THE HIDDEN CAUSE OF HEART DISEASE--AND ITS EASY CURE

In this report, I'm going to share with you a very powerful weapon in the fight against the "silent killer" - heart disease. It involves the thyroid gland, more specifically diagnosing and correcting an under active thyroid. Reams of research over the past 30 years have linked hypothyroidism to dozens of serious health problems, from heart disease and poor circulation to depression and low libido. Yet the medical establishment continues to overlook the problem, opting to mask its many complex symptoms with dangerous drugs. That's not what I want for you, or for anyone.

I'm going to show you how you can test your thyroid in the comfort of your own home and correct any imbalances that may exist. It's one of the simplest techniques I've ever written about and, as you'll see, one of the most lifesaving.

Heart disease and its associated complications are the most serious side effects of an under active thyroid. However, hypothyroidism has important implications throughout the body. Here are some of the more common effects of an under producing thyroid gland:

• Heart disease
• Poor circulation
• Increased susceptibility to infection
• Depression and mental confusion
• Decreased heart rate and cardiac output
• Increased weight (pot belly)
• Pain where the ribs meet the sternum
• Memory loss
• Unexplained crying
• Morning headaches and dizziness
• Loss of hair, especially outside of eyebrows
• Constipation
• Ringing in the ears
• Allergies
• A frog-like husky voice
• Muscular sluggishness and weakness

In this report, I'm going to be focusing on the first of these risks--heart disease.

HEART DISEASE AND HOMOCYSTEINE

Heart disease remains the number-one killer in this country, and there are no signs of that changing anytime soon. If you asked most people on the street, which they fear more, cancer or heart disease, they'd probably say cancer. But I'll bet that for every person you know who has died of cancer, you can think of at least 20 others who are on cholesterol or blood pressure medication, have had bypass surgery or angioplasty, or have died from cardiovascular problems.

Furthermore, while cancer has perhaps hundreds of causes, many of which we don't know, we do know most of the major factors linked to heart disease. Diets high in fried foods and sugar, smoking, lack of exercise, and obesity are all firmly established risk factors for heart disease. The antidote to each of these is obvious.

Research over the past decade has identified another risk factor that seems to be even more telling than diet and lifestyle, one whose antidote until recently has been less apparent. That risk factor is high blood levels of homocysteine. Homocysteine is created when the amino acid methionine, found in red meat, milk, and milk products, is broken down in the body. Under ideal circumstances, the body breaks down homocysteine with the help of vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid.

Studies continue to establish stronger links between even moderately elevated blood levels of homocysteine and heart disease. In the 1992 Physicians' Health Study, men with very high homocysteine levels had a risk of heart attack three times that of men with normal homocysteine levels. In fact, an elevated homocysteine level was such a dominant factor that it indicated increased risk even in the men who had no other cardiovascular risk factors.

Because of the importance of homocysteine levels as a heart attack risk factor, efforts have thus far concentrated on lowering high levels through any means possible. And up until now, the only consistently successful approach has been to increase the intake of B vitamins. However, new research indicates that lowering homocysteine levels in this manner may simply be masking a more serious underlying problem, the one that's causing the elevated levels in the first place. This bigger problem, which I alluded to earlier, is an underactive thyroid.

HOMOCYSTEINE AND HYPOTHYROIDISM

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio have released new findings showing that correcting an underactive thyroid gland normalizes elevated homocysteine levels in the blood. Even more amazing is that the researchers were able to normalize homocysteine levels without having to administer any of the B vitamins. In other words, correcting the thyroid problem in turn corrected the vitamin deficiency. (Ann Intern Med 99;131(5):348-51)

This newly discovered link between hypothyroidism and heart disease supports the decades-old research of Dr. Broda Barnes. Dr. Barnes published the book Solved: The Riddle of Heart Attacks back in 1976. Based on his research and clinical experience, Dr. Barnes suggested that heart disease was caused by hypothyroidism. Although we didn't know about the role of homocysteine at the time, there were plenty of indications that the thyroid gland was involved in cardiovascular disease. Results of studies conducted as far back as the early 1900s showed the strong relationship between thyroid activity and fat metabolism: Blood-fat levels (and cholesterol) increase with an underactive thyroid and decrease with an overactive thyroid.

