One of the most common questions I have received in 2020 is whether or not those with autoimmune thyroid conditions are more susceptible to getting Covid-19. It’s a good question, as both Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s are immune system conditions, and viruses are more likely to impact those people with a compromised immune system.  Up until this point my response to this question has been that I don’t think having an autoimmune condition itself is the biggest factor, but of greater concern is that many people with thyroid autoimmunity have other things “dragging down” their immune system, which might make them more susceptible to getting Covid-19 (as well as other viruses).

But now that Covid-19 has been around for awhile there have been a few studies evaluating its effects on thyroid health, and whether people with thyroid autoimmunity are more susceptible to contract this virus.  In June of this year a study came out in the United Kingdom showing that there was no data available at that time suggesting that patients with an autoimmune thyroid condition remain at higher risk of getting Covid-19 (1). The study also mentioned that in patients severely affected by Covid-19, changes in thyroid function might be a result of a “sick euthyroid” syndrome, although the authors did mention that there might be specific thyroid-related damage which requires further investigation.

However, in July a journal article was released entitled “Thyroid disease is associated with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection” (2).  The article looked to explore the relationship between thyroid conditions and severe cases of Covid-19. Based on the data the authors concluded that thyroid disease seems to be associated with an increased risk of severe Covid-19 infection, and they gave the following three reasons why this may be the case:

1. Thyroid hormones are important in the regulation of the innate immune response. Therefore, an excess or deficiency of thyroid hormones levels observed in thyroid disease will lead to dysregulation of the innate immune response.

2. Increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-6 was observed in patients with thyroid disease. Increased levels of these cytokines were also observed in patients with severe Covid-19 and correlates to the development of severe outcomes.

3. Some thyroid patients, especially those with subacute thyroiditis, were taking corticosteroids. Meta-analysis showed that corticosteroid treatment in Covid-19 patients was associated with higher mortality, longer length of hospital stay, and higher rate of bacterial infections. This isn’t surprising since corticosteroids suppress the immune system.

Most of the people I work with aren’t taking corticosteroids, and I think it’s safe to say that “point #3” doesn’t apply to most people with Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s, although I should mention that some people with moderate to severe thyroid eye disease will take corticosteroids such as Prednisone, thus making them more susceptible to getting Covid-19 (or another viral infection).  The first and second points mentioned above do apply to most of the people I work with.  But as I mentioned earlier, there are other factors that can be having a negative effect on one’s immune system that can make them more susceptible to viruses such as Covid-19, including having weak adrenals, an unhealthy gut (most of the immune cells are located in the gut), an increased toxic load, certain nutrient deficiencies, exposure to toxic mold, etc.

Can Covid-19 Cause Subacute Thyroiditis?

Subacute thyroiditis is an inflammatory condition of the thyroid gland which causes damage to the thyroid follicles, and as a result, large amounts of thyroid hormones are released into the circulation, resulting in overt hyperthyroidism.  However, unlike Graves’ disease, this state usually self resolves after a few months, although many will first experience a transient period of hypothyroidism.  To learn more about this condition you might want to check out my blog post entitled “Graves’ Disease vs. Subacute Thyroiditis: What’s The Difference?“.

A case study in July showed that an 18-year-old woman developed subacute thyroiditis after getting infected with Covid-19 (3). Another study revealed that a substantial proportion of patients with Covid-19, requiring high intensity of care, present with thyrotoxicosis and low serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations, possibly as a consequence of subacute thyroiditis induced by SARS-CoV-2 (4).  In other words, SARS-Cov-2 can directly infect the thyroid gland, leading to subacute thyroiditis.

Black Cumin and Covid-19

While on the subject of Covid-19, I would like to mention that there are a few studies which show that Nigella Sativa (black cumin) might benefit those with Covid-19.  Black cumin has numerous health benefits, as it has demonstrated antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, bronchodilatory, and antihistaminic properties (5).  It also shows anti-hypertensive, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-ulcer, and antineoplastic activities, which can help with comorbidities commonly found in Covid-19 patients (5).  In addition, the active constituents of N. sativa such as nigellidine and α-hederin have been identified as potential inhibitors of SARS CoV-2, and thymoquinone (the chief bioactive constituent of black cumin) suppresses mRNA expression which downregulate interferon genes and other inflammatory responses (5) (6).

Even though I have written a blog post on black cumin, in the past this is something I’ve mainly given as part of a protocol to those with H. pylori.  And while I’m not suggesting for everyone to take black cumin specifically to reduce their chances of getting Covid-19, keep in mind that it can potentially help to minimize the impact other viruses have on your health as well, and as I listed above, it has numerous other health benefits. So at the very least it might be something to have on hand.  There is one more thing I would like to mention, as the blog post I wrote related to black cumin focused on hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s, but it’s also fine for most people with hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease to take black cumin.

In summary, according to the research people with Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis seem to be more susceptible to getting Covid-19. However, as I mentioned earlier, the reason for this might be related to other imbalances commonly found in people with these conditions that can further compromise the immune system.  Either way the goal should be to do everything you can to improve the health of your immune system, and black cumin might also be something to consider adding to your supplement arsenal when combating viruses.  You also might want to check a blog post I released earlier this year entitled “5 Ways To Improve Your Immune Health Without Taking Supplements”.

I’ve written separate articles on thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies, but I haven’t put together a post on thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins…until now!  These antibodies are associated with Graves’ disease, and it’s unfortunate that some endocrinologists don’t test their hyperthyroid patients for these antibodies, but instead will test the TPO and/or anti-thyroglobulin antibodies.  While it’s common for people to have two or three different thyroid antibodies, everyone with hyperthyroidism should get the thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins tested.

So what are thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins (TSI), and how do they differ from other types of thyroid antibodies?  TSI are a type of thyrotropin (TSH) receptor antibody (TRAB). There are actually two types of TSH receptor antibodies. In addition to thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins, there are also thyroid binding inhibitory immunoglobulins (TBII), which is a type of thyrotropin receptor blocking antibody.  These antibodies bind to the TSH receptor and inhibit the binding of TSH, thus blocking the synthesis and secretion of thyroid hormones.  These aren’t commonly tested, and one reason is because not all labs offer this.

What Do Elevated TSI Levels Indicate?

Elevated TSI levels are associated with Graves’ disease.  What happens is that the TSI bind to the TSH receptors, which results in the excessive production of thyroid hormone.  This is why most people with Graves’ disease have hyperthyroidism, although some people have subclinical Graves’ disease, which is when the TSI are elevated, the TSH is depressed, but the thyroid hormone levels are within the lab reference range.

What Causes Elevated Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulins?

As I have mentioned, elevated TSI levels are associated with Graves’ disease, which is an autoimmune condition.  In the past I’ve discussed the triad of autoimmunity, and according to this, in order for autoimmunity to develop the following three factors need to be present: 1) genetic predisposition, 2) exposure to an environmental trigger, 3) a leaky gut.  So just as is the case with any autoimmune condition, someone with elevated TSI levels has a genetic predisposition for Graves’ disease, but having the genetics alone doesn’t mean they will develop thyroid autoimmunity, as they will need to be exposed to an environmental trigger and have a leaky gut.

