Gluten in Personal Care Products?

                                        Gluten Free Personal Products?

I promised awhile back that i would get to the personal care products that i use that do not contain gluten. Before i give you a list i want to explain why i do not use products that conatain gluten even though i'm not going to ingest them.

I know that there are many people including doctors that feel that if you don't ingest a product even though it has gluten you should be fine. I on the other hand have gotten so sick from gluten i didn't want to take a chance. Not only that,  i noticed a huge difference when i removed gluten from my personal product use. You see, even though i had cut gluten out of my diet i still didn't feel well. I was still dealing with a body rash and my hair was still falling out. I was also still dealing with body acne. Once i removed the gluten from my personal care products i got relief in all of these areas. I'm not the only one who has noticed a huge difference in how they've felt after using personal care products without gluten. If you have time to check out other bloggers and chat rooms of people with celiac disease you will see just how many people agree they feel better cutting gluten out of their personal products as well.

It only makes sense that we would have reactions to things that go on our skin when our skin is a huge organ. We actually absorb things that we put on our skin in as fast as 26 seconds. Makes you think, doesn't it? 

Now of course as with anything else there will always be those who refute this. There are still many doctors and scientists that say that gluten cannot be absorbed through the skin and that we don't have to worry about gluten in our personal care products. I on the other hand prefer to go by my own experience and those of others that i have talked to and read about and how they feel better staying away from gluten in their products. 

Having said all of this one of the areas that i believe is especially important to keep gluten out of is our lipsticks. Ladies you cannot deny that we inevitably eat some of our lipstick throughout the day regardless of how hard we try not to, so this is an area i say we definitely cannot afford to compromise.

Now, i am going to share with you some of the personal care products that i use. I would also like to point out that i have started using fragrance free products. I started using fragrance free products when i started having even more problems with my thyroid. When you have thyroid issues you may notice that your allergies get worse. You will also learn that toxins in your environment can aggrevate thyroid function even your cleaning products and chemicals in your drinking water can do this. For these reasons and so many others it is important to be careful with many ingredients in all of your products. Some ingredients to watch out for other than gluten include pthalates, chlorine, flouride, triclosan, latex, dyes and parabens. There is an interesting article on parabens that one of the blogs that i follow published. It stresses how parabens are linked to cancer in humans, you can read that article here.

With all of this information i knew i had to find companies that i trusted and that were just as conscious about these matters as i was.

Here are some that i found and use and trust.  All of these companies have fragrance free and allergen free products. Many of them are organic and many don't just watch out for gluten but corn and soy as well.  yay!

Dessert Essence-  I use their toothpaste and dental products.  I also enjoy their fragrance free shampoo and conditioner.  Side note:  My very, very picky husband has even started using these same products and actually likes them.  : )

Gluten Free Savonnerie-  I love their body soaps and lotion.

Dakota Free-  I enjoy their soap and their moisturizer that i also use on my hair when it is dry.

Hugos Naturals-  I use their fragrance free lotion.  They have a line of products that are certified gluten free.  Warning:  If you are extremely sensitive with fragrances i would make a note when purchasing from their website for them not to include the free gift of decorative soap with your package.  I have come across that soap the hard way.  Im still trying to get the smell out of my linen closet 6 months after i threw it away. Ugh

As for makeup products i use here are some great companies as well:

Red Apple Lipstick-  I love this company.  They are 100% gluten free and paraben free and take great care to keep any toxic ingredients out of their products.  They currently make lipsticks, glosses, eyeshadows, lip pencils and i believe there is talk of mascara soon to come.  They do their products in small batches to keep the integrity of their products.  Check them out, you will love them!  Oh and please give my blog a shout out if you purchase their products.  Thanks!

Afterglow Cosmetics-  They are also 100% gluten free.

Beauty Secrets Mineral Makeup-  www.allnaturalmineralmakeup.com- I use their foundations and concealer

Cowgirl Dirt Cosmetics-  I use their mascara.  They are also organic.

FYI-  I started to make my very picky husband an organic hair gel/pomade.  I make it using beeswax.  He loves it and his coworkers loved how his hair looks and they asked for some as well.  I also make a very strong deoderant for him from natural and organic ingredients and of course they are 100% gluten free.  If you're interested in purchasing my products just contact me and i'll discuss the details with you.

