lifestyle

The Thyroid’s Impact on Brain Health: How to Identify and Heal

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Diet, lifestyle, and mindfulness strategies to support your brain with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism

(PR Image Factory/Shutterstock)

(PR Image Factory/Shutterstock)

While hypothyroidism, a disease of low thyroid function, is most known for causing hair loss, fatigue, and constipation, some of the most common symptoms are actually brain-based: depression, brain fog, memory loss, low motivation, anxiety, poor balance, and poor brain endurance.

Every cell in the body depends on thyroid hormones to function, and the brain’s neurons are no exception.

However, for the estimated 5 percent of the population with hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone, it’s like your gas tank is running on fumes.

As many as 60 percent of people with hypothyroidism don’t know they have it. If you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism or think you may have it, do any of these symptoms resonate?

  • Brain fog
  • Fatigue
  • Depression
  • Slow mental speed
  • Poor brain endurance, meaning you tire easily from reading, driving, working, noisy areas, etc.
  • Worsening memory
  • Anxiety
  • Sleep problems
  • Low motivation
  • Irritable, grouchy
  • Worsening balance
  • Drop things easily
  • Handwriting getting worse
  • Worsening muscle function
  • Brain symptoms after eating certain foods
  • Chronic gut symptoms

Although declining brain function can have multiple underlying causes, if lab tests show your thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is above 3.0 mIU/L and you also have symptoms such as constipation, hair loss, and feeling cold all the time, you need to seriously consider the impact of a potential thyroid hormone deficiency on your brain.

Become a Thyroid Expert to Save Your Brain

More than 90 percent of hypothyroid cases are caused by an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s, which is identified by positive thyroid peroxidase (TPO) and/or thyroglobulin (TGB) antibodies on a lab test.

Autoimmunity occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys tissue in the body, in this case, the thyroid. Autoimmunity is incurable—once the genes turn on, triggering the disease, they can’t be turned off.

However, in most cases, autoimmunity can be driven into remission through diet, lifestyle, and mental strategies such as meditation and mindfulness.

Most doctors only test thyroid hormone levels with a TSH test, and they don’t screen for Hashimoto’s. That’s because it doesn’t change how they treat patients. While thyroid hormone medication may restore TSH to normal levels and help relieve symptoms, it doesn’t address the ongoing damage from autoimmune attacks against the thyroid. This explains why many patients continually need to have their dose of thyroid medication increased.

This can be disastrous for your brain and body for several reasons:

  1. The brain isn’t getting enough thyroid hormone.
  2. The immune cells that destroy the thyroid in unmanaged Hashimoto’s can also target brain tissue.
  3. Unmanaged Hashimoto’s is inflammatory for the whole body. This can inflame the brain, causing symptoms and aging it too quickly.
  4. Many people with Hashimoto’s have multiple food sensitivities as well as chemical sensitivities. Failing to identify and address these can inflame the brain.

Brain Health and Hypothyroidism

Supporting your brain when you have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism consists primarily of taking the best thyroid hormone medication for your needs, adapting an autoimmune diet and lifestyle to keep your Hashimoto’s in remission, and employing strategies such as meditation and mindfulness.

First of all, are you on the best thyroid hormone medication for your needs? The average doctor will prescribe a synthetic thyroxine (T4) medication because that’s typically what insurance covers. However, many patients feel better with a bioidentical thyroid hormone replacement that also includes T3. Others may need a thyroid med that is free of fillers such as cornstarch, which triggers immune reactions in some.

Work with your doctor to find the best thyroid medication option for you.

Managing Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism to Protect Your Brain

The goal of managing autoimmune disease is to dampen inflammation and keep your autoimmunity in remission. We do this by searching for triggers of inflammation—they are different for everyone.

There are many possible triggers of Hashimoto’s flare-ups, but some of the following are the most common.

Food intolerances: The most common inflammatory foods in Hashimoto’s patients are gluten and dairy. In fact, the tissue most often damaged by gluten intolerance is brain tissue. Corn, eggs, soy, and grains are common triggers as well.

Gut inflammation: Acid reflux, irritable bowel, gallbladder congestion, and other ailments linked to poor gut health are common triggers for autoimmune expression and brain inflammation.

