by Karen Reynolds, L.Ac., M.S., R.N.

Welcome to Part III of the Thyroid Fertility Connection.

In Parts I & II, I discussed the typical signs and symptoms of Hashimoto’s

disease, hypothyroidism, the biophysiology of these instances, and some helpful lab tests used to evaluate your thyroid function.

This section will give you some practical nutritional and supplemental tips to support your thyroid function and in turn your fertility.

As I’ve noted in Parts I and II, one of the biggest, life long practices, which benefits your fertility health, your immune system and your thyroid health, is to cut gluten out of your diet. The amazing and wonderful thing about our modern world is there are so many quality, gluten-free alternatives easily available. One of my patients recently traveled to Nigeria and she even found gluten-free bakeries and alternatives there! Next time you are in a restaurant, ask if they have a gluten-free menu. You may be surprised to find that more and more establishments are providing gluten-free options. One local pizzeria in my town even has a gluten-free pie and gluten-free beer.

I love Tinkyada brown rice pastas. These products are readily available online and in most health food stores. The consistency and flavor is practically seamless compared with traditional wheat based pasta.

Next I want to discuss some basic and inexpensive supplements that benefit everyone not just women seeking to fall pregnant. However, if pregnancy is your goal, this is important.

A majority of today’s population is Vitamin D deficient. We tend to think of Vitamin D as necessary in the body for strong bones. This is true. However Vitamin D is vital for immune health, reducing inflammation, and helping to regulate how certain genes are activated or inactivated in the body. How does this affect you and your fertility?

As I discussed in Part I, Hashimoto’s disease of thyroid is an autoimmune disease.

Autoimmune issues of all types are greatly influenced by challenges to the immune system and levels of inflammation in the body. Having adequate Vitamin D in your body will temper autoimmune flares, support your immune system and help to lower inflammation. In essence it will allow your system to go about the business of baby making as opposed to putting out fires. Acupuncture, which is my specialty, is also known to reduce inflammation and improve immune status. Combining acupuncture with diet and life style changes greatly enhances your fertility.

In my acupuncture fertility practice, I routinely check and monitor Vitamin D levels. This is easy, inexpensive and vital for your health. The Vitamin D council recommends maintaining a serum Vitamin D level of 50-80ng/L and supplementing each day with 4,000-5,000 IU/day of cholecalciferol.  Avoid ergocalciferol as studies show that it is not effective in raising Vitamin D levels. For more information, see www.vitamindcouncil.org.

Listed below are some foods naturally highest in Vitamin D. You can incorporate these selections into your daily diet to improve your Vitamin D intake.

Mushrooms, potatoes, spinach

Vitamin D fortified orange juice

Soymilk

Herring catfish, mollusks oysters, salmon, halibut

Col liver oil, sardine oil.

My recommendations for my patients diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease include

daily:

Vitamin D supplementation

Fish oils

Glutathione (topical cream)

Superoxide dismutase (topical cream)

Gluten-free diet

Note: You can also get vitamin D from sunshine. Twenty minutes in bright sunshine (without sunscreen) yields about 10,000 IU. However, if you are at high risk for skin cancer or have fair skin, this is not a good option. Check with your dermatologist for concerns about the sun’s harmful effects on the skin. I have found that most people don’t get enough sun exposure and require supplementation.

I have greatly enjoyed sharing this information and I look forward to providing you with future posts. In my acupuncture clinic, I specialize in the treatment of fertility of both men and women, women’s health, and functional endocrinology. More of my fertility patients have thyroid issues than those who do not; so this is a treatment passion of mine. Drawing from my 20 years of experience as an ICU RN, I make extensive use of lab testing. I also utilize acupuncture, antioxidants, dietary changes and nutritional supplementation to optimize health, wellness and vitality for the amazing women and men who I have the great honor to treat.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at:

kreynolds@balancerestored.com

Balance Restored Center for Integrative Medicine

600 Miller Avenue

Mill Valley, CA 94941

Ring: 415.381.8500 Ext. 4

See my blog for additional information:

http://karen-reynolds.com

The Thyroid Fertility Connection and Hashimoto’s Disease, Part I of III

by Karen Reynolds, L.Ac., M.S., R.N.

Elizabeth is a hardy, healthy small business owner known for her creativity, drive and sense of humor. In the last 2 years she has fallen pregnant easily; but has had 3 miscarriages, each early within the first trimester. Her medical doctor had attributed her pregnancy losses to advance maternal age. Following the last miscarriage, she began noticing that her energy level seemed inordinately high, even after 12 hours of hard work. She also began spontaneously losing weight. This pleased her; but it was peculiar that neither her diet nor activity level had changed.

Next she started experiencing heart palpitations and feeling as though her insides were quaking. Friends and family dismissed it as anxiety, overwork and stress, though Elizabeth is not an anxiety prone woman. These symptoms culminated in awakening one morning with double and blurred vision and a headache so severe that she could not drive or function.

It turns out that Elizabeth has Hashimoto’s disease-an autoimmune disease of the thyroid. Autoimmune means that the body attacks itself or identifies its own tissue as foreign.  It is important to realize that with Hashimoto’s disease, women can have fluctuating bouts of BOTH Hyperthyroid (fast/overdrive) and Hypothyroid (slow/sluggish) symptoms.For some women, the symptoms change rapidly from week to week.

