Most people do not realize that the natural process of making and activating thyroid hormone is highly oxidative, meaning a lot of free radicals are made even when the thyroid is running normally.  Once the thyroid starts to struggle the increase in free radicals and related inflammatory signals (like TNFa and IL6) is significant.

Most people do not realize that the natural process of making and activating thyroid hormone is highly oxidative, meaning a lot of free radicals are made even when the thyroid is running normally.  Once the thyroid starts to struggle the increase in free radicals and related inflammatory signals (like TNFa and IL6) is significant.

Free radicals are neutralized by antioxidants.  Once your antioxidant reserves are depleted your thyroid function must slow down otherwise there will be too much metabolic friction and health-deteriorating inflammation.  Unfortunately, the modern diet is lacking in antioxidants and other nutrients needed to support thyroid health.  Factors like stress, pollution, and obesity further deplete antioxidant reserves, invariably setting the stage for the wear and tear that falls into a pattern of sluggish thyroid symptoms.

Selenium

Selenium is highly concentrated in the thyroid gland, more so than in any other organ in the human body, indicating its vital need in normal thyroid function.  It acts as an antioxidant that protects the thyroid gland, a cofactor nutrient that facilitates the production of thyroid hormone, and as a nutrient that is required to facilitate the conversion of T4 to T3 (triiodothyronine, active thyroid hormone that works inside cells to set the pace of metabolism).

Selenium combines with the sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine to make a special protein known as selenocysteine, a selenoprotein. There are 30 selenoproteins that are currently identified, mostly involving the antioxidant defense system and thyroid function.

The selenium-containing antioxidant enzymes are known as glutathione peroxidases (GSH).  Six different GSH enzymes have now been identified; helping to protect the inside of cells, the GI tract, the reproductive system, and operating in fluids between cells.  GSH enzymes are vital to maintaining normal health.  They are now proven to protect the thyroid gland during thyroid hormone formation.

The formation of thyroid hormone occurs on cell membranes of thyroid cells known as thyrocytes.  This process requires selenium as a cofactor nutrient.  During this process the enzyme thyroid peroxidase (TPO) prepares iodine for attachment to tyrosine to form thyroid hormone.  The normal activity of TPO generates tremendous numbers of free radicals within the thyroid gland in the form of H2O2 and lipid peroxides.  These must be deactivated by GSH enzymes, otherwise the production of thyroid hormone stresses and inflames the thyroid gland.  This can easily result in a reduced rate of thyroid hormone formation.  It’s like trying to run on a sprained ankle, except it is a sprained thyroid. 

Selenoproteins also act in various ways to change T4 into T3 (active thyroid hormone) and reverseT3 (which inactivates T3).  Three main selenoproteins activate and inactivate thyroid hormone, known as D1, D2, and D3. 

D1 is the primary activator of thyroid hormone for your body, working mostly in the liver and to some degree in the kidneys.  D2 is active in the thyroid gland, brain, nerves, and heart.  It plays the primary role in thyroid activation in the brain under normal conditions, and produces thyroid hormone for the rest of the body under stressed conditions.  D3 is mostly a brake on thyroid hormone activity, turning off active hormone.

When the body starts to run low on selenium the activation of thyroid hormone by D1 may drop by 90%.  The body compensates by turning on the back up system, using the D2 enzyme to maintain active thyroid hormone.  The problem with this back up system running for any great length of time is that is causes significantly increased production of free radicals.  Even worse, the lack of selenium already handicapped the primary antioxidant that protects the thyroid gland and liver, GSH.  Thus, selenium deficiency forces the body into a very uncomfortable metabolic coping strategy that eventually leads to slower metabolism, increased oxidative stress, and wear and tear to the thyroid gland and liver. 

Manganese

Manganese has long been known as the anti-pear nutrient, helping to reduce weight gain on the hips and thighs.  New science is showing the vital role of manganese in liver function, fat metabolism, and liver anti-oxidant status.  This relates to thyroid hormone activation, as most activation (conversion of T4 to T3) occurs on cell membranes in the liver.  If the liver is suffering from excessive free radical stress, then cell membranes are not as functional and the activation of thyroid hormone may become distressed.