What Is The Lab Reference Range?

Unfortunately different labs will use different units of measurements, and you can’t compare them with one another.  For example, the Labcorp reference range is 0.00-0.55 IU/L, whereas the reference range for Quest Diagnostics is <140%.  As for the thyrotropin (TSH) receptor antibody test, Labcorp has a reference range of 0.0−1.75 IU/L, while Quest Diagnostics has a range of ≤2.00 IU/L.  If at all possible I recommend getting the thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins tested, although it of course is fine to get both the TSI and TRAB tested.

Some reading this might wonder what the “optimal” reference range is for these markers, and whether the goal should be to have a level of zero.  While you want the levels to be well below the lab reference range, I wouldn’t say that they have to be zero in order for someone to be in a state of remission.  As for the optimal reference range, I like to see the TSI less than 80% or less than 0.30 IU/L, although this is just what I look for, as I haven’t seen any other practitioners list optimal reference ranges.  It’s also important to mention that some labs don’t reveal a numerical value below the reference range.  For example, if the TSI is below the reference range it might show up on the report as <0.55 IU/L or <120%.

The Relationship Between Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulins and Thyroid Eye Disease

Because a higher TSI level usually indicates a more vigorous immune system response, typically the higher the TSI, the more likely someone is to have thyroid eye disease.  For example, if someone has a TSI greater than 300% they are more likely to have thyroid eye disease symptoms when compared to someone with a TSI less than 300%.  Of course there are always exceptions, as I’ve had patients with very high TSI levels who didn’t experience any signs or symptoms of thyroid eye disease.

How Can You Decrease Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulins?

As for how to decrease and normalize thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins, the approach is similar to lowering other autoantibodies:

1. Find and remove your triggers. I mentioned the triad of autoimmunity earlier, and exposure to an environmental trigger is one of the factors that causes the development of an autoimmune condition.  As a result, it makes sense that in order to reverse the autoimmune component and lower thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins you will need to find and remove any immune system triggers.

2. Heal the gut. Another component of the triad of autoimmunity is a leaky gut, and so you of course need to heal the gut.  Check out the blog post I wrote on the “5R protocol” for more information on how to heal your gut.  But I’ll say here that you usually need to do more than take probiotics and gut healing agents, as these won’t be effective if you don’t address the factor that is compromising the gut.  For example, if someone has a gut infection that is causing a leaky gut, this needs to be addressed. Similarly, if someone is eating gluten and this is causing a leaky gut, you can’t fix this problem by taking digestive enzymes, probiotics, and drinking bone broth.  In this situation you would need to eradicate the gut infection.

3. Correct other imbalances.  Other imbalances can also be a contributing factor.  For example, having certain nutrient deficiencies can make someone more susceptible to developing an autoimmune condition, such as selenium.  In fact, the research shows that selenium can potentially lower both TSH receptor antibodies and TPO antibodies (1), although you still need to remove the trigger and heal the gut.

4. Break the chronic inflammatory cycle.  While removing the triggers and healing the gut will usually resolve the inflammation, this isn’t always the case.  Sometimes additional measures need to be taken in order to break this cycle, such as taking high doses of natural anti-inflammatory agents (vitamin D, EPA and DHA, curcumin, resveratrol).  Low dose naltrexone might also help to break the chronic inflammatory cycle, and thus is something to consider, although I would first try the natural anti-inflammatory agents.

Do You Have Elevated Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulins?

If you have elevated TSI levels, I’d love to hear if you have done anything to try to lower them.  Perhaps you took a natural treatment approach, natural anti-inflammatory agents, low dose naltrexone, or did something else to modulate your immune system.  Either way, please feel free to share your experience in the comments section below.

I think it’s safe to say that many people reading this hope to achieve a state of remission…and remain in remission! Many of you know that I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, and I’ve been in remission since 2009. It wasn’t easy getting into remission, and I face the same challenge with helping my patients restore their health, but of course it beats the alternative. While achieving a state of remission isn’t easy, it can also be challenging to maintain a state of wellness. I’ll discuss both of these in this blog post.

When Is Someone Considered To Be In Remission?

In the past I’ve discussed the difference between remission and cure, and at least with regards to Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, I’m not a big fan of using the word “cure”.  And the reason for this is because genetics do play a role in the development of thyroid autoimmunity, and might even play a role in some non-autoimmune thyroid conditions. So while I would love to say that “my Graves’ disease condition has been cured”, because there is a genetic component there is always a chance that a relapse can occur.

As for when someone is considered to be in remission, here is how I knew I achieved remission when I was dealing with Graves’ disease:

1. My thyroid panel (TSH, free T3, free T4) was optimal without taking anything that influences these markers. In my situation I took the herb bugleweed, but many people with hyperthyroidism take antithyroid medication, and you can’t be in a state of remission if you’re still taking either one to maintain optimal levels. With hypothyroidism/Hashimoto’s it’s a little bit different, and I’ll further elaborate on this shortly.
2. My thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins were negative (I have always tested negative for thyroid peroxidase and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies
3. The above markers remained normal a few months after testing multiple times. In other words, you can’t rely on a single negative reading.
4. Other triggers/imbalances were corrected, such as my adrenals and depressed secretory IgA levels
5. Hyperthyroid symptoms were completely gone

So if you have Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s, or the antibodies for both of these conditions, then in order to be in a “true” state of remission you need to at the very least have 1) a normal thyroid panel, 2) normal thyroid antibodies, 3) normal markers upon retesting. The reason why I say a “true” state of remission is because most medical doctors consider someone with thyroid autoimmunity to be in remission if their thyroid panel looks good and they are off of any thyroid medications.  As I mentioned earlier, the scenario is a little different with hypothyroidism/Hashimoto’s, and so to make it easier to understand I’d like to separately take a look at Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s:

Achieving Remission in Graves’ Disease

When is someone with Graves’ disease considered to be in remission?  I briefly discussed how I knew that I was in remission, and so I have already answered the question, but I’ll summarize it below:

1. Optimal thyroid panel (TSH, free T3, free T4)
2. Not taking any antithyroid agents (i.e. methimazole, PTU, carbimazole, bugleweed, etc.)
3. Negative thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins which aren’t a result of taking an immune-modulating agent such as low dose naltrexone (LDN). I discussed LDN in greater detail in a previous blog post entitled “5 Things To Know About LDN and Thyroid Autoimmunity”.
4. The above markers remain normal a few months after testing multiple times. In other words, you can’t rely on a single reading.
5. Other triggers/major imbalances have been corrected.
6. Hyperthyroid symptoms are completely gone

Achieving Remission in Hashimoto’s

With Hashimoto’s it’s a different situation, as while some people are able to avoid taking thyroid hormone replacement or are able to wean off of it, sometimes the damage to the thyroid gland is severe enough where the person needs to take thyroid hormone on a long term basis. So while it’s great when someone is able to reduce the dosage of their thyroid hormone medication and eventually wean off of it completely, not being able to do this doesn’t mean that the person hasn’t achieved remission.

