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Best regards

Mark Hyman MD
http://www.ultrawellness.com

A Simple Plan to Diagnose and Treat Low Thyroid Function
It's an epidemic problem -- and you could have it.

Low thyroid function affects more than 30 million women and
15 million men. And it can lead to problems losing weight;
decreased sex drive; depression; anxiety; thinning hair;
and poor quality, thick, cracked fingernails.

So what's responsible for low thyroid function and why are
so many people affected?

Chronic thyroid problems can be caused by many factors,
including environmental toxins such as pesticides, which
act as hormone or endocrine disruptors and interfere with
thyroid hormone metabolism and function.

In one study, people released pesticides from their fat
tissue as they lost weight.

This interfered with their thyroid function and caused
hypothyroidism. The toxins slowed metabolism and prevented
them from losing more weight.

This study is significant, because it shows exactly how
toxins interfere with thyroid function.

Heavy metals such as mercury can also affect thyroid
function. I see many people with chronic hypothyroidism and
other thyroid problems because mercury interferes with
normal thyroid function.

The other big factor that interferes with thyroid function
is chronic stress. The more stress you are under, the worse
your thyroid functions. Correcting poor thyroid function
must address the effects of chronic stress and provide
support to the adrenal glands.

The next major factor that affects thyroid function is
chronic inflammation. The biggest source of this chronic
inflammation is gluten, the protein found in wheat, barely,
rye, spelt, and oats. This common allergen affects about 10
to 20 percent of the population. This reaction occurs
mostly because of our damaged guts, poor diet, and stress.

I also think eating so-called Frankenfoods, such as
hybridized and genetically modified grains with very
strange proteins, makes us sick.

Our bodies don't recognize these foods and create
antibodies to fight them. This chronic inflammatory
response interferes with thyroid function -- and
contributes to the epidemic of inflammatory diseases in the
developed world.

Lastly, nutritional deficiencies play a big role in thyroid
dysfunction. These include deficiencies of iodine, vitamin
D, omega-3 fats, selenium, zinc, vitamin A, and the B
vitamins.

There are so many reasons for low thyroid function, yet
conventional doctors tend to ignore them.

One young female patient of mine had more than 30 percent
body fat and was unable to change her body, no matter how
hard she worked. She ate perfectly, exercised with a
trainer every day -- and her body still wouldn't budge.

She also had a slightly depressed mood and other vague
symptoms.

So I treated her with a low dose of Armour Thyroid, which
is a natural thyroid replacement.

What happened?

Well, she not only lost 20 pounds and improved her body
composition, but her mood improved and all her other
symptoms went away.

I knew she had low thyroid function because I did the right
tests.

Most doctors just check something called the
thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which doesn't give a
full picture of the thyroid. In fact, even the
interpretation of this test is incorrect most of the time.

The newer guidelines of the American College of
Endocrinology consider anybody with a TSH level over 3.0 as
hypothyroid. Most doctors think that only anything greater
than 5 or 10 is worth treating.

Unfortunately, this leaves millions suffering unnecessarily.

Other tests, including those for free T3, free T4, and
thyroid antibodies, are essential.

I also look for associated problems such as gluten
intolerance, food allergies, and heavy metals, as well as
deficiencies of vitamin D, selenium, vitamin A, zinc, and
omega-3 fats.

Low thyroid function is one of the most common problems I
see, and treating it properly makes one of the biggest
differences in my patients' quality of life.

Unfortunately, by using the old guidelines and thinking,
conventional medicine misses millions who suffer with
hypothyroidism.

In fact, in one study, researchers tested everybody who
walked through the gates of a county fair with conventional
thyroid testing. They found that according to even
conservative conventional standards, half of all the people
who had hypothyroidism were undiagnosed, untreated, and
suffering.

Once you have confirmed that a sluggish thyroid is
contributing to your symptoms, the good news is that there
are many, many, many things you can do to help correct
thyroid problems.

I have developed a seven-step plan to address
hypothyroidism:

1. Identify and treat the underlying causes of
hypothyroidism, like food allergies, gluten, heavy metals,
nutritional deficiencies, and stress.

2. Support your thyroid with optimal nutrition, including
foods that contain iodine, zinc, omega-3 fats, selenium,
and more.

3. Eliminate adrenal exhaustion and minimize stress by
engaging in a comprehensive stress management program.

4. Engage in thyroid stimulating exercise, which boosts
thyroid function.

5. Use supplements to help enhance thyroid function,
including all the nutrients needed for proper thyroid
metabolism and function.

6. Use saunas and heat to eliminate stored toxins, which
interfere with thyroid function.

7. Use thyroid hormone replacement therapy to help support
your thyroid gland.

I believe a comprehensive approach is needed to address
chronic thyroid issues and to diagnose them. Most of the
options for healing by conventional care are quite limited
and only provide a partial solution. But by following my
seven-step plan you can achieve optimal health and
UltraWellness.

----------------------------------------------------
Mark Hyman, M.D. is a pioneer in functional medicine,
practicing physician and best-selling author. A sneak
preview of his book "The UltraSimple Diet" is available.
See The UltraWellness Blog for more on Low Thyroid
Function: http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog