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When you think about the nutrients you need for a healthy thyroid, you’ll probably be first thinking about iodine, selenium, and tyrosine. And you wouldn’t be wrong, but one of the essential minerals for thyroid function that often gets overlooked is iron.

Iron is an essential nutrient that helps us to carry the oxygen around in our red blood cells, and one of the most common symptoms experienced with iron deficiency (anemia) is fatigue, which funnily enough, is also a common symptoms of hypothyroidism, alongside heart palpitations, hair loss, and shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating and low mood.

Iron deficiency is found in up to 60% of patients with hypothyroidism, and a correlation has been found between low levels of iron and hypothyroidism in women. (1)

A point to consider is that if you have thyroid problems, the normal reference ranges for what healthy iron levels are will be a bit different. I will go into what I consider to be an ideal iron profile for hypothyroidism below.

Being deficient in iron can affect thyroid function, and poor thyroid function can affect iron levels.

Iron is part of the thyroid team

Iron has a huge role to play in the health of our thyroid hormones, which I will go into more detail about below. A coexisting deficiency of iron alongside other nutrients can have an added effect, stopping those nutrients from working effectively – this is particularly so in the case of iodine (2) (3).

Several studies have found that supplementing with iron alongside iodine produces a greater effect on thyroid health than with iodine alone, in those who are deficient (4).

How Iron affects the thyroid

There’s a few key areas where iron is involved in keeping thyroid levels happy:

If you are iron deficient the thyroid hormone can’t get properly transported into the cells where it can do it’s thing. This will still show as having normal levels of T3 in blood tests, but you’ll be experiencing symptoms of underactive thyoid.

One of the main enzymes you need to synthesise the thyroid hormones, thyroid pyroxidase, is heme-dependant, which means that it requires iron to work effectively. If you are deficient in iron this enzyme can be reduced by 30-50%, which slows the conversion of T4 to T3 (2).

Iron deficiency can also disrupt adrenal health, which is another area that when out of balance can cause thyroid problems (5).

How your Thyroid affects Iron Levels

In women with hypothyroidism, your periods are more likely to be heavier (a condition called menorrhagia) and this can result in an increased blood loss and consequently losing iron as well (5) (6) (7).

Your thyroid hormones affect your gastric acid secretion, and so having hypothyroidism can result in lower absorption of nutrients, in particular iron which requires plenty of acid to be absorbed(8) (9).

People with thyroid problems often have difficulty digesting wheat and this can cause inflammation in the digestive system, impairing nutrient absorption.

It’s not uncommon for people with thyroid problems to be inflamed and/or overweight (especially in hypothyroidism) and this can affect how much iron you can absorb via a hormone called Hepcidin. This hormone increases when you’re inflamed, which can be from a result of things like when you’re stressed, worn out, have an infected, on certain medications and inflammation also increases when you’re overweight.

It’s quite normal for our body to lock iron away and stop absorption when we’re sick, as this is one of our innate mechanisms for starving infections. But when this message gets skewed and iron absorption is affected long term, that

Testing for Iron deficiency

Before undergoing an iron test, you will need to stop any iron supplements at least 5 days before, as the supplements can skew the test. It’s also a good idea to ensure you’re properly hydrated.

When testing iron studies there are a few markers performed. Below I give the normal reference ranges, however please remember that different labs have different values that they work with so always check with your practitioner before starting any changes based on these results, I have included the reference ranges to give you an example of where in them you would want to approximately aim to be.

Ferritin (how much iron you have stored).

            This has a huge reference range and it’s different for men and women. For women the labs will say normal is anywhere between 12-200ug/L, however I say aim for this to be 70-90, and about 100 for men.

            It’s important to take this marker into consideration with the other readings, because situations like inflammation or an infection will cause your ferritin levels to appear much higher, and if associated with a high level of serum iron and saturation it may indicate haemochromotosis (a condition that affects iron excretion) or another genetic imbalance such as MTHFR.

            Very low levels of ferritin can also indicate heavy metal toxicity, a common issue in thyroid problems.