I know this might be confusing to some people, as with Graves’ disease I mentioned how the person needs to be off of antithyroid medication and/or antithyroid herbs before concluding that they’re in remission. So what’s the difference between remission in Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s? First of all, in Graves’ disease antithyroid agents such as methimazole, PTU, and bugleweed are of course taken to lower thyroid hormone levels, but nobody has a “methimazole deficiency”, or a “bugleweed deficiency”. On the other hand, it is very possible to have a thyroid hormone deficiency, and if this is the case AND the damage to the thyroid gland can’t be reversed then the person will probably need to take thyroid hormone replacement.

So if someone has Hashimoto’s and the autoimmune response has normalized, they still might not have an optimal thyroid panel unless if they take thyroid hormone replacement.

To summarize, in order for someone with Hashimoto’s to be in remission the following need to occur:

1. Optimal thyroid panel (TSH, free T3, free T4) with or without thyroid hormone replacement
2. Negative thyroid peroxidase and/or anti-thyroglobulin antibodies, which aren’t a result of taking an immune-modulating agent such as low dose naltrexone (LDN).
3. The above markers remain normal for at least a few months after retesting multiple times. In other words, you can’t rely on a single negative reading.
4. Other triggers/imbalances have been corrected
5. Hypothyroid symptoms are under control

So with thyroid autoimmunity, while there are a few different things I look at before I consider whether someone is in remission, the number one thing that needs to be normal is the thyroid antibodies. With Graves’ disease, if the thyroid antibodies are negative it’s usually just a matter of time before the thyroid panel normalizes, and thus the person won’t need to take antithyroid agents. On the other hand, if the thyroid antibodies are normal with Hashimoto’s, the person still might need to take thyroid hormone replacement, depending on how much damage to the thyroid gland has taken place.

Achieving Remission in Non-Autoimmune Thyroid Conditions

With non-autoimmune thyroid conditions there of course are no thyroid antibodies, and so the primary goal is to normalize the thyroid hormone levels, while addressing the underlying imbalances responsible for the thyroid condition.  For example, if someone has toxic multinodular goiter, then the goal should be to correct the underlying imbalances responsible for the goiter and nodules, normalize the thyroid panel, etc.  Having problems with estrogen metabolism and/or insulin resistance can lead to multinodular goiter, and so if either of these problems were the cause then they would need to be addressed in order to improve the person’s thyroid health.

Does Every Imbalance Need To Be Corrected In Order To Achieve Remission?

When I was dealing with Graves’ disease I ordered an adrenal saliva test, and I had depressed cortisol levels, a depressed DHEA, a depressed 17-OH progesterone, and a depressed secretory IgA.  I worked on improving my adrenal health and retested the adrenal saliva panel, and eventually all of these markers normalized.  But you need to keep in mind that not every out of range marker necessarily relates to your thyroid or autoimmune thyroid condition.

For example, let’s say someone with Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s gets a comprehensive stool panel, and it reveals parasites, along with some opportunistic bacteria.  While it would be great to see a perfectly normal test (if one chooses to retest), it’s not uncommon for people to have elevated opportunistic bacteria, but if this were the only positive finding then it wouldn’t mean that the person with Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s isn’t considered to be in remission.  In other words, in this situation the opportunistic bacteria wouldn’t need to be normal in order to conclude that the person is in remission.

Another example involves Epstein-Barr.  Most people will test positive for Epstein-Barr, and while testing positive for the Epstein-Barr virus viral-capsid antigen (EBV VCA) IgM antibodies indicates that Epstein-Barr is active, having very high values of the IgG antibodies associated with Epstein-Barr (there are three of these) can also mean that Epstein-Barr is causing trouble.  If someone has very high EBV IgG levels but everything else looks great and they’re symptom-free, does this mean that they’re not in remission? If the person was feeling great, the thyroid panel and thyroid antibodies were well within range, and certain other imbalances were corrected then I would say that the person is in remission, although perhaps they still need to work on improving their immune system so that Epstein-Barr (or other infections) won’t cause problems in the future.

How I Have Maintained a State of Wellness Since 2009

Every now and then someone will ask me how I have maintained a state of wellness since achieving remission in 2009.  While I’m sure a certain amount of luck has played a role, without question I’ve also done a lot of things to maintain my health, including the following:

• Eating well most of the time. I definitely haven’t been perfect with the diet since 2009, and while I eat well most of the time, I do occasionally indulge in “bad” foods such as pizza, ice cream, cookies, etc. I’m hoping this will serve as encouragement for those who think they might need to be super-strict on a permanent basis, as this usually isn’t the case. Once again, I do eat well most of the time, usually following a modified-Paleo diet.
• Blocking out time for stress management daily. Stress was a huge factor in the development of my Graves’ disease condition, although I was in denial when I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, as I greatly overestimated my stress-handling skills.  But once I saw the state of my adrenals I started incorporating stress management on a daily basis, and I recommend for all of my patients to do the same.
• Getting sufficient sleep. I’ve always been an “early bird”, and so staying up super late wasn’t something I ever did on a regular basis.
• Being aggressive with detoxification. This is something that separates me from a lot of people, as I’m always working on reducing my toxic load.  I try to do as much as I can through diet (i.e. cruciferous vegetables, dandelion leaves, cilantro), I go in my infrared sauna at least twice per week for 25-30 minutes, and I usually follow a detoxification program on a quarterly basis. I realize that many people don’t have access to a sauna, but you can accomplish a lot through diet and supplementation, and of course you also want to do as much as you can to avoid chemicals.  So avoid drinking out of plastic water bottles, use natural cleaners and cosmetics, eat organic whenever possible, and do other things to minimize your exposure to environmental toxins.

How Can YOU Achieve Remission?

I’m sure some people are wondering how they specifically can get into remission.  It comes down to finding and removing triggers, correcting other underlying imbalances, and healing the gut.  I’ve written hundreds of articles and blog posts on this website that can help you with this, and I also have two books, one on hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease, and another on Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.  In addition, if you haven’t yet joined my “Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Natural Solutions Support Group” you can do so by clicking here.

 

Last week I conducted a free 5-Day Accelerated Thyroid Healing Challenge.  It was very successful, as over 1,400 people registered, and over 1,200 people joined my new Facebook group.  Each day I released a new lesson, and probably the most popular lesson was where I discussed some of the “thyroid healing roadblocks” that prevent people from restoring their health.  I figured I’d turn this into a blog post for those who didn’t attend the free challenge, or even for those who attended but might need some reinforcement.

So here are 7 “Thyroid Healing Roadblocks” that you’ll want to be aware of:

Thyroid Healing Roadblock #1: Not being strict enough with the diet.  Although eating well alone many times isn’t sufficient to restore one’s health, certain food allergens can trigger Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s.  Some of the common culprits include gluten, dairy, and corn. And even when gluten isn’t a trigger it’s important to eat an anti-inflammatory diet. As a result, you want to focus on eating whole, healthy foods.  I commonly recommend an autoimmune Paleo (AIP) diet for my patients with Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s, but keep in mind that this is just a starting point, and that there is no perfect diet that fits everyone perfectly.

