July 8, 2025 • 39 mins
In this episode, Dr. Alfred Alessi explores thyroid dysfunction, beginning with thyroid function and the HPT axis. He contrasts conventional and functional medicine approaches to testing, emphasizing the importance of recognizing symptoms of thyroid issues and Hashimoto's disease. Dr. Alessi discusses comprehensive testing, essential micronutrients, and environmental factors in a functional medicine context. Natural healing, stress, and gut health's impact on thyroid function are examined. The episode highlights nutrients, adaptogenic herbs, and lifestyle interventions for thyroid support, concluding with free resources and a call for listener engagement.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
So here's the problem, most people are toldtheir thyroid is fine when it's actually
(00:04):
anything but that.
And that's because the conventional medicineapproach basically uses an outdated map to read
a complex system.
Welcome to Health Decode, your number onesource for real health information with your
host, doctor Alessi and Matt Tack.
Hey, Health Decoded listeners.
Doctor Alessi here.
(00:25):
Let me ask you a serious question.
Are you tired of waiting until something goeswrong to finally see a doctor?
At Alessi Functional Health, we take adifferent approach, the right approach.
We believe true health care isn't about chasingsymptoms.
It's about preventing them in the first place.
That's why we created the Alessi Total CareProgram.
(00:47):
This is a functional medicine based membershipthat gives you proactive, personalized care
year round.
You'll get access to comprehensive blood workand functional testing, custom doctor grade
nutraceuticals, deep discounts on labs,protocols, and follow ups, as well as twenty
four seven direct access to your doctor, notjust a ten minute checkup that ends with
(01:11):
another prescription.
And here's the best part.
As a Health Decoded listener, you'll get yourfirst three months completely free when you
sign up for an annual membership.
That's on top of hundreds in savings alreadybuilt into the program.
This is your chance to take responsibility foryour health and join a movement that's
redefining what primary care should look like.
(01:33):
Head on over to alesifunctionalhealth.com,click on our services tab, and go to Total
Care.
Learn more about this program and claim yourexclusive podcast listener offer.
Your health is your greatest asset.
Let's protect it proactively.
Proactively.
Welcome back to another episode of healthdecoded.
(01:55):
I am your host doctor Alessi.
Very excited to have you with us today.
I'm very excited to top talk about this topicbecause this is something that I struggled with
in the past and actually had to heal andovercome to get back to a state of health.
And so what we're talking about today isthyroid dysfunction and ultimately, you know,
(02:17):
how we take a different approach in functionalmedicine to not just cover up the symptoms with
medicine and get you by, but to actually healand restore health to the thyroid.
And ultimately, the systems that are connectedbecause the thyroid does not operate in
isolation just like every other system in ourbody.
(02:38):
And I hope by now with this show, you'restarting to understand that concept that we are
not a heart connected to a stomach connected toa liver, right?
We're a unit and we're a system and all thesesystems have to work together.
And when one is dysfunctional or not operatingwell, it can then cause downstream effects to
other areas.
(02:58):
So we have to look at everything to see how thesystem is running.
Great example of that would be like your car.
If you had a gear that was malfunctioning orI'm not a big car guy, so I'm not I apologize
if I butcher some of this, but if you have apiece of the engine that's not operating
correctly, it's gonna then affect other parts.
Right?
And so it's the same concept within our bodies.
(03:19):
We can't just look at one thing and isolatethat.
We have to look at the entire system.
So, you know, if you've ever been told thatyour thyroid levels are normal, but you have
symptoms such as stubborn weight gain, brainfog, depression, maybe some type of mental
illness or cognitive dysfunction.
(03:40):
It's not that you're crazy and then you're it'sall in your head, right?
Which a lot of people said they've been toldthat by their conventional doctors.
It's likely that you're getting misdiagnosed oreven undiagnosed in this situation.
And so, here's a quick kind of preview of whatwe're going to talk about today.
(04:00):
What is your thyroid and what it actually does?
We're going to talk about some of the symptomsthat most doctors are going to overlook or you
know, ignore, pass off.
What tests is your primary care not runningthat you need to look at?
And then how do you actually fix the root causeof thyroid dysfunction or thyroid imbalance?
(04:22):
And so let's just get right into it.
Again, thank you for joining us.
I hope this provides you with some value.
If you know somebody who struggles with thyroidconditions has been back and forth with other
docs and not getting answers, please share thiswith them.
I hope it can provide some insight.
So let's just start with what the thyroidactually is, why it's so critical and why it's
(04:45):
so important, right?
Most people think of it just as a metabolismgland, but in functional medicine, know it's
much more than that.
It's basically the command center for yourenergy, your weight, your brain function and
even your fertility.
Now, I'll get more into this.
So essentially what the thyroid is, it's asmall butterfly shaped gland located at the
(05:07):
base of your neck in front of your trachea.
Now it's small but despite the small size, itactually has massive control over your body's
systems.
It produces hormones that regulate metabolism,heart rate, temperature, mood and energy.
It's like a metabolic switch.
And so here's a great research insightaccording to a review in physiological reviews,
(05:30):
the journal, the thyroid hormones influencevirtually every organ system and are crucial
for development, thermo regulation andhomeostasis.
And so when the thyroid is off, you betterbelieve everything else is going to be off.
And so let's explore how it works, right?
This is what we call the HPT axis, or thehypothalamic pituitary thyroid axis.
(05:53):
That's multiple glands working together,telling each other things, different signals
telling each other what to do.
So, the first and it's a feedback loop.
So when one is elevated, it's going to downregulate the next.
When one is low, it's going to up regulate thenext and they talk to each other.
So first thing that happens, the hypothalamusreleases what's called TRH, which is
(06:15):
thyrotropin releasing hormone.
TRH then signals your pituitary gland torelease TSH, thyroid stimulating hormone.
So oddly, stimulating hormone is not producedby the thyroid, it's produced by the pituitary
gland.
That TSH then stimulates your thyroid gland toproduce T4, which is thyroxine and T3, which is
(06:39):
triiodothyronine.
T4 is mostly an inactive signaler.
And so what it does, your body then has toconvert T4 into T3, which is the active thyroid
hormone.
This is the active form that's primarily foundin the liver and the gut.
Now, elevated levels of T3 are going to signalback this feedback loop to the hypothalamus and
(07:04):
pituitary gland to reduce TRH and TSH.
We call that a negative feedback loop.
So it's important because this maintainsbalance.
So, over 90% of thyroid hormone produced by thethyroid is T4 but T3 is three to five times
more biologically active And that's importantbecause these are things that your doc is not
(07:28):
looking at or taking into account.
And so, let's talk about these hormones alittle bit more and what to understand about
them.
So again, TSH is that thyroid stimulatinghormone.
It's basically a signal from your pituitary toyour thyroid and why this is important is
because high TSH which often means underactivethyroid, but by itself doesn't tell the full
(07:52):
story.
Now again, that's what conventional medicine isgoing look at.
They're going to look at TSH and if it's inrange, they're going to say you're good.
But it's missing pieces, right?
So, next on the list T4, this is the inactiveform, must be converted into T three to be used
by the cells.
T three, which is the active thyroid hormone.
(08:13):
This is what actually regulates yourmetabolism, your energy, heart rate and
temperature and even brain function.
Now, there's another one reverse T3.
This is basically the inactive or what we calllike the brakes version of T3.
And so it competes with T3 for cell receptorsites.
This is often elevated in stress, inflammationor even chronic illness.
(08:36):
So this is a great marker to look at.
And then there's thyroid binding globulin orTBG is basically a carrier protein that
transports transports those thyroid hormonesinto the blood.
And so if TBG is too high or too low, your freehormone availability is impaired.
This can be influenced by things like estrogendominance, liver dysfunction and even
(09:00):
inflammation.
So again, these are markers to look at that cansignal other issues down the line.
Reverse T3 acts as a competitive inhibitor atthe T3 receptor site and it increases under
stress, illness or even heavy toxic burden.
So why does this matter, right?
