Celiac disease is one of the most common chronic genetic autoimmune disorders in the world and can affect children and adults. Individuals with this disorder have permanent intolerance to gluten, which is a protein in wheat, rye, barley and related grains. The gluten leads to damage of the small intestine lining. Heredity plays a role in the onset of the condition with symptoms occurring through an autoimmune function.

According to the National Institute of Health, in the United States, celiac disease affects an estimated two million individuals, or one in 133 people and occurs twice as often in females. The only treatment is a gluten-free diet. This disorder can start at any age when the diet first includes gluten.

With celiac disease, eating gluten triggers an immune response in your small intestine that eventually leads to inflammation and damage of the small intestine's lining. With this damage, food is not absorbed properly, called malabsorption. With malabsorption, vital nutrients cannot be delivered to the brain, nervous system, bone, liver and other organs.

• Due to malabsorption, children with celiac disease can experience growth and developmental problems. There is no cure for celiac disease. Following a strict gluten-free diet helps management of symptoms. The common symptoms associated with celiac disease include the following, however, some people may have no symptoms.
• Abdominal pain (especially after eating)
• Bloating
• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Dermatitis
• Osteoporosis
• Dental defects

Oral Manifestation of Celiac Disease

Celiac disease has particular signs that show up orally, and dentists can have an initial important role in recognizing and identifying it in people who may not know they have the disorder. It's estimated 90 percent of individuals in North America remain undiagnosed. Early referral to a gastroenterologist and treatment can help prevent complications of this gluten intolerance condition.

If celiac disease appears before age seven, the outer surface of the teeth (enamel) can have an abnormal appearance. The permanent teeth will show the following defects:

• Delayed eruption of teeth
• Cream, yellow or brown spots on the surface
• Rough surface with grooves and shallow pits
• Shape of tooth may be dramatically changed

These same oral symptoms can be caused by other dental conditions. In fact, dentists may diagnose the abnormal appearance of colored spots enamel to a condition caused by too much fluoride or that the mother took the antibiotic tetracycline during pregnancy.

Other oral related conditions of celiac disease include:

• Recurring mouth ulcers (canker sores also known as aphthous ulcers)
• Dry mouth
• Red, smooth, shiny tongue (atrophic glossitis)
• Squamous cell carcinoma (cancer of the pharynx and mouth)

Treatment of Oral Manifestations of Celiac Disease

Unfortunately, tooth defects that result from celiac disease are permanent and don't improve with a gluten-free diet. However, there are treatments that your dentist can provide to help improve esthetics. These include:

• Tooth bonding to improve slight defects
• Veneers to improve the whole front surface of the tooth
• Crowns for teeth that are damaged throughout

Veneers and crowns are cosmetic solutions for older children and adults, while tooth bonding can also help with children's teeth.

For dry mouth, avoid toothpaste with sodium lauryl sulfate. This harsh detergent can dry the tissues and exacerbate mouth sores. Mouthwash with alcohol also tends to worsen dry mouth.

For canker sores, it's reported taking 500 mg of the amino acid L Lysine helps to reduce the occurrence and hasten healing.

Proper oral hygiene is crucial towards maintaining oral health, especially if you notice dry mouth. Harmful bacteria thrive in a dry oral environment. To keep the bacteria from causing gum disease, practice proper oral hygiene on a daily bases. Of course, regular dental check ups are important to detect early potential problems.

It takes on average 10 years for someone to be accurately diagnosed with Celiac Disease. This is in part because many medical practitioners are not looking for Celiac Disease and in part because of the less than perfect testing methods.

Celiac Disease is considered by many to be an extremely rare condition and therefore is not often considered as a possibility. However, in North America, Celiac Disease affects somewhere between 1 in 100 to 1 in 200 people. This means that between 5 to 10 people in a group of 1000 will have Celiac Disease. That's not too rare if you ask me or anyone suffering from the symptoms of Celiac Disease. Unfortunately, most of these people will be unaware for many years if they ever do get an accurate diagnosis.

