- There are no animal glandulars in Thyroid Helper® or any Wellness Resources product. I do not consider animal glandulars safe to take especially for individuals with multiple health concerns. My concern is that if you are taking some form of thyroid animal gland extract then you are running the risk of your immune system adversely reacting to foreign animal tissue which may provoke an autoimmune reaction. Animal glands also contain residues of every pollutant the animal was exposed to, and thyroid tissue is susceptible to accumulation of numerous toxins.
- There are no herbal stimulants in Thyroid Helper® or any Wellness Resources product. In fact, I refused to put ephedra in any of my products long before it was removed from the market. Other common herbal stimulants are bitter orange, yohimbine, or khat. Some products rely on caffeinated herbs such as guarana, kola nut, or green tea (I use decaffeinated green tea in my products). I'm not against caffeine, and you can easily control your intake in the coffee or tea you consume. However, taking an herbal stimulant dietary supplement for weight loss or thyroid support is a waste of money and may actually make thyroid problems worse by revving up nerves too much.
- There is no potassium iodide in Thyroid Helper®. This cheap salt of iodine is very hard for your body to use and may clog thyroid function if consumed in high amounts. Iodine is important, but I only recommend the unique water soluble liquid form known as Iosol Iodine, which works great with Thyroid Helper®.
- Most importantly, there is no excessive price mark-up in Thyroid Helper®. I'm sure we could sell Thyroid Helper® in an infomercial or through inflated health professional networks, you would just need to pay three times the current price to pay for the advertising and marketing expense. We keep our costs down by selling real quality directly to you.
Thyroid Helper® may be used along with your thyroid medication as it will simply help the medication work better within the tissues. Thyroid Helper® is not replacement thyroid hormone, rather it provides nutrients that improves the conversion of inactive thyroid hormone (T4) to active thyroid hormone (T3), along with improving the transport and absorption of activated thyroid hormone into cell tissues to turn on metabolism. Each of these mechanisms requires proper nourishment in order to adequately function. Thyroid Helper® provides that nourishment. View more information about Thyroid and Metabolism.
Learn more about Thyroid Helper®:
Millions Struggle with Low Thyroid FunctionThe Thyroid Helper® Strategy
Selenium is Vital to Thyroid Function
Warming Up and Energizing
Manganese: Thyroid and Liver Protector
Supports Fat Burning and Insulin Function
Guggul A True Friend of Healthy Thyroid Function
Ashwagandha: Stress-Busting Thyroid Nutrient
Millions Struggle with Low Thyroid Function
Thyroid function is weakened by stress, pollution, poor lifestyle, bad eating habits, and a history of yo-yo dieting. It is now proven that various nutrients directly support the healthy structure of the thyroid gland, the formation of thyroid hormone, and the activation of thyroid hormone throughout the body. These are all normal and natural functions that need to be properly maintained to support health.*New science is showing that free radical problems stress thyroid hormone function, especially when there are deficiencies of selenium and manganese containing antioxidant enzymes. If these nutritional deficiencies are not corrected a person is much more likely to struggle with body weight, insulin function, and poor metabolism.*
Sluggish thyroid hormone function is common, a different issue than medical thyroid problems such as hypothyroidism. Many individuals have symptoms of slow metabolism, including low body temperature, fatigue, weight gain, trouble losing weight and keeping it off, constipation, poor mood, heavy head, dry skin, and energy problems in the afternoon. Thyroid Helper® offers significant nutritional support to help maintain the normal function of thyroid hormone. A considerable amount of exciting new science helps to explain why Thyroid Helper® is such a popular product.*
The Thyroid Helper® Strategy
A main reason why you may have the symptoms of poor thyroid function is a lack of nutrients that are vital for the normal function of thyroid hormone. Nutrient deficiencies place a major stress on the thyroid gland itself, helping to lock in sluggish and inefficient metabolism of calories. Various nutrients are needed to form thyroid hormone, activate thyroid hormone, and protect the thyroid and liver during this process.I have tried to make this easy for people by designing nutritional products that provide the most needed nutrients. Thyroid Helper® is our top thyroid support product. It is a mix of tyrosine, selenium, manganese, guggul, and Ashwaganda.
Tyrosine is an amino acid that converts to dopamine and norepinephrine with the help of vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Norepinephrine is a sympathetic nerve neurotransmitter that is the stimulus for your subconscious brain (hypothalamus and pituitary) to activate the production of thyroid hormone in the first place (TRH and TSH).
Brain levels of leptin act as a traffic cop, regulating the amount of norepinephrine allowed to stimulate the production of thyroid (leptin bases this on the adequacy of stored fat a perception that is often faulty). Norepinephrine-transmitting nerves are also wired directly to the thyroid gland, which act as a catalyst to get the thyroid moving.