Why does this matter clinically?
(09:20):
Because conventional medicine often only teststhe TSH and T4.
Sometimes this doesn't show that there's aconversion issue or if there's any autoimmune
activity or even if there's T3 resistance.
Whereas with functional medicine, we use acomplete thyroid panel to understand what's
actually happening at a deeper level.
(09:41):
Because you can have normal TSH and still havethyroid symptoms if your body can't convert the
T4 to T3 or if the reverse T3 is blocking thatconversion.
And so the connection between thyroid, brain,mood, fertility, what we see is through in
cognitive function, the T3 is actually whatregulates neurogenesis.
(10:04):
That's the growth of new neurons and thesynaptic plasticity or basically how our
neurons are able to form new connections andthe balance between the neurotransmitters that
is controlled by that T3 hormone.
A lot of people don't know that.
With our mood, is actually linked and actuallyshown to be a significant player in depression,
(10:28):
anxiety and even poor memory.
If the thyroid is not functioning, that synergyis going to be missed.
And then with fertility, thyroid hormonesregulate menstrual cycles and ovulation.
Even subclinical hypothyroidism can be linkedto miscarriage and infertility.
And so, you know, when we talk about thefunctional medicine paradigm, the thyroid
(10:51):
doesn't work in isolation, I already said this.
It's connected to your brain, your liver, yourgut and even your immune system.
And so, it's very critical because the liver isvery critical for that T3, that T4 to T3
conversion.
The gut microbiome is going to talk andinfluence hormone metabolism and absorption,
and even your immune system.
(11:12):
Now, particularly with things likeautoimmunity.
So, autoimmune thyroiditis or Hashimoto's isoften related to gut dysfunction or things like
leaky gut.
These can be significant players.
And so, about seventy to eighty percent ofperipheral T4 to T3 conversion happens in your
liver and your GI tract or your gut.
(11:35):
So, if you have things like SIBO, gutdysbiosis, leaky gut, this will impair that
process and then can cause that obviously to bedysfunctional upstream.
So, that's why it's important we don't justlook at the thyroid.
So, with functional medicine, if we truly wantto help someone heal their thyroid, we need to
zoom out, not just look at one hormone, noteven just look at that thyroid itself, but look
(11:59):
at what other systems may have an imbalance andthat's where we can uncover things.
Now, let's step into a different kind ofapproach here or a different topic and let's
talk about what symptoms to look for.
And if you have these symptoms, it's time toinvestigate, right?
We always talk about not ignoring symptoms,they're check engine lights.
(12:21):
They're giving you some type of informationthat something is dysfunctional.
So let's talk symptoms.
This is where the real suffering lives, right?
Because we often are dismissed or patients havecome to me and they've said, man, all my labs
are normal.
Will you look at this?
And I say, okay, I have a picture here.
I have a little bit of information.
I need much more than this.
(12:41):
And that's where the discrepancy is betweenconventional approach and the functional
approach.
So with low thyroid or hypothyroid, these aresome symptoms that are very common.
And so when your thyroid hormone is deficientor being poorly utilized, basically think of it
like your body is slowing down.
This is the most common type of thyroiddysfunction that we see.
(13:04):
So some common symptoms are going to be thingslike fatigue, you have low cellular energy
production, weight gain or the inability tolose weight because your metabolism has been
slowed down, Intolerance to cold because yourthyroid gland regulates your temperature.
Dry skin, brittle nails, hair thinning or hairloss due to a slowed protein turnover.
(13:28):
Constipation because your gut motility isreduced, depression, brain fog, slow thinking,
irregular or heavy periods for women becausehormone imbalance and estrogen dominance are in
effect, Infertility or low libido and then slowheart rate or reduced cardiac output.
(13:49):
So a study in the Journal of ClinicalEndocrinology and Metabolism showed hypothyroid
patients had significantly higher rates ofcognitive dysfunction, menstrual irregularities
and fatigue.
Now that's low thyroid, that's hypothyroid.
Let's talk about what high thyroid orhyperthyroid symptoms could look like.
(14:09):
So when the thyroid is overactive, it's oftenoverstimulating the body and this can feel like
you're running on fumes.
So some things we'd see would be like anxiety,irritability, restlessness.
People can have like heart palpitations orracing pulse, Unexplained weight loss, they
feel like they're just burning.
Frequent bowel movements or diarrhea.
(14:32):
Heat intolerance, excessive sweating, insomnia,tremors, especially like in the hands and then
light or absent periods.
Hyperthyroid patients often experienceincreased adrenergic sensitivity leading to
symptoms that mimic anxiety or panic disorders.
This is research out of the New England Journalof Medicine, 2010.
(14:56):
And so again, that heightened overstimulatedfeeling can often be related to the thyroid.
Now, I really want to kind of dial in on thisone because this is what we often see is the
most commonly missed diagnosis when it comes tothe thyroid and this is Hashimoto's
thyroiditis.
Again, this is tricky because the symptoms ofthyroid dysfunction don't always stay like in
(15:21):
one lane.
They often follow different patterns fordifferent people.
And so autoimmune thyroid disease likeHashimoto's is often missed because oftentimes
it doesn't even present symptoms until it'sfull blown and causing a thyroid condition.
So basically, is autoimmunity real quick?
An autoimmune condition is when your immunesystem is attacking itself.
(15:43):
And so in this situation, in particular, theimmune system is attacking the thyroid gland.
And so this can lead to inflammation,destruction of tissue, and then obviously cause
dysfunction of the thyroid.
This starts often with episodes ofhyperthyroidism, like your thyroid is just
dumping hormones, but then it will lead tohypothyroidism as the gland burns out.
(16:06):
And so this is critical because up to ninetypercent of all hypothyroid cases in The US are
autoimmune Hashimoto's related.
Yet many patients are never even tested forantibodies.
The percent, I'll just say that again, ninetypercent of all hypothyroid is related to
autoimmune Hashimoto's disease.
(16:27):
So, if you experience symptoms that swing maybebetween the hyper and the hypo, which I just
talked about, say like one month you feelwired, anxious, you're losing a ton of weight,
the next month you're exhausted, you'redepressed, you're gaining weight, you feel like
you're on a roller coaster, it's up and down.
This often leads to misdiagnosis becausethey're not checking enough.
(16:49):
They're not looking and looking at theseantibodies that are going to show autoimmune.
And so, there's a study out of the journalAffect Discord that said studies show strong
links between autoimmune thyroid disease anddepression, bipolar symptoms and anxiety,
especially in women.
Yet what's often the first course of action isto put people on antidepressants and medication
(17:10):
without actually finding out what's causing it.
So, this is my perspective here and I'm goingto give you a little insight into what
functional medicine really, really takes actionon is if your body's attacking your thyroid,
it's not just a hormone problem, it's an immuneproblem.
And you can't solve that with Synthroid, whichis a synthetic thyroid because conventional
(17:32):
treatment often is just going to give you T4,which is Levothyroxine or a Synthroid without
actually addressing what's the immunedysregulation.
What nutrient deficiencies might be there?
Is there leaky gut or gluten sensitivity?
Is there chronic inflammation or infection?
And so, often get like partial relief or theyfeel nothing from that medication and their
(17:56):
symptoms persist even though the labs, thesmall view of labs that they've taken are
normal.
And so, with the functional medicine view,we're gonna listen for these patterns.
We're not just gonna chase lab numbers.
Again, honestly, labs tell us a lot but it'snot the whole picture either.
The patient themselves is the picture.
(18:17):
And so we test for autoimmune markers likethyroid peroxidase and anti thyroglobulin
antibodies.
We look at the gut thyroid brain axis, lookingat things like leaky gut, looking at dysbiosis,
is there any dysfunction in the gut?
And we like to explore what are called cofactors.
I like to look at the levels of selenium, zinc,iron, vitamin D and omegas.
(18:41):
These all can point to thyroid dysfunction aswell.
Because selenium has been shown to reduce TPOantibodies in Hashimoto's patients and improve
thyroid autoimmunity markers.
