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Thyroid Success Secret #24

Take Action Now!
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Take action!  Do not think it is going to get better on its own.  See, many people think that once they are taking medication, their problem isn’t going to get any worse or there is nothing to worry about.  And this isn’t true.  The reality is you’re either getting better or your getting worse- you are not staying the same.

So if you sit and wait around for it to just go away on its own or you sit and think that you cannot do anything and that you will be just fine, you falling into a deep, dark well.  Avoid this type of thinking at all costs.  Remember to get tested, managed, and retested functionally or optimally.  Remember that M.D.’s use lab values that are very broad and wide.  And you want lab values that are much narrower, those optimal or functional levels.  Once you get properly tested and managed, then, and only then, will your symptoms go away.

Call if we can help!

Dr. Price
www.DrSeanPrice.com
850-862-2224

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Thyroid Success Secret #23

Control Your Health Destiny!
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No one else is responsible for your health!  YOU are responsible for your health!  Take your health care into your own hands!  We are trained to believe that medical doctors know best, and what the doctor says is the best thing.  It is true, medical doctors are doctors; they have pure intentions; they treat people; and they want to help people, but the reality is that just writing a script and throwing a medication at a person isnt actually treating the patient and it isnt necessarily in the best interest of the patient.  Proper testing must be done.

With something as complex as hypothyroid or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Grave’s disease, you have to literally grab the bull by the horns and take charge.  it is your life.  It is your body.  What are you going to do for the next 30-40 years?  Are you ging to accept the status quo and continue to push from M.D. to M.D. only to find out that they have no answer for you?  It is up to you.  Nobody is going to care about you more than you.  You need to take action.  You need to get the testing done.  You need a thorough work-up.  Nothing else is going to help you with your thyroid condition more than the proper testing and treatment.

Call us if we can help!

Dr. Price
www.DrSeanPrice.com
850-862-2224

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Thyroid Success Secret #22

Don’t Use Medications as a Crutch
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Are you relying solely on medication to treat your symptoms?  Ask yourself if you really think all of the medication that you are taking is actually making your body functional or healthy.  Is it really fixing your symptoms?  Think about this:  If you gave the medication that you are taking to a healhty person, would they remain healthy or would they become sick?  They would become sick!  All medications have side effects.

All you are doing with medications is covering up symptoms.  You are also creating unwanted side effects, which may in the long run make you worse.  I cannot tell you how many people I have seen in their eighties that started off with one or two medications in their thirties, ended up with four or five meds in their 50′s, and now in their 80′s they are taking thirteen to fifteem medications!

Don’t think that you need a medication to be healthy.  And do not get me wrong; I am not saying to stop taking your medications this minute.  But…as we test you and we are managing you and we are retesting you, you are bound to improve, and, eventually, you can go back to your medical doctor, and you can ask him to manage your medications appropriately (which can quite often mean discontinuing the meds or decreasing the dosage).

Our goal is to get to the cause of your problem.  We want to reverse your symptoms.  We want to get to the root cause of the malfunction in your body and get the problem taken care of…to allow your body to function properly!

Call us if we can help….

Dr. Price
www.DrSeanPrice.com
850-862-2224

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Thyroid Success Secret #21

DO NOT ALLOW YOUR HEALTH CONDITION TO BE LABELED AND PLACED IN A NICE, NEAT BOX!

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Do not accept “hypothyroid” or “Grave’s Disease” as a label for all of your symptoms.  There is no simple explanation for why you have a thyroid problem.  That’s why ALL of the testing needs to be done.  When you were first diagnosed with a thyroid problem, you might have been happy to finally have somebody call it, or name it, or put it in a box.

It is scary to have symptoms that no one can explain- it leads your mind to worry.  But don’t accept the label for all your symptoms.  Remember, ALL of the tests need to be done.  If you have been diagnosed with a thyroid condition or hypothyroid, or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, realize that there are things that can be done to help you!  There are answers out there.  The key is- you need to be tested thoroughly.  You need to be tested, correctly treated and retested.  THAT is the only way you will achieve health!

Have a great day….and call if we can help!

Dr. Price
www.DrSeanPrice.com
850-862-2224

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Thyroid Success Secret #20

“Everything has been done?”
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Believing that all of the labs that have been done are normal can be WRONG!  I can’t tell you how many times a patient tells me that their labs are normal, and yes, they may be normal in regards to lab values, but not in regards to optimal or functional value.  Remember that I said the lab value for TSH is .35 to 5.0?  At the optimal or functional level is 1.8-3.0?  This is a huge trap that many patients fall into and they have to avoid.  They believe that all of the correct tests have been done, and that all of those tests are normal, just like their doctor said they were.

The truth is that functional testing has not been done.  You need specific lab tests.  You need a complete metabolic panel.  You need a lipid panel.  You need a complete thyroid panel that includes seven or eight thyroid tests.  And you need a CBC with auto-differential.  You need sensitivity testing done.  Sensitivity testing will determine if you are sensitive to gluten, milk, soy, egg, or yeast.  You need the immune panels done.  Remember, I said there are two parts to your immune system, TH-1 and TH-2.  You want to find out which one is working.  So you are testing those cytokines that we talked about, interleukin-2, TNF-alpha, interleukin-4 and interleukin-10.  You are testing the CD-4 – CD-8 ratio.  I know that sounds like a big term, but the CD-4-CD-8 ratio is normally between 1.2-2.4.  If it is a 2.4-2.5 or above, you have an active antigen.  There is something that is causing your immune system to run amuck.  There is something that is causing your T-cells to attack your body.

