This article is part of a special report on Thyroid Disorders. To see the other articles in this series, click here.
A healthy thyroid is a critical component of one’s overall health, and many people are struggling with thyroid disorders such as hypothyroidism, specifically Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroiditis. In this autoimmune condition, the immune system attacks the thyroid gland, with the resulting inflammation leading to an underactive thyroid gland or hypothyroidism. Hashimoto’s disease is the most common form of hypothyroidism and was the first condition ever to be classified as an autoimmune disease.
I’ve written extensively about thyroid health, focusing on a multitude of environmental factors that may affect thyroid function, including gluten, gut health, stress, excess iodine, and vitamin D deficiency. I’ve also discussed why dietary changes are always the first step in treating Hashimoto’s, and why replacement thyroid hormone is often necessary for a successful outcome.
There Is yet Another Nutritional Factor That May Play a Role in Thyroid Health: Selenium.
Selenium deficiency is not thought to be common in healthy adults, but is more likely to be found in those with digestive health issues causing poor absorption of nutrients, such as Crohn’s or celiac disease, or those with serious inflammation due to chronic infection. (1, 2) It is thought that selenium deficiency does not specifically cause illness by itself, but that it makes the body more susceptible to illnesses caused by other nutritional, biochemical or infectious stresses, due to its role in immune function. (3) Adequate selenium nutrition supports efficient thyroid hormone synthesis and metabolism and protects the thyroid gland from damage from excessive iodine exposure. (4)
One study found that selenium supplementation had a significant impact on inflammatory activity in thyroid-specific autoimmune disease, and reducing inflammation may limit damage to thyroid tissue. (6) This may be due to the increase in glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase activity, as well as the decrease in toxic concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and lipid hydroperoxides which result from thyroid hormone synthesis. (7)
Another study followed patients for 9 months, and found that selenium supplementation reduced thyroid peroxidase antibody levels in the blood, even in selenium sufficient patients. (8) While these studies show promise for the use of selenium supplementation in preventing thyroid tissue damage, further research is needed to determine the long-term clinical effects of selenium treatment on inflammatory autoimmune thyroiditis.
Additionally, selenium is also essential for the conversion of T4 to T3, as deiodinase enzymes (those enzymes that remove iodine atoms from T4 during conversion) are selenium-dependent. As I’ve explained before, T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone, and low T3 can cause hypothyroid symptoms. A double-blind intervention study found that selenium supplementation in selenium deficient subjects modulated T4 levels, theoretically by improving peripheral conversion to T3. (9) In cases of severe selenium deficiency, conversion of T4 to T3 may be impaired, leading to hypothyroid symptoms. As T3 conversion is not performed by the thyroid, the dependence on selenoproteins for this conversion demonstrates how significant selenium deficiency could lead to hypothyroid symptoms.
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So the Question Is, Should You Start Supplementing with Selenium If You Have Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, or Low T3 Levels?
As the answer often is, it depends.
While it seems that selenium supplementation would be an obvious solution to poor thyroid function, long term consumption of high doses of selenium can lead to complications such as gastrointestinal upsets, hair loss, white blotchy nails, garlic breath odor, fatigue, irritability, and mild nerve damage. (10) Additionally, supplementing selenium in the context of low iodine status may actually aggravate hypothyroidism. Mario Renato Iwakura discusses this particular topic extensively on Paul Jaminet’s Perfect Health Diet blog.
Moreover, a large clinical trial examining the effects of selenium supplementation on prostate cancer risk in over 35,000 men found that those with normal to high selenium levels at baseline experienced a significant increase in the risk of prostate cancer after supplementing with 200 mcg/d of selenium. For more details on this study, see my article “Important Update on Selenium Supplementation“.
For now, the best option for most people may be to include selenium-rich foods in the context of a healthy Paleo diet. Great sources of selenium include: brazil nuts, crimini mushrooms, cod, shrimp, tuna, halibut, salmon, scallops, chicken, eggs, shiitake mushrooms, lamb, and turkey. Brazil nuts are particularly rich in selenium; it only takes one or two per day to improve your selenium status and boost immune function. (11)
Making sure your selenium intake is optimal may give your immune system and thyroid the boost it needs to help it function better. It is especially important for those managing thyroid conditions to ensure their selenium status is adequate.