So let's do this.
Let's get into the next segment where I want todiscuss how we test the thyroid in functional
medicine, why that's different and superior toconventional medicine.
(19:06):
But first, here's a quick word from one of oursponsors.
This episode of Health Decoded is brought toyou by Authentic Nutrition, the brand
redefining what it means to fuel your body theright way.
Authentic Nutrition, they believe that what youput into your body matters.
That's why every single product is crafted withclean, premium ingredients and dosed with
(19:30):
maximum efficacy to ensure you're not justmeeting your health goals, you're exceeding
them.
No fillers, no shortcuts, no gimmicks.
Whether it's their advanced supplements forenergy, recovery, or gut health, you can trust
that what's on the label is exactly what's inthe bottle.
Fentic Nutrition delivers science backedformulations that work as hard as you do.
(19:51):
If you're tired of products that promise theworld but don't deliver, it's time to make the
switch to authentic nutrition.
Elevate your health with transparency, quality,and results you can feel.
Check them out today at authenticnutrition.comand use promo code Alessi 15 to get 15% off.
That's thenticnutrition.com.
(20:16):
Promo code a l e s s I one five to save 15% andtake the first step toward real lasting health.
Centiq nutrition, fuel your best self.
Now back to the episode.
Okay.
Welcome back.
Now, let's talk about how we test the thyroidin functional medicine.
(20:39):
So here's the problem, most people are toldtheir thyroid is fine when it's actually
anything but that and that's because theconventional medicine approach basically uses
an outdated map to read a complex system.
If you're only testing TSH and T4, you'remissing most of what you actually need.
And so in functional medicine, we don't justcheck the gland itself, we're looking at
(21:01):
everything.
What is the thyroid connected to?
Like the gut, the brain, the immune system,right?
We're checking all of that.
And so, standard care, again, they're goinglook at TSH and they're going to look at total
or free T4 and maybe T3.
This limited snapshot is going to miss thedeeper dysfunction if it's there.
(21:21):
And so, in cases of autoimmune thyroiditis,poor T4 to T3 conversion, elevated reverse T3
or even chronic stress or nutrient issues,They're going to be missed.
There's a study in 2017 in the frontiers ofendocrinology and it basically confirmed that
TSH alone is insufficient to diagnose thyroiddysfunction.
(21:44):
Now, is a study that was done eight years agoand still doctors are on this basic approach of
TSH and T4.
And so something's wrong with that model.
There's something's broken there and we're verypassionate about trying to disrupt that
conventional way of thinking about medicine andreally empower patients to take a more like
(22:09):
proactive look and how do we look at everythingthat's going on and a more root cause based
approach.
And so, what we test in functional medicine iswhat we call the, it's the optimal thyroid
panel.
And so to understand the full picture, we'regoing to run a comprehensive thyroid panel that
includes TSH, it's going to have free T4 andfree T3, we're going to look at reverse T3,
(22:38):
we're also going to look at what I believe tobe honestly the most important things that no
docs are looking for which is TPO, thyroidperoxidase antibodies and TG, which is
thyroglobulin antibodies.
These are direct markers of autoimmune thyroiddisease.
This is what I found in myself.
I had no symptoms.
My thyroid hormones were normal.
(22:59):
Everything was normal.
I ran a full comprehensive thyroid panel and Ihad massive levels of TPO and TG antibodies.
Then, I had a stressful event in my life thattipped basically the balance over and the
symptoms were off the charts like I could notfunction, my brain was not working, I was
anxious, I had all these back and forth swings,and it was full blown thyroid autoimmunity.
(23:23):
And so I was able to reverse that and actuallyheal from that over time.
It did take time, but with a natural functionalmedicine approach, lifestyle based approach,
not to get too much into that, but that just isa great story and it's super close to home for
me because it shows that that conventionalapproach can miss something until it's too
(23:45):
late.
And so it's like why wait until symptoms arefull blown to check for things?
Let's get ahead of it.
That's the proactive approach of functionalmedicine.
And so even beyond that, right?
Other things we have to look for, and again,did this with myself, is looking at the bigger
picture.
So, what is the brain, the immune and the gutdoing?
(24:06):
And so, because the thyroid is part of thiscomplex system involving the gut, the liver,
the adrenal glands and the immune cells.
And so, additional functional tests that we'realways going to run when it comes to thyroid is
things like the leaky gut test or a gutinflammation test.
We want to look for zonulin as a markerbasically of intestinal permeability, telling
(24:30):
us whether or not the gut is permeable andletting undigested proteins and pathogens into
the bloodstream that can then be causingautoimmunity.
We look for things like lipopolysaccharideantibodies, basically a marker of bacterial
endotoxin exposure.
This is a major trigger for autoimmune thyroiddisease, especially in Hashimoto's.
(24:51):
And so on top of that, food sensitivitytesting, looking for IgG and IgA antibody
panels.
These are often identified, going to identifydelayed immune responses.
Some really common triggers we find are thingslike gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, and then often
people have sensitivities to foods that they'renot even aware of, and that's slowly causing
(25:17):
inflammation and disruption to the gut barrier,which is then causing upstream autoimmune
issues.
This concept is not isolated to the thyroid bythe way, that's obviously the topic of this
podcast.
But this is a driver for things like rheumatoidarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus, any type
of autoimmune condition has a underlying rootcause of gut dysfunction.
(25:42):
And so, a study out of the American Journal ofGastroenterology in 2000 said, gluten
sensitivity is strongly linked to thyroidautoimmunity.
Up to fifty percent of Hashimoto's patientshave anti gliadin antibodies, basically like
celiac disease type antibodies.
And so, that just again, that points to theconnection and the bigger picture piece that we
(26:06):
really need to see.
Now, other things we're going to look for,micronutrient testing.
Again, selenium, zinc, iron, b twelve andvitamin D.
These are essential co factors for T4 to T3conversion.
So if we're seeing somebody has poor conversionof those hormones, we're going to test these
micronutrients.
(26:26):
Adrenal function testing.
What is cortisol, right?
Salivary cortisol or dried urine panels likethe Dutch test which we've discussed in
previous episodes is the adrenal glands, arethey dysfunctional, which then can disrupt
thyroid conversion and contributes to reverseT3 elevation.
And then things like toxin and heavy metaltesting, BPA, mercury, lead, these things can
(26:51):
interfere with the thyroid hormone receptorscause those to not bind the thyroid hormone and
thus lead to dysfunction.
There was a study out of the Journal ofClinical Endocrinology and Metabolism that
showed the environmental impact, right?
High BPA levels, which is the BPAs found inplastics.
They're linked to altered thyroid hormonelevels in both men and women.
(27:16):
Now, why does all of this matter?
I know I just got really nitty gritty andreally detailed, so you may need to listen to
this a couple times.
But again, the thyroid doesn't act alone.
If your doctor's only looking at thyroidnumbers and is ignoring your gut, you need a
new doctor because your gut, your stress, yournutrient status, your toxic load are all
(27:36):
players in this cascade that can then causethyroid dysfunction.
Functional testing is what helps us identifyroot causes like chronic stress, poor liver
detoxification, is your immune hyperactive, Gutdysfunction or even environmental toxin
exposure that's overloading your system.
So if you're only looking at the thyroid,you're missing half of the picture.
(27:58):
Now, all of that being said, let's talk abouthow do we heal the thyroid naturally once we've
tested, diagnosed and discovered some type ofdysfunction.
So again, let's be clear, dysfunction, it's nota random event.
It's not genetic, you know, my mom had it so Ihave it.
It's your body giving you it's your bodydysfunction telling you something.
(28:21):
So the good news is when you remove thestressors or the things that are causing the
dysfunction, you rebuild and support from theinside out, your thyroid will bounce back.
It's that's how the body works.
Things are meant to heal and recover.
And so step one is always we have to remove thetriggers.
And so we have to stop the thyroid from beingattacked or bogged down.
(28:44):
So, these are often food triggers.
