The simple truth is dehydration can cause disease.  Which disease?  Well, according to Dr. Batmanghelidj almost all disease can be linked to dehydration. In his book he points out biological mechanisms connecting water to almost every condition.

Most doctors will recommend 8 -10 glasses of water per day. This can help out a significant amount of people.  But drinking 8-10 glasses of water may not be enough for some people.  You know by reading my other posts that I am constantly saying that each person has their own biochemical individuality.  This holds true when it comes to water.

Since I practice in Arizona, we see many patients come in with dehydration. Just normal breathing here can lead to dehydration if you are not restoring your fluids.

Water may not fix every problem.  But problems “caused” by dehydration cannot be solved without addressing that “cause”, no matter what therapy is employed.

Keeping this in mind, restoring and maintaining adequate hydration can increase the effectiveness of clinical therapies.

The human body is 25% solid or solute and 75% water which is the solvent. The solute refers to the enzymes, minerals, proteins, hormones, etc. Over the years medicine has attempted to manipulate the solute in the body to achieve health benefits.

However if the solvent is depleted, the electromagnetic fields of the solute will not work at their capacity. Proteins and enzymes function more efficiently in solutions of lower viscosity. In other words in solutions of higher viscosity, i.e. dehydration, proteins, enzymes and hormones become less efficient.

Therefore every function of the body is monitored and pegged to the flow of water!

Often, when people think thirst, coffee, tea, alcohol, soft drinks, etc. come to mind; however, these concentrated fluids can never substitute for the body’s need for water.  In fact these substances can actually increase dehydration because the body must further dilute them due to their concentrated composition.

So the very things we drink for dehydration actually make the situation worse from a cellular perspective.

At the cell membrane, the osmotic flow of water through the membrane can generate “hydroelectric” energy or voltage that is converted and stored in the energy pools of ATP and GTP. ATP and GTP are like vital cell battery systems storing energy particularly important in neurotransmission. So dehydration can cause a type of cellular fatigue.

The brain has absolute priority in the water rationing system of the body.  Products manufactured in the brain cells are transported on “waterways” to their destination in the nerve endings for use in the transmission of messages. There seems to exist small waterways or micro streams along the length of nerves that “float” the packaged materials along “guide lines” called microtubules.

Water also has a firmly established and essential hydrolytic role in all aspects of metabolism. Similar to the chemical powers of water that make a seed grow, these water dependent chemical processes we call hydrolysis are essential for life.

“Hydro” refers to water and “lysis” means separation. Water is essential for the splitting or separation of proteins, carbohydrates, enzymes, etc.

Let’s look at a possible dehydration pain link. Histamine is one of the ways the body regulates water intake and distribution in the body. As histamine and its subordinate water regulators prostaglandins, kinins, etc. become excessively active they cause pain when they come across pain sensing nerves in the body.

Another “thirst” signal of the body is joint pain. As we know, cartilage has a high concentration of water. This “held water” allows the cartilage to provide almost friction-less joint movement. The water being the lubricant that protects the contact surfaces of the joint. As joints move and the cartilage surfaces glide over one another, some exposed cells die and are removed. New cells take their place.

In well-hydrated cartilage the rate of friction damage is minimal.

In dehydrated cartilage the rate of abrasive damage is increased. The water to hydrate cartilage comes from the base through the bone marrow and the bone however, there is competition as growing blood cells in the marrow take priority over cartilage for the available water.

SKIN TEST Pull up the skin from the top of the hand and create a small tent of skin. Release the skin and watch to see how long it takes to return to normal. It should be immediate in a well hydrated person. This brief test takes seconds and can serve as a tool to evaluate periodic periods of dehydration.

So get at least 8 glasses of pure water per day.  Another important tip is to sip your water.  Chugging your water down can actually have a negative effect on your health.  So slow it down, and just sip it throughout the day.

Dr Heimlich, DC DACNB

If you suffer from low thyroid symptoms, there is a very high chance you have an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. We have talked about it on other post.  Hashimoto’s is a condition where the body attacks the thyroid.  Unfortunately, it tends to attack other parts of the body as well.  These parts include the brain, pancreas, GI system, and others.

It is common knowledge that most endocrinologists and researchers consider low thyroid symptoms or hypothyroidism synonymous with Hashimoto’s.  One thing you have to realize is that if you do have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, you are more likely to have other types of autoimmune conditions because they tend to run in packs.

