Dr. Westin Childs Podcast: Thyroid | Weight Loss | Hormones

Is Hashimoto’s a genetic condition? The short answer is yes but what’s key here is that just because you may have the underlying genetics associated with developing Hashimoto’s doesn’t guarantee that that the disease state will manifest in your body. And this is key. Understanding this genetic component will allow you to live your life in such a way as to avoid certain factors which have the potential to trigger Hashimoto’s. This means you can either a) prevent Hashimoto’s or b) treat your condition upstream if it’s already present. The genes and endogenous factors associated with Hashimoto’s include: - HLA class DR3 and DR5 (there are many others but these are most common) - CTLA4 receptor - PTN22 - Female sex - Pregnancy - Skewed X Chromosome inactivation These by themselves are not enough to trigger the disease, though, as they must be combined with exogenous or environmental factors as well. The environmental factors that trigger these genes include: - High-dose iodine exposure - Infections - Cy

Ever wonder what is actually in levothyroxine? This medication is one of the most prescribed medications in the United States and yet so many people have no idea what they are actually consuming every day. Understanding what’s in this medication is important because some of the ingredients may be causing you problems. When it comes to thyroid medications there are two types of ingredients you should be aware of: 1. Active ingredients And 2. Inactive ingredients The active ingredients are usually not the problem for most thyroid patients because this component is dose dependent. You are either taking enough or you aren’t. But this isn’t true for the inactive ingredients. These ingredients can cause hypersensitivity reactions regardless of the dose and may lead to a host of symptoms. The active ingredients found in levothyroxine include: thyroxine. The inactive ingredients include: magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, colloidal silicone dioxide, sodium starch glycolate, and color additive

Many thyroid patients with autoimmune thyroid disease like Hashimoto’s and Graves’ don’t realize this but the antibodies that cause thyroid problems (that are associated with these disease states) also cause problems in other tissues in your body. These antibodies are like heat-seeking missiles that target various proteins and receptors in your thyroid gland which results in abnormalities in thyroid function as well as thyroid gland damage. We are also learning that these antibodies can cause harm and damage to other tissues as well depending on which antibody you have present in your body. Let’s go over each antibody and the problems they can cause: Thyroid peroxidase antibody: - Hashimoto’s encephalitis - Infertility - Vasculo-placental complications - Health in aged women - Increased cancer incidence in breast, colon, kidney, and uterus - Decreased survival rate in breast cancer patients Thyroglobulin antibody: - Infertility - Increased cancer incidence of breast, colon, kidney, and uterus - Decre

Early research suggests that up to 30% of thyroid patients currently taking thyroid medication may not need it. That’s great and all but what does that mean for you? How can you tell if you are in that lucky 30%? Well, if you’ve ever wondered about that I’ve got some good news for you: We have some signs that, if present, indicate that you have a higher likelihood of getting off of your thyroid medication. In addition to these positive signs, we also have some negative ones as well and today I’m going to go over both. Before we jump in, you should be aware that this data is still emerging so it’s subject to change as we get more information. If it does change then you can bet I will provide you with that updated information but, for now, this is what we have. These positive signs indicate you have a higher likelihood of getting off and staying off of thyroid medication: - If you’ve been using thyroid medication for less than 4 years. - If you had a normal free T4 on diagnosis. - If your current TSH is

Contrary to popular belief, hypothyroidism doesn’t have to be a disease that lasts forever. While there certainly are irreversible causes of hypothyroidism there are also plenty of reversible causes as well. And today I want to focus on just that: Reversible causes of hypothyroidism. If any of these underlying causes of hypothyroidism have caused your thyroid disease then there is hope that you may be able to get off of your thyroid medication! And that’s why understanding this information is so important. With that in mind, let’s jump in: 1. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis: Hashimoto’s can cause both a reversible and irreversible hypothyroid state, depending on the severity of the disease. 2. Stress: Stress can cause a time-limited hypothyroid state that typically returns to normal after a few months to years. 3. Acute and chronic illness: Both acute and chronic illness can result in a euthyroid sick syndrome which makes you look hypothyroid but resolves once the illness has resolved. 4. Iodine deficien