Thyroid Healing Roadblock #2: Not Doing a Good Job of Managing Stress.  Even before 2020 chronic stress was a big factor with many people, but of course this year has been very stressful for just about everyone.  While our body was designed to handle acute stress situations, chronic stress causes dysregulation of the immune system and the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis, and it leads to an increase in proinflammatory cytokines.  In other words, chronic stress is inflammatory to the body, and while many people aren’t able to reduce stress levels, most people can do things to improve their stress handling skills.

I’ve written numerous articles and blog posts on stress management, and while most people should consider incorporating yoga, meditation, or a different type of mind body medicine, you might want to check out my recent blog post that focuses on the vagus nerve.  A healthy vagus nerve is important for a healthy parasympathetic nervous system, which is known as our “rest and digest” system.  And in the blog post I discuss a few vagus nerve exercises you can do on your own.

Thyroid Healing Roadblock #3: Not Getting Enough Sleep.  Getting sufficient sleep on a regular basis is essential to achieve a state of optimal health.  As for how much sleep you should get, I would aim for at least seven hours per night, and eight would be even better. And this doesn’t mean 7-8 hours in bed, as if it normally takes you 30 minutes to fall asleep and you’re in bed from 11pm to 6am then you’re only getting 6 1/2 hours of sleep. Of course some people struggle to get 7-8 hours of quality sleep, not because they are intentionally staying up late, but because they have difficulties falling and/or staying asleep.

Two common causes of sleep issues include adrenal imbalances (especially high cortisol) and blood sugar issues, although there can be numerous other causes as well.  And while taking nutritional supplements and herbs on a temporary basis is okay, ideally you want to address the cause of the sleep issue.  Sometimes this can be easier said than done, but for anyone with a thyroid or autoimmune thyroid condition who is looking to restore their health, getting good quality sleep on a regular basis is essential.

Thyroid Healing Roadblock #4: Haven’t FOUND All Of Your Triggers.  What testing have you done to find your triggers?  If you haven’t done anything other than blood testing then you might need to do more detective work.  And if you have done testing and it did help you find a potential trigger or two, since multiple triggers are common you might need additional testing.  Some examples of different tests you can do (other than blood tests) include an adrenal saliva test, dried urine testing, hair mineral analysis, comprehensive stool panel, and organic acids testing, just to name a few.  Check out my website www.UnderstandYourTests.com, as I have put together video tutorials to help people better understand their test results, and it might also help you to decide what testing you should do.

Thyroid Healing Roadblock #5: Haven’t REMOVED All Of Your Triggers.  You might think that you have removed all detected triggers because you followed a certain protocol, but sometimes it can be challenging to remove certain triggers.  For example, you might have tested positive for a gut infection (i.e. a parasite) and follow an antimicrobial protocol for a couple of months.  Perhaps the symptoms have greatly improved, and so you assume the parasite has been eradicated, but this might not be the case.  Retesting is of course yet another expense, but sometimes it is necessary to confirm that your triggers have been removed.

Other times you just need to be more strict with your diet and lifestyle.  For example, you might be attempting to go gluten free, but there is cross contamination at times.  For some people this might not be too big of a deal, but for others it can be a huge factor that prevents them from restoring their health.

Thyroid Healing Roadblock #6: Gut Hasn’t Been Healed.  According to Hippocrates, “All disease begins in the gut”. Without question having a healthy gut is important for optimal health, and for those with Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s, a leaky gut is a component of the triad of autoimmunity.  Since most of the immune cells are located in the gastrointestinal tract it makes sense that you need a healthy gut to have a healthy immune system.  While many people focus on doing things to support gut healing (i.e. taking probiotics, drinking bone broth, taking L-glutamine, etc.), just remember that you need to remove the factor that caused the leaky gut.  It’s also important to understand that the lack of symptoms doesn’t rule out gut problems.

Thyroid Healing Roadblock #7: Overlooked Roadblocks.  Some of the commonly overlooked roadblocks include electronic pollution, stealth infections, and toxic mold. These can be very difficult to detect, and many of you know about my experience with chronic Lyme disease in 2018.  While this occurred 9 years after getting into remission from my Graves’ disease condition, many people who currently have a thyroid or autoimmune thyroid condition have a stealth infection, and they don’t always cause obvious symptoms.

What Thyroid Healing Roadblocks Do YOU Need To Overcome?

I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and I’d love for you to share any thyroid healing roadblocks that you feel might be preventing you from restoring your thyroid/immune health.  Please feel free to share this in the comments below!  If you have actually overcome one or more of these roadblocks I’d also like to know!

If you’re feeling stuck with your thyroid or autoimmune thyroid condition, then you might be interested in joining our Free 5-Day Accelerated Thyroid Healing Challenge!

During this 5-day challenge you will…

• Learn how to overcome both common and overlooked “roadblocks” that are preventing your thyroid/immune system from healing
• ​Discover how to reduce your “toxic thyroid”
• ​Find out why removing the trigger doesn’t always break the chronic inflammatory cycle associated with Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s, and what you can do to stop this cycle
• ​Create your thyroid/immune healing action plan

The Free 5-day challenge will include the following…

Component #1: Daily Accelerated Thyroid Healing Video Lesson

During this daily 10-20 minute recorded lesson I will focus on a different topic that is essential to speed up the healing of your thyroid gland/immune system. There will be one pre-recorded lesson every day for 5 consecutive days, which means that you can access it at your convenience.

Component #2: Daily Accelerated Thyroid Healing Assignment

I want people to take action, which is the whole point of any challenge.  And so each day there will be a daily assignment designed to help speed up your thyroid/immune system healing.

Component #3: Access to a private members-only group

We want you to build relationships with one another and enjoy this challenge together. Although you can still watch the daily video lessons and attend the two Q & A sessions without joining the Facebook group, if you want to connect with others and be eligible for the prizes (discussed below) then you’ll want to join the Facebook group. I plan on having my nutritional health coaches moderate the groups, although I’ll also pop in every now and then.

Component #4: Two 90 minute live Q & A sessions

There will be two separate live Q & A sessions.  These will be 90 minutes each, and I’m having two in order to accommodate those in different time zones.

Component #5: Prizes for Participation!!!

For my April thyroid/immune challenge I didn’t offer any prizes, but then I noticed that other people who hosted challenges were giving away prizes, and so I decided to test it out for my June challenge…and it was a big hit!  There will be a daily prize for those who answer the daily question, and then at the end of the 5 days there will be a grand prize!!!

You Get All of This For FREE!!!

For more information on the Free 5-day Accelerated Thyroid Healing challenge check out the link below:

www.RapidThyroidHealing.com

Before I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, and eventually Graves’ disease, I realized something was wrong one day when I measured my blood pressure and discovered that I had an elevated resting heart rate (my blood pressure was fine).  An elevation in the resting heart rate is known as tachycardia, and this is one of the classic symptoms of hyperthyroidism.  However, there can be other reasons why people can have an elevated heart rate, and so I decided to put together a blog post where I will discuss some of the common causes of tachycardia, as well as some of the different treatment options available.

You might wonder how high the resting heart rate needs to be before it’s labeled as tachycardia.  Most sources consider a resting heart rate over 100 beats per minute (BPM) as being tachycardia.  While this may be true, I definitely prefer to see the resting heart rate less than 80 BPM, and I would be concerned with a resting heart rate of 90 BPM or greater, and ideally you want a resting heart rate in the 50s or 60s, although the low 70s is still acceptable.

