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

Want to know the best protein powder if you have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis? Stay tuned to find out what I recommend most frequently to thyroid patients! I’m a big fan of protein powder for thyroid patients because it provides so many benefits. Some of these benefits include: - Helps with weight loss - Provides you with a quick an easy meal - Helps control your appetite - Easy way to get extra nutrients into your body - It’s easy to prepare and tastes great Having said that, not all protein powders are created equal and using the wrong type of protein powder can actually make your thyroid worse. Today I want to talk about the 3 most common types of protein powders that most Hashimoto’s patients are aware of and discuss the pros and cons of each. First up we have whey protein. Whey protein is probably the most common type of protein powder available and the protein powder that most people use. Pros of whey protein powder include: - Results in an increase in glutathione production - Lowest calorie per p

Over the past 6 years, I’ve had the opportunity to help thousands of thyroid patients. I’ve seen and responded to thousands of emails, I’ve personally helped many patients 1 on 1, and over 70,000 thyroid patients have used my supplements to date. I’m not saying this to brag but just to let you know that I’ve done nothing but eat, breathe, and sleep thyroid-related things for the last 6 years! And over these last 6 years, I’ve learned a thing or two that I want to share with you. My goal has been and will continue to be, to help thyroid patients feel better. I don’t know of any other group of patients who get ignored more than thyroid patients by their doctors. Part of feeling better is getting the right information and arming yourself with the right knowledge. With that in mind, let’s get into these 6 lessons: #1. Act fast The best thing you can do if you have a thyroid problem is act NOW! Thyroid disease can and will take away the best parts of your life if you left it. Acting fast will ensure that yo

These Hashimoto’s flare up symptoms will help you determine if your symptoms are related to a flare up or related to something else. Those with Hashimoto’s may experience what is referred to as a Hashimoto’s flare up. This occurs when something triggers your immune system to flare up and increase its attack on your thyroid gland. These flare ups are often associated with very specific symptoms that are often different from the regular day to day symptoms that most thyroid patients experience. Symptoms from a flare up stem from a combination of both thyroid and immune problems whereas thyroid symptoms tend to come directly from the thyroid gland. Knowing you are in a flare up is important because you will want to treat the cause of that flare up ASAP! A Hashimoto’s flare up is usually associated with direct thyroid gland damage from the immune response and you want to stop that as quickly as you possibly can. Here is a list of Hashimoto’s flare-up symptoms that you may experience in a flare-up: - S

Did you know that there are at least 10 different tests for your thyroid? Well, there are actually more but these 10 are by far the most important. If you are someone who is still feeling poorly despite taking thyroid medication or if you are someone who has been told that they are "normal" even though you don’t feel normal then this information is for you! It’s also helpful for pretty much anyone that wants to accurately assess thyroid function. These lab tests help provide information no how well your thyroid gland is functioning, how much free and active thyroid hormone is floating around in your body, how well your body is converting thyroid hormone, what your thyroid gland looks like, and whether or not your other tissues are utilizing it. If you’ve only been tested for your TSH or free T4 then I have good news for you! There are many additional tests that you can use and order which will shed more light on your thyroid function. As a thyroid patient, you will want to get these labs checked at le

Is it possible to naturally increase free T3 levels? The answer is yes! There are actually two ways to do it. The first way I call the easy way. This way is easy because it involves the use of thyroid medications like Cytomel and liothyronine. If you take T3 thyroid medication then you will increase your free t3 levels. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to get those medications from your doctor which is why we need to talk about the second way or the not-so-easy way! Fortunately, these things ARE within your control and are things that you can do. Why should you care? Because T3 is the most biologically active thyroid hormone and is hundreds of times more powerful than T4. Here are 6 things that you can do to increase your free T3 levels: #1. Optimize key nutrients - zinc, selenium, Guggul, anti-oxidants, and anti-inflammatory nutrients. These nutrients all help the T4 to T3 conversion process in various ways. #2. Improve your gut health Up to 20% of thyroid conversion occurs in the gut. Even minor gut

