Thyroid Health depends on your Liver
Did you know a healthy thyroid gland depends on a healthy liver?
Your thyroid gland produces two main hormones: T4 (also called thyroxine) and T3 (also called triiodothyronine). These hormones help to control your metabolic rate, that is the rate at which your body burns calories. They also have a huge bearing on your energy levels and maintenance of normal body temperature.
T4 is not the active thyroid hormone; it must be converted into T3 in your body in order to exert its effects. The majority of this conversion does not occur in your thyroid gland. Most T4 to T3 conversion happens in your liver, kidneys and muscles. If you have a fatty liver or a sluggish liver, this conversion will not be effective. This can leave you feeling tired, depressed, puffy, overweight and with dry skin and thinning scalp hair. Indeed you would have a thyroid problem caused by a faulty liver.
If you are taking thyroid hormone medication in the form of thyroxine, it too must be converted into the active form in your body. Therefore if you are taking thyroid medication but still not feeling much better, your liver could be to blame! It is vital that you work on improving the health of your liver if you want healthy thyroid hormone levels.
Apart from having a healthy liver, you can also keep your thyroid gland in good shape with the following strategies:
- Obtain adequate iodine in your diet. Iodine deficiency is becoming an increasingly common problem. The thyroid gland requires iodine in order to manufacture the hormones T4 and T3. Iodine is mostly found in the oceans, therefore is present in seafood (as long as it came from the ocean and was not farmed), and seaweed. Kelp is a rich source of iodine and is available in supplement form. Your doctor can organise a urine test for you to determine your body’s iodine level.
- Obtain adequate selenium in your diet. Selenium is a mineral that is required for the conversion of the thyroid hormone T4 into its active form, T3. People taking thyroid hormone replacement such as Synthroid or Oroxine benefit from selenium supplementation because it enables their bodies to use the medication more efficiently. Selenium also helps the immune system and can reduce the production of auto-antibodies in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease, which are both autoimmune diseases. Brazil nuts are the richest dietary source of selenium, however supplementation is usually required to achieve optimal levels in the body. Selenium and iodine are found in thyroid health capsules.
- Consume good quality protein. The amino acid tyrosine is required for thyroid hormone production. Tyrosine is found in protein rich foods such as chicken, fish and cheese, and also in smaller quantities in avocados, bananas and almonds. Protein rich foods are also a good source of zinc, which is needed by the thyroid hormone receptors in your cells, to allow thyroid hormones to bind there. Eating enough protein is one half of the equation, the other half is to make sure you digest the protein properly. Irritable bowel syndrome, bloating, heartburn, SIBO and reflux can all indicate that you don’t digest protein properly. Taking a digestive enzyme supplement, sipping some diluted apple cider vinegar before meals, and making sure you are relaxed while eating can all help.
The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
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I would be so grateful for any thoughts you can share.
I have NASH (last Firosure was 1.5) caused by NAFLD impacted by hemochromatosis. My dx was in 2015 and I've been good for a few years. I have never been 'morbidly obese' but got a bit heavy for a year or two at 190, I now maintain 165-175 at 5'10", male, 48yrs old. Three years ago I realized I could maintain my weight though intermittent fasting...which gave me an excuse to stop my daily exercise. My diet is very high protein and very low sugar and I've managed to keep my iron/ferritin low by 'donating' blood once a year (sometimes every other year). My last US in 2019 my liver was 15cm. I got complacent...lazy and I didn't even get my labs checked in 2021....so, here is my problem. I got my labs drawn recently and my TSH was 2.5... which is in the normal range by my concern is my TSH labs were consistently 1.1-1.7 for 8 years, then TSH dropped to .9 and two years later is climbed to 2.5...why? Why would it flux that much when it had remained so stable for so long? I have zero thyroid symptoms but my worry is that this fluctuation in TSH is telling me something is not right in my body - my MD brushed it off as normal and said fluctuations are normal. He did run my T4, which was .89 but refused to run any other tests or even follow up until next year. I am worried this is a sign my body is angry - sudden unexplained changes alarm me. In your experience does my TSH fluctuation sound alarming to you?
