Hypothyroidism is today an epidemic. Many estimates today state that hypothyroidism affects up to 85% of women and and 70% of men. Rates of Hypothyroidism have more than doubled in the last century! Now an academic would look at these alarming figures and ask themselves "Why is this increase happening?" That is the question that I am going to set out to answer here in this article.
There have been many changes in American living which have contributed to the hypothyroid epidemic, but none more than the dramatic increase in exposure to toxic substances which has occured in the last half century. We have sodium fluoride added to our municipal water supplies against our will. Mercury amalgam fillings are still used in peoples mouths. Artificial sweetener use is at an all-time high. Not to mention that many Americans still do not realize the toxic effects that pesticides from inorganic produce have on our thyroids. What do all of these pollutants have in common you ask? They all block the proper utilization of Iodine and other essential minerals by the thyroid gland!
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| Municipal Water Treatment Plant |
Of particular concern is the negative effects that a group of chemicals known as "halogens" have on iodine uptake by the thyroid gland. The major halogens which we NEED to avoid if we ever want to free ourselves of hypothyroidism are fluoride, bromine and chlorine. The three aforementioned substances are toxic as they block iodine uptake by the thyroid. Don't get it? Let me clarify further...
The human thyroid gland has what are called "iodine receptors." The job of these iodine receptors is to uptake dietary iodine so that the thyroid gland can produce thyroid hormone (t4 and t3) from the iodine. Iodine is THE raw material used by your thyroid gland to produce these important hormones, among other things. When you ingest too many toxic halogens (fluoride, chlorine, bromine) your iodine receptors become clogged with these halogens and iodine cannot be efficiently used by your thyroid! No iodine reaching the receptors equals no thyroid hormone production.
What does this tell us? It tells us that we need to live as cleanly as possible if we are ever going to solve the hypothyroid epidemic. In order to know how to avoid these toxic halogens, we must first know where they are present.
We are exposed to Fluoride mainly through...
-drinking tap water
-showering in tap water (your skin absorbs anything that touches it!)
- brushing with fluoride tooth paste.
We are exposed to Bromine mainly through...
-Contact with fire retardants used in carpeting and furniture
-household cleaning products
-flour used for cooking bread and pastries
So in order to avoid these nasty chemicals, we must use our common sense. If you would not eat a specific substance, you should not be applying it to your skin. Avoid the above listed sources as much as possible. Now that I have talked a bit about why we are facing hypothyroidism today in epidemic proportions, I am going to talk about supplementary measures which are critical to take in order to normalize thyroid function in my next article. You can find this article by clicking here. In addition, you should also read my article on Adrenal Fatigue/Insufficiency since sub-par adrenal function is also a major cause of hypothyroidism.
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