Thyroid disease has skyrocketed the past few decades. What is responsible for the epidemic of thyroid dysfunction? A growing body of research indicates that exposure to environmental toxins is a key piece of the thyroid disease puzzle.
The most common thyroid diseases are Hashimoto Thyroiditis and Graves’ Disease. The first is a relative to chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia and affects mostly women. When you have Hashimoto Thyroiditis, you can experience anxiety, brain fog, cold intolerance, depression, fatigue, heart palpitations, hair loss, loose bowels and an inability to lose weight. Grave’s disease is the most common cause of overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism). There are similar symptoms to Hashimoto’s with some exceptions: a fine tremor of the hands or fingers, heat sensitivity, weight loss, bulging eyes, thyroid enlargement, reduced libido, erectile dysfunction and menstrual cycle changes. You could also have a red patch of skin on the anterior portion of the leg or top of the foot.
The thyroid is a small but vitally important endocrine gland located in the base of the neck. It releases a steady stream of hormones that are intrinsically involved in the regulation of metabolism, as well as the endocrine, cardiovascular, neurological and immune function. Despite the powerful role the thyroid plays in the body, it is quite susceptible to damage from exogenous influences such as environmental toxins.
The thyroid gland has a naturally high affinity for halogens and metals. While this affinity is intended to draw iodine (a halogen) and selenium (a metalloid) into the thyroid for the production and metabolism of thyroid hormones, it can also lead to the accumulation of harmful halogens and metals within the gland.
The types of toxins that affect the thyroid are thus primarily substances that mimic thyroid hormone structure, contain halogens or are heavy metals. There are four main groups: industrial chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, toxins in consumer goods and heavy metals. Environmental toxins that mirror thyroid hormone structure and invade the thyroid gland are all around us.
Heavy Metals: Four metals damage the thyroid the most: aluminum, cadmium, lead and mercury. Aluminum is commonly found in toiletries, over-the-counter medications, food additives, cookware and vaccines, and this metal oxidizes the thyroid, inhibits iodine uptake, limits thyroid production and can mislead the immune system to attack the thyroid. Cadmium is released via mining and smelting activities and is present in batteries, pigments, plastics, sewage and phosphate-based fertilizers, and this metal triggers thyroid enlargement, produces multinodular goiters, reduces thyroglobulin secretion and can induce thyroid cancer. Lead is high in the environment because it was used in paint in old housing, some metal jewelry, children’s toys, mining and other forms of industrialization. Mercury can be found everywhere from cosmetics to fish, to pesticides, to vaccines, to your dental fillings, to coal-burning plants. Mercury and iodine are chemically very similar to each other, so your thyroid is quick to absorb and store mercury.
Household Toxins: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), more commonly referred to as flame retardants, can be found in furniture, carpet padding, clothing and the screens of electronic devices. Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, ingredients used to make plastic for water bottles, children’s toys and food storage containers, imitate the structures of other hormones found naturally in the body and disrupt the entire endocrine system along with the thyroid.
Industrial Chemicals: The most prevalent are dioxin, perchlorate, perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). All four of these pollutants negatively affect thyroid function. Dioxin reduces thyroid function. Perchlorate competitively blocks iodine absorption. PFCs disrupt overall thyroid function. PCBs enlarge the thyroid.
Agricultural Agents: Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides weaken thyroid function to the point of causing hypothyroidism or low thyroid. Agricultural agents wreck thyroid function by altering thyroid hormone gene expression, preventing the uptake of iodine into the thyroid, blocking thyroid hormone from binding to its transport proteins, lowering the absorption of thyroid hormone into thyroid cells, and promoting thyroid hormone removal from the body. Nitrates are used in fertilizer and foods and are similar enough to iodine to competitively block its absorption, which reduces thyroid function and have been linked to thyroid cancer.
It’s important to take a two-fold approach to reducing your toxic burden. First, you need to reduce your future exposure to toxins. Second, is clearing your body of the toxins that have accumulated in your system over the course of your lifetime.
Here are some strategies: clean your air (try a HEPA filter in your home and office); clean your water (install water filters on all taps and showerheads); buy clean food (organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised); buy clean body products (the skin is very capable of absorbing chemical toxins); know your SNP status (single-nucleotide polymorphisms, are genetic mutations that can affect all sorts of processes in your body); examine your mouth (amalgam fillings contain mercury); support your detox pathways (support your liver); stop using non-stick cookware; maintain optimal levels of iodine and selenium; stop using synthetic antibacterial products and limit use of plastics; and prevent stress.