My hair gel/pomade:  Its great for curls.  My husband has curly/wavy hair we live in a humid area which causes even more hair issues.

My hair gel/pomade is named - "I Bee Waxin"- $5.00
My deoderant is named- "Bee Stink Free"- $5.00

Something to look out for when buying your gluten free personal products is to verify that the vitamin E they use which is also called tocopherals is derived from a source other than wheat.

I hope that this post helps take the pressure off of looking for some trusted gluten free products.  If you find the information helpful please pass it on.
Thanks so much!!

It's National Celiac Awareness Day!

Today is National Celiac Disease Awareness Day.  

All of us who suffer from celiac disease before getting diagnosed may not have even been aware that there was a day dedicated to this.  

According to the Celiac Sprue Association Sept. 13th was chosen for this day because it is the birth date of Dr. Samuel Gee, M.D. a physician and pediatrician.  Dr. Gee is the first physician that is credited with being the first to identify the link between celiac disease and diet.  One of his famous quotes is: "If the patient can be cured at all, it must be by means of diet."


So i guess we can be very thankful to Dr. Gee because if it weren't for that important link between celiac and diet more of us would be way sicker then we are.

Of course those of us who suffer from this disease know that it is way more complex then it sounds.  We also know that doctors themselves can't even tell us everything about celiac because of their lack of education when it comes to this disease.  The education given to these doctors in medical school is to suspect celiac disease in a child suffering from diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating.  As we know it's much more complicated than this.

Like me, so many of us are getting this disease in our adult years.  Many deal with constipation, itchy rashes, hair loss, bloating etc.  Or many might have just one complaint being neuropathy, tingling in their hands and feet.  It becomes way more complicated and it masks itself as other disorders.  Unfortunately many of us do develop other disorders as well.  Then there are those that have no symptoms at all.

Dr. Green the director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University in NYC was asked in an interview why it is so hard to get doctors to realize that celiac disease could be the culprit for making patients so sick and this is how he responded:

<DGF: Why is it still difficult to get doctors in the U.S. to consider that celiac disease could be the culprit making patients sick—especially the ones with IBS symptomsthat don’t resolve with IBS treatments?

Dr. Green: There are a couple of reasons, actually. Most doctors here are not prominently taught about celiac disease in medical school or in post-graduate education. The latter is often funded by big pharmaceutical companies, and none of them presently offer a medication to treat celiac disease. We really can’t blame the doctors totally because most of them are not going to look for something in their patients that they were taught is extremely rare. Of course, celiac disease is not rare at all, but many doctors still think that it is.>

I got this information from the www.delightglutenfree.com website.  Read the entire article here. It is very informative.

I have to give my experience with a doctor very briefly: 

After i had been diagnosed and had seen the doctors at Jefferson University Hospital at the Celiac Center in Pennsylvania i was trying to get help for my brother who lives a few states away in Ohio.  He was in his doctors office at the time and was asking him to test him for this disease.  My brother couldn't remember the names of the tests so he called me while he was with his doctor and put me on the phone to give him the names of the tests that the doctors at Jefferson had done on me. 

The doctor was not polite at all.  He kept insisting that my brother did not have celiac because he didn't have diarrhea.  I explained to him that i didn't either in fact i suffered from constipation.  I tried to ask him if he would at least test him to see if he carried the gene for this disease.  He said there was no such test. Although i explained that they had just finished these tests on me and found that i carry the gene and i gave him the name of the test he still protested.  Now i'm not a doctor and i understand that many of them have very big egos but i wasn't trying to belittle him in any way i was just trying to help my brother get the proper help he needed.   Unfortunately there are many doctors out there with this same attitude and if this is the case for you i encourage you, just as i did for my brother, to find a new doctor.  Keep looking until you find one that listens!

What can we do to help educate people?  Well there are several things we can do and they don't take a lot of effort.  

It's important to start with our own family and make sure that they have all been tested for this disease.  We can share interesting articles on celiac disease with family and friends through email or social networks. We can email local grocery stores in our area and request that they get more trusted gluten free items in their stores.  Talk to your doctor openly about what you have learned and print out specific articles you have found helpful or that you may have questions on.  Even if you just get the conversation going it is better than them just sending you out the door after diagnosis saying go eat gluten free and see me in a few months.  

There is quite a bit of downloadable guides and articles on the www.celiaccentral.org website that you can use for yourself as well as for your childrens schools.