Things like gluten is the number one offender,especially in Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
It can trigger something called molecularmimicry, where the immune system confuses the
gluten proteins for your thyroid tissue.
And so now where your immune system's trying toattack those, it starts attacking itself.
(29:05):
Even non celiac patients with a glutensensitivity are going to have that fueled
inflammation.
So a gluten free diet has been shown to reducethyroid antibodies in Hashimoto patients.
Dairy soy and refined sugars are also going tospike that immune activity and cause gut
permeability.
Soy has been shown to inhibit thyroidperoxidase affecting hormone synthesis.
(29:30):
And sugar obviously drives insulin resistance,which can worsen that hormone balance.
So removing these foods from the diet, cleaningup, and then avoiding toxins, things like
plastics and BPA, heavy metals, pesticides.
These are all endocrine disruptors.
Avoiding chronically stressful things.
(29:52):
So, when you have elevated cortisol, you'regoing to have blockage of that T4 to T3
conversion.
It's also going to increase reverse T3, whichneutralizes your active thyroid.
So that's the lifestyle component.
How do we de stress?
How do we put into approach things like breathwork?
Things like using meditation practice or sauna,things where we can get some positive
(30:15):
stressors, remove those negative stressors fromthe body.
Now, step two.
Okay, we've removed the offenders.
Step two is now to heal the gut, to rebuilding.
And so we always, if we want to heal thethyroid, we have to start with the gut.
It's the command center for your immunity.
80% of your immune system lives in your gut andso a leaky or inflamed gut is a known trigger
(30:39):
for autoimmunity.
And so how are we going to heal this?
Supplements and amino acids like L glutaminewhich actually repairs the gut lining and it
fuels those enterocytes.
Zinc carnosine protects the mucosal integrity.
The mucosa is basically the lining of your gut.
(31:00):
Collagen, these peptides are going to restoreconnective tissue in the GI tract.
Probiotics, so we're making sure we'rerebalancing the microbiome and reducing
inflammation.
Another great thing that we use is a peptidecalled BPC 157, body protection compound.
It's basically a gut enzyme peptide that livesin your gut and is responsible for maintaining
(31:22):
that integrity of the gut lining.
And so these are all things that you can take,but it's not about just taking more stuff.
You have to do it in a way that makes sense.
And so coming up with a plan and doing it inthe appropriate steps.
And so step three, now we're going to directlysupport the thyroid function using essential
(31:43):
nutrients like selenium which is going toreduce those TPO antibodies and support the
conversion of T4 to T3.
Zinc is critical for T3 receptor function.
Vitamin B twelve for methylation and cellularenergy.
Tyrosine and Iodine.
Iodine is required for hormone synthesis, veryimportant.
(32:07):
Now some other cooler, more fringe things thatwe use are things like adaptogenic herbs.
Ashwagandha is an awesome adaptogen, itbalances your stress hormones and it's going to
support thyroid hormone production.
So basically, you have elevated cortisol,Ashwagandha can help lower it and if you have
low cortisol, Ashwagandha can help elevate it.
(32:28):
That's the cool part about these adaptogens isthey bring balance to the system.
Rhodiola Rosea is an adaptogen that enhancesresilience to stress as well, and it can boost
mitochondrial energy.
And then if necessary, this is something thatwe use as well, are things like low dose
(32:49):
thyroid medication.
If we need things like NDT or naturaldesiccated thyroid or even low dose T3, we can
prescribe these and build them in, but oftenwe're gonna use these for a period of time and
then phase off of that.
That's not a long term approach.
But sometimes can be necessary on the frontend.
(33:09):
Now, step four is modulating the immune system,making sure the immune system is functioning
properly but not over actively in autoimmunity.
And so, the diet.
The diet we often prescribe is what we call theautoimmune protocol, the AIP diet.
This removes common triggers while alsoflooding the body with nutrients.
(33:30):
It's very whole food focused.
Focuses on meat, fish, vegetables, fruits,fermented foods and healing fats.
And so, a study out of the Inflammation BowelDisease Journal in 2017 showed clinical trial
data shows that the AIP diet can significantlyimprove autoimmune symptoms and quality of
(33:51):
life.
And so, that is often gonna be the diet Irecommend people beyond and long term.
It's a diet I follow myself, it's easy to do,it's whole food based, and it's simple really.
Now also lifestyle plays into this.
We always talk about what is lifestylemedicine.
So prioritizing restorative sleep, dailymovement, stress regulation techniques like
(34:15):
breath work, prayer, time in nature.
And then oftentimes we can take it a stepfurther and get a little bit more advanced with
some of the therapies we use when needed,things like that low dose Naltrexone which
modulates the immune system.
This is something I kind of cycle in and off ofmyself.
Peptide therapy like thymosin alpha one or BPCand immune modulators.
(34:42):
You know, these are targeted natural orpharmaceutical options based on immune testing
obviously.
And so, here's a bonus step, something that youcan do that is gonna benefit your mitochondria
and your hormones and basically supporting yourcellular energy from the inside.
So using nutrients like CoQ10, Acetyl LCarnitine, Magnesium, Alpha Lipoic Acid, these
(35:06):
are gonna fuel the mitochondria which thenimproves hormone production and energy output.
Go listen to our episode on mitochondria and itwill there's a lot more on what I just talked
about.
And then obviously we need to balance the otherhormones as well.
So cortisol, making sure there's not too muchor too little because this can block thyroid
conversion.
(35:27):
Estrogen and progesterone imbalance in thesecan worsen thyroid symptoms and autoimmunity.
Hormone balance is achieved through lifestyle,making sure we're testing specific herbs and
nutraceuticals, and then bioidenticals ifnecessary.
And so the takeaway here is that thyroiddysfunction is not in isolation.
(35:51):
Testing will show us what's actually going onand where are the downstream systems that are
being affected.
And then how do we implement a plan that takesa stepwise approach?
You know, it's a system, it's a protocol thatdoes one thing at a time, not just throwing the
kitchen sink at it and heals the thyroid forgood because you can have complete remission of
(36:12):
these type things if you do it correctly.
Now, when you do that, you're going to havemore energy.
You're going to have reverse of symptoms likehair growing back, mood lifting, metabolism
resetting.
This is what true healing looks like and whatis achievable with functional medicine.
Now, you've ever been told that your labs arenormal, but you don't feel normal, you need to
(36:34):
explore deeper and you need to be a proponentfor yourself, take action and figure out what's
going on.
So I'll challenge you to do this.
Go to AlessiFunctionalHealth.com and take ourfree thyroid quiz.
Go under the resources tab and find quizzes.
Our free thyroid quiz to see if you have any ofthese symptoms or may be at risk for a deeper
(36:55):
thyroid issue.
Now to learn more about how we help diagnose,reverse and heal thyroid dysfunction and
autoimmunity within our functional medicineprograms, go to AlessiFunctionalHealth.com,
schedule a consultation with me or one of ourproviders and let's create a personalized plan
for lifelong health.
Listeners of this podcast will always getexclusive discounts and price reductions on all
(37:21):
of our protocols, lab tests, and othertreatments.
So be sure to mention where you heard about us.
As always, if you found value in today's show,please like, smash the subscribe button and
share this episode with someone who needs tohear it.
That's the only way we grow and the only waythis message can get out there and change more
(37:41):
lives.
If you want to get in touch with us or befeatured on an episode and share your story,
email us your questions or your story at ask,that's ask@alessifxhealth.com.
Visit alessifxhealth.com, sign up for ournewsletter, check out our resources page, learn
more about our approach to nutrition andcutting edge therapies.
(38:04):
Thank you again for tuning into Health Decoded,where we break down the science, bust the
myths, and help you take control of your healthnaturally.
Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered,and remember that your health is in your hands.
Thank
you for tuning in to Health Decoded, where webreak down the truth about all things health
(38:25):
and empower you to take charge of yourwell-being.
If you found value in today's episode, pleasesubscribe, leave a review, and share it with
someone who needs to hear this.