Grain Sensitivity is probably more common than Celiac Disease but it is diagnosed much less frequently. The reasons for the low rates of diagnosis are basically the same. Most medical practitioners are not looking for Grain Sensitivity as a contributing factor to their patients' ill health and many practitioners are not aware of how to test for Grain Sensitivity.

The "Gold Standard" test for diagnosing Celiac Disease is a biopsy of the small intestine. In fact, the biopsy is considered to be the only definitive testing measure. Blood tests like tissue transglutaminase are available and utilized as a screening tool but are not considered to be diagnostic. You may ask, what is the problem? It seems like it is pretty simple. For patients who have any possible symptom of Celiac Disease you should run a blood test to screen for it then do a biopsy if the blood tests are positive to confirm the diagnosis. This sounds great but unfortunately these testing measures are not perfect.

We do not know how accurate or inaccurate biopsies of the small intestine are in diagnosing Celiac Disease. They are believed to be the most accurate test available but that does not mean they are perfect. The small intestine is over 20 feet long and it is quite possible to obtain a sample from a section of the small intestine not affected by Celiac Disease. And, what about diagnosing Grain Sensitivities where there may be no inflammatory response in the intestines?

I have seen a number of patients who have been tested for Celiac Disease and were told that they do not have it. I have also seen a large number of patients who have done skin prick allergy testing for food allergies, including wheat, and been told that they have no allergy or sensitivity. These people, with significant symptoms and health conditions are told that gluten and wheat are not playing a role in their health problems. However, when we remove gluten from the diet and accurately test for food allergens through blood testing we often find that wheat and/or gluten are significant contributing factors to their health concerns.

The main message I would like to communicate in this article is that Celiac Disease and Grain Sensitivity are often not considered and often have false negative results with the standard testing measures when they are considered. If a person's health improves when they eat gluten-free or wheat-free does it really matter what the lab tests results say? If symptoms disappear and the person feels better perhaps this is the most important test of all.

In the next column we will discuss the conventional medical approach for treating Celiac Disease.

You really shouldn’t…but that piece of cheesecake looks so good, and it’s been so long since you last had a slice — so you go for it. But shortly thereafter, you feel the rumbling of stomach and intestinal discontent, and — groan — you wish you had resisted.

A cast-iron stomach no more
When you were younger it seemed like you had a castiron stomach and could eat almost anything without having to pay the piper — but that’s not the case anymore, right? Now, indigestion, including heartburn, bloating and gas, seem to be the mainstay. And it’s especially true if you consume dairy products, grainbased foods (bread, pasta, etc.) containing gluten, or beans and greens (especially cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower). Look, it’s really not your fault. It’s due to your aging pancreas.

The old pancreas ain’t what it used to be The pancreas is the gland that secretes most of the enzymes you need to digest your food effectively. However, as you age, your pancreas begins to shrink.¹ Not surprisingly, clinical research has shown that the effectiveness of the pancreas also reduces with age.² The fact is, digestive enzyme secretion decreases in concentration as well as in output starting around age 30³ — although it’s really after 40 that these changes become more noticeable. In one study, middle-aged subjects (40–70 years) had 30 percent less frequent secretion of digestive enzymes than subjects less than 40 years old, and elderly subjects (over 70) had 108 percent less frequent secretion of digestive enzymes than subjects less than 40 years old! Oh well, there’s nothing you can do about it. You just have to accept indigestion, right? Wrong. In fact, there’s a great deal you can do about it.

If your vision isn’t what it used to be, do you just accept it? Of course not — you get glasses or contacts and you see better again! Why wouldn’t you do the same thing with your enzymes? If you don’t make as much digestive enzymes as you used to, with indigestion being the result, don’t accept it as inevitable. You can compensate, with outstanding results!

Digestive enzymes
Supplementation with the right type of digestive enzymes can help you digest virtually any foods you eat, including those with dairy products and gluten. Ideally, you can use enzymes that act in two locations in your gastrointestinal tract: 1) your stomach, and 2) your small intestine. The result will likely be more optimum digestion with a happy stomach and gut.

