[g_podcast id="11079038"]
Today I have another exciting interview guest, the naturopath AlexBroll.
Alex was already my guest in episode 15, when we talked about hormones and why everyone should be interested in this topic. But this time we're talking about the thyroid!
The topics are:
Read a summary of the conversation here, you can hear many more detailsin thepodcast episode!
There are people who have a very similar view on health and the best approach when you just don't feel good in your body and Alex is one of those people.
I could talk to her for hours, but for this episode we have limited ourselves to the most important things about the thyroid gland.
As I said,Alex is anaturopath andhealth coach for a positive and healthy body image. Her vision is for every woman to feel balanced, happy and fit and to know what isgood for her and act accordingly.
What is exciting about her career is that she has She originally studied medicine, but realized after just a few days at university that it wasn't the right thing for her.The view was too one-sided and too functional for her. She missed the question of the cause, which is why she preferred to go into the field of naturopathy. In order to have a holistic approach, this further training was also important to her, so that she could also see what mental difficulties might be present. Becausewe already know very clearly that body and mind are mutually dependent.
She hasadditional naturopathictrainingin ear acupuncture, acupuncture,craniosacral therapy, phytotherapy, Schüssler salts, hypnosis and EMDR. She is also a certified personal trainer andNLP practitioner.
Alex and I view the body as a holistic unit, which is why a problem with a specific organ should always be viewed from the perspective of: where else in the body are there problems or where is the cause that the system is no longer functioning properly?
For example, an overactive or underactive thyroid may very well have its origins in a hormonal imbalance, an intestinal problem or a weak liver!
Symptoms often simply show up on the weakest link in the chain and this can be the thyroid gland, for example.
However, it is also important to be humble and recognize that we still don't understand the complex system of the body 100% and that there are things we simply don't know yet, despite all the research and immense progress that has been made.
That's why it's also important that each and every one of us is mindful of ourselves and our bodies and that you keep listening and feeling inside yourself, becauseyour body is constantly sending you signals that can help you to take responsibility for your own health.
The thyroid gland is located in the neck and is very small when healthy and cannot be felt.
If it grows (e.g. forms a goitre), this indicates a problem, for example.
The thyroid gland is the conductor of all hormonal organs and also determines the entire metabolism. For example: "How well do I burn my nutrients or am I hot or cold"?
The thyroid gland is a kind oforganizer, which therefore also sets the pace in the body.
If it works slowly and sluggishly, we speak of an underactive thyroid, and if it accelerates and is on fire in every corner, we speak of an overactive thyroid.
Known thyroid diseases such as Hashimoto'sthyroiditis or Graves' diseaseare so-called autoimmune diseases, where the body's own tissue attacks the thyroid gland andan inflammatory process occurs.
In Hashimoto's, for example, this inflammation leads to hyperthyroidism, but the attack and destruction of thyroid cells means that the thyroid gland can no longer function properly over time and cannot produce enough thyroid hormones. This results in hypothyroidism and a constant interplay between hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.
Typical symptoms of thyroid problems are rather unspecific:
Instead of just doing a general blood count if you want to know more about the function of your thyroid gland (because usually only the TSH is measured there), it would definitely make more sense to have at least fT3 and fT4 determined as well.
This is because the TSH value may well be within the normal range and the thyroid gland may still not be producing enough hormones.<span data-ccp-props="{}">
However, it may also be worth having other hormone levels determined, as a highcortisol level, for example, also depresses the thyroid gland. However, this would be an example of a case where it is not the thyroid that should be treated, but rather the stress level.
Weknow, for example, that people with Hashimoto's often also havea gluten intolerance. And here we often have the problem that nutrients are poorlymetabolized in the gut, keyword "leaky gut". The microbiome is usually also in disarray and it never hurts to havea microbiome analysis carried out to see whether the nutrients are getting into your body at all based on the condition of the intestinal environment and whether they are reaching your thyroid!
The gut may limit the body's ability to get enough nutrients to produce the right amount of thyroid hormones.
And of course the immune system also plays a role,plus 80% of the immune system is located in the gut.
An interesting fact is that in recent years it has been discovered that hormones are also heavily involved in autoimmune processes.Progesterone and oestrogen have an immunostimulating or immunosuppressive function,depending on which T helper cells are activated.
We have now listed a number of things, hormones, gut, diet, stress - where is the best place to start? It depends a little on the symptoms and how you feel.