For more resources and personalized support,visit us at AlessiFunctionalHealth dot com and
sign up for our newsletter.
To hear your questions answered live on theshow, send them to askalessiFXhealth dot com.
(38:49):
That's ask@alessifxhealth.com.
Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered,and remember, your health is in your hands.
So here's the problem, most people are toldtheir thyroid is fine when it's actually
(00:04):
anything but that.
And that's because the conventional medicineapproach basically uses an outdated map to read
a complex system.
Welcome to Health Decode, your number onesource for real health information with your
host, doctor Alessi and Matt Tack.
Hey, Health Decoded listeners.
Doctor Alessi here.
(00:25):
Let me ask you a serious question.
Are you tired of waiting until something goeswrong to finally see a doctor?
At Alessi Functional Health, we take adifferent approach, the right approach.
We believe true health care isn't about chasingsymptoms.
It's about preventing them in the first place.
That's why we created the Alessi Total CareProgram.
(00:47):
This is a functional medicine based membershipthat gives you proactive, personalized care
year round.
You'll get access to comprehensive blood workand functional testing, custom doctor grade
nutraceuticals, deep discounts on labs,protocols, and follow ups, as well as twenty
four seven direct access to your doctor, notjust a ten minute checkup that ends with
(01:11):
another prescription.
And here's the best part.
As a Health Decoded listener, you'll get yourfirst three months completely free when you
sign up for an annual membership.
That's on top of hundreds in savings alreadybuilt into the program.
This is your chance to take responsibility foryour health and join a movement that's
redefining what primary care should look like.
(01:33):
Head on over to alesifunctionalhealth.com,click on our services tab, and go to Total
Care.
Learn more about this program and claim yourexclusive podcast listener offer.
Your health is your greatest asset.
Let's protect it proactively.
Proactively.
Welcome back to another episode of healthdecoded.
(01:55):
I am your host doctor Alessi.
Very excited to have you with us today.
I'm very excited to top talk about this topicbecause this is something that I struggled with
in the past and actually had to heal andovercome to get back to a state of health.
And so what we're talking about today isthyroid dysfunction and ultimately, you know,
(02:17):
how we take a different approach in functionalmedicine to not just cover up the symptoms with
medicine and get you by, but to actually healand restore health to the thyroid.
And ultimately, the systems that are connectedbecause the thyroid does not operate in
isolation just like every other system in ourbody.
(02:38):
And I hope by now with this show, you'restarting to understand that concept that we are
not a heart connected to a stomach connected toa liver, right?
We're a unit and we're a system and all thesesystems have to work together.
And when one is dysfunctional or not operatingwell, it can then cause downstream effects to
other areas.
(02:58):
So we have to look at everything to see how thesystem is running.
Great example of that would be like your car.
If you had a gear that was malfunctioning orI'm not a big car guy, so I'm not I apologize
if I butcher some of this, but if you have apiece of the engine that's not operating
correctly, it's gonna then affect other parts.
Right?
And so it's the same concept within our bodies.
(03:19):
We can't just look at one thing and isolatethat.
We have to look at the entire system.
So, you know, if you've ever been told thatyour thyroid levels are normal, but you have
symptoms such as stubborn weight gain, brainfog, depression, maybe some type of mental
illness or cognitive dysfunction.
(03:40):
It's not that you're crazy and then you're it'sall in your head, right?
Which a lot of people said they've been toldthat by their conventional doctors.
It's likely that you're getting misdiagnosed oreven undiagnosed in this situation.
And so, here's a quick kind of preview of whatwe're going to talk about today.
(04:00):
What is your thyroid and what it actually does?
We're going to talk about some of the symptomsthat most doctors are going to overlook or you
know, ignore, pass off.
What tests is your primary care not runningthat you need to look at?
And then how do you actually fix the root causeof thyroid dysfunction or thyroid imbalance?
(04:22):
And so let's just get right into it.
Again, thank you for joining us.
I hope this provides you with some value.
If you know somebody who struggles with thyroidconditions has been back and forth with other
docs and not getting answers, please share thiswith them.
I hope it can provide some insight.
So let's just start with what the thyroidactually is, why it's so critical and why it's
(04:45):
so important, right?
Most people think of it just as a metabolismgland, but in functional medicine, know it's
much more than that.
It's basically the command center for yourenergy, your weight, your brain function and
even your fertility.
Now, I'll get more into this.
So essentially what the thyroid is, it's asmall butterfly shaped gland located at the
(05:07):
base of your neck in front of your trachea.
Now it's small but despite the small size, itactually has massive control over your body's
systems.
It produces hormones that regulate metabolism,heart rate, temperature, mood and energy.
It's like a metabolic switch.
And so here's a great research insightaccording to a review in physiological reviews,
(05:30):
the journal, the thyroid hormones influencevirtually every organ system and are crucial
for development, thermo regulation andhomeostasis.
And so when the thyroid is off, you betterbelieve everything else is going to be off.
And so let's explore how it works, right?
This is what we call the HPT axis, or thehypothalamic pituitary thyroid axis.
(05:53):
That's multiple glands working together,telling each other things, different signals
telling each other what to do.
So, the first and it's a feedback loop.
So when one is elevated, it's going to downregulate the next.
When one is low, it's going to up regulate thenext and they talk to each other.
So first thing that happens, the hypothalamusreleases what's called TRH, which is
(06:15):
thyrotropin releasing hormone.
TRH then signals your pituitary gland torelease TSH, thyroid stimulating hormone.
So oddly, stimulating hormone is not producedby the thyroid, it's produced by the pituitary
gland.
That TSH then stimulates your thyroid gland toproduce T4, which is thyroxine and T3, which is
(06:39):
triiodothyronine.
T4 is mostly an inactive signaler.
And so what it does, your body then has toconvert T4 into T3, which is the active thyroid
hormone.
This is the active form that's primarily foundin the liver and the gut.
Now, elevated levels of T3 are going to signalback this feedback loop to the hypothalamus and
(07:04):
pituitary gland to reduce TRH and TSH.
We call that a negative feedback loop.
So it's important because this maintainsbalance.
So, over 90% of thyroid hormone produced by thethyroid is T4 but T3 is three to five times
more biologically active And that's importantbecause these are things that your doc is not
(07:28):
looking at or taking into account.
And so, let's talk about these hormones alittle bit more and what to understand about
them.
So again, TSH is that thyroid stimulatinghormone.
It's basically a signal from your pituitary toyour thyroid and why this is important is
because high TSH which often means underactivethyroid, but by itself doesn't tell the full
(07:52):
story.
Now again, that's what conventional medicine isgoing look at.
They're going to look at TSH and if it's inrange, they're going to say you're good.
But it's missing pieces, right?
So, next on the list T4, this is the inactiveform, must be converted into T three to be used
by the cells.
T three, which is the active thyroid hormone.
(08:13):
This is what actually regulates yourmetabolism, your energy, heart rate and
temperature and even brain function.
Now, there's another one reverse T3.
This is basically the inactive or what we calllike the brakes version of T3.
And so it competes with T3 for cell receptorsites.
This is often elevated in stress, inflammationor even chronic illness.
(08:36):
So this is a great marker to look at.
And then there's thyroid binding globulin orTBG is basically a carrier protein that
transports transports those thyroid hormonesinto the blood.
And so if TBG is too high or too low, your freehormone availability is impaired.
This can be influenced by things like estrogendominance, liver dysfunction and even
(09:00):
inflammation.
So again, these are markers to look at that cansignal other issues down the line.
Reverse T3 acts as a competitive inhibitor atthe T3 receptor site and it increases under
stress, illness or even heavy toxic burden.
So why does this matter, right?
Why does this matter clinically?
(09:20):
Because conventional medicine often only teststhe TSH and T4.
Sometimes this doesn't show that there's aconversion issue or if there's any autoimmune
activity or even if there's T3 resistance.
Whereas with functional medicine, we use acomplete thyroid panel to understand what's
actually happening at a deeper level.