Serum iron (how much iron is floating around your blood stream bound by transferrin).

            Normal reference range is between 5-30.

            This will drop lower in acute infections, and will be low in chronic iron deficiency and blood loss.

            You want to aim to be in the lower 20s, men slightly higher.

TIBC (Total Iron Binding Capacity)

            This goes higher in iron deficiency and

Normal reference ranges 45-72

Saturation % (essentially it’s serum iron divided by total iron binding capacity).

A few notes on improving iron levels

•  Be careful of which type of iron you use, as some can be constipating. Recently, topical iron has become available as an option, which may be worthwhile discussing with your practitioner.
• Take iron supplements with a glass of water on rising before other supplements by 30 minutes. Ok to take at the same time as thyroxin.
• Iron is best absorbed alongside vitamin C.
• Consider your intake of drinks which may reduce iron absorption such as tea (these contain tannins which can bind to the iron).
• Check other reasons for iron deficiency such as iron loss through bleeding (e.g. with heavy periods) or digestive issues.

VIDEO – Nutrients for optimal thyroid health.

Need some thyroid lovin’?

You can connect with me via the contact page to organise an appointment (now also available via Skype for those who can’t make it into the clinic) or give the clinic a call.

References

1. Interacting effects of selected trace and toxic metals on thyroid function. Jain, R B and Choi, Y S. 1, s.l. : International Journal of Environmental health research, 2015, Vol. 19.
2. The impact of iron and selenium deficiencies on iodine and thyroid metabolism: biochemistry and relevance to public health. Zimmermann, M B and Köhrle, J. 10, s.l. : Thyroid: official journal of the American Thyroid Association., 2002, Vol. 12.
3. The influence of iron status on iodine utilization and thyroid function. Zimmermann, Michael B. s.l. : Annual Review of Nutrition, August 2006, Vol. 26, pp. 367-89.
4. The impact of common micronutrient deficiencies on iodine and thyroid metabolism: the evidence from human studies. Hess, Sonja Y. 1, s.l. : Best Practice and Research. Clinical endocrinology & metabolism., 2010, Vol. 24.
5. Menorrhagia–a pragmatic approach to the understanding of causes and the need for investigations. Fraser, I S. 11, s.l. : British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 1994, Vol. 101.
6. Profound hypothyroidism-induced acute menorrhagia resulting in life-threatening anemia. Moragianni, V A and Somkuti, S G. 2, s.l. : Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2007, Vol. 110.
7. Menorrhagia and hypothyroidism. Weeks, Andrew D. 649, s.l. : BMJ, 2000, Vol. 320.
8. Gastroprotective effects of Nigella Sativa oil on the formation of stress gastritis in hypothyroidal rats. Abdel-Sater, Khaled A. 2, s.l. : International Journal of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Pharmacology., 10 March 2009, Vol. 1, pp. 143-149.
9. Effects of thyroid hormones on basal and stimulated gastric acid secretion due to histamine, carbachol and pentagastrin in rats. Rafsanjani, F N, et al. 4, s.l. : Saudi Medical Journal, 2003, Vol. 24.

The post Your Thyroid Needs Iron appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

Health & Wellbeing Podcast #7

I’m excited to share with you another video/podcast! In this episode I chat with Kellie Holland from Tonik Health about children’s immunity. We discuss some of the most common infections that children can get such as coughs and colds, molluscum contagiosum, otitis media (also known as glue ear) and glandular fever, and discuss a Naturopathic approach to managing them.
We also answer some submitted questions. (Don’t forget to submit any questions you want answered in future podcasts/videos!)

Kellie is a naturopath, clinical nutritionist and medical herbalist based on the Central Coast of NSW where she lives with her husband and daughter. She sees clients in her clinic and via skype consultations and has a passion for working with women and children, inspiring them and promoting healthy eating and lifestyle habits so they can live full and long, happy lives.
Kellie also runs a successful blog on her website at www.tonikhealth.com.au (tonik with a K) where she also has free healthy and delicious recipes available.

