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

Are you experiencing thyroid related hair loss? If so, you aren't alone! Hair loss is one of the most damaging and concerning symptoms caused by low thyroid function and it's what we are going to be discussing today! I've talked previously about how to treat thyroid related hair loss and today I want to expand on that. But to recap, you need to know the basics. If you want to treat thyroid related hair loss at the most basic level then you need to do 3 things: #1. Optimize thyroid function with thyroid medication. #2. Optimize iron status by looking at ferritin. #3. Make sure you replace lost nutrients. Doing this will help MOST people with hair loss related to their thyroid! If you haven't done these things then you should start there. Today we are going to talk about additional or more advanced hair loss therapies that thyroid patients can use if they are suffering from hair loss or if those treatments listed above didn't work. These therapies are very effective and help the different types of h

This video outlines my best tips and tricks to get better sleep. Sleep is probably the single most important therapy that I know of when it comes to treating just about ALL diseases and conditions. Want to lose more weight? Get more sleep. Want to reduce inflammation in your body? Get more sleep. Want to improve your autoimmune disease? Get more sleep. Want to age better? Get more sleep. Getting 8 hours of sleep every night is probably the single closest thing we have to a "cure" for these conditions and is something that we ALL need and can all get more of. Every time I talk about the importance of sleep, though, there are a number of people who ask HOW they can do it. Well, here's your answer! These are 12 tips and tricks that I've used successfully on either myself or my patients to help them get better sleep. List of tips: #1. Get a sleep divorce Sleep in a different room from your partner/spouse. #2. Set your temperature 1-2 degrees cooler Lowering the temperature in your house or arou

Did you know that getting into the sauna 3-5 times per week may actually be able to treat Hashimoto's thyroiditis? FAR IR sauna has a number of benefits that you as a Hashimoto's patient should be aware of so you can take advantage of them. First, let's talk about what a FAR IR sauna is and how it compares to a regular Finnish sauna. The FAR IR sauna contains a combination of both heat and light waves that have therapeutic benefits. Both the Finnish and FAR IR saunas heat up the body and cause sweating but the penetration of the FAR IR sauna is greater which is why it's probably better for detox. FAR IR light waves can penetrate several centimeters into the skin which is enough to get into subcutaneous fat cells, some ligaments/joints, and even some superficial organs. We also know that heating up the body induces many beneficial changes to both enzymes, proteins, and even genetic changes. These occur as your body tries to get back to its normal state. The triggering of these proteins and enzymes enhanc

Should you avoid the keto diet if you have thyroid problems? Will the ketogenic diet cause hypothyroidism or low thyroid function? The answer is maybe. I'm not a huge fan of keto for thyroid patients for a few reasons and we will be discussing those reasons below. Having said that, there is a time and a place for using the keto diet if you have thyroid problems. Will keto cause thyroid problems? Probably not, but it may trigger it in some people or make it worse in others. It’s not the keto causing it per se but it’s the fact that you were probably bordering on hypothyroidism anyway and that just happened to be the trigger. It’s also the case that some people who do keto with existing thyroid disease will get worse. Not most, not all, probably not the majority, but some. So that is a risk worth considering before you go on it. Some of the pros of the keto diet include: May cause rapid weight loss (sometimes but not always) Impact on insulin and blood sugar Treats depression, cognitive function, and

This body fat hormone guide explains what your body fat tells you about your hormone levels. Have fat in your upper arms? It could be from your estrogen and progesterone. Have fat in your bell? That's cortisol. The list goes on. Your hormones give you a LOT of information about what is happening inside of your body. The food that you eat is important in determining body fat accumulation but your hormones tell that fat WHERE to go. Let me rephrase: Eating a lot of extra food WILL cause weight gain but where that body fat accumulates depends on what is happening with your hormones. You can use this information to get valuable information about your hormones and which hormones you may have a problem with. Why is this important? Because it's often hard to pinpoint hormone problems and it's even more difficult to understand hormone lab tests. Many doctors do not specialize in this area so they are also less than helpful. This body fat guide is NOT a perfect science, however. Often times you may suffer fro