(09:41):
Because you can have normal TSH and still havethyroid symptoms if your body can't convert the
T4 to T3 or if the reverse T3 is blocking thatconversion.
And so the connection between thyroid, brain,mood, fertility, what we see is through in
cognitive function, the T3 is actually whatregulates neurogenesis.
(10:04):
That's the growth of new neurons and thesynaptic plasticity or basically how our
neurons are able to form new connections andthe balance between the neurotransmitters that
is controlled by that T3 hormone.
A lot of people don't know that.
With our mood, is actually linked and actuallyshown to be a significant player in depression,
(10:28):
anxiety and even poor memory.
If the thyroid is not functioning, that synergyis going to be missed.
And then with fertility, thyroid hormonesregulate menstrual cycles and ovulation.
Even subclinical hypothyroidism can be linkedto miscarriage and infertility.
And so, you know, when we talk about thefunctional medicine paradigm, the thyroid
(10:51):
doesn't work in isolation, I already said this.
It's connected to your brain, your liver, yourgut and even your immune system.
And so, it's very critical because the liver isvery critical for that T3, that T4 to T3
conversion.
The gut microbiome is going to talk andinfluence hormone metabolism and absorption,
and even your immune system.
(11:12):
Now, particularly with things likeautoimmunity.
So, autoimmune thyroiditis or Hashimoto's isoften related to gut dysfunction or things like
leaky gut.
These can be significant players.
And so, about seventy to eighty percent ofperipheral T4 to T3 conversion happens in your
liver and your GI tract or your gut.
(11:35):
So, if you have things like SIBO, gutdysbiosis, leaky gut, this will impair that
process and then can cause that obviously to bedysfunctional upstream.
So, that's why it's important we don't justlook at the thyroid.
So, with functional medicine, if we truly wantto help someone heal their thyroid, we need to
zoom out, not just look at one hormone, noteven just look at that thyroid itself, but look
(11:59):
at what other systems may have an imbalance andthat's where we can uncover things.
Now, let's step into a different kind ofapproach here or a different topic and let's
talk about what symptoms to look for.
And if you have these symptoms, it's time toinvestigate, right?
We always talk about not ignoring symptoms,they're check engine lights.
(12:21):
They're giving you some type of informationthat something is dysfunctional.
So let's talk symptoms.
This is where the real suffering lives, right?
Because we often are dismissed or patients havecome to me and they've said, man, all my labs
are normal.
Will you look at this?
And I say, okay, I have a picture here.
I have a little bit of information.
I need much more than this.
(12:41):
And that's where the discrepancy is betweenconventional approach and the functional
approach.
So with low thyroid or hypothyroid, these aresome symptoms that are very common.
And so when your thyroid hormone is deficientor being poorly utilized, basically think of it
like your body is slowing down.
This is the most common type of thyroiddysfunction that we see.
(13:04):
So some common symptoms are going to be thingslike fatigue, you have low cellular energy
production, weight gain or the inability tolose weight because your metabolism has been
slowed down, Intolerance to cold because yourthyroid gland regulates your temperature.
Dry skin, brittle nails, hair thinning or hairloss due to a slowed protein turnover.
(13:28):
Constipation because your gut motility isreduced, depression, brain fog, slow thinking,
irregular or heavy periods for women becausehormone imbalance and estrogen dominance are in
effect, Infertility or low libido and then slowheart rate or reduced cardiac output.
(13:49):
So a study in the Journal of ClinicalEndocrinology and Metabolism showed hypothyroid
patients had significantly higher rates ofcognitive dysfunction, menstrual irregularities
and fatigue.
Now that's low thyroid, that's hypothyroid.
Let's talk about what high thyroid orhyperthyroid symptoms could look like.
(14:09):
So when the thyroid is overactive, it's oftenoverstimulating the body and this can feel like
you're running on fumes.
So some things we'd see would be like anxiety,irritability, restlessness.
People can have like heart palpitations orracing pulse, Unexplained weight loss, they
feel like they're just burning.
Frequent bowel movements or diarrhea.
(14:32):
Heat intolerance, excessive sweating, insomnia,tremors, especially like in the hands and then
light or absent periods.
Hyperthyroid patients often experienceincreased adrenergic sensitivity leading to
symptoms that mimic anxiety or panic disorders.
This is research out of the New England Journalof Medicine, 2010.
(14:56):
And so again, that heightened overstimulatedfeeling can often be related to the thyroid.
Now, I really want to kind of dial in on thisone because this is what we often see is the
most commonly missed diagnosis when it comes tothe thyroid and this is Hashimoto's
thyroiditis.
Again, this is tricky because the symptoms ofthyroid dysfunction don't always stay like in
(15:21):
one lane.
They often follow different patterns fordifferent people.
And so autoimmune thyroid disease likeHashimoto's is often missed because oftentimes
it doesn't even present symptoms until it'sfull blown and causing a thyroid condition.
So basically, is autoimmunity real quick?
An autoimmune condition is when your immunesystem is attacking itself.
(15:43):
And so in this situation, in particular, theimmune system is attacking the thyroid gland.
And so this can lead to inflammation,destruction of tissue, and then obviously cause
dysfunction of the thyroid.
This starts often with episodes ofhyperthyroidism, like your thyroid is just
dumping hormones, but then it will lead tohypothyroidism as the gland burns out.
(16:06):
And so this is critical because up to ninetypercent of all hypothyroid cases in The US are
autoimmune Hashimoto's related.
Yet many patients are never even tested forantibodies.
The percent, I'll just say that again, ninetypercent of all hypothyroid is related to
autoimmune Hashimoto's disease.
(16:27):
So, if you experience symptoms that swing maybebetween the hyper and the hypo, which I just
talked about, say like one month you feelwired, anxious, you're losing a ton of weight,
the next month you're exhausted, you'redepressed, you're gaining weight, you feel like
you're on a roller coaster, it's up and down.
This often leads to misdiagnosis becausethey're not checking enough.
(16:49):
They're not looking and looking at theseantibodies that are going to show autoimmune.
And so, there's a study out of the journalAffect Discord that said studies show strong
links between autoimmune thyroid disease anddepression, bipolar symptoms and anxiety,
especially in women.
Yet what's often the first course of action isto put people on antidepressants and medication
(17:10):
without actually finding out what's causing it.
So, this is my perspective here and I'm goingto give you a little insight into what
functional medicine really, really takes actionon is if your body's attacking your thyroid,
it's not just a hormone problem, it's an immuneproblem.
And you can't solve that with Synthroid, whichis a synthetic thyroid because conventional
(17:32):
treatment often is just going to give you T4,which is Levothyroxine or a Synthroid without
actually addressing what's the immunedysregulation.
What nutrient deficiencies might be there?
Is there leaky gut or gluten sensitivity?
Is there chronic inflammation or infection?
And so, often get like partial relief or theyfeel nothing from that medication and their
(17:56):
symptoms persist even though the labs, thesmall view of labs that they've taken are
normal.
And so, with the functional medicine view,we're gonna listen for these patterns.
We're not just gonna chase lab numbers.
Again, honestly, labs tell us a lot but it'snot the whole picture either.
The patient themselves is the picture.
(18:17):
And so we test for autoimmune markers likethyroid peroxidase and anti thyroglobulin
antibodies.
We look at the gut thyroid brain axis, lookingat things like leaky gut, looking at dysbiosis,
is there any dysfunction in the gut?
And we like to explore what are called cofactors.
I like to look at the levels of selenium, zinc,iron, vitamin D and omegas.
(18:41):
These all can point to thyroid dysfunction aswell.
Because selenium has been shown to reduce TPOantibodies in Hashimoto's patients and improve
thyroid autoimmunity markers.
So let's do this.
Let's get into the next segment where I want todiscuss how we test the thyroid in functional
medicine, why that's different and superior toconventional medicine.
(19:06):
But first, here's a quick word from one of oursponsors.
This episode of Health Decoded is brought toyou by Authentic Nutrition, the brand
redefining what it means to fuel your body theright way.