Better supplementation. Fewer supplements.
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I have hashimoto thyroiditis and I am on thyroid harmone therapy. I take one lamb kidney per day which may be giving me approximately 100mcg of selenium. I am off wheat, cow’s milk, pepper, eggs and tomatoes. My thyroid drug was reduced six months back. I hope to see the trend continues.
Here’s an interesting recipe for a pesto to detox mercury . It looks like it might be good for this as well. It’s yummy and it can be used straight out of the freezer.
Cilantro Chelation Pesto
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup Brazil nuts (selenium)
1/3 cup sunflower seeds (cysteine)
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (zinc, magnesium)
2 cups packed fresh cilantro
2/3 cup flax/olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tsp dulse powder
Sea salt to taste
Process the cilantro and oil in a blender until the coriander is chopped. Add the garlic, nuts and seeds, dulse and lemon juice and mix until the mixture is finely blended into a paste. Add a pinch to sea salt to taste and blend again. Store in dark glass jars if possible. It freezes well, so purchase cilantro in season and fill enough jars to last through the year.
I was recently diagnosed with “mid-range” Hashimoto disease and exceptionally high iodine levels. My doctor also discovered 2 thyroid nodules, performed a biopsy which was negative and did not recommend any treatment at this time. My TSH, T4 and T3 are “normal”. I’m a 64 year old type II diabetic following a gluten-free diet and still can’t lose weight and continue to feel unhealthy most days. Any suggestions for lowering my iodine levels and increasing my energy?
Cate, you’re on the right track- definitely check out http://www.thyroidbook.com and look into seeing a functional medicine practitioner (Chris is one;-) The book also addresses insulin issues that are often present with Hashi’s.
Since Hashi’s is an autoimmune condition, it often leads to or is present with other autoimmune conditions, so it’s super important to get that immune system balanced.
Also, a lot of Hashi’s/hypothyroid women are having really good results regaining leptin (our master hormone) sensitivity and finally losing weight with Dr. Jack Kruse’s Leptin Rx protocol:
http://jackkruse.com/my-leptin-prescription/
http://jackkruse.com/the-leptin-rx-faqs/
(There are more leptin articles there that I recommend reading for a better understanding).
Cate, are you taking selenium? Chris’s point here is that it can help with your issues.
Hi Chris
What’s your opinion on the selenium supplement by New Chapter and maybe the whole “Whole Food Supplement” thing in general?
http://www.newchapter.com/targeted-vitamins-nutrients/selenium-food-complex#supplement-facts
Selenium deficiency is not thought to be common in healthy adults, but is more likely to be found in those with digestive health issues causing poor absorption of nutrients, such as Crohn’s or celiac disease, or those with serious inflammation due to chronic infection.”
So if we’re not deficient (i.e. most of us eat our muscle meats), then why is this important(assuming we don’t have hashimoto’s)?
The vast majority of people with thyroid problems also have digestive health issues. T3 hormone is required to activate stomach acid and digestive enzyme production, and to stimulate intestinal motility.
My understanding is that selenium and iodine content both depend heavily on the conditions of the soil in which plants grow. For animals, it depends on the levels in the plants they ate. Some more info on this is here.
The distribution of Se and I in soils vary considerably with geography/geology: some areas are very high and some very low. I’ve also read that the levels in a given patch of soil also tend to decrease over time in conventional agriculture since they are decreased by each harvest and aren’t replenished by conventional fertilizer.
So the levels of Se and I in a given item of food may differ significantly and unpredictably from what it says in nutrition tables. This is particularly important for people trying to eat locally in areas where the soil is deficient. I realized this after moving to Pittsburgh and getting into local food. Turns out we’re in the “goiter belt”: an area around the great lakes where the soil is very iodine deficient. I pay attention to getting adequate Se and I from supplements since it doesn’t seem to me sufficiently predictable to get it from food.
