I decided to create a series of episodes covering the different factors that can help you lower and eventually normalize your thyroid antibodies. Today, in part four of my series, I’m discussing the impact of environmental toxins and toxicants on thyroid antibodies and what you can do to reduce your toxic burden. I talk about the differences between toxins and toxicants, mechanisms of thyroid autoimmunity, practical detoxification strategies, the role of supplementation, the need for thyroid antibody testing, and more. If you would prefer to listen to this part, you can access it by Clicking Here.
In this presentation, I am going to discuss how to lower your thyroid antibodies by addressing environmental toxins, which of course are a huge problem in this day and age.
Let’s start by discussing what is the difference between a toxin and a toxicant. Think of a toxicant as being natural. For example, mycotoxins from mold are natural, whereas xenoestrogens, such as bisphenol-A or BPA, are manmade. I tend to use the word “toxin,” but in some cases, should be using the word “toxicant.” When I say “toxin,” I’m many times referring to a toxicant. Keep that in mind.
How can environmental toxins or toxicants trigger thyroid autoimmunity? What happens is that the body is very resilient. We are being bombarded on a daily basis with these environmental toxins and toxicants. In most cases, our immune system is able to handle this toxic burden, but over time, many of us lose chemical tolerance.
There could be a few different reasons. One is simply the toxic burden becomes too high, but there are also some genetic factors behind this. Some people unfortunately, due to their genetics, can’t handle as high of a toxic burden as other people can.
Let’s briefly discuss some of the mechanisms for how environmental toxicants trigger thyroid autoimmunity and thus lead to the formation of thyroid antibodies.
One is through an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines. You get chemical exposure, and that causes oxidative stress. This oxidative stress in turn will activate the T cells of our immune system. This increases pro-inflammatory cytokines. As the name implies, pro-inflammatory cytokines promote inflammation.
As far as how they specifically lead to the formation of antibodies, the chemicals also have the ability to bind to the tissue proteins. You get the activation of B cells. This leads to the formation of these auto antibodies.
There is another mechanism: increasing intestinal permeability. Remember, we have that triad of autoimmunity. There are three factors necessary for autoimmunity to develop. One is genetics, and we can’t do anything about genetic factors. We can do things to change the expression of our genes, but we can’t change our genes.
The second component is exposure to one or more environmental triggers. Environmental toxins or toxicants can be a direct trigger.
Also, we have the third component of the triad, which is the increase in intestinal permeability, or a leaky gut. These toxins and toxicants in some cases can cause a leaky gut, which can also be a factor in autoimmunity and indirectly lead to the formation of thyroid antibodies.
I’m not going to spend a lot of time in this episode discussing the different types of environmental toxins and toxicants, as I want to focus more on what you can do to reduce your toxic burden, which in turn can greatly help with lowering and eventually normalizing those thyroid antibodies, especially when these toxins and toxicants are a main trigger.
I do want to spend a few minutes discussing some of the more common environmental toxins as well as their sources.
Xenoestrogens. There are different types of xenoestrogens. The most commonly known is bisphenol-A, also known as BPA. A common source is plastic water bottles. There could be other sources, even thermal paper receipts.
The problem is that the manufacturers of these products, like plastic water bottles- Now they have BPA-free plastic water bottles. There are other structural analogues such as BPS and BPF that could be just as bad. The research shows possibly even worse than BPA. Just because something is BPA-free does not mean that it is free of other xenoestrogens that can act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals. They could disrupt the thyroid gland. They could disrupt other hormones. They could also potentially be a factor in autoimmunity. You want to do everything you can to minimize exposure to these xenoestrogens.
I make a big deal about the plastic water bottles because there are people still buying plastic water bottles by the case and drinking it day in, day out. They could make a really big impact on their health just by making this change. I know in some cases, this might not be easy. In many cases, it is.
Stop buying them and get a filter, or drink water out of a glass bottle, something like Mountain Valley Springs. Definitely more expensive. Getting a case of Mountain Valley Springs is more expensive than getting a case of whatever plastic water bottle (so many different brands these days), but it’s your health you’re talking about. In many cases, not just you, but the health of your family members, including young children while they are still developing.
Every now and then, not a big deal, but if this is your main source of water, I would definitely look elsewhere. Get another source. Get a filter. Drink out of a glass bottle, Mountain Valley Springs or another source.
Flame retardants found in furniture, even clothing. These are toxic.
Many times, I’ll talk about your mattress. You should be spending at least a quarter of your life in your bed sleeping. Hopefully, closer to a third of your life. I’m not saying if you have a conventional mattress, discard it and get a more natural mattress. If you are on the market, or you will be on the market for a mattress any time soon, you want to look carefully when it comes to your mattress. We don’t hesitate to spend whatever amount on a car, thousands of dollars sometimes, many times tens of thousands of dollars. Many people will get the cheapest mattress they can buy. Obviously, you want a good mattress also for support and your spine. The toxin profile as well. Something to consider.
