Positive Health Online

Thyroid gland function is key to a balanced metabolism

It is commonly taught that high cholesterol, in association with low thyroid function, is a cause of coronary heart disease.  Many ‘authorities’ respond to this belief with cholesterol lowering treatments and administration of supplementary thyroid hormones. Do we benefit from treating these symptoms as ‘original-cause problems’ and thereby miss the real issues to be addressed?

Image Ref. (1): www.108harleystreet.co.uk/Downloads/108hs-THYROID-4port-lr.pdf

Image Ref. (2) http://hpth.org.uk

The thyroid gland, part of the endocrine system, is located in the front of the neck just below the ‘Adam’s apple’ and secretes iodine-containing hormones known as thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) which are involved in regulating metabolism and calcitonin which along with the parathyroid hormones maintain calcium levels.

Control of thyroid hormones is mediated by a feed-back loop between the hypothalamus which produces thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) which acts on the pituitary gland to produce thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) which acts on the thyroid gland to regulate the production of T4 and T3.  The liver and other organs are involved in the conversion of T4 to T3 and its transport to points of use.  Secondary thyroid problems involving the pituitary gland, tertiary thyroid problems involving the hypothalamus, Low T3 Syndrome not directly involving the thyroid gland and rare conditions are not considered in this article.

Hypothyroidism (below normal thyroid function)

• Low basal temperature taken first thing in the morning before moving;[1]
• (blood tests are not reliable because thyroid hormones are not utilized in the blood but at cellular level);
• High blood cholesterol - (below 275 mg % means that it is not low thyroid function);
• Low voltage reading on ECG;
• Various ‘cold, slow’ symptom.

Hyperthyroidism (above normal thyroid function)

• Low blood cholesterol;
• Various ‘hot, agitated’ symptoms.

Thyroiditis (most commonly Hashimoto’s) named after the Japanese specialist Hakaru Hashimoto in 1912, was recognized as an auto-immune inflammatory condition where antibodies attack the thyroid gland resulting in underactive thyroid function. Graves Disease, named after Dr Robert James Graves, described as goitre with exophthalmos in 1835, is also an autoimmune thyroid disease and is the commonest type of hyperthyroidism.  There can be swings between the two poles with periods of normal function.

Research has found that after removal of the thyroid gland (thyroidectomy), test animals have always developed atherosclerosis and mucin-logged tissues (myxoedema).  The same results happened after thyroidectomy in goitre patients.  The thyroid glands were removed to prevent suffocation by the enlarged gland. 

Because people died from thyroidectomy, a modified surgery of removing only the part of the thyroid gland around the windpipe was introduced.  Loss of mental acumen and memory was also noted with low thyroid function. Many symptoms of the menopause and ageing are also those of low thyroid function. The body compensates for low hormone production by increasing manufacturing capacity (enlargement of the gland).  Enlargement is a symptom / sign to be investigated to find the cause.  Thyroid enlargement always has a cause and only cutting away the symptomatic problem is much like covering dashboard warning lights so that they cannot be seen.

Antagonistic Fluorides Disrupt Thyroid Function

Fluoride, toxic industrial waste material,[2] is implicated in Autism amongst many conditions and extracts of papers referring to research by Andreas Schuld, Founder of Parents of Fluoride Poisoned Children (PFPC),[3] speak about research done by his group on Autism after parents reported great improvements in their children's conditions after fluorides were eliminated from the diet, and how their research found a strong association with a particular group of G proteins (Gq/11) which are also highly implicated in Alzheimer's disease, Down Syndrome and thyroid dysfunction.  The study showed an increase of 18% in observed thyroid cancers in the fluoridated areas when compared to non-fluoridated areas. Newspaper articles from China report entire villages being re-located due to fluoride contamination and where fluoride is being openly acknowledged as the cause of thyroid cancer, Kaschin-Beck disease[4] and iodine deficiency.  This ties at least one aspect of autism to thyroid function and fluoride damage.

Schuld also associated fluoride levels to slipped epiphysis (hip problems) in children which he considered another obvious sign showing the anti-thyroid activity of fluoride.  Selenium deficiency caused by fluorides disrupts the conversion of T4 to T3 (usable form).  He explained how hyperthyroidism caused by adding iodine to public water supplies in the early 1920s led to the use of fluorides as anti-thyroid medication. He explained the biochemical activity of fluoride as a mimic of TSH (thyroid-stimulating-hormone) on G protein activation, molecular on / off switches by which all thyroid hormone activity is regulated. "Fluorides are the worst endocrine disrupter imaginable" he said.  "What was once known as the fluoride-iodine antagonism can now be explained in detail by thousands of papers showing the fluoride power on G protein activation."