These are the 6 most common root causes of Hashimoto's thyroiditis including triggers that you should avoid. These triggers can CAUSE a Hashimoto's flare up. Today we are going to be discussing the most common root CAUSES of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease and must be triggered before it manifests in YOUR body. When we talk about the root cause of Hashimoto's what we are really talking about are those things that trigger Hashimoto's in thyroid patients. These triggers can either cause Hashimoto's directly or lead to a flare-up. Understanding these triggers is very important because it may help you direct and target your treatment. If you can do this then you may be able to reduce or reverse your condition. These are the top 6 most common root causes that I see: #1. Stress (emotional, physical, social) Stress from ANY cause is probably the single most common trigger of Hashimoto's that I see. This stress can either be physical such as a car accident, it ca

These steps will make your prescription thyroid medication MORE effective. You'll feel better by using these proven tips. Many thyroid patients have been prescribed thyroid medication yet they don't feel much different once they start taking it. Has that happened to you? You've probably been told that the only way to help you feel better is to adjust your dose but that may not be entirely true. It turns out that there are some things that YOU can do, which are within your control, which can help make your thyroid dose more effective. In other words, you can help your body feel better without adjusting your thyroid medication dose to make that dose of medication feel like it's more powerful. And that's exactly what we are going to talk about today. Below you will find 6 strategies that will help do just that: #1. Increase T4 to T3 conversion with supplements. Supplements like zinc, selenium, and guggul extract can help improve T4 to T3 conversion. The more T3 thyroid hormone you have floating ar

So you've been diagnosed with a thyroid problem? What does the world hold for you? What's it like living with hypothyroidism or low thyroid function? That's exactly what we are going to be talking about today! Your thyroid controls and regulates most systems and hormones in your body and, as a thyroid patient, you should be aware of the potential problems that this may cause in your life. But let me make this clear: Just because you have thyroid disease does not mean you need to suffer! There are always ways to both feel better, manage your weight, and control your symptoms (more on this below). With that in mind, here are 7 things that all thyroid patients should know: 1. It will be harder for you to lose weight compared to someone else 2. Doctors may not take your symptoms seriously 3. Some thyroid problems can be REVERSED or CURED (but not all) 4. Some days you may feel better than others 5. Your dose of thyroid medication will likely change throughout your life 6. You may not need to be on thy

Signs you are taking too much levothyroxine and when to know if you need to lower your dose. It's quite common for thyroid patients to accidentally take TOO much levothyroxine. Levothyroxine is the most commonly used medication to treat low thyroid (of all types). Unfortunately, it only works if you are using the correct DOSE, however! And there are many people out there right now, perhaps you, who are taking either too much or too little. The side effects associated with taking too much or too little are almost the complete opposite. If you've been taking levothyroxine or Synthroid and you are NOT feeling better then this video is for you. While it is more common for people to not take ENOUGH levothyroxine (meaning their dose is too small) there are still plenty of people out there who are taking too much levothyroxine. When you take too much levothyroxine you will start to experience some of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism as well as a few added symptoms associated with the medication itself. Sig

In this video, Dr. Amie and I discuss: - Thyroid weight gain and what triggers it - Reverse dieting and how it can help improve your metabolism - Inflammation and its impact on thyroid disease (also the potential sources and causes of inflammation in thyroid patients) - Adrenal fatigue and cortisol testing, the best tests to use, why I don't recommend cortisol testing, and more - The iodine thyroid controversy, why I don't recommend using high dose iodine, and what range of iodine is important - Why TSH suppression isn't always a bad thing but what to watch out for if you suppress your TSH - Why optimizing your free T3 over your free T4 is important - Why high free T3 levels aren't necessarily a problem - The connection between osteoporosis and atrial fibrillation with thyroid disease - And how to balance the risks vs rewards of thyroid management If you have any follow-up questions about this podcast please leave them in the comments below! You can connect with Dr. Amie in the following ways: Website: htt