Digestion in your stomach While most digestive enzymes work in the more alkaline environment of your intestines, pepsin is different. Pepsin is the digestive enzyme produced in the stomach and released there to work alongside hydrochloric acid to begin the process of digesting complex proteins in smaller protein chains. Without sufficient pepsin to perform this role, further digestion by pancreatic protein enzymes will be far less effective. However, as with pancreatic enzymes, pepsin secretion also decreases with age. In fact, people 65 and older were shown in research to have a 40 percent reduction in pepsin secretion. Consequently, supplementation with pepsin will help assure that this vital first step in protein digestion is optimized.

Digestion in your small intestine
The inadequate production of digestive enzymes from the pancreas can be addressed by supplementing with proteases (protein-digesting enzymes), amylases (starch-digesting enzymes) and lipases (fat-digesting enzymes). One popular source of such enzymes is pancreatin, an extract from the pancreas of cows or pigs. However, another effective sources are microbial enzymes, which have activities similar to pancreatin. Microbial enzymes have been the subject of various studies evaluating their effects on lactose intolerance, impaired pancreatic enzyme production, excess fat in the feces, celiac disorder and a variety of other digestive issues, with positive results.^4,5,6,7,8,9

One of the most valuable attributes of microbial enzymes is that they appear to possess unusually high stability and activity throughout a wide range of pH conditions (from a pH of 2–10).¹⁰ This enables them to be more consistently active and functional for a longer distance as they are transported through the digestive tract. Also, since microbial enzymes are not derived from animal sources, they are perfectly appropriate for use by vegetarians — and research shows that are virtually non-toxic.^11,12,13 Supplementation with a broad range of microbial proteases, amylases and lipases will safely and effectively assist in the digestion of protein, carbohydrates and fats from many food sources, including foods that contain dairy products, gluten, beans and greens.

Gluten sensitivity
Gluten (from Latin gluten, “glue”) is a mixture of proteins found in wheat, barley and rye.¹⁴ For many, gluten can be difficult to digest; with the result being gastrointestinal upset (abdominal pain and tenderness, irregular bowel habits: constipation or diarrhea or alternating bowel movements) as well as nongastrointestinal issues.¹⁵ The good news is that there is a combination of gluten digesting enzymes called Glutalytic, which has been tested in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study¹⁶ (the “gold standard” in research). The results showed a statistically significant improvement when compared to the placebo group in the following categories: pain, bloating, emptying of bowels, hunger pains, rumbling of stomach, lower energy levels, headaches, and food cravings.

Dairy sensitivity
Dairy sensitivity can be due to lactose intolerance, the inability to digest the milk sugar lactose, and/or difficulty in digesting milk proteins. The result may include gas, cramps, diarrhea or constipation.

Lactose intolerance is the result of the body discontinuing the production of the digestive enzyme lactase, which digests lactose. Since only one-third of all people retain the ability to digest lactose into adulthood, lactose intolerance is prevalent.¹⁷ Research has shown that supplementing with the lactase enzyme can reduce pain, bloating and total symptoms associated with lactose intolerance.^18,19,20

The digestion of some milk proteins can take time. In fact, some research shows that a milk protein may remain in the stomach up to six hours before it is released into the intestines for further digestion.²¹ Difficulty in digesting milk proteins can result in constipation for some individuals.²² Luckily, supplementation with protease enzymes can help effectively digest milk proteins, thereby avoiding the effects of inadequate milk protein digestion.

Alpha-galactosidase
Bloating and gas are not fun to experience. Nevertheless, this experience is not unusual after eating beans and cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower). The reason is that these healthy foods contain goodly amounts of fiber, which can ferment in our gut. However, if these fibers can be broken down effectively, you’re less likely to experience bloating and gas. That’s where the enzyme alpha-galactosidase comes into play. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study²³ on intestinal gas production and gas-related symptoms, the microbial enzyme alpha-galactosidase was given to healthy volunteers after a meal containing about 15 ounces of cooked beans. The result was that there was a reduction in gas formation, severity of bloating, abdominal pain, discomfort, flatulence, and diarrhea. Beneficial results were also seen in a similar study.²⁴

Conclusion
Indigestion, including heartburn, bloating and gas, are not fun. Avoiding foods that contain dairy and gluten, or even beans and cabbage, is likewise not fun. It may be possible to make your digestion more like it was when you were younger, with the use of a broad range of digestive enzymes.