Did you know that hypothyroidism can cause chronic pain? It’s one of the top 10 most common side effects from low thyroid function and not many people are aware of it. Chronic pain can come in the form of joint pain, muscle pain, or just aches and pains throughout your entire body and it is directly tied to thyroid function. Why does it occur in thyroid patients? Through something called tissue level hypothyroidism. This is the idea that even though some of your tissues may be getting enough thyroid hormone it may not be true for all of your tissues. It goes something like this: Imagine you are taking thyroid medication and that medication is getting to most of your body but not to your muscle tissues. If it doesn’t get to your muscle tissues then it won’t allow those muscles to produce enough energy which means you may experience trigger points. If these trigger points are not fixed then they may be the source of potentiation for pain which can be felt on exam. This is why there is a strong conn

LDN, which stands for low dose naltrexone, can be used to treat various treatments including Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. But what is LDN? How does it work? And how do you dose it? We are going to talk about all of these today. LDN is a medication used to treat alcohol addiction but is sometimes used off-label to treat autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. LDN works by blocking opioid receptors. When used at lower doses, it causes a temporary blockage of the receptors which results in a paradoxical increase in endorphins. These endorphins can then help to reduce inflammation and may help reduce pain and balance the immune system. The standard dose of Naltrexone for alcohol addiction is 50mg but when used in off-label for treating autoimmune diseases, the dose is much less. Standard dosing is somewhere between 1.5mg and 4.5mg per day but can go as low as 0.5mg all the way up to 13.5mg. Typically, LDN is very well tolerated and has few side effects. As many as 50% of people notice an improv

Should you go gluten free if you have a thyroid problem? My answer is probably and, in this video, I lay out 5 reasons as to why I think most thyroid patients should consider it. Going gluten free is almost always a good idea if you have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Graves’ disease because these are autoimmune diseases. And we know from many clinical studies as well as patient reports that thyroid patients with these conditions often benefit tremendously from going gluten free. But what about other thyroid patients? What about thyroid patients who have hypothyroidism but not from Hashimoto’s? Should these patients still go gluten free? My answer is yes for these 5 reasons: #1. 70 to 90% of patients with hypothyroidism do indeed have Hashimto’s thyroiditis. #2. Going gluten free limits your diet and may help you keep your dietary goals. #3. There’s nothing to lose by going gluten free for 90 days. #4. Many thyroid patients report feeling better on a gluten free diet. #5. Going gluten free usually

Thyroid detox is one way that you can naturally improve your thyroid to help manage your symptoms. Whether you realize it or not, you are coming into contact with chemicals each and every day that have the ability to negatively impact thyroid function. These chemicals are referred to as endocrine-disrupting chemicals and they can sit on the thyroid receptor on your cells and prevent your thyroid from doing its job. Detoxing allows you to get rid of these chemicals more efficiently to help your thyroid function optimally. And that's exactly what we are going to talk about today. We are going to discuss 5 ways that you can naturally improve the detoxification systems that exist in your body. By augmenting these systems you can help eliminate toxins that may cause low thyroid symptoms. These 5 areas include: #1. Sweating. Improve how much you sweat by using a sauna or by exercising. #2. Lymphatic drainage. Enhance lymphatic drainage with dry brushing, exercising, muscle contraction, or massage.

5 reasons your thyroid really, really needs zinc. Zinc is important for supporting thyroid function regardless of what type of thyroid problem you have. It's important if you have Hashimoto's, hypothyroidism, no thyroid, if you've had your thyroid ablated, and even if you've had hyperthyroidism. Why is zinc so important for your thyroid? Check out these 5 reasons: #1. Zinc deficiency inhibits TRH synthesis. A lack of zinc will reduce TSH and free T3/free T4 levels due to TRH suppression. #2. Zinc is necessary for T4 to T3 conversion. If you don't have enough zinc then you won't be able to produce enough T3. #3. Zinc deficiency can cause hypothyroid symptoms. Replacing low zinc is sufficient to improve low thyroid symptoms in certain individuals. #4. Zinc deficiency leads to suppression of T lymphocytes. Zinc deficiency may increase your risk of developing Hashimoto's thyroiditis. #5. Hypothyroidism can cause zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency impairs thyroid function but low thyroid function