Does it feel like everyone is getting thyroid disease right now? When you look at the numbers, it’s clear that the amount of people getting diagnosed with thyroid diseases like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and hypothyroidism is increasing. The question is why? Well, no one knows for sure but I have some ideas as to why this might be the case. Let’s take a look at what conventional doctors say about this very problem and what my opinion is and why they differ. Here are some potential reasons why thyroid disease is increasing and becoming more common: 1. Better diagnostic testing: Whenever you look at increasing numbers of something you always need to consider the fact that technology and better testing may account for that increase. In the case of thyroid disease, it’s probably not the case that better and more advanced testing is the cause here because most doctors still use the TSH. 2. More patient awareness: There’s no question that patient awareness is playing a role but the role is probably not as big

I’ve been helping patients with Hashimoto’s for a long time and throughout that time I’ve seen a lot of bad information, misinformation, and just plain wrong information. What I want to do today is just set the record straight. Here are 4 things that I wish every patient with Hashimoto’s knew either early on in their diagnosis or right when they were diagnosed. Understanding these facts will help shape your understanding of your disease and better help you navigate the world you are about to step into. Without further ado, here they are: The first fact: If left untreated, Hashimoto’s will result in thyroid gland atrophy. Atrophy just means that it shrinks and once it gets to this point, it’s no longer functional. Your goal should be to prevent this from happening. The second fact: You can put your Hashimoto’s into remission but curing Hashimoto’s isn’t really possible. Curing implies that the disease goes away forever which isn’t usually the case. Remission is a better term because it means you can 100%

Thyroid conversion is one of the most important aspects of thyroid function that thyroid patients need to be aware of. Thyroid conversion refers to the ability that your body has to take inactive thyroid hormone and turn it into active T3 thyroid hormone. Throughout your time as a thyroid patient, you may have heard others mention that they have issues with thyroid conversion. Have you ever wondered how these people know? There are a few ways to find this information and today we are going to be talking about how to test for this problem. Before I do, let’s talk about some facts as it relates to your thyroid, T4, and T3: Fact #1. T3 thyroid hormone is by far the single most important thyroid hormone in your body. It is roughly 300 times more biologically active than T4 thyroid hormone. Fact #2. Most thyroid hormone produced by your body is NOT T3 but is actually T4. Fact #3. Only 20% of T3 in your body is directly produced by the thyroid gland. Fact #4. Roughly 80% of T3 is created through peripheral

Did you know that with the clever use of some over-the-counter supplements and one prescription medication you can re-create all of the benefits found in natural desiccated thyroid hormone formulas? Doing this allows you to make whatever thyroid medication you are using even more effective by mimicking what makes NDT so great. Why is this important? Because when Nature-throid and WP Thyroid were removed from the market, there were a ton of thyroid patients who started doing poorly when they were transitioned over. In addition, we have a ton of thyroid patients using levothyroxine who are still experiencing low thyroid symptoms. The tips and tricks I’m about to share assume that you are starting with a levothyroxine base but all of these tricks can be applied to any thyroid medication including NDT and T3 formulations. Step #1. Add a thyroid glandular. Using a thyroid glandular allows to benefit from the proteins, enzymes, and pro-hormones naturally found in NDT. Step #2. Add T2 thyroid hormone. NDT con

Adthyza is a relatively new thyroid medication that was released within the last 1-2 years. I say new because that’s still pretty new in the grand scheme of things especially when it’s so rare to see a new thyroid medication. *note: I am not paid by Adthyza or any pharmaceutical company! I don’t even have a very favorable opinion of this medication and I’m just sharing what I think. How does Adthyza compare to other thyroid medications? Let’s discuss: First, you should know that Adthyza is a porcine derived thyroid medication which means it falls into the family of natural desiccated thyroid hormone. This means it should be compared to medications like Armour thyroid and NP thyroid. Adthyza contains a combination of T4 and T3 thyroid hormone and markets itself as a sort of cleaner option compared to what’s available. According to their own website, Adthyza claims to be lactose, gluten, corn, dye, and latex free. While you can consider this to be low allergen, I don’t think you can consider it to be