1. Chantarojanasiri T, Hirooka Y, Ratanachu-Ek T, Kawashima H, Ohno E, Goto H. Evolution of pancreas in aging: degenerative variation or early changes of disease? J Med Ultrason (2001). 2015 Apr;42(2):177–83.
2. Herzig K-H, Purhonen A-K, Räsänen KM, Idziak J, Juvonen P, Phillps R, Walkowiak J. Fecal pancreatic elastase-1 levels in older individuals without known gastrointestinal diseases or diabetes mellitus. BMC Geriatrics. 2011;11:4.
3. Laugier R, Bernard JP, Berthezene P, Dupuy P. Changes in pancreatic exocrine secretion with age: pancreatic exocrine secretion does decrease in the elderly. Digestion. 1991;50(3-4):202–11.
4. Alternative Medicine, the Definitive Guide. Future Medicine Publishing: Puyallup, WA. 1993;215–22.
5. Griffin SM, et al. Acid resistant lipase as replacement therapy in chronic pancreatic exocrine insufficiency: a study in dogs. Gut 1989;30:1012–15.
6. Schneider MU, et al. Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy: comparative effects of conventional and enteric-coated microspheric pancreatin and acid-stable fungal enzyme preparations on steatorrhea in chronic pancreatitis. Hepato-gastroenterol 1985;32:97–102.
7. Rosado JL, et al. Enzyme replacement therapy for primary adult lactase deficiency. Gastoenterol 1984;87:1072–82.
8. Barillas C, Solomons NW. Effective reduction of lactose maldigestion in preschool by direct addition of beta-galactosidases to milk at mealtime. Pediatrics 1987;79(5):766–72.
9. Phelan JJ, et al. Celiac disease: the abolition of gliadin toxicity by enzymes from Aspergillus niger. Clin Sci & Mol Med 1977;53:35–43.
10. Griffin SM, et al. Acid resistant lipase as replacement therapy in chronic pancreatic exocrine insufficiency: a study in dogs. Gut 1989;30:1012–15.
11. Garvin, P.J. & Merubia, J. Unpublished report. Submitted to WHO by Baxter Laboratories, Inc; 1959.
12. Garvin, P.J., Willard, R., Merubia, J., Huszar, B., Chin, E., & Gilbert, C. Unpublished report. Submitted to WHO by Baxter Laboratories, Inc; 1966.
13. Garvin, P.J., Ganote, C.E., Merubia, J., Delahany, E., Bowers, S., Varnado, A., Jordan, L., Harley, G., DeSmet, C., & Porth, J. Unpublished report from Travenol Laboratories, Inc., Morton Grove, IL, USA. Submitted to WHO by Gist-brocades NV, Delft, Holland; 1972.
14. Lamacchia C, Camarca A, Picascia S, Di Luccia A, Gianfrani C. Cereal-based gluten-free food: how to reconcile nutritional and technological properties of wheat proteins with safety for celiac disease patients. Nutrients. 2014 Jan 29;6(2):575–90.
15. Mansueto P, Seidita A, D’Alcamo A, Carroccio A. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity: literature review. J Am Coll Nutr. 2014;33(1):39–54.
16. Hudson M, King C. Glutalytic Clinical Trial for Normal Consumption of Gluten Containing Foods. Department of Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw Georgia. 2015: 4 pgs.
17. Gudmand-Hoyer E. The clinical significance of disaccharide maldigestion. Am J Clin Nutr 1994; 59(3):735S–41S.
18. Ramirez FC, Lee K, Graham DY. All lactase preparations are not the same: results of a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Am J Gastroenterol 1994;89:566–70.
19. Sanders SW, Tolman KG, Reitberg DP. Effect of a single dose of lactase on symptoms and expired hydrogen after lactose challenge in lactoseintolerant subjects. Clin Pharm 1992;11:533–8.
20. Lin MY, Dipalma JA, Martini MC, et al. Comparative effects of exogenous lactase (beta-galactosidase) preparations on in vivo lactose digestion. Dig Dis Sci 1993;38:2022–7.
21. Ross RP, Fitzgerald GF, Stanton C. Unraveling the digestion of milk protein. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Jun;97(6):1161–2.
22. Daher S, Tahan S, Solé D, Naspitz CK, Da Silva Patrício FR, Neto UF, De Morais MB. Cow’s milk protein intolerance and chronic constipation in children. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2001 Dec;12(6):339–42.
23. Di Stefano M, Miceli E, Gotti S, Missanelli A, Mazzocchi S, Corazza GR.The effect of oral alpha-galactosidase on intestinal gas production and gas-related symptoms. Dig Dis Sci 2007;52(1):78–83.
24. Patil AG, Kote NV, Mulimani V. Enzymatic removal of flatulence-inducing sugars in chickpea milk using free and polyvinyl alcohol immobilized alpha-galactosidase from Aspergillus oryzae. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol

Smart Fats are simply one of the BEST and tastiest solutions for stalled weight loss because they go far beyond the call of duty. Alone or with synergistic help from additional vitamins, minerals and herbs, these savvy fats can kick up thyroid function and/or stimulate calorie-burning brown fat (a special tissue that disperses surplus calories for heat instead of fat storage). And, that's just for starters!

They also reduce the body's ability to store fat for energy by controlling the enzymes that release fat from the cells into the bloodstream. Many are so satisfying that they enable long-term appetite satisfaction so you are not tempted to overindulge.

The Thyroid Connection
But, first things first. You cannot fix a broken metabolism until you address thyroid dysfunction. After all, your thyroid is the body's key metabolic driver. With a sluggish thyroid, your body may produce too much insulin and trigger low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), along with intense cravings for carbs.

The thyroid secretes two major hormones, T3 and T4, which regulate the burning of calories for energy. Thyroid hormones control body weight, body temperature, muscle strength, heart rate and menstrual regularity. In fact, the thyroid connection to sex hormone imbalance is not surprising to women in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.

Estrogen-induced thyroid dysfunction mimics underperformance of the thyroid gland. My friend, the late Dr. John Lee, observed that many perimenopausal women exhibit symptoms of hypothyroidism with normal thyroid levels. He theorized that estrogen excess and progesterone deficiency might be the cause. Raising progesterone levels through the use of natural progesterone cream often normalizes thyroid activity without any other treatment.

Furthermore, a diet devoid of Smart Fats but heavy in commercial polyunsaturated vegetable oils also sabotages the production of thyroid hormones. Without enough thyroid hormone, estrogen rises and acts as a fat trap especially as we grow older and progesterone levels take a nosedive.

The actual number of hypothyroid patients is highly underestimated. According to the American Thyroid Association, nearly 30 million Americans have been diagnosed with a thyroid disorder—a number that could easily be much more. I highly suspect, after working with so many individuals for the past three decades, that more than 60 percent of the population have some degree of thyroid dysfunction but are not being diagnosed properly.

Besides stubborn fat that won't budge, other low thyroid symptoms include depression, hair loss, poor eyebrow growth—especially the outer third of the brow, aching wrists, fluid retention, constipation, a coarse voice, diminished sex drive, infertility, premature graying of the hair and lack of muscle strength.

This tiny powerhouse-regulating metabolism controls the health of just about every organ in the body, including the heart. That's why it is so alarming that Hashimoto's thyroiditis, a type of autoimmune hypothyroidism, is growing by leaps and bounds as is Grave's disease, another kind of autoimmune condition characterized by hyperthyroidism.

Normalizing thyroid activity is a fundamental "must" if you want to restore metabolism and help your body rebuild itself. Smart Fat supplementation will go a long way in re-establishing equilibrium. But, when it comes to a comprehensive thyroid treatment plan, it is only one of many key factors.