Blood sugar imbalances: Many Americans have blood sugar that is too low, too high, or a combination of both, all of which are highly inflammatory.

Hormonal imbalances: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which causes hair loss, facial hair, infertility, and menstrual difficulties can inflame the brain and trigger flare-ups. Likewise, estrogen deficiency during perimenopause and menopause can also be inflammatory.

Environmental chemicals and toxins: We live in a sea of tens of thousands of unregulated environmental toxins and chemicals that can trigger inflammation and the development of chemical sensitivities and autoimmunity. Bisphenol A (BPA) in plastics, in particular, has been linked with Hashimoto’s (BPA-free is often just as bad unfortunately, because very similar chemicals are used to replace BPA in the majority of cases).

5 ways to support your brain if you have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism

The best way to improve “thyroid brain” is to manage your autoimmune Hashimoto’s. The full program is beyond the scope of this article, however you can refer to my free “Autoimmune Diet” guide and my online course Hashimoto’s: Solving the Puzzle.

In the meantime, here are some strategies to help manage Hashimoto’s and improve brain health.

1. Follow an autoimmune diet and lifestyle

I start my Hashimoto’s patients on an anti-inflammatory autoimmune diet for 4 to 6 weeks that consists solely of meats, lots of vegetables, healthy fats, and minimal fruit (due to the high sugar content).

They then reintroduce foods they eliminated one at a time every three days to see which cause a reaction.

If you wish to skip the diet and test for food sensitivities instead, I recommend Cyrex Labs Array 10 Multiple Food Immune Reactivity Screen.

Not all food sensitivity testing is the same. Look for ELISA serum testing that requires a blood draw.

You can learn more about the diet in the free guide on my website.

2. Take supplements to dampen inflammation and support the brain

Research shows certain natural compounds can help dampen Hashimoto’s and brain inflammation. However, no supplement can overcome a poor diet and lifestyle, so you must also be following an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle.

Glutathione

Glutathione is the body’s master antioxidant and probably the most powerful anti-inflammatory supplement. Many people’s glutathione levels have been depleted by poor diet, excess sugar, environmental toxins, and chronic health conditions. Aging also depletes glutathione.

I prefer liquid liposomal glutathione in doses high enough to have a noticeable effect on inflammation.

Resveratrol and Turmeric

Therapeutic doses of liposomal resveratrol and turmeric have been shown to significantly dampen inflammation. How much you take depends on how bad inflammation is.

Vitamin D

Sufficient vitamin D dampens inflammation and supports brain health. Therapeutic doses of the cholecalciferol form of vitamin D range from 10,000 to 20,000 IU a day, but have your doctor monitor your vitamin D levels regularly.

3. High-intensity interval training

Daily exercise dampens inflammation and oxygenates the brain. High-intensity interval training (HIIT)—which involves reaching your maximum heart rate with a short but vigorous burst of exercise, resting, and repeating—is especially effective in dilating blood vessels, lowering inflammation, and improving blood flow to the brain.

However, it’s important not to overdo it—over-exercising increases inflammation.

4. Mindfulness and meditation to dampen inflammation and support brain health

In this article, I’ve talked about how to give the brain a good environment.

But good brain health goes beyond an optimal chemical environment. Like a muscle, the brain must be exercised to stay fit.

One of the simplest, easiest, and most affordable ways you can exercise your brain is through daily meditation. Just 10 minutes a day of meditation can improve concentration and your working memory—the ability to keep information active in your mind.

Meditation is especially important if you are suffering from brain-based symptoms common in Hashimoto’s hypothyroid patients, such as depression, poor focus and concentration, anxiety, and chronic pain.

Meditation is so effective it actually changes the shape of the brain for the better:

  • Just two months of daily meditation increases the thickness of the hippocampus, the center of learning and memory.
  • Meditation decreased the volume of the amygdala, the brain’s center for fear, anxiety, and stress. Subjects reported feeling less stressed as well.

Meditation also supports autoimmune management by dampening inflammation and helping regulate the immune system.

A 1998 study compared the healing rates of patients undergoing UV-light therapy for psoriasis, an autoimmune skin disease. The subjects who meditated while in the lightbox experienced skin-clearing four times faster than those who didn’t meditate while in the lightbox.