In this video, I interview Dr. Eric Osansky. Dr. Eric Osansky is a chiropractor, clinical nutritionist, a certified functional medicine practitioner, and author of the book “Natural Treatment Solutions for Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease. Dr. Osansky was personally diagnosed with Graves’ disease and has been in remission through the use of natural therapies. His focus is helping people with hyperthyroidism do everything they can to avoid radioactive iodine ablation and thyroid surgery. If you want to learn more about Dr. Eric Osansky you can find more information here: Naturalendocrine solutions website: https://www.naturalendocrinesolutions... Dr. Osansky's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Treatm... Dr. Osansky's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... During our discussion, we talk about hyperthyroid conditions including Graves' disease and toxic multinodular goiter. We talk about the importance of doing everything within your power to PREVENT the progression of your disease to thyr

These are the top 5 best prescription weight loss medications on the market. These weight loss meds actually work and I've personally used them on many patients with success. I've been helping people lose weight for a long time and over the years I've been able to test many different weight loss medications. I've found that while there are many prescription weight loss medications available, only a handful actually work very well. In this video, I will walk you through the top 5 best prescription weight loss medications available on the market, which ones I prefer to use, what you can expect while using them, how they work, and more. Before you jump in, make sure you understand that while prescription weight loss medications can be very effective, you should never just use them by themselves. If you are serious about weight loss you should combine these weight loss medications with other changes such as adjusting your diet, reducing your stress, exercising daily, and balancing your other hormones. If

In this video, I interview Janie Bowthorpe. Janie Bowthorpe is an author and thyroid advocate. She is the Author of the Stop the Thyroid Madness books as well as the creator of the Stop the Thyroid Madness Website where she has spent many years writing about her experience and the experience of other thyroid patients. With the use of NDT, she was able to reclaim her life and she now helps other thyroid patients do the same. If you want to learn more about Janie you can check out her website as well as her books below: Stop the Thyroid Madness Website - https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/ Stop the Thyroid Madness Book - https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Thyroid-M... We spend a lot of time time talking about Natural Desiccated Thyroid and what makes it a great thyroid medication. Janie goes into detail on how she was able to improve her health with the use of NDT, how much NDT she is taking, and how her dosing has changed over the years. We also spend time talking about the pitfalls of using thyroid facebook gr

The unfortunate truth is that most doctors fail thyroid patients. This is why so many thyroid patients are unhappy with their current treatment. As a whole, do you think doctors help or hurt thyroid patients? This survey of over 12,000 thyroid patients shows that doctors, on the average, are not helping thyroid patients. These 12,000 thyroid patients were asked a series of questions and their responses were recorded. Among these questions, they were asked how satisfied they were with their current treatment, they were asked what type of problems and issues they continue to have, they were asked how long they had their thyroid disease, and they were asked what type of thyroid medication they were taking. The results are probably not surprising to you as a thyroid patient if you've been following me for any length of time but it's still good to go over them. On the whole, these 12,000 thyroid patients gave their doctors a 5 out of 10 on the satisfaction scale. This means that doctors are getting a 50%

Time for another round of thyroid questions and answers! If you have questions, leave them below! Have questions that you want answered? Please leave them in the comments below! I am going to try and answer your questions at least a couple of times per month. Questions in this video come from a post I left on youtube and I will draw from future questions here for additional videos. Questions answered in this video include: Q - Does Hypothyroidism cause swelling/edema? And how do you fix it? A - YES! Low thyroid function can absolutely lead to edema and swelling. The key to fixing this problem is to fix your thyroid. Not ALL cases of edema/swelling are caused by low thyroid, however. Q - How do I know if I am hyperthyroid and whether or not it's due to my medication or Hashimoto's? A - You have to be careful about how you define hyperthyroid. Taking thyroid medication may drop your TSH but that doesn't necessarily mean that you are hyperthyroid. Many patients can be low thyroid with a low TSH even th