Want to subscribe to get podcasts automatically? You can do that here: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/health-wellbeing-podcast/id1006574743  If you’ve got something nice to say about the podcasts please leave a review, but I’m also keen for any feedback or comments if you want to comment below!

Kid’s Immunity – Podcast #7

Podcast Breakdown

0:00 – Intro and a bit about Kellie
2:21 – What we’ve been getting up to
5:20 – What are some of the most common infections that children can get?
11:00 – What are some common factors that cause the immune system to be low or weak? Diet, food intolerances, stress, nutritional deficiencies to name a few.
13:45 – Stress in children
14:45 – Children have a different detoxification system
15:15 – Nutrients for a healthy immune system
16:59 – Zinc is important for fussy eaters
17:48 – Specific strains of probiotics for immunity
19:40 – Iron deficiency in children
21:41 – Fever
28:39 – Q1: ‘My child is constantly getting ear infections. She has been on 8 courses of antibiotics this year and my doctor is suggesting grommets. Why is she keep getting them so frequently and what can I do to help?’
30:40 – Some tips on getting more veg into children’s diet
38:07 – Q2: My 4 year old child has a lot of brown discolouration on her teeth and she has had 3 fillings. Is there anything I should avoid feeding her to help her teeth?
46:45 – Q3: My son started preschool this year and he has been bringing home a cold every few weeks. What can I do to reduce this?
53:30 – Q4: My 10 year old daughter had Glandular Fever back in March. While she’s basically well now she’s still fatigued, especially at the end of the week, and she seems to pick up every sniffle going around. How can I build her immune system up again?
1:00 – A natural first-aid kit for kids
1:04 – Our favourite immune herbs for kids

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Health & Wellbeing Podcast #2

This is my second podcast and this time it’s all me. Today I’m talking about reasons for fatigue. Energy problems can be caused by a huge range of issues, so I wanted to discuss some of the most common ones. While it’s not a 100% conclusive list, I hope that this gives people a good place to start when they’re trying to work out why they’re so tired.

Want to subscribe to get podcasts automatically? You can do that here: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/health-wellbeing-podcast/id1006574743

Podcast breakdown:

2:30 Mitochondria – The powerhouse of your cells, where energy is made. The health and quantity of our mitochrondria determine our ability to make energy, and they can they are susceptible to oxidative damage, and can be depleted by certain nutritional deficiencies.

5:22 Inflammation, particularly chronic inflammation can affect energy and cause other imbalance.

7:40 Andropause, also known as male menopause

8:16 Some tips on reducing chronic inflammation

9:14 Stress is a major cause of fatigue, usually presenting in the form of adrenal exhaustion of HPA Axis dysfunction.

11:28 Thyroid problems are another major cause of fatigue, especially hypothyroidism.

13:36 Nutritional deficiencies that can cause fatigue, Iron, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc

16:12 Certain medications can affect energy levels

16:46 Inadequate exercise can cause fatigue, but this isn’t always straightforward

18:27 The wrong diet – not enough food, too much food, or the wrong type of food for you.

20:39 Sleep. Most of us aren’t getting enough, or it can be an issue with the quality of sleep. I discuss some tips on sleep hygiene.

23:00 Sleep apnoea

23:40 Shift work

26:30 Obesity and fatigue

28:57 The importance of gut health; gut problems can cause fatigue as well.

30:00 Toxicity affects the mitochrondria- what is toxicity, where does it come from, how can you identify if you’re toxic?

31:13 What do you do if you’ve been tired for a long time and you don’t know why? Start by working out a timeline. If you can’t do this because the fatigue has been going on for such a long time then testing may be helpful. There are several different types of testing available, but you may not need to do all of them.

33:00 Some tips for reducing inflammation and improving energy through diet

34:30 Depression is a common cause of fatigue.

35:29 My favourite herbs for energy

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Naturopaths and Nutritionists have long recognized the important of iron in children, particularly for those with behavioral issues such as ADD or ADHD.

A 2004 study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that 84 percent of children with ADHD had significantly lower levels of iron, compared with 18 percent of kids without ADHD. The lower the levels of ferritin — a protein found inside cells that store iron — the more severe the symptoms.