Another way you can do your part is just to educate those around you.  Yes more and more people are becoming aware of Celiac Disease and being gluten free but they are still very uneducated about it.  You can educate and not bombard people with information with the smallest of phrases such as:  "I suffer from an auto-immune disorder it's not an allergy" ,  "Gluten is a protein that causes damage to my intestines", "I have to be extremely careful to avoid gluten because this disease can lead to developing cancer down the road."  

You don't necessarilly have to give an entire speech but just saying a short phrase that shows the seriousness of the disease will help people to see that this isn't a fad for you and it will give them some much needed information that will leave them thinking.  Who knows maybe they will even go home and do some of their own research,  that is what has happened to me at times.  

Well i hope that this article was enlightening and gave you some encouragement to go out in the world and educate others or even in the very least i hope i encouraged you to educate yourself some more on this disease.  I have found that there is much to learn.  

Please tweet this article to others so that we can raise more awareness on this complex disease.  Thank you!

Stay Healthy!!

References:  celiac sprue association website

                    celiaccentral.org

                    delightglutenfree.com

How Can I Support My Thyroid?

Thyroid Support

Are there things that we can do to support our thyroid?  The very short answer is, yes! When do i ever keep things short though....

Although there is tons of information about thyroid support i will try and keep it as short as possible.  

Whether you are taking a thyroid supplement or not you should definitely be doing things to help your thyroid.  The reason that many people feel that their dessicated natural thyroid hormone isn't working for them is because they aren't supporting their thyroid in other ways as well.  

When you have Celiac Disease your not as able to absorb nutrients in your body as much as a healthy person.  In this case it is even more important for the functioning of your entire body that you do everything possible to support yourself.  

First thing to do is to make sure you are eating as healthy as possible.  There are so many foods out there that contain important vitamins and minerals.  You will find these in fresher foods like veggies,  fresh fish, meats and nuts.  You will more than likely not find them in the more popular processed foods.  Now i'm not against the occasional pizza and cupcakes, gluten free of course, everything in moderation.  However, it is vital to our health to eat fresher foods.  They may take a little more effort to make but definitely pays off when your body is getting the necessary nutrition and you are feeling better.  

Here are some foods that support thyroid function-

These foods contain iodine:

seafood

eggs

lima beans 

asparagus

garlic

sesame seeds

summer squash

spinach

swiss chard

These foods contain selenium:

brazil nuts

tuna

mushrooms

halibut

beef

sunflower seeds

These foods contain copper:

beef 

oysters

lobster

dark chocolate

chickpeas

shitake mushrooms

white beans

These foods contain zinc:

sardines

beef

lamb

turkey

pecans

brazil nuts

whole grains

split peas

walnuts

ginger root

almonds

maple syrup

These foods contain iron:

clams

oysters

pumpkin seeds

white beans

lentils

spinach

These foods contain Vitamin A:

kale

sweet potatoes

carrots

winter squash

pumpkin

spinach 

broccoli

cantaloupe 

liver 

lettuce

These foods contain Vitamin C:

guava

peppers

citrus

kiwifruit

strawberries

brussel sprouts 

papya

cauliflower

parsley

greens

These foods contain Vitamin E:

whole grains

almonds

sunflower seeds

peanuts

leafy green vegetables

asparagus

These foods contain Vitamin B2:

brewers yeast

organ meats

almonds 

white rice

mushrooms

egg yolks

These foods contain Vitamin B3:

brewers yeast

rice bran

peanuts with skin 

poultry white meat

liver

These foods contain Vitamin B6:

brewers yeast

fish

liver

pinto, navy, lima, garbanzo beans

lentils

walnuts

brown rice

bananas

Now there are many, many other foods that contain these nutrients so i encourage you to research foods that support thyroid function for yourself as well.   The other thing to keep in mind is that our soil has been compromised because of all of the pollutants in our environment.   Cooking may also reduce some of the nutrients from foods as well.  For these reasons it may be necessary for you to take supplements.  Just make sure to check to see if any supplements may interact with other meds you may already be taking.  Also you may want to look into what time of day you should take them as some supplements do better at night and some do better on an empty stomach.  

All of the above vitamins and minerals are extremely vital to the functioning of a healthy thyroid.  I encourage you to make sure you are doing everything possible to get these things in your diet daily.  