Manganese is a mineral that is required to form a special antioxidant enzyme called manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (MnSOD).  It is a key part of the cell engine’s antioxidant defense system that enables cellular engines (mitochondria) to produce energy and heat efficiently.  Poor function of this enzyme reduces the ability of cells to make energy efficiently. 

MnSOD is now found to be a primary protector of thyroid hormone activity in the liver.  This enzyme naturally rises as thyroid hormone activity is increased, acting as a protective buffer to support increased metabolic rate.  If this enzyme, or the selenium-dependent GSH are lacking, then activation of thyroid hormone generates friction and stress in the form of excessive free radicals.  This results in wear and tear to the thyroid gland, liver, and nerves.  A lack of manganese is now clearly associated with reduced function of thyroid hormone in the body.

New science has shown that as free radical stress increases due to lacking GSH and MnSOD activity, fat begins to accumulate in the liver, generating further free radical stress in the form of damaged fats, known as lipid peroxides.  This makes a stressed metabolic situation worse.  Once this happens a person is more likely to gain weight around the midsection. 

Many herbs, vegetables, and fruits have antioxidant capacity and are likely to support healthy thyroid function.  In fact, any food or dietary supplement that reduces inflammation or free radical activity will at least indirectly be helpful to overall thyroid function, including nutrients that protect the liver or assist in the natural detoxification process.

Many herbs, vegetables, and fruits have antioxidant capacity and are likely to support healthy thyroid function.  In fact, any food or dietary supplement that reduces inflammation or free radical activity will at least indirectly be helpful to overall thyroid function, including nutrients that protect the liver or assist in the natural detoxification process (Silymarin is one example, Curcumin is another).  Two of my favorite herbs for thyroid support are Commiphora mukul, known as guggul, and another Ayurvedic herb, Ashwaganda. 

The thyroid stimulating properties of guggul have been reported for the past twenty years.  Animal studies show it works partly by stimulating thyroid hormone production and partly by increasing liver antioxidant status. 

The active component in this herb is gugglesterone.  Intense research is now being conducted with gugglesterones as they have been found to naturally regulate a gene receptor called farnesoid X receptor (FSX).  As it turns out, FSX specifically turns on and off fat burning in the liver. 

The rate of bile flow is also regulated by the FSX.  Gugglesterones have been shown to help the FSX receptor pump bile more efficiently, helping to clear LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and toxins. 

Gugglesterones have been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine in India for several thousand years to help weight loss.  Any nutrient that enhances the burning of fat will at least have an indirect benefit to thyroid function, since obesity itself is a major stress to the thyroid gland.

Ashwagandha has also been used for thousands of years to boost stress tolerance and generally rejuvenate the body.  Animal studies have shown it to enhance thyroid hormone levels by directly working as an antioxidant that reduces the amount of lipid peroxides forming in the liver, a key problem for any person that is over weight.  Other animal studies show that Ashwagandha can maintain normal antioxidant function even during intentionally induced stress trauma, not only boosting antioxidant protection but also reducing the amount of cortisol that is released in response to stress.  When excess cortisol is combined with poor thyroid function, it is a recipe for weight gain – especially around the abdominal area.

Ashwagandha supports normal antioxidant enzymes, such as GSH, so they don’t have to work so hard.  This has a sparing effect on selenium, which indirectly supports healthy thyroid function.

Thyroid hormone is a manager, it is not a worker.  Cells do the work and they must have adequate nutrition to comply efficiently with directions.  Thyroid hormone (T3) delivers its message to the DNA of cells which in turn tells the mitochondria of cells how fast to produce energy. 

Thyroid hormone is a manager, it is not a worker.  Cells do the work and they must have adequate nutrition to comply efficiently with directions.  Thyroid hormone (T3) delivers its message to the DNA of cells which in turn tells the mitochondria of cells how fast to produce energy. 

