The Truth Behind Thyroid Disease

20 million Americans are affected by thyroid disorders…..that’s 1 in 13 people! And more than half of those people are unaware they have a thyroid problem because it frequently goes undiagnosed…until it gets severe.

According to the National Women’s Health Information Center, 1 in 8 women will experience a thyroid disorder during their lifetime. Unfortunately, most men and women who suffer from a thyroid disorder are unaware of what they are dealing with. In spite of being placed on thyroid hormone replacement, their symptoms remain and actually continue to worsen.

• Are you tired of running from doctor to doctor only to play “Russian Roulette” with different medications? “Here try this drug, that one didn’t work? Try this one!”
• Are you tired of taking drugs that don’t fix the problem?
• Do you continue to struggle with chronic thyroid symptoms day in and day out?

Today I want to spend some time sharing with you some of the key principles that every thyroid sufferer must identify to get real answers on how they can support this degenerative condition.

Following are lists of the most common symptoms associated with hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism...

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

#1: Fatigue, tired, or sluggish?
#2: Cold feet and/or hands?
#3: Do you require excessive amounts of sleep to function?
#4: Do you gain weight easily?
#5: Do you have difficult or infrequent bowel movements?
#6: Are you depressed? Do you suffer from depression?
#7: Lack of motivation?
#8: Do you suffer from morning headaches that wear off as the day progresses?
#9: Do you suffer from thinning hair or excessive hair falling out?
#10: Do you suffer from dryness of the skin and/or scalp?
#11: Do you suffer from mental sluggishness?

Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism#1: Do you suffer from heart palpitations?
#2: Do you suffer from inward trembling?
#3: Do you have an increased pulse even at rest?
#4: Are you nervous and emotional?
#5: Do you suffer from insomnia?
#6: Do you suffer from night sweats?
#7: Do you have difficulty gaining weight?

The most common cause of thyroid disorders in America is a condition called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disorder in which your immune system begins to attack your thyroid. Patient’s that suffer from Hashimoto’s may experience a combination of both hypo and hyper-thyroid symptoms.


Let’s talk about the thyroid gland a bit…..
The thyroid "runs" your metabolism—it is the “gas pedal” of your body.
Thyroid hormones have direct effects on most organs, including the heart, which beats faster and harder under the influence of increased thyroid hormones (this is why heart problems can often accompany chronic thyroid problems in women, and perhaps why heart problems are more common in women under the age of 50).


Most likely if you are a diagnosed thyroid patient you are familiar with TSH. TSH is the hormone that is released by the pituitary gland and tells the thyroid to produce thyroid hormones. If your TSH is elevated you are diagnosed hypothyroid which means you are producing too little thyroid hormone. If your TSH is very low you will be diagnosed hyperthyroid. This is not enough information to tell you where the problems with your thyroid really are stemming from.


T3 is the more biologically active hormone (it’s more important for cellular function) released by the thyroid, and in fact, most of T4 (80%) is converted into T3 in the body’s peripheral tissues. So T4 is just a precursor for the more active hormone, T3.


One of the problems in some thyroid disorders is that you may have trouble converting T4 to T3 in your tissues (have you been checked for this?). This can create a deficiency of T3, disrupting the body’s ability to properly regulate metabolism…leading to fatigue, weight gain, depression, and many other symptoms. This is just one example where a breakdown in the system completely unrelated to the actual thyroid gland could be causing hypothyroidism. 

So what can I do differently for you in order to get you answers for why you have thyroid symptoms but your lab testing (TSH) has always been normal, or for why you are already on thyroid hormones but are still suffering from symptoms?

The Answer is that I Start with Comprehensive Laboratory Testing!

You must understand that there is no cookie cutter approach to helping a patient with a thyroid disorder. Every individual has their own unique contributing factors that are driving their thyroid dysfunction. Let me explain how I can help you identify the specific areas that need to be supported in your case.

I: Sensitivity Testing: We must determine if you have a sensitivity to gluten (wheat, rye, oats, and barley), milk, eggs, yeast, and soy.  If you are sensitive to ANY of these food groups, it could be making you’re your thyroid condition worse as it will increase inflammation in your brain (which is responsible for TSH release) and throughout your body!

