Our bodies are incredibly intelligent but when you start to experience a downward spiral of health issues, you may start to feel as though your body is ‘broken’ or letting you down. I am here to tell you, your body is not broken. Firstly, You are not broken and yes, you can feel better again, despite what you may have been told. Now that we have cleared that up, let's chat about the thyroid.
Your thyroid functions to maintain balance within the body which means it is impacted by positive and negative feedback mechanisms from the internal and external environment. Your thyroid doesn’t simply just ‘stop’ working suddenly, there is always an underlying cause. Once we stop to listen to our symptoms and understand the underlying causes, we start to see the path we must take in order to restore balance and thyroid function.
In this article, we are going to cover the 5 main root causes of thyroid dysfunction. These root causes are associated with both Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism, along with autoimmune thyroid conditions, Hashimoto’s and Graves disease.
Keep in mind, in most cases, there are usually multiple underlying causes of thyroid dysfunction. The good news is, there is a lot that can be done to improve your symptoms and to feel better.
Looking below the surface to find the root cause
01 Chronic Stress
02 Gut Imbalances
03 Toxic Overload/Environmental Toxins
04 Food Triggers
05 Immune dysfunction/stealth pathogens
Thyroid-Adrenal Connection (Chronic Stress)
Many women come to me saying that their GP told them that they are just ‘stressed’ but they always feel there is something more going on. This is a common theme with thyroid issues and that is because stress and thyroid issues are closely linked. Now before you skip past, it’s important to understand that ‘stress’ is not just ‘all in your head’. Stress is a biological mechanism that is essential to life and, when balanced, has profound benefits for our health. Stress comes in many forms and can be triggered by emotional stress, foods, environmental chemicals, food irritants, physical stress such as exercising too much, lack of sleep, imbalanced blood sugars, perceived stress (such as worrying about something that has not yet happened), surgery, illness/infections and anything else that puts tension on your system. Stress only becomes an issue when we are essentially 'stuck' in a chronically stressed state.
Chronic stress and/or trauma can alter the immune system, increase inflammation and cause a downstream effect on every single cell within the body, leading to the production of autoantibodies (autoimmunity) and/or a reduction of active thyroid hormones within cells. When we are experiencing prolonged stress, your adrenal system tells your body to conserve energy rather than expend too much and as a result, cortisol will put a halt on thyroid function. It's like putting a stop on your bank account so you can't spend too much. The reason why this occurs is to protect you during times of threat so instead of 'wasting energy' on digesting foods, preparing for a baby or having a good sex drive, your body diverts the energy towards handling the emergency your brain has perceived (even if it's not real!).
This process is complex but to simplify it, here are the main ways stress indirectly and directly affects thyroid function:
Causes the thyroid gland to become less sensitive to TSH, reducing T4 and T3 production.
It reduces active thyroid hormone production (T3) by converting T4 into the inactive reverse T3 (rT3) -Which is like putting money into a savings account that you can’t access...
Stress impacts our gut by harming our microbiome and causing leaky gut, both of which can reduce nutrient absorption and interfere with the immune system.
Stress can be a trigger of autoimmunity due to increased inflammation and heightened immune response.
Gut Imbalances
As the ancient physician Hippocrates said, "all disease begins in the gut". This is very true and a huge aspect of thyroid health. Your thyroid requires key nutrients that must be consumed through your diet (iodine, zinc, selenium, iron, amino acids etc.). This means the foods you put into your body and the health of our gut directly impacts thyroid function. If your gut health is compromised by a poor diet, inflammation, leaky gut, parasites/overgrowths or an altered microbiome diversity, this is going to have consequences on not only your thyroid, but every system within your body.
Increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut) is another major contributing factor that can trigger autoimmune conditions. The gut lining is a barrier protecting the internal organs from external harmful substances that we may consume. This lining is a single layer of cells and when this layer is damaged by stress, gluten (for some individuals) or other food allergens, medications or repeated toxins, then this causes the cells to separate, leaving gaps that allow food particles, bacteria, toxins and other substances to move through into the bloodstream. It's like having large holes in your water filter, what you don't want still gets through. This triggers an immune response, causing inflammation and over time, this can trigger the body to create antibodies that attack the body's own cells (resulting in autoimmunity). There is also a direct communication pathway between the gut and liver which means these toxic substances that have passed through can damage the liver, contributing to liver issues such as fatty liver.
Environmental Toxins & Toxic Overload
Thyroid issues don't just happen overnight, it is generally years of cumulative triggers and exposures with a major one being environmental toxins. In our modern day lives, we are exposed to an enormous amount of toxins that are not appropriately tested for safety or the cumulative effects that they can have on the body. This accumulation of toxins can start within the womb too, depending on your mothers exposures.
Environmental toxins can be found in foods (from herbicides, pesticides & chemicals to prolong shelf-life), tap water (especially fluoride, chlorine & heavy metals), household cleaners, skin care products, hair dye and other hair care, make up, perfumes & air fresheners, food additives, plastic packaging (yes, even if it's BPA free), sunscreens, tin packaging, dental amalgams & the list goes on.These chemicals (commonly called endocrine disruptors) & heavy metals wreak havoc on our hormones and thyroid by blocking or overstimulating receptors, mimicking hormones and sending mixed messages throughout the body. They cause inflammation, oxidative damage, contribute to weight gain, ageing, impact or block the absorption of nutrients, damage the gut, overload the liver and contribute to chronic disease.
When the liver is compromised due to toxic overload, this significantly impacts the body’s ability to convert inactive thyroid hormones (T4) into active T3 as majority of the conversion occurs within the liver.
Food Triggers & Nutrient deficiencies
Gluten is a key dietary trigger for many individuals with thyroid autoimmunity.The protein gliadin within gluten closely resembles an enzyme within the thyroid gland. This means the consumption of gluten can trigger an elevation in antibodies. Gluten can also cause leaky gut and inflammation, reducing the absorption of nutrients.
Nutrient deficiencies in vitamin D, zinc, Vitamin A, selenium and iodine are all associated with the development of Hashimoto’s and are critical for immune & thyroid function. Too much AND too little iodine is connected to thyroid issues. Testing your iodine is a great option to determine your levels.
There are other foods that can be triggers so it’s important to find what your triggers are.
Immune dysfunction & Stealth Pathogens
There are certain stealth pathogens that can trigger autoimmunity such as EBV and hepatitis.
Chronic infections can keep your body in a state of low-level inflammation which can make it more difficult to detect. Stress can also reactivate dormant infections which is why many experience cold sores during times of stress.
Download a copy of my free ‘Insights for a Healthier Thyroid’ eBook if you would like to learn more.
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Allison xo
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