AUGUST 2007
MY THEORY OF SUBOPTIMAL THYROID FUNCTIONING
Today the prevalence of diagnosed hypothyroidism is widespread and growing.
In the 1970's Dr. Broda Barnes began to recognize this trend and hypothesized
that we are genetically predisposed to this ailment. Before antibiotics, those
with weak thyroid glands were supposedly more prone to infectious diseases,
which increased the human mortality rate. In dying, these weaker souls also
took with them their faulty thyroid gene, therefore restricting the gene pool.
He theorizes that the defective gene has proliferated due to the advent and use
of antibiotics.
This hypothesis is still prevalent today even though the same theorists also
know and acknowledge that a lack of iodine will effectively shut down thyroid
function and that iodine is the most significant mineral associated with good
thyroid health. A genetic predisposition theory would doom the world's
population to a future of widespread thyroid disease. Yet, this theory does not
address the critical role one's mineral balance (including adequate tissue
iodine levels) plays in good thyroid health.
I have an alternative view of the current hypothyroidism epidemic that I
would like to propose. Somewhere around the middle of the 1800's, the
widespread use of sugar and refined flour became endemic in American and
European culture. The increased consumption of these refined foods decreased
the natural resistance to infectious disease and conversely increased the
likelihood of chronic diseases. When refined sugar and flour are consumed in
large quantities a cascade of physically compromising events are set in motion
that increases our susceptibility to infection and disease. Our mouth, the
point of entry for sugar and refined foods, rapidly and dramatically felt the
impact of these modern eating habits. Dental cavities and other oral diseases
exploded at this time and out of necessity the medical field of dentistry
arose. Up until this period one usually went to their barber to have teeth
extracted when they became diseased, which usually only occurred in mouths of
people who did not follow good dietary practices.
This escalation of cavities stimulated a search for something practical to
use to repair teeth rather than removing them. Early English and French dental
practitioners began experimenting with amalgams of mercury and silver as it had
been discovered by alchemists that mercury would dissolve metal powders, making
them temporarily paste-like and therefore easy to manipulate and pack into a
hole in a tooth. The filling would then harden into something of near natural
tooth hardness. In the mid 1800's, enterprising dentists from England brought
this developing technology from Europe to America. This procedure initially
received a less than enthusiastic welcome as the technology was new and fraught
with problems and dentists were concerned with the dangers of mercury. Two
philosophical schools of thought arose. One opposed mercury and the other
embraced it. Those opposed formed the "American Society of Dental Surgeons".
Those in favor eventually formed the "American Dental
Association". The ASDS had thrown out so many of their associates for using
mercury they eventually became outnumbered. I believe the mercury proponents
prevailed because of the large increase in tooth decay and the inexpensive
remedy mercury amalgams represented. There was not then and still is not today
a widespread concern for the dangers of oral mercury amalgam fillings. Even if
the knowledge of what refined sugar and other foods do to the body and the
teeth had been widely known, it is doubtful eating habits would have been
modified. Sugar is an incredibly addictive substance.
There are 5 interesting side notes to make at this point:
1) Medical practitioners who used mercury in their practice were
referred to as quacks by practioners who didn't ascribe to this practice. The
word quack came from the German word for mercury, quacksalber, which evolved
into the English name quicksilver (another name for mercury). The definition of
quack now ironically has become the word used to define someone using healing
modalities not currently accepted by the American medical establishment, better
known as the AMA and ADA.
2) The dentists who embraced the practice of using amalgams were
referred to as quacks by their anti-mercury associates. These opposing groups
were at severe odds. The quacks "amalgamated" and formed what is presently
known as the American Dental Association. Most American dentists today still
believe there in no danger in putting the second deadliest mineral known to man
in your mouth. Many states have now banned the dumping of any device containing
mercury into landfills, yet still allow the use of this toxic substance in
human mouths. This conflicting rationale is nonsense. Ironically, the ADA is
now behaving like their predecessor organization, the American Association of
Dental Surgeons, by threatening license suspension of any dentist who publicly
advocates the banning and removal of dental amalgam fillings.
3) In the mid 1800's medical doctors were experimenting with mercury as
a therapeutic on everything from the common cold to syphilis. Unfortunately,
most of their patients did not survive these mercury treatments due to the fact
that mercury is the second most deadly element on the planet after plutonium.
4) Medical doctors currently use vaccines preserved with mercury based
Thimerosal and dentists still put mercury based amalgam fillings into the
mouths of unsuspecting patients. The dubious distinction of being a quack, as
the term was originally intended, certainly still belongs to these
"Professionals".
5) Near the beginning of the 20th century medical (but not dental)
quackery died out as more enlightened MDs began to successfully use elements
such as iodine and sulfur to treat illness. With the advent of penicillin and
the apparent universal applications of this new miracle drug the use of natural
remedies again fell out of favor. Presently, the tide is heavily weighted in
favor of pharmaceutical drug use and those who advocate the use of natural
substances for healing are referred to as "quacks" by conventional conservative
medical circles.
