It could be a beautiful Indian summer fall day, but if you have a sluggish thyroid your mood may already be taking a beating.  Fall and spring are often difficult times if you have a struggling thyroid gland.  Large fluctuations in temperature pose a unique stress to the thyroid system. 

Thyroid hormone adjusts itself once every seven days (the half life of the hormone).  While the liver has some ability to slightly modulate the rate at which T4 is converted to T3 on a daily basis, the basic production of thyroid hormone changes more slowly.  When daytime high temperatures vary 25 – 40 degrees over a period of a few days, the thyroid system really struggles to keep up.

The Northern states have been through a tough fall this year from the thyroid point of view.  The first and most obvious symptom is just feeling jolted by the weather changes.  Other symptoms include feeling more sluggish, more tired, and your mood starts to suffer.  The desire for sweet tasting food increases and you may put on a few pounds. 

If you have a borderline thyroid status entering the fall season, it is not uncommon to find yourself in a mental funk, even feeling depressed.  Extra nutrient support for the thyroid is vital during this time.  Heading into the holidays with a sweet tooth raving and an unstable mood is setting the stage for bottoming out in the winter months.

This is exactly what I’m going through right now.  I increased my Armour, but I would prefer to know what nutrients I need to take.  Please inform me of the nutrients I need on a daily basis.  Thanks.

I would also like more detailed information on what additional nutrients I should include in my diet.  I have definitely started feeling sluggish and depressed…
Thank you…

What in medical terms does cause the above sweet tooth raving, especially where a thyroid patient may not normally have a sweet tooth?

Should a thyroid patient’s doseage be changed in line with the changing seasons of the year?

What extra nutrient support might a thyroid patient need when entering the fall season?

A notable number of thyroid patients are also often found to have either high cholesterol levels and/or vitamin B12 deficiency (Pernicious Anaemia), both of these medical conditions being also a good indicator of a possible undiagnosed thyroid condition.  Therefore, I would be most grateful if you would explain in some future articles written by your goodself the medical connection between high cholesterol and the functioning of the thyroid and also the medical connection between vitamin B12 deficiency (Pernicious Anaemia) and the functioning of the thyroid?  Also are there any other medical conditions that may be thyroid related?

Imclark and Ladair:
The best general nutrient support for thyroid is Thyroid Helper (3-6 a day), Iosol Iodine (1-2 drops per day), and Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin (3-6 per day).  Use enough support so that your enegy feels noticeably better.  Once you are stable for a week or two you won’t need as much (unless you are under a lot of stress).

Rainbowcolours:
The craving for sugar upon a drop of energy is normal, as sugar is the easiest to use fuel to help make energy.  This is a programmed genetic response for food aquisition related to need (lower energy).  Unlike our evolutionary history, most of the time we really don’t “need” the calories, so they are converted to fat and weight gain results.

Some people try to adjust their own thyroid hormone to accomodate the changing seasons, but it is not the preferred way of coping with the issue.  Extra nutrients, as described above, will usually offset the stress of temperature fluctuations in the fall and spring.

Cholesterol and thyroid problems go hand in glove for a variety of reasons.  B12, as well as iron deficiency, cause major issues for the thyroid system - including hair loss.  There are numerous medical problems associated with poor thyroid as all systems in the body count on thyroid providing a consistent foundation of energy for optimal function.  I will take up all these issues in subsequent writing. 

Why do you feel Iosol Iodine is best for thyroid patients?  I’m currently using Iodoral (1 tablet -12.5 mg).  It does help with my metabolism, but I also think it causes a nagging headache that won’t go away.  Many people of thyroid forums are now promoting high doses of Iodoral or Lugols.  Most are recommending 50 mg per day.

Imclark:
I have used Iosol Iodine for almost 20 years in clinical practice.  I like it because ammonium iodine rapidly dissociates and forms free iodide, the exact form your body needs (1.8 mg a drop).  Lugols and Iodoral contain the potassium salt of iodine which I don’t feel is as efficiently metabolized.  While I have had many people use up to 5 drops of Iosol per day (if it can be observed that it helps the person warm up and sustain energy), I would never recommend 50 mg of a potassium iodide containing supplement.  One cause of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is excessive potassium iodine from sea vegetables, which is how the problem was first discovered.  This means that potassium iodine has been shown to clog the thyroid gland and shut it down on too much intake.  I have never seen such a problem from Iosol in two decades of use.

