Day 24: Thyroid Gland

Thyroid Health: Liquid Zeolites, Radish Juice, Ashwaganda, Kelp, and Nascent Iodine

Welcome to Day 24!

Most of us do not recognize the thyroid as a part of the body worth consideration until it begins to give us problems.

Estimates are that 1 in 5 Americans have thyroid issues, which show up as depression, weight gain, low energy, a feeling of being perpetually cold. Often these health challenges are misdiagnosed, with patients being prescribed medications for problems that stem from low thyroid that do not remove the thyroid issue. Low thyroid may be the most commonly misdiagnosed health problem in the United States. Some physicians estimate that as many as one in five Americans may suffer from an unsuspected low thyroid state, known as hypothyroidism.

If you think you or your loved ones may be suffering from a thyroid challenge, you don’t want to miss today’s excellent articles by Gary Null:

“Are You Tired? Low Thyroid May Be The Culprit: Parts 1 and 2” by Gary Null.

See the writeup in today’s Articles Section.

Juice Feasting and Your Thyroid

We are looking at three things that everyone can do to support their thyroid while Juice Feasting:

Detoxification, Balance, and Support.

Here you go:

1. Detoxification: Liquid Zeolites. Historically, the thyroid has not been an easy organ to detoxify. However, Liquid Zeolites, because they pull toxins from your entire body, do an excellent job at thyroid detox. Zeolites have been integrated into the Juice Feasting Program to assist with full-body chelation of harmful agrochemicals, industrial chemicals, pharmaceutical residues, and heavy metals. This is the form of liquid zeolite Katrina and I recommend.

2. Balance: Radish juice and Ashwaganda. This sulfur-rich food can can help balance over or underactive thyroid. Radish has an element called raphanin in it that balances T3 and T4, your thyroid balancing hormones. To gain the therapeutic effect of the raphanin in radishes, make about 1/2 cup of radish juice to put in your Green Vegetable Juice each day.

Ashwagandha has been shown to increase the amount of hormones secreted by the thyroid gland. It’s unknown why this happens, but it has some type of regulating effect on thyroid hormone secretion. The studies on this herb don’t show selectively that the herbal extracts cause the secretion of more T4, T3, but both levels go up with the supplementation of a high quality ashwaganda. So there’s more to it than our “science” can identify.  

Aside from the thyroid, it also is effective for adrenal support. Now, keep in mind, ashwagandha isn’t a complete cure for your thyroid. The increases in T3 and T4 (thyroid hormones) are small. But it’s the first step for the thyroid, especially when there’s stress involved.

3. Support: Nascent Iodine and Kelp. We know about Kelp from Day 23 yesterday. On Nascent Iodine, this gets a little technical. The long and short of it is that Nascent Iodine is very readily absorbed by your body. Here are the technical goodies:

Nascent Iodine is a consumable iodine in its atomic form rather than its molecular form. It is an iodine atom that has an incomplete number of electrons. It is paramagnetic. What does that mean? Well, it means that the iodine atoms can hold an electromagnetic charge. While this all might sound a little like a flashback to chemistry class, the most important thing to understand is that Nascent Iodine has a huge energy release when consumed.

This “charged” state is held by the atom until diluted in water and consumed, whereby it gradually loses energy over a 2-3 hour time span. During this time, Nascent Iodine is recognized by the body as the same iodine that is produced by the thyroid and is absorbed effortlessly by the body.

This form of Nascent Iodine is what Katrina and I use.

Gary Null on Iodine

"How can you tell if you are deficient in iodine?

A sluggish feeling — due to the fact that your thyroid is not producing enough thyroxine for your metabolism to work at normal speed — is one clue. Other symptoms are a bad complexion and unhealthy looking hair, teeth, and nails. If your thyroid function degenerates into official hypothyroidism, in which perhaps only one-quarter of the thyroxine your body needs is present, you may suffer from chronic fatigue, forgetfulness, lack of interest in sex, impotence, overweight, and irritability. Should you notice any of these symptoms, consult your physician. He or she may suggest a prescribed iodine supplement, which in the early stages of thyroid malfunction could solve your problem."

Complete Guide Health and Nutrition by Gary Null (page 410)

Post-Juice Feasting and Your Thyroid

We have excellent resources here for you today. Dr. David Brownstein is one of the most knowledgeable doctors in the cutting edge field of thyroid healing and support. You can find his books below.

In the media section, note the Thyroid Program put together by my friend and colleague Kevin Gianni with Dr. J.E. Williams. You can also continue to use Liquid Zeolites, Radish Juice, Ashwaganda, Nascent Iodine, and Kelp (along with other Sea Vegetables discussed yesterday).

You don’t have to be a pro at this one – acquire some books and become more familiar with this often-forgotten, very important gland in your body, and you will naturally find yourself gravitating towards Life Practices that are in support of your Thyroid! What an amazing gland!

Nascent Iodine is an exceptional form of iodine that is rapidly absorbed by the body when taken as a nutritional supplement.

It is associated with a diverse range of benefits, including support for thyroid function and metabolism regulation, boosting energy levels (when iodine is deficient), assisting and maintaining detoxification systems, improving immunity, fighting infections (natural antiseptic), and other benefits. Because of its antiseptic properties, it also can be used effectively to purify water for drinking.