Also, my LDL's were 105 in 2015 but since then have been below 100...now they are 180. My total cholesterol has never been above 150 and it now 255. My triglycerides are okay, my AST/ALT are both below 30, my calcium has been 9.8-10.4 since 2015 - going up and down. My iron is 149 and my ferritin is 209 - I do need to reduce that but blood-letting makes me anemic/wipes me out so I hesitate to do it as summer fun starts up. As I mentioned, I literally stopped all exercise (save for household chores) for the past three years, starting in 2019. I have lost a noticeable amount of muscle mass and not as lean but I don't have 'fat' in areas - except for some love handles recently...my waist is now 36in at belly button...so I got a small belly I need to loose, my 34in pants still fit fine. I resumed my daily exercise at the "demand" of my wife this week. I am going slow and embarrassed how out of shape I am even in my own basement gym... Could exercise, or a long term lack of, have this much of an impact on my system, despite a healthy weight?
My diet is generally very low sugar (Fasting A1c is 5.4, which is typical for me). I had a heptalogist who believed fructose was the 'root of all evil' but he retired in 2020 and I haven't found one I like yet. I keep a mostly routine diet - my diet is meat, cheese, eggs, wild salmon, wild venison, nuts and veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, cabbage and squash) Over the past year I have found green and black tea's and drink more than 64oz a day of them hot and cold.
I use SAM-e and NAC daily for my liver, along with daily multi-vitamin, zinc, Vit B,C,D,E, CoQ10, Turmeric, garlic, collagen pills, 5 fish oil pills and krill oil. Plus, I take a probiotic a few times a week and have 1/8 tsp of parsley daily - my wife says it helps reduce water retention. I have treated hypertension, I've been taking 10mg Lisinopril and Maxide for +20yrs - it seems the diuretic has the most impact on my BP based on attempts to reduce meds so my wife decided parsley might help. I haven't noticed any difference - could it be causing harm?
In my house Easter is a very big deal and I basically ate an entire cake every week along with cookies and candy for a full month leading up to Easter. I got my labs drawn a week after Easter. Could my crazy high sugar diet for a month send my body in to this level of anger - with a high TSH and high LDL's? My HDL was 56 which is normal for me.
I have never been a 'good' sleeper but not terrible either. My sleep routine has been stable for years but I would wake often during the night. My wife determined I was uncomfortable and made some changes that helped about 6 months ago so now I do not often wake in the middle of the night and if I do I fall back to sleep quickly. Though before she made those changes to our bed, I started taking 10mg of melatonin each night and like how quickly I fall asleep so I kept taking it. I've been taking 10mg of melatonin nightly for about 8 months. Back in October I had a work related lipid test an my LDL were 68 and total cholesterol was 115. I admit Easter was a sugar binge and Christmas was very similar but during 2022 I had sugar on Feb 14th and 15th, March 17th and 18th and then April 1st-19th, otherwise I literally had zero sugar - save for the fructose in the veggies and nuts.
I am worried...I already have a scarred liver and now my TSH fluctuation and LDL increase has me quite worried. Would you recommend ordering my own self-referred labs online? If so what would you suggest - a thyroid antibody panel, testosterone??? My MD also refused to check my testosterone which hasn't been check in 10yrs so I guess I am in the market for a new provider....But finding a good MD is not always easy.
Please help me. Any thoughts, suggestions, personal advice, etc would be appreciated very much. When my MD starts stonewalling I feel a bit helpless.
I tried to give you all the details I could think of (sorry it's so long). Hopefully something here will benefit future readers as well. Thank you for any information you can offer.
Dietary and exercise laziness usually result in poorer medical outcomes.
Your elevated TSH may reflect a thyroid nutrient deficiency, which is easily reversed with Thyroid Health Capsules – 1 twice daily.
Magnesium is very beneficial to help lower high blood pressure, 200mg twice daily as either powder or tablets.
Sugar is very inflammatory and could very possibly have been responsible for your higher numbers in last blood tests.
It would be good to have new bloods done and a thyroid panel, testosterone, DHEAs, A1c, Insulin, LFTs, RFTs would all be beneficial.
Compound chemists may be able to suggest a replacement MD for you.
Kind regards
Victoria
Naturopath for Dr Sandra Cabot MD
my T3 value is 20.77
T4 value is 0.4
TSH value is>495.000
what kind of thyroidism dos I have ?
does these values are the reason for high amount of bilirubin in my body?
I have requested you send us your blood results but have not received an answer.
Unfortunately these values cannot be evaluated out of context.
High bilirubin in the blood indicates that you have Gilbert's Syndrome and a congested liver or Fatty Liver.
Kind regards
Victoria
Naturopath for Dr Sandra Cabot
Back normal. Her liver sono was also normal. High rates of thyroid disease/cancer in our family. Could the liver be connected to her feeling tired, dry skin and sluggishness?