Iron has a lot of important roles in the body, it helps us to carry oxygen into our cells which supports our energy levels, but it is also involved with dopamine production, an important neurotransmitter.

In children the iron deficiency isn’t always obvious.  Commonly we recognize iron deficiency by symptoms of anemia (e.g. pale and fatigued), but it can present itself as a completely different symptoms – being hyperactive, aggressive and inattentive.  It could also present as strange cravings for ice (this is known as PICA) or other things that aren’t food such as dirt or bark (this happens a lot during pregnancy as well).

Don’t supplement without having your levels checked, in particular your ferritin (iron stores).  Some people have a condition which causes iron to store in the body, so supplementing with iron in these instances is toxic.  When children with ADD/ADHD who had no iron deficiency were given iron supplements there was no change in their behaviour.

In these instances, low iron levels weren’t always caused by insufficient iron intake.  Other factors such as poor absorption of iron, or interference with iron absorption from competing minerals or parasites can also occur.  It has also been observed children who have difficult absorbing iron are more frequently born to mothers who had iron deficiency problems during pregnancy.

Iron supplements that are based on the cheaper forms of iron such as ferrous fumarate can cause constipation in some individuals.

Iron will absorb better alongside Vitamin C, and with an acidic meal (e.g. take with a glass or orange juice).

Iron Supplements Reduce ADHD in Low Birth Weight Infants

This study performed in Sweden gave 285 marginally low birth weight infants either 0, 1 or 2 mg/kg per day of iron supplements from 6 weeks to 6 months of age. At age three-and-a-half, these infants and 95 who had a normal birth weight were assessed for intelligence and behavior.  They found no significant different in the IQ of the children, but they did find that those who were low-birth weight who had been supplemented with iron had big reduction in ADHD symptoms, which increased slightly with the increased dose of iron.  Of the low birth weight infants who received no iron supplements, 12.7 percent showed signs of behavior problems, compared to 2.9 percent of infants in the 1-mg group and 2.7 percent of the 2-mg group. In the control group, 3.2 percent of children showed signs of behavioral problems.

SK Berglund, B Westrup, B Hägglöf, O Hernell, M Domellöf.  Effects of Iron Supplementation of LBW Infants on Cognition and Behavior at 3 Years. Pediatrics, Dec. 10 2012

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All the work that you have been doing in pre-conception care, eating well and taking your supplements doesn’t stop now, but it does change slightly.

Nutrition and Supplements

Your body has a high demand for nutrients during pregnancy.  You are the only source of nutrition for your growing baby. The baby is growing inside your womb and it forms its whole body from yours.  The baby will take what it needs and whatever is left the mother then uses (getting you ready for the selflessness of motherhood).

Some factors such as stress, inadequate diet, the effects of morning sickness, undiagnosed allergies, heartburn, constipation, long term deficiencies, stress or other pre-existing conditions may mean your intake of essential nutrients is inadequate to cope with the needs of both you and your growing baby.

If you are low in nutrients your baby will take what it needs from you, often leaving you in a deficient state.  Many conditions that occur during pregnancy (e.g. pregnancy brain, leg cramps, constipation) are caused or worsened by nutritional deficiencies, so it makes sense that ensuring you have ample supplies of nutrients not only means your baby is getting everything they need, but so are you.

When breastfeeding nutritional demands are as great, and sometimes even higher than during pregnancy.  It can take 2 years to nutritionally recover from a pregnancy!  If you are planning to concieve again during this time, then it isessentialto ensure you are stocked up well.

Did you know that during your pregnancy, you will create several extra kilograms of your own uterine muscle, as well as the nerves, bones, organs, muscles, glands and skin of your baby? In addition, you will make several kilograms of amniotic fluid, a placenta and produce a significant increase in your own blood volume. In addition, your own kidneys and liver have to work overtime, as they have to process the wastes of you and your baby!

A balanced diet should include a good variety of foods and provide all nutrients the body needs. The emphasis should be on eating a higher quality diet rather than simply eating more.   We can provide you with nutritional education and advice specific to you and provide meal suggestions or plans to support you and your baby.

