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Toxins Everywhere, Slowing Down My Thyroid
A kind gesture from my dentist today — she graciously offers bottles of water in her waiting room – turns out to be a thyroid disaster. My daughter eagerly grabbed a bottle and started drinking. I love my dentist but those bottles of water contain bis-phenol A (BPA) and they slow down our thyroid receptors. My TSH may not reveal the injury, but my weight does, as does my sluggish morning energy.
You’ve heard the dire news on environmental pollution. I used to pitch it into the file of “things I can’t worry about right now,” but then I realized that I too was affected. Turns out my lazy thyroid was rooted in mercury toxicity and too much BPA. What I thought 5 years ago was a healthy lunch once/week of brown rice/tuna sushi rolls from Whole Foods was slowly poisoning my system as mercury mounted and shut down my thyroid hormone production. My hair fell out, I gained weight despite an aggressive exercise campaign and I was tired most of the time.
Second-hand smoke has also been shown to impair your thyroid, particularly in younger kids and infants.
If your bod can’t keep up with the steady diet of toxins that we encounter, your liver metabolism takes a hit. Leptin rises. You become cranky, irritable and tired. You develop dark circles under your eyes. The main organ tasked with detoxification is your liver, and toxic backlog is a common diagnosis in my integrative medical practice. This is well-summarized by integrative nutritionist Byron Richards:
“It is like pouring sand into the gas tank of a car, It does not matter whether the car is old or new, when the engine gets clogged, it will not run correctly. The liver must be clear all such chemicals.”
There is a definite correlation between the severity of hypothyroid symptoms and toxic exposure. Being overweight is especially complex, because toxins are stored in fat. Toxic folks have tremendous difficulty losing weight, and here’s the worst part: when you manage to lose a few pounds of fat, you get re-exposed to the toxins stored in the fat you’re burning. So unfair!
What’s a thyroidista to do?
- Reduce exposure – you know that it’s best to drink from glass or stainless steel containers. Use them exclusively. Read Time Magazine’s recent review of what toxins do to your endocrine system and how to limit your risk. Recent data also shows that probiotics limit your absorption of BPA. Cracks in your metal dental fillings are another source of mercury – if you have metal amalgams, consider replacement with your dentist. http://tinyurl.com/GCtoxins
- Cleanse your liver – I recommend to my patients a 30-day cleanse every 6 months. Check out our website for more information.
- See if you have mercury toxicity – there are many tests available commercially. I recommend a provoked test with a chelator such as DMPS. Testing is available for $79-100.
Tags: bottled water bis-phenol A(BPA) slows thyroid receptors, dark circles around your eyes, enviornmental pollution and thyroid, leptin increases, liver cleanses, liver detox, liver metabolism, mercury toxicity as a result of BPA, mercury toxicity exams, overweight causing greater toxicity, reduce toxic exposure, second hand smoke's impact on thyroid, side-effects of toxicity cranky irritability and exhaustion, toxic exposure, Toxins Everywhere Slowing Down My Thyroid by Sara Gottfried MD, toxins stored in fat
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8 Responses to “Toxins Everywhere, Slowing Down My Thyroid”
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I learned this on my own…..are you a Dr.? Why aren’t MD’s talking about these things? I did Holistic Medicine and that is when I learned these things!!!
I would have tried this soon if I had known how much it helped me to have a cleanse etc…..
Please spread the word….it took years before I learned these critical issues……thank you, Linny
I am understanding this correctly but those of us with hypothyroidism shouldn’t be drinking bottled water?
I tried to copy and past the URL under #1 Reduce exposure but it comes up with an error.
Char
Hi Char;
Here is the URL: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1976909_1976908,00.html
Please let me know if you have any issues opening it.
xo
There are things that are much more dangerous to the thyroid than these. The most damaging substance is probably soy, because it is in everything. Next is fluoride, because they put it in the water. Next is bromine, which is in Mt.Dew, bread, and all sorts of things. Fluoride is in many drugs, including Prozac, many pesticides, many antibiotics, including Cipro, non-organic grapes and wine, toothpaste of course, dental procedures (fluoridation), non-organic tea, and all sorts of other things. X-rays damage the thyroid. Too much calcium can deplete iodine, which damages the thyroid. Mercury poisoning also damages the thyroid, and you can get it from dental fillings and vaccines.
Antidotes to these toxins include iodine, fermented cod liver oil, plenty of high-quality butter from pastured animals in the diet, organic cold-pressed coconut oil, and a nutrient-dense diet as recommended by the Weston A. Price Foundation. I am not just talking, here, I have been through this.
Maria;
You have got to check out Dr. Gottfried’s additional posts. She’s been guest blogging for Dear Thyroid for the past few weeks. The information/resources/education she’s provided has been exceptional.
Check it out: http://dearthyroid.org/?s=gottfried
Looking forward to your thoughts.
xo
Excellent points Sara. I can also add the amount of toxins in the household. We’re inundated with advertising about cleaning out surroundings, but we end up adding toxins to the environment we live in. This is especially dangerous for kids since their immune systems haven’t developed completely. I personally use Norwex cleaning products, eliminating those chemicals from my house and supplement with a optimal supplement to keep my organs healthy, since I know I can’t eat a perfect diet.
“Thankyou” to everyone who posted! Will read all of the links!
Peace.
J x
Please note: NO BPA in plastic water bottles–phthalates, yes, and and they aren’t good for you either. But BPA is in HARD PLASTIC, not the soft stuff–and in the linings of food cans, including infant formula cans and some bottles. Also in microwave cookware, etc. One other bad thing about plastic water bottles is that they’re made from petroleum and they add to the avalanche of permanent plastic waste that ends up in the oceans, like the Pacific garbage patch which is now the size of Texas.