Hi Chris,
Thanks for all your work on hypothyroidism! What do you think about eating kelp to get your day’s worth of iodine? How much would I need? My T3 is slightly low and TSH is borderline low. I get mixed reviews, Dr. Ray Peat seems to think it can suppress function in this interview:
Dr. Ray Peat: 30 years ago, it was found that people in the US were getting about ten times more iodine than they needed. In the mountains of Mexico and in the Andes, and in a few other remote places, iodine deficiency still exists. Kelp and other sources of excess iodine can suppress the thyroid, so they definitely shouldn’t be used to treat hypothyroidism.
I thought it was vice versa. :O
Too little, or too much, of any nutrient/drug/herb/substance will produce the same symptoms.
Great article Chris!
True story about selenium: when the s*** hit the fan in 2008 and I got *really* sick (bedridden for 2 months and had to move back to my home country) I had a list of about 30 really distressing symptoms – everything from angular cheilitis to my body’s thermostat being screwed (alternating between feeling very hot and cold)
Anyway, one of my symptoms was really awful pain in my thyroid area – alternating between stabbing pain and a feeling of inflammation . I joined a thyroid group and did research – selenium was one thing recommended for thyroid function. Lo and behold, after only a few days of taking selenium, that pain disappeared. Then, I stopped it for a few days and it came back again. I only get it now if I happen to change thyroid meds or doses – it must spark something up. But it always settles back down again pretty quickly.
The frustrating thing is that I test very very low for all thyroid antibodies and my other tests (TSH, FT3 and FT4) also look “normal” but I definitely had clear symptoms of an autoimmune thyroid problem (thyroid pain and body temp dysregulation). The only indicators apart from symptoms were an ultrasound that showed decreased vascularity and a reflex test called Thyroflex that showed hypothyroidism (that test is the modern equivalent of a physical test docs used to do all the time before thyroid testing came in).
So, I am a fan of selenium 🙂 I still take it now but never go over 100mcg/day. I also eat brazil nuts a few times a week. I do fine using NOW brand selenium. I am on the T3-only protocol as any T4 medication (synthetic or otherwise) is an absolute disaster – I end up with high Reverse T3 every time. I am hoping that by staying on the Paleo diet, keeping selenium optimal, and fixing my copper:zinc imbalance means I can wean off thyroid meds in around a year – fingers crossed.
I should also note that my father was diagnosed with Graves last year so I am fairly confident I *do* have an autoimmune issue going on – I’m just unlucky in that my antibodies appear to be low, so the doctors assume nothing is wrong…that is another huge issue in thyroid treatment – blind reliance on blood tests by medical professionals…ignoring patient symptoms and signs.
Exactly same here about what you told ordinary school of doctors.
Basic blood tests didn’t show anything. If I still keep talking about it I get “mental issues” stamp on my forehead.
Forgot to say that I’m from Finland. Our National Health Institute follows pretty much everything that USA does and suggests it. And they still get paid, and all they do is copy others work elsewhere. 😀
Ok, they don’t have copied that new direction of cannabis laws. We still have strict prohibition in that manner.
Allison: only 70% of people with AITD (autoimmune thyroid disease) test positive for the antibodies. That leaves 30% that don’t. A thyroid ultrasound is another way of detecting autoimmune activity in the thyroid.
thanks Chris – haven’t come across that stat before, very interesting. I did know that the blood tests are not always an indicator, so I am comfortable going by symptoms and now family Dx. Do you happen to have a reference for that stat? Any ammunition is very useful. An endo did tell me once that a biopsy is the gold standard to see what’s going on in the tissues. The ultrasound only showed decreased vascularity – assuming that not much actual damage to the thyroid had taken place at that stage.