Today’s Downloads

Online Articles

Are You Tired? Low Thyroid May Be The Culprit: Part 1 by Gary Null

An underactive thyroid system is a common health problem, causing symptoms such as low energy, weight gain, hair loss and depression in its many victims. Depression is an especially tricky symptom for these people because it is likely to be diagnosed as a psychological disorder. A patient could end up taking an antidepressant such as Prozac, which poses certain health risks, at a time when he or she really needs to repair a faulty thyroid system.

Low thyroid may be the most commonly misdiagnosed health problem in the United States. Some physicians estimate that as many as one in five Americans may suffer from an unsuspected low thyroid state. In Thyroid Power: Ten Steps to Total Health, Richard Shames, M.D., and Karilee Shames, R.N., Ph.D., call low thyroid a “large-scale epidemic that has been inadequately addressed.” They note that more than half of people with low-grade hypothyroidism remain undiagnosed at any given time, and that Synthroid, the well-known thyroid hormone medication, became the best-selling prescription drug in 1999.

Are You Tired? Low Thyroid May Be The Culprit: Part 2 by Gary Null

Conventional medicine’s view of thyroid functioning is marked by two distinct problems:

One problem, as noted in Part 1 of this article, is the flawed process of diagnosing thyroid disorders. Even when a patient is obviously symptomatic, his or her condition may go unrecognized by orthodox physicians because they focus so exclusively on the results of conventional thyroid blood tests. These tests do not directly measure the functioning of the entire thyroid system, which includes both the central production of T4 hormone and the conversion of T4 to T3 at the tissue level. This conversion process, which occurs outside of the thyroid gland itself, is essential because T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone that works in the body’s cells.

The second problem with the mainstream approach to thyroid functioning occurs in the treatment phase. When a patient is in fact diagnosed with a low thyroid condition by conventional medicine, the physician’s automatic, reflex reaction generally is to prescribe a synthetic T4 medication that does not contain T3.

Iodine Treats Breast Cancer: Overwhelming Evidence by Dr. Jeffrey Dach, MD

This is an amazing page, very well organized, and Dr. Dach is to be congratulated and thanked profusely for putting it together. A Must-Read if you have breasts, or care about them!

Herbs and Foods for Thyroid Health by Brigitte Mars

How iodine accelerates weight loss by supporting the thyroid gland by Dani Veracity

If adjusting your diet and exercising more hasn’t helped you reach a healthy body weight, you may have hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid gland. In addition to weight gain, other symptoms of hypothyroidism include a bad complexion, fatigue, forgetfulness, loss of sex drive, impotence, irritability and unhealthy hair, nails and teeth. Fortunately, you can help normalize an underactive thyroid gland by increasing your intake of the mineral iodine.

Iodine Deficiency and Its Link to Diseases in the Body by Mary Laredo

Naturally occurring iodine is a rare trace element that was discovered in the 1800’s by a French chemist. It was found to be effective in the treatment of goiter (swelling of the thyroid gland), and in 1924 the United States initiated its use as an additive to common table salt to address the high incidence of iodine deficiency. As a result, the once-common condition of goiter in the U.S. was virtually eliminated. It is highly accepted that iodized salt is sufficient to meet the body’s requirements. Although this assertion has been taught in medical schools for several decades, many studies counter that claim. Furthermore, researchers have found that the iodine in salt has poor bioavailability, meaning that the body does not fully absorb the dosage.

New Study Suggests Perchlorate Effects on Thyroid Function of U.S. Women(press release) by NaturalNews.com

Early last year, a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel concluded its review of research on the health effects of perchlorate, an inorganic anion and component of rocket fuel known to inhibit the thyroid’s ability to absorb iodine from the bloodstream, by recommending a new reference dose. The NAS also called for further research to identify safe exposure levels for sensitive subpopulations. Now, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released findings showing that American women, particularly those with low iodine intake, may have reduced thyroid function due to perchlorate exposure. Similar thyroid function changes were not found for men.

Perchlorate chemicals in milk and produce found to cause thyroid deficiency by Jerome Douglas

It’s recently been discovered that perchlorate — a solid rocket-fuel chemical component — can be found in minute amounts in milk, fruit, vegetables and drinking water supplies nationwide. This is according to a startling new study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) performed an analysis showing 44 million American women who are pregnant, thyroid deficient or have low iodine levels may have increased health risks due to perchlorate exposure. Perchlorate can lower levels of thyroid hormones in women, causing possible issues with proper fetus development and with later infant development as well.

In response to the CDC study that was just released, Renee Sharp, an EWG analyst with a history of studying perchlorate, said, “The Pentagon and defense contractors, who are responsible for much of the perchlorate in drinking water supplies, have lobbied hard against federal standards, arguing that perchlorate posed no threat to healthy adults … this new study shows that even very small levels of perchlorate in water or food can have a marked effect on thyroid levels in women. We can’t ignore this serious public health issue any longer.”

Rocket fuel from military planes poisoning U.S. water supply by Jerome Douglas

The drinking water supply across the U.S. is being consistently exposed to a rocket fuel chemical known as perchlorate at levels dangerous to public health, according to a new report. As a result of the contamination, thyroid deficiency could be happening in more than 2 million women of childbearing age. According to an Environmental Working Group (EWG) analysis of new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), California health officials will consider a proposed standard for perchlorate in drinking water that the EWG found could trigger thyroid deficiency requiring treatment during pregnancy in more than 272,000 California women.

Great Books

Media, Films, & Documentaries

[Online Course Download] The Thyroid Health Program by Dr. J.E. Williams and Kevin Gianni

Iodine: The Most Misunderstood Nutrient: Presentation by David Brownstein MD

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