I’ll be placing an order for the Iosol Iodine.  When I have tried to increase the Iodoral, I have felt the hyper symptoms and enlargement of my thyroid gland.  I do agree that the iodine warms me up and helps with my energy.  Living in Ohio I need the all the warmth I can get during the winter!

Thanks for your replies.  I’m studying your book, “Mastering Leptin”.  I feel this will be the key in restoring my health.  Again, thank you for your good work.

Irene

I first became aware of your goodself by reading about the late Keith W. Sehnert, MD, who was
renowned in his medical knowledge in relation to the thyroid.  Therefore, it is wonderful news
to know that you are following on in his footsteps in relation to both helping and treating thyroid
patients.  The thyroid world definitely needs excellent doctors like yourself both to lead and pave the way in thyroid health care.

It is also like a breath of fresh air reading your replies, which are both clearly explained and
get straight to the point of concern. 

Many appreciative thanks

Rainbowcolours

Did somebody talk about hair loss? Does anybody know what vitamins are best to help stop hair loss ?

Hair is made mostly of sulfur-containing amino acids.  Dietary sources include whey protein, cottage cheese, meat, chicken, fish, cheese, and eggs. Hair has a low priority, thus when it is falling out there are typically nutrient or metabolic deficiencies, which is why it falls out with a sluggish thyroid.  Thyroid support (Thyroid Helper), B vitamins (Super B Complex), iron (Blood Builder), and MSM sulfur (Sulfur Plus) are the most commonly used nutrients to help hair, along with adequate dietary protein.  Any one product may help, some people choose a more comprehensive approach.

Thank you Byron. Having you appear with Dr. C. Northrup would have taught the public what they need to know about the thyroid. I agreed with everything Dr. N said, but there is so much more. I heard you lecture at an American Society of Bariatric Medicine medical conference as I am a practicing bariatrician. You, and your wife, are the healthiest humans I have ever seen. So I know that your books, which I have read, are the real deal. Thank you for teaching this little South Jersey physician so very much.

In about 1980 I had iVP dye injected to look at my kidneys. I had a severe reaction. The doctor at the time did not tell me to avoid iodine, but all my doctors since have said that my reaction would have to have been an allergy reaction to iodine. So, all these years I have avoided iodine, except I have eaten sea food. The last couple of years I am now having a mild reaction to seafood (swelling of mouth, sides of cheeks).

I have had hypothyroidism now for 24 years and do not have good results with just meds. Would it be safe to add Iosol Iodine to my diet. If not, would it at least be safe for me to get some iodine into my system by painting small areas of my body with iodine (as well as taking my thyroid meds)?AmberBlz

Roberta:  Thanks for your kind words.

AmberBlz:  Iodinated contrast dye is not nutritional iodine and is very toxic to the kidneys.  While an iodine allergy is possible, it is hard to know exactly what a severe reaction means in this situation. 

You can try some Iosol Iodine.  You can put a drop in several ounces of water and try ½ tsp of it.  This will give you a low dose (less than the minimum daily requirement for iodine), which enables you to see how you do.  You can gradually build up from there.

Hi Dr. Thank you for your email which has led me to this forum. I am so glad to see your blogs on seasonal fluctuations as I was wondering about this myself. I have been hypothyroid for many years and finally found a local physician who has been awesome in helping, but due to limited funds I don’t get to visit him as often. My question is can thyroid fluctuations affect insulin and glucose levels (even if a person tries to maintain a good diet, use supplements, and exercise)? I’m under the impression that a hypothyroid person’s liver can be a little sluggish. I just recently started on the iosol iodine and am hoping to be able to stabilize thyroid (TSH levels currently show high normal)so that I don’t have to get back on expensive meds but meanwhile it seems my insulin is not working properly. Thanks!

The severe reaction I had to IVP dye was an anaphalatic type reaction(elephant on my chest feeling, couldn’t breath, blacked out, and woke up covered head-to-toe in hives). They told me it was an allergy to iodine.

With that kind of reaction is is safe for me to take inosol iodine. I would really love if I could safely do so, to boost my thyroid function (which keeps going downhill even with meds) and to deal with fibrocystic breasts etc.

Is it safer to paint the iodine on rather than drink it, for someone like me? Can I ‘paint’ the inosol iodine on my body instead of drinking it, and have it absorbed into my system that way?

AmberBlz