Also remember that there is a distinct connection between gluten and thyroid issues whether you have celiac or not.  Many people find that when they remove gluten from their diets they feel better and their thyroids function better as well.

Thanks for reading and remember a healthy thyroid makes for a happier individual!

This information is provided on an informational basis.  Be sure to discuss any supplements or change in diet with your doctor or naturopath.    

Why Aren't Restaurants Taking Celiacs Seriously?

Check out my latest experience,

I know i had said that my next post would be more about the thyroid but i just had to share what happened to me over the weekend while going out for breakfast at a place that offered a gluten free items.

I have been to this particular restaurant a couple times before but only for breakfast.  They have an extensive breakfast menu including pancakes and waffles and they state on the menu that they can make anything gluten free.

Well, being that i am a very sensitive celiac i am always very careful and most of the time i call and inquire ahead about practices and equipment.  Although this hadn't been my first time to this place it was the first time i noticed they offered gluten free waffles.  (I always check out menus online before going anywhere.)

I called and spoke with someone in the kitchen.  I told them my situation and asked if they had a separate waffle maker for gluten free waffles or if they shared one with gluten waffles.  He said "yes".  Ok so i was confused by this answer.  I asked "which one?" "you have one just for gluten free waffles?"  He said "yes."
I said "ok well i have to be very careful so that's why i'm inquiring."  He said "just let your server know your concerns when you get here and she will alert the kitchen."

That was the end of that convo.   His whole attitude on the phone was one of irritation and just saying what i wanted to hear to get me off the phone.  Now i have to say that i did not get sick this visit.  I ended up getting pancakes with no syrup.  Here's why:  When i told the server what i was told about the separate waffle maker just for gluten free waffles she said that wasn't true and would double check.  She came back from talking to the chef and said they only have one waffle maker and this is what she said the chef said: "The chef said that he has either read or heard that gluten burns off at 400 degrees F. and this is what they cook the waffles at.  So even though they do share the waffle maker with gluten containing waffles it would be safe for celiacs and he has never had anyone complain about getting sick."

Needless to say this enfuriated me but i just politely said "well then i'm going to need another minute to decide because i am very sensitive to gluten and i would get sick if i ate the waffles."  I also inquired about the vermont maple syrup that they offered but the server also told me she didn't recommend it because she sees crumbs around the rim of the container that they pour it from.  She did write down the ingredients for the syrup that was kept at the table but informed me that it was shared between tables, so i just decided to play it safe and go without.  I've seen kids putting syrup on pancakes and they touch all over the bottle and sometimes even touch the tip to their pancakes.  I may be being a little paranoid but after all i've suffered i'd rather be healthy and paranoid then take chances and get sick.

Well, i did get the pancakes with blueberries and walnuts and had them without syrup and did not get sick thankfully.  Unfortunately if i want waffles i will have to make them at home myself.

What was so irritating about the experience was the ignorance of the chef.  Who told him or where did he read that gluten burns off at 400degrees?  How are they taking the waffles off of the machine?  Could they be accidentally scratching it and allowing gluten to get into the pores? How well are they cleaning it in between gluten and non gluten waffles?  There's just too many variables for me.   I mean if I'm not cooking a pizza in an oven that once had gluten in it at 400 degrees then why would i want my gluten free waffle poured directly on a gluten shared surface that has all kinds of potential to get me sick.

I was reading jennifersway.org.  Jennifer Esposito's blog and she had posted her experience at a restaurant where she was told by the server that they just get so many people wanting gluten free and not everyone can be celiac.  So it seems to me that they just don't feel the need to take it seriously.

These places assume that if people don't call and complain or if they don't see you keel over right away that you must be exaggerating, being picky or just doing a fad diet.  I have to agree that all these people who have jumped on the gluten free band wagon has made it very hard for celiacs.  On the other hand i have to say that going gluten free isn't easy and if someone is doing it because they feel noticeably better than there is a good chance it's because they have some sort of sensitiviy or allergy to it that they didn't realize.  Also, after what i've learned about wheat as a whole it is showing itself to be something that us as a human race are having difficulties digesting because of the hybridization of wheat and the lack of enzymes we need to digest it.  I recommend you check out my post (celiac disease issues & helpful tips).  