If it is below 1.2, you have a problem with disregulation, and anemic condition, a blood sugar problem, a gut function problem, or a liver function problem.  So it is important that all the tests are run.  Do not get into the false belief that everything possible has been done- if you do, then you have missed the point and you will stop searching for answers and information that will help you.

Please let us know if we can help you.

Dr. Price
www.DrSeanPrice.com
850-862-2224

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THYROID SUCCESS SECRET #19

INTESTINAL FORTITUDE….LITERALLY!
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Gut function is extremely important, and can be affected by something called “Leaky Gut Syndrome” (LGS).  You may or may not have heard of it.  Leaky Gut Syndrome is where the lining of your intestines have become more pemeable, so it allows things like food particles and large molecules to permeate your system and create havoc with your immune system.  It is also important in gut function to be tested for parasites.  Many people suffer from parasites and don’t know it.

A lot of people who suffer with thyroid problems also suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).  They have problems with constipation or diahrea, or both.  Repairing your gut begins at the plate.  Chronic inflammation is caused by poor diet.  When you have increased intestinal permeability, another name for LGS, you will also have chronic inflammation, because a healthy GI tract is a tightly woven mesh of tissue that does not allow the absorption of bacteria, harmful foods, or undigested particleses in teh blood stream.  When you are suffering from LGS, this is exactly what is happening.

Once in the blood stream, these particles are recognized as foreign invaders or antigens, which the immune system attacks.  And, unfortunately for many people, especially those with insulin resistance, this response happens almost every time they eat, resulting in chronic inflammation or ittiable bowel syndrome.  This sets the stage for development of an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s or some other autoimmune problem.

So the first step in repairing the gut is to remove the foods that are creating a chronic immune response: gluten, soy,milk, egg, yeast.  And then it is important to heal your body.  And you can heal your body with a 4R colon progra, which means removing or eliminating problems- gluten, milk, soy, yeast, or parasites- inoculating and using a probiotic.  On a 4R colon program you replace specific enzymes to repair your gut and utilize specific neurological compounds.  This is why it is important to have healthy gut function in regards to treating your thyroid.

We are here to help,

Dr. Price
www.DrSeanPrice.com
850-862-2224

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THYROID SUCCESS TREATMENT #18

CYTOKINES
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Cytokines are the messengers that your immune system uses as part of the inflammatory process.  When a patient has an inflammatory condition like arthritis, IBS, asthma or an autoimmune condition like Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis, there are usually high levels of cytokines.

When cytokines are high, they suppress the circuit in your brain that helps you make thyroid hormones.  It suppresses your pituitary, which suppresses hte pituitary’s ability to make TSH.  And remember, I said the functional range for TSH is 1.8-3.0.  Anything outside of that is a severe thyroid condition.

Remember, I said htere are two parts to your immune system, TH-1 and TH-2.  If you have high interleukin-2, or TNF-alpha, then you are probably TH-1 dominant.  If you have high interleukin-4, or interleukin-10, you are probably TH-2 dominant.  If you are dominant with those cytokines, you are probably creating more problems for your thyroid condition.  The key is to get tested for that cytokine function to make sure everything is within the optimal or functional range.

Have a great day!

Dr. Price
www.DrSeanPrice.com
850-862-2224

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THYROID SUCCESS SECRET #17

THE ADRENAL GLANDS
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Your adrenal glands make a hormone called “cortisol”.  They sit atop your kidneys and they are your stress glands.  They make a lot of hormones for your body in adition to cortisol, such as aldosterone and androgens.  Your adrenal glands are vital for optimal health.  When your adrenal glands are not working, it causes high levels of cortisol in your system and this is why you still have thyroid symptoms, even when your other lab tests may be normal.  Cortisol is one of the main factors that regulate your blood sugar level, not insulin.  Everybody thinks it is insulin, but it is actually cortisol.  When cortisol is released by your adrenal glands, it is accompanied by cytokines.

Cytokines suppress the ability of your pituitary gland, and your hypothalamus, to make TSH, or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone.  So your adrenal glands make cortisol in response to a stress, whether it is physical, chemical, or emotional stress.  And cortisol also promotes inflammation, which makes your adrenal glands pump out more cortisol.  As cortisol is released, the cytokines come out along with it and suppress your pituitary.  There are common causes of elevated cortisol, some of them being chronic stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, or hidden gut gut infections, such as parasites.  You would be surprised how many people have parasitic infections.  Other causes of elevated levels of cortisol included blood sugar dysregulation, high or low blood sugar, hypoglycemia, insulin resistance, and diabetes.