What is the best form of zinc to take for your thyroid? Zinc is one of the most important nutrients for your thyroid. Zinc is required for T4 to T3 conversion, it is required for binding of T3 to thyroid DNA receptors, it's needed for TRH production, and much more. The bottom line is if you don't have enough zinc then your thyroid won't function optimally. Many thyroid patients know this which is why they supplement with zinc. But which form of zinc should you use? I do NOT recommend using zinc boind to picolinic acid or zinc picolinate as well as zinc oxide. Other approved forms of zinc are found in the video and these should be the preference for thyroid patients. For dosing, you will want to use somewhere between 5 to 15mg of the ideal form of zinc each day. If you want to take more then you will need to split your dose apart by 5 hours. Higher doses of zinc may cause issues with your copper balance so keep that in mind! The ideal form and dose of zinc can be found in my supplement Thyroid

If you are like many thyroid patients then you know that finding a good thyroid doctor can be very difficult. You probably know that medications like NDT and T3 can really help and you may even know they are right for you but what good is that information if you can't find a doctor to prescribe them? If you fit into that category then this video is for you! Here you will find tips and tricks that I would personally use to help me find a doctor based off of the information that I now know. If you are a thyroid patient that is suffering then try these tips: #1. Call a local compounding pharmacy and see if you can get a list of names of doctors that prescribed SR t3 or compounded T4 + t3 thyroid medications. #2. Call the office of the doctor in question BEFORE you schedule an appointment. Ask how they treat thyroid patients: Is this doctor willing to order more than the TSH? Are they willing to use Tirosint or Armour thyroid? Will they allow you to use natural supplements? #3. Check the ratings of the do

These 6 nutrient deficiencies can cause hypothyroidism and low thyroid function if present. The good thing about these nutrients is that they can be targeted and replaced which means that you may be able to reverse your thyroid condition (assuming it was caused by a nutrient deficiency!). Not all cases of hypothyroidism are caused by nutrient deficiencies but taking these supplements can still help improve thyroid function in various ways. It's well known that certain vitamins and minerals are required for your thyroid to work correctly. So it makes sense that if you don't have enough of these nutrients that your thyroid won't work properly. If you replace them then you may be able to naturally increase how well your thyroid is working so that you can start feeling better. Some of these deficiencies can be subtle and may sneak up on you over time. Over time you may start to feel hypothyroid symptoms including weight gain, hair loss, dry skin, constipation, poor digestion, low body temperature, and oth

Magnesium plays a very important role in both regulating your immune system and your thyroid. In this video, we are going to discuss the importance of healthy magnesium levels in Hashimoto's and 5 big reasons why you need to make sure your magnesium levels are optimized! Magnesium is one of 3 big nutrients that are required to prevent thyroid gland damage from thyroid gland inflammation, the other two being iodine and selenium. Magnesium is used in over 300 different cellular processes beyond just the thyroid. Magnesium deficiency is VERY common in those with Hashimoto’s for 3 mains reasons: #1. the standard diet is naturally low in magnesium because it is depleted in the soil. #2. Thyroid problems change magnesium metabolism such that you may not use it as well as normal. #. Stress depletes magnesium and thyroid patients are more susceptible to stress. 4 Reasons patients with Hashimoto’s NEED magnesium #1. Magnesium is needed to produce ATP which is necessary for iodine entry into the thyroid gla

Are you suffering from Hashimoto's related hair loss? If so, you are one of many thyroid patients suffering from the same condition. The good news is that while your thyroid may result in hair loss and hair fall, it doesn't have to forever. We are going to talk about 3 types of hair loss as well as 4 of the most common causes of hair loss in Hashimoto's patients. The 3 main types of hair loss include: Telogen effluvium (diffuse hair loss over entire scalp) Alopecia areata (patchy hair loss overall of the scalp) Androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness with thinning at top of the scalp) Four main causes of hair loss in Hashimoto’s patients: #1. Decreased thyroid function → This leads to telogen effluvium and can be treated by taking thyroid medication or improving your thyroid function naturally. As you improve your thyroid function you should see a reduction in hair loss. #2. Autoimmune-related hair loss → This leads to alopecia areata (patchy hair loss). This type of hair loss is mediated through