Having said all of that i believe it is very important, actually vital to us celiacs, that restaurants go through the proper training on gluten and celiac disease.  Ignorance shouldn't be acceptable.  These restaurants may not want to pay for their kitchen and wait staff to be trained but they should realize that if they were to go to these lengths for us we would trust them more and definitely patronize their establishments more often.  I know many celiacs that would even pay any extra markup if they knew they were able to eat as worry free as possible.  Of course we are always a little bit worried and we should always be extra careful but when we know that there has been training that has taken place it is a little relieving to us.  Plus if the food is good we'll keep coming back again and again.                                              

I have to ask the restaurant business, What could it hurt, whether it be a gluten free eater that does it for diet or gluten free for celiac, that when you get this request just be extra careful period.  Why not treat everyone that requests gluten free as if they could get deathly ill?  It never hurts to be too careful, right?

I would also like to encourage every celiac or gluten sensitive/allergy person that does get sick from eating at an establishment please call and report it.  I know it's easy to get frustrated and just let it go especially when you feel crappy for the next few weeks but it's vital for all those fighting this that you  let these restaurants know they are messing with your health.  Maybe if they hear how much we are getting sick they will be motivated to do something about their practices.  Maybe if they see that we won't stand for their ignorance and we just won't go to their place of business they will see how much money they are losing and change what they are doing?

 
So next time you get sick at a restaurant call and complain make your case known.  Tell them you won't return unless they show you that they can be trusted.  Write a review to help your fellow celiac and gluten sensitive/allergy eaters.   On the other hand, next time you get great service and they take the time to make you feel comfortable and you can tell they are going the extra mile, why not thank them by tweeting about your experience, write a great review on them, send them a thank you note.  You would be surprised what these seemingly small details will do to make a difference in not only your dining experience but your fellow celiac/gluten sensitive friends as well.

Please tweet this article to your followers so that we can show people and restaurant owners that this subject is very important to us!

Thanks for reading!

Synthetic Thyroid Hormone or Natural?

Synthetic or Natural?

In one of my previous posts about synthetic hormones i shared reasons as to why synthetic hormones such as Synthroid and Levothyroxine really don't seem to help many thyroid issues.  Being that the thyroid is much more complex then we realize containing T4, T3, T2,T1 and the synthetic hormones that many doctors prescribe are mainly T4 hormone.  This is the reason that many people don't find relief from their frustrating thyroid symptoms.  I recommend that you read my previous post "Why Aren't My Thyroid Meds Working?".

I decided to explore another route for my own personal treatment.  My doctors answer to my thyroid issue was to continue to up the dosage of my Synthroid medication but i just wasn't feeling the relief i needed.  Now what i did next i do not recommend.  I recommend that when it comes to any medication changing or changing in treatments you decide to do, always consult your physician or naturopath first.  I was so desperate to feel better and i had just found out that my thyroid meds were blocking an enzyme that i desperately needed for histamine breakdown so i stopped my medication.

Of course after stopping my meds it didn't take long before my thyroid started feeling even worse.  I think i really confused my body by doing this.  I knew that i didn't want to get back on the synthetic hormones so i started doing my research.

I came across several and i mean several blogs, studies and personal experiences of people sharing their experiences with Natural Thyroid Hormone.  Of course i was a little skeptical but i thought from what i was reading it merited more looking into.  In most of the information that i was reading the people who had decided to take this route were pretty happy with their choice and didn't want to go back to synthetics either.

In my research i found that the natural thyroid hormone not only contained the T4 but also the other T's that the thyroid needed to function and complete it's oh so important job.  That was a plus already.  I began to look into natural dessicated thyoid hormones.  I found a few different ones that required a prescription.  One of them being Armour.  The thing i noticed is that many people had good results with Armour but then the FDA made them change the formula and now many aren't feeling the same relief as they were feeling before.
So I continued to look into hormones that didn't require a prescription and finally ran across a company called www.Nutri-Meds.com that sells not only natural dessicated thyroid hormone but also adrenal support which is critical to helping thyroid issues.  Their prices are also very reasonable.

I have been on them less than a month and already feel a huge difference.  I'm looking forward to even more improvement.  I encourage you to check out natural dessicated thyroid hormones.  I am currently taking their bovine but they also offer porcine.  They do not have any crazy fillers either so you don't have to worry about all the other allergy concerns as with the synthetic hormones.