There are other minerals to which fluorides are antagonistic, calcium and magnesium being two.  Where fluoride(s) are mentioned in this article, naturally occurring and almost insoluble calcium fluoride, such as found naturally in tea, is not referred to but industrial waste fluorides which are readily soluble, pass the blood-brain and placental barriers, especially in association with aluminium, and cause protein disruptions and hence enzyme disruptions.

Cholesterol and Metabolism

Cholesterol is a grey / yellow fat-like alcohol - not readily soluble in water or blood.  Every cell manufactures cholesterol.   Animals and humans have cholesterol - plants do not.   It can be made from carbohydrates and proteins as well as from fats. 

Rise in cholesterol is roughly four times the drop in metabolism

When cholesterol levels are high, both liver and cells gear down production of it and when they are low liver and cells increase production.  In health when there is a cholesterol excess it is broken down and eliminated; therefore high intake does not relate to blood serum level. The small intestine limits cholesterol absorption when there is too much and it will pass out of the body via the large intestine. 

The association between high dietary cholesterol intake and serum cholesterol levels was nullified by the Framingham Heart Study[5] in its initial study years.  However, with further time this study it did not deliver what the researchers wanted, i.e. a connection between high dietary intake and serum levels and so the initially accurate results were eventually dismissed and the myth of high cholesterol levels being a risk factor in coronary heart disease continues to be touted, much like the scientifically documented fraudulent material copied by default in biology text books in support of the theory of evolution.[6]

The Framingham Heart Study did not take into consideration general base-line nutritional status, enzyme depletion, hormonal balance, processed sugar(s) intake, aspartame intake, mercury amalgam and other toxic dental materials, vaccinations, fluoride intake, adverse radiation, anti-biotics, polypharmacy (administration of multiple drugs), dehydration, toxicity, intake of industrial grade sodium chloride (common table salt) or emotionally relevant elements as relevant factors, any one of which could have a huge impact on heart disease, but despite non-consideration of multiple other significant factors the study found no correlation between cholesterol intake and serum levels.  However, had the Framingham Study found a link then this isolated research factor could be used as justification for a drug solution which lower cholesterol levels.  As it is the justification for such a solution is now based on myths[7] supported by the myths about the ‘healthy fats’ of the food processing industry. 

Food choices and drug taking based on misinformation can reap devastating consequences.

Many authorities expose fraudulent medical research results on various topics and some attribute raised cholesterol levels to the possibility of increased inflammation.[8]   This would be in keeping with cholesterol’s performance as part of the healing and repair mechanisms as well as normal physiological function.

Cholesterol is necessary for:

• The creation of each new cell;
• Insulation of nerve fibres;
• Helping to make fats soluble to be burned as fuel for muscles and connective tissue;
• The production of vitamin D - about 10% of body cholesterol is in the skin and this reacts with sunlight to produce vitamin D which is essential for the assimilation of Calcium and Phosphorus (needed by bones and teeth);
• The manufacture of most hormones and adrenal hormones (more-so under stress conditions).

Stress elevates cholesterol levels:

• Physical stress (dehydration, toxicity, exertion, malnutrition etc.);
• Emotional stress (hormones, especially adrenal).

Types of Cholesterol

There are two types of cholesterol, HDL (high density lipoprotein) and LDL (low density lipoprotein).  There should be more HDL to LDL.  It is thought that the LDL’s deposit cholesterol and the HDL’s remove excess cholesterol returning it to the liver for recycling or elimination.  Fats cannot be properly utilized unless adequate amounts of essential fatty acids are present.  Essential fatty acids can be from several sources, for example, from unrefined cold pressed vegetable, nut and seed oils, fish oils, chicken and turkey fats and dairy fats, e.g. butter.  Chemical treatment of raw materials (e.g. milk from animals treated with growth hormones, antibiotics, vaccines) and processing of fats results in degradation of their properties and are linked to several disease states and therefore only cold-pressed and organic sources of healthy fats should be considered as foods.

How can the ratio of HDL to LDL be increased?

• Reduction of stress by handling it appropriately;
• Adequate intake of pure water and unrefined salt;[9]
• Appropriate exercise;[10]
• Removal of toxic dental materials from teeth;[11]
• Detoxification on a cellular level using homeopathic and herbal remedies;[12]
• Nutritional corrections to provide a full nutritional profile especially with regard to essential fatty acids, Niacin and B-vitamins;[13]
• Removal of fluoride from foods and drinks;
• Stop smoking – cigarettes contain thiocyanate (an end product of detoxification of hydrogen cyanide present in cigarette smoke), a thyroid gland inhibitor and nicotine which is toxic and blocks niacin uptake.  Niacin increases HDL and lowers LDL cholesterol ratio.[14]

In Part II the interlinking of thyroid, adrenal and nutritional factors, cholesterol not being the cause of arterial disease, commonly believed dietary myths and understanding thyroid malfunction will conclude this article.

