#AskDrBob-January 16th

#AskDrBob-January 9, 2015

These were the questions that were asked in this episode of #AskDrBob. Click the blue box to watch the video. Thank you for sending us your general health questions. We hope they make a difference in your life.

-I had blood work done last year and my Thyroid is “sluggish” per my chiropractor/naturopath. I had my amalgam fillings removed (had them since I was 10!) which may have contributed to this. My iodine levels were “fine” per Dr. I wish I had my results to share with you! I do have larger breasts and with my sluggish thyroid, is it safe to supplement with iodine without doing to the urine test? I purchased the liquid iodine you recommend and it’s states 150mcg/drop. How many milligrams should I start with? I also take Vit D3, K2 and a non-dairy probiotic daily.

*meaning the amalgam fillings may have contributed to my sluggish thyroid..not the removal itself.

My top suggestion is to have a urine iodine loading test. You do not want to take too much-the T4 marker is important; just being told ‘normal’ does not really help.

-Over the past 6-8 months i have lost significant amounts of weight. I am almost 28 years old and currently weigh 62.5kg. I was about 70 kg prior to this. I have struggled to maintain a healthy weight and stay above 60kg.

I started to lose the weight when i went on Suboxone/Buprenorpine because of a car accident i had a few years ago and then became dependent on codeine & other pain medicines because of the pain i was in. I have only ever been on a relatively low dose of Suboxone and have been gradually decreasing my dose over the past few months. I started on 4mg per day and have reduced the dose to 1.5mg per day. My goal is to be off it in the next few months.

With the weight loss i also began to notice that my hair was falling out and thinning. I began taking plenty of vitamins designed for healthy hair, such as silica, zinc etc. This only had a very limited effect on my hair unfortunately.

I went to my Doctor and asked for thyroid tests. The thyroid tests came back and my TSH result was 0.6mU/L and apparently should be between (0.40-4.00). All my other results came back normal.So this kind of backed up my theory that the suboxone had effected my thyroid quite dramatically. I did some research into suboxone and found endless blogs about people losing a lot of weight and also excessive hair loss.

I have done my absolute best to eat a healthy diet and even make organic juices daily to make sure i receive plenty of vitamins and minerals. On top of that i am also taking colloidal minerals and just recently iodine drops. I was told to start off taking 1 drop of iodine @ 150mcg of potency per drop, and to increase the dose slowly. I am currently on 2-3 drops per day.

I still have had no real results as of yet. My hair is still quite thin and still falls out. My weight has also stayed about the same. I was wondering how long it takes to see some  I am at a loss to understand why nothing seems to be working for me. I would very much appreciate some advice.

You are having potential collateral damage from the medication. I would work on the pain without the meds. A priority is to clean up your liver.  More information here and here.

-I want to ask you something,my wife went through a period of anemia, she got on some supplementation mainly iron and has almost recovered, but in her last blood test we saw that her THS was 7 which is quite high. Is there any relation between anemia and hypothyroidism and can we reverse hypothyroidism naturally,because anywhere we go Doctors argue that nothing can be done apart from medication. Anyway she started to incorporate more protein in her diet and iodine rich foods with exercise. Please help.

Anemia is typically from blood loss. Heavy menses is often too much estrogen, which can sabotage thyroid function, especially your T4->T3.

-I read that toenails becoming loose or detached can result from a challenged thyroid? After total radical hysterectomy, could this be right?

It is possible, but toe nails can also be a body signal of fungus (colon issue).

-Lugoffs 2% what is the dosage for an adult?  

Not sure. For the most accurate amount, I would have a urine iodine loading test.

-I really want to get off the Synthroid and take natural supplements instead! Can it be done even after takeoff by this med for almost over 25 yrs?  

I do not have a license to take someone off of their thyroid medication, but we have had many that do.

-Can a sluggish thyroid affect skin? My husband is very fit eats his greens a good fats and drinks plenty of water but has a lot of flaking and itchy burning skin, during the winter is the worst, have already tried bringing more moisture in our home. Anything you suggest???

I would suggest blackcurrant seed oil, calcium, and a shower dechlorinator

-Is it safe to take iodine for thyroid if you have Hashimoto’s?  

The debate is often to take iodine or not. I have always been advised to treat the numbers. I would consider a urine iodine loading test.

-How do you know how much to take, or how much to give?

For the optimal result (dosage, etc.) I do recommend a urine iodine loading test. From there, I can best know the strategy to help.