If cells lack B vitamins they cannot efficiently implement thyroid hormone directions, even if the hormone is working perfectly fine.  Along with B vitamins nutrients such as krebs cycle intermediates, Q10, and magnesium assist cells to make energy.  Any or all of these nutrients may be important in an individual with fatigue and a collection of sluggish thyroid symptoms. 

This all falls under the category of adequate nutrition to carry out the instructions of thyroid hormones.  A lack of nutrients to produce cellular energy always disturbs optimal thyroid function and can cause any of the symptoms of a poorly performing thyroid.

B vitamins are also important to keep the nerves healthy that are giving directions to the thyroid gland in the first place.  A recent study of patients with thyroid autoimmune disease found that 28% were deficient in B12.  Elevated homocysteine is now well associated with poor thyroid function.  Elevated homocysteine is due to a lack of folic acid, B12, and/or B6.  B12, folic acid, and B6 are required for optimal nerve transmission, which is involved with the initial formation of thyroid hormone. 

Zinc

It is well established that a lack of zinc in blood cells is a common finding in those with poor thyroid function.  Zinc is involved in hundreds of enzymes throughout the body, many of which relate to energy production, including those that produce thyroid hormone.  Zinc deficiency is associated with lower body temperature and reduced resting metabolic rate.  Zinc is an important nutrient that enables active thyroid hormone (T3) to bind to the DNA of a cell (on the zinc fingers), thereby initiating the cellular response to thyroid hormone.  A recent case report of two young zinc-deficient women showed that 25 mg of zinc per day significantly improved thyroid function.

While a basic need for zinc is 15 mg a day, various factors may induce zinc loss such as sweating (exercise), stress, and pollution.  Some individuals need 25 – 50 mg of zinc per day (zinc picolinate and citrate are the best forms).  White spots on the fingernails are a classic zinc deficiency symptom, as is weak immunity.  Those who are dieting and cutting back on calories will lose energy very fast if they are zinc deficient, causing metabolism to slow down to a hibernation rate and making it quite a struggle to make any progress.  This means that a zinc need may not show up until a person actually tries to lose weight.  Strengthener Plus is a good choice as it provides both zinc picolinate and zinc citrate, the two most biologically active forms of zinc. 

Iron

Iron has recently been identified as a key nutrient in cells that enables thyroid-driven gene signals to function in metabolic pathways.  A lack of iron inside cells may reduce up to 80 different gene signals that would otherwise be following “thyroid instructions,” resulting in handicapped metabolism and fatigue.  This is different than anemia from a lack of iron and may be occurring even when red blood cells and hemoglobin levels are normal.  Certainly if a person has iron deficiency anemia it is a major problem for cellular thyroid function.  Individuals with a history of anemia and borderline hemoglobin status are often lacking enough iron for proper thyroid function within cells.

Iron is also involved with muscle fatigue, as a lack of iron reduces the oxygen capacity of muscles by lowering the function of myoglobulin (an iron-containing compound).
Since thyroid hormone governs the rate of oxygen use in the human body, a lack of iron can slow down metabolism.  Iron forms the hemoglobin in red blood cells that transports oxygen to cells to use in metabolism.  A lack of iron causes poor oxygen transport, and thus reduced oxygen supply to cells.  This helps explain why shortness of breath is a classic symptom of iron deficiency.  Some individuals even hold their breath in an effort to get more oxygen to their head (a sign of iron deficiency).

Many unresolving low thyroid symptoms, including low body temperature and fatigue, can be corrected with iron supplementation.  The best form of iron supplementation is the true protein chelate, iron bisglycinate.  When needed, iron is a significant metabolic booster.  Our Blood Builder is a great way to go.  It provides iron in the safe form known as iron bisglycinate, along with B12, folic acid, B6, and C. 

There is a wide array of nutrients that may be quite helpful in supporting thyroid function.  Nutrients will not solve a poor diet, a stressful lifestyle, and a lack of exercise.  Those truly interested in optimizing the function of their thyroid must have a comprehensive plan.  This includes eating properly (the Leptin Diet), getting enough sleep (at least 7 hours per night), stress management skills, and consistent and refreshing exercise.  Along with these basics, dietary supplements are great tools to assist metabolism.

