Dr. Westin Childs Podcast: Thyroid | Weight Loss | Hormones

Cytomel is a T3 only thyroid medication which happens to also be the most powerful thyroid medication available. The only problem? It can sometimes be associated with hair loss and, even though the medication is great, you should be aware of this problem if you are using it or thinking about using it. Before we jump in, just realize that Cytomel is the brand name T3 medication but this information also applies to liothyronine which is the generic version of Cytomel. There are 3 main ways that Cytomel may cause hair loss: #1. Hair loss related directly to the medication. - The first cause of hair loss has to do with the medication itself. The good news is that this is typically temporary and should resolve within 2-4 months (3-6 months at most). The exact mechanism of this hair loss is not known. The treatment for this issue is to give it time and to be patient! #2. Hair loss related to an excessively high dose. - This cause of Cytomel-related hair loss is dose-dependent and only occurs if your dose

Vitamin B12 deficiency is incredibly common among hypothyroid patients. In fact, it is estimated that up to 40% of all hypothyroid patients suffer from B12 deficiency or sub-optimal B12 levels in their body. What's important here is that treating your thyroid is not sufficient to fix your B12 levels! You should think of B12 deficiency and hypothyroidism as two separate conditions that need to be treated. B12 deficiency is also difficult to identify because it shares many of the same symptoms as hypothyroidism. B12 deficiency is associated with the following symptoms: - Fatigue - Weight gain - Depression - Constipation - Brain fog You can see that many of these symptoms are also seen in hypothyroidism. Testing for B12 is actually quite difficult as the serum B12 test is not always accurate. You can, however, test for B12 with the methylmalonic acid test but this test is much more expensive. When using B12 you want to make sure that you are using the right type and formulation of B12. Formulations su

The short answer is yes, the long answer is that there are still several reasons to supplement even if your thyroid has been removed. Once your thyroid has been removed it's better to think of yourself as hypothyroid rather than hyperthyroid (because many people who have their thyroid removed have it removed for this reason). That means once your thyroid is removed most of the information you find regarding hypothyroidism is relevant to you. In addition, once your thyroid has been removed and once you take thyroid medication, there are still several steps that must occur in your body in order for you to use that medication effectively. The first is that your body must activate the thyroid hormone and turn it from T4 into the active thyroid hormone T3. This process requires several key nutrients including Zinc and Selenium. Once your thyroid hormone has been activated it must then act on the cells themselves. There are several nutrients involved in this process as well as several hormone systems. H

Is it possible to stop taking your thyroid medication? The answer is maybe, and it depends on your situation. There are 3 main groups of patients that we need to discuss and you should try to figure out where you fit into these categories to determine if you can stop taking your medication. Group #1: Those who MUST take thyroid medication. - The first group are those people who must take thyroid medication for the rest of their lives. People in this category include people who have had their thyroid removed through surgery, those who have had their thyroid destroyed through RAI, and those who have end-stage Hashimoto's thyroiditis. If you fit into this category then you will NOT be able to stop taking your thyroid medication because your body is unable to produce it on its own. Group #2: Those who were placed on thyroid medication inappropriately. - There are a number of people who have been placed on thyroid medication inappropriately. These people were often placed on their medication because of o

Download my free thyroid resources here: https://www.restartmed.com/start-here Are you currently taking Natural Desiccated thyroid hormone? Maybe you are considering using this medication. Either way, there are some things you should know BEFORE you start using it. Like any medication, NDT is not a perfect medication and it does have some problems. I'm actually a big fan of NDT as a medication and I use it on a lot of my patients, but I am also aware that it isn't perfect and it doesn't work for everyone. Some of these problems include: #1. The formula keeps changing. The inactive ingredients in Armour thyroid, for instance, have changed several times throughout the last decade. Each time they have been changed there have been a number of people in which the medication seems to not be working as well. #2. It isn't always easy to get. Doctors have a bias towards T4 only thyroid medications compared to NDT formulations. NDT, while helpful, can be very difficult to get. #3. The amount of T4 and T3 i