There are over 100 autoimmune conditions and this number is growing.

We are going to take a look at some of the factors on why these numbers are growing. Now, normally the immune system recognizes what is self and what is not self. And anything, which isn’t self, is not tolerated and it is attacked. The key word here is identified. So we have to see why is the body not identifying itself as normal? That is the million-dollar question.

A big reason is genetics. If mom has thyroid problems, the daughter is probably going to have thyroid problems and the granddaughter is probably going to have thyroid problems. I see three generations of women in here sometimes from all over the place that have thyroid issues. So that is one of the reasons.

Some of the other reasons that cause this blurriness of the line between self-tolerance and non self-tolerance, well, it could be infections. So now I’m referring to chronic types of things: bacterial, viral, or parasitic. You could have bacteria or yeast infections causing these different radicals in the body, causing a whole different cascade of inflammation to go on.

Other factors include old age, stress, and lack of sleep, hydrogenated oils, junk food diet, physical trauma, and systemic acid in your body.

Researchers are also discussing that pesticides could also play a big role on this too. Plastics and food allergies can also contribute to the rise in auto immune. There are some suggestions as far as vaccines and low vitamin D causing these types of problems.

Auto immune conditions can cause poor digestion. Why is that? Because about fifty-seventy percent of our immune system by weight is in our gut, it’s in our gastrointestinal system.   You may be able to relate to this if you have constipation, upset stomach, diarrhea, taking medications for heart burn or other digestive problems. These can accompany other thyroid symptoms like your hair falling out, fatigued, lethargy, cold hands and feet, and depression.

You know what, there are things we can do to test to see if you have any of these things going on in your gut. There are tests that you can do. There are stool tests and there are – some of them out there are really great. Others of them out there, you might as well just save your pennies. They are really lacking.

I’m going to be going over that in another post.  I have a new post coming out that will talk about the differences the tests.   Some doctors will just do a little testing or they’ll do a different type of test that maybe antiquated – why? Well, they probably just don’t know any better. They probably haven’t done any of the recent research in the past five, ten, twenty years – maybe they haven’t really done anything. They may just be doing what everyone else is doing and that is the problem.

You have to constantly educate yourself as a healthcare provider because there is more and more information out there. You’ve got to find someone who understands about the autoimmune conditions.

If you’re suffering with low thyroid symptoms, you’ve got to get tested.

Then once you get tested, you have to find someone who knows how to help you and how to manage that.

Just taking thyroid medication is just a small piece of the puzzle. Is it important? Yeah. But is it going to make you feel optimal? No. If it did, you’d be out there enjoying life right now, you wouldn’t be watching this video. You’d feel as though you had control over your life. So get out there and find a doctor who understands what we’ve talked about and take control of your health.

Dr. Chris Heimlich DC, Director of the Arizona Thyroid Institute in Scottsdale, AZ Answers a Common Question Asked By Women Suffering With Low Thyroid:

Here is a question I get asked a lot.  Can you cure Hashimoto’s?  When I get asked this question, I always tell the patient about Dr. Hawkinson.  He was one of my instructors in school and he would always drill into our heads that-

“You only cure two things: bacon and ham.  The power that created the body will heal the body.  Your job as a doctor is to figure out why the body isn’t healing itself, remove any road blocks that are stopping it, help support it when necessary, and let it do what it was intended to do. “

So the answer is “no”.   You cannot cure Hashimoto’s.

But…Can the symptoms of Hashimoto’s be reversed?   YES!

Now Hashimoto’s is a genetic condition.  That means you get it from your parents.  It usually happens at three different times in a woman’s life:  puberty, pregnancy, and perimenopause.  And at these times your epigenetic factor can get turned on and your body has an auto immune response to your thyroid.

That means that your body starts to attack your thyroid and starts destroying it.

Now I know there are a few doctors out there saying that they can cure Hashimoto’s.  That is not the case.  Many times what they will do is look at the TSH level and when it goes back into the normal level they will say that the Hashimoto’s is cured.  That is not the case.  You can look at a woman’s TSH level throughout the year without treatment and it can bounce up and down.  The same is true for antibody levels.  They can fluctuate as well.  That is why we are lucky when we test antibodies and they show positive.   An estimated 15% of woman that have Hashimoto’s will not even show the antibodies on the blood test.  That means they don’t make the antibodies.