Here are some of the symptoms of these sensitivities:

-Chronic pain or fatigue
-Frequent indigestion
-Bloated after eating-Frequent loose bowel movements
-Constipation
-Mouth ulcers or sores
-Vomit often 

The only way to find out of you are suffering from any of these sensitivities is the run the test. 

II. Comprehensive Metabolic Panel

 By using specific blood tests such as:

#1: A Comprehensive Thyroid Panel

#2: A Lipid Panel

#3: A CBC (complete blood chemistry with auto-differential)
#4: Inflammatory Markers

Through the metabolic panel we can assess your adrenal glands, liver, kidneys, red/white blood cells and gut function. All of the above can be affected with chronic health conditions.  By addressing any problems with your adrenal glands, blood chemistry, or gut function, we can help you to heal faster.  The CMP also allows us to check your blood sugar stability and assess for any type of underlying anemia. This is vitally important since glucose (your blood sugar) and oxygen (anemia starves your body of this)  are the two key nutrients for every cell in your body to function especially the brain.

Why is a comprehensive thyroid panel necessary? Why isn't your TSH level enough? Your TSH tells you if you are hypo or hyperthyroid but it gives us no insight into where your thyroid problem is coming from. Being hypothyroid does not necessarily mean your problem is starting in the thyroid gland. For example you could have a problem in the pituitary gland causing you to be hypothyroid. As I mentioned previously, you could have a problem in the liver or the gut that is blocking your ability to convert T4 to T3 and is causing your hypothyroid symptoms. When we run a comprehensive thyroid panel we will be able to better support you.

Here are a list of the thyroid markers I will want to see:

·       Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH): the messenger sent from the pituitary gland in the brain to the thyroid calling for thyroid hormone (T4 and T3 production).

·       Free T3: an important hormone produced by the thyroid gland, considered to be the more biologically active hormone of the thyroid.

·       Free T4: another important hormone produced by the thyroid gland. This will eventually be converted into T3 in the liver and the GI tract.

·       Thyroid Binding Globulin (TBG): This test measures the amount of proteins in the blood that transport thyroid hormones to the cells.  Elevated testosterone can lower TBG levels and elevated estrogen can raise TBG levels.  Both can produce hypothyroid symptoms. 

·       Thyroid Antibodies (TGB & TPO): checked in suspected cases of autoimmune thyroid disorders such as hashimoto's disease (see below).

·       Total T4: this is a reflection of how much total T4 hormone there is in the blood. 

·       Free Thyroxine Index (FTI): this is an estimate of how much thyroxine is in the blood. 

·       Resin T3 Uptake: this test measures the unsaturated binding sites on the thyroid proteins. 

III: Adrenal Stress Index (ASI) :

We test the adrenal glands with a test called an Adrenal Stress Index.  This is a salivary test much like DNA testing.  The adrenal glands sit right above the kidneys and they are your “stress” organs meaning that they react to stress.  If you have been or are currently under stress, this test is a must! The adrenals have a direct relationship with the thyroid and the pituitary gland. These little organs can be the reason you suffer from weight gain, chronic fatigue, insomnia, hormonal imbalances and brain fog.

IV. Immune Panels—EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!:

You could be suffering from an auto immune condition.  An autoimmune thyroid is called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Your immune system could be attacking your thyroid.  This is why the immune panels are so important and NOT just the TPO and TGB thyroid antibodies.

There are three parts to the immune system, TH1, TH2 and the TH3 systems. The TH3 system is responsible for balancing the TH1 and TH2 system. But when your immune system becomes overworked your TH3 system can crash. When this occurs your TH1 or your TH2 system can go into overdrive. This imbalance that is formed between these two sides of your immune system will lead to your immune system attacking you!

IL- 2 and TNF-alpha = TH1

The TH1 system is T-cells.  T-cells are the army that attacks and cleans up afterword. (Helper T-cells, Suppressor T-cells, NKC, regulatory T-cells, and macrophages.

IL-4 and IL-10 = TH2

The TH2 system is B-cells.  B-cells make anti-bodies.  They tell T-cells what to kill.  If the testing comes back with a high B-cell count, the patient is TH2 dominant.

If you are Auto-immune we must determine if there is an active antigen or  immune dysregulation.

Active antigens are parasites, bacteria, viruses, mold, yeast, fungi, protozoan, foods, chemicals, and heavy metals that are driving your immune system to attack.

The best indicator for an active antigen as the cause of the imbalance in your immune system is the “Helper/Suppresor” ratio on the T & B cell panel. (also called “CD4:CD8” ratio).