A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan shows that children who get less than 9 ¾ hours sleep in the third grade are 40 percent more likely to be fat in the sixth grade (whether they were already fat or not in the third grade).  It was found that the longer the kids slept, the less the chance for obesity.

A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan shows that children who get less than 9 ¾ hours sleep in the third grade are 40 percent more likely to be fat in the sixth grade (whether they were already fat or not in the third grade).  It was found that the longer the kids slept, the less the chance for obesity.  It is already known that adults lacking sleep (less then 7 hours) are at increased risk for weight gain.  The researchers believe this problem is caused by disruption of healthy leptin function, as well as disruption of one of leptin’s companions, ghrelin (pronounced grel-an).

Leptin is involved in synchronizing hormone function in a variety of ways.  One example is leptin’s orchestration of insulin in response to a meal, wherein leptin produces a full signal and turns off insulin production by the pancreas.  This process malfunctions in a person with leptin resistance, in turn causing insulin resistance as well as a faulty full signal (a person has to eat too much to feel full). 

Another of leptin’s patterns is the 24 hour rhythm that synchronizes the timing of all hormone function during sleep (melatonin, growth hormone, thyroid hormone, testosterone, immune system repair activities, etc.).  In order to do this leptin levels are naturally highest around midnight, in terms of a 24-hour pattern.  When metabolism is working properly these higher levels of leptin not only naturally suppress appetite in the evening, they set the stage for a good night’s sleep and proper fat burning during sleep.  This process is disrupted by eating within three hours of bed.

When you go to sleep, assuming you haven’t eaten before bed, you are generally burning 60% of your calories from sugar and 40% from fatty acids.  About 6 – 7 hours following the completion of dinner, or about 2 – 3 hours into sleep, under the influence of leptin and glucagon, this ratio changes and you will now burn 40% of your calories from sugar and 60% from fatty acids – which continues until you wake up.  This process is orchestrated by your liver.  The longer you sleep the more fat you burn.  This means that sleep is a prime time for metabolic fat burning.

The reason children need to sleep longer than adults is because they are also growing their bodies, which requires additional time during sleep.  This new study is interesting as it shows that simply shorting sleep, in essence disrupting this leptin-controlled prime fat burning time, is sufficient to increase the risk for obesity.  This prime fat burning time is also disturbed by eating before bed, as the time in the 60% fat burning mode is either reduced or blocked entirely.

As a person gains weight around the midsection the liver also becomes clogged with fat.  This reduces the physical ability of the liver to burn fat properly during sleep.  This shows up as elevated blood sugar in the morning.  Morning fasting blood sugar should not be above 90, when it is it means the person could not get into fatty acid burning correctly during sleep and so the liver made sugar instead (or it means the person ate too much close to bed).  Of course, once the number rises too high a person is diabetic.  As a person eats according to the Five Rules of the Leptin Diet this problem of a clogged liver is gradually undone and the liver can potentially return to much more normal function, including nighttime fat burning.

The researchers also found that by disturbing leptin function, ghrelin levels were too high during the day.  Ghrelin is made in the stomach and acts as an appetite stimulant, especially for the intake of carbohydrates.  Healthy ghrelin function is absolutely vital for having a normal appetite as well as for the release of growth hormone.  However, when the hormone is too high during the day it leads to excess carbo ingestion, in turn fueling leptin resistance, insulin resistance, and weight gain.  This is easy to see – any time you short yourself on sleep you will notice you want more carbos the next day.

The moral of the story is do what you can to get a good night’s sleep and ensure your children are getting adequate sleep.  Children not only need sleep to maximize their genetic potential and growth, they need it to help maintain a healthy metabolism over the course of a lifetime.

A handful of individuals have a rare genetic mutation that causes them to make no leptin at all.  These individuals become morbidly obese because they never get a proper full signal.  By comparison, 99.99% of overweight people make too much leptin; however, the leptin does not get into the brain properly (leptin resistance), so they sort of behave like the person who makes no leptin at all. 