Now I also ran across a lot of information that showed how important it is to add specific vitamins and minerals to your thyroid hormone treatment to ensure that the hormone is able to complete its job.  Many people believe that the natural dessicated thyroid hormone isn't working for them after they don't feel the desired results and decide to go back to synthetics.  What they fail to realize is that we need to supplement ourselves with other things that are missing from our diets, either from the way we eat, our bad soil or as in my case my celiac disease that inhibits my absorbtion of nutrients.

Oh and to answer my question at the beginning, Synthetic or Natural?  For me it's Natural all the way!

In my next post i will talk about what nutrients, vitamins and supplements are also vital for our thyroid to function. Stay posted!

Link between Celiac Disease and Your Thyroid

 Links between Celiac and Thyroid:

You may have noticed that i changed the titles to a few of my posts having to do with the thyroid.  I'm amending my sequence for the explanation of your thyroid and celiac disease because i really wanted to help people see there is a connection between the two.  I apologize if it causes confusion but i encourage you to read all of my posts that have to do with the thyroid as everything will correlate and make sense.
Thanks for your patience!


There is more and more research that is finding that when you have celiac disease the risk of developing a condition that can affect the thyroid and can compromise a persons overall health is significantlly increased. There is a group of Italian researchers that have conducted studies and have come to the conclusion that the prevalence of celiac disease in those with thyroid disease is significantly high.  They said that "It is also possible that the association between celiac disease and autoimmunity in untreated celiac patients is caused by the gluten intake."  They also wrote that "undiagnosed celiac disease can cause other disorders by switching on some as yet unknown immunological mechanism."  The researchers believe that all those with thyroid disorders can benefit by being screened for celiac disease.  The AGA (American Gastro Association Institute) however does not recommend it.  Why doesn't that surprise me?

Anyway, research has found that people with celiac are four times more likely to develop an autoimmune thyroid condition.  That is why it is so important to stay gluten free and not cheat when you have celiac. Even if you don't have celiac there is quite a bit of information that has come out about wheat and how many people are reacting adversely to it because of the hybridization of it.  It's important to remember that gluten causes inflammation and can affect your overall health and aggravate other autoimmune issues you already have. (see my post on celiac disease issues and helpful tips where i discuss more about wheat).

Celiac disease and autoimmune thyroid disorder seem to have a common genetic predisposition.  This could explain why so many more celiacs, more than the rest of the population, have thyroid issues.

I highly encourage anyone who has thyroid issues to get tested for celiac disease as well.  This will help in thwarting off other health issues that could develop if this disease continues to go on untreated.

There are two common thyroid conditions:
1. Hypothyroidism- which is an underactive thyroid.  This is when there is a decrease in thyroid production.
2. Hyperthyroidism-an overactive thyroid.  This is when there is an increase in thyroid production.

Hashimoto's Disease is a form of hypothyroidism. It's the most common form of hypothyroidism there is. Graves Disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism.

Here are some symptoms of hypothyroidism:

*fatigue
*depression
*dry/brittle hair
*hair loss (especially in front of head)
*swollen/enlarged thyroid
*muscle cramps
*constipation
*weight gain
*low body temp
*dry skin

Here are some symptoms of hyperthyroidism:

*weight loss (even when your apetite is increased)
*rapid heart rate, palpatations
*increased apetite
*sweating
*anxiety,nervousness
*tremors especially in hands and fingers
*fatigue, muscle weakness
*difficulty sleeping
*fine/brittle hair
*enlarged thyroid
*increased sensitivity to heat
*changes in menstrual cycle
*fine/brittle hair
*thinning skin
*more frequent bowel movements

If you have many of these symptoms it is important to consult your physician or naturopath about the possibility of having a thyroid disorder.  It also could be very helpful for you to check your basal temperature first thing in the mornings for a week and take the results to them as well.  The thyroid can be very tricky and hard to diagnose because of the tsh blood test that many physicians order.  The tsh blood test is not very reliable.  (see my post on celiac disease and thyroid part II for more information about the tsh blood test and why it's not reliable when diagnosing a thyroid issue).

I hope that this information is helpful for you and your thyroid issues.  Please read my correlating thyroid posts for more helpful and detailed info on the thyroid.

Always make sure to do your research on any treatments/medications your doctor wants to try you on.  It could even be helpful to get a second opinion.

