Iodine, thyroid, and breast cancer??
Comments
-
LJ13, I do believe in some natural approaches, thus being on this forum, but I do agree with you that my DCIS was probably not caused by low iodine. Trust me, I wish it were! At least I would know why. I was only 45 and thin, and fit, and had my kids in my late twenties and nursed them, blah, blah, blah. I still would like to prevent any new episodes, so I'm curious about balancing whatever hormones I have left. I will not do any bio-identicals. I have though changed my shampoos, face products, and household cleaners. I have also cut back on alcohol. I have always bought organic, so that hasn't changed. Maybe there isn't anything left?! I can't leave Chicago and move to someplace pure. Is there even a place? I'm just venting..
0 -
Stopping in to note, louishenry cancers differ....even breast cancers. I can put my finger on several possible causes of my 2 bouts of cancer. The lack of Iodine and progesterone may be one of several reasons that affected my breast. The thyroid needs the idoine, and progesternone.
Since I learned my thyroid isn't functioning, and the importance of progesterone to the thyroid, I've decided to add prosgestone cream to my cancer prevention regimen. For me it is a natural way to counter the estrogen +
I am still studying the thyroid connection, and wonder if for me the cause of thyroid failure is adrenal exhaustion. What's the difference between adrenal and thyroid?. Is there recovery for such a dx? Here's another question I'm wrestling with...I've read that women who are hypothyroidism are usually dx with early breast cancer or non invasive type. It is because hypo is slower moving? Ok...since I'm on thyroid med's, I will be producting T3 and T4 which will energize my cells. Would this put me at a high risk for invasive cancer? ...since my cells will be moving faster?
0 -
Hi Barry. How did you test your progesterone levels? My iodine and progesterone tests are normal. My OB tested mine, but I was wondering if there was a better test out there.
0 -
Hello i dont really understand, i have an underactive tyroid for over a year and i have just been diagnosed with breast cancer. for what i gather this is rare? does this mean im likely or unlikley to be Her positive im waiting path report! please help!!
0 -
Sara, sorry you are just starting out in all this. I can relate to the fact that when I was dx, I really wanted to know what caused my bc so that I could see if I could do anything about it. It took a lot of searching but I tink I figured it all out. There is probably no single cause of bc. It is a lot of things that happen at the same time, that cause cells to mutate into cancerous cells. For those of us past treatment, we are still looking at every angle because we do not want it back. One of the things that really bugged me was when doctors told me that they did not know what caused cancer. That is baloney. We know there are all kinds of things that cause cancer. There are so many carcinogens in our environment, in our food, cosmetics, etc. We cannot control all of these, but we can minimize their effects by building up our immunes systems, trying to minimize our exposure to carcingens, and figuring out if all of our systems are in balance. Our bodies are miraculous creations and have the most incredible ability to heal itself. However, when one system is out of sync, things can really go haywire. It is like leaving a hole in the dike. Eventually, the stress will allow a flood. So those of us here are looking at every angle, trying to figure out where our weaknesses are so that the dam will not burst again. This thyroid issue is just becoming into the forefront. I too have a low thyroid and am looking into it to see if this could be a culprit for me. Doctors tell us that bc is related to estrogen dominance. My frustration has been that they feel the solution is to block estrogen to prevent bc. I just could never see the logic to blocking estrogen, a vital hormone, rather than find a way to balance it with progesterone. When I went to see a doctor who specializes in aging and hormone treatment, she explained how low progesterone, the natural estrogen balancer, and the thyroid are interelated. I could not explain it to you but there is a connection. Since you are just starting out, ask your doctors to do a urinalysis to determine your hormone levels and a tyroid test. This will give you some ground work. Also, have a vit d test. Low vit. d levels seem to also go along with bc. I wish I had know to do these simple tests, because it would have given me a good footprint. In any case, you are doing the right thing by looking for answers now. I wish I had done that . I was in such a fog that I did not do anything but fret. I hope everything goes well for you. We are here to help if you need it.
Louishenry, did you do a blood test for your hormones? I had one done, but my new doctor feels that a urinalysis or saliva test can give more specific information. I am waiting to see what this new test says for me.
FlaLady, I agree with the whole global warming nonsense. If the planet is getting so hot, then why have we been freezing our butts off all winter. I do not ever remember the rivers and lakes here being so frozen as they have this year since I was a kid.
0 -
100% well said Vivre!
0 -
Certain political parties believe there is no such thing as global warming.
People also believe in the Tooth Fairy.
0 -
oh thank you for your reply from what i gather if you have a history of underactive throiyd and breast cancer you are more likely to have early stage breast cancer and less agressive form. i was told i was low grade-meduim, dont really know much else til 2wks i hatewaiting! did u have spraed to lymph nodes? i take 50mg alroxine for underactive for over a year now what do you think??
0 -
ann-idiot: from what I see, you are anything but an idiot. Don't put yourself down like this.0
-
I've almost completed by first bottle of Armour. In the beginning I felt as if I was on speed. I am not sure if it was a mental thing or if I was just having a few good days...after a week things went back to the way I was before taking Armour. Other than feeling a little stronger, I haven't felt much different. I will soon be going in for another blood test.