All pregnant women require nutritional supplementation to some extent, due to the lack of essential nutrients in our soil and food supply.

The most well known nutrient that we require during pregnancy is folate, however it’s not that simple.  A lot of pregnancy multi-vitamins you can find in supermarkets and chemists contain plenty of folate, but lack or are extremely low other nutrients essential in pregnancy.  We can assess your individual requirements and recommend the right supplements for you.   It is important not to self medicate, especially during pregnancy.

Click here to read about some of the key nutrients required in pregnancy

Not only does nutritional supplementation help to prevent and manage deficiencies, it is also helpful in managing conditions.  Some nutritional supplements such as probiotics have been shown to be beneficial in preventing allergies in eczema in the newborn.

Some general tips during pregnancy:

• Avoid junk food and refined sugar and food completely.
• Avoid raw eggs, meat, chicken and seafood
• Avoid foods which you are allergic or intolerant to.
• Avoid foods high in mercury or other heavy metals such as swordfish, shark, tuna.
• Eat LOTS of fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Eat legumes and beans for fibre and protein.
• Eat foods rich in calcium and iron.
• Eat lots of foods containing soluble fibre, rather than insoluble fibre (such as wheat bran) as this can worsen constipation.
• Aim to have at least 2 serves of protein each day.
• Make sure you are hydrated, drink plenty of clean filtered water and avoid using water bottles which contain BPA.
• It is best to avoid caffiene during pregnancy.  Some women can be particularly sensitive to this, so should avoid tea, coffee, dark chocolate and soft drinks.  Caffiene can decrease blood flow to the baby and regular intake has been associated with low-birth weight.
• Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, recreational drugs and any unnecessary medications.

Common Conditions during Pregnancy

There is much that naturopaths can offer to women during pregnancy.  Conditions such as leg cramps, morning sickness, pre-eclampsia, reflux, colds, sinusitis, constipation and more can be managed with natural medicines.

Click here to read more about the common conditions of pregnancy and what we can do.

Pregnancy Program

Continued naturopathic care throughout pregnancy will help to ensure a healthy pregnancy and a healthy, happy outcome.  The pregnancy program is designed to support you and your baby during this time of rapid growth and change.  The emphasis will be on your nutritional status and your changing nutritional requirements through each trimester, while addressing any queries, complaints or issues that may arise.  Towards the end of the pregnancy we can begin to introduce remedies which prepare for your for labour, as well as providing you with your tool kit for after the birth.  Regular massage throughout the pregnancy is also recommended.

A typical pregnancy program includes:

During the 1^st Trimester we will address

• Giving suggestions for good dietary and lifestyle habits and continuing clean, toxin free environment
• Advice on a nutritious and individualised food plan for your pregnancy to support you and your baby
• Optimising your nutritional status,  promoting and nurturing a lush and healthy environment in which your baby can grow
• Reducing any uncomfortable symptoms of early pregnancy that may arise such as morning sickness
• Treating any threat to the pregnancy such a bleeds or threatened miscarriage
• Acupuncture is fantastic during this time for helping to manage morning sickness

2^nd Trimester

• Continue to monitor your nutritional status with particular emphasis on iron and blood nutrients as well as zinc status
• Treat any pregnancy problems that may be arising
• Review your activity and exercise

3^rd Trimester

• Prevent or treat any problems typically related to the later stages of pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, constipation, and oedema (fluid retention).
• Begin birth preparation.  Specific nutritional and herbal treatments are introduced to support labour, delivery and lactation.  Herbal medicine has a long history of use in the last trimester of pregnancy.  Specific nutrient supplementation and individualized herbal homoeopathic formulations will promote a more comfortable birth, post natal and breastfeeding experience as well as reducing likelihood of complications and improving recovery.

Post-partum

• Herbs to improve healing, reduce inflammation
• Support breast-feeding if there is any issues with flow, failure to thrive, mastitis or cracked nipples
• Giving suggestions for a healthy, nutrient dense diet for breastfeeding as well as advice on introduction to solids and management of common conditions for infants such as colic

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