Vitamin B12 deficiency is incredibly common among hypothyroid patients. In fact, it is estimated that up to 40% of all hypothyroid patients suffer from B12 deficiency or sub-optimal B12 levels in their body. What's important here is that treating your thyroid is not sufficient to fix your B12 levels! You should think of B12 deficiency and hypothyroidism as two separate conditions that need to be treated. B12 deficiency is also difficult to identify because it shares many of the same symptoms as ...
Apr 17, 2019•14 min
The short answer is yes, the long answer is that there are still several reasons to supplement even if your thyroid has been removed. Once your thyroid has been removed it's better to think of yourself as hypothyroid rather than hyperthyroid (because many people who have their thyroid removed have it removed for this reason). That means once your thyroid is removed most of the information you find regarding hypothyroidism is relevant to you. In addition, once your thyroid has been removed and on...
Apr 17, 2019•11 min
Is it possible to stop taking your thyroid medication? The answer is maybe, and it depends on your situation. There are 3 main groups of patients that we need to discuss and you should try to figure out where you fit into these categories to determine if you can stop taking your medication. Group #1: Those who MUST take thyroid medication. - The first group are those people who must take thyroid medication for the rest of their lives. People in this category include people who have had their thy...
Mar 14, 2019•16 min
Download my free thyroid resources here: https://www.restartmed.com/start-here Are you currently taking Natural Desiccated thyroid hormone? Maybe you are considering using this medication. Either way, there are some things you should know BEFORE you start using it. Like any medication, NDT is not a perfect medication and it does have some problems. I'm actually a big fan of NDT as a medication and I use it on a lot of my patients, but I am also aware that it isn't perfect and it doesn't work for...
Feb 13, 2019•13 min
The TSH is probably the most standard way to test for thyroid dysfunction but it's certainly not the most accurate way. There are at least 5 different conditions which, if present, can alter how reliable the TSH test really is. These conditions include: #1. Low T3 syndrome. - The first condition is low T3 syndrome. People with this condition have low levels of free T3 or total T3 but their free T4 and TSH may stay relatively normal. Free T3 should take precedence because it is the active thyroid...
Feb 12, 2019•9 min
Do you have Hashimoto's or hypothyroidism? If so, download my free resources such as foods you should be avoiding, the complete list of thyroid lab tests, and more here: https://www.restartmed.com/start-here/ Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease which means if you have this disease that your body is attacking and attempting to destroy your own thyroid gland. Up to 70-90% of people with hypothyroidism have Hashimoto's (even if you don't know about it!) and this is important because Hashimoto's is...
Jan 30, 2019•14 min
Download free thyroid resources here: https://www.restartmed.com/start-here/ Your thyroid function depends on how much iron you have. If you have low iron levels then your thyroid function may be compromised. This is especially important for people who have thyroid disease because they are very sensitive to even small changes in iron levels. And doctors are not conditioned to look at iron stores unless they find that you are anemic. But it is possible to be iron deficient even if you are not ane...
Jan 25, 2019•13 min
Free thyroid downloads and resources here: https://www.restartmed.com/start-here Can exercising help boost your thyroid? The short answer is yes, but only if you are doing it the RIGHT way. Too little exercise will have no benefit on your thyroid while overexercising may lower your free T3 and total T3. How does exercise benefit your thyroid? In 3 main ways: #1. It reduces your TSH and increases both T3 and T4 levels. - This is exactly what you want if you are hypothyroid. This combination of ch...
Jan 16, 2019•12 min
You can download the PDF copy of this resource here: https://www.restartmed.com/start-here The foods that you eat can either positively or negatively impact your thyroid. This video is all about avoiding certain foods which have been scientifically proven to inhibit thyroid function in some way. The list of foods to avoid if you have thyroid disease includes: #1. Refined sugar - Sugar can cause insulin resistance which can negatively impact thyroid function. #2. *Gluten - Up to 2-5% of people wi...
Jan 08, 2019•16 min
Is it possible to test your thyroid at home? The answer is yes. If you watched the video you can download the free resource I mention in it here: https://www.restartmed.com/start-here/ The only problem with testing your thyroid at home is that the tests available are not quite as accurate as blood tests. Having said that they can still give you very important information. My recommendation is to use these tests in conjunction with your lab tests to give you a better idea as to what is happening ...