But, my chioropracter recently recommended Selenium, & Iodoral which significantly helped. He also recommended Kelp...sea weed. Haven't purchase it..but plan to.
0 -
sarahzxe - I don't know if over/underactive thyroid can be an indicator of any particular form, stage, grade of BC.
My thyroid is perfectly fine, I had DCIS and have been dx with LCIS and ALH.
My mom's thyroid is perfectly fine, she had IDC.
My maternal grandmother had thyroid issues, but lived til 82, no BC or any cancers for that matter.
I want more than anecdotal evidence. Hope your oncologist can work with your endocrinologist and ensure that all of your treatments work together. Best wishes to you.
0 -
The Amour worked great at first and then slowed down. . My thyroid test came back normal...but doc said that I still need them. I wonder if the vitamin D help make the difference?
0 -
Barry, that is good to know. Keep us posted if you see any more changes with the armour. I sent in the iodine loading test and am waiting for the results. I hope it sheds some light for me.
0 -
Barry,
Diagnosing thyroid function seems to depend upon the doctor's ability to evaluate your symptoms rather than the blood tests. An article on the most comminly used test, TSH, is reportedly inaccurate 75% of the time. T3 and T4 also have to be considered but are not definitive either. Body temperature may be a helpful diagnostic but even that has been normal in some people who are clearly hypothyroid.
It is a trial and error process and the thyroid may change repeatedly as it begins getting help from Armour or nutrition from iodine. Many doctors are still going on outdated information they learned in medical school 20 years ago from professors who learned 40 years ago! It is hard to find a doctor who reads the current literature or who goes to conferences to keep up.
0 -
So proper diagnosis depends on intuition rather than objective tests.
Natural selection, I say.
0 -
<
Proper thyroid diagnosis by tests is very "iffy" and not reliable. I wouldn't use the word "intuition" exactly. A well-trained doc will recognize the hypo symptoms from the symptom list.
An experienced doctor who is very familiar with the hypothyroidism considers symptoms more convincing evidence than the lab tests.
0 -
And the additional lab work after recognized symtoms usually only happens with a naturapathic doc in my experience.. as a matter of fact I was seeing a naturapath doc who put me on natural thyroid and when I saw my normal practioner he took me off! Now my health insurance won't pay for the naturapath doc so you can see why we don't get our thyroid issues addressed! No naturapath doc no prescription for thyroid meds!! Very messy - and my normal practioner explained that when you are on a thyroid med you are expected to remain on it for the rest of your life, that is not what the naturapath said!
0 -
<
He said you had to be on it for the rest of your life? That is nuts. Unless you have had your thyroid surgically removed, your thyroid hormone production varies all the time. Even between winter and summer. People on iodine supplementation usually can cut down their thyroid meds or eliminate them eventually.
When I couldn't get Armour Thyroid last year for a month my doctor had me order it from an offshore pharmacy. He did not want me to go on Synthroid (another medication that was available.)
This is the place he sent me. I didn't need a prescription.
http://www.antiaging-systems.com/a2z/thyroid.htm
But Dr. Ron's also makes a dessicated thyroid/liver supplement but they're expensive.
<
0 -
troll alert ladies! Watch for member who only just join and come to this section to attack with smart a$$ remarks or put downs. We are under attack again.
0 -
This is all very interesting. I wonder how much of a thyroid problem I really have???? Could the surgeries and bc have had a impact on the thyroid? I have a few symptoms..only and my doctor seems to think I have a severe thyroid problem. Now I'm wondering??? My skin is soft, and oily. I am high energy. I haven't lost hair, and it's fine. But the symptoms I do have ...are extreme high cholesterol, and a hoarse voice at times...especially when stressed. I wonder if mine is merely adrenal exhaustion.
0 -
Have you seen a M.D. for these symptoms?
0 -
It wasn't until I went to a naturalpath, who wanted to find out why my body was turning on me... The whole thyroid problem is something I'm just beginning to understand.. It could be also due to adrenaline overload..who knows. It will be interesting to see if my thyroid recovers and the cholesteral drops in the coming months.
0 -
Barry: Have you seen a change for the better since starting Armour?
0 -
I definitely believe there is a connection between Iodine, thyroid, BC and insulin.
My story: I had gyno problems since 20yrs old. This resulted in my having a total hysterectomy at 38. At 45 was diagnosed with stage 2 BC. After treatment became diabetic. After a couple of years I went to a General Practioner who specialises in nutritional medicine. He did all sorts of tests that even the nurses didn't know about. My blood tests showed that the thyroid function was in the normal range BUT he said that I wasn't showing any Iodine & that wasn't normal. More scans,found multi nodular Goitre. Had a biopsy on 1 nodule showed benign. 12mths later had a follow up scan which showed it had grown. I said he would have to put me under because I didn't want to be awake for it this time. He decided that because of the BC that he should take it (Thyroid) out as a precaution.