Thanks to research, we now have a much more detailed understanding of this relationship, one that shows a clear therapeutic application. In other words, we can use the thyroid to monitor and even correct heart problems. I'll give you a plan for balancing your thyroid later in this report, but first I'd like to touch briefly on the reasons behind the growing epidemic of hypothyroidism in our country.

THE CAUSES OF HYPOTHYROIDISM

Based on the research I've seen and conducted over the past decade, there are three primary reasons for the high rate of hypothyroidism that we now have in this country.

Iodine Deficiency. The major problem stems from a lack of iodine in the diet. Iodine is one of the essential components of thyroid hormones. Without sufficient iodine, the production of thyroid hormones is limited. Iodine consumption has dropped dramatically in this country over the past 20 years, due in part to the depletion of our soils and in part to less iodized salt being used as an ingredient in our foods. (J Clin Endocrin and Metab 98;88:3401-3408)

Selenium Deficiency. You might have heard how important the mineral selenium is to your immune system, but chances are you haven't heard how important it is to proper thyroid function. That's unfortunate, because the effects of a selenium deficiency are very serious.

As with iodine, our soils have become deficient in the trace mineral selenium. In the last few years, researchers have found that certain selenium-containing enzymes (Iodothyronine 5' deiodinase) are responsible for the conversion of thyroid hormone T3 to T4. The thyroid produces several hormones, and must produce them in a somewhat balanced ratio. Without selenium, this balancing process is hindered. In simple terms, selenium-deficient diets are also a primary cause of hypothyroidism. (Biol Trace Elem Res 96;51(1):31-41) (Clin Sci 95;89(6):637-42)

Estrogen-like Compound Pollution. Another factor that has generally been overlooked by the medical community is the recent introduction of estrogen-like compounds into our environment. These compounds enter our bodies through respiration, ingestion of contaminated food, and skin contact. Once in the body, they block thyroid hormone production and contribute to hypothyroidism. These compounds include such environmental pollutants as PCBs, dioxins, and pesticides such as lindane or dieldrin.

Besides increasing the risk of estrogen dependent cancers, these estrogen-like pollutants block the production of thyroid hormones. Unfortunately, they can now be found in our food and drinking water supplies--one of the primary reasons we are seeing problems like hypothyroidism showing up in our children. (This is also one of the reasons I advocate the use of a distiller for drinking water. Filters simply can't remove all these substances, and chlorine has no effect on them.)

The best distiller I've found is the Waterwise® Distiller. It is available from Mountian Home Solutions at 800-211-8562.

HOW'S YOUR THYROID?

When you take a close look at the health problems that have started to skyrocket in this country, hypothyroidism shows up as a common denominator in a surprising number of them. If you have any of the problems listed above, you owe it to yourself to test whether hypothyroidism is an underlying factor. This is absolutely critical if you have any form of heart disease, including high cholesterol, triglycerides, or blood pressure, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), fluid retention (the need for diuretics), or history of heart attack.

Fortunately, determining if your thyroid is underactive is one of the easiest tests you can perform. It's also practically foolproof. All you have to do is check your basal metabolic rate by taking the temperature of your body at your underarm. Here's how you do it:

• Place an oral thermometer by your bed. If it's the old mercury kind, make sure to shake it down to at least 96 degrees.
• When you wake up the next morning, immediately place the thermometer in your armpit and leave it there for 10 minutes before getting out of bed. Just relax and remain still during the test.
• Record the temperature.