Unless your daughter’s fT3 is at least mid way in the normal range she may still have a hypothyroid condition. Low iodine is also often a problem with the thyroid that is often not recognised.
Thyroid Health Capsules supply vital nutrients to boost this valuable gland’s function.
Athough your daughter’s sonograph was normal, her detox phase 2 seems to be unbalanced, leading to raised bilirubin in her blood.
Poor detoxification in the liver affects the whole body, and raises inflammation considerably.
Livatone Plus and NAC are indicated to boost liver health and function.
Kind regards
Victoria
I’m vegetarian and my cholesterol is 230, triglycerids 219, and many enzymes are out of range (low globulin, low calcium, low bun, etc). My sugar is 96... I suspect my liver is not working well. About eight years ago my doctor said my liver was not converting t4 to t3 properly but since I moved, all doctors only look at TSH and adjust my dose.
How can I help myself?
We recommend not following a vegetarian diet. As a vegetarian, your carbohydrate intake is relatively high – this can cause insulin resistance, which results in high blood fats and fatty liver. It is true that can impair T3 production.
Your doctor could prescribe T3 for you, in addition to the levo thyroxine.
Thyroid Health capsules would help with T3 production, and berberine would help your liver and blood fats.
Kind regards,
Margaret Jasinska
Naturopath for Liverdoctor.com
We recommend you read this article:https://www.liverdoctor.com/healthy-thyroid-gland/
It is very important to undertake an anti-inflammatory diet, and Dr Cabot has recently released her 15 Day Cleanse - Two weeks to begin your journey toward improved liver health and function, utilising both supplements and a tasty, easy to prepare dietary regimen. Please go to www.drcabotcleanse.com to place an order.
After completing the Cleanse, we recommend you remain on this style of eating and you can then begin the Maintenance plan that is available at the same website.
There is excellent information in Dr Cabot's book 'Your Thyroid Problems Solved'.
To stop your thyroid growing too big, Dr Cabot recommends you take
Thyroid Health at a dose of 3 caps daily, at same time with food.
Dr Cabot's supplements and books can be purchased here:https://www.liverdoctor.com/products.html
Kind regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritionist for Liverdoctor.com
Will the TB continue to be an issue even though it was treated in 1976 to 1977?
I gained a lot of weight and I’m now finally easily losing it. I got several complications of having under treated hypothyroidism.
My thyroid function fluctuated between being over medicated and under medicated from 2008 to 2017 due to repeated bouts of sub acute thyroiditis. It took me a long time to discover the cause of it. It was the flu shot. This was the main cause of my weight gain.
So my thyroid took 14 years to stabilize.
No the TB would not be a factor any longer.
Selenium would be very helpful for you – it reduces inflammation in the thyroid and also helps the body to fight infections.
Kind Regards,
Margaret Jasinska,
Naturopath for Liverdoctor.com
Thanks for your time... Mike
Iodine is best avoided while you have hyperthyroidism during Graves’ disease.
Kind Regards,
Margaret Jasinska,
Naturopath for Liverdoctor.com
You can read Dr Cabot’s recommendations for cirrhosis in this article:http://www.liverdoctor.com/liver-problems/cirrhosis-of-the-liver/
The most important supplements are Livatone Plus to protect liver cells from damage, vitamin E to reduce scarring and berberine to improve insulin resistance, because that can speed the progression of cirrhosis.
Kind Regards,
Margaret Jasinska
Naturopath for Liverdoctor.com
We recommend you follow the anti-inflammatory diet in Dr Cabot's book 'I Can't Lose Weight and I Don't Know Why'.
There is some dietary information in this article:https://www.liverdoctor.com/what-should-you-eat-if-you-have-fatty-liver/
We recommend you take
Livatone Plus 2 caps twice daily to optimise liver function and increase bile flow.
Super Digestive Enzymes 1-2 in the middle of meals to help with metabolism and absorption of nutrients and reduce digestive symptoms.
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) 2 caps twice daily at least 2 hours away from food, if any upset occurs please take with meals. NAC is the precursor to glutathione; the body's most potent antioxidant. This supplement works well with Livatone Plus to get the liver better faster.
These supplements can be purchased here:https://shop.liverdoctor.com/
Let us know how you get on.
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutrition Consultant for Liverdoctor.com
This is so great to hear, keep up the good work!
Please let me know if you require any further information.