So while the literature considers a “normal” resting heart rate anywhere between 60-100 BPM, I consider a consistent resting heart rate of over 80 BPM to be elevated.  And by “consistent” I mean that when you measure your heart rate multiple times across a period of days or weeks it is over 80 BPM the majority of the time.  This doesn’t mean that everyone who has a consistent resting heart rate over 80 BPM has one of the conditions I’ll be mentioning in this post, as they might simply by physically unfit.  The reason for this is because a lower resting heart rate usually indicates a higher level of cardiovascular fitness.

How Do You Measure Your Resting Heart Rate?

When I had hyperthyroidism I took the herbs bugleweed and motherwort, and the way I knew these herbs were working was by monitoring my resting pulse rate (and of course eventually I did follow-up blood tests).  While I’m sure many people reading this know how to do this, others don’t, and so I figured I’d include a few videos demonstrating how to measure your resting pulse rate.  Of course you can also invest in an automated device that measures your resting heart rate.  There are some phone apps that do this too, although I don’t trust the accuracy of them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAjnlDZH9H8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHHr8qNU9QY

Different Types of Tachycardia

I’d like to briefly mention three different types of tachycardia:

1. Atrial or Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT).  This involves an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that starts in the upper chambers of the heart.

2. Sinus Tachycardia.  Sinus tachycardia is a regular cardiac rhythm in which the heart beats faster than normal and results in an increase in cardiac output (1).  This is the type of tachycardia most commonly associated with hyperthyroidism.

3. Ventricular Tachycardia.  This involves an arrhythmia that starts in the lower chambers of the heart.

Causes of Tachycardia

Let’s go ahead and discuss some of the different causes of tachycardia:

Hyperthyroidism.  Although this isn’t the most common cause of tachycardia, I’m listing it first simply because this website focuses on helping people with thyroid and autoimmune thyroid conditions.  And most of my patients with hyperthyroidism have an elevated resting heart rate, although not everyone experiences a heart rate greater than 100 BPM.

Elevated cortisol levels.  This is another potential cause of an elevated resting heart rate, although once again, it’s uncommon for this to cause a heart rate greater than 100 BPM.  As a result, in the literature it’s not considered to be a common cause of tachycardia, but I put this towards the top because it’s another common reason why someone might have a resting heart rate between 80 to 100 BPM, although sometimes it can cause the resting heart rate to exceed 100 BPM.

Hypoglycemia.  I’ve written articles on hypoglycemia and thyroid health, and this can be a cause of tachycardia.

Dehydration.  I’m not sure if mild dehydration will result in tachycardia, but if someone has moderate to severe dehydration then in order to maintain cardiac output in the setting of intravascular depletion, heart rate will increase (2).

Hyperkalemia.  This is elevated potassium levels, and can be caused by renal failure, excessive exercise, metabolic acidosis, insulin deficiency, medication-induced, and increased intake of potassium (3).

Hypomagnesemia.  Low magnesium levels can also cause tachycardia in some cases.  And many people are deficient in magnesium.

Hypocalcemia.  Low calcium levels are another potential cause of tachycardia.

Infections.  This is another common cause of an elevated heart rate.  In the literature, sepsis is listed as a potential cause of tachycardia, but the infection doesn’t need to be life-threatening to cause an elevated resting heart rate.  In fact, if your heart rate seems to be normal during the day but becomes elevated at night while you’re sleeping, it very well might be caused by a chronic infection (although there can be other causes).

Anemia.  There are different types of anemia, including microcytic, normocytic, and macrocytic.  I’m not going to get into detail about the different types here, but just keep in mind that this condition can be easily diagnosed through a complete blood count, as a low hemoglobin or hematocrit is a sign of anemia.

Caffeine.  Of course many people drink coffee, but there are other sources of caffeine (i.e. green tea, chocolate), and it’s important to keep in mind that some people are slow metabolizers of caffeine, and this might make someone more likely to have an elevated resting heart rate.

Certain medications.  Some of the medications that can potentially cause tachycardia include Albuterol, amphetamines, antihistamines, Clozapine, Dobutamine, Ephedrine, levothyroxine, Theophylline, and tricyclic antidepressants.  Since my focus is on thyroid health I should highlight levothyroxine, which is synthetic thyroid hormone taken by people with hypothyroidism.  Any type of thyroid hormone replacement can result in tachycardia if the dosage is too high.

Pregnancy.  Being pregnant will result in many physiologic changes, including an increased resting heart rate, cardiac output, and vascular volume (4).

Hypoxia.  This occurs when the tissues do not receive the necessary amount of oxygen to support their metabolic demand.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).  This is a potentially chronic debilitating condition involving the autonomic nervous system, and it is characterized by symptoms of lightheadedness, fatigue, palpitations, pre-syncope, sleep disturbances, cognitive impairment and brain fog in conjunction with an exaggerated increase in heart rate when upright, despite maintenance of a normal blood pressure (5).

Potential Consequences of Unmanaged Tachycardia

Unmanaged tachycardia can have numerous health consequences.  In some cases it can lead to myocardial ischemia, low blood pressure, low cardiac output, peripheral hypoperfusion (reduced amount of blood flow), tachycardia-mediated cardiomyopathy (TMC), cardiac arrest and even death (6).  The good news is that most of these conditions are partially or completely reversible, including TMC (6), although the goal should be to prevent these conditions from developing in the first place.

Management of Tachycardia:

Obviously the goal should be to address the underlying cause of the tachycardia.  But while doing this it can be important to take medication or herbs to manage the symptoms.  So for example, if someone has tachycardia caused by hyperthyroidism it’s important to do things to lower the resting heart rate while addressing the cause of the problem.  That being said, let’s look at some of the things that can be done to manage the tachycardia while the underlying cause is being addressed

1. Beta blockers.  Beta blockers work by binding to beta-adrenergic receptors, and this is how they get the name “beta” blockers.  These receptors play an important role in the regulation of heart function.  I’ve written a separate article on beta blockers that discusses how they work, the different types, and some common side effects.

2. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.  Although some of the research I did on the management of tachycardia mentioned ACE inhibitors, these are mainly used to help with high blood pressure.  Angiotensin II is a substance that causes the blood vessels to narrow and constrict, which can lead to high blood pressure.  ACE inhibitors work by preventing antiotensin I from converting into angiotensin II.

3. Antithyroid medication.  This of course is specific for those with hyperthyroidism, as it lowers the thyroid hormone levels, which in turn can result in a decrease in the resting heart rate.

4. Motherwort.  This herb is commonly used to decrease the cardiac symptoms associated with hyperthyroidism, although it can be used when someone has tachycardia due to other causes.  Although motherwort isn’t as potent as a prescription beta blocker, some sources show that this herb has a blocking effect on beta adrenergic receptors.

5. Hawthorn.  Like motherwort, this is another herb that can help to decrease the cardiac symptoms associated with hyperthyroidism.  According to the research, hawthorn doesn’t block the beta-adrenergic receptors (7) (8).

