Hypothyroidism and Gallbladder Disease
It's pretty obvious where your gallbladder
disease came from if you are a couch potato and eat fast food regularly. But if you're vegetarian, eating whole,
organic foods, work out 5 times a week, have a non-stressful job, no financial worries and a happy family life
then you really may wonder: "Where did these gallbladder symptoms come from?"
Perhaps the issue is an underlying thyroid problem. Research studies show that there is evidence linking hypothyroidism
to gallstones, to delayed emptying i.e. biliary dyskinesia or low-functioning gallbladder, sluggish and reduced
bile flow,5
People with gallbladder dysfunction also tend to have other co-existing symptoms with the gut, be it constipation,
diarrhea, leaky gut, food allergies or parasites. Since 20% of the thyroid hormone, thyroxine or T4 is converted
into its usable counterpart, T3 in the gut, you can see that getting our digestive disorders healed and the good
gut flora flourishing is paramount to optimal thyroid function. |
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Research on gallstones
and hypothyroidism
"...there is a gender-specific relation
between hypothyroidism and cholelithiasis.[gallstones]
Especially males with gallstones should be further examined for thyroid
disorders.1
1Henry Völzke, Daniel M Robinson, Ulrich John,Association between thyroid function
and gallstone disease,World J Gastroenterol
Hypothyroidism and Biliary Dyskinesia
There is "...a delayed emptying of the
biliary tract in hypothyroidism, explained partly by the missing prorelaxing effect of thyroxine
on the sphincter of Oddi contractility".2.
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A thyroid which is not working properly can
lead to:
Hypothyroidism Symptoms
- Fatigue
- Dry skin and hair
- Hair thinning/hair loss
- Depression
- Morning headaches that get better throughout
the day
- Foggy brain
- Loss of memory
- Hoarse voice
- Difficulty concentrating
- Intolerance to cold
- Low body temperature
- Poor circulation/numbness in hands and feet
- Muscle cramps with no exertion
- Weight gain and difficulty losing it
- Decreased appetite
- Constipation
- Gallbladder diseases such as gallstones
- Chronic digestive problems such as low stomach
acid
If you add some of the following symptoms to
the above list, consider the autoimmune disease attacking the thyroid called Hashimoto's Disease:
Symptoms of Hashimotos
- Heart palpations
- Increased pulse without exertion
- Anxiety, nervousness
- Insomnia
- Night sweats
- Weight loss and difficulty gaining weight
- Muscle and joint pain
Then add some of the symptoms from below as
well since Hashimoto's can have mixed symptoms of both. Note that you can have difficulty loosing weight or difficulty
gaining weight with Hashimoto's. If you have normal weight with symptoms of hypothyroid, it is very likely that
your immune system is causing the problem. If you sometimes have symptoms of hyperthyroid, followed by periods
with symptoms of hypothyroid, chances are that it is Hashimoto's and it is the immune system that's at fault.
Hyperthroidism is the overacting of the thyroid gland resulting in an overproduction of the thyroid hormone, thyroxin
or T4.
Hyperthyroidism Symptoms
- Insomnia
- Weight loss
- Increased energy
- Palpitations
- Intolerance of heat
- Anxiety
- Nervousness
- Tremors of hands
- Hair loss
- Missed or light menstrual cycles
- Shortness of breath
Approximately 50-80% of people with symptoms
of hypothyroidism have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. So if you have been diagnosed with thyroid disease, either hypo
or hyper, read about Hashimoto's.
HASHIMOTO'S DISEASE
Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease in which
the immune system mistakenly recognizes the thyroid tissue cells as foreign and begins attacking and destryoing
them. It produces antibodies to the thyroid. And as you may recall, once you have antibodies towards a specific
"invader" you have it for life. Even though thyroid tissue is not a foreign invader, the immune system
sees it as so. For a better understanding of why this might happen, ready Datis Kharrizian's book "Why Do
I STill Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests are Normal?" (See right.) The why is important to understand
in the management of your thyroid, your gallbladder disease and many other symptoms you may be experiencing. It
is quite common to get tested for Hashimoto's and have it be negative, only to test again later and have it come
back positive. There are several reasons for this. I'll mention two. One is that, as in any autoimmune disease,
it comes and goes in expressing itself. That is, it may be more active or less active at different times. On the
other hand, if the immune system is struggling, fighting infection or inflammation in other parts of the body,
it may not be even healthy enough to make the antibodies towards the "invaders" that it normally would.
How do I know for sure what I have?
So if you have all the symptoms of Hashimoto's, just assume you do have it and start treating it with diet. And get under the care of someone who knows how to work with this both medically
and nutritionally. You may need two pratitioners here, an M.D. and a natural pratitioner or one who does both.
If your pratitioner does not take you off gluten and off iodine, look for one who does. And he or she can run the
blood test for you.
You want more than a simple TSH and T4 and
even more than T3 lab test to assess the many possibilities of thyroid imbalance. With gallbladder problems the
possibility of excess hormones and of gut inflammation leading to underconversion of T4 to the active T3 are just
two complications that are possible. More indepth thyroid testing is necessary.
All of these laboratory tests can be ordered
by our practitioners now matter what state you live in. Please visit our consultation page for more details and
call our office with any questions you may have.
Visit our consultation page to make an appointment.
Please be advised that this consultation in no way replaces a medical examination or testing procedures you would
receive from your medical doctor. However, I'm sure you will find our knowledge, experience and recommendations
helpful.
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MORE RESEARCH
Common Bile Duct Stones
and Subclinical Hypothyroidism Connected
"Subclinical hypothyroidism is more
common in the CBD stone patients compared to non-gallstone controls, supporting our hypothesis that hypothyroidism
might play a role in the forming of CBD stones. At least women over 60 with CBD stones should be screened for borderline
or overt subclinical hypothyroidism."2
2Johanna Laukkarinen M.D., Ph.D.*, Gediminas
Kiudelis M.D., Ph.D., Marko Lempinen M.D., Ph.D., Sari Räty M.D., Ph.D., Hanna Pelli M.D., Juhani Sand M.D.,
Ph.D., Esko Kemppainen M.D., Ph.D., Caj Haglund M.D., Ph.D., and Isto Nordback M.D., Ph.D., Increased Prevalence
of Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Common Bile Duct Stone Patients, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
, doi:10.1210/jc.2007-1316
http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/jc.2007-1316v1
5.Is bile flow reduced in patients with hypothyroidism? Surgery
2003 Mar; 133():288-93.
Hypothyroidism and Biliary Dyskinesia
There is "...a delayed emptying of the
biliary tract in hypothyroidism, explained partly by the missing prorelaxing effect of thyroxine
on the sphincter of Oddi contractility".2.
Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC,
MS
"Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests are Normal"
Some symptoms of dopamine deficiency include:
- Inability to handle stress
- Easily distracted
- Inability to finish tasks
- Need for caffein to feel mentally alert
- Low libido
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Easily digestible Vitamin D for autoimmune support. This
emulsified formula is especially easy on gallbladders.
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http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/11/5530.pdf
to read the whole article referenced above
top
"Chronic achlorhydria could be the mechanism
contributing to the persistently elevated hip fracture risk." 3.
3.Merriman NA, Putt ME, Metz DC, Yang YX. Hip Fracture Risk
in Patients with a Diagnosis of Pernicious Anemia. Gastroenterology. 2009 Dec 16.
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