I believe there is a profound and direct link between the mercury in amalgam
fillings and the element iodine. Mercury has a direct deleterious effect on the
healthy functioning of the thyroid. It is estimated that roughly 75-80% of the
population of America now possesses mercury amalgam fillings.
Over time a very interesting reaction takes place in the mouth of those with
amalgam fillings. The process is by definition is called electrolysis or
galvanic action. It is a natural phenomenon that occurs when 2 or more
dissimilar metals are in contact with each other in the presence of an electric
current. In this reaction the weaker element actually ionizes or dissolves. In
the human body there exists a very low voltage electrical current. Over time
this current ionizes the weaker metal in the amalgam - the mercury. As this
happens, we inhale or swallow the elemental mercury vapor.
In the presence of only one mercury amalgam filling the thyroid can be
severely challenged as its iodine stores are consumed in an attempt to remove
the toxic mercury that is slowly and continuously leaching into our tissues.
Additionally, the body will work overtime to sequester the mercury where it
will do the least amount of short term damage possible. The first spot is the
brain, our neurological and hormonal control center. Other areas are also used
to store the mercury. These include the endocrine glands and bone tissue. Each
person will deal with the sequestration of mercury in their own unique way
depending on their own genetic predisposition.
Interestingly, the element iodine is one of the body's primary chelators or
removers of mercury. This has been demonstrated in iodine challenge tests where
one consumes 40-50 milligrams of iodine and follows up with a 12 to 24 hour
urine collection analyses. It has been discovered that along with the iodine,
heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, and aluminum are
excreted. Iodine is also the element necessary to stimulate the conversion of
T4 hormone (Thyroxine) to T3 hormone (Triiodothyronine), the active thyroid
hormone. What is almost universally found today is that a person suffering with
hypothyroidism will also have mercury amalgam fillings.
This amalgam-hypothyroid link is far too prevalent and interconnected to be
discounted. Slow thyroid and heavy metal toxicity symptoms are very similar.
The posture that a deadly neurological poison has no impact on our nervous
system and endocrine glands is derelict or naïve at best, and to try to link it
exclusively to genetics and antibiotics seems illogical. Hypothyroidism, I
believe, has a direct link to mercury poisoning via the high number of amalgam
fillings so thoughtlessly placed into our mouths by the misguided and
voluntarily uninformed members of the American Dental Association, many of them
our own trusted dentists. What a disgrace that the majority of them currently
don't acknowledge the danger of this practice.
If you have mercury amalgam fillings and thyroid dysfunction, the following
protocol can help you to identify and resolve your problems:
1. Determine the degree of thyroid activity using the basil temperature
test or a blood test. (Many doctors now believe the temperature test is more
accurate than a blood test as a blood test will many times not reflect
thyroid deficiency)
2. Begin thyroid hormone replacement therapy if recommended by your
physician. Investigate alternatives.
3. Increase your iodine intake with supplements. There is confusion as to how
much Iodine one should supplement with and I do not believe there is a one size
fits all amount. I do believe that the current RDA (150mcgs) is not at all
adequate, especially given the level of toxic heavy metal exposure most of us
are exposed to in this age of industrialization. I believe a minimum of one to
two milligrams of ionic iodide or iodine daily is appropriate for most people.
Keep in mind that excessive supplementation with iodine can produce symptoms of
mercury toxicity as sequestered mercury is freed up and passes into the blood
stream on its way to being excreted. Appropriately reducing your intake of
iodine will diminish undesirable symptoms.
4. Remove all mercury amalgam fillings. Use only dentists who practice
mercury free dentistry (amalgam or silver are just another name for mercury
fillings) and will protect your breathing while removing your amalgams.
Biological dentistry is best. If proper protocol is not followed in amalgam
removal your symptoms will worsen!
5. Identify all other potential sources of mercury and avoid them. This
includes vaccines, large oceanic fish, cosmetics, and some drugs. Keep in mind
that many vaccines today, including flu shots, and immunizations for foreign
travel are preserved with mercury containing Thimerosal.
6. Begin a heavy metal detoxification program to clear all sequestered heavy
metals from tissue.
I do not believe that under most circumstances ill health is directly due to
genetic factors. It is instead the presence of toxins, especially heavy metals,
in combination with a distinct lack of essential minerals in our diet, which
then manifests as cellular malfunctioning. Genetically, we are predisposed to
react in certain ways (expressing different symptoms as a result of mineral
imbalances). What each of us must do is to become proactive in determining our
present mineral status. This can be accessed with a hair mineral analysis. If
we can supply our tissues the correct levels of minerals they need to function
optimally (especially iodine for healthy thyroid function), our genetic
predispositions will not manifest our weak links to unnecessary dis-ease states
and we can experience health and vitality.
In good health,
Rick Wagner M.S., C.N.
---------------------------------
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