Can certain exercises help your thyroid gland function? Not in a direct way but perhaps in an indirect way! And that’s exactly what these neck exercises are designed to do. You can indirectly support thyroid function by exercising your neck which can help in a number of different ways: #1. Neck exercises can help improve blood flow to the area of your neck. Working out the muscles in your neck will increase blood flow to the musculature itself. Your thyroid will benefit due to its proximity to these muscles. #2. Neck exercises help improve venous outflow out of your thyroid gland. Bringing new blood into your neck will mean blood must flow out of it! #3. Neck exercises can help improve lymphatic flow OUT of your neck. The lymphatic system is designed to help carry waste products away from your cells so your body can eliminate them. Exercising muscles is known to improve this system. #4. Neck exercises can bring balance to the musculature of the neck and help with things like tension headaches, trigge

A new study of over 600,000 thyroid patients from Taiwan suggested that thyroid patients taking levothyroxine have a 50% increased risk of developing cancer at any site. While concerning, the results of this study certainly do not prove that levothyroxine causes cancer but every thyroid patient taking levothyroxine should be aware of this potential connection. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cas.14908 This information is not meant to cause fear or alarm but to simply break down this study, explain some of the issues with the study, and some of the key takeaways. Let’s start with the problems first: #1. The study was retrospective. Retrospective studies look backward in time at existing data and can show a correlation between things but do not necessarily prove causation. This is very important because many thyroid patients suffer from conditions that can also increase cancer risk and these must be taken into account. #2. More research is still needed before any definitive conclusion is ma

Do you feel like your thyroid medication just isn’t working as it should? Do you still have symptoms of low thyroid even though you are taking your thyroid medication faithfully? It could be that your dose is just not high enough and that you need to increase it. This problem is actually more common than you might think. It’s been estimated that as many as 25-30% of thyroid patients may be taking too much thyroid medication at any given time. We don’t know the numbers for how many people are not taking enough but it’s probably safe to assume that it’s at least equal to the number of people taking too much. This promotes a big problem for thyroid patients because you simply won’t feel better if your dose is not sufficient. The good news? There are ways to determine just based on your symptoms if your dose is too low. Let’s talk about those right now. Signs that your thyroid medication dose is too low include: #1. Gaining weight despite taking your thyroid medication every day #2. Fatigue that is g

Thyroid gland massage is something that has gained momentum and attention lately. And when I talk about thyroid gland massage I am not talking about massage therapy for your thyroid gland. I’m talking about actual massage of the thyroid gland itself. Why are some people considering thyroid gland massage as a treatment for hypothyroidism? Well, the reason is as follows: Because the thyroid gland is almost a spongy-like material and because it has some storage capacity of thyroid hormone, massaging the thyroid gland may release thyroid hormone and alleviate or improve low thyroid symptoms. It sounds good in theory but there are several reasons why I do not recommend that you massage your thyroid gland. Here are the biggest reasons: #1. You may cause inflammation and make matters much worse. The number 1 cause of hypothyroidism in the US is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. The hallmark of Hashimoto’s is inflammation and immune cell infiltration of the thyroid gland. Do you know what happens when you physically

Did you know that your gut and your thyroid are connected? If you have a problem with one you will almost always have a problem with the other. Your thyroid helps to control how quickly your gut moves and how much stomach acid you produce. When your thyroid is low it slows down how quickly your intestines move and lowers how much stomach acid you produce. The result? Constipation, overgrowth of bacteria, acid reflux, and a reduction in absorption of key nutrients. The relationship between your thyroid and your gut is more complicated than this, though, as gut problems can also lead to thyroid problems. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out which came first which is why treating your gut is always a great idea. Here is a list of 10 gut issues that thyroid patients frequently suffer from: #1. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. #2. Small intestinal fungal overgrowth. #3. GERD or acid reflux. #4. Decreased kinetic bowel movement or gastroparesis. #5. Low stomach acid. #6. H. pylori infections. #7. Ma

