Infertility and Thyroid Disorders

In our practice, we meet women everyday that are in active pursuit of fertility. Many of them have spent money on IVF or IUI, some may be just beginning their journey.

I have seen firsthand how thyroid disorders often affect fertility. Often, conventional interpretation of thyroid labs is missing the mark when it comes to diagnosing thyroid disorders.

Endocrinologists are now agreeing. Experts in Endocrinology have revised their 2007 Practice Guidelines, to include more aggressive treatment of thyroid disorders and prevention of these issues.

The recommendations include:

1. More aggressive interpretation of serum T4 levels.
2. Breastfeeding women should supplement 250 ug of iodine daily.
3. Prenatal vitamins should contain iodine. (200 ug as potassium iodide)
4. Nodules in the range of 5mm-1cm should undergo fine needle aspiration.

I believe all women should be routinely screened for thyroid disorders, especially if they are trying to get pregnant. A comprehensive thyroid panel, including T3 and T4, as well as RT3 is critical.

It is interesting to see the need for iodine supplementation recognized. Much of the iodine deficiency we currently face is the result of overexposure to bromides, a chemical used in our country to process grain.

Lets stop the infertility epidemic- watch your thyroid at any age and stay away from processed foods filled with toxins. Gluten should be lowered as women attempt to get pregnant, since gluten consumption may be linked to iodine deficiency.

Let us know what your experience has been with thyroid disorders and infertility.

Gluten Intolerance + Celiac Disease= Confusion

We know that gluten intolerance, or an intolerance to barley, wheat, oat and rye, is on the rise. Approximately 1% of North Americans have known celiac disease, while many more appear to be gluten intolerant, suffering in silence.

I meet patients everyday, confused by the concept of gluten, gluten intolerance and celiac disease. I understand the confusion. How can "whole grains" ever be considered unhealthy?

From personal experience and now, through my practice, I am astounded by the impact gluten may have on some people. I have had patients remove gluten from their diet and find themselves allergy free, able to reverse longstanding autoimmunity, lose weight, improve hormone balance, cure ADHD and clear acne.

How can one protein have so much power? Why the seemingly sudden rise in Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Disease?

Fast Facts
1. Celiac disease is an inherited condition, caused by genetic and environmental factors.

2. Celiac Disease is often confirmed through blood testing of certain antibodies and/or biopsy of the small intestine.

3. Symptoms of Celiac Disease include poor growth, weight loss, presence of additional autoimmune illnesses, and diarrhea.

4. Atypical Celiac, or Gluten Intolerance is more difficult to diagnose and often does not show up in regular lab work.

5. Gold standard for gluten intolerance diagnosis is an Elimination of gluten for at least 8 weeks.

I believe the rise of gluten intolerance worldwide is the culmination of the Industrial Age attempt to package and process our food. Gluten has been used as fillers and dusters. It has been processed with chemicals like bromide, that attack the neuroendocrine system. Forget bread and pasta, it should probably now be labelled a Food Additive.

While we all fight to reclaim our food, I think most of us should be at least cutting back on gluten.

5 Quick Tips

1. Read labels, try to minimize purchase of packaged and processed foods.

2. Keep total gluten intake to no more than 2 servings per day.

3. Hidden gluten- don't forget the hidden gluten in beer, wine, soy sauce, dressings, and marinades.

4. Minimize eating out- restaurants
at all price points use a lot of gluten in their food, unless otherwise specified.

5. Get tested- if you are having symptoms or suspect that you may have a gluten issue, either attempt an elimination with physician supervision or have your doctor discuss testing.

More on the History of Gluten Intolerance and the global epidemic....next time!

Sources
Nutrients. 2012 Apr 4(4) 243-247
Am J Gastroenterol. 2012 May 15

Summer safety... Sunscreen confusion

We all try to be diligent with good sun protection, but the US still lags behind Europe in establishing good sunscreen safety standards.

According to the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org), the US remains "stuck in the stone age of sun protection." Many of the sunscreens on the market contain toxins or ingredients that don't effectively protect against certain types of radiation.

Children's products do seem to be safer as they do not contain oxybenzone and often have mineral ingredients.

I am sure you are left wondering on what to do about sun protection. Here are my recommendations. For you and your children, remember the key to preventing sun exposure starts before sunscreen.

1. Wear protective clothing and gear, including sunglasses, hats and long sleeves.

2. Stay out of the sun in peak sun exposure hours, especially between 12nn- 4 pm.

3. Use umbrellas and parasols if in the sun during high sun exposure times.

4. Buy sunscreens without oxybenzone and vitamin A.

5. Stay away from aerosols and powders.

For more information, check out www.ewg.org/sunscreen 2012.

What is Your Toxic Load?

Do you ever get overwhelmed with all the information about chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals, etc. that may be affecting your health?  Parabens, pthalates, mercury, lead, organophosphates..Is it really important for us to know the difference?

Research continues to suggest that the toxins and chemicals that we are exposed to do impact our health.  Some chemicals are endocrine disruptors, others impact neurotransmitters, while certain chemicals can affect our immune systems and digestive function.

I am attaching a survey I developed that may help us all determine where to manage our collective toxic exposure.  I have included a scoring guide so that you can determine whether you have high, moderate or low toxicity scores.  Enjoy!

(Tools we can use)

Family Toxicity

What is  Your Toxic Load?

Scoring	(1) Never	(3) Sometimes	(5) Always
I/we eat out more than 2 times weekly?
I/We buy Organic Produce?
I/We buy Organic Meat/Dairy?
I/We use household cleaners weekly?
I/We use standard dry cleaning weekly?
I/We use standard insecticides in our home/work?
I/We use plastic products to pack lunch or leftovers?
I/We grill more than 1 time weekly?
I/We cook with Non-Stick Cookware ?
I/We use standard Bath/Beauty products?
I/We eat cured Meat/Cheese, Alcohol more than 3 times weekly?
I have Mercury Amalagams?
I use Plasma TV, Cell Phone or Cordless phone daily?

High Toxicity score 41-65

Medium Toxicity score 21-40

Low Toxicity score 11-20

Welcome

Welcome to my first, official blog.  I hope to use this blog as a platform for sharing my ideas and thoughts about integrative medicine and its role in promoting women and children's health.  I find that there is so much information for patients and consumers to digest resulting in an overdose of random facts that often do not lead to optimized health.

Some of the questions I hear frequently include:

1.  What supplements should I take?
2.  Are hormones safe?
3.  How do I improve my child's health?
4.  Is there a way to get off my medications?
5.  Are vaccines safe?
6.  What chemicals are really concerning?
7.  Should I buy organic?

And the list continues....
As we move forward, I will gradually try to address these and many other issues that are debated or seem mired in contradictory information.  Feel free to comment, share and enjoy!

Dr. Tasneem Bhatia
www.atlantaholisticmedicine.com