The TSH is probably the most standard way to test for thyroid dysfunction but it's certainly not the most accurate way. There are at least 5 different conditions which, if present, can alter how reliable the TSH test really is. These conditions include: #1. Low T3 syndrome. - The first condition is low T3 syndrome. People with this condition have low levels of free T3 or total T3 but their free T4 and TSH may stay relatively normal. Free T3 should take precedence because it is the active thyroid hormone. #2. high TSH but normal T4. - Many people look at the TSH reference range and think that if they fall anywhere on that range that they are "normal". The problem is that this reference range includes people who aren't 100% healthy. Instead of using the standard reference range look at a tighter range which is less than 2.0. #3. Partial thyroidectomy with falsely normal T4/T3. - If part of your thyroid has been removed or radiated with radioactive iodine then the remaining portion must enlarge to try a

Do you have Hashimoto's or hypothyroidism? If so, download my free resources such as foods you should be avoiding, the complete list of thyroid lab tests, and more here: https://www.restartmed.com/start-here/ Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease which means if you have this disease that your body is attacking and attempting to destroy your own thyroid gland. Up to 70-90% of people with hypothyroidism have Hashimoto's (even if you don't know about it!) and this is important because Hashimoto's is treated differently compared to regular hypothyroidism. There are 5 main natural therapies that you can use to potentially help halt this autoimmune damage in your body and help heal your thyroid gland. I've personally used these therapies on many patients and found them to be quite effective. But, before you use them, please realize that they may not ALL work for you. Each person is unique and the therapies that you need may differ from the therapies that I've listed here. 5 Natural ways to treat Hashimoto

Download free thyroid resources here: https://www.restartmed.com/start-here/ Your thyroid function depends on how much iron you have. If you have low iron levels then your thyroid function may be compromised. This is especially important for people who have thyroid disease because they are very sensitive to even small changes in iron levels. And doctors are not conditioned to look at iron stores unless they find that you are anemic. But it is possible to be iron deficient even if you are not anemic and this deficiency CAN impact your thyroid negatively. Thyroid function and iron are linked in the following ways: - Low iron reduces the amount of thyroid hormone that your body can produce directly from your thyroid gland. - Low iron is associated with decreased T4 to T3 conversion. - Low iron is associated with low T3. - Low iron reduces the effectiveness of iodine supplementation. - As transferrin falls, your TSH rises. Testing for iron deficiency is actually quite easy and I recommend that all t

Free thyroid downloads and resources here: https://www.restartmed.com/start-here Can exercising help boost your thyroid? The short answer is yes, but only if you are doing it the RIGHT way. Too little exercise will have no benefit on your thyroid while overexercising may lower your free T3 and total T3. How does exercise benefit your thyroid? In 3 main ways: #1. It reduces your TSH and increases both T3 and T4 levels. - This is exactly what you want if you are hypothyroid. This combination of changes indicates that your thyroid is able to work on its own. #2. It reduces inflammation. - Reducing inflammation can indirectly help your thyroid by improving how much T3 you can create through T4 to T3 conversion. This is also helpful if you have autoimmunity from conditions such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis. #3. It improves your metabolism. - Exercising can also improve your metabolism. Your thyroid controls about 60% of your daily caloric burn so increasing this value up to normal is incredibly importan

You can download the PDF copy of this resource here: https://www.restartmed.com/start-here The foods that you eat can either positively or negatively impact your thyroid. This video is all about avoiding certain foods which have been scientifically proven to inhibit thyroid function in some way. The list of foods to avoid if you have thyroid disease includes: #1. Refined sugar - Sugar can cause insulin resistance which can negatively impact thyroid function. #2. *Gluten - Up to 2-5% of people with Hashimoto's also have Celiac disease. In addition, many more have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. #3. *Dairy - In a recent study, 8 weeks of removing dairy caused a reduction in TSH levels among patients with Hashimoto's. #4. Alcohol - Alcohol is cytotoxic to thyroid cells and suppresses both TSH and TRH. #5. Trans-Fat - Trans fat can negatively impact thyroid hormone production. #6. Industrial seed oils and fats - These fats may cause inflammation which reduces T4 to T3 conversion. #7. Highly process