Men and premenstrual and postmenopausal women can do the test any time. Menstruating women get the most accurate readings on the second or third day after menstrual flow starts. A reading between 97.2 and 98.2 degrees is considered normal (your morning temperature will be lower than your temperature later in the day, which is usually around 98.6 degrees). Temperatures outside that range generally indicate a thyroid imbalance.

Although this test is simple, it gives far better results than traditional thyroid blood tests. The only reason it's not more widely recommended is that nobody can figure a way to make money off of it. Untold numbers of people with so-called "normal" blood test results, have experienced quick and lasting relief from cardiovascular and other health problems by simply improving their thyroid function.

TREATING HYPOTHYROIDISM

There are basically two methods of improving a hypothyroid condition. One involves the use of supplemental thyroid hormones. These can be either synthetic, such as Synthroid, or natural hormones extracted from pigs, such as Armour. The other method involves supplying the thyroid gland with all the raw materials necessary for an increase in hormone production. These raw materials include specific iodine and nonhormone glandular supplements.

I prefer to use the second method as long as the thyroid gland is still at least partially working. Hormones are very powerful subst/mces that need to work in conjunction with each other. Because of this, the body has a very sophisticated system of checks and balances to help regulate hormone levels throughout the tissues. When a hormone (such as Synthroid or Armour) is artificially introduced into the body, this delicate balance can be upset. Further, when you supply a hormone that a given gland would normally make on its own, you risk causing the gland to quit making that hormone. If that occurs, you will be forced to supplement the hormone daily for the rest of your life. On the other hand, if you can revitalize a depressed gland with glandular supplements, the gland will naturally resume hormone production and you won't need indefinite treatment.

One of the most effective ways I've found to help rebalance the thyroid gland is to take a liquid iodine product called Iosol. I've used this product for years without any problems whatsoever. Take four drops of Iosol in water each day for the first two weeks, and then reduce the dosage to two drops per day. Note: Under no circumstances should you ingest antiseptic or topical iodine. Iosol is the only form of iodine I recommend for internal usage. You can often find Iosol--made by TPCS Distributors--in larger health food stores. If you can't find a local source, you can order Iosol from Sullivan Creek Distributing at 888-406-4066.

If the Iosol alone does not seem to alleviate the symptoms of hypothyroidism, take three tablets of a glandular product called Thytrophin, along with just one drop of Iosol per day. You can often take Thytrophin in place of prescription thyroid medications. Three tablets of Thytrophin are roughly equivalent to one grain of hormone. Thytrophin is made by a highly reputable and reliable company called Standard Process Products. Unfortunately, this company sells its products only to medical professionals, but you can call the company at 800-848-5061 for the name of a physician who can order Thytrophin for you. Or you can sometimes order from a willing distributor, such as For Your Health at 800-456-4325.

In addition to using Iosol and Thytrophin, make sure that you're also using a good multivitamin-mineral product. Doing so will ensure that you're getting important trace minerals such as selenium (200 mcg per day) and other components necessary for the production and conversion of thyroid hormones.

Finally, take steps to reduce your exposure to estrogen-like compounds. Use organic cleansers, pesticides and other household products. And make the switch once and for all to distilled water. The length of time needed to obtain results from treating hypothyroidism will vary from individual to individual. Most people begin to see a marked difference in their energy levels and mood in just a few days, but other problems may take longer to resolve. And while correcting an underactive thyroid won't reverse heart disease, it will stop its progression and most likely · prevent a future heart attack or heart failure. Once you've stopped the progress, you can begin reversing the problem through the use of high quality cardiovascular supplements, lecithin, fresh unsaturated fatty acids, and proper diet.

DON'T JUST READ ABOUT IT

We're in the midst of a nationwide resurgence of thyroid problems. It's happening even more quickly than I expected. If you're part of this trend, take the first steps now to solve your thyroid problem. Start by getting out the thermometer and putting it by your bed. Tie a note to the alarm clock to remind yourself. Or do whatever works for you. As the popular saying goes, just do it--and in this case, we're not talking about athletic shoes; we're talking about saving lives.