Remember that i am neither a doctor nor a naturopath.  All of the information in my posts are for educational purposes only and are based on my own experiences and research.  Please, always contact your physician/naturopath before starting or stopping any medications and or treatments.  

Why Aren't My thyroid Meds Working?

Your Thyroid & Common Prescribed Meds

Once i realized my thyroid needed attention i decided to start researching information about what i could do to help my thyroid without going back on Synthroid and or Levothyroxine.  In my research i found out many interesting things about these synthetic hormones.  Here are just a few things i found out:

1.  It seems that many, many people are on these synthetic hormones and still having issues with their thyroid.  It also seems that these T4 hormones aren't addressing all the needs of the thyroid.

2.  These synthetic drugs also have fillers.  One of the fillers is acacia and the other lactose. If a person has sensitivities or allergies to these they will feel worse on these meds.

3. If you have issues with histamine, Levothyroxine blocks the production of the DAO enzyme in the intestines which will cause more digestive upset.

So these are just a few things that i discovered about these meds.  I believe that they are the reasons why many issues i already had may have become even more pronounced or maybe even could have developed more issues, i'm still learning a lot as i go.  What i have learned though has been very enlightening and i have experienced relief from many of my issues.

Here's what I will do.  I will begin by addressing these three issues i found one by one.  You can look at them individually and do more research on your own and come to a conclusion based on your own physical symptoms.  I advise you though, never to stop or start taking any medication without consulting your doctor or naturopath.  All of the information on my site is for educational purposes only and to give an overview of my personal experience and what has helped me in my own particular case.

Let's look at #1.   Synthroid and Levothyroxine are T4 hormones and people are not finding relief while on them.  
I find this very interesting.  Why wouldn't these T4 hormones be enough to fix the problem? Well many people can't convert T4 to T3. First we need to learn exactly how the thyroid works.  I'm going to try and break it down as simple as possible so as not to cause too much unnecessary confusion.
Here is a simple breakdown:
-The Hypothalamus stimulates the Pituitary gland to produce Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH).

-TSH stimulates the thyroid to produce T4 (thyroxine). (T4 is the raw material used to make the active thyroid hormone T3.  T4 is what  Synthroid and Levothyroxine is as well.) The thyroid is responsible for producing T4,T3,T1 and T2 and cells are responsible for converting T4 into it's active form of T3.

-T4 is also converted to RT3 (reverse T3) which is physiologically inactive.

-80% of T3 is produced outside the thyroid in the Tissues of the Body

-T4 is converted to T3 by an enzyme called Deiodinase. (this enzyme can become inhibited by stress, environment, acute/chronic illness,cortisol and other things.)

-When the body is under stress it converts less T4 to T3 and more T4 to RT3 so as to conserve energy and with less T3 the cells of the body slows down.

Now the way the thyroid works is that it is regulated to ensure that the right amount of T3 is delivered to the cells but if there is any type of deficiency anywhere along the line then the result is the same, not enough T3 to the cells.  If there isn't enough T3 to the cells then the metabolism will not be fast enough and the temperature will drop and low-thyroid-like symptoms will appear.

So when you go to your doctor to complain about fatigue, hair loss in the front of your head and you tell him your hands and feet are cold and you have no energy to finish daily tasks, he says, let's check your thyroid. He then orders a TSH  blood test.  You receive the results after much anticipation and what does he tell you?  Your within the "normal" range.  What?!

I have talked to so many people who are constantly told they are within so called normal range.  Normal range for whom, i ask?  We are all individuals, what may be normal for you may not be for me.  This isn't as compelling as what i discovered next in my research though.

When they are testing your TSH they are testing the level of hormone in your blood not what's happening in your tissues and cells.  You see, blood tests work well to see if your glands are properly putting hormones into your blood but they aren't showing what's happening once they leave your blood and go into the tissues of the body.  And as we learned about the thyroid 80% of the active thyroid hormone is produced in the tissues after it's left the blood stream.  Hence, the TSH blood test result: "normal" range.  You then go home more depressed and frustrated then when you walked in the docs office.

Ok, so what factors can inhibit the proper production of thyroid hormones?
*Stress
*infection, trauma, radiation, medications
*flouride which is an antagonist to iodine.    Flouride, especially in the U.S. is added to water which can cause issues in this area.  (we will go on to learn more on the importance of iodine in another post.)
*Toxins such as pesticides, mercury, cadmium, lead
*auto immune disease: Celiac Disease

Above we learned that the body under stress converts more T4 to RT3.  We don't want that.
These are the factors that can increase the possibility of this happening:
*stress
*trauma
*inflammation
*toxins
*infections
*liver/kidney dysfunction
*some medications

As you read this you can evaluate for yourself if any of these factors could be affecting your thyroid.