Supplemental tyrosine is well known to promote brain activation, mental clarity, and better mood.* Tyrosine is also the central molecule of thyroid hormone (four iodine molecules are attached to one tyrosine to make thyroxine, T4).
Most people do not realize that the natural process of making and activating thyroid hormone is highly oxidative, meaning a lot of free radicals are made even when the thyroid is running normally. Once the thyroid starts to struggle the increase in free radicals and related inflammatory signals (like TNFa and IL6) is significant and may induce stressful wear and tear on metabolic processes.
Free radicals are neutralized by antioxidants. Once your antioxidant reserves are depleted your thyroid function must slow down otherwise there will be too much metabolic friction and health-deteriorating inflammation. Unfortunately, the modern diet is lacking in antioxidants and other nutrients needed to support thyroid health.
Key nutrients that facilitate thyroid-related antioxidant function are selenium and manganese.*
Selenium is Vital to Thyroid Function
Selenium is highly concentrated in the thyroid gland, more so than in any other organ in the human body, indicating its vital need in normal thyroid function. It acts as an antioxidant that protects the thyroid gland, a cofactor nutrient that facilitates the production of thyroid hormone, and as a nutrient that is required to facilitate the conversion of T4 to T3 (triiodothyronine, active thyroid hormone that works inside cells to set the pace of metabolism).Selenium combines with the sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine to make a special protein known as selenocysteine, a selenoprotein. There are 30 selenoproteins that are currently identified, mostly involving the antioxidant defense system and thyroid function.
The selenium-containing antioxidant enzymes are known as glutathione peroxidases (GSH). Six different GSH enzymes have now been identified; helping to protect the inside of cells, the GI tract, the reproductive system, and operating in fluids between cells. GSH enzymes are vital to maintaining normal health. They are now proven to protect the thyroid gland during thyroid hormone formation.
The formation of thyroid hormone occurs on cell membranes of thyroid cells known as thyrocytes. This process requires selenium as a cofactor nutrient. During this process the enzyme thyroid peroxidase (TPO) prepares iodine for attachment to tyrosine to form thyroid hormone. The normal activity of TPO generates tremendous numbers of free radicals within the thyroid gland in the form of H2O2 and lipid peroxides. These must be deactivated by GSH enzymes, otherwise the production of thyroid hormone stresses and inflames the thyroid gland. This can easily result in a reduced rate of thyroid hormone formation. Its like trying to run on a sprained ankle, except it is a sprained thyroid.
Selenoproteins also act in various ways to change T4 into T3 (active thyroid hormone) and reverseT3 (which inactivates T3). Three main selenoproteins activate and inactivate thyroid hormone, known as D1, D2, and D3.
D1 is the primary activator of thyroid hormone for your body, working mostly in the liver and to some degree in the kidneys. D2 is active in the thyroid gland, brain, nerves, and heart. It plays the primary role in thyroid activation in the brain under normal conditions, and produces thyroid hormone for the rest of the body under stressed conditions. D3 is mostly a brake on thyroid hormone activity, turning off active hormone.
When your body starts to run low on selenium the activation of thyroid hormone by D1 may drop by 90%. Your body compensates by turning on the back up system, using the D2 enzyme to maintain active thyroid hormone. The problem with this back up system running for any great length of time is that is causes significantly increased production of free radicals. Even worse, the lack of selenium already handicapped the primary antioxidant that protects the thyroid gland and liver, GSH. Thus, selenium deficiency forces the body into a very uncomfortable metabolic coping strategy that eventually leads to slower metabolism, increased oxidative stress, and wear and tear to the thyroid gland and liver.*
Warming Up and Energizing
Thyroid hormone acts in cells to set the basal metabolic rate. When this is working properly cells burn calories, producing 65% energy and 35% heat. This results in a good energy level as well as normal body temperature. The brain is especially sensitive to thyroid hormone function, thus a tired head feeling, especially in the afternoon, is a key sign energy is not being produced adequately.*Many nutrition-related factors inside cells determine if energy and heat are made properly. Energy and heat production take place in the mitochondria of cells. Think of them as the car engine of the cell. Think of thyroid hormone as the idling speed of the engine. If the idling speed is too low the engine may backfire or conk out, resulting in fatigue and poor metabolism.*
Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin, Iosol Iodine, and Thyroid Helper® are frequently used together to provide basic nutritional support for thyroid hormone and for cell engines. The goal is to get energy going in the morning and keep it going through the day, especially in the late afternoon. Some people find that taking a Thyroid Helper® and Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin in the afternoon helps keep their head awake and energy level maintained through this often difficult period of the day.*
