Here are all the resources I mention in my Thyroid Sessions panel with Sean Croxton “How Exercise Destroys Your Thyroid And What You Can Do About It.” If you want even more cutting-edge thyroid information, news flashes and solutions, grab the free BenGreenfieldFitness app, subscribe to the free podcast in iTunes, and check out the popular “Ben Recommends” page! Fixing Thyroid Issues:
-A minimalist training program like Triathlon Dominator or Marathon Dominator based on limited long workouts.
–7 of my best ways to stop stress. Hypercortisolism can decreased cell receptor sensitivity to thyroid hormone.
–Paleo Autoimmune Protocol, with a particular emphasis on fats. Saturated fats are the base material out of which the body makes cholesterol, which is the precursor to such critical hormones as vitamin D, cortisol, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. There hormones work hand-in-hand with the thyroid and their deficiency will impact the thyroid as well. Fats also are needed as carriers for the fat soluble vitamins (the antioxidant vitamins), like vitamin A, E, D, K, and a low fat diet can lead to deficiencies in these nutrients. As a domino effect – these deficiencies also cause a problem in converting the T4 hormone to active T3.
-Adequate calorie and carbohydrate intake – Google the name of your city + Resting Metabolic Rate Test (RMR) and Metabolic Test (VO2 Max Protocol). Also use free metabolic rate calculators at http://www.GetFitGuy.com.
-Go into any very hard and/or long workouts with high blood levels of amino acids, preferably from Essential Amino Acids not Branched Chain Amino Acids sources.
-Organ meats (e.g. US Wellness Meats Sweetbreads, Liver and Braunschweiger) and bone marrow and/or dessicated liver and thyroid options such as NOW Foods Argentine Liver extract and Thyrogold thyroid extract, which is a natural form of T1, T2, T3 and T4.
-A good way to get glutamine and collagen is from a beef bone broth made of grass-fed cow bones, feet and joining tissue – the more connective tissue the better. You can also use an organic gelatin/collagen source, such as Great Lakes or Bernard Jensen, along with supplement or food sources of glutamine. Glutamine is found in many different foods with the highest levels in grass-fed beef, bison, chicken, & free range eggs. Raw dairy products from grass-fed cows and goats are also very high in L-glutamine. This includes grass-fed, non-denatured whey protein powder, which is considered the most bioavailable form of L-glutamine from an animal source (go with a goat based source like DEEP30 if you are concerned about autoimmune issues and your thyroid). Using an ample amount of this form of whey protein in a shake with coconut milk, berries, & cinnamon every day is a fantastic way to naturally boost L-glutamine levels. You can also use a supplement powder source of L-glutamine.
-Foods rich in tyrosine and/or an L-tyrosine supplement at 500-2000mg/day. Tyrosine is precursor amino acid for the thyroid gland hormone thyroxin, and a defect in this may result in hypothyroidism. Tyrosine is found in soy products, chicken, turkey, fish, peanuts, almonds, avocados, bananas, milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds.
-Both Vitamin B12 and iron are key in converting T4 thyroid hormone to the T3 hormone. For this reason, red meat and organ meats should be a staple in your diet, lots of cooked dark leafy greens can be included, and you can also use vitamin B-rich supplements and if you test low in ferritin or iron, consider supplementation with Floradix (non-constipating source of iron).
Additional Reading And Listening:
–Podcast #275 from BenGreenfieldFitness.com
-Article: Women Running Into Trouble
-Rebuttal to article above: How Does Endurance Training Affect Your Thyroid (and Vice-Versa)?
-Article: Is A Low Carb Diet Bad For Your Thyroid?
Testing And Tracking
-Article: Dr Rind's Track Your Temperature: A Quick and Easy Way to Determine Metabolic Health
–WellnessFX – ask for the Advanced Thyroid Panel
–GIEffects panel from DirectLabs (your gut, pancreas, liver, mouth and esophagus all have a big impact on the digestion and the metabolism of your hormones)
–DirectLabs – ask for the Complete Thyroid Panel, and make sure you get the following:
-Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH): Evaluates overall thyroid function.
-Total Thyroxine (T4): Evaluates the total amount of T4 produced by the thyroid gland.
-Free Thyroxine (T4): Evaluates the amount of T4 available to the cells and tissues.
-Free Tri-iodothyronine (T3): Measures the amount of T3 (the active form of the hormone) available to the cells and tissues.
-Reverse T3: A non-functioning form of the active hormone T3
-T3 Uptake: the level of thyroid binding globulin bound to T4, reflecting TBG level affected by hormones or illness.
-Thyroglobulin antibody (ATA) and Thyroid Peroxidase antibody (TPO): Thyroglobulin and Thyroid Peroxidase are proteins involved in the production of thyroid hormones. It is possible for antibodies from your own immune system to attack these proteins, rendering them dysfunctional.
-Broda Barne’s Thyroid Titration Method
1) At night, shake down a thermometer – be sure that it is shaken down and below 95 degrees. Next morning, on awakening, put the thermometer under your arm with the bulb in the armpit with no clothing between it and the armpit. Leave it there for 10 minutes (use snooze alarm if you wake up to an alarm). Just lay still for that time lying still. This can also be done with a digital thermometer, as long as it says “axillary” on the package.
2) After 10 minutes, take the thermometer out and read it, writing down the result right away. (On waking, most people don’t think clearly and might forget the reading). This is known as your Early AM Basal Temperature and the “normal” should be between 97.8 and 98.2 degrees F. This reading taken by armpit is somewhat lower and somewhat more accurate than by mouth.
3) Repeat immediate in your mouth. Oral temperature typically runs about 0.5 to 1.5 degrees F higher than axillary. If you have a low-grade infection this may read higher than your “normal,” therefore if it is in that range above, you should repeat the above procedure every other day for a week or so. If a menstruating female, also do it on the 2nd and 3rd day of your period.
4) If your body temperature is not within the range of 97.8-98.2 add an additional pill to your daily dose. This incremental increase will be based on the dosage of pills that you were prescribed (e.g., if you are taking one “grain” you will increase by one pill which will then be two grains). After one week on the new dosage, complete the bolded steps again until you have reached the appropriate body temperature, or you begin experiencing symptoms of too much thyroid—think of symptoms associated with drinking too much caffeine.
Note: In a hypothyroid state, the day-to-day averages are low and very stable. In a hypoadrenal state including adrenal exhaustion or adrenal stress, the temperatures are low and unstable – one day they may average 96 degrees and one to two degrees higher the next day.
-Also an option: Dr. Rind's Metabolic Temperature Graphing Method
If you want even more cutting-edge thyroid information, news flashes and solutions, grab the free BenGreenfieldFitness app, subscribe to the free podcast in iTunes, and check out the popular “Ben Recommends” page!
nice post