6. Bugleweed.  Just as is the case with antithyroid medication, bugleweed can lower the resting heart rate by lowering thyroid hormone levels.

Have You Experienced Tachycardia?

If you currently have tachycardia, or had it in the past due to hyperthyroidism or another health condition, please feel free to share your experience in the comments section below.  I’ll be happy to start, as when I was dealing with hyperthyroidism I had a resting heart rate that ranged between 90 and 110 BPM, and I used both bugleweed and motherwort to manage my symptoms while addressing the cause of my condition.

There is no shortage of books related to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.  In fact, if you visit Amazon and do a search for “Hashimoto’s, you’ll see that there are dozens of books related to this topic.  I’ve decided to create a post listing my top 4 book recommendations for those with Hashimoto’s, and I welcome you to share your top book recommendations in the comments below.

1. All books from Dr. Izabella Wentz.  Since Dr. Wentz has written three books related to Hashimoto’s it might have made more sense to title this blog post “6 Must Read Books for Those with Hashimoto’s” and to list them individually.  But I decided to group all three together, although if I was only able to recommend one of her books it would be her first one (Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause), followed by her “Hashimoto’s Protocol” book.  Both of these are packed with valuable information, and everyone with Hashimoto’s should read these books (and based on the number of reviews she has received, it seems that most people with Hashimoto’s have read both of these books!).

2. Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms?  When My Lab Tests Are Normal by Dr. Datis Kharrazian.  This book was released in 2010, but most of the information is still relevant.  I’m sure some reading this are familiar with the relationship between Th1 and Th2-dominance and autoimmunity, and Dr. Kharrazian was the one who first taught me this.  I can’t say enough about Dr. Kharrazian’s brilliance.  I’m pretty sure he was one of the first practitioners who discussed the relationship between the brain and thyroid health, and if you want to learn even more about the brain you’ll definitely want to check out his book “Why Isn’t My Brain Working?: A Revolutionary Understanding of Brain Decline and Effective Strategies to Recover Your Brain’s Health”.   I have learned so much from Dr. Kharrazian over the last decade, and I would love to see an updated version of his thyroid-related book!

3. Hashimoto’s Triggers (by yours truly).  Obviously I’m going to be biased about my book, which I released in February of 2018.  But I want everyone to know that I didn’t want to release a book on Hashimoto’s just so I can say I had a book on the topic.  In fact, whereas in 2011 I felt like I rushed the release of the first edition of my book “Natural Treatment Solutions for Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease” (I spent more time on the 2^nd edition, which was released in 2013), with my Hashimoto’s Triggers book I probably took too much time to put it together, as initially the plan was to release it in 2015, but I just kept adding to it and finally released this massive 600+ page book in 2018.  So my goal wasn’t just to release another book on Hashimoto’s, as I wanted to put together the most comprehensive book on finding and removing the triggers associated with this condition.

4. The Paleo Approach by Sarah Ballantyne.  This book doesn’t focus on Hashimoto’s, but instead discusses the science behind the autoimmune Paleo (AIP) diet.  It’s an excellent book, and since AIP is a common diet people with Hashimoto’s follow I figure I’d include it in the list.  It’s worth mentioning that Sarah Ballantyne was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, although I’m pretty sure her diagnosis came after “The Paleo Approach” was released.  If you’re not interested in learning about the science behind the autoimmune Paleo diet, but are interested in autoimmune Paleo recipes, then I would check out Sarah Ballantyne’s “The Paleo Approach Cookbook”, and another great resource is “The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook: An Allergen-Free Approach to Managing Chronic Illness” by Mickey Trescott.

What Book Would You Recommend?

I’d love to hear what book you would recommend to those with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis?  Perhaps you agree with some of my choices in this blog post, but I’m sure there will be some people who have their own favorites.  Either way please post your recommendations in the comments below, and feel free to come up with your own top 4 or 5 list.  And for anyone who has read my book (Hashimoto’s Triggers) I’d love to hear what you thought of it.

I get a lot of questions about low dose naltrexone (LDN), and while I’ve written about this in the past, I figured I’d put together a quick “5 things to know” post, which includes a few resources for those who are interested in taking LDN.  LDN of course isn’t specific for those with thyroid autoimmunity, as it has been shown to help with other autoimmune conditions (i.e. multiple sclerosis), as well as fibromyalgia, complex-regional pain syndrome, and cancer.  The good news is that it’s readily available and relatively inexpensive, but as you’ll read, there are some potential downsides as well.

So let’s take a look at the five things people with Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s should know about LDN:

1. Low dose naltrexone acts on the immune system.  LDN, when taken in a daily dose of 0.5 to 4.5 mg, has the ability to modulate the immune system.  This could be of benefit to people with different types of autoimmune conditions, including Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.  Most people with Graves’ disease are told to take antithyroid medication (or receive radioactive iodine), and many people with Hashimoto’s are told to take thyroid hormone replacement.  This doesn’t mean that these aren’t necessary, as the reason why antithyroid medication is commonly prescribed is because it is very effective in lowering thyroid hormone levels.  And of course many people with Hashimoto’s do need to take thyroid hormone replacement.

When LDN works well it can do wonders, as for those with Hashimoto’s it might allow them to stay off of thyroid hormone replacement (or to take a lower dosage), and for those with Graves’ disease it might allow them to avoid antithyroid medication (or to take a lower dosage).  The problem is that LDN isn’t effective in everyone who takes it, which is one reason why it’s not recommended initially.  This is especially true with Graves’ disease, as if someone has overt hyperthyroidism most endocrinologists would prefer for their patients to take a medication that has a greater likelihood of lowering thyroid hormone levels, even though antithyroid medication is much more likely to cause side effects than LDN.

2. LDN doesn’t address the cause of Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s.  Most people reading this probably know that LDN doesn’t address the underlying cause of the condition.  According to the triad of autoimmunity, in order for an autoimmune condition to develop you need the following three factors 1) a genetic predisposition, 2) an environmental trigger, and 3) a leaky gut.  Obviously there is nothing you can do to eliminate the genetic predisposition, but you can remove the trigger and heal the gut.  When someone takes LDN and it works well it might feel like the person is in remission, and the thyroid panel and thyroid antibodies might even normalize.  But in this situation, if someone were to stop taking the LDN then over time their lab markers would probably get out of range again.

Of course this doesn’t mean that you can’t take LDN while at the same time trying to address the cause of the problem.  Some wonder how they would be able to tell if the cause has been addressed if they’re taking LDN.  For example, if someone with Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s took LDN and their thyroid antibodies normalized due to the medication, and at the same time they took action to find and remove their triggers, how would they know if the underlying cause was addressed, or if the antibodies were normal solely due to taking LDN?  This admittedly could be tricky, and the only real way of knowing is for the person to eventually wean off of the LDN and see if the thyroid antibodies remain normal over time.

3. LDN can negatively affect sleep.  Sleep disturbances are one of the more common side effects of LDN.  Some people will also experience nightmares.  This can be a big problem, as a lot of people already have difficulty falling and/or staying asleep even without taking LDN.  Many times this will be resolved by taking LDN during the day (it’s commonly given at night), although this isn’t always the case.