The closer to 2.5 the ratio is (or if above that), the more likely it is that you’re dealing with an antigen.

If the ratio is below 1.2, then you are most likely dealing with a dysregulation problem.

V. Intestinal Permeability:  This is a very specialized blood test used to determine if you suffer from leaky gut syndrome (LGS). This test checks to see if there is damage to the tight junctions in your gut.

LGS or Leaky gut syndrome describes a condition of altered or damaged bowel lining, caused by antibiotics, toxins, poor diet, parasites or infection. These inflammatory reactions can lead to increased permeability of the gut wall to toxins, microbes, undigested food, waste or larger than normal macromolecules. Once your gut lining has become damaged it can lead to loss of immune tolerance. This makes your more susceptible to infections, food intolerances, and auto-immune attacks.

VI. Gut Ecology Profile: Your gut health is vitally important to your immune system and your thyroid. This test allows for us to evaluate the balance between the good bacteria that should be in your gut and the pathogenic (bad) bacteria that should not be in your gut. Imbalances in the levels of these bacteria can alter your body's ability to make T3, your active thyroid hormone. With this test we can also check to see if you have any parasites, yeast, or fungi in your digestive tract that could be wreaking havoc on your immune system.

VII. Hormone Panels:  We can check hormone panels to determine if the patient suffers from low testosterone in males or low estrogen/progesterone levels in females. Symptoms related to decreased hormone levels may include depression, fatigue, mental fogginess, mood swings, hot flashes, sweating attacks, weight gain, and decreased physical stamina. Understand that it is crucial to evaluate the adrenals prior to doing any type of hormone replacement.

VIII. Heavy Metal Testing: In some individuals it is necessary to determine if they have high levels of toxic metals in their tissues. Heavy metal exposure can throw a person into an auto-immune disease, and if so must be dealt with.

In closing here is a testimonial from one of my patients:

"Prior to starting this program with Dr. Huffman, I had problems with chronic fatigue, constipation, irritable bowel  syndrome, headaches, brain fog, memory problems, sleep problems and general pain for quite a few years.  Medical doctors had diagnosed me with hypo-thyroid condition about fourteen ago and was given a prescription for synthroid medication. 

I had seen a few different medical doctors complaining that I still did not feel well  and that something else was wrong, the usual laboratory test were done by these doctors.  I had even gone through the Mayo Clinic in Rochester about ten years ago, seeing different doctors over a three day period, but all their tests did not find any other problem.

I felt the medical doctors labeled me as a hypochondriac because of my chronic fatigue problem, so I stopped complaining to the medical community and decided to read books and try to diagnose and treat myself.

I tried different supplements and diets over the years but my problems persisted and gradually seemed to be getting worse. 

Fortunately, I saw Dr. Huffman’s advertisement in the newspaper for people diagnosed with thyroid disorder that are still experiencing fatigue.

I called and attended one of Dr. Huffman’s seminars on thyroid disorders and it didn’t take long to realize I had possibly found help for my chronic fatigue problem along with the other symptoms I was experiencing.

I’ve been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease and I’ve been on a nutritional and dietary program prescribed by Dr. Huffman for me based on my needs.  I’ve also been receiving neurological treatment with Dr. Huffman and have had a GREAT improvement in how I feel and think.  I’m finally getting my life back.

I am so grateful to Dr. Huffman and staff for all the wonderful help and support they have all given." - Mary H.

It is my hope that the information shared with you above may help give you a better understanding of some of the additional factors that should be looked into if you are suffering from thyroid symptoms. If you have questions please feel free to email me at drhuffman@moundsviewchiro.com or call my office (763-398-7770) to set up a FREE 5 minute phone consultation with me. 

God Bless,

Dr. Joshua Huffman

Board Certified in Chiropractic Neurology and Integrative Medicine

My Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss

"Since coming to see Dr. Josh my blood sugar has been quite normal. When I first came in my blood sugar was above 180 (anything above 126 is considered diabetic), now it has been ranging between 100-110 and has been staying fairly consistent in that range. I have had alot of weight loss.  Three months ago I was at 277 pounds and now I stepped on the scale this morning at 203 pounds (74 pounds of weight loss!) so I'm losing significant weight which I am very happy about. Thanks so much Dr. Josh."                                