The most helpful thing here is certainly to get good advice and support. Diet is often something that can have a relatively big impact with little effort, because quick success is definitely something that keeps motivationhigh.
However, it is always important to take a holistic approach, because simply taking thyroid hormones and not taking selenium, for example, and not adjusting your diet is usually not very effective. And if the gut isn't working properly, there won't be any improvement in the long term!
It's definitely worth trying out for yourself whether the symptoms improve if you cut out gluten. It is not always the case that there is a connection, but it is often the case.
Avoiding sugar always makes sense anyway if something is wrong with your metabolism, because it simply relieves the body. And it's not just cutting out sugar that's important,but also making sure that you don't eat too many fast carbohydrates in the form of refined flour products.
An anti-inflammatory diet, as we also recommend here in the podcast and in the Darmglück course, is also helpful in any case, i.e. lots of vegetables and some fruit, no industrially manufactured products and high-quality fats/oils.
And precisely because gut health is so important for the whole system, including of course a gut-friendly diet, there are plenty ofpodcast episodeson this topic.
Alex and I hope that this interview has inspired you and has taken you or someone you know a step further, you are welcome to share the episode with interested people!
You can find out more about Alex here: https://alexbroll.com/
Alex's success podcast "Raus aus dem Hormonchaos": https://alexbroll.com/hormonchaos/
You can findmy first interview with AlexBroll in the Darmglück Podcast, on the topic "Why hormones should not only interest women in the menopause, but actually everyone" under this link: https://arktisbiopharma.ch/darmglueck-folge-015/
Interviewswith Julia inAlex's podcast:
https://alexbroll.com/darmgesundheit-grundlagen/
https://alexbroll.com/darmgesundheit/
Now I encourage you to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode, and if you like what you hear, I really appreciate a review on iTunes or Apple Podcast. Because these reviews also help other people find the podcast so we can spread the knowledge about gut and health more.
Today I have another exciting interview guest, the naturopath AlexBroll.
Alex was already my guest in episode 15, when we talked about hormones and why everyone should be interested in this topic. But this time we're talking about the thyroid!
The topics are:
- What could be the causes of thyroid problems?
- Where is the thyroid gland and what does it do?
- What symptomsmanifests itself thyroid disease manifest themselves?
- What can be measured?
- How are the thyroid, gut and immune system connected?
- Helpful tips for thyroid disease
Read a summary of the conversation here, you can hear many more detailsin thepodcast episode!
Who is AlexBroll?
There are people who have a very similar view on health and the best approach when you just don't feel good in your body and Alex is one of those people.
I could talk to her for hours, but for this episode we have limited ourselves to the most important things about the thyroid gland.
As I said,Alex is anaturopath andhealth coach for a positive and healthy body image. Her vision is for every woman to feel balanced, happy and fit and to know what isgood for her and act accordingly.
What is exciting about her career is that she has She originally studied medicine, but realized after just a few days at university that it wasn't the right thing for her.The view was too one-sided and too functional for her. She missed the question of the cause, which is why she preferred to go into the field of naturopathy. In order to have a holistic approach, this further training was also important to her, so that she could also see what mental difficulties might be present. Becausewe already know very clearly that body and mind are mutually dependent.
She hasadditional naturopathictrainingin ear acupuncture, acupuncture,craniosacral therapy, phytotherapy, Schüssler salts, hypnosis and EMDR. She is also a certified personal trainer andNLP practitioner.
What could be the causes of thyroid problems?
Alex and I view the body as a holistic unit, which is why a problem with a specific organ should always be viewed from the perspective of: where else in the body are there problems or where is the cause that the system is no longer functioning properly?
For example, an overactive or underactive thyroid may very well have its origins in a hormonal imbalance, an intestinal problem or a weak liver!
Symptoms often simply show up on the weakest link in the chain and this can be the thyroid gland, for example.
However, it is also important to be humble and recognize that we still don't understand the complex system of the body 100% and that there are things we simply don't know yet, despite all the research and immense progress that has been made.
That's why it's also important that each and every one of us is mindful of ourselves and our bodies and that you keep listening and feeling inside yourself, becauseyour body is constantly sending you signals that can help you to take responsibility for your own health.
Back to the thyroid gland: where is it anyway and what does it do in the body?
The thyroid gland is located in the neck and is very small when healthy and cannot be felt.
If it grows (e.g. forms a goitre), this indicates a problem, for example.
The thyroid gland is the conductor of all hormonal organs and also determines the entire metabolism. For example: "How well do I burn my nutrients or am I hot or cold"?