There are companies, like Naturepedic. Avocado is another one. There has been some controversy with Avocado and their certifications, but I think they’re still really good compared to the conventional mattresses out there. There are other companies as well. Just do some research.
When we were on the market for a new mattress, we went to Asheville, North Carolina, which we’re not too far from. If you’re on the west coast or somewhere international, then you probably won’t want to go to Asheville, but maybe there is some place similar where you can stop and try out the mattresses. In this case, they had Naturepedic. They might have had other ones, but I remember specifically Naturepedic.
Parabens found in cosmetics and natural cleaners. It is a little bit costly, but when you think about it, it’s not like food. I can understand trying to eat organic food is also something that is a good idea just because of the pesticides and herbicides. That can add up because you’re going through food a lot quicker than you are cosmetics and cleaners.
At least with cosmetics and cleaners, I would say to switch to natural cosmetics and cleaners that you are using on a regular basis. For example, if you use a spray to clean your home on a daily basis, then use a natural spray or make your own using your own ingredients, like apple cider vinegar, regular vinegar, baking soda. You can make your own concoction. You can go online to learn how to make your own. Something like cosmetics that you use on a regular basis and other cleaning products.
I mentioned pesticides and herbicides. When it comes to the food you eat, trying to eat organic. Some will say it doesn’t make a difference. Other studies demonstrate that it does make a difference. I am willing to spend the extra money on organic. I know everything adds up.
At the very least, try to eat organic produce. If you eat meat, try to eat organic meat. I realize it’s more than just eating organic. For example, if you’re eating beef, arguably even more important or just as important is making sure it’s 100% grass-fed/grass-finished. Just be aware of the food that you’re eating.
Pesticides are a big problem. Not just in the foods we eat, but the sprays. That’s another thing. If you are having your house regularly sprayed with pesticides, you might want to reconsider or try to look for a company that uses more natural products. I know there is a time and place. Sometimes natural agents don’t work as well as chemicals.
A lot of businesses use them understandably because you don’t want to walk in a business and see bugs. In that case, if they are doing it on a preventative basis, which many businesses are, they could look into a more natural option because those pesticides will impact your health over time. It could take decades. Something else to consider.
There are solvents such as benzene, xylene, toluene. Think of all the sources, things like gasoline fumes, cigarette smoke, motor vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, even things like glues, paints. There’s only so much you can do.
If you are out and about, you will probably get exposed to some of these. For example, if you go for a walk, you might not want to walk on a busy road, especially during rush hour in the morning or in the evening when there are a lot of cars. You will be getting exposed to even more motor vehicle exhaust.
If you like to take a walk or a morning run or ride your bike, maybe go to a greenway or a park or even just a neighborhood, like a housing development, and ride around. It saddens me when I see people trying to improve their health by riding their bikes or running in a bad area. I know sometimes you might not have a choice, but if you do have a choice, I would not do it on a busy road.
Some people live on a busy road, which that’s another thing. If you live right near a highway, I realize you probably won’t move any time soon. Maybe in the future, that is an option. Again, it seems like an extreme measure, but day in day out, being exposed to all the motor vehicle exhaust from those cars definitely can take its toll on you over the years.
Things like painting your home. You can get low VOC paint, no VOC paint.
Formaldehyde is another toxin found in building materials, adhesives, binding agents, carpeting. There are other chemicals potentially, too. Even hardwood floors. If you do hardwood floors, like we have in our home, regular hardwood floors also emit toxins such as VOCs. It takes some detective work, trying to find companies where there are natural options. It can make a big difference in your health.
Mycotoxins from mold is a big problem. A lot of people have mold issues. It’s not always visible. You might not have any visible mold in your home, but it could be behind walls, underneath the floor, if you have a crawl space.
You could test your home for mold. There are different companies. ImmunoLytics is one. Mycometrics is another. Seeing if there is mold in the home.
There are also ways you can test your levels. There is a urine test, Mosaic Diagnostics. Real Time Laboratories are two of the most popular tests that will look at mycotoxins in the body.
Glyphosate, which is the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup. Eating organic will help, but it won’t get rid of the glyphosate. It will reduce the amount of glyphosate you are exposed to. There are many more.
I mentioned estrogens, but I didn’t get into microplastics. I do plan on having another episode, which possibly might even be out by the time this episode is out. If not, it probably won’t be too long after that. I do plan on having at least a Q&A episode and maybe an expert talk about microplastics, nanoplastics.
Before I talk more about how to optimize detoxification, how to eliminate toxins from your body, reduce your toxic burden, you might be wondering if you should test for toxins. I do some testing for toxins. There are a few different options out there.
The problem is that you can’t possibly test for all toxins out there. For example, it’s very common to test for heavy metals. There is urine testing, hair testing. I like testing for heavy metals, but even if things look good on one of these tests, it doesn’t mean that you’re in the clear. You could have these other toxins that I mentioned.
Maybe you do a test for heavy metals, and it looks okay, but you have problems with mycotoxins. Pretty much all of us have xenoestrogen exposure, plastic exposure, glyphosate exposure, which you could test for. I am not saying everyone should test for glyphosate or mycotoxins.