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutrition Consultant for Liverdoctor.com
We recommend seeing your healthcare practitioner to get a liver function test, thyroid function test and ultrasound scan of your liver.
You would benefit from following the dietary principles in Dr Cabot's book 'I Can't Lose Weight and I Don't Know Why'.
In the meantime, you may benefit from taking
Livatone Plus 2 caps twice daily to improve liver function.
Magnesium Complete 2 tabs twice daily OR Magnesium Ultra Potent 1/2 tsp twice daily to reduce headaches, help with muscle aches and relax the nervous system.
These can be purchased here:https://shop.liverdoctor.com/
Let us know how you get on.
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutrition Consultant for Liverdoctor.com
My tsh is 2.69 scale of 0.5-5
We recommend you see your healthcare practitioner re your thyroid levels.
To reverse fatty liver, we recommend you eliminate grains, sugar, processed food and takeout meals.
There is some dietary information in this article:https://www.liverdoctor.com/what-should-you-eat-if-you-have-fatty-liver/
We recommend you check out Dr Cabot's books 'Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It' and 'Your Thyroid Problems Solved'.
Dr Cabot recommends you take
Livatone Plus 2 caps twice daily to improve liver function.
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) 2 caps twice daily at least 2 hours away from food, if any upset occurs please take with meals. NAC is the precursor to glutathione; the body's most potent antioxidant. This supplement works well with Livatone Plus to get the liver better faster.
These supplements can be purchased here:https://shop.liverdoctor.com/
Let us know how you get on.
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritional Consultant for Liverdoctor.com
My problem is I can not gain weight sleep very long been on this medicine long time...
We recommend you see your healthcare practitioner and get a test for your thyroid hormones.
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritional Consultant for Liverdoctor.com
We recommend you take
Thyroid Health caps 1 cap daily with food as these contain selenium, iodine, vitamin D and zinc which are essential for healthy thyroid gland tissue and function.
Livatone Plus 1 cap twice daily to improve liver function.
There is more detailed information in Dr Cabot's book: 'Your Thyroid Problems Solved'.
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritional Consultant for Liverdoctor.com
There is no problem with doing a liver cleanse while on that medication.
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritional Consultant for Liverdoctor.com
Thank you for your enquiry.
Fatty liver can be reversed with the correct diet and supplements that support liver function and repair liver cells.
Dr Cabot’s book ‘Fatty Liver – You Can Reverse It’ provides a complete eating plan with recipes.
Eat less carbohydrate – including sugar, grains and other starchy foods, because the liver converts any excess carbohydrate into fat. Don't drink too much alcohol.
Eat more vegetables, protein and healthy fats.
Drink raw vegetable juices 250 to 300mls 2 to 3 times a week. Dr Cabot’s book ‘Raw Juices can save your life’ has recipes for many different health conditions. Try the ‘Liver Cleanse’ or ‘Liver Tonic’ juices in the book.
Dr Cabot recommends you begin taking
LivaTone Plus - 2 capsules twice a day to help repair damage to the liver and improve the liver’s ability to metabolise fat.
N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC 600mg) – 2 capsules twice daily well away from food, if any upset occurs take at the beginning of your meals. This supplement works well with Livatone Plus to get your liver better faster. This supplement hastens liver healing. This supplement is the precursor nutrient of glutathione; the body’s strongest anti-oxidant.
Your thyroid tests indicate that you have Hashimotos Disease, an autoimmune thyroiditis that results in low thyroid function and Dr Cabot recommends you remove all gluten containing products from your diet and begin taking
Thyroid Health Capsules – 1 capsule twice daily.
Natural Thyroid Cream – 1 full pump 1 to 2 times daily. This cream utilises porcine thyroid extract to supply the hormones your thyroid is not producing in sufficient quantity.
Testosterone tends to decrease with age and also with increased weight. If either of these are of concern, may we recommend you increase your daily exercise as this is a very beneficial way of raising your testosterone levels.
Your primary care practitioner can also prescribe this hormone for you.
You may purchase these supplements and book athttp://shop.liverdoctor.com/supplements.html
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritional Consultant for Liverdoctor.com
Ps- I have hashimotos
Please see this article:https://www.liverdoctor.com/liver-function-tests/
Your liver enzymes can be reduced by taking Livatone Plus and making dietary changes.
Kind Regards,
Jessah Robinson
Nutritional Consultant
Thyroid medication doesn’t impact liver enzymes.
You need to ask your doctor for additional tests.
Something else is raising your liver enzymes.
Kind Regards,
Jessah