Authentic Nutrition, they believe that what youput into your body matters.
That's why every single product is crafted withclean, premium ingredients and dosed with
(19:30):
maximum efficacy to ensure you're not justmeeting your health goals, you're exceeding
them.
No fillers, no shortcuts, no gimmicks.
Whether it's their advanced supplements forenergy, recovery, or gut health, you can trust
that what's on the label is exactly what's inthe bottle.
Fentic Nutrition delivers science backedformulations that work as hard as you do.
(19:51):
If you're tired of products that promise theworld but don't deliver, it's time to make the
switch to authentic nutrition.
Elevate your health with transparency, quality,and results you can feel.
Check them out today at authenticnutrition.comand use promo code Alessi 15 to get 15% off.
That's thenticnutrition.com.
(20:16):
Promo code a l e s s I one five to save 15% andtake the first step toward real lasting health.
Centiq nutrition, fuel your best self.
Now back to the episode.
Okay.
Welcome back.
Now, let's talk about how we test the thyroidin functional medicine.
(20:39):
So here's the problem, most people are toldtheir thyroid is fine when it's actually
anything but that and that's because theconventional medicine approach basically uses
an outdated map to read a complex system.
If you're only testing TSH and T4, you'remissing most of what you actually need.
And so in functional medicine, we don't justcheck the gland itself, we're looking at
(21:01):
everything.
What is the thyroid connected to?
Like the gut, the brain, the immune system,right?
We're checking all of that.
And so, standard care, again, they're goinglook at TSH and they're going to look at total
or free T4 and maybe T3.
This limited snapshot is going to miss thedeeper dysfunction if it's there.
(21:21):
And so, in cases of autoimmune thyroiditis,poor T4 to T3 conversion, elevated reverse T3
or even chronic stress or nutrient issues,They're going to be missed.
There's a study in 2017 in the frontiers ofendocrinology and it basically confirmed that
TSH alone is insufficient to diagnose thyroiddysfunction.
(21:44):
Now, is a study that was done eight years agoand still doctors are on this basic approach of
TSH and T4.
And so something's wrong with that model.
There's something's broken there and we're verypassionate about trying to disrupt that
conventional way of thinking about medicine andreally empower patients to take a more like
(22:09):
proactive look and how do we look at everythingthat's going on and a more root cause based
approach.
And so, what we test in functional medicine iswhat we call the, it's the optimal thyroid
panel.
And so to understand the full picture, we'regoing to run a comprehensive thyroid panel that
includes TSH, it's going to have free T4 andfree T3, we're going to look at reverse T3,
(22:38):
we're also going to look at what I believe tobe honestly the most important things that no
docs are looking for which is TPO, thyroidperoxidase antibodies and TG, which is
thyroglobulin antibodies.
These are direct markers of autoimmune thyroiddisease.
This is what I found in myself.
I had no symptoms.
My thyroid hormones were normal.
(22:59):
Everything was normal.
I ran a full comprehensive thyroid panel and Ihad massive levels of TPO and TG antibodies.
Then, I had a stressful event in my life thattipped basically the balance over and the
symptoms were off the charts like I could notfunction, my brain was not working, I was
anxious, I had all these back and forth swings,and it was full blown thyroid autoimmunity.
(23:23):
And so I was able to reverse that and actuallyheal from that over time.
It did take time, but with a natural functionalmedicine approach, lifestyle based approach,
not to get too much into that, but that just isa great story and it's super close to home for
me because it shows that that conventionalapproach can miss something until it's too
(23:45):
late.
And so it's like why wait until symptoms arefull blown to check for things?
Let's get ahead of it.
That's the proactive approach of functionalmedicine.
And so even beyond that, right?
Other things we have to look for, and again,did this with myself, is looking at the bigger
picture.
So, what is the brain, the immune and the gutdoing?
(24:06):
And so, because the thyroid is part of thiscomplex system involving the gut, the liver,
the adrenal glands and the immune cells.
And so, additional functional tests that we'realways going to run when it comes to thyroid is
things like the leaky gut test or a gutinflammation test.
We want to look for zonulin as a markerbasically of intestinal permeability, telling
(24:30):
us whether or not the gut is permeable andletting undigested proteins and pathogens into
the bloodstream that can then be causingautoimmunity.
We look for things like lipopolysaccharideantibodies, basically a marker of bacterial
endotoxin exposure.
This is a major trigger for autoimmune thyroiddisease, especially in Hashimoto's.
(24:51):
And so on top of that, food sensitivitytesting, looking for IgG and IgA antibody
panels.
These are often identified, going to identifydelayed immune responses.
Some really common triggers we find are thingslike gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, and then often
people have sensitivities to foods that they'renot even aware of, and that's slowly causing
(25:17):
inflammation and disruption to the gut barrier,which is then causing upstream autoimmune
issues.
This concept is not isolated to the thyroid bythe way, that's obviously the topic of this
podcast.
But this is a driver for things like rheumatoidarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus, any type
of autoimmune condition has a underlying rootcause of gut dysfunction.
(25:42):
And so, a study out of the American Journal ofGastroenterology in 2000 said, gluten
sensitivity is strongly linked to thyroidautoimmunity.
Up to fifty percent of Hashimoto's patientshave anti gliadin antibodies, basically like
celiac disease type antibodies.
And so, that just again, that points to theconnection and the bigger picture piece that we
(26:06):
really need to see.
Now, other things we're going to look for,micronutrient testing.
Again, selenium, zinc, iron, b twelve andvitamin D.
These are essential co factors for T4 to T3conversion.
So if we're seeing somebody has poor conversionof those hormones, we're going to test these
micronutrients.
(26:26):
Adrenal function testing.
What is cortisol, right?
Salivary cortisol or dried urine panels likethe Dutch test which we've discussed in
previous episodes is the adrenal glands, arethey dysfunctional, which then can disrupt
thyroid conversion and contributes to reverseT3 elevation.
And then things like toxin and heavy metaltesting, BPA, mercury, lead, these things can
(26:51):
interfere with the thyroid hormone receptorscause those to not bind the thyroid hormone and
thus lead to dysfunction.
There was a study out of the Journal ofClinical Endocrinology and Metabolism that
showed the environmental impact, right?
High BPA levels, which is the BPAs found inplastics.
They're linked to altered thyroid hormonelevels in both men and women.
(27:16):
Now, why does all of this matter?
I know I just got really nitty gritty andreally detailed, so you may need to listen to
this a couple times.
But again, the thyroid doesn't act alone.
If your doctor's only looking at thyroidnumbers and is ignoring your gut, you need a
new doctor because your gut, your stress, yournutrient status, your toxic load are all
(27:36):
players in this cascade that can then causethyroid dysfunction.
Functional testing is what helps us identifyroot causes like chronic stress, poor liver
detoxification, is your immune hyperactive, Gutdysfunction or even environmental toxin
exposure that's overloading your system.
So if you're only looking at the thyroid,you're missing half of the picture.
(27:58):
Now, all of that being said, let's talk abouthow do we heal the thyroid naturally once we've
tested, diagnosed and discovered some type ofdysfunction.
So again, let's be clear, dysfunction, it's nota random event.
It's not genetic, you know, my mom had it so Ihave it.
It's your body giving you it's your bodydysfunction telling you something.
(28:21):
So the good news is when you remove thestressors or the things that are causing the
dysfunction, you rebuild and support from theinside out, your thyroid will bounce back.
It's that's how the body works.
Things are meant to heal and recover.
And so step one is always we have to remove thetriggers.
And so we have to stop the thyroid from beingattacked or bogged down.
(28:44):
So, these are often food triggers.
Things like gluten is the number one offender,especially in Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
It can trigger something called molecularmimicry, where the immune system confuses the
gluten proteins for your thyroid tissue.
And so now where your immune system's trying toattack those, it starts attacking itself.
(29:05):
Even non celiac patients with a glutensensitivity are going to have that fueled
inflammation.