I might add that at this stage my routine blood tests still said my thyroid function was in the normal range. After the surgery, he said "Thank God we took it out. It was Cancer & I had 4 other sites". Yes he believes there is a connection between Thyroid problems and BC and for me maybe Insulin. I now have Type 2 Diabetes. On my 10th Anniversary to the day (it was supposed to be a celebration) I found out that the BC had returned in the form of metastases to the vertabrae.
I am not the type to give in without a fight, but PLEASE - if you have any inclination that something is wrong, hammer the doctors to check & double check because you have a much better chance of survival if you get it early. It's Your body and nobody knows it like you.
Even my last blood tests didn't show any sign of cancer. I just kept pestering my Doc for an MRI because my sore back wasn't responding to traditional treatment.
0 -
ChrystalLady-thank you so much for sharing that information with us! My blood test showed that my thyroid was a little low, but I think the cold hands and feet I have, is because it is low. This is definitely something I intend to follow up on. I really appreciate you reinforcing this for us. Since the thyroid also effects progesterone, which balances estrogen, it does seem logical that a low thyroid could result in bc. This goes along with Dr Lee's thesis of low progesterone too. Now I am really looking forward to the results of the iodine loading test. Anom-what will this test tell me and how should I interpret it?
0 -
The iodine and thyroid hormone
defencehttp://www.femail.com.au/breast_cancer_iodine_thyroid_connection.htm
As long as a woman's thyroid gland is working well, the cancer in situ stays in the breast and does not cause any problems. If the cancer goes to the second phase, it spreads through the surrounding connective tissue,3 so the strength and function of this connective tissue barrier are important. Connective tissue is controlled by thyroid hormone. If the connective tissue level of thyroid hormone is high, then the defence of connective tissue is strong, and the cancer cannot spread. Thus the spread of cancer can be inhibited by giving exogenous thyroid hormone.
Most of the potential environmental causes of breast cancer, such as pesticides and estrogen-like compounds in the environment, have been found to be only a small factor in causing breast cancer. However, if a person has enough iodine flowing through the body systems, the toxins cannot do much damage because iodine is one of the greatest inactivators of chemical toxins.
In the second phase of the cancer process, distant metastases,5 such as the spread of cancer to the lungs or brain, almost invariably involve connective tissue.3 When working properly, the connective tissue serves as a barrier to cancer cell migration. Since the edema6 of severe hypothyroid states is located in the connective tissue of all organs, it has been assumed and then proven in more recent years that thyroid hormone is the main controller of connective tissue function.
At levels of two to three milligrams of dietary iodine per day, the thyroid gland becomes saturated, and most of the iodine then bathes the extracellular compartment, triggering apoptosis4 by means of an old (in terms of evolution) reaction between iodine and tyrosine, or iodine and histidine-the same chemical reaction by which iodine in dilute solutions causes the death of bacteria and all other single-celled organisms, such as bacteria of all types, viruses, fungi, and protozoa.0 -
I have a question. Is the thyroid implicated in bc when it is undiagnosed? If the thyroid (when treated), as well as glucose and chlolesteral, are fine , why would that cause bc? I'm sure someone posted an answer, but I did not want to go back and re-read. I am trying to understand the link between the two. If there is a link, what should we do about it? Get off synthroid? I tried armour a long time ago, but for me, it didn't change my levels. I am interested in an answer as to what I should do about already being successfully treated for hypo, but yet trying not to get any more DCIS ( as well as anything worse). My iodine levels are fine.
0 -
Vivre,
As you know, the 24 hour Iodine Loading Test is the only reliable test for iodine sufficiency. The best way to interpret it is to get it reimbursed thru Breast Cancer Choices Iodine Investigation Project and you will get a free mini phone consult with Jorge Flechas, MD, who will explain your test results and whether/ how much Iodoral you should take.
Iodine supplementation nourishes the thyroid, breasts, uterus and other organs which is why women need more iodine than men. When there is a prolonged deficiency, one or all three of these organs get sick. Some women get the "Iodine Deficiency Trifecta" with breast, thyroid and ovary/uterus problems.
>
0 -
Louissherry,
Most thyroid disease goes undiagnosed if the doctor only relies on blood tests. As I wrote above, a good practitioner diagnoses from the list of symptoms associated with thyroid disease.
Breast diseases are not caused by thyroid disease. BOTH DISEASES ARE A RESULT OF THE SAME DEFICIENCY. You can Google breast iodine and read up.
Iodine has been given for fibrocystic breast disease since the 90s. Because of the Mayo Clinic research, we now know some forms of fibrocystic disease progress to breast cancer. So the goal is to stop any new cancers by arresting sick breasts before so-called benign conditions progress.
Also: A recent study showed iodine reduced cancer cell proliferation in patients during the period between biopsy and surgery.
There is a lot of info here: www.breastcancerchoices.org/iodine
0 -
I would like to know how many ladies are taking iodine supplement on their own? I had thyroid levels measured last year by PCP and told all within normal range. However after reading these posts I'm not sure any more. http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Iodoral.htm
0
