How Your Gut Can be Impacting The Function of Your Thyroid
It’s All About That… well the gut of course.
And with that cheeky introduction we’re off to a good start and ready to dive into the topic of today’s blog post which is
“How Your Gut Can be Impacting The Function of Your Thyroid”.
Research and advances in gut microbiome science has led to renewed attention to the gut within the conventional medical field during recent years.
The gastrointestinal system, or the gut has transitioned from lurking in the shadows to becoming the next major trend in wellness with doctors all over the world advocating the importance of digestive enzymes, a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle for optimum gut health.
As a practitioner within the field of functional medicine, this all sounds like music in my ears. I just sometimes wish the information would have reached the larger public a bit sooner…
Mainly as my team and I have worked hard for years to point out and emphasize the link between a functioning gastrointestinal system and mental and physical wellbeing.
In many cases there’s a direct correlation between an unhealthy gut and other chronic conditions and debilitating symptoms (such as poor thyroid health) which makes today’s topic more important than ever.
Let’s elaborate!
A Crash Course in Leaky Gut Disease
Leaky gut disease
Does it ring any bells for you?
I’m sure it does since the term has become quite fashionable in the media the past years.
However, few know what it actually is and entails which prompts me to offer this basic crash course in leaky gut disease.
As human beings we sometimes suffer from underlying problems and issues we may be completely unaware of. These issues can stem from events such as
✨ Overuse of prescription drugs (antibiotics by way of example)
✨ Overuse of over-the-counter medication (such as Thylenol, Advil etc.)
✨ Exposure to infection patterns (bacteria, parasites, yeast, fungus and so on)
In isolation or in combination, these can in turn lead to inflammation which we all know is far from beneficial for our physical and mental wellbeing, and the root of all kinds of evil in the body.
Add some stress, toxins and poor quality- and high sugar foods in the mix and you’ve got yourself a real molotov cocktail in terms of gut health (or the lack thereof).
All of the aforementioned factors can destroy the quality of the gut and provoke a weakening of the gut lining (a wall similar to a net with small holes that act as filters and enable the passages of certain substances solely).
Basically, the lining of the gut can become thin rather than nice and thick (the way it’s supposed to be, and the way us doctors like it to be), and as a result of such weakening, microscopic holes can form in the gut which enable large particles, so called macromolecules, to go through the lining of the gut into the bloodstream.
Food Sensitivities & Attacks on Tissues
Once the immune system detects weird stuff in the bloodstream to put it simply, it reacts by attacking the food at issue which can consequently lead to a person developing so called food sensitivities.
Now, every time you eat a certain type of food your body detects a problem, causes a reaction and starts breaking things down.
If and where this happens over and over, the immune system is put on high alert and starts attacking its own tissues.
Often times (and sadly) that tissue is your Thyroid
In serious cases, the immune system attacks the healthy tissues, the thyroid, so much that it succeeds in destroying this vital organ’s overall function, causing what us doctors call hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid that overproduces thyroxine).
Course of Action
What’s somewhat devious about the link between the gastrointestinal system and the thyroid is that we’re faced with two opposite organs in completely different areas of the body.
That’s why few manage to make the connection between poor gut health, including leaky gut syndrome, and serious thyroid conditions.
The fact of the matter is that your thyroid problem right now could very well be due to leaky gut disease causing an autoimmune response in your body.
Better yet, your gut might help to explain why you have a thyroid problem in the first place.
However, there can be no possible diagnosis, treatment or solution unless a comprehensive evaluation is carried out aimed towards finding out the underlying links in your intestinal tract to your current thyroid condition.
At our office, we take pride in digging deep and doing all we can to find out the root cause of what might be causing our patients distress or dis-ease.
It might be considered a more laborious and time-consuming approach as opposed to the streamlined one-size-fits-all solutions often proposed by conventional medicine, but
We can’t afford anything else, and nor can You.
You deserve laser-focused and careful attention no matter what condition you may be struggling with at present.
You deserve to find the key to why you’re struggling with the debilitating symptoms you might be dealing with on a daily basis.
Above anything, you deserve to be taken seriously and feel your best!
Therefore, if you take anything with you from this blog post it is that it’s really All About That Gut.
If you’re interested in learning more about the link between your thyroid condition and your gut health I encourage you to not wait any longer and to reach out to schedule an appointment with us today!