Articles

Patients affected by autoimmune thyroid disease such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis are at a higher risk for having gluten sensitivity and even celiac disease. Intolerance to gluten, regardless of its severity, can contribute to many symptoms and to impairment of quality of life. Beyond the GI inflammation that can result from gluten sensitivity, which in turn can impair absorption of many nutrients and interfere with normal digestive processes in the GI tract, it can also lead to body inflammation and production of inflammation chemicals that can alter mood, emotions, and cognition. In some patients struggling with gluten intolerance, the immune system...

Adequate iodine intake is essential for the thyroid gland to produce the right amount of thyroid hormone. For this reason, iodine deficiency during pregnancy and iodine deficiency in infancy can contribute to intellectual deficits in children. For these reasons, pregnant women should pay attention to the iodine content in the prenatal formula that they are taking to avoid thyroid hormone deficiency while the brain of their unborn baby is developing. After birth, babies require a sufficient and adequate iodine intake, which is often provided through breast milk or infant formulas. Generally speaking, if the breast feeding mother continues to take...

Selenium is a trace element that has potent antioxidant properties in the body, and is essential for optimal thyroid health, immune system health, and optimal metabolic functions. For this reason, selenium deficiency and/or inadequate selenium intake can lead to many detrimental health effects. It can promote DNA damage, cancer formation, muscle dysfunction, mood changes, build up of free radicals in the cells leading to weight gain and even metabolic syndrome. It can also contribute to spontaneous abortions, infertility, low sperm count, low testosterone, and can make the immune system weaker and/or can make the immune system more reactive to your...

The two main forms of autoimmune thyroid disease are Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is a chronic inflammation of the thyroid gland that typically, but not necessarily, causes hypothyroidism. While Graves’ disease is a different form of immune system attack on the thyroid that often causes hyperthyroidism. While Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is much more common than Graves’ disease, which explains why hypothyroidism is much more common than hyperthyroidism, the two conditions may have similar genetic predispositions, and can both occur in different members of the same family. In many patients, however, the two conditions may coexist with one being...