Jan 04, 2019•14 min
Free T4 is an important measurement which gives you an idea how well your thyroid is functioning. But what's interesting about this value is that it changes based on what type of thyroid medication you are taking. You need to understand how these changes manifest to know if you are on the right track. How T4 changes with thyroid medication: - On T4 only thyroid medication. Free T4 tends to increase when taking thyroid medication such as Levothyroxine and Synthroid. This makes perfect sense! You ...
Nov 19, 2018•9 min
Men with hypothyroidism tend to have similar but different symptoms when compared to women. The difference in symptoms stems from the impact that your thyroid has on testosterone. Testosterone, as it turns out, is much more important for men when compared to women. Even minor changes in testosterone can lead to numerous side effects which are separate from hypothyroidism. So, in a sense, men get both the symptoms of hypothyroidism AND low testosterone. Men with hypothyroidism commonly present wi...
Nov 16, 2018•10 min
TSH is a marker of thyroid function and it's incredibly important if you are pregnant. During pregnancy, the thyroid gland enlarges and must produce enough thyroid hormone for both you and your child. If you can't produce enough thyroid hormone then your child may suffer from developmental issues, a low birthweight and potentially a lower than normal IQ. Because of this, doctors recommend that thyroid function be monitored very closely during pregnancy. It also means that the standard "healthy" ...
Nov 14, 2018•9 min
How long does it take thyroid medication to work? That's the question we will be exploring in today's video. The short answer? About 60% of people will experience some improvement within 4-6 weeks of taking their medication. Another 20% will experience symptomatic relief even sooner and the last 20% may experience symptomatic improvement up to 8+ weeks after starting their medication. Why does it take so long? It has to do with how thyroid hormone works once it's in your body. Thyroid hormone ha...
Nov 13, 2018•8 min
The answer is yes. Actually, both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can lead to high blood sugar. This stems from a condition known as insulin resistance in which your cells become resistant to the effects of insulin. Insulin is supposed to help your body take up glucose and utilize it for energy. If it can't then the blood sugar will build up in your blood and you will experience high blood sugar. This condition stems from ANY disorder of thyroid function including both hypothyroidism and hype...
Nov 12, 2018•11 min
Thyroid dysfunction can lead to both general hair loss and eyebrow hair loss. Eyebrow hair loss can be particularly troubling because it can cause considerable distress and issues with your appearance. It's important to know that your eyebrows are a sensitive marker of thyroid function in your body. They are often the first sign of thyroid disease and can be the last symptom to improve once you improve your thyroid. 6 steps to improve thyroid eyebrow hair loss include: #1. Take thyroid medicatio...
Nov 08, 2018•11 min
The quick answer to the question: Yes, but only in about 10% of the population (based on my estimates and experience). And by reversed I am talking about a 100% complete remission where you are not taking thyroid medication, where your thyroid antibodies are zero, your weight is normalized, and you do not have any symptoms of hypothyroidism. Other people can experience anywhere from minor to major improvements with natural therapies, but the degree that they will improve depends on their individ...
Nov 06, 2018•13 min
Radioactive iodine treatment is a medical treatment used to destroy your thyroid gland. It's used to treat conditions such as hyperthyroidism to help reduce the amount of thyroid hormone that your body produces. As you can imagine, destroying your thyroid gland does come with some consequences. I want to talk about those consequences and what you should expect if you get this procedure done. 6 Things to expect after Radioactive iodine treatment: #1. You are going to be radioactive. - Yes! It is ...
Nov 05, 2018•10 min
Can taking thyroid medication alter your blood pressure? The answer is absolutely. It doesn't happen all the time, but certain types of thyroid medication can lead to a rise in your blood pressure. Your cardiac tissue (heart cells) have different thyroid receptors when compared to most other cells. As a result, they are particularly sensitive to T3 thyroid hormone. When they come into contact with T3 it can act to increase the force of contraction of your heart which increases both your heart ra...
Oct 31, 2018•10 min
NP Thyroid is a form of natural desiccated thyroid hormone which is similar but different than Armour thyroid. Both medications contain the same active ingredients but they differ in the inactive ingredients. This small difference can greatly impact how you feel when you use or take these medications. Armour thyroid contains the following ingredients: Triiodothyronine (active ingredient) Thyroxine (active ingredient) Calcium stearate Dextrose Microcrystalline cellulose (May cause reactions in so...