A handful of individuals have a rare genetic mutation that causes them to make no leptin at all.  These individuals become morbidly obese because they never get a proper full signal.  By comparison, 99.99% of overweight people make too much leptin; however, the leptin does not get into the brain properly (leptin resistance), so they sort of behave like the person who makes no leptin at all. 

When researchers give leptin to the rare person who makes none, the person quits eating all the time, gets a proper full signal, and loses weight.  When researchers give leptin to the other 99.99% of individuals, it simply makes blood levels of leptin rise even higher and leptin resistance worsens.  Researchers are trying to make nasal sprays that enter the brain directly, which has some possibility of working.  However, it is far easier to simply eat in harmony with the hormone as explained by the Leptin Diet, which reduces leptin resistance allowing leptin to enter the brain in the natural way and provide a normal full signal.  Individuals are often amazed at how following the Five Rules of the Leptin Diet stops their obsession and craving for food.

Fascinating new research on the rare person who makes no leptin is showing that leptin has a profound influence on numerous regions in the brain.  It is already well known that leptin communicates directly to the hypothalamus gland, controlling the subconscious core of appetite and energy-producing brain circuitry.  What is new about this study is that leptin is shown to activate numerous other areas in the brain, including the cerebral cortex executive centers of the brain that are involved with rational self control. 

In fact, leptin actually caused the cerebral cortex to grow, literally strengthening the structure and function of this area of the brain.  This is a dramatic discovery.  It means that leptin resistant overweight children are at risk of poor brain development and leptin resistant adults are at risk of accelerated brain aging based in part on atrophy of the cerebral cortex.  The cerebral cortex is vital for many cognitive tasks in addition to issues of food acquisition and appetite control.  In fact, this problem cuts to the core of any addictive tendency in any subject relating to a lack of self control.

The researchers also found that the cerebellum was activated by leptin.  The cerebellum is involved with the coordination of physical motion.  A weak cerebellum contributes to problems such as anxiety and learning disabilities such as dyslexia. 

It is well known that leptin acts as a primary antioxidant in the brain, a main way in which the brain buffers the stress of excitotoxins.  Excitotoxins are a primary cause of brain stress and at the center of developmental brain issues and age-related decline.  A combination of leptin deficiency in the brain and excitotoxin excess is linked to ADHD, Down syndrome, and Autism spectrum disorders, as well as age-related cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.  Common dietary excitotoxins include MSG, food coloring, aspartame, and flavoring systems used by fast food restaurants and packaged food producers to addict consumers to their brand.  Immunizations prime brain cells to become hyper-responsive and thereby magnify excitotoxic stress.

While there is much we do not know this new research demonstrates that proper leptin levels within the brain are vital for intelligence and the ability to make and follow through on healthy choices in one’s life. 

You are not alone if you think a sluggish thyroid is causing you to gain weight.  Contrary to this popular belief, in most cases it is just the other way around.  Gaining weight is actually causing the thyroid to become sluggish.  If your thyroid is struggling the problem tends to get worse the more times you go on a diet and lose some weight and then gain it all back again, typically with a few extra pounds for good measure.

You are not alone if you think a sluggish thyroid is causing you to gain weight.  Contrary to this popular belief, in most cases it is just the other way around.  Gaining weight is actually causing the thyroid to become sluggish.  If your thyroid is struggling the problem tends to get worse the more times you go on a diet and lose some weight and then gain it all back again, typically with a few extra pounds for good measure.  Once in motion thyroid and weight problems feed off each other like a chicken and egg, locking in a nasty metabolic catch 22 that is quite difficult to solve.

Leptin is the key hormone that governs body weight.  Leptin is produced in fat, travels through the blood and up to the brain, enters the brain and informs the subconscious brain how much fat is in reserves.  If there is an adequate amount of fat in storage leptin permits the thyroid system to set a faster basal metabolic rate.  Leptin is in control of thyroid, thyroid does not control leptin.  Think of thyroid hormone as the drummer in the band, setting the pace or tempo.  Think of leptin as the conductor of the band, determining what piece of music will be played.