Is it possible to test your thyroid at home? The answer is yes. If you watched the video you can download the free resource I mention in it here: https://www.restartmed.com/start-here/ The only problem with testing your thyroid at home is that the tests available are not quite as accurate as blood tests. Having said that they can still give you very important information. My recommendation is to use these tests in conjunction with your lab tests to give you a better idea as to what is happening with your thyroid. Here are the 4 ways you can test your thyroid at home: #1. Check your symptoms. The first thing you can do is check and monitor your symptoms! Your symptoms give you an idea as to how well your thyroid is working. The worse your symptoms are the worse your thyroid is. You can also check and monitor them over time. #2. Check your basal body temperature. Your body temperature tracks with thyroid function because your thyroid helps control and regulate about 60% of the heat your body produc

Free T4 is an important measurement which gives you an idea how well your thyroid is functioning. But what's interesting about this value is that it changes based on what type of thyroid medication you are taking. You need to understand how these changes manifest to know if you are on the right track. How T4 changes with thyroid medication: - On T4 only thyroid medication. Free T4 tends to increase when taking thyroid medication such as Levothyroxine and Synthroid. This makes perfect sense! You can use your free T4 as a measure to determine if you are taking enough medication. As you take more medication you should see your free T4 increase. - On NDT thyroid medication. On NDT some people experience a dramatic drop in free T4 while others may see a slight increase. How you respond to NDT will depend on your unique biochemistry. - On T3 only thyroid medication. All people taking T3 only thyroid medication will see a drop in free T4 if their dose is high enough! Evaluating your free T4 is importan

Men with hypothyroidism tend to have similar but different symptoms when compared to women. The difference in symptoms stems from the impact that your thyroid has on testosterone. Testosterone, as it turns out, is much more important for men when compared to women. Even minor changes in testosterone can lead to numerous side effects which are separate from hypothyroidism. So, in a sense, men get both the symptoms of hypothyroidism AND low testosterone. Men with hypothyroidism commonly present with any or all of the following symptoms: - Increase in fatigue or decreased energy levels - Decreased libido/sex drive and other changes in sexual function including erectile dysfunction - Inability to build muscle mass or decreased strength - Unexplained weight gain or inability to lose weight despite using therapies that have worked in the past - Changes in mood ranging from feeling "down" to depression In addition to these symptoms men usually present with 1 or more of the following general symptoms of hypot

TSH is a marker of thyroid function and it's incredibly important if you are pregnant. During pregnancy, the thyroid gland enlarges and must produce enough thyroid hormone for both you and your child. If you can't produce enough thyroid hormone then your child may suffer from developmental issues, a low birthweight and potentially a lower than normal IQ. Because of this, doctors recommend that thyroid function be monitored very closely during pregnancy. It also means that the standard "healthy" ranges must be altered during pregnancy to match the increase in demand of thyroid hormone. This means there are new reference ranges for the TSH and other thyroid hormones. You can find these levels below: Standard TSH levels during Pregnancy: First trimester: 0.1 to 2.5 mU/L Second trimester: 0.2 to 3.0 mU/L Third trimester: 0.2 to 3.0 mU/L Normal non-pregnant TSH range: 0.5 to 4.0 mU/L (with newer studies showing that a healthy TSH is probably less than 2.5 (2) and maybe even closer to 1.0 mU/L (3)) M

How long does it take thyroid medication to work? That's the question we will be exploring in today's video. The short answer? About 60% of people will experience some improvement within 4-6 weeks of taking their medication. Another 20% will experience symptomatic relief even sooner and the last 20% may experience symptomatic improvement up to 8+ weeks after starting their medication. Why does it take so long? It has to do with how thyroid hormone works once it's in your body. Thyroid hormone has to interact with your cells and change genetic transcription and this process takes time. Other factors such as your starting dose, whether or not you are taking T3, and your lifestyle can also all impact how quickly your medication will work. Those people who take T3 medications often experience improvement faster than those who take T4 only thyroid medication. Recommended thyroid supplements to enhance thyroid function: - For thyroid hormone production and conversion: https://www.restartmed.com/product/t