So what do you have to do to help these ladies with Hashimoto’s?  Well you have to help with reversing the symptoms; the constipation, fatigue, dry skin, cold hands and feet, brittle hair or hair falling out.  You can reverse those symptoms.  That can be done without question.  So how do you reverse the symptoms?  How do you do that?  Well, the first thing you have to do is find a doctor that understands that Hashimoto’s is an auto immune condition.  You have to look at gut toxicity, T cells, B cells, vitamin D and food sensitivities, blood sugar, adrenals, and all the stuff that plays a role in the immune function.

If your doctor is not trained in that and is not schooled in those ways, they are not going to be able to offer much help in reversing those symptoms.

So don’t get caught up in the idea of having to cure your Hashimoto’s.  That is not possible.  But it is possible to reverse the symptoms.  You can be better.  You can feel better.

What if you could to feel 70%, 80% or 90% better and your Hashimoto’s had not been cured?

Would that be worth it?  Of course it would.  So can you reverse the symptoms of Hashimoto’s?  Yes you can, as long as your doctor knows how to help you.

Dr. Chris Heimlich DC, DACNB, Explains:

For those of you who don’t know, Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease which causes your body to attack its own tissue which can lead to tissue damage; thyroid and other tissues.

Sometimes a patient wants to avoid taking thyroid medications, or they’ve tried and the medication made them feel worse.  One thing is certain – if the underlying CAUSE is not found, the out of balance immune system can and often does lead to other areas of the body being targeted for destruction.  Taking thyroid medication is sometimes necessary due to the Hashimoto’s process causing thyroid tissue destruction.
Why?  Because with less thyroid gland tissue there will be less thyroid hormone produced.

It is important to THOROUGHLY EVALUATE each individual’s situation, and where necessary, use a holistic and the medical approach together.

So Where Do You Start?

1.   Identify and remove the trigger(s) that aggravate the immune system (foods, chemicals, hormonal imbalance, etc.).

2.  Quench the existing body-wide inflammatory cascade (with diet & lifestyle changes and specific supplements that down regulate pro-inflammatory processes and up-regulate anti-inflammatory processes).

3.  Aid in the repair the GI tract barrier

4.  Support the damaged autoimmune target with specific supplements and/or medical hormone replacement therapy (as in the case of thyroid and pancreas damage by co-managing the illness with your medical doctor)

5.  Re-mediate any abnormal brain and nervous system function with Brain Based Therapy

It is important to consider that the thyroid gland has major influence in all of these areas:

Enhances a portion of the nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system.
Promotes breakdown of blood sugar, mobilizes fats, essential for protein synthesis, and enhances the liver’s synthesis of cholesterol.
Promotes normal adult nervous system function and mood.
Promotes normal functioning of the heart.
Promotes normal muscular growth and function.
Promotes normal GI motility and tone; increases secretion of digestive juices, particularly that of the gallbladder and the stomach.
Promotes normal female reproductive ability and lactation.
Promotes normal hydration and secretory activity of the skin.

Here are a few more key things to remember:

Bone:  Deficiency of thyroid hormones lead to a decrease in bone development and an abnormal architecture of the bone that is created.  Generally, a functionally low (which means low but not flagged as of yet) serum calcium is noted in hypothyroidism.  Elevated thyroid hormones causes an increased serum calcium, as it pulls calcium from the bone, leading to increased risk of pathological fractures of the spine and weight bearing joints.

Gastrointestinal Function:  Transit time is affected directly by thyroid hormones as is absorption of nutrients.

Male Hormones:  Hypothyroidism has been linked to diminished libido and impotence.  Although this condition is rarer in men, it must be considered in treating these conditions.

Liver and Gallbladder Function:  Low thyroid function caused decreased liver clearance and gall bladder congestion through thickening of the bile, often also associated with an elevation of cholesterol.

Body Composition:  As you may know all too well, low thyroid function causes an inability to lose weight.  This is caused by a slowed conversion of glucose and fat into energy, and altering the way Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is metabolized in the body.

Blood Sugar Regulation:  Low thyroid slows the insulin response to glucose following eating carbohydrates or sugar and it also slows glucose uptake into cells and tissues, and slows absorption of glucose from the intestinal tract.  In other words, your entire energy production system is slowed.  It is quite confounding to your body and brain, in that the glucose is in the blood, but the tissues are not able to absorb it.  This really confuses the pituitary gland and adrenal glands, resulting in a “stress physiology,” even if life is good.

