over-active thyroid disease but as a pesticide. (Note the manufacturer of fluorotyrosine was IG Farben who also made sarin, a gas used in World War II).

This bit of history illustrates the fact that fluorides are dangerous in general and in particular highly damaging to the thyroid gland, a matter to which I shall return shortly. While it is unlikely that it will be disputed that fluorides are toxic - let us be reminded that they are Schedule 2 Poisons under the Poisons Act 1972, the matter in dispute is the level of toxicity attributable to given amounts; in today’s context the degree of damage caused by given concentrations in the water supply. While admitting its toxicity, proponents rely on the fact that it is diluted and therefore, it is claimed, unlikely to have deleterious effects.

They could not be more mistaken

It seems to me that we must be aware of how fluoride does its damage.

It is

an enzyme poison. Enzymes are complex protein compounds that vastly speed up biological chemical reactions while themselves remaining unchanged.

As

we speak, there occurs in all of us a vast multitude of these reactions to maintain life and produce the energy to sustain it. The chains of amino acids that make up these complex proteins are linked by simple compounds called amides; and it is with these that fluorine molecules react, splitting and distorting them, thus damaging the enzymes and their activity. Let it be said at once, this effect can occur at extraordinary low concentrations; even lower than the one part per million which is the dilution proposed for fluoridation in our water supply.

The body can only eliminate half

Moreover, fluorides are cumulative and build up steadily with ingestion of fluoride from all sources, which include not just water but the air we breathe and the food we eat. The use of fluoride toothpaste in dental hygiene and the coating of teeth are further sources of substantial levels of fluoride intake. The body can only eliminate half of the total intake, which means that the older you are the more fluoride will have accumulated in your body. Inevitably this means the ageing population is particularly targeted. And even worse for the very young there is a major element of risk in baby formula made with fluoridated water. The extreme sensitivity of the very young to fluoride toxicity makes this unacceptable. Since there are so many sources of fluoride in our everyday living, it will prove impossible to maintain an average level of 1ppm as is suggested.

What is the result of these toxic effects?

First the immune system. The distortion of protein structure causes the immune proteins to fail to recognise body proteins, and so instigate an attack on them, which is Autoimmune Disease. Autoimmune diseases constitute a body of disease processes troubling many thousands of people:

Rheumatoid

Arthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosis, Asthma and Systemic Sclerosis are examples; but in my particular context today, thyroid antibodies will be produced which will cause Thyroiditis resulting in the common hypothyroid disease, Hashimoto’s Disease and the hyperthyroidism of Graves’ Disease.

Musculo Skeletal damage results further from the enzyme toxic effect; the collagen tissue of which muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones are made, is damaged. Rheumatoid illness, osteoporosis and deformation of bones inevitably follow. This toxic effect extends to the ameloblasts making tooth enamel, which is consequently weakened and then made brittle; and its visible appearance is, of course, dental fluorosis.

The enzyme poison effect extends to our genes; DNA cannot repair itself, and chromosomes are damaged. Work at the University of Missouri showed genital damage, targeting ovaries and testes. Also affected is inter uterine growth and development of the foetus, especially the nervous system. Increased incidence of Down’s Syndrome has been documented.

Fluorides are mutagenic. That is, they can cause the uncontrolled proliferation of cells we call cancer. This applies to cancer anywhere in the body; but bones are particularly picked out. The incidence of osteosarcoma in a study reporting in 1991 showed an unbelievable 50% increase. A report in 1955 in the New England Journal of Medicine showed a 400% increase in cancer of the thyroid in San Francisco during the period their water was fluoridated.

My particular concern is the effect of fluorides on the thyroid gland

Perhaps I may remind you about thyroid disease. The thyroid gland produces hormones which control our metabolism - the rate at which we burn our fuel.

Deficiency is relatively common, much more than is generally accepted by many medical authorities: a figure of 1:4 or 1:3 by mid life is more likely. The illness is insidious in its onset and progression. People become tired, cold, overweight, depressed, constipated; they suffer arthritis, hair loss, infertility, atherosclerosis and chronic illness.

Sadly, it is poorly diagnosed and poorly managed by very many doctors in this country.

What concerns me so deeply is that in concentrations as low as 1ppm, fluorides damage the thyroid system on 4 levels.

1. The enzyme manufacture of thyroid hormones within the thyroid gland itself. The process by which iodine is attached to the amino acid tyrosine and converted to the two significant thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and liothyronine (T3), is slowed.

2. The stimulation of certain G proteins from the toxic effect of fluoride (whose function is to govern uptake of substances into each of the cells of the body), has the effect of switching off the uptake into the cell of the active thyroid hormone.

3. The thyroid control mechanism is compromised. The thyroid stimulating hormone output from the pituitary gland is inhibited by fluoride, thus reducing thyroid output of thyroid hormones.

4. Fluoride competes for the receptor sites on the thyroid gland which respond to the thyroid stimulating hormone; so that less of this hormone reaches the thyroid gland and so less thyroid hormone is manufactured.

These damaging effects, all of which occur with small concentrations of fluoride, have obvious and easily identifiable effects on thyroid status.

The running down of thyroid hormone means a slow slide into hypothyroidism.

Already the incidence of hypothyroidism is increasing as a result of other environmental toxins and pollutions together with wide spread nutritional deficiencies.

141 million Europeans are at risk

One further factor should give us deep anxiety. Professor Hume of Dundee, in his paper given earlier this year to the Novartis Foundation, pointed out that iodine deficiency is growing worldwide. There are 141 million Europeans are at risk; only 5 European countries are iodine sufficient.

UK

now falls into the marginal and focal category. Professor Hume recently produced figures to show that 40% of pregnant women in the Tayside region of Scotland were deficient by at least half of the iodine required for a normal pregnancy. A relatively high level of missing, decayed, filled teeth was noted in this non-fluoridated area, suggesting that the iodine deficiency was causing early hypothyroidism which interferes with the health of teeth. Dare one speculate on the result of now fluoridating the water?...

Displaces iodine in the body

Do you think it should be marketed?

Fluoridation of the nation’s water supply will do little for our dental health; but will have catastrophic effects on our general health. We cannot, must not, dare not, subject our nation to this appalling risk....

That is from: http://www.namastepublishing.co.uk/The%20Effects%20of%20Fluoride%20on%20the%20Thyroid%20Gland.htm .

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Like I said in my other post, zinc has alot to do with thyroid production.

If you go to, www.pubmed.com and type in "zinc thyroid syndrome" you'll get some interesting results and studies showing how zinc has helped with thyroid issues. Or, if you go to www.dsrf.co.uk and search for "zinc" or "zinc thyroid", you'll get alot of results back too.

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Another thing that is very good for the thyroid is Coconut Oil. There's lots of info about Coconut Oil and thyroid issues if you search.

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So, there's that for now, there is some more info, I believe, but this gives the majority of it!

Qadoshyah

Sister to 10 siblings including boy(DS)/girl twins - Feb. 05