A 2017 literature review suggests meditation downregulates nuclear factor kappa B, a major inflammatory pathway. A 2021 review suggests mindfulness-based stress reduction  (MBSR) reduces the activity of immune pathways that promote autoimmunity.

Conclusion

I hope by now you understand how important it is to manage the underlying autoimmunity in order to protect your brain. The brain doesn’t improve through neglect—you have to take action before it’s too late.

Unfortunately, the average health care professional isn’t going to help you spot early warning signs of declining brain function, or help you improve your brain health. Preventive strategies aren’t part of their medical training or covered by insurance. Doctors typically can intervene only when declining brain health has advanced to the stage of dementia.

At that point, brain tissue is irreversibly lost.

The good news is that with the right interventions, the brain is highly adaptable to change and improvement. You can make considerable strides in improving both your thyroid and brain function with a little bit of education.

Genetics, environment, lifestyle influence risks for food allergy early in life

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Genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors influence the risk for food sensitization and food allergies during the first thousand days of life, according to a literature review published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Erin C. Davis, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the department of pediatrics’ division of allergy and immunology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and the Center for Food Allergy at Golisano Children’s Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, in Rochester, N.Y., based their findings on a PubMed search of articles in English on food allergy (FA) and food sensitization (FS), prioritizing studies published after 2015.

Asian baby with bottle
Source: Adobe Stock

The review explored the genetic risks for food allergy, links between atopic dermatitis (AD) and food allergy, dietary allergen exposures in early life, maternal antigen consumption during pregnancy and lactation, breastfeeding and formula feeding, introduction to solid foods, lifestyle and environmental exposures, the gut microbiome and metabolome in food allergy and potential early immune biomarkers of food allergy.

Genetic risks for food allergy include the number of parents or siblings with a history of allergic disease, although the researchers caution that some of this association may be due to the family’s practice of prolonged avoidance or late introduction of the allergen.

Specifically, researchers have found connections between the major histocompatibility complex genes, which encode the human leukocyte antigen complex, and FA development including sensitization to peanut, cow’s milk and egg.

The review also found that approximately one of every three children with AD are prone to immediate-type IgE-mediated FA. One hypothesis suggests the impaired skin barrier that patients with AD experience allows epicutaneous sensitization to foods before oral ingestion.

Noting that infants may be exposed to allergens early in life, the researchers said that the mechanisms behind sensitization or tolerance likely vary based on how that exposure occurred.

For example, the researchers said, infants may be exposed to allergens in utero or through human milk or infant formula before they begin solid foods. Environmental or household exposures to allergens are plausible as well.

However, the researchers found scarce and contradictory findings about the relationship between maternal intake of allergenic foods and infant FA risks, even though major food allergens have been detected in amniotic fluid and human milk. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend maternal dietary restrictions to prevent atopic disease.

Studies that have evaluated the protective effect of breastfeeding against FA have been mixed, the researchers continued. Human milk includes immunomodulatory components that shape the early life microbiome and immune system, but variations between women influence the risk for disease.

Early introduction to solid foods appears to have a significant impact, as the researchers cited the Learning Early About Peanut trial, which demonstrated how the early and sustained intake of peanut could be protective against peanut allergy. Also, the Enquiring About Tolerance Study found a 67% lower risk for FA with early introduction when children are aged 1 to 3 years.

The growing adoption of a Westernized lifestyle that limits less industrialized exposures to microbial influences may contribute to increasing rates of FA and FS as part of the hygiene hypothesis, the researchers further found.

For instance, larger family sizes are related to lower incidences of AD and hay fever. Exposure to pets and vaginal delivery also are associated with lower risks for allergic diseases. Farming lifestyles can be protective as well.

Such early exposures to diverse populations of microorganisms may train the immune system to mount tolerogenic responses during exposures later in life to environmental or food allergens, the researchers said.

The gut microbiome, meanwhile, also is a factor mediating the association between increases in the prevalence of allergic disease and industrialization. There may be an association between FA and FS development and less mature microbiomes, the researchers said, although studies have provided limited data.

Finally, the researchers found studies demonstrating associations between a differential infant immune profile and FS and FA. The loss of immune cell populations and potential hyper-responsive profiles could increase risks for aberrant responses including sensitization, the researchers said.