Cholesterol:  As mentioned earlier, low thyroid increases your cholesterol and triglycerides, so your doctor tells you your diet is poor.  You become even more strict in your diet, and the tissue starvation (low glucose, low energy) gets worse, which makes the stress physiology worse, which makes your cholesterol higher, which prompts your doctor to put you on cholesterol medication, which interferes with energy production, which further stresses your physiology…whew!  You are frustrated!

Depression:  Low thyroid impairs the production of stimulating neurotransmitters, which are the chemicals that antidepressants work on.  Low stimulating neurotransmitters leaves you, as one of my professors described, feeling “lower than a snakes belly.”

Female Hormones:  Low thyroid changes the way estrogen is metabolized in the body, shifting toward an estrogen metabolite that has been proven to increase the risk of breast cancer.

Stress:  Low thyroid slows the elimination of the stress hormone cortisol, which leaves you feeling stressed out, not because of “stress,” but because the stress hormone can’t be removed efficiently.

Detoxification:  Low thyroid slows an enzyme critical for metabolic biotransformation, or detoxification, the process by which the body binds and removes all environmental chemicals, and normal byproducts of metabolism, including hormones.  “Toxicity” further slows your metabolism, and leads to headaches and other toxic symptoms.

Digestion:  Low thyroid reduces the release of Gastrin, which determines the output of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, leading to poor protein digestion, sour stomach, and GERD.

Thermoregulation:  Regulation of body temperature is affected by low thyroid, resulting in hot flashes and night sweats, which is especially prominent in perimenopausal women.  This is often blamed on estrogen dropping, but may be directly caused by low thyroid.

PMS and Infertility:  Low thyroid affects the progesterone receptors, making them less sensitive to progesterone, which feels like low progesterone, although the progesterone levels may be normal.  Since the activity of progesterone is diminished, the health of the uterus is insufficient for implantation in the second half of the female cycle, leading to difficulties getting pregnant and PMS.  Low thyroid also reduces sex hormone binding proteins, leading to an increase in estrogen activity.

Anemia:  Low thyroid, as mentioned affects protein metabolism, which then lowers the red blood cell mass, which carries oxygen to tissues for metabolism of energy.  Yes, another mechanism for feeling lousy.

Homocysteine:  Low thyroid slows a process called methylation, often evidenced by elevated serum levels of homocysteine.  Elevated homocysteine in the blood has been proven as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disorders, and cervical dysplasia.

Since so many body functions are affected or influenced by thyroid hormones, it is vital that your thyroid hormone levels are in the normal functional range.  With long-standing autoimmune attack on your thyroid, those with Hashimotho’s end up with diminished thyroid gland tissue as evidenced by high TSH and very high TPO antibodies (and at times TBG antibodies).  In this scenario, it is likely you will need thyroid hormone replacement AND the Comprehensive Approach For Helping With Autoimmune Illness to prevent or reduce further attack on your thyroid gland (OR OTHER glands and tissues of your body).

Here is an important fact to remember:  15% of patients with Hashimoto’s will show up with a false blood test.  This means that when tested, they will not have high antibody markers, even though they have Hashimoto’s.  That is another reason you can have “normal” labs and still feel crummy.

Properly co-managing your thyroid condition symptoms with medical care and my comprehensive “get to the root cause(s)” approach can prevent or mitigate many devastating consequences to your health and well-being.  Choose to take charge of your health NOW!

We grew up hearing that fish was “brain food”. It turns out that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish may be very beneficial to the brain. Taking omega-3 fatty acids may have a beneficial effect on cognition, mood, learning, child development and even ADHD.

Research that appeared in the Journal of Child Health Care (e-published ahead of print Aug 9 , 2 0 1 1 d o i : 10.1177/1367493511403953) measured omega-3 fatty acid levels in children with ADHD and in children with ADHD coupled with a learning disability. Researchers found that children with learning difficulties tended to have lower DHA (an omega- 3 fatty acid) levels than children without learning difficulties. Students with high levels of DHA (measured in the red blood cells) tended to have less anxiety and better word recall than children with higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids. High omega-3 fatty acid levels also correlated with better reading and spelling ability.

Other research looked at the omega-3 fatty acid levels of 96 boys between the ages of six and 12 and the relationship between learning and behavior. The study appeared in Psychology and Behavior (1996;59(4-5):915-920). It found a relationship between low omega-3 fatty acid levels and problems with learning, behavior, and with health problems in general. Interestingly, more colds and antibiotic use was noted in children with low omega-6 fatty acid levels.  