Hashimoto’s disease is complex with regard to how it disrupts fertility and can contribute to recurrent miscarriage. During hypothyroid bouts, the disease impacts progesterone production. During hyperthyroid bouts, the disease imparts extreme inflammatory stress and temperature dysregulation. The matter is further complicated by the fact that some women have the commonly checked TSH blood level (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) registering within “normal” ranges; yet they do have Hashimoto’s disease. For your review below are listed typical Hyperthyroid and Hypothyroid symptoms.

Hyperthyroid Symptoms

Heart palpitations, heart racing

Agitation

Anxiety

Nervousness

Feeling like your interior of your body is trembling

Insomnia

Loss of weight without diet or activity change

Hypothyroid Symptoms

Marked fatigue, despite getting enough sleep

Unable to lose weight, even with a strict nutritional intake

Gaining weight, even with a strict nutritional intake

Poor concentration

Memory loss

Hair loss/thinning: on scalp, body, and genitals

Loss of outer edge of eyebrows

Extremely dry skin

Dandruff

Constipation despite fiber, fluids, and over the counter medications

By the time Elizabeth saw me for acupuncture, she was physically and emotionally drained.

I was stunned to find that nowhere along her course of evaluation were blood levels for antibodies drawn. This is a must. Labs called Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Antibodies (abbreviated TSH Ab), had been drawn to rule out Graves Disease. These were indeed negative for Elizabeth; but she still had Hashimoto’s.

There are two basic and inexpensive antibody blood tests, which should always be checked when there is a question of thyroid disease or Hashimoto’s. In my practice, I routinely order these markers. My patients pay $29 for each test plus a $7 lab draw fee.

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies abbreviated TPO Ab.

Thyroglobulin Antibodies abbreviated TGB.

Elizabeth had extremely elevated numbers of both Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies and Thyroglobulin Antibodies. Conventional medicine does not typically recognize steps, which autoimmune patients can actively take to attempt to quench the inflammation that occurs within their bodies due to autoimmune thyroid issues. This may be one reason why antibody draws are often not completed. The conventional medicine tack that is frequently taken is that the thyroid will eventually be burned out, so to speak, by the body’s repeated autoimmune attacks. Then the woman will simply be on thyroid hormone supplementation for the rest of her life.

What about the woman’s body, mind and spirit weathering the extremes of these overdrive states? What about the physiological impacts to a woman’s overall health during these flares? Any woman who has ever experienced this phenomena will tell you she wants options.

In addition to seeking medical care and acupuncture, here are some things you can do to take care of your own thyroid if you have or suspect you have Hashimoto’s disease. By following these self-care measures, you can assist your body in more optimal hormone regulation and reduction of inflammation, so as to improve your chances to fall pregnant.

First of all: see your MD and Acupuncturist. Have the appropriate labs assessed and interpreted to determine the function of your thyroid.

Cut out gluten from your diet-FOREVER.

This is a strong statement, I realize. There are voluminous amounts of evidence that gluten is akin to gasoline on the fire of autoimmune issues.  Sometimes my patients will say to me “Can’t I just have a slice of birthday cake once a year?” Please note: one exposure to gluten revs up your immune system for up to 8 months. One slice of birthday cake could have long standing impacts to your thyroid, causing a flare. An autoimmune thyroid flare can in turn cause your body to attack your thyroid. You have power within your habits to attempt to preserve your thyroid’s function. Avoiding gluten is one power you can exercise. I will have more information on gluten and how it affects the thyroid in Part III of this series. Complex carbohydrates that are OK to include in your diet are potatoes, rice, quinoa, and wheat-free oats.

Avoid iodine supplementation and avoid iodated salt.

This may seem counter intuitive. From a biophysiology standpoint, iodine stimulates increased production of Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO). For a woman who has antibodies (Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies TPO Ab) to her own TPO, this surge of TPO can cause flares. Sea salt is fine. Cook your own food as much as you can.

The other iodine warning is to avoid, if possible, scans requiring use of intravenous iodine based dye. Patients generally must sign consent for the iodine contrast dye to be used. Chemically flooding your system with an iodated dye can do exactly the same thing as iodated salt. However a contrast dye injection is in far greater quantities and infused directly into your blood stream. With any testing procedure, you all must weigh the pros and cons. Actively consider these with your MD, should it be necessary for you.

Increase antioxidants in your diet and with supplementation.

We often hear about antioxidants associated with warding off cancer or used in anti-aging protocols. If you have Hashiomotos disease or suspect it, your body will use antioxidants to quench that flaming fire of inflammation caused by the autoimmune response. The great thing is that antioxidants are abundant in green leafy vegetables, they are widely available as supplements, and there is plentiful information about them on-line. Cindy Bailey’s fabulous book The Fertile Kitchen Cookbook models a diet naturally high in antioxidant rich foods to nourish your body. Additional information on antioxidants will be provided in Part III of this series

In my acupuncture clinic, I specialize in the treatment of fertility of both men and women, women’s health, and functional endocrinology. More of my fertility patients have thyroid issues than those who do not; so this is a treatment passion of mine. Drawing from my 20 years of experience as an ICU RN, I make extensive use of lab testing. I also utilize acupuncture, antioxidants, dietary changes and nutritional supplementation to optimize health, wellness and vitality for the amazing women and men who I have the great honor treat.

Stay tuned for Parts II and III of the Thyroid Fertility Connection!

Be well and Namaste.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at:

kreynolds@balancerestored.com

Balance Restored Center for Integrative Medicine

600 Miller Avenue

Mill Valley, CA 94941

Ring: 415.381.8500 Ext. 4

See my blog for additional information:

http://karen-reynolds.com