Many people believe that iodine is dangerous if you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis and that it should be avoided? Is this actually true? Not exactly. In this video, I will explain the logic behind why I recommend that every thyroid patient use iodine. For starters, iodine is required for thyroid function. If you don't have enough iodine in your body then you won't be able to produce thyroid hormone. Because thyroid hormone is required for life, not consuming iodine may eventually put you in a life threatening situation. Furthermore, human beings do not have the ability to produce iodine on their own which means that you must consume it from your diet. Having said that, taking iodine may cause problems in some people but it’s not usually the fault of iodine by itself. Instead, it’s that iodine triggers a cascade of events which may lead to cell damage. Iodine may cause issues in those with hashimoto's via the following mechanism: Taking iodine increases how much iodine is being utilized by thyroid pero

Free T3 and free T4 are incredibly important lab tests that all thyroid patients should be aware of. Having said that, is one better than the other? The answer is yes, and it will become obvious as we have this discussion. First: what are free thyroid hormones and why do they matter? Free thyroid hormones differ from other hormones that you can test because they represent the amount of hormone that is free and ready to be used by the body. Because of this, measuring the free concentration of hormones is always the most important and relevant way to measure the activity of any given hormone. Hormones can either transport through your body in the free state or the bound state and, as a thyroid patient, you want to concern yourself with the thyroid hormones which are NOT bound to a protein. Now that you understand the importance of free thyroid hormones, let's talk about free T3 and free T4. What is free T4? Free T4 is the measurement of free and active thyroxine in your bloodstream. Thyroxine, also

When you take your thyroid medication matters quite a bit when it comes to your thyroid lab tests. If you take your medication RIGHT before you get your labs drawn then you risk making your lab tests look more hyperthyroid than they really are. Conversely, you can avoid taking your thyroid medication for a few days prior to when you get your labs drawn to make yourself look more hypothyroid than you really are. This information is very important for ALL thyroid patients. So how should you take your thyroid medication in relation to when you get your labs drawn? For most people, you will want to wait 24 hours BEFORE you get your labs tested. If you take your thyroid medication first thing in the morning then get your labs FIRST and then take your medication. For instance, if you normally take your thyroid medication at 7:00am every morning and you have your labs scheduled at 8:00 am then you will want to get your labs drawn FIRST (before taking your thyroid medication) and then take your thyroid do

Which is the best type of doctor to see if you have a thyroid problem? It's a question that many thyroid patients ask. Why? Because so many thyroid patients don't feel like their regular doctors are either helping them or listening to them when they talk about how they feel. With that in mind, let's talk about the various types of doctors that you CAN see if you have a thyroid problem. You can place them into 2 large groups. Conventional doctors and holistic doctors. As a brief spoiler, it's often the case that thyroid patients will feel much better when seeing holistic doctors over conventional doctors but this isn't always true (for reasons discussed in the video). When looking for a doctor to treat your thyroid, I recommend sticking to MDs and/or DOs or practitioners that prescribe thyroid medication. This will make it easier for you to get what you need. Conventional doctors include: Family practice and PCPs - Family practice doctors can be good but they are often very busy and have a lot to keep

Did you know that acid blockers can be harmful to your thyroid gland? Acid blockers are commonly used to treat conditions like acid reflux which thyroid patients are prone to experience! Acid blockers, such as proton pump inhibitors and h2 blockers, cause several issues for thyroid patients. What are acid blockers? Acid blockers work by blocking the production of acid in the stomach. They are used to treat many diseases but most frequently for acid reflux. It may not sound like a problem to block acid but it can be. It turns out your body needs the acid your stomach produces to do several different things and if you can't produce it then you may start to experience certain issues. In addition, acid blockers were never designed for long-term use and yet that's how many people use them. Acid blockers were designed to be used for no more than 2 weeks at any given time and yet many people are using them for years and years without any breaks. How do you know if you are taking an acid blocker? Check out this