Eating fish a couple of times a week will not get you enough of the omega- 3 fatty acids.   You will need to supplement your diet with omegas in order to get enough into your system. 

Some patients have complained that when they take fish oils they burp up the fishy taste.  This does NOT mean that you do not need them.  It means that you have either a low quality product, or your body is not allowing you to digest them.  If that is the case, put the fish oils on the shelf and get into a doctor that will be able to help get your digestive tract healed back up so you can take them without any problems. 

What’s the connection between your stomach problems, brain fog, and hashimoto’s? How are they related?

One of the most frequent questions I get asked by new patients suffering from low thyroid symptoms is why we do a functional neurological exam on them.  There are several reasons why we do this.  First, the brain directly communicates with the thyroid.  The brain tells the pituitary to talk to the hypothalamus to tell the thyroid to release hormones.  Kind of like a domino effect.

The brain also directly communicates with the stomach and intestines (which is what we call the gastrointestinal system) through the vagal nerve.  In previous posts I have talked about how important the gastrointestinal system is in patients with low thyroid symptoms.  If you have been reading or watching then you know the number one cause of low thyroid symptoms in the United States is an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  85 to 95% of all low thyroid conditions in the United States as an autoimmune condition of the thyroid.

The liver and spleen have a huge effect on the immune system, and are also directly connected to the brain through the autonomic nervous system.   Researchers have known for years that if you damage the vagus nerve, you will have dysfunction of the organs that we talked about.  When those organs don’t function correctly, the thyroid health is directly and negatively impacted.

The gastrointestinal tract and liver also convert inactive thyroid hormones into active ones.  So if they are not functioning correctly, you will not have enough active thyroid hormone to bind to the receptor sites.  That will translate into low thyroid symptoms like brain fog, constipation, hair loss, weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, and all the other low thyroid symptoms.

Another important reason why we do function neurological exam on all patients complaining of low thyroid symptoms is because we want to check and see how the brain is functioning, particularly the cerebellum and the basal ganglia.  Research has shown that these two areas in the brain can also be attacked just like the thyroid is attacked in people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

If you are still suffering with low thyroid symptoms, make sure you find a doctor that knows we’ve just talked about.  You want to make sure that you get more than just your TSH and free T3 and free T4 checked when you are trying to find the cause of why you are still suffering with symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Scottsdale Thyroid Doctor Explains:

I wanted to share a recent experience I had in the office with a patient that was trying to self regulate her thyroid medication.  A woman brought her mother into the office with complaints of brain fog, constipation, hair falling out fatigue, depression, and insomnia.  The daughter had also been diagnosed with low thyroid and was on Natur-Throid, the mother was on Synthroid.  Since the daughter was on a different medication and felt a little better than the mom did, the mom decided to just start taking some of her daughter’s medication.  It was a bad idea.

It is always a bad idea to take someone else’s medication.

As you can imagine, she felt even worse.  I think it is a bad idea for anyone to self dose medications. If you feel the medication is not working, consult the prescribing physician.  If they change dosages and just can’t find the dosage that alleviates the low thyroid symptoms-like hair loss, fatigue, weight gain, mental fogginess, constipation…… then maybe it is time to take a different look at your low thyroid condition.

The research shows the number one reason people have low thyroid symptoms in the United States is due to an auto immune condition called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  An auto immune condition means that the body has lost its ability for self tolerance.  Meaning, the body cannot tell the difference between its own tissue and foreign invaders.  The body actually attacks itself.  In the case of Hashimoto’, it attacks the thyroid.  It also has a propensity to attack the brain, pancreas, and gut in Hashimoto’s.

Taking thyroid hormones only replaces the hormones that are not being produced due to the destruction of the thyroid gland.  It does nothing to stop the attack of the immune system on the body.  It also does nothing to reduce the cytokines that block the thyroid receptor sites.  When the immune system attacks the body cytokines are released and they block the thyroid receptors.

Here is something to remember:

Every cell in the body has a thyroid receptor site.

Can you see why you can feel so crummy when you are not receiving the proper management of your thyroid?

So now you know why it is important that you don’t self dose your thyroid medication, even if it is natural or bio-identical hormone replacement.  Talk with your doctor before changing dosages.  If you have tried this and you are still suffering with low thyroid symptoms, find a doctor that understands what we just talked about and get the help you need.