                                                                                                                            -Lee H.

This was the actual testimony of one patient that presented to my office with a myriad of different health concerns. Most people have tried one or multiple different diet types. Some have been unsuccessful, and some are successful but the weight returns when the diet ends. Why is this? It is because many of the fad diets in America fail to address the key factors as to why we have gained the weight in the first place. Today I am going to share three key considerations with you on how you can maximize your body's ability to maintain a healthy weight.

#1) Stabilize Blood Sugar

Just because you have not been diagnosed with diabetes does not mean that you don't have to understand what blood sugar stability means. There are two common types of blood sugar issues that most Americans fall into.

You have the insulin resistant and diabetic patients. Two of the primary symptoms of falling into this category are fatigue after meals and cravings for sugar after meals. Insulin resistance is a condition where your cells become resistant to insulin. Insulin is secreted by the pancreas in order to clear sugar that has accumulated in your blood (from the foods that you eat), and move it into the cell where it can be used for energy. The problem is that if you eat foods that are rich in sugar or are simple carbohydrates your blood sugars will routinely elevate and you will get frequent insulin surges and your cells stop responding to the insulin. This results in elevated levels of sugar in the blood which is toxic to nerve and brain health.

The second form of dys-glycemia is hypoglycemia or reactive hypoglycemia. This is a condition where your blood sugars drop too low between meals. This is traditionally characterized by symptoms that are relieved by eating a meal. Some symptoms that are common with hypoglycemia include irritability, shaking, and headaches between meals. When your blood sugar falls too low you need release of cortisol in order to elevate your blood sugar again.

If your blood sugar drops or elevates because of the above conditions you will have shifts in your cortisol production which directly effects your ability to burn fat. This brings us to our next key factor.

#2) Support Adrenal Health

When your blood sugar is not well maintained or you are under chronic stress your adrenals must produce cortisol to help your body adapt. Increased levels of cortisol slow your body's ability to burn fat and will actually increase fat storage. So if you do not regulate your blood sugar and support your adrenal glands you are fighting an uphill battle. This is why many individuals fail to lose weight even when they are restricting calories and exercising vigorously. Understand that exercise is a stress on the body, and for certain individuals with adrenal dysfunction it may hinder there ability to lose weight for a time. Weight loss is not a simple measure of calories in versus calories out as we often think of it. Weight loss is about maximizing your body's ability to maintain a healthy weight. Individuals who have poor adrenal function should only exercise within their aerobic capacity. To do this one needs to purchase a heart rate monitor and wear it. A basic rule of thumb to calculate your aerobic capacity is to take 180-your age. This gives you the top of your aerobic range. Then subtract 20 and that will give you the bottom of your target range. When you exercise it is important to stay within this range, while your adrenals are still unhealthy.

#3) Discover Food Intolerances

Foods that we eat today are not the same foods that God designed and put on this earth for us. These foods are highly processed and altered by men. Unfortunately, the processing of these foods often hinders the nutritional value of the foods, as well as making them downright toxic to our bodies. Some of the most common food intolerances I see in my office are gluten, dairy, soy, egg, coffee, and yeast. If you are intolerant to any of these foods every time you eat the food you are going to have an increased cortisol surge because of the stress it places on the adrenals. This will lead to increased fat storage and increased cytokine production which may in turn lead to the development of more food intolerances. This becomes a vicious cycle that can be a major block in your ability to maintain a healthy weight. Remember from my earlier post on food intolerances, that these intolerances do not produce an immediate reaction. Just because you feel okay a half hour after eating any of the above foods does not mean that you are in the clear. Your reaction to these foods could be a headache, a gut ache, dizziness, weight gain, and it could occur any time within a 72 hour window after exposure. The only sure way to know is to get tested by a doctor that performs IgA and IgG allergy testing.

This has just been a brief overview of a few of the key things I look at for patients who want to lose weight. Don't fall for the fad diets that offer a simple fix and big results. My encouragement to you is that weight loss can be easy if you take the time to look at what systems in your body are not working efficiently and help to unwind that process. If you have questions feel free to contact my office at 763-398-7770 or email me directly at drhuffman@moundsviewchiro.com. Thanks and please share this blog with anyone you think it may help. God Bless!



Dr. Joshua Huffman
Board Certified in Chiropractic Neurology and Integrative Medicine

Are You Tired of Being Tired?