Multiple factors drive disease pathogenesis, including genetics as well as maternal and infant allergen exposure, human milk composition and other environmental factors, the researchers concluded, with tolerance or sensitization likely depending on the route of first exposures and possibly genetic risk.

Further, the researchers called for additional observational studies and clinical trials that span from early pregnancy through childhood so novel biomarkers and risk factors for predicting susceptibility for FS and FA could be uncovered.

Women with PCOS gain more weight annually, affected more by lifestyle factors

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Women with polycystic ovary syndrome gained more weight annually than those without PCOS, and some lifestyle factors had a greater impact on weight gain with PCOS, according to study data.

“To our knowledge, this is the first time the contribution of extrinsic factors (including lifestyle and psychological factors and health care utilization) to weight gain has been examined in women with and without PCOS,” Lisa J. Moran, BSc (Hons), BND, PhD, APD, associate professor at the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation at Monash University School of Public Health in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues wrote in a study published in Human Reproduction. “The prevalence of self-reported PCOS in this study was 8.7%, which is consistent with previous studies reporting 8.7% based on the National Institutes of Health diagnostic criteria. Using data from a large community-based longitudinal study, we found that women with PCOS had a 0.26 kg higher rate of annual weight gain and a 4.62 kg higher weight gain over 19 years than women without PCOS, even after adjusting for lifestyle factors.”

Annual weight gain for women with PCOS
Women with PCOS have a higher annual weight gain than those without PCOS. Data were derived from Awoke MA, et al. Hum Reprod. 2021;doi:10.1093/humrep/deab239.

Researchers analyzed data from participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health who were born from 1973 to 1978 and completed seven surveys from 1996 to 2015. Sociodemographic data, dietary intake, sitting time, physical activity, depression, anxiety and stress were self-reported. Participants reported whether they had a PCOS diagnosis in the last four surveys.

There were 7,180 women who completed all seven surveys, of which 8.7% reported having PCOS. Women with PCOS had a mean body weight in the first survey of 67.4 kg vs. 62.3 kg in those without PCOS. At 19 years, mean body weight increased to 82.9 kg for women with PCOS and 73.4 kg for those without PCOS.

In adjusted analysis, women with PCOS gained 4.6 kg more than those without PCOS at 19 years (P < .0001). The annual rate of weight increase was higher for women with PCOS vs. without PCOS (0.81 kg vs. 0.55 kg; P < .0001).

Each megajoule increase in energy intake (beta = 0.55; 95% CI, 0.41-0.68; P < .0001) and each hour increase of sitting time (beta = 0.24; 95% CI, 0.17-0.31; P < .0001) were associated with total weight gain for women with and without PCOS. Stress was the only psychological factor associated with weight change (beta = 0.97; 95% CI, 0.55-1.39; P < .0001). Weight gain was lower for each gram of fiber intake per day (beta = –0.08; 95% CI, –0.12 to –0.03; P = .001) and for women meeting physical activity guidelines compared with those not meeting guidelines (beta = –0.99; 95% CI, –1.33 to –0.65; P < .0001).

Three-way interaction testing between lifestyle and psychological factors, health care engagement and PCOS status and time was conducted to explore differences in weight-gain factors for women with PCOS and without PCOS. The rate of weight gain for women with PCOS was greatest for those with a higher energy intake (P = .006), greater consumption of foods with higher glycemic index (P = .025), sitting time of more than 10 hours per day (P = .041) and not meeting physical activity guidelines (P = .021).

“Our finding here of higher weight gain in women with PCOS and differentially greater impact of adverse lifestyle on weight gain in PCOS are important,” the researchers wrote. “These findings suggest that women with PCOS are biologically predisposed to weight gain overall, and that this is exacerbated disproportionately by adverse lifestyle factors. This aligns with patient experience from women with PCOS who reported perceived greater susceptibility for weight gain.”

The researchers said a greater focus on lifestyle interventions for preventing weight gain in women with PCOS is needed.

Lifestyle ‘link to miscarriage risk’

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A pregnant woman

The lifestyles of 91,427 pregnant women in Denmark were analysed for the study
  • More than a quarter of first-time miscarriages could be prevented by making a combination of lifestyle changes, research in Denmark suggests.

