History of Thyroid Treatments and Modern Alternatives

The history of thyroid disorders goes back as far as written records. ¹

As early as 2700 BC, the Chinese used seaweed to treat goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland.

• 1475 – Chinese physician treats goiter with minced thyroid glands
• 1500 – Leonardo Da Vinci makes the first drawing of the thyroid gland
• 1602 – Cretins (physical and mental retardation due to low thyroid) are first recognized in Switzerland
• 1820 – Goiter and cretinism are treated with iodine
• 1884 – The first surgical removal of thyroid gland for Graves’ disease
• 1917 – Thyroid hormone, thyroxine, became available for sale at $350/gram (Gold at the time was $0.61/gram)
• 1917 – X-rays used to treat Graves’ disease

From ancient times to the modern era, little has really changed in the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders – that is, until the 21^st Century.

Low Thyroid

Many people come into the office with symptoms of low thyroid.  These include:

1. 

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   Feeling slow and sluggish
2. Tired all the time
3. Lack of energy
4. Feeling cold easily, especially in the hands and feet
5. Hair falling out
6. Weight gain
7. Delayed reflexes
8. Constipation

Many people who have a thyroid condition are already taking supplements to help manage their symptoms. These supplements are mostly dried and ground-up thyroid glands from pigs or cows.  These glandular supplement have been around for centuries, and have worked very well.  Today, we have the same hormone, T4, or thyroxine, which is made synthetically.

So, what causes low thyroid?

People can be hypothyroid when:

• The thyroid gland can’t produce the hormones.
• The body doesn’t convert the inactive T4 to the active T3.
• Or, when anything interferes with the action of the thyroid hormone. The proper functioning of your thyroid can be inhibited by:

1. Stress – High cortisol levels cause low thyroid by:
   • Higher Reverse T3, which blocks the normal T3 from working
   • Lower TSH so the thyroid gland makes less T3 and T4
2. Low selenium³ has multiple effects on the thyroid, causing inflammation and the inability to convert the inactive T4 into the active T3
3. 

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   Low tyrosine. This amino acid forms the backbone of the thyroid hormone.  When it is deficient, the gland is unable to function.
4. Low iodine is common.
5. Lack of vitamin D3 decreases the binding of the T3 hormone to the receptor.
6. Toxins such as fluoride, bromide, lithium, mercury, and pesticides inhibit thyroid production or use.
7. Immune dysfunction can cause antibodies to be made against the various components of the thyroid gland, proteins, or enzymes.

Many of these can lead to an enlarged thyroid gland called a “goiter.”

Goiter

A goiter is simply an enlarged thyroid gland at the base of the neck, and is often caused by low thyroid.  Some are barely noticeable, while others can get so large they impair breathing and swallowing.

Pei was a woman from China who went to her doctor with a bump on her neck.  The doctor thought it might be a goiter so he sent her to an endocrinologist.  The specialist did some tests that proved she had goiter, and sent her on to a thyroid surgeon.  The surgeon told her about only two options: surgically remove the gland, or take radioactive iodine to kill the gland.  She found that she would have to be on thyroid pills for the rest of her life with either treatment, so she opted not to treat. 

Over the course of ten years the gland got bigger and bigger.  She went to several other doctors to see if there was anything else she could do, but they only gave her the same two options.  The goiter became so large that she had difficulty swallowing and had the gland removed by a surgeon.

If the thyroid gland doesn’t get iodine, then it starts getting bigger.  Seaweed contains a concentrated amount of iodine, which was recognized by the Chinese thousands of years ago as a treatment for an enlarged thyroid gland.  Over the years, this information has been lost and re-gained several times.  Currently, even though we know the history, we continue to use drugs and surgery for goiter instead of iodine. 

In the case of Pei, the first doctor should have told her about iodine, which usually shrinks the gland by about 1/3, and she could have avoided surgery, and the mass in her neck.

What causes a goiter?

When there is not enough thyroid hormone in the body, the pituitary gland makes more Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, TSH, which tells the thyroid gland to make more.  If, for some reason, the thyroid gland can’t make more, it just keeps getting bigger.  Iodine deficiency is very common in the world and is therefore the main reason for goiter.

Because of the use of sea vegetables, those who live in coastal regions have a lower incidence of goiter.  Iodine is necessary for the production of thyroid hormone, so if there isn’t enough the gland enlarges due to stimulation from the pituitary to make more.

While iodine deficiency causes by far the majority, there are other causes of enlarged thyroid glands.

1. 

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   Autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto’s)
2. Graves’ disease stimulates the TSH receptors to make more thyroid hormone.
3. Selenium deficiency²  prevents the conversion of T4 into T3, the active hormone.
4. Goitrogen ingestion (foods, chemicals, and drugs the inhibit thyroid, causing it to enlarge – this only happens if you are already on the edge of deficiency, such as with low iodine).
5. Pituitary tumor that secretes TSH
6. Thyroid cancer

Hyperthyroidism (elevated thyroid)

Mitch was a chef at a 5-star hotel in the area.  I had seen him on several occasions, and told him he needed to lose weight (never trust a skinny chef, right?).  After more than a year without seeing him, he came in and I didn’t recognize him – he had lost almost sixty pounds, he was red, sweaty, and his eyes looked like they were popping out of his head!  He said he had been like this for several months, but it wasn’t going away.  Tests showed his thyroid problem, Graves’ disease.