So what factors will hep with the proper production of thyroid hormones?
Factors for proper thyroid hormone production:
Surprise, Surprise: Nutrients!
*Iron
*Iodine
*Tyrosine
*Zinc
*Selenium
*Vitamin E, B2,B3,B6,C,D,

Factors that increase the conversion of T4 to T3:
*Selenium
*Zinc

Other things that help with the cells being able to do what they need with the thyroid hormones are:
*Vitamin A
*Exercise
*Zinc

Now that you see all the things that are involved with thyroid hormone production it makes sense as to why the synthetic hormones Synthroid and Levothyroxine which are T4 hormones don't seem to work for everyone.  Even if you are on them and seem to be doing well there may be areas you could feel improvement in but just take for granted it's just life.  You may still feel a little tired in certain areas of life but just write it off to being a busy mom, having a busy workload or just being a busy person all together.  You could probably feel even more improvement by taking something other than just T4.  This is where looking into Natural Thyroid Hormone may be beneficial for you.  Many have opted to take this route and are finding they are feeling so much better on it than on the synthetic drugs, myself included.  I will talk more about Natural Thyroid Hormone in another post.

On to #2
Fillers in the synthetic hormones Synthroid and Levothyroxine.
Many people seem to have issues on these drugs after beginning them.  Some people don't notice them right away others do.  Many who have allergies and intolerances seem to have more issues with them then others. Why?  Some people have allergies to the dyes in them.  In this case their doctors decide to try them on another med without dye.  Other people have issues with the acacia and lactose in the fillers.  What is acacia?  Acacia is a family of shrubs and trees.  They put acacia in medication to give it form and shape but many who already suffer from pollen allergies and hay fever, especially to grass and tree pollens, find they are also allergic to acacia even when it's an ingredient in medications.  So people may find that when they take meds such as Synthroid and Levothyroxine they have symptoms like watery itchy eyes, congestion, mood changes and runny nose.

As for the lactose, which is the major sugar found in milk and the ingredient in some foods and medications, if they are lactose intolerant (as many with Celiac Disease are)  they will find that taking these meds trigger symptoms such as nausea, cramping, bloating, diarrhea.  This usually happens around 30 minutes to 2 hours after taking the pill.   Lactose intolerance is an inability to digest lactose.


Last but definitely not least #3
Synthetic hormones Synthroid and Levothyroxine can block DAO enzyme.
These medications not only raise histamine levels but they can inhibit the production of DAO enzyme (diamine oxidase enzyme) and monoamine oxidase enzyme.  Both of these enzymes are responsible for metabolizing histamine and tyramine.  So seeing that these enzymes help to break down the histamine in foods if we don't have enough of these enzymes being produced in our intestines (or if their production is being inhibited by medication) then we will have histamine reactions to food such as headaches, runny nose, cough, rash etc.

I bet you never realized what havoc medications can have on your body and just how much went into your thyroid.  I know that i myself never did.  After suffering for so long and dealing with so many weird issues i had to start figuring out what exactly was happening.  Being that doctors didn't seem to be helping me i had to be my own advocate.  Unfortunately this isn't always easy especially when you just don't have the energy or the time.  It can seem daunting to take on the task of being your own doctor.  I don't recommend avoiding doctors completely, after all they are the ones who attended med school.  I do recommend however becoming as knowledgeable as possible with your body and its functions and learning everything you can on any medication that your doctor wants to put you on.  There are so many side effects that come along with different medications and unfortunately sometimes we can end up feeling worse on some meds than before we started.

After i recognized all that went into thyroid function and the possible complications i was receiving from being on synthetic hormones i decided to take action and try Natural Thyroid Hormone.  I realized all the nutrients and vitamins that helped the thyroid to function so i began taking certain vitamins and looking for a Natural Thyroid Hormone that i could get without a prescription because my doctor only believed in the power of the synthetic hormones.

In my next post i will discuss what protocol i decided to start.  Don't forget to subscribe to get your updated posts!

Make Custom Gifts at CafePress