I am hypothyroid, supposedly with “Wilson’s Thyroid Syndrome”, but regardless, my T4 was not terrible, T3 extremely low, and reverse T3 high. I started supplementing with Selenium at night, Vitamin D in the morning. My energy levels increased, I stopped experiencing heavy afternoon fatigue. Since both supplements started simultaneously for me, I do not know which is accountable; but, do not have the desire to eliminate one to find out…
Hi Kristen,
I have Hypothyroid and had a blood test just before Christmas to test for Hashimotos that I won’t find out the results till my medical centre opens up Next year.
I have heavy afternoon fatigue and I’ve been on Thyroxine for the last 36 days ( I’m on a 90 day trial period)
I’m keen to give Selenium and Vitamin D a go, so could you please tell me what brand & dosage’s to take as i would like to give your method a go to get rid of this horrible fatigue.
Kind regards,
Carolyn
Hi Kristen, can you please update me on your progress. We sound similar. I have low TT3 (below the low end),,,, Call me if you wish: 724-544-1866 Thanks:D
Hi Chris,
Hair loss as a side effect of selenium supplementation caused me to raise an eyebrow. I’ve been hypothyriod for 13 years starting after the birth of my first child and have been on synthriod ever since but with decreasing dosages over the years. I started paleo/PHD last January with much success but definately not an answer to every problem as of yet. In April/May I started supplementing with selenium and iodine as per yours and the PHD recommendations. Within a month I started losing hair. I had medium length thick scraggly/wavy hair and I would lose quite a bit everytime I took a shower and combed it out. This went on for about 5 months. Eventually I ran out of the selenium and didn’t get anymore. I kept up with the iodine though and had added weekly liver, extra pastured egg yolks and a lot more veggies to my diet so figured I didn’t need the extra selenium. Well around Sept/Oct the hair loss stopped almost completely and my hair became a nice ringlet curl instead of the scraggly curl it had been for the last 10 years or so. I have no idea if it was the selenium supplementation that caused the hair loss, or maybe just better micronutrient consumption from real food that stopped the hair loss and caused the change in curls, or maybe its neither and has something to do with hormones as I’m 41 now. But again the mention of too much selenium causing hair loss caught my attention and I thought I’d relay my story. Thanks for all the work and research and time that you put in too all this!
Shelley, out of curiosity, how much were you taking?
Hi Shelley and Chris,
Hair loss could be a symptom of bromide been mobilized, due to iodine/selenium supplementation, and not a direct effect of selenium supplementation.
http://breastcancerchoices.org/bromidedetoxsymptomsandstrategies.html
Since hair loss is also seen in hypothyroidism, we can’t say for sure if it was caused directly by bromide or for alterations on thyroid hormones caused by bromide.
I was only taking the 200mcg of selenium that was recommended. I did start out a little too high on the iodine initially at around 2mg for a week and had some almost hyper thyroid symptoms for a week, but quickly brought the iodine down to 200mcg and never had issues after that. the hair loss didn’t start till after a month or so of being on the combo.( I had started the selenium about 2 weeks before I began the iodine) Again, I’ve been hypothyroid for 13 years and never had the hair loss episode I had for those 5 months or so. I had been eating a pretty clean paleo/PHD since January with plenty of meat, so it couldn’t have been the protein issue either.
Good point, Mario.
Yes, Thank you Mario. I just read the link and i bet it was the bromine detox reaction that was going on as I had a host of those side effects. I thought several of them were probably due to the fact that I started my iodine accidentally at 2mg instead of 200mcg but now i wonder if it was the initial detox reaction. I had heart palpitations, the eyelid twitching, tingling in my fingers and toes and the sides of my face, the mouth sores, and the metallic taste. They all settled down after about two weeks. ( I had taken the 2mg for a good week before i lowered it to the 200mcg) The hair loss started a bit later and lasted about 5 months.(havent lost any appreciable amounts since before the holidays) I was wondering though how long this detoxing can go on for as I actually do still have the strange occasional acne on my chin line, my neck, my back and shoulders and occasionally my arms and thighs. Not exactly sure what “skin cuts” means but I did and still do get these tiny little “scratches” that i have no idea where they come from and seem to stay irritated for a week or more. I developed some tiny cherry angiomas on my chest abdomen and thighs and face at that time as well. I still occasionally get the tingling in my toes fingers and sides of my face. I have been titrating my iodine dose upward very slowly and am currently on only around 2.5 mg of iodine, and get my selenium from two brazil nuts a day and the liver and meats and veggies. So could there still be bromide detoxing going on after after this 9- 10 months of iodine supplementation or should that be about over by now ?