4. Getting a prescription for LDN in the United States isn’t too difficult.  For those who choose to take LDN, while it would be great if you have a medical doctor who is willing to prescribe LDN, if not there are other cost-effective options.  One option is to visit the website www.ldnscience.org/ and search for a doctor in your area that prescribes LDN.  If you live in a different country you might also be able to find a local practitioner who is willing to prescribe LDN.  For those who live in the United States who can’t find a local practitioner who will prescribe LDN, you might want to check out the websites ldndirect.com and ldndoctor.com, as you can schedule a one-time phone consultation to speak with a practitioner who will prescribe LDN.

5. LDN probably isn’t a good first option for those with Graves’ disease.  Since some people don’t do well with antithyroid medication, you might wonder why those people with Graves’ disease shouldn’t consider taking LDN initially.  Although this is an option, the problem is that LDN doesn’t work on everyone, and if someone has elevated thyroid hormone levels and cardiac symptoms it is important to get the levels under control as soon as possible.  If LDN worked as well as antithyroid medication, or even antithyroid herbs such as bugleweed, then without question it would be a good first option to consider.

How about if someone absolutely doesn’t want to be on antithyroid medication, or if they took antithyroid medication and experienced negative side effects?  I usually recommend bugleweed for those who can’t or won’t take antithyroid medication, and this is the approach I took when I dealt with Graves’ disease.  This is just my approach, and the reason is because I find bugleweed to be more effective in managing the symptoms of hyperthyroidism when compared to LDN.  However, if someone is unable to tolerate antithyroid medication and if the bugleweed isn’t effective in managing their symptoms, then LDN should be considered, although there is also cholestyramine, which I discussed in a separate article.

Should You Take LDN?

Most of my patients with Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s don’t take LDN.  I can’t say that it’s something I commonly recommend, as many of my Graves’ disease patients take antithyroid agents (i.e. methimazole, bugleweed) while many of my patients with Hashimoto’s take thyroid hormone replacement.  But even if they’re not taking anything to manage their symptoms I can’t say that I usually advise my patients to take LDN, and the reason for this is because it’s not addressing the underlying cause, and at times it can make it challenging to know if someone is responding to the natural treatment protocol.

That being said, there are times when I’ll recommend LDN, and if someone is already taking LDN when they begin working with me I won’t tell them to stop taking it.  I should also add that I don’t only recommend LDN for the purpose of modulating the immune system in my Graves’ and Hashimoto’s patients, as LDN has other functions as well.  For example, sometimes I’ll recommend LDN to those who have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).  The reason for this is because LDN can act as a prokinetic, which can be important if someone has SIBO due to damage to the migrating motor complex of the small intestine.

But getting back to thyroid autoimmunity, and whether you should specifically take LDN, this of course is ultimately your decision.  If you have Graves’ disease and experience side effects when taking antithyroid medication, and if bugleweed isn’t effective in managing your symptoms, then perhaps you should consider taking LDN.  It might make more sense for those with Hashimoto’s to take LDN since it can prevent further damage to the thyroid gland from occurring while taking a natural treatment approach.  Then again, many people have the antibodies for both Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s, and so an argument can be made that anyone with elevated thyroid peroxidase (TPO) and/or anti-thyroglobulin antibodies should consider taking LDN.  But as I have already mentioned, besides LDN not addressing the cause of the problem, it also isn’t always effective in “calming down” the autoimmune response.

What’s Your Experience With Low Dose Naltrexone?

If you have Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s and have taken LDN, please feel free to share your experience in the comments section below.  If you took LDN and it helped please let me know!  If you took it and didn’t notice any difference please let me know!  If you haven’t yet taken LDN but are thinking about doing so so please let me know!

I think it’s safe to say that most people, and even most healthcare practitioners, don’t understand how important the vagus nerve is to our overall health, let alone our thyroid health.  As you’re about to learn by reading this post, if you have vagus nerve dysfunction, this not only can directly affect your thyroid health, but it can also affect your gut and immune health, and thus be a factor in autoimmune thyroid conditions such as Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s.

Although I will discuss some of the basics of vagus nerve function in this blog post, I want to let you know that on Monday June 15th there is an upcoming Vagus Nerve online summit you might be interested in attending.  When you register you’ll also receive Dr. Eva Detko’s 25-page eguide entitled “4-Week Program to Strengthen Your Vagus Nerve and Boost Your Immune System”.

Click Here to register for the free Vagus Nerve Summit

In order to understand the importance of the vagus nerve I think it makes sense to briefly discuss it’s role.  There are twelve cranial nerves, and the vagus nerve is the longest, and most complex of these.  The vagus nerve is part of the autonomic nervous system.  The two components of the autonomic nervous system are the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The SNS is involved in the “fight or flight” response, while the PNS is known as the “rest and digest” system.  The vagus nerve is part of the PNS.

How Does The Vagus Nerve Affect Thyroid Function?

As for the relationship between the vagus nerve and thyroid health, the thyroid gland is located anteriorly in the lower part of the neck, and the autonomic nervous system primarily innervates the thyroid.  Both the SNS and PNS supply the thyroid gland, and the vagus nerve is the main nerve from the PNS that supplies the thyroid gland.  However, these nerves don’t control the production or secretion of thyroid hormone, but mostly influence the vasculature of the thyroid gland (1).

How Does The Vagus Nerve Affect The Immune System?

As for how the vagus nerve affects the immune system, there are a few different ways.  First of all, it innervates the immune organs, including the spleen, thymus, and the gut.  There is actually a good amount of research on the gut-brain axis, and the vagus nerve plays an important role in this communication.  Low vagal tone has been associated with numerous conditions involving the gut, including irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and SIBO (2).

Keep in mind that the vagus nerve plays a role in stomach acid secretion, and so if you have low stomach acid, vagus nerve dysfunction can be one potential cause.  And low stomach acid alone can cause a lot of problems, including intestinal dysbiosis/small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.  When I suspect low stomach acid in my patients there are times when I recommend for them to take betaine HCL, but of course the goal is to address the cause of the problem.

How Chronic Stress Affects The Vagus Nerve

So now that you know some of the consequences of dysfunction of the vagus nerve, it probably would be a good idea to discuss how chronic stress can have a negative effect on vagus nerve function.  Without question chronic stress is the main factor that can have a negative effect on vagus nerve function.  This is one of the reasons why chronic stress is pro-inflammatory, as the vagus nerve is also involved in something called the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (3).

It’s also important to mention that stress stimulates the sympathetic nervous system while inhibiting the parasympathetic nervous system.  Stress causes a release of corticotrophin-releasing factor, and this can cause an increase in intestinal permeability (a leaky gut) and intestinal dysbiosis (4).  So hopefully you understand how chronic stress can lead to inflammation and affect the health of the gut.

I’ve mentioned the Triad of Autoimmunity in the past, as this involves three factors that are necessary for an autoimmune condition to develop.  These three factors are 1) a genetic predisposition, 2) an environmental trigger, and 3) a leaky gut.  So vagus nerve dysfunction can set the stage for autoimmunity not just by causing an inflammatory environment, but by causing a leaky gut and gut dysbiosis.

