Ep 6: The Thyroid Special: Is Your 'Normal' TSH Really Normal? T3 vs T4, Hashimoto's, Iodine and Thyroid in Beef

The Thyroid Special. Dr Paul Mason and Alison work through your thyroid questions: why a "normal" TSH may not be optimal, T3 vs T4 and conversion, iodine and the Wolff-Chaikoff effect, T4 vs T3 prescribing and the T3 debate, how to tell if you're taking too much, synthetic vs natural desiccated thyroid, Hashimoto's antibodies and diet, gluten and dairy, and thyroid hormone resistance on low carb. Plus the hormone in beef that really did poison people, the 19-year-old who ate a cow's thyroid, and What I've Learned: the plant sterols in oysters, mussels and scallops.

(0:00) What happens if you eat a cow's thyroid?
(0:23) Welcome: has hormone-treated beef ever made anyone sick?
(2:02) The hormone in beef that did poison people
(3:56) Why thyroid was banned from food
(4:38) The farm case from Ontario
(5:50) The 19-year-old who ate a cow thyroid
(6:42) Is there thyroid in organ supplements?
(8:18) What thyroid hormone actually does
(10:49) How thyroid function is tested: TSH
(11:51) What is a normal TSH? Normal isn't optimal
(15:21) What T3 and T4 are
(16:53) How common are T4-to-T3 conversion problems?
(18:05) Iodine, selenium, zinc and vitamin A
(19:28) Too much iodine: the Wolff-Chaikoff effect
(21:50) T4 or T3: what to prescribe
(23:08) The T3 debate
(25:01) How do you know you're taking too much?
(25:57) Synthetic vs natural desiccated thyroid
(28:45) Thyroid antibodies: Hashimoto's and Graves'
(32:27) Can thyroid antibodies come down?
(34:06) Gluten, dairy and thyroid antibodies
(35:09) Thyroid hormone resistance and insulin resistance
(39:38) What I've learned: plant sterols in shellfish
(42:51) Should you eat oysters and scallops?
(44:19) Paul's probiotic deodorant experiment
(46:38) Wrap

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This podcast is general information and education only, not medical advice. Always consult your own doctor before changing medication or treatment.