DESCRIPTION: Primary Care Physicians now diagnose thyroid disease routinely, yet thyroid antibody levels are normally ignored. There is some preliminary evidence that thyroid antibodies can be affected by selenium supplementation, and that autoimmune disease can be caused by environmental triggers such as pesticide exposure and heavy metals.
OBJECTIVES:
1. Provide participants with an overview of thyroid autoimmune disease;
2. Inform participants as to research indicating environmental and genetic influence on thyroid antibodies
3. Identify nutrients, botanicals and pharmaceutical interventions that are evidence-based
4. What are the nutrients that affect thyroid antibody levels?
5. What environmental exposures have been linked to autoimmune disease?
6. Reserarch review on environmental effects on thyroid antibody levels?
7.There are many environmental influences that affect thyroid antibody levels. There is also conflicting evidence that selenium can decrease thyroid antibodies
8. Supplementation of Se seems to be effective in preventing a reduction in thyroid echogenicity after 6 months of treatment and in reducing TPO-Ab and Tg-Ab after 12 months, however it does not modify TSH or FT4 levels.
9. Many physicians are not aware of the effects of certain substances on thyroid fucntion.. This seminar will bring physicians up-to-date regarding environmental influences on thyroid function, and provide a case in which to apply this knowledge.