In this video, I interview Jeff Whelchel. Dr. Jeff Whelchel is an MD practicing in Amarillo Texas. He is trained in Family Medicine where he practiced in conventional medicine for 21 and a half years. He is now practicing functional medicine where he specializes in thyroid management and bioidentical hormone management with the use of BIOTE pellet therapies. He's a good friend of mine and one of the few people I would trust to treat my own family members. If you are interested in being treated by Dr. Whelchel or want to get in touch with this practice, you can do so at this link here: http://healthyhormones.us/contact-us/ During our discussion, we talk about his own personal health journey and how that impacted his interest in practicing functional and integrative medicine. We talk about how he transitioned from focusing on conventional thyroid management with the TSH and levothyroxine to the functional medicine approach with the complete thyroid lab panel and other thyroid medications such as NDT, T3, and

Can the thyroid gland grow back or is it possible to regrow your thyroid? We will explore that very question in this video. One question I get from many thyroid patients is whether or not the thyroid gland can grow back. They are asking because they have often been told that they will need to be on thyroid medication for the rest of their lives. This proposition doesn't sound appealing, so it's at least worth looking into whether or not it's possible for the thyroid gland to regrow. Unfortunately, it's not possible, at least not in the way that you are probably thinking about it. The thyroid gland, like brain tissue and heart tissue, does NOT grow back once it's dead. But there is a difference between DAMAGED thyroid gland tissue and DESTROYED thyroid gland tissue. Damaged thyroid gland tissue can be salvaged and it may be possible to restore some of this damaged gland tissue back to its former glory. There are, however, some situations and conditions in which it's not possible to see this.

In this video, I interview Paul Robinson. Paul is a thyroid patient advocate and the author of 3 books on thyroid including Recovering with T3, the Thyroid Patients Manuel, and CT3M Handbook. The key takeaway here is that you do NOT have to continue to suffer as a thyroid patient. Paul has successfully used T3 thyroid medication to recover his health back to 100% and has helped over 1,000 thyroid patients do the same over the last several years. T3 is the most important thyroid hormone in the body and it can be used to both treat and manage thyroid symptoms in the short term and long term. Links to Paul's books and website: Recovering with T3: https://www.amazon.com/Recovering-T3-Journey-Hypothyroidism-Thyroid/dp/0957099347/ Thyroid Patients Manuel: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0957099339/ CT3M Handbook: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0957099355/ Paul's Website: https://paulrobinsonthyroid.com/ In this video, you will learn how Paul was able to recover back to 100% using T3 only thyroid medica

These tests are required if you want to test for inflammation in your body. These tests check for systemic or whole body inflammation. Inflammation is something that you don't want going on in your body. High levels of inflammation in the body increase your risk of developing almost every major disease including autoimmune disease, cancer, heart disease, stroke, and much more. Inflammation has also been associated with accelerated aging! No matter how you look at it, it's not something you want in your body. The good news is that you can test for inflammation in your body by looking at some simple blood tests. These blood tests help identify the presence of both acute and chronic inflammation but they don't tell you WHY the inflammation is present. These tests are so important that I order them in just about every patient that I see. They are especially helpful if you have thyroid problems or just want to stay in optimal health. These tests include: - ESR - CRP - Ferritin - Antibody testing (op

What is T4 to T3 conversion? T4 to T3 conversion is the most important aspect of thyroid function because it impacts T3 thyroid hormone levels. T4 to T3 conversion is probably the most important aspect of thyroid function and it's something that you should be aware of if you have ANY thyroid problem. T4 to T3 conversion refers to the process in which your body ACTIVATES thyroid hormone. Most thyroid hormone is floating around in your body as T4 and, in order to be useful to the body, it must be converted into T3. T3 is roughly 300x more biologically active than T4. It's not even close. T3 is, therefore, the most important thyroid hormone in your body. And while doctors know that this process happens, they make the assumption that it occurs perfectly in all people. This isn't the case, though. In fact, many people struggle to convert T4 into T3 for a variety of reasons including their own genetics. In this video, you will learn why this conversion process is so important, the various factors th