How To Improve The Health of Your Vagus Nerve

One of the best ways to improve the health of the vagus nerve is by incorporating mind body medicine.  This includes techniques such as meditation, yoga, qigong, biofeedback, etc.  Dr. Datis Kharrazian is the author of the amazing book “Why Isn’t My Brain Working”, and he wrote a blog post that discusses four vagus exercises you can incorporate:

1. Gargle (2 minutes of vigorous gargling).  Gargling with water a few times per day can activate the vagus nerve.  Dr. Kharrazian recommends to drink several large glasses of water per day and to gargle each sip until you finish the glass of water.

2. Stimulate your gag reflex.  Dr. Kharrazian mentions that he has his patients purchase a box of tongue blades so they can stimulate their gag reflex throughout the day.  You would just lay the tongue blade on the back of your tongue and push down to activate a gag reflex.

3. Sing loud in the shower.  Dr. Kharrazian recommends to sing as loudly as you can when you are in the car or at home.  I usually do this while taking a cold shower, which also can activate the vagus nerve!

4. Coffee enemas.  Although many people use coffee enemas as a form of detoxification, I was surprised to learn that coffee enemas can help to activate the vagus nerve.

One thing that isn’t on this list is to see a doctor of chiropractic.  Of course I’m going to be biased since I’m a chiropractor, but while many people perceive chiropractors as being neck and back pain doctors, the truth is that they can greatly help to improve the health of people’s nervous systems.  In fact, one study I came across showed that spinal adjustments of the cervical spine can affect the parasympathetic nervous system (5).  On the other hand, the study also mentioned that spinal adjustments of the thoracic spine resulted in a sympathetic response. Acupuncture is also something to consider.

While I do recommend nutritional supplements and herbs to my patients, you might have noticed that nothing I just mentioned involves taking supplements!  So even someone who is on a budget can do things to improve the function of their vagus nerve.

Vagus Nerve Activation Schedule

Dr. Eva Detko has put together a guide, which includes a weekly schedule consisting of things you can do to activate your vagus nerve.  And so if you’re looking to start a daily routine that only takes a few minutes today Click Here.  Upon clicking on this link you will be taken to another page where you will be asked to enter your email address, and besides receiving the free guide where she lists her weekly schedule, you will also be registered for the upcoming vagus nerve summit I mentioned earlier.

How Heart Rate Variability Affects The Vagus Nerve

Dr. Eva mentions heart rate variability in her guide too, but I also wanted to bring this up here, as I’ve written about heart rate variability in the past.  In the article I wrote I mentioned how I use a device by the company HeartMath to help improve heart rate variability, which is a way of measuring vagal nerve tone.  An elevated heart rate isn’t a good thing, but we do want a high heart rate variability.

So hopefully you have a better appreciation of the importance of the vagus nerve, and how chronic stress can have a negative effect on the gut and immune system.  Chronic stress is a big factor in many people, especially in 2020 with everything going on.  And while in past articles and blog posts I’ve mentioned the importance of blocking out time for stress management, and it’s something I also encourage my patients to do, for many people it would also be a good idea to incorporate one or more of the vagus nerve exercises I listed earlier.

If you have Graves’ disease, toxic multinodular goiter, or a different type of hyperthyroid condition, and if you’re sick and tired of your endocrinologist pressuring you to receive radioactive iodine or thyroid surgery, then you might be interested in joining our 21-Day Overcoming Hyperthyroidism Challenge (starts June 8th!):

The 21-day challenge will include the following…

Component #1: Daily Overcoming Hyperthyroidism Video Lesson

During this daily 20-45 minute recorded lesson I will focus on a different topic that is essential to overcoming your hyperthyroid condition. There will be one lesson every day for 21 consecutive days (although a few lessons include multiple videos). If you’re interested in the specific topics that will be presented please check out the video below where I discuss the 21-day challenge calendar.

Component #2: Daily (M-F) 30-45 minute live group coaching session

The live group coaching calls will take place on Zoom, which is very easy to use on computers, mobile phones, and tablets. And if you are unable to attend live you’ll have the opportunity to email your questions during the separate Q & A sessions (discussed below). For those who choose to join live, the way it works is that I’ll send you a link to join the call, and if you are using a mobile phone or tablet you’ll need to install the free app. I will record every coaching session and post the recordings in a private membership area for those who are unable to attend live. As for the time of the coaching sessions, I will rotate them to accommodate those in different time zones. They will take place either 1pm or 9pm Eastern time (New York time zone).

Component #3: Recording of each coaching call for those who are unable to attend live

I already mentioned this, and of course I hope most people will be able to attend at least 2 or 3 live sessions per week, although I’ll add that when I had my last challenge in April I had some participants who didn’t attend the live calls, but simply watched the recordings and emailed their questions.

Component #4: Daily priority action step

I want people to take action, but I want the action steps to be attainable, which is why there will be a single priority action step each day, although at times there will be one or two additional action steps that aren’t as urgent.

Component #5: Access to a private members-only group

We want you to build relationships with one another and enjoy this challenge together. One way we accomplished this in April was through the live coaching calls, but another way was through the private members-only group we had. Since not everyone wants to be on Facebook we hosted this on a platform called Kajabi, and while we did have a lot of people participate, we realized that there are some limitations to Kajabi. So as crazy as this may sound, for this challenge I’m going to have two private members-only groups…one in Kajabi, and one in Facebook. And so you can join either one of these groups, or both if you’d like! In April we had over 130 participants, and so if we have a similar turnout this time I think there will be enough engagement in both groups. I’ll pop in these groups every now and then, but I plan on having my nutritional health coaches moderate the groups.

Component #6: Weekly 90 minute live Q & A session

Although I’ll be answering some questions during the daily coaching calls, these will only be around 45 minutes, and I will be focusing on answering live questions. But there will also be three separate live Q & A sessions (one per week) during the 21-day challenge hosted by yours truly. These will be at least 90 minutes long, although in April I exceeded two hours with each of the Q & A sessions, as my goal is to answer ALL questions! I’ll once again rotate the day and times to accommodate those in different time zones, and so they will either be at 1pm ET or 8pm ET. However, unlike the daily coaching calls, if you are unable to attend any of the Q & A sessions live you can email your questions ahead of time.

You Get All of This For A Single Payment of $49

If you watch the video on top of the registration page (the link is below) you’ll see dozens of people rave about the last challenge I had in April, and I think it’s safe to say that every single one of them easily got back their investment.

Optional Upgrade: 45-minute one-on-one diet and lifestyle call with a certified nutritional health coach

Both of my nutritional health coaches are excellent, and I thought it was important to include an option for affordable one-on-one support with all of the stress everyone is dealing with, although I’m confident the daily group coaching calls will also help with this. You have the option of doing this over the phone or through Skype/Zoom. If you listen to some of the video testimonials on this page from members of the past challenge you’ll hear some rave reviews about the diet and lifestyle call! And so if it’s in your budget I’d highly recommend taking advantage of it for the discounted rate of $50. But if not you still will receive a ton of value from the rest of the challenge.

For more information on the 21-day challenge check out the link below:

www.OvercomingHyperthyroidism.com