Shelley,
From your symptoms, definitely it’s bromide detoxing. Cherry angiomas is associated with bromide poisoning:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11244231
From what I’ve read, bromide detoxing is a long process, and depends both of your iodine and sodium intake. Some people, at the iodine group on Yahoo, report high bromide excretations for years. And some take up to 200 mg of iodine (specially those with breast cancer)!
So, it’s seems a good idea to keep slowing increasing iodine. And, if your sodium intake is low, increase your sea salt consumption too. And keep track of your symptoms and monitor your thyroid function with regular blood tests.
You have symptoms of lyme disease. I too have these problems and are classic symptoms. Thyroid problems are common with lyme patients also. You may want to visit the lymestrategies on yahoo groups website.
Shelley, I tend to be skeptical of the notion of “bromide detox”. My experience with selenium was similar to yours, and at the time I was taking it alone, without iodine.
Hi Mario and/or Chris,
What’s your opinion on supplementing selenium/iodine as a means of clearing bromide from the body? I had been on a bromide containing medication Citalopram hydrobromide (Celexa) for many years so I probably am probably full of the stuff. Is there a particular protocol? Do I even want to detox, or will I naturally detoxify over time by eating a nutrient rich diet?
Iodine is the recommended treatment for bromide toxicity. The body will not naturally clear bromide in the vast majority of cases. Start at a low dose (500 mcg) and build up slowly over time, to a therapeutic dose of 25 mg/d. Some take 50 mg or even as much as 200 mg, but I don’t recommend doing that without supervision. Make sure to get at least 200 mcg of selenium a day while you’re taking iodine.
How do you test for bromide toxicity? Thanks Anyone 😀
Luther,
Chris advices are very wise, as usual. 🙂 Just want to add two things:
Brest Cancer Choices page about bromide detox strategies is a very good one:
http://breastcancerchoices.org/bromidedetoxsymptomsandstrategies.html
Ingesting enough sodium is vital, since half-life of bromide is associated with sodium ingestion. This is important, because many Paleo/PHD followers that eat a clean diet (even more those following Stephan’s bland diet) do not eat enough salt.
The following research was done in rats, but since too much people get better with the salt load protocol, I assume the same should applies to us:
http://www.pmid.us/15717853
Is there a preferred TYPE of selenium you would recommend, Chris? I noticed in my local health food store, there is yeast-based and non-yeast-based. I don’t have a yeast problem so I bought the yeast-based because Dr. Langer recommends it in his book. Can you give us some guidelines regarding what type of selenium to choose and how to choose it?
Se-Methyl L-Selenocysteine is what is incorporated into proteins in our bodies, so that’s probably preferable. The Super Selenium Complex I linked to in the article has 4 different forms, which may be beneficial.
i think that adding selenium to the large dose of Iodoral i was taking has improved my T3 conversion, though i don’t have the “numbers” to prove it. i’ll have to check out the brand you recommend when i need a refill.
thanks, Chris — it always makes me cringe to see the “DON’T take iodine!” scaremongering, when the word “selenium” isn’t even mentioned….
I don’t think it is scaremongering – as someone who’s thyroid responded badly to iodine. I feel the same way. I have Hashimotos and took iodine – probably too much too quickly. My TSH rocketted up, my thyroid enlarged and I started getting hypo symptoms.
I have Hashi’s and took an Iodine/Iodine supplement with selenium. I never had one bad symptoms at dosages of 30mg daily (Although I was urinating quite frequently when I started) … I did the Iodine for 3 months. I stopped only because of all the negative news on here and Dr. K’s site scaring me about Hashi’/Iodine. Anyhow, Does anyone know why some people have such bad effects using the iodine and other don’t with Hashimoto’s?