To speed up fat burning and heal the immune system overload that often accompanies thyroid dysfunction, you will have to take into account insidious thyroid thieves like hidden dental or sinus infections, gluten, goitrogens, lack of protein, adrenal burnout, dwindling probiotics, fluoride, bromine and chlorine overload plus several vitamin, mineral and amino acid deficiencies, which are necessary to make thyroid hormones work; and then there's underlying virus, especially Epstein Barr.

No wonder thyroid disease is rampant! There are so very many seemingly diverse factors, which are likely to be contributing causes of dysfunction.

Sneaky Thyroid Saboteurs
Let's take a more in-depth overview at how each of these sneaky saboteurs do their damage. Fasten your seatbelts because this promises to be a VERY bumpy ride.

Hidden Dental Or Sinus Infections
Your mouth is the repository of a tremendous amount of bacteria that can impact different areas of your health. That's why individuals with a heart condition are recommended to take an antibiotic before a routine dental cleaning. Dentists who practice holistic dentistry and biological dentistry believe that each tooth is connected to an organ. If that tooth has a root canal, is decayed (even under a crown that X-rays don't pick up), is an implant, or even has been pulled, leaving behind a cavitation (hole in the jawbone), you can experience a whole host of health challenges in the associated meridian line of that tooth.

Many unresolved health problems might be associated with the anaerobic bacteria seeping into your system from root canals, implants and cavitations remaining from pulled teeth. ALL of this has to pass through your thyroid! This can depress or accelerate metabolism. Sinus infections can do the same if unresolved.

As the late Dr. Hal Huggins, biological dentist and mercury pioneer told me himself, "How many people know the consequences of housing the 40 anaerobic bacteria in implants, the 60 in root canals, or the eight in cavitations?"

Goitrogens
Goitrogens are possible thyroid-suppressing substances found in raw cruciferous vegetables like broccoli.

Add to this the heavy metal burden of precipitating mercury and/or copper from high amalgam fillings and you have one lethal mixture that your thyroid is up against.

Gluten
Many grains contain gliadin, which is the protein found in gluten and most concentrated in wheat, rye, and barley. Grains are fairly new to the diet—the trail-blazing orthomolecular medicine physician, Dr. Richard Kunin, says it best: "Grains are really Jonny-come-latelies on the nutritional scene. Meats, fruits, beans, nuts and vegetables have had a considerably longer historical alliance with the human gut. Almost as if to make up for lost time, grain has deluged man's diet and this excess increasingly appears to have something to do with common major and minor ailments."

Cardiologist and author of "Wheat Belly," Dr. William Davis, couldn't agree more. Moreover, to add insult to injury, he suggests that today's "Frankengrain" is nothing like what went into your grandmother's bread. Modern wheat contains 10 times more gluten than that of 50 years ago. Today's gluten is high in gliadin, a protein that is foreign to our bodies. It highly resembles a crucial enzyme known as transglutaminase, which is concentrated in the thyroid. As the immune system attacks the gliadin, antibodies also attack the thyroid. The immune system can then go into overdrive, damaging the thyroid, sometimes for up to six months. And that's all thanks to gluten.

But, that's not all the bad news to report, folks. Gliadin is a shameless appetite trigger. People can consume nearly 400 extra calories per day when manufacturers add it to certain food products. Food sensitivities trigger a kind of toxic shock to your system, which leads to addictions and binging. Partially digested components of common food allergens function like morphine-containing opioid drugs. They heighten appetite and decrease metabolism.

Gluten-containing foods like bread, crackers, chips and cookies are so highly addictive because of gliadin. Similar to the casein in milk, gliadin has a drug-like effect on your brain. The gluten in grain probably affects just about everyone in this day and age. The trouble is that nearly 100 percent of gluten intolerant individuals are unaware of this because gluten's negative reactions typically occur a good 12 to 24 hours after consumption.

If you decide to give up gluten, you may also want to give up all sugar and yeast, too.

These three substances, in addition to dairy, account for about 80 percent of all food sensitivities. They damage metabolism through an inflammatory response that can pack on 10 pounds or more of water weight and they can make you fat from heightened cravings to reactive foods or hormonal disruption of your metabolism.

Lack of Protein
Protein is a wonderful normalizer for overall thