This Is What Gluten Can Do To Your Thyroid (It Isn't Pretty)

BY DR. WILLIAM COLE

Hormones are the messengers and regulators of the body, determining the function of every cell. For any hormone to be used in the body it has to be attached to its corresponding receptor site, which is found on a cell's membrane.

Think of the receptor site as a special lock that can only be unlocked by that specific hormone. For example, a thyroid receptor site can only be unlocked by a thyroid hormone and nothing else.

Thyroid: The Queen Of All Hormones

There are only two types of receptor sites that are found in every cell of the body, thyroid and vitamin d receptor sites. To put it simply, every cell of our body depends on the thyroid, and it impacts your health in many different ways. If your thyroid hormones don't function healthily, neither will the rest of your body.

Around 20 million Americans and 250 million people worldwide have low thyroid function or hypothyroidism. One in 8 women will struggle with a thyroid problem in her lifetime, and up to 90% of all thyroid problems are autoimmune in nature, the most common of which is Hashimoto's.

It's important to note that there's a 30% chance that the antibody tests to diagnose Hashimoto's will present an indecisive or false negative result, causing many Hashimoto's cases to go undiagnosed for years.

The Gluten-Thyroid Storm

Since the majority of low-thyroid problems are somewhere on the autoimmune spectrum, we have to look at what triggers the immune system to attack the thyroid. What happens is a case of mistaken identity, and gluten is one of the main culprits.

When gluten, the protein found in wheat and other grains, passes through the gut lining and into your blood stream, your immune system will tag the foreign invader (gluten) with antibodies for destruction. The problem is that your immune system can mistake the thyroid for gluten, causing it to come under attack.

Gluten Intolerance Is Not Just A Celiac Problem

When people think of gluten intolerance, they typically think of celiac disease (CD), but this is just one manifestation of gluten intolerance.

To be officially labeled as having CD, there needs to be significant destruction of your instestinal microvilli. Interestingly, one study found that more than 25% of celiacs have some sort of thyroid problem. Only about 10% of people with CD have obvious GI symptoms, causing many people to go undiagnosed.

Functional medicine realizes that there are millions more on the autoimmune spectrum who are falling through the cracks of mainstream medicine and left to fend for themselves.

An estimated 1 in 20 Americans, and by some accounts as many as 1 in 3 have what is called non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS). Though many autoimmune sufferers will avoid gluten for a few weeks and give up, unsure if it is causing them problems, it can take up to six months to recover from the inflammatory response!

It's important to know that being mostly gluten-free is like being mostly pregnant. You are or you aren't! It's also crucial to learn exactly how to go gluten-free the right way with healthy whole-food choices.

So what do you do if you find yourself thinking gluten may be causing you issues? Here are six things to consider:

1. Comprehensive gluten intolerance labs

Most mainstream doctors run only basic alpha gliadin labs, which causes many to hear that gluten is not an issue for them. Getting a full panel will give accurate insight into your case.

2. Gut health labs

Ask your doctor to run specific blood and stool labs to assess the health of the microbiome and rule out leaky gut syndrome.

3. Full thyroid panel

You can have normal-looking thyroid-stimulating hormone results but still have an underlying thyroid problem. Make sure to have a full functional medicine view of your thyroid hormone health.

4. Avoid other triggers

In addition to gluten, make sure to educate yourself on the other triggers for autoimmune thyroid problems.

5. Autoimmune healing tools

There are many natural healing tools to balance the immune system that you can start to bring into your life.

6. Personalized functional medicine care

Many people have gone years of their lives having to be their own clinician because doctors have not given them answers. They spend endless hours on Google trying to solve their health problems.

Getting personalized functional medicine care can be a sigh of relief to know someone understands what you are going through.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-18316/this-is-what-gluten-can-do-to-your-thyroid-it-isnt-pretty.html

The Dark Side Of Kale (And How To Eat Around It)

The Dark Side Of Kale (And How To Eat Around It)

 Rachel Zimmerman

The headline in The New York Times made my heart sink: “Kale? Juicing? Trouble Ahead.”

Confession: I’m one of those Vitamix-loving, green-smoothie worshipping, kale bandwagoners. I brim with holier-than-thou pride when my kids eat raw kale (no dressing, even!) and thick kale-laden shakes while other children snack on sugary GoGURT squeezes and suck on juice boxes.

I am not alone. Presidents and stars are kale-lovers too.

Kale, in case you haven’t noticed, is health-conscious America’s “it” vegetable. Raw, blended, sauteed or in chip or “crunch” form, it appears to be the manna of celebrities: Gwyneth and Jennifer devour it while Kevin Bacon recently declared [it's] “the age of kale.” In an astutely reported feature called “Stars Who Love Kale,” US Weekly quotes Bette Midler saying: “Kale is burning up the veggisphere.”

Even the Obamas dined on kale salad at their Thanksgiving feast, notes The Washington Post.

But apparently there’s trouble in cruciferous paradise.

Writing for The Times, Jennifer Berman reports on the dark side of kale, and how the health-infused, veggie Eden she’d carefully built over years began to crumble:

Imagine my shock, then, at my last physical, when my doctor told me I had hypothyroidism, common in women over 40. When I got home I looked up the condition on the Internet and found a list of foods to avoid. Kale, which I juiced every morning, tops the list, followed by broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and collard greens — the cruciferous vegetables I consumed in large quantities because they are thought to prevent cancer, which runs in my family. And flax — as in the seeds — high in omega 3’s, that I sprinkled on cereal and blended in strawberry almond milk smoothies. Also forbidden: almonds and strawberries, not to mention soy, peaches, peanuts, corn, radishes, rutabaga and spinach.

My first reaction: Berman must be misguided, mistaken. Can kale possibly be bad?

Well, yes, possibly. Here’s the science-y lowdown on the kale-thyroid connection from the Oregon State University Micronutrient Information site:

Very high intakes of cruciferous vegetables…have been found to cause hypothyroidism (insufficient thyroid hormone) in animals (68). There has been one case report of an 88-year-old woman developing severe hypothyroidism and coma following consumption of an estimated 1.0 to 1.5 kg/day of raw bok choy for several months. Two mechanisms have been identified to explain this effect. The hydrolysis of some glucosinolates found in cruciferous vegetables (e.g., progoitrin) may yield a compound known as goitrin, which has been found to interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis. The hydrolysis of another class of glucosinolates, known as indole glucosinolates, results in the release of thiocyanate ions, which can compete with iodine for uptake by the thyroid gland. Increased exposure to thiocyanate ions from cruciferous vegetable consumption or, more commonly, from cigarette smoking, does not appear to increase the risk of hypothyroidism unless accompanied by iodine deficiency. One study in humans found that the consumption of 150 g/day (5 oz/day) of cooked Brussels sprouts for four weeks had no adverse effects on thyroid function.

(For an updated reality check on kale consumption and the thyroid, see our Q and A with endocrinologist and thyroid expert Dr. Jeffrey Garber here. Bottom line: in the U.S, where we don’t have a big problem with iodine deficiency, it’s probably OK.)

Teresa Fung, Sc.D., M.S.. an adjunct professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and a professor at Simmons College in Boston, confirms the kale-thyroid link. But, she says, “normal, reasonable amounts of eating should not be a problem. A regular person [with no thyroid issues] who eats several servings of cruciferous vegetables a week should not have problems.”

Fung adds: “It’s the dose that makes a poison. If people have hypothyroidism or they’re taking thyroid medication, then they should check with their doctor. But even in this case, reasonable amounts shouldn’t be a problem. Now, if people have a tall glass of kale juice every single day, then it gets into the unknown territory.”

So, what are still-anxious kale-lovers to do? I asked Somerville, Mass. health coach and psychology of eating coach Nina Manolson to offer some guidance. (She’s not a doctor, but she knows a lot about food, so keep that in mind and always check with a professional if you make major changes in your diet.)

Nina reiterated that kale is a goitrogenic food, meaning that it can contribute to an enlarged thyroid — a goiter. A goiter indicates that the thyroid gland is not functioning optimally. But, she says, there are ways to have our kale and eat it too. Here, lightly edited, are her suggestions:

1. Cook Your Kale

The goitrogenic properties of kale become dramatically lessened when kale — or any other cruciferous vegetable — is cooked. (Other veggies in this category include: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga, turnips, bok choy and Chinese cabbage. Arugula, horseradish, radish, wasabi and watercress are also cruciferous vegetables.)

2. Eat Seaweed

Kale on its own does not increase the risk of thyroid problems. It’s a combination of factors; including potential iodine deficiency. (One of the most common causes of goiters is iodine deficiency.) Adding seaweed or another iodine rich food to your diet may, in some cases, help you get adequate iodine.

3. Throw A Brazil Nut Into Your Smoothie

Selenium can support normal iodine levels which in turn may support a healthy thyroid. A Brazil nut or two in your daily smoothie or as a topping to any dish might help keep selenium levels strong.

4. Switch Up Your Greens

Vary your greens. If you’re going to eat kale one day choose a non-cruciferous, non-goitrogenic veggie dish the next, like a simple cucumber and tomato salad, or beets. There are many highly nutritious vegetables that aren’t goitrogenic, including celery, parsley, zucchini, carrots and more. Our bodies need many nutrients and by eating a variety of vegetables you’ll ensure that you don’t overload on one and skip another.

Nina adds:

If you don’t have a thyroid issue, kale can and should be a delicious and healthy part of your diet because it is, indeed, a nutritional superstar with excellent credentials:

•It supports strong bones because of its high calcium content.

•It’s a potential immune booster, rich in Vitamin C.

•It may protect us against cancer because it’s packed with antioxidants and as mentioned, it’s a cruciferous vegetable.

•It’s high in iron which can support blood and energy levels.

•And of course, it’s packed with fiber so it’s great for digestion.

All of this leaves me wishing that eating were just, well, simpler. With no arsenic in the rice and no flip-flopping guidance on milk, soy, whatever, from the experts.

http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/01/the-dark-side-of-kale-and-how-to-eat-around-it