This leptin and thyroid relationship is fundamental to survival.  During evolution there was often a scarcity of food.  This required that stored fat be broken down to use as fuel.  The stored fat now produces less leptin, which means to the brain it is time to slow down metabolism to conserve energy so as not to perish.  If a faster basal metabolic pace was allowed a person would die from malnutrition at a quicker rate.  Thus, leptin intentionally creates a hypothyroid state in order to survive.

Then, when more food is available, leptin commands that fat storage is replenished before thyroid is allowed to go faster.  This is a mode your body uses to recover from a period of famine, otherwise known as a diet.  This mechanism is the bane of any dieter, and the cause of the yo-yo dieting response.

The curse of prosperity is that we now have ready access to too much food.  Our bodies did not evolve with overeating as the primary issue.  Too much food really creates a lot of stress.  Extra pounds of fat crank out way too much leptin.  At the same time extra fat in the blood (triglycerides) blocks leptin from getting into the brain, inducing a problem called leptin resistance.  This makes your subconscious brain think you are starving even though you have plenty of extra fat on hand.  This is a false state of perceived starvation, with the undesirable side effect of slowing down thyroid function to set a slower metabolic pace (hypothyroid).

Now it is certainly possible to create a thyroid problem in some other way, such as chemical poisoning of the thyroid gland by exposure to fluoride or perchlorate.  This will slow down metabolism and make a person more likely to gain weight.  However, once the person starts gaining weight then the leptin problem makes the thyroid problem worse.

The problem isn’t too bad if a person can cut back on calories and increase exercise and lose the extra weight.  However, this leptin-thyroid conundrum is at the root of difficult weight loss and ongoing sluggish thyroid problems in overweight people.  Such people run out of energy and get in a really bad mood from cutting calories long before they reach their goal weight.  And they easily gain weight back eating even moderate amounts of food. 

The only way out of this trap is to understand leptin and to eat in harmony with the hormone.  By following the Five Rules of the Leptin Diet you can readily improve thyroid function.  This enables your metabolism to run faster while eating proper portions, permitting weight loss without inducing the thyroid-deteriorating starvation response that is invariably followed by weight gain.  Those who consistently follow the Five Rules for a number of months in a row have the best results.  Nutrients that support thyroid function and leptin function are also helpful tools, along with consistent exercise, to assist you in overcoming this thyroid and leptin rut.

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. 

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.

When your thyroid hormone is working properly inside cells you will make 65% energy and 35% heat as you burn calories for fuel.  Thyroid hormone is governing your basal metabolic rate, orchestrating the idling speed at which all cells make energy and thus heat.

When your thyroid hormone is working properly inside cells you will make 65% energy and 35% heat as you burn calories for fuel.  Thyroid hormone is governing your basal metabolic rate, orchestrating the idling speed at which all cells make energy and thus heat.  A classic symptom of poor thyroid function is being too cold.  And conversely, a classic symptom of hyperthyroidism is being too hot (making too much heat).  However, many people with slow thyroid are too hot, a seeming paradox that I will explain shortly.

Generally, you know all too well if you fit into the too cold category.  You always want the thermostat set higher than everyone else or you have on an extra layer of clothes.  You go to bed with socks on your feet or you want extra layers of blankets.  When this type of coldness matches up with the symptoms of thyroid-related fatigue, you fall into the classic pattern of sluggish or hypothyroid.

In many cases of poor thyroid function a cold feeling is not quite so obvious.  Dr. Broda Barnes pioneered the use of the basal temperature test to help identify sluggish thyroid function.  This is done by placing a thermometer (not digital) under your arm for ten minutes before getting out of bed.  This should be done ten days in a row, averaging the daily reading.  Menstruating women should start their ten day test when their menstrual cycle begins, as basal temperature naturally rises 2 degrees at ovulation.  If your waking temperature averages from 97.8 to 98.2 degrees it is normal.  Less than 97.8 reflects sluggish thyroid function.