So a gluten free diet has been shown to reducethyroid antibodies in Hashimoto patients.
Dairy soy and refined sugars are also going tospike that immune activity and cause gut
permeability.
Soy has been shown to inhibit thyroidperoxidase affecting hormone synthesis.
(29:30):
And sugar obviously drives insulin resistance,which can worsen that hormone balance.
So removing these foods from the diet, cleaningup, and then avoiding toxins, things like
plastics and BPA, heavy metals, pesticides.
These are all endocrine disruptors.
Avoiding chronically stressful things.
(29:52):
So, when you have elevated cortisol, you'regoing to have blockage of that T4 to T3
conversion.
It's also going to increase reverse T3, whichneutralizes your active thyroid.
So that's the lifestyle component.
How do we de stress?
How do we put into approach things like breathwork?
Things like using meditation practice or sauna,things where we can get some positive
(30:15):
stressors, remove those negative stressors fromthe body.
Now, step two.
Okay, we've removed the offenders.
Step two is now to heal the gut, to rebuilding.
And so we always, if we want to heal thethyroid, we have to start with the gut.
It's the command center for your immunity.
80% of your immune system lives in your gut andso a leaky or inflamed gut is a known trigger
(30:39):
for autoimmunity.
And so how are we going to heal this?
Supplements and amino acids like L glutaminewhich actually repairs the gut lining and it
fuels those enterocytes.
Zinc carnosine protects the mucosal integrity.
The mucosa is basically the lining of your gut.
(31:00):
Collagen, these peptides are going to restoreconnective tissue in the GI tract.
Probiotics, so we're making sure we'rerebalancing the microbiome and reducing
inflammation.
Another great thing that we use is a peptidecalled BPC 157, body protection compound.
It's basically a gut enzyme peptide that livesin your gut and is responsible for maintaining
(31:22):
that integrity of the gut lining.
And so these are all things that you can take,but it's not about just taking more stuff.
You have to do it in a way that makes sense.
And so coming up with a plan and doing it inthe appropriate steps.
And so step three, now we're going to directlysupport the thyroid function using essential
(31:43):
nutrients like selenium which is going toreduce those TPO antibodies and support the
conversion of T4 to T3.
Zinc is critical for T3 receptor function.
Vitamin B twelve for methylation and cellularenergy.
Tyrosine and Iodine.
Iodine is required for hormone synthesis, veryimportant.
(32:07):
Now some other cooler, more fringe things thatwe use are things like adaptogenic herbs.
Ashwagandha is an awesome adaptogen, itbalances your stress hormones and it's going to
support thyroid hormone production.
So basically, you have elevated cortisol,Ashwagandha can help lower it and if you have
low cortisol, Ashwagandha can help elevate it.
(32:28):
That's the cool part about these adaptogens isthey bring balance to the system.
Rhodiola Rosea is an adaptogen that enhancesresilience to stress as well, and it can boost
mitochondrial energy.
And then if necessary, this is something thatwe use as well, are things like low dose
(32:49):
thyroid medication.
If we need things like NDT or naturaldesiccated thyroid or even low dose T3, we can
prescribe these and build them in, but oftenwe're gonna use these for a period of time and
then phase off of that.
That's not a long term approach.
But sometimes can be necessary on the frontend.
(33:09):
Now, step four is modulating the immune system,making sure the immune system is functioning
properly but not over actively in autoimmunity.
And so, the diet.
The diet we often prescribe is what we call theautoimmune protocol, the AIP diet.
This removes common triggers while alsoflooding the body with nutrients.
(33:30):
It's very whole food focused.
Focuses on meat, fish, vegetables, fruits,fermented foods and healing fats.
And so, a study out of the Inflammation BowelDisease Journal in 2017 showed clinical trial
data shows that the AIP diet can significantlyimprove autoimmune symptoms and quality of
(33:51):
life.
And so, that is often gonna be the diet Irecommend people beyond and long term.
It's a diet I follow myself, it's easy to do,it's whole food based, and it's simple really.
Now also lifestyle plays into this.
We always talk about what is lifestylemedicine.
So prioritizing restorative sleep, dailymovement, stress regulation techniques like
(34:15):
breath work, prayer, time in nature.
And then oftentimes we can take it a stepfurther and get a little bit more advanced with
some of the therapies we use when needed,things like that low dose Naltrexone which
modulates the immune system.
This is something I kind of cycle in and off ofmyself.
Peptide therapy like thymosin alpha one or BPCand immune modulators.
(34:42):
You know, these are targeted natural orpharmaceutical options based on immune testing
obviously.
And so, here's a bonus step, something that youcan do that is gonna benefit your mitochondria
and your hormones and basically supporting yourcellular energy from the inside.
So using nutrients like CoQ10, Acetyl LCarnitine, Magnesium, Alpha Lipoic Acid, these
(35:06):
are gonna fuel the mitochondria which thenimproves hormone production and energy output.
Go listen to our episode on mitochondria and itwill there's a lot more on what I just talked
about.
And then obviously we need to balance the otherhormones as well.
So cortisol, making sure there's not too muchor too little because this can block thyroid
conversion.
(35:27):
Estrogen and progesterone imbalance in thesecan worsen thyroid symptoms and autoimmunity.
Hormone balance is achieved through lifestyle,making sure we're testing specific herbs and
nutraceuticals, and then bioidenticals ifnecessary.
And so the takeaway here is that thyroiddysfunction is not in isolation.
(35:51):
Testing will show us what's actually going onand where are the downstream systems that are
being affected.
And then how do we implement a plan that takesa stepwise approach?
You know, it's a system, it's a protocol thatdoes one thing at a time, not just throwing the
kitchen sink at it and heals the thyroid forgood because you can have complete remission of
(36:12):
these type things if you do it correctly.
Now, when you do that, you're going to havemore energy.
You're going to have reverse of symptoms likehair growing back, mood lifting, metabolism
resetting.
This is what true healing looks like and whatis achievable with functional medicine.
Now, you've ever been told that your labs arenormal, but you don't feel normal, you need to
(36:34):
explore deeper and you need to be a proponentfor yourself, take action and figure out what's
going on.
So I'll challenge you to do this.
Go to AlessiFunctionalHealth.com and take ourfree thyroid quiz.
Go under the resources tab and find quizzes.
Our free thyroid quiz to see if you have any ofthese symptoms or may be at risk for a deeper
(36:55):
thyroid issue.
Now to learn more about how we help diagnose,reverse and heal thyroid dysfunction and
autoimmunity within our functional medicineprograms, go to AlessiFunctionalHealth.com,
schedule a consultation with me or one of ourproviders and let's create a personalized plan
for lifelong health.
Listeners of this podcast will always getexclusive discounts and price reductions on all
(37:21):
of our protocols, lab tests, and othertreatments.
So be sure to mention where you heard about us.
As always, if you found value in today's show,please like, smash the subscribe button and
share this episode with someone who needs tohear it.
That's the only way we grow and the only waythis message can get out there and change more
(37:41):
lives.
If you want to get in touch with us or befeatured on an episode and share your story,
email us your questions or your story at ask,that's ask@alessifxhealth.com.
Visit alessifxhealth.com, sign up for ournewsletter, check out our resources page, learn
more about our approach to nutrition andcutting edge therapies.
(38:04):
Thank you again for tuning into Health Decoded,where we break down the science, bust the
myths, and help you take control of your healthnaturally.
Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered,and remember that your health is in your hands.
Thank
you for tuning in to Health Decoded, where webreak down the truth about all things health
(38:25):
and empower you to take charge of yourwell-being.
If you found value in today's episode, pleasesubscribe, leave a review, and share it with
someone who needs to hear this.
For more resources and personalized support,visit us at AlessiFunctionalHealth dot com and
sign up for our newsletter.
To hear your questions answered live on theshow, send them to askalessiFXhealth dot com.
(38:49):
That's ask@alessifxhealth.com.
Until next time, stay curious, stay empowered,and remember, your health is in your hands.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!