One of the best ways to naturally treat Hashimoto’s is by increasing glutathione. Glutathione is the master antioxidant in your cells and a master detoxifier. The production of glutathione prevents thyroid gland damage and can help clean up free radicals after your thyroid gland creates thyroid hormone. We know that some patients with Hashimoto’s are not able to produce enough glutathione which is what may trigger thyroid gland inflammation in these patients. But what if you could do things to help your body produce more glutathione to try and prevent thyroid gland damage? That’s where these therapies step in. They are helpful for those with Hashimoto’s but they will benefit pretty much anyone including those with thyroid disease of any type. Here are 10 ways that you can naturally increase glutathione levels in your body: #1. Glycine supplements. Glycine is a building block for glutathione. Taking glycine may help your body produce more on its own. #2. Take a glutathione supplement. You can dir

Having trouble getting iodine supplements into your body? If so, this episode is for you. While most people who take iodine supplements will have absolutely no issues, there are a handful of people who may experience negative side effects. But what causes these side effects? Why do some people react negatively to something that your body needs and uses on a daily basis? Even though iodine is required to produce thyroid hormone, there are some situations in which it may result in unwanted symptoms. There is always an answer for these symptoms, though, so don’t blame iodine right away! Often, the cause is not iodine itself but other problems that already exist in your body. Here are some symptoms that patients may experience while taking iodine supplements: - Acne-like pustules - Racing heart - Sweating - Headaches - Fatigue - Changes to your weight - Nausea - Stomach pain - Metallic taste in the mouth - Joint pain or muscle pain - Changes to your hair, skin, or nails - Thyroid gland pain - Swelling i

These hypothyroid supplements for women may help improve estrogen balance, enhance libido, help with weight loss, improve thyroid function, and more. Women can benefit from a number of different supplements because of the interaction that thyroid hormone has with other sex hormones. If you’ve listened to my other videos then you know I’m a big fan of supplements for thyroid patients so if you don’t see some of the more common supplements listed here it’s not because they don’t work but instead because I want to focus on supplements that primarily help women who have hypothyroidism. With that in mind, here’s is the list: #1. Glutatione Glutathione can help reduce thyroid gland inflammation. #2. Tyrosine Tyrosine is required for thyroid hormone production and can help those with adrenal problems. #3. Guggul Guggul helps your thyroid convert T4 into T3. #4. Rhodiola Rhodiola is an adrenal adaptogen that balance cortisol and helps improve energy. #5. Maca Maca is another adaptogen that helps with l

This video outlines how to optimize your thyroid medication so that you can get back to feeling 100%. There’s no question that many thyroid patients continue to suffer with low thyroid symptoms despite taking their thyroid medication faithfully. As a result, this has prompted some thyroid patients to believe that perhaps the issue is related to the treatments for hypothyroidism. I’ve been getting a lot questions asking me when will new types of treatments for thyroid disease become available. Unfortunately, this type of thinking is not really the right way to look at the problem. Yes, there are a lot of thyroid patients suffering but it’s not necessarily of available treatments and more an issue of how they are using those treatments. When you look at thyroid medications you will find that every single one is bio-identical to your thyroid. In other words, that means that all thyroid medications look identical to the thyroid hormone that your body produces naturally. In other words, the treatments are

Want to know the best protein powder if you have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis? Stay tuned to find out what I recommend most frequently to thyroid patients! I’m a big fan of protein powder for thyroid patients because it provides so many benefits. Some of these benefits include: - Helps with weight loss - Provides you with a quick an easy meal - Helps control your appetite - Easy way to get extra nutrients into your body - It’s easy to prepare and tastes great Having said that, not all protein powders are created equal and using the wrong type of protein powder can actually make your thyroid worse. Today I want to talk about the 3 most common types of protein powders that most Hashimoto’s patients are aware of and discuss the pros and cons of each. First up we have whey protein. Whey protein is probably the most common type of protein powder available and the protein powder that most people use. Pros of whey protein powder include: - Results in an increase in glutathione production - Lowest calorie per p