Researchers said lifting more than 20kg (44lbs) each day during pregnancy and being obese or underweight increased the risk of miscarriage.

Women beyond their early 30s, who drank alcohol and worked night shifts during pregnancy were also more likely to miscarry, they said.

The study analysed 91,427 women.

“Start Quote

Twenty kilograms is the size of a large holiday suitcase. Most of us would only lift that very occasionally”

Caroline OvertonRoyal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

In the UK, more than one in seven pregnancies ends in miscarriage.

‘Subject for prevention’

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen, which carried out the work, said only by reducing all of the risk factors could they be prevented.

The paper was published in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Anne-Marie Nybo Andersen, senior researcher at the University of Copenhagen, said: “The main message from the paper is that miscarriages are a subject for prevention.”

Ms Nybo Andersen said the paper was significant as it showed the relative importance of different lifestyle factors in causing miscarriage, rather than more specific factors, such as certain pharmaceutical drugs.

As the findings were from the health perspective of a population, they could apply to lots of people – from individual couples to people in charge of maternity policies, work place regulations and supporting students who get pregnant, she said.

She added: “Everybody, young men and women, as well as those who have political responsibilities should bear in mind that postponing pregnancy to the mid-30s implies a seriously increased risk of miscarriage.”

Healthy-pregnancy advice

Pregnancies included in the Danish National Birth Cohort between 1996 and 2002 were analysed for the study. Researchers found 3.5% of the women miscarried.

They looked for links between the miscarriages and lifestyle by collecting data through computer-assisted telephone interviews.

Caroline Overton, spokesperson at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “This is a very interesting study in terms of the very large population size.”

She said it confirmed much of the advice currently given out in the UK to promote healthy pregnancy, such as not drinking, but questioned how applicable the study would be to British women.

On the subject of the findings, Ms Overton added: “Twenty kilograms is the size of a large holiday suitcase. Most of us would only lift that very occasionally.”

Women wanting to conceive should also eat a balanced diet, make sure they are not “too skinny”, or overweight, cut out smoking and ask their partners to follow suit, she said.

Exercise most effective lifestyle choice for preventing dementia, researchers say.

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Taking regular exercise is the most effective single lifestyle choice people can make to reduce their risk of dementia, according to one of the most extensive studies yet into people’s long-term health outcomes.
The 35-year investigation, carried out by researchers at Cardiff University, found that consistently following just four out of five key behaviours could reduce dementia risk by 60 per cent, while also cutting the chance of heart disease and stroke by 70 per cent.

Of the five behaviours – exercise, not smoking, having a low bodyweight, a healthy diet and low alcohol intake – exercise was found to be the most effective at improving long-term physical and mental health.

Although the five factors will be familiar to almost everyone, researchers said they were “really amazed” by quite how beneficial they had proved to be.

“What the research shows is that following a healthy lifestyle confers surprisingly large benefits to health,” said principle investigator Professor Peter Elwood of Cardiff University’s School of Medicine. “Healthy behaviours have a far more beneficial effect than any medical treatment or preventative procedure.”

The study, the longest of its kind to probe the influence of environmental factors in chronic disease, followed the health outcomes of 2,235 Caerphilly men. It is published today in the journal PLOS One.

Professor Elwood said that, unfortunately, the evidence from the study was that very few men actually follow the kind of healthy lifestyle that can prove so beneficial, and that, while smoking rates had gone down since the study began, the number of people living completely healthily had remained unchanged.

On Wednesday the UK will host the first ever G8 Dementia Summit, with health ministers meeting to discuss a global strategy to combat the disease. Dementia rates are set to treble worldwide to 135 million by 2050, with enormous societal and economic costs.

Dr Doug Brown, director of research and development at the Alzheimer’s Society said: “We have known for some time that what is good for your heart is also good for your head, and this study provides more evidence to show that healthy living could significantly reduce the chances of developing dementia.”

Nurse reveals the top 5 regrets people make on their deathbed.

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For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives. People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality..

stihl-deathbed-scene

I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Manydeveloped illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way,you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again. When you are on your deathbed, what  others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying..

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happine