It should be noted that there are other factors besides thyroid that can make a person run too cold.  Common ones include:
A) Protein malnutrition that is resulting in a loss of muscle.  Individuals with borderline thyroid should eat at least ½ their ideal weight in grams of protein per day (avoiding excessive intake of soy protein).
B) Nutrients lacking for cellular energy production (co-enzyme B vitamins, Q10, magnesium).
C) Nutrients lacking to implement cellular DNA thyroid instructions (iron or zinc).
D) Excessive stress, which pools blood around central organs and makes hands and feet cold.  Anti-inflammatory nutrients are required to fix this, along with stress management.  Fish oil and squalene are very helpful. 
E) A viral infection, even a subclinical viral infection.  Viruses hijack cellular energy production, shutting down energy and heat production, and making excess lactic acid.  This leaves one feeling cold and achy from the lactic acid.  This is why you get the chills from the flu.  Many viruses, like Epstein-Barr or cytomegalovirus, can operate on a low grade basis – enough to make a person cold, tired, and achy.  Such individuals often wake up with a sore throat in the morning.  Monolaurin is a top choice for nutrient support.

These coldness issues can masquerade as thyroid problems, and in some cases may in fact be the primary cause of the hypothyroid symptoms.  The proof of the source of the problem is in the solution.  Whatever helps get energy on and temperature up is what is needed.  Sometimes this means thyroid support nutrition.  Sometimes it is addressing any issue in A-E above.  And many times it is some combination of approaches, including thyroid support.

Many individuals with hypothyroid symptoms are not cold and may even be hot.  Remember, normal cell energy production is 65% energy and 35% heat.  In classic low thyroid both numbers drop.  However, if thyroid hormone is still signaling cells to go, but cells lack nutrients to properly make energy, then a person may make 50% energy and 50% heat.  If the problem worsens a person could make 35% energy and 65% heat.  Such a problem will present itself as low thyroid, but it is really a deficiency in energy-producing nutrients like co-enzyme B vitamins, Q10, magnesium, and antioxidants.

The most common reason for true low thyroid with excess heat occurs in the overweight individual.  In this case the body is trying to dispose of surplus fat calories by converting them to 100% heat.  Even though cells are not making adequate energy or heat, the heat is coming from the desperate attempt of the body to get rid of fat so it doesn’t clog organs, cells, and arteries.  Eating according to the Leptin Diet solves this problem.

As thyroid problems deteriorate a person becomes both heat and cold intolerant.  Hot humid days are stressful; frigid winter days are stressful.  The body’s heat regulating system simply struggles to keep up with environmental demands, especially when they are more extreme.  Aging is generally associated with deteriorating thyroid function and troubles regulating body temperature.

Understanding your body’s heating and cooling system is central to effectively managing thyroid health.

Energy is the backbone of life.  All systems in your body need energy to function properly.  How you produce and distribute energy is complex; thyroid hormone function has a major impact on all of your energy systems.  However, not all fatigue or tiredness is due to thyroid malfunction.  How do you tell the difference?

Energy is the backbone of life.  All systems in your body need energy to function properly.  How you produce and distribute energy is complex; thyroid hormone function has a major impact on all of your energy systems.  However, not all fatigue or tiredness is due to thyroid malfunction.  How do you tell the difference?

Thyroid hormone governs the basal metabolic rate, which is like the idling speed of a car engine.  Even when you are sitting in a chair or sleeping your 100 trillion cells keep making energy.  This type of energy production is the foundation for all other energy and hormonal systems.  If it is not up to par, no other system in your body works as well as it should. 

When you step on the gas pedal during the day, this is not thyroid hormone that goes into action.  Increased activity of any kind is controlled by adrenaline, muscle activity, increased calorie burning, and an increased speed at which your cells make energy.  If you have a sluggish thyroid you may still be able to make yourself have the energy to do things based on adrenaline-driven necessity.  You may also notice that you have too much reliance on stimulants such as caffeine, sugar, or cigarettes. 

A demanding day may deplete muscles of fuel and induce enough wear and tear so that natural tiredness follows.  Such fatigue is normal and why we need to sleep.  Even pushing it day after day and cutting sleep short may not be a thyroid problem.  However, such a poor lifestyle is pushing your system and you may eventually develop a thyroid problem as a result.  Getting less than seven hours of sleep per night is asking for trouble.