Oct 27, 2018•8 min
If you are confused about thyroid medication names then this is the video for you. In this video, I break down how various thyroid medications differ from one another and what thyroid hormones that they contain. There are two main types of thyroid hormones: T4 and T3. Thyroid medications contain both or just one or the other of these hormones which impact how they work in your body. T4 only thyroid medications include: - Synthroid (Brand name) - Levothyroxine (Generic) - Tirosint (Brand name - s...
Oct 27, 2018•5 min
Thyroid pain is never a normal symptom and the presence of this symptom is an indication that something is wrong. Believe it or not, thyroid pain is not a common symptom even though thyroid disorders are quite common. Almost all conditions which result in thyroid pain do so because of inflammation in the thyroid gland itself. This inflammation could be from your own immune system, from an infection, or from trauma. With this in mind, let's talk about conditions that cause thyroid pain: #1. Subac...
Oct 25, 2018•11 min
Can you use thyroid supplements to help you with weight loss? The answer is maybe and that it really depends. Some supplements work better than others, but you should never plan on only using supplements if your goal is weight loss. Why? Because it usually takes a lot more than just 1 or 2 supplements to help you lose all of your weight and feel back to normal. This should go without saying, but just keep it in mind. Having said that, there are certain categories of supplements which can help th...
Oct 23, 2018•11 min
The answer is that it really depends. Sometimes hypothyroidism is curable and sometimes it isn't, it depends on the cause of your condition. Before we talk about these conditions you need to understand the difference between a cure and a treatment. All forms of hypothyroidism can be treated but when I talk about a cure I am talking about a therapy which will completely heal your body. All types of hypothyroidism are treatable but not all are curable. Conditions that cause hypothyroidism include....
Oct 17, 2018•10 min
Are you taking too much Synthroid? Synthroid is the most commonly prescribed medication in the US which means that millions of people are taking this medicine. Of those millions, there will always be a small percentage who are either taking too much or too little. We are going to focus on those people who are taking too much. Symptoms of taking too much Synthroid include... Common but less serious side effects: Increased hair loss Weight loss (sometimes but not always) Tremors in the extremities...
Oct 15, 2018•10 min
Do supplements help or hurt your thyroid? Many supplements can actually improve your thyroid function but they can also interfere with thyroid medication absorption! If you are taking supplements and if you take thyroid medication then this information is important for you. Certain medications and over the counter supplements can act to block or bind up thyroid medication like Levothyroxine or Synthroid. If you take supplements together with your thyroid medication then you may be limiting how m...
Oct 10, 2018•10 min
Is using iodine safe for your thyroid? In this video, I discuss all of the potential risks associated with using iodine. Iodine is an essential nutrient required for thyroid function in your body, there's no question about that. But does using high doses of iodine help or hurt you? Will using iodine worsen your thyroid function? It turns out that using high doses of iodine may be associated with an increase in certain conditions. 4 conditions that may result from excessive thyroid dosing include...
Sep 24, 2018•12 min
What is a normal free T4? If you are looking for a quick answer then somewhere in the top 50% of the reference range is a good starting point but it is much more nuanced than that. Various other conditions, even taking thyroid medication, can impact your free T4 and change up what would be considered normal. In addition, because T4 is a hormone, we also need to establish the difference between a healthy and a normal level. A healthy free T4 is one that would be seen in people who are active, hea...
Sep 20, 2018•8 min
There is a big difference between optimal thyroid lab tests and normal lab tests. The reference range for your lab tests includes both healthy and unhealthy people that you are compared to. By creating a tighter reference range for your lab tests you can ensure that you are being compared to only healthy people. In this video, I go over 2 examples of how to calculate this reference range for both Free T3 and free T4 and show you exactly how to do it. Free T3 example: You generally want your free...
Sep 17, 2018•9 min
Is Synthroid Gluten-free? The answer is yes, based on a recent study which looked at all of the ingredients. But why is this important? It has to do with the fact that most hypothyroid patients suffer from Hashimoto's thyroiditis which is an autoimmune condition of the thyroid gland. And about 5% of people with Hashimoto's also suffer from Celiac disease which is an autoimmune disease to gluten. That means that roughly 1 in 20 people with Hashimoto's will also not tolerate gluten. This study sho...
Sep 14, 2018•6 min