You need to make sure that your blood sugar level is stable.  And you need to understand that, when you have these problems, when your blood sugar level is going up or down so are your cortisol levels, which means your cytokines are going up and down, which means your pituitary isn’t working properly and youre not making enough TSH, or thyroid hormones.  So you start having thyroid symptoms such as fatigue, hair loss, cold hands and feet, insomnia, inability to lose weight, and depression.

Don’t forget, there are several types of blood sugar problems- not just diabetes, but also hypoglycemia, low blood sugar, and insulin resistance.  Hypoglycemia is a blood sugar level of 85 or lower.  Insulin resistance is a fasting blood sugar of 100-126.  Diabetes is a fasting blood sugar level of 127 or higher.

So be aware, if your stress levels are high, your adrenal glands are going to pump hard, and cortisol levels are going to increase.  Cytokine levels are going to increase, and it will cause your pituitary not to function properly, which will cause decreased amounts of thyroid-stimulating hormone.  High cortisol will sabotage your attempt to combat your thyroid problem.

If you are suffering with adrenal fatigue, you need to avoid refined sugar, alcohol, and caffein because these are high stressors to your immune system.  And do not think that you can get away with eating aspartame or MSG because these are the worst things you could do for your adrenal glands!

Let us know if we could help….

Have a great day,

Dr. Price
www.DrSeanPrice.com
850-862-2224

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Thyroid Treatment Success Secret #14:

Vitamin D
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You always seem to hear in the news that ther is some new vitamin to consider or new deficiency to consider, but when it comes to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis or autoimmune thyroid- it is very important that patients are taking vitamin D to help their immune system.

Modern diets are lacking in Vitamin D rich foods.  what are Vitamin D rich foods?  Liver (to be honest with you, I cannot stand liver), organ meats, lard, many forms of seafood, butter and egg yolks (remember what I said about eating eggs for breadfast and how important it is in your blood glucose level?)

Sunlight is another important factor and source of Vitamin D.  But, you should never take Vitamin D without having your Vitamin D levels tested, specifically, 25 OHD and 125 OHD.  Most M.D.’s will only test 25 OHD but it is very important  to have both levels tested.  This way, you are eliminating the guess work.  You could be low in Vitamin D or on the low side of normal; either finding would constitute a different recommended dosage.

Why is vitamin D so important?  Vitamin D deficiency is associated with many, manyu autoimmune conditions including Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  Frankly, autoimmune rates have been skytocketing in the past 20 years, wich correlates with decreased levels of Vitamin D in the general population.

Adequate Vitamin D levels help to keep the immune system in balance so it doesnt swing out of control into an autoimmune disease.  When it comes to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, the problems with Vitamin D deficiency are made worse by genetics.  There are studies that show that more than 90 percent of the people with an autoimmune thyroid or Hashimoto’s have a genetic defect affecting their ability to process Vitamin D.

Therefore many people, especially these people, need higher amounts of Vitamin D to maintain health, even if their blood tests show sufficient vitamin D.

In many cases, patients will come in to my office and their Vitamin D levels will be on the low side of normal and their MD has told them.  “Your fine, there is nothing wrong with you,” when actually if you are on teh low side of normal you need to be supplementing with Vitamin D.  I recommend that all my patietns with any thyroid condition or any autoimmune condition take extra Vitamin D.

Do not suffer another minute!  Call our office at 862-2224 to schedule your free consultation.

Have a great day,

Dr. Price
www.DrSeanPrice.com
850-862-2224

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The Evils of Gluten!
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Gluten is one of the biggest culprits in causing autoimmune thyroid
that I see in my office.  Therefore, it is EXTREMELY important to
be tested properly for gluten sensitivity.  In our office, we run a
food sensitivity test from a lab called Enterolab or Cyrex Labs.
it is a lab test for sensitivity to gluten, milk, soy, egg, and
yeast.

Gluten is the protein in wheat, barley, rye and oats.  The reason
that so many people across the country are gluten-sensitive is that
we have been eating genetically-engineered wheat.  Our bodies were
not made to eat chemicals and that is exactly what we are consuming!

In order for you to be healthy, one of the best things that you can
do is to avoid gluten.  if you are sensitive to gluten, it will
cause your immune system to attack your body, whether it is your
thyroid, your joints, your pancreas, whatever.  Remember we talked
about an active antigen a while back, and an active antigen can be
something that causes your immune system to run amuck or attack.

Your T-cells are attacking your body and the cause for your T-cell
attack can be a parasite, fungi, yeast, mold, virus, bacteria, and
it can also be gluten.  It could also be dairy, yeast, soy and/or
egg.  This is not a guessing game, you need to be tested and the
tests should include a DNA swab, where you are taking a swab of
your left cheek adn a swab of your right cheek.

Usually, gluten testing with a medical office for gluten
sensitivity is not done with a DNA component–you really dont know
if you are gluten-sensitive or not.  There has yet to be an
autoimmune Hashimoto’s thyroid patient walk in my office tat is not
gluten-sensitive, and they could very well be sensitive to dairy,
egg, soy and yeast too!

Do not suffer another minute!  Call our office for a free
consultation.  862-2224

Have a great day!

Dr. Price
www.DrSeanPrice.com
850-862-2224