Since we know that the antibodies are stimulating the TSH receptors, causing the gland to overproduce thyroid hormone, we decided to suppress the hormone with “goitrogens” – lithium and lots of cruciferous vegetables.  I also recommended selenium in high doses (5mg) for a few months to increase his glutathione peroxidase and decrease the antibodies.  This worked, and he felt much better over the next few months – but he started to gain back the weight.  

This illustrates the symptoms, problems, and treatment of Graves’ disease, a common cause of hyperthyroidism.

Those who make too much thyroid hormone have the opposite symptoms:

1. 

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   Sweating easily
2. Palpitations of the heart
3. Feeling hot
4. Nervousness
5. A fine tremor
6. Anxiety or panic attacks
7. Weight loss

Most describe a feeling of being pushed.

Thyroiditis

A common cause of too much thyroid is inflammation.  Inflammation of the thyroid gland has various names, names such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Graves’ disease, and autoimmune thyroiditis.  The process of making thyroid hormone creates a lot of inflammation, so the thyroid gland requires a large amount of selenium, a mineral that is part of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase, to prevent damage.  When people are low in selenium they have more inflammation in the thyroid gland, which can lead to thyroiditis.   Further treatments include dietary changes, herbal treatments, and stress reduction.

How do we test for thyroid function?

Doctors are taught to screen for thyroid disease using the pituitary hormone TSH.⁴  If the TSH is low, this indicates that the pituitary gland has enough or too much thyroid hormone.  However, if the TSH is high, this means the brain thinks there isn’t enough thyroid hormone.  The problem is that this test can be fooled easily.

1. If there is a large amount of reverse T3, the brain will think there is enough thyroid, but it doesn’t work well.
2. Lack of selenium could slow the conversion of T4 to T3.
3. Stress causes high cortisol, which can suppress TSH, even if your hormones are low – or it can even cause low thyroid with normal or low TSH.

Remember, the most important test is you!  If you have the symptoms of low thyroid, you can do the blood tests, but that doesn’t guarantee a diagnosis.  Sometimes, if the diagnosis is not clear, and the patient has symptoms of low thyroid, I will do a trial of thyroid hormone. If the symptoms resolve, then there is a good chance (though still not perfect) that this is the problem.  Thyroid glandular supplements can be found where vitamins are sold.  I usually start with about 30mg or ½ grain.

How to keep your thyroid gland functioning well throughout your life

What is very interesting is that nothing has changed over the centuries of thyroid treatment.  We understand why, but we have no better way of treating the thyroid, except with the same things that have been used in the past.  If we provide all the things the thyroid gland needs, and keep inflammation down, it will generally function well throughout your life.  Just like we learned through history, we can do the same things:

1. Iodine.  It isn’t possible to get too much iodine because the kidneys are good at getting rid of the extra iodine.  People only have problems with iodine when they have other deficiencies, such as selenium or tyrosine.  The best way to take this is to get about 10mg (they may come in 5, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 40, and 50mg – any of these is fine) every day for 90 days, and then take one per week.  This will be sure to keep your levels up, and not get depleted.  Seaweed, kelp, nori, and sushi will give adequate amounts of iodine, if you prefer a food source.
2. Selenium. 200 micrograms per day for 90 days, and then 1mg once per week.  (It’s hard to get a 1mg tablet, so just take 5 of the 200mcg)  If you want to get selenium from food, then eat BRAZIL NUTS. Brazil nuts are the only food in the United States with a significant amount of selenium.
3. Stress reduction.  This doesn’t mean you need to avoid all stress, only that you need some relief:
   1. Eat a low-carb diet because the stress hormones are affected by sugar.
   2. Exercise to sweat every day to release endorphins.
   3. Connect with people – loving relationships reduce stress.
   4. Write in a journal, especially about how you feel.
   5. Meditate and pray for about a half hour per day.
   6. Pursue a hobby that captures your whole attention.
4. Lower inflammation.  Diet is the best way to keep inflammation down.  The less we eat, the less inflammation we create. So, eating fewer calories is  helpful.  Aside from this, there are several things to keep in mind.
   1. Eat less omega-6 oils (corn, soy, canola).
   2. Avoid sugar or artificial sweeteners.
   3. Use spices like pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, and so forth.
   4. Eat grass-fed meat, eggs, butter, and dairy.
   5. Avoid packaged or prepared foods – if it has a list of ingredients, it’s best not to eat it.

The thyroid gland is essential to maintain your metabolism, keep your energy up, prevent ageing, and allow you to function normally.  For this reason, it’s very important to keep it in tip-top shape.  There is no medicine that is better than the treatments that have been used for centuries!

 

1)     http://www.thyroid.org/events/thyroid-cancer-tumor-history/
2)     http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21523503
3)     http://www.wellnessresources.com/health/articles/seleniums_vital_role_in_thyroid_hormone_function/
4)     http://chriskresser.com/5-thyroid-patterns-that-wont-show-up-on-standard-lab-tests