Manganese, a Thyroid and Liver Protector
Manganese has long been known as the anti-pear nutrient. New science is showing the vital role of manganese in liver function, fat metabolism, and liver anti-oxidant status. This relates to thyroid hormone activation, as most activation occurs on cell membranes in the liver. If the liver is suffering from excessive free radical stress, then cell membranes are not as functional and the activation of thyroid hormone may become distressed.*Manganese is a mineral that is required to form a special antioxidant enzyme called manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). It is a key part of the cell engine's antioxidant defense system that enables the cell engine to produce energy and heat efficiently. Poor function of this enzyme reduces the ability of cells to make energy and heat.*
MnSOD is now found to be a primary protector of the thyroid hormone. This enzyme naturally rises as thyroid hormone activity is increased, acting as a protective buffer to support increased metabolic rate. If this enzyme, or the selenium-dependent GSH are lacking, then activation of thyroid hormone generates friction and stress in the form of excessive free radicals. This results in wear and tear to the thyroid gland, liver, and nerves.* A lack of manganese is clearly associates with reduced function of thyroid hormone in the body.*
Supports Healthy Fat Metabolism and Insulin Function
New science has shown that as free radical stress increases, due to lacking GSH and MnSOD activity, fat begins to accumulate in the liver, generating further free radical stress in the form of damaged fats, known as lipid peroxides. This makes a stressed metabolic situation worse. Once this happens a person is more likely to struggle with weight loss.*Recent discoveries show that this free radical issue stresses normal insulin function in the liver.. As the liver and thyroid become inefficient, the problems play off each other like a chicken and egg proposition.*
Since Thyroid Helper® enhances the function of antioxidant enzymes normal insulin function and liver-related fat metabolism are supported.*
Guggul A True Friend of Healthy Thyroid Function
Thyroid Helper® includes the Ayurvedic herb called Commiphora mukul, known as guggul. The thyroid stimulating properties of guggul have been reported for the past twenty years. Animal studies show it works partly by stimulating thyroid hormone production and partly by increasing liver antioxidant status.*The active component in this herb is gugglesterone. Intense research is now being conducted with gugglesterones as they have been found to naturally regulate a gene receptor called farnesoid X receptor (FSX). As it turns out, FSX specifically turns on and off fat burning in the liver.*
The rate of bile flow is also regulated by the FSX. Gugglesterones have been shown to help the FSX receptor pump bile more efficiently, helping to clear LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and toxins.*
Gugglesterones have been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine in India for several thousand years to help weight loss. Any nutrient that enhances the burning of fat will at least have an indirect benefit to thyroid function, since obesity itself is a major stress to the thyroid gland.*
Ashwagandha, the Stress-Busting Thyroid Booster
Ashwagandha is another Ayurvedic herb that has been used for thousands of years to boost stress tolerance and generally rejuvenate the body. It has been shown to enhance thyroid hormone levels by directly working as an antioxidant that reduces the amount of lipid peroxides forming in the liver.*A variety of animal experiments show that Ashwagandha helps maintain normal antioxidant function even during intentionally induced stress trauma, not only boosting antioxidant protection but also reducing the amount of cortisol that is released in response to stress. When excess cortisol is combined with poor thyroid function, it is a recipe for weight gain especially around the abdominal area.*
Studies show that Ashwagandha supports normal antioxidant enzymes, such as GSH, so they don't have to work so hard. This has a sparing effect on selenium, thus supporting healthy thyroid function. Living in a high-stress world, Ashwagandha is another helpful nutrient to offset the demands and wear of living.*
Summary
Thyroid Helper® is designed to support metabolism by helping issues that stress the natural conversion of T4 to T3. Part of optimal health is managing body weight and maintaining a good energy level. The proper functioning of thyroid hormone is essential for this to occur.For more information on nutrition and healthy thyroid function see our Thyroid and Metabolism health topic page.
Directions: Take 1 capsule, three times per day, before meals. May be taken in between meals for energy, as needed. Take up to 6 per day for more thyroid support.
Supplement Facts
Serving Size: 1 capsuleAmount Per Serving | % Daily Value | |
---|---|---|
Selenium (from L-Selenomethione) | 75 mcg | 105 |
Manganese (from picolinate) | 1 mg | 50 |
L-Tyrosine | 200 mg | * |
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)(standardized for 1.7% withanaloids) | 300 mg | * |
Gugulipid (Commiphora mukul)(2.5% guggulsterones) | 300 mg | * |
This product does NOT contain milk, egg, fish, gluten, corn, peanuts, crustacean shellfish, soybeans, tree nuts, wheat, yeast, or rice. This product does NOT contain hidden fillers, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors, or sugar