The answer is yes. Actually, both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can lead to high blood sugar. This stems from a condition known as insulin resistance in which your cells become resistant to the effects of insulin. Insulin is supposed to help your body take up glucose and utilize it for energy. If it can't then the blood sugar will build up in your blood and you will experience high blood sugar. This condition stems from ANY disorder of thyroid function including both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. And this is also true of thyroid medications. It's not the medications themselves which cause blood sugar but how much you are taking of them. It's possible for thyroid medication to both hurt or help your blood sugar, depending on your dose. In addition to this, hypothyroid patients also suffer from a high cortisol if they do not use an adequate dose of thyroid medication. High cortisol leads to further insulin resistance and can exacerbate high blood sugar. Because of this, if you have hypoth

Thyroid dysfunction can lead to both general hair loss and eyebrow hair loss. Eyebrow hair loss can be particularly troubling because it can cause considerable distress and issues with your appearance. It's important to know that your eyebrows are a sensitive marker of thyroid function in your body. They are often the first sign of thyroid disease and can be the last symptom to improve once you improve your thyroid. 6 steps to improve thyroid eyebrow hair loss include: #1. Take thyroid medication! (If necessary) #2. Ensure that your thyroid medication is actually working. #3. Take hair regrowth supplements (this works for both your hair and eyebrows). #4. Take thyroid enhancing supplements #5. Look at your iron/ferritin #6. Consider switching thyroid medications By following these steps you should be able to improve your eyebrow hair growth and improve your thyroid function at the same time. Always remember that there can be other causes of eyebrow hair loss which are unrelated to your thyroi

The quick answer to the question: Yes, but only in about 10% of the population (based on my estimates and experience). And by reversed I am talking about a 100% complete remission where you are not taking thyroid medication, where your thyroid antibodies are zero, your weight is normalized, and you do not have any symptoms of hypothyroidism. Other people can experience anywhere from minor to major improvements with natural therapies, but the degree that they will improve depends on their individual circumstance. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease which will eventually result in the complete destruction of your thyroid gland. In the conventional setting, most doctors do not do any treatment for Hashimoto's except using thyroid medications and/or surgery (in some cases). This means that it's up to you to find the treatment you need to fix your condition. If you are interested in reversing Hashimoto's or in treating your condition naturally then you will have more luck getting treatment

Radioactive iodine treatment is a medical treatment used to destroy your thyroid gland. It's used to treat conditions such as hyperthyroidism to help reduce the amount of thyroid hormone that your body produces. As you can imagine, destroying your thyroid gland does come with some consequences. I want to talk about those consequences and what you should expect if you get this procedure done. 6 Things to expect after Radioactive iodine treatment: #1. You are going to be radioactive. - Yes! It is true. You will be radioactive for about 5-7 days after your procedure which means you shouldn't be close to other people for that time. You can't kiss others, prepare food for others, share a toilet, and so on. This fades in about 5-7 days so don't let it freak you out. #2. You may gain weight. - This is another big one. There is about a 30% chance that you will gain weight after your procedure. Studies have tested and looked at people who undergo RAI and they have found that those who are overweight before

Can taking thyroid medication alter your blood pressure? The answer is absolutely. It doesn't happen all the time, but certain types of thyroid medication can lead to a rise in your blood pressure. Your cardiac tissue (heart cells) have different thyroid receptors when compared to most other cells. As a result, they are particularly sensitive to T3 thyroid hormone. When they come into contact with T3 it can act to increase the force of contraction of your heart which increases both your heart rate and your blood pressure. What can you do about it? #1. Pay attention to your dose (if your dose is too high you may need to lower your medication). #2. Take your dose of medication several times throughout the day. - By splitting up your dose throughout the day you can slow down how much thyroid hormone hits your heart. #3. Consider switching to a different thyroid medication. - Lastly, if you can't find any relief from the steps above then you may need to switch medications entirely. Switching from one c