You can do comprehensive testing. I can’t say I do this on most people. I do some basic testing for heavy metals. Regardless of what that shows, I assume everybody has an elevated toxic burden. I am always doing something to support detoxification, which I will talk about shortly.
There is also an interesting test by the company Cyrex Labs called the Array #11, which looks at the immune system response to certain environmental toxins. For example, most tests out there, like urine testing or hair testing, look at the levels. Just because you have high levels doesn’t mean you’re reacting negatively. Also, just because you have low levels doesn’t mean everything is good. You could have a low level of a toxin but still have a loss of that chemical tolerance I mentioned earlier and still have issues with lower levels of toxins.
The Array #11 looks at the immune system response to environmental toxins such as heavy metals and parabens, formaldehyde, even mold. It’s a really good test. I don’t use it as much as I probably should because it is not a cheap test. I do assume people have an increased toxic burden, so it’s not like I’m not doing anything.
If someone is in a situation where their thyroid antibodies are struggling to normalize or even decrease, if they are headed in the wrong direction, let’s say you are doing a lot for detoxification. You might want to look into this because there is maybe one or two toxins you are reacting to, and you just need to do a better job of avoiding exposure to these as well as detoxification. Something to consider.
When it comes to reducing your toxic burden, I do have some other podcast episodes including experts who have spoken about this. I have a two-part article on my website on how to optimize detoxification.
A few things I’ll mention here. First, detoxification is nutrient-dependent, not just vitamins and minerals although those certainly are important. Making sure you are getting enough vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids. Amino acids are important as well. If you’re nutrient-deficient, that will affect detoxification. Another reason to eat whole, healthy foods. There is a place for supplementation, but it shouldn’t be a substitute for eating a whole, healthy foods diet.
Also keeping in mind there is three phases of detoxification. I won’t go into great detail because I have discussed these in articles and other episodes. There is phase one, phase two, and phase three. Phase one is you get the development of a reactive intermediate, which if you’re not having a healthy phase two, where you’re clearing out and making these reactive intermediate more water-soluble, that’s not a good thing. Phase three is the actual excretion of the toxins, which happens through urine, feces. If you’re constipated, that is not going to be a good thing. All three phases of detoxification are important.
It’s also important to understand that there are genetic variations that are very common that can affect detoxification. It doesn’t mean you need to do genetic testing although sometimes that could be helpful. It could give clues as to why maybe you need more detox support than other people. Some could get away with basic detoxification, whereas other people cannot.
In this day and age, it’s really difficult to do it through diet alone. I will say that. I do a lot through diet, especially eating green, leafy vegetables. As I mentioned, it’s not just vegetables. You need amino acids, which you won’t get from your vegetables. Getting enough protein is important. Eating a wide variety of foods.
Supplements can also be helpful to support detoxification. Supplements can help at least to aid in correcting nutrient deficiencies, in combination with a healthy diet.
There is NAC, which is a precursor to glutathione, and can support detoxification. I really like NAC. It can be effective. Pretty cost-effective compared to other supplements.
Alpha lipoic acid can also help to support detoxification and reduce oxidative stress, as can NAC. It’s an antioxidant.
You can take glutathione, like a liposomal glutathione. Many are familiar with the herb milk thistle, which increases endogenous or internal levels of glutathione. Schisandra is an herb that can support detoxification. There are others as well. Not going to cover them all here.
Keep in mind it’s not just about the liver. You have lymphatics that play a role in detoxification. Kidneys are important. With the lymphatics, regular movement is important. Not just going to the gym three times a week but moving throughout the day. Rebounding is really good. Dry brushing can help to spread the lymphatics. With the kidneys, making sure you’re well hydrated can go a long way. A lot of people don’t drink enough water.
You can do other things to eliminate toxins and toxicants from your body. Sweating the toxins out either through sauna or exercise. Just make sure especially if you do sauna, you want to replenish electrolytes because you will not only lose toxins and toxicants but also minerals.
Colonics, colon hydrotherapy. I can’t say I do them. Same thing with coffee enemas. Those can also support detoxification.
I do sauna on a regular basis, three times a week. If someone has unmanaged hyperthyroidism, where their heart rate is really high, like in the 90s or even triple digits, you might want to hold off on doing sauna, just because it will further increase your heart rate.
Of course, you want to do everything you can to minimize your exposure to environmental toxins and toxicants. You want to try to eliminate toxins. Part of reducing your toxic burden is not only eliminating toxins, but also minimizing exposure to these environmental toxins.
Just a reminder that when retesting your thyroid antibodies, if they’re decreasing, heading in the right direction, awesome. If not, there are other episodes in this series where I discuss different factors. This episode is specifically talking about environmental toxins. We tend to overlook these at times. If you are hitting a roadblock in your recovery, especially with antibodies, don’t rule out the impact of environmental toxins.
That’s all I wanted to cover. I hope you found this information to be valuable. As usual, I look forward to catching you in the next episode.
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