Are you or a loved one suffering from chronic fatigue? Do you toss and turn at night in spite of being so physically exhausted? Maybe you sleep all through the night but wake up feeling like you didn't sleep an hour. How do you get back to sleeping through the night and waking up feeling energized?  The truth is that there are multiple areas within the body that can play a role in chronic fatigue. To properly support a patient with chronic fatigue it is imperative to evaluate the hippocampus in the brain (which sets and regulates your circadian rhythm), the thyroid gland, the adrenal glands, and blood sugar regulation. For today we are going to focus on the adrenal glands and blood sugar.

The adrenal glands sit right on top of your kidneys and are your "stress" glands. When your body is under any type of stress (chemical, emotional, or physical) your adrenal glands help your body react to that stress.  In times of overwhelming or chronic stress the adrenals can begin to fatigue which results in an inappropriate response to stress. Today, blood sugar dys-regulation is an epidemic. There are two sides to the blood sugar story. We have diabetes, and pre-diabetes (aka insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome), which are characterized by elevations of blood sugar. Some of the most characteristic symptoms of insulin resistance are fatigue after meals, increased waist girth, and craving sweets after meals.  Then we have hypoglycemia, or more commonly reactive hypoglycemia. This is a condition in which the blood sugar drops too low. This is characterized by symptoms of feeling irritable if meals are missed, craving sweets throughout the day, and feeling better energized after eating a meal.

Any time blood sugar elevates or drops outside of optimal levels the adrenal glands respond by altering cortisol production. When you have poor blood sugar regulation or chronic stress patterns this will alter your cortisol rhythm. Maintaining a normal rhythm of cortisol release through the day and night is essential to maintaining good energy throughout the day and sleeping soundly through the night.  If cortisol levels are too low during the morning you will wake up with no energy. If the cortisol levels drop too rapidly during the day your energy will drop as well. If your cortisol levels elevate at night you will suffer with insomnia.  An adrenal salivary index, which checks your cortisol levels at four times throughout the day can be very helpful in understanding why your energy levels and sleep rhythms have been altered.  If you have questions or would like to learn more about how to maximize your energy throughout the day call my office at 763-398-7770. God bless.

Joshua Huffman, D.C., D.A.C.N.B., D.A.A.I.M.
Board Certified in Chiropractic Neurology and Integrative Medicine

How to Save Your Heart!

Everyone reading this knows how important the heart is, but how effectively are we as a nation taking care of it? Heart Disease is the #1 killer in the U.S.  Most of us like to blame our elevated cholesterol levels on bad genes. The truth of the matter is that bad cholesterol is merely an indicator of a problem and really tells you nothing in regards to what is actually putting you at risk of heart disease. The factors that are most commonly referenced in relation to heart attack risk are weight, smoking, lack of exercise, poor diet and bad genes. While all of these are important considerations they are not the entire story. You may know someone who has told you they eat a very healthy diet but they cannot lose weight, or get their cholesterol levels down. In this type of a case the temptation may be to chalk it up to bad genes, begin taking a statin, and move on. I want to propose that we dig deeper to find out what is truly at the heart of this #1 killer in America.

The primary driving force behind heart disease is...INFLAMMATION! There you have it. I have wrapped "heart disease" up into one word. But what does that really mean? Inflammation in the body is often thought of as a tissue injury that induces pain. This can certainly be the case but the primary type of inflammation that I am referring to (as increasing one's risk of heart disease) is a more systemic inflammatory process. Our immune systems are one of the primary drivers of inflammation in the body. When your immune system reacts to an antigen (virus, bacteria, fungus, yeast, parasite), a food, an emotional stress, or an environmental toxin you have production of cytokines. The release of cytokines produces an inflammatory reaction throughout the body. This inflammatory process can lead to damage of the endothelial lining of the arteries which may set into motion the beginning of this degenerative condition.

Every individual that has elevations in cholesterol, blood sugar, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, or homocysteine needs to have comprehensive lab testing performed to assess their individual condition. In order to most effectively help prevent heart disease we need to be able to support each individuals immune system in a way that helps to reduce these inflammatory processes. If you have any further questions feel free to reach me by email at drhuffman@moundsviewchiro.com or at my office at 763-398-7770. God Bless.

Sincerely,

Dr. Joshua Huffman
Board Certified in Chiropractic Neurology and Integrative Medicine