What we’ve realized, through current medical studies and advanced medical testing, is that environmental toxins and gut health hugely impact thyroid health. This is why we work with patients in our programs to do proper liver detox, make smarter, less toxic food choices, and upgrade other lifestyle choices to decrease their toxic load. If hormone replacement is needed, we look at bio-identical hormone replacement that is better adapted in the body and can be tested with blood work to ensure correct dosage. Environmental toxins and toxins in our food are incredibly harmful for your thyroid, and they have greatly increased over the past three years. Heavy metals, which have made their way into our food and seafood, can damage delicate gland tissues and cause your thyroid to malfunction. One problematic heavy metal, mercury, that was extracted from the earth during the industrial age to produce felt and mirrors, is now in high quantities in our oceans. Mercury is also found in high quantities in fish, especially large fish like tuna who eat smaller fish and accumulate it in their tissues. Regular consumption of these foods (more than once monthly) can cause heavy metal build-up in your body. Gluten is an inflammatory protein molecule that can be found in wheat, barley, rye, and the grains. This can inflame thyroid tissues, especially if you have a gluten sensitivity or genetic markets for gluten sensitivity. More than 18 million Americans are currently suffering from some form of gluten sensitivity and many people have an undiagnosed sensitivity. We are exposed to many more man-made chemicals (so-called xenobiotics) today – present in medications, beauty products, cleaning supplies. There are byproducts of industrialization like pesticides from farming, PCPs, plastics, synthetic perfumes, lignin, and more. Xenoestrogens, which are man-made estrogen-like compounds, are especially harmful for your hormone and thyroid health. They were created to make plastic supple, like plastic wrap, plastic water bottles, and plastic food containers. While this is great for the practicalities of food storage, it’s awful for your hormone health as these containers laced with “fake estrogen” leech into our food and get into our bodies. These toxins accumulate inside your body, literally getting stuck in your tissues, ultimately triggering more serious disorders that affect hormone balance, digestion, joint health, and proper liver function. That’s why Dr. Merritt follows a functional medicine approach to identify what factors that can compromise your thyroid health, which are many times the same factors that can harm your thyroid health as well. Together, we can create a custom-tailored protocol to address all the issues that are causing thyroid issues, instead of immediately using hormone replacement meds. If you have been experiencing symptoms that may be connected with thyroid imbalances and are looking for answers, take the FREE health quiz with Weddington Wellness Center today so we can see if you may be at risk and what your options are!