It’s said to be one of the most misunderstood and misdiagnosed conditions in the U.S.
When your thyroid isn’t working correctly, the results can be widespread and devastating — fatigue, depression, a sluggish metabolism that results in weight gain, bloating, and on and on.
That’s because the thyroid gland is basically your body’s “master switch,” one that regulates almost every aspect of how you function.
And considering how vital the thyroid is to your well-being, it’s only fitting that it should have its own awareness month — which just so happens to be January.
The American Thyroid Association is saying we should wear paisley ribbons and sport butterflies, which are the icons for thyroid awareness. But I’ve got another suggestion.
It might possibly be one of the most important things you can do to protect your thyroid.
Something in the water?
Back in the 1950s, doctors had a go-to treatment for an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism): It was none other than fluoride.
That’s right, the toxic chemical that’s added to toothpaste, mouthwash and water.
And it didn’t take a massive dose, either. Just around 2 to 5 mg a day over the course of several months was enough to reduce the activity of a thyroid gone haywire.
Interestingly, that’s right around the same amount anyone who drinks fluoridated water from the tap is getting.
And it could be just enough to cause a normal thyroid to become underiactive — resulting in the elusive condition known as hypothyroidism.
So could fluoride be causing millions to be suffering from hypothyroidism? Well, when you put two and two together, it isn’t rocket science.
Still, despite this easy-to-see link, researchers still seem to be scratching their heads over it, with study after study looking at the condition without coming up with any real conclusions.
That’s also despite the fact that all those studies have confirmed that when people are exposed to elevated amounts of fluoride, they have high TSH levels — one of the classic signs of an underactive thyroid.
But what researchers discovered in the UK two years ago should have been it — the abrupt end to pumping this toxin into the water of 72 percent of American households.
British researchers from the University of Kent crunched loads of data comparing medical records of people who lived either where water was fluoridated or where it wasn’t.
And what they discovered was an astonishing 30 percent higher risk of suffering from hypothyroidism in towns that received fluoridated water. Plus that, people who lived in urban areas with fluoridated water had twice the rate of underactive thyroid conditions compared to those in locales where fluoride wasn’t added.
When that study came out, it actually received a lot of support from experts in the U.S.
Dr. Spyros Mezitis, an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC, said that doctors should tell their patients about this connection and test them for hypothyroidism. He also said that patients should “drink less fluoridated water” and ditch conventional toothpaste containing fluoride.
Dr. Terry Davies, a professor and endocrinologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, said that the UK study “supports the argument that our water supply should be pure water and nothing else.”
But despite the shock of what the British scientists discovered, the whole thing got dropped like a hot potato. The American Dental Association swooped in, parroting the same old hackneyed nonsense that fluoride has been the subject of a “rigorous systematic evaluation” and found to be safe as a lollipop.
Only… that’s not true. Research over the years has found that fluoride can cause bone fractures, cancer and even damage a child’s brain and lower their IQ.
And the whole idea that water fluoridation is saving the world from tooth decay is about as phony as a three-dollar bill.
So, in honor of thyroid awareness month, here are three top things you can do to keep your thyroid healthy:
#1: Find out if your tap water is fluoridated by calling your municipal water authority. If it is, invest in a filter that can remove it, as not all can.
#2: Use toothpaste and mouthwash that don’t contain fluoride, which you can find most anywhere these days.
#3: Don’t let your dentist sell you on a fluoride varnish treatment, which contains a high concentration of the toxin.
And finally, also watch out for water-containing bottled beverages that are manufactured in fluoridated locales. If it happens to be a favorite, call the company and ask if they filter their water to remove the fluoride.
“January is thyroid awareness month” American Thyroid Association, January 16, 2017, thyroid.org