The thyroid gland is a kind oforganizer, which therefore also sets the pace in the body.
If it works slowly and sluggishly, we speak of an underactive thyroid, and if it accelerates and is on fire in every corner, we speak of an overactive thyroid.
When our system turns against us we speak of autoimmune diseases
Known thyroid diseases such as Hashimoto'sthyroiditis or Graves' diseaseare so-called autoimmune diseases, where the body's own tissue attacks the thyroid gland andan inflammatory process occurs.
In Hashimoto's, for example, this inflammation leads to hyperthyroidism, but the attack and destruction of thyroid cells means that the thyroid gland can no longer function properly over time and cannot produce enough thyroid hormones. This results in hypothyroidism and a constant interplay between hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.
What symptomsmanifests itself thyroid disease manifest themselves? And what can you thenhave measured?
Typical symptoms of thyroid problems are rather unspecific:
- Tiredness and fatigue
- Depressive moods
- Weight gain within a few weeks
- Dry fingernails and/or brittle hair
Instead of just doing a general blood count if you want to know more about the function of your thyroid gland (because usually only the TSH is measured there), it would definitely make more sense to have at least fT3 and fT4 determined as well.
This is because the TSH value may well be within the normal range and the thyroid gland may still not be producing enough hormones.<span data-ccp-props="{}">
However, it may also be worth having other hormone levels determined, as a highcortisol level, for example, also depresses the thyroid gland. However, this would be an example of a case where it is not the thyroid that should be treated, but rather the stress level.
Where is the connection between the thyroid gland, the gut and the immune system?
Weknow, for example, that people with Hashimoto's often also havea gluten intolerance. And here we often have the problem that nutrients are poorlymetabolized in the gut, keyword "leaky gut". The microbiome is usually also in disarray and it never hurts to havea microbiome analysis carried out to see whether the nutrients are getting into your body at all based on the condition of the intestinal environment and whether they are reaching your thyroid!
The gut may limit the body's ability to get enough nutrients to produce the right amount of thyroid hormones.
And of course the immune system also plays a role,plus 80% of the immune system is located in the gut.
An interesting fact is that in recent years it has been discovered that hormones are also heavily involved in autoimmune processes.Progesterone and oestrogen have an immunostimulating or immunosuppressive function,depending on which T helper cells are activated.
Where do you even start if you have a thyroid problem?
We have now listed a number of things, hormones, gut, diet, stress - where is the best place to start? It depends a little on the symptoms and how you feel.
The most helpful thing here is certainly to get good advice and support. Diet is often something that can have a relatively big impact with little effort, because quick success is definitely something that keeps motivationhigh.
However, it is always important to take a holistic approach, because simply taking thyroid hormones and not taking selenium, for example, and not adjusting your diet is usually not very effective. And if the gut isn't working properly, there won't be any improvement in the long term!
Can you give dietary recommendations for thyroid disorders?
It's definitely worth trying out for yourself whether the symptoms improve if you cut out gluten. It is not always the case that there is a connection, but it is often the case.
Avoiding sugar always makes sense anyway if something is wrong with your metabolism, because it simply relieves the body. And it's not just cutting out sugar that's important,but also making sure that you don't eat too many fast carbohydrates in the form of refined flour products.
An anti-inflammatory diet, as we also recommend here in the podcast and in the Darmglück course, is also helpful in any case, i.e. lots of vegetables and some fruit, no industrially manufactured products and high-quality fats/oils.
And precisely because gut health is so important for the whole system, including of course a gut-friendly diet, there are plenty ofpodcast episodeson this topic.
Links to this episode
Alex and I hope that this interview has inspired you and has taken you or someone you know a step further, you are welcome to share the episode with interested people!
You can find out more about Alex here: https://alexbroll.com/
Alex's success podcast "Raus aus dem Hormonchaos": https://alexbroll.com/hormonchaos/
You can findmy first interview with AlexBroll in the Darmglück Podcast, on the topic "Why hormones should not only interest women in the menopause, but actually everyone" under this link: https://arktisbiopharma.ch/darmglueck-folge-015/
Interviewswith Julia inAlex's podcast:
https://alexbroll.com/darmgesundheit-grundlagen/
https://alexbroll.com/darmgesundheit/
Now I encourage you to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode, and if you like what you hear, I really appreciate a review on iTunes or Apple Podcast. Because these reviews also help other people find the podcast so we can spread the knowledge about gut and health more.