References:

1. Dr Broda Otto Barnes (14 April 1906 – 1 November 1988)  related basal temperature to thyroid function. The temperature is taken for 10 minutes immediately upon waking before further movement.   Barnes considered 97.8 °F (36.6 °C) or below was highly indicative of hypothyroid function and over 98.2 °F (36.8 °C) potentially indicative of hyperthyroid function.

2. Glen S R Walker, Fluoridation: Poison On Tap,  Publisher: Melbourne. ISBN-10: 0959357106,  ISBN-13: 978-0959357103. 1982.

    Dr John Yiamouyiannis, Fluoride the Aging Factor, Publisher: Health Action Press. ISBN-10: 0913571008 ,  ISBN-13: 978-0913571002. 1986.

    Mark A Breiner, Whole-Body Dentistry: A Complete Guide to Understanding the Impact of Dentistry on Total Health, Quantum Health Press, LLC. ISBN-10: 0967844312, ISBN-13: 978-0967844312   (see Fluoride sections). 2011.

    Morton Walker DPM, Element of Danger: Restoring Whole Body Health Through Biological Dentistry, Hampton Roads Publishing Co.  ISBN-10: 1571741461, ISBN-13: 978-1571741462   (see Fluoride sections). 1999.

    V Bradshaw-Black, Fluoride, (ICHC article).

3. http://poisonfluoride.com/pfpc/ 

4. Kaschin-Beck disease is an osteochondropathy occurring in children to teens where death of cartilage cells in the epiphyseal growth plates and articular surfaces can result in growth retardation and secondary osteoarthrosis.

5. Framingham Heart Study commissioned by the US National Heart, lung and blood institute (NHLBI).

6. Many scientifically based organisations expose this fraudulent bias one being www.answersingenesis.org

7. Dr Malcolm Kendrick, The Great Cholesterol Con,  John Blake Publishing Ltd, 1st edition.  ISBN-10: 1844546101,  ISBN-13: 978-1844546107. 2008.

    Anthony Colpo, The Great Cholesterol Con, Publisher: www.lulu.com  ISBN-10: 1471048381,  ISBN-13: 978-1471048388. 2012.

    Uffe Ravnskov, Ignore the Awkward!: How the Cholesterol Myths Are Kept Alive, Publisher: Createspace.  ISBN-10: 1453759409,  ISBN-13: 978-1453759400. 2010.

8. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/09/10/why-you-should-avoid-red-rice-yeast.aspx

9. F Batmanghelidj  Your Body’s Many Cries for Water Global Health Solutions; 3rd edition. ISBN-10: 0970245882, ISBN-13: 978-0970245885. 2008.

Jacques De Langre, Seasalts Hidden Powers, Publisher: Happiness. ISBN-10: 0916508420, ISBN-13: 978-0916508425. 1987.

10. www.positivehealth.com/article/exercise-and-fitness/exercise-and-nutrition  Issue 141 - November 2007.

11. Hal A. Huggins, It’s All In Your Head, Avery Publishing Group. ISBN 0-89529-550-4. 1993.

      Mark A Breiner, Whole-Body Dentistry: A Complete Guide to Understanding the Impact of Dentistry on Total Health, Quantum Health Press, LLC.  ISBN-10: 0967844312, ISBN-13: 978-0967844312. 2011.

      Morton Walker DPM, Element of Danger: Restoring Whole Body Health Through Biological Dentistry, Hampton Roads Publishing Co.  ISBN-10: 1571741461, ISBN-13: 978-1571741462. 1999.

12. V Bradshaw-Black,  Detoxification is wrongly called  ‘Infection’, Why? (ICHC article)

      New Vistas Homeopathic Remedies for detoxification of toxic dental materials (AMALEX and METEX) and fluoride (CHLOREX). Use order code BLA009.  http://shop.newvistashealthcare.com/categories/Homoeopathy/

13. V Bradshaw-Black, Diet and Nutrition Principles (ICHC article)

      Cytoplan nutritional supplements:  Foundation Formula, B vitamin complex, Cherry C, www.cytoplan.co.uk/Multi-Formulations/      Use Cytoplan Code Bv20 When Ordering For A First Order Discount.

14. Abram Hoffer, Andrew W. Saul, Harold D. Foster, Niacin : The Real Story, Basic Health Publications.  ISBN-10: 1591202752, ISBN-13: 978-1591202752. 2012.