Weight problems are certainly epidemic in our society today, with around 2/3 of adults and 1/3 of children being overweight. In addition, up to 59 million Americans have thyroid problems, many of them undiagnosed. In fact, a recent study showed that up to ten percent of the US population may have a thyroid problem that is not diagnosed. Many doctors feel that number would be even higher if it included those whose thyroid blood tests fall within the range of normal, but still have thyroid symptoms. There seems to be an epidemic of thyroid problems today, probably caused in no small part by our diets. Why is this so and how is it linked to America's weight problems?
Iodine Blockers Including Soy Products Can Cause Thyroid Problems
Well, as far as our diets are concerned, it's generally accepted that low levels of iodine can cause low functioning thyroids. That's why iodine is added to our salt. However, refined table salt, with iodine added, may not be the best delivery system. We also are eating more and more goitrogens, a fancy word for iodine blockers, in our diets today, like raw cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower, peanuts and soy. That soy may be bad for you is certainly contrary to popular opinion at the moment, but did you know that Asians actually consume very little soy, less than 1 to 2 percent of their total calories, and what they do consume is often fermented for long periods of time, which neutralizes most of the toxins, as with miso, tempeh and soy sauce? Most Americans eat lots of soy foods, to the tune of $4 billion dollars per year. Even if you are not specifically buying soy food items, you are still eating soy, because it is increasingly added to our packaged foods, in the way of soy flour, hydrolyzed soy protein, soy oil and more. In fact, it has been estimated that approximately 10% of calories Americans eat per day come in some form of soy, and this may be a major cause of thyroid problems.
Heavy Metals and Fluoride in Water Supplies Add to Thyroid Problems
In addition, about 50 percent of America's water is now fluoridated, and some studies show that fluoride consumption can also be a problem for the thyroid gland. Further, some practitioners find that simply doing a heavy metal detox relieves thyroid problems, and increased exposure to pollution, pesticides and these heavy metals are also probably far from minor factors in the increase in thyroid problems.
Thyroid Problems May Lead to Weight Problems
Research indicates that one major cause of weight problems in America today may be an under-active thyroid gland, especially among women. That's because the thyroid gland controls body temperature and metabolism, and when the thyroid is sluggish, body temperature and metabolism tend to slow down. In fact, thyroid hormones influence all the cells in your body. That's why they can have an impact on many things including reproduction, growth, nerve and muscle function, blood sugar and insulin and more. Some other symptoms of low or hypothyroid are fatigue, cold hands and feet, depression, anxiety, constipation, easy bruising, insomnia, dry skin, unhealthy and brittle nails, allergies and asthma, migraines, acne, hair loss and low sex drive.
Do You Have An Undetected Thyroid Problem?
According to Kenneth Blanchard, M.D., in his book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Hypothyroidism," many people who test normal for thyroid levels are actually suffering from undetected thyroid problems. This is because the test measures thyroid hormone levels in the blood, but what is in your tissues is far more important.
A Simple Home Test to See if You May Have Thyroid Problems Despite Normal Thyroid Blood Tests
Do you think you might have a thyroid problem based on the some of the symptoms mentioned above? Are your thyroid blood tests normal? According to Dr. Wilson, you may have Wilson's Thyroid Syndrome. In order to find out, he recommends that you take your temperature with a thermometer following these guidelines:
By mouth
Every 3 hours
3 times a day, starting 3 hours after waking
Do this for several days (women need do this anytime EXCEPT during the 3 days before their period starts, as the reading may not be accurate then). If your temperature is consistently below 98.6 degrees F, and you have some of the symptoms mentioned above, you may very well have Wilson's Thyroid Syndrome (low thyroid functioning). If you do, there are many things people have done to successfully correct this problem, including adding more natural iodine into your diet, like from sea weeds and unrefined sea salt, adding virgin coconut oil to your diet, eliminating goitrogens from your diet, eliminating consumption of fluoride, and doing a heavy metal detox. We highly recommend speaking with your health care practitioner about what might help you the most.
Copyright 2008 Karen Pijuan. This article may be copied only in its entirety and only if all links, including those in the resource box or the about-the-author section, remain intact.
Karen Pijuan is the owner of several health-related websites and has written numerous articles about nutrition, vitamins, healthy living, whole food supplements, natural body care and cleaning products, natural weight loss and more. Find out more about what to look for in a truly healthy vitamin, as well as resources for where to find the whole food vitamins she recommends at [http://www.healthy-vitamins-rx.com]
Many truly natural, healthy and organic products including excellent whole food nutritional supplements can be found online at http://www.EcoViva.com
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