This seems to be SO very controversial.
Is it truly the selenium?
Some say the bad reaction some people have to iodine is a detox reaction from the release of Bromine as the Iodine replaces it on the receptor sites. However if your TSH starts going up, the thyroid enlarges and symptoms increase that’s a pretty good reason to stop the high dose iodine.
I think the reason iodine is bad for some people and not for others has to do with people’s different iodine levels. Maybe if you are deficient, taking iodine is fine. My iodine was not deficient, and when I started adding dulse seaweed to smoothies my thryoid, which had been going down due to starting armour, suddenly skyrocketed.
I too had a horrible reaction to iodine in prenatal vitamins( not pregnant taking them while ttc) I could barely walk, thyroid swollen, and tsh high.
Hey Chris,
What do you think of the idea that selenium selenite is toxic? Mercola has a post on it, and he recommends selenomethionine if supplementing.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/08/22/is-your-multivitamin-toxic.aspx
Cheers, 🙂
-Armi
@Armi
Here is another article which says that selenomethionine is probably the most toxic form of supplemental selenium and there certainly are some studies showing adverse effects from selenomethionine (such as the one I mentioned above): http://www.aor.ca/assets/Research/pdf/SeMC_2003_Spring.pdf
Who is right? 😮
I think Se-methylselenocysteine is probably the best form if you have to choose one. I haven’t seen any evidence that the amount of selenomethionine present in the Super Selenium Complex would be problematic, but I wouldn’t take it in high doses.
I take Jarrow selenium that is completely the active methylselenocysteine form:
http://www.iherb.com/Jarrow-Formulas-Selenium-Synergy-200-mcg-60-Capsules/169?at=0
In which form selenium is in Brazil Nuts?
I think the form of selenium needs to be tailored to the reason you’re taking it. While selenomethionine is great for the production of the selenoproteins, it seems that methylselenocysteine (MSC) is too far down on the metabolic pathway to contribute to the selenoproteins. However, MSC is non-toxic and converts immediately into methylselenol, which has potent anti-cancer effects. So it seems that for thyroid, selenomethionine (in modest doses) would be the ideal choice, while for cancer, MSC is the right one, and even very large doses can be safely tolerated. I can’t see how MSC could have a beneficial effect on thyroid function since it does not play into the production of selenoproteins.
This study is quite sad too: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17620655
“Oral administration of selenium, 200 microg/d, or placebo.
…
During an average follow-up of 7.7 years (SD, 2.7), type 2 diabetes developed in 58 selenium recipients and 39 placebo recipients (incidence, 12.6 cases per 1000 person-years vs. 8.4 cases per 1000 person-years, respectively; hazard ratio, 1.55 [95% CI, 1.03 to 2.33]).”
But yea, maybe we can avoid this if we make sure we get some iodine too and that the selenium isn’t selenomethionine only.
I am a 68yr old very active woman. Had a total thyroidectomy about 2yrs ago – taking synthroid, following the Paleo Diet but still have some issues with fatigue & occasional increase in appetite wondering if Selenium could help these issues.
I used to be on Syhthriod before and my blood test was normal but I continued to have symptoms of hypothyroidism(low energt, cold, needed more sleep) till I changed my medicine on the natural dessicated tryroid. The difference was huge, but it took about 6 months to figure out the right dose.
Try raw thyroid. It worked for me, it still has to be prescribed, but its not synthetic
I am hypothyroid and on T3 only. I recently had a Spectracell blood test which looks at nutrient levels at the cellular level. I was deficient in Selenium and have now started supplementation, 200 mcg a day. I am currently using the Life Extension supplement but the additives and fillers they use really bother me. Why do so many doctors and online sites recommend Life Extension brand when there are equally good brands like Metabolic Maintenance, Pure Encapsulation, etc. that don’t use the fillers and additives?
It was also interesting to note that despite a good diet and adequate supplementation at a cellular level I was low in several of my anti-oxidants including B12, CoQ10, Selenium, Inositol, and Zinc. They are going in but they weren’t be absorbed. You wouldn’t know that unless you have a Spectracell test done, so I highly recommend it to anyone with thyroid disease.