Thyroid-related fatigue starts to show up when you cannot sustain energy long enough, especially when compared to a past level of fitness or ability.  If the thyroid foundation is weak, sustaining energy output is difficult.  You will notice you just don’t seem to have the energy to do the things you used to be able to do. 

The menstrual cycle, pregnancy, exercise, stress, and physical demands are all examples of increased energy demands requiring increased energy output.  Thus, PMS is almost always a thyroid problem to a degree.  The increased energy demands of the menstrual cycle are simply too much, partly due to an underlying thyroid weakness.  Pregnancy is always a major test of the thyroid, as one’s thyroid is called upon to do metabolic work for two bodies.  This is why thyroid issues often flare up during or following pregnancy. 

Thyroid hormone is synergistic with growth hormone in muscles, and when these two are working properly together then muscles feel fit.  Exercise conditions thyroid hormone to work properly to assist general energy production and a lack of exercise contributes to poor thyroid function.  The more fit your muscles feel, the less likely thyroid-related fatigue will be an issue for you.  If you have poor thyroid function you frequently feel like you don’t have the energy to exercise and usually don’t on a consistent basis.  Muscle weakness is a classic hypothyroid symptom.

One of the key symptoms of thyroid fatigue is a heavy or tired head, especially in the afternoon.  Thyroid hormone activity is regulated differently in the brain than anywhere else in the body, as brain cells themselves convert T4 to T3 (active thyroid hormone).  Your head is a very sensitive indicator of thyroid hormone status.  This is different than low blood sugar symptoms from not having eaten for a while.  The head just feels sluggish or tired, lacking clarity or sharpness.  When this head tiredness occurs too many hours in the day then you will feel like you want to sleep all the time and you will feel depressed, signs of more advanced thyroid-related fatigue.

Another key sign of thyroid fatigue is conking out as soon as you sit down and don’t actually have to do something (there is no necessity making you have to do something).  In this case it feels like your body is a car idling too slowly at a stop sign and it just stalls and goes to sleep.  This is a clear sign of thyroid fatigue.

You either do or don’t have the symptoms of thyroid-related fatigue.  If you wake up energized, maintain decent energy throughout the day, are able to maintain mental alertness/sharpness, have energy as needed to meet demands, and your muscles feel fit, you do not have thyroid-related fatigue.  The more you don’t feel this way, the greater the problem.  No lab test is needed.  In many cases thyroid lab tests may still be normal, even though you clearly are not.  The symptoms tell the story and they never lie.

Millions of Americans suffer from some degree of thyroid problem.  You may be one of the many whose sluggish thyroid problem did not show up on a lab test.  This is partly because thyroid lab tests do not accurately measure the activity of thyroid hormone inside cells.

Millions of Americans suffer from some degree of thyroid problem.  You may be one of the many whose sluggish thyroid problem did not show up on a lab test.  This is partly because thyroid lab tests do not accurately measure the activity of thyroid hormone inside cells.  Testing can catch more flagrant problems relating to the thyroid gland itself, but it often leaves you with a long list of hypothyroid symptoms and “normal” lab test results.  Like many lab tests, thyroid testing is mostly an indirect estimate of what is happening.  They are better than nothing, but far from perfect.

Another reason the lab tests may not show anything is because the thyroid problem is secondary to some other form of stress (chemical, physical, or emotional).  Thyroid problems often occur in a complex web of other issues including adrenal fatigue, fibromyalgia, depression, cognitive decline, ADHD, digestive complaints, food intolerance, Candida albicans, chemical sensitivity/exposure, allergy, asthma, and leptin-related obesity issues.  How are you supposed to know what your problem really is when it could be so many different things?  To make matters worse, doctors are almost useless at sorting out complex health issues and now seem obsessed with managing numbers on paper instead of the person sitting in front of them. 

Oprah recently went public with her thyroid problems, which is certainly going to raise the public discussion of this very important health topic.  This blog is committed to helping you sort out these issues, gain a better understanding of your health, and learn how to take effective action steps that you can tell directly improve your health.