I frequently use Pure Encapsulations with my sensitive patients, but the expense is prohibitive for many people and unnecessary for those that aren’t bothered by the fillers. I haven’t found an equivalent Pure or Metabolic Maintenance product with the 4 different forms of selenium.
Do you have an office? May I have your information?
Chris, Do you have an office? I have normal TSH and T4 but low T3. I have 15 out of the 16 symptoms you mention in your articles. I can’t find a doctor that really treats this or heard me. I live in Dallas. My T3 uptake was 20. Do you have recommendations for doctors in Dallas?
Laurissa…I have the same lab results: normal TSH and FT4 but low FT3. You may not know but I wonder why doctors will not treat that especially when symptoms exist.
Fish has mercury , kelp too, nuts and selenium depends on the soil raised in and finally the selenium has to be leveled out with iodine. Selenium protects inside of thyroid but will make bad matters worse if taken alone
Laurissa, I go to new leaf health and wellness off McEwen Rd which is by Midway and 635. I have been working with them to optimize my health.
Find an endo who uses holistic methods. Mainly do stop until they listen to u and talk Toni not at u
Please tell me if you know of a good thyroid doctor in Dallas. I am desperate to find someone. Thanks so much.
So how are your vitamins absorbing now? Are you doing something special to make them absorb? It’s one thing to know it via the Spectracell test. It’s another to know how to fix it. I have this issue as well. I took EFA’s for over a year, and I did a test that showed I was deficient in EFA’s, and …… Chromium and I was shocked. So now I need to figure out if I am actually absorbing these nutrients. I have always wondered this.
bioperine will help just about any vitamin absorb better. But if you are having an absorption problem, you need a detox, spiraling, L-Carnosine etc… for heavy metal
and a look at what you may have in your mouth (?) or body that is causing the block. For me it is mercury amalgam fillings
bioperine will help just about any vitamin absorb better. But if you are having an absorption problem, you need a detox, spir-u-lina, L-Carnosine etc… for heavy metal
and a look at what you may have in your mouth (?) or body that is causing the block. For me it is mercury amalgam fillings
Also, do you take a whole food vitamin or synthetic? Is there a huge difference?
How do you feel being low on those nutrients at the cellular level? Have you been able to increase absorption since your post?
Supplemental selenium was good for my dog, who was on doggie synthroid (T4 meds) and after fiddling with her dosages with the vet a few times, I still felt she had hypo symptoms. … I’d used it for myself a couple years prior, but I changed a few things at once and I can’t say that I saw specific improvements directly from the selenium, though maybe I’ve helped ward off autoimmune issues.
great write up as usual man! quick question, it’s my current understanding that sardines (whole i.e. bones and all, heads optional) in addition to the o3 fa’s and phospherous and calcium that they’re a pretty great source of highly bioavailable selenium without the brazil nut o6 and antinutrient issues. do you knwo if this is correct. i recall reading this to be true only if you eat skin and all since i believe that’s where the little critters keep most of it. just want to make sure i can keep em as a almost one stop shop for these important elements.
thanks for your work!
Yes, I had hypothyroid symptoms, that were not ‘bad’ enough to show on blood tests. I took liquid dulse (an iodine containing seaweed) along with selenium. It worked for me. I also have gluten intolerance/celiac.
This is a great article, thank you Chris. I have Hashimoto’s and when I was in my hyper phase, my naturopath started me on selenium. It made me feel better and my thyroid actually never went hypo afterwards, just returned to normal. Then I had another hyper episode two years later, which was much milder and I did not supplement with selenium (I didn’t really have a good reason). After that, my thyroid went hypo and I was on medication for a year and a half. During that time I stopped eating gluten (1 year ago) and try to make sure that I have enough selenium in my diet. So far I have had no problem…
Jana, how much selenium you took per day? did you check your mineral/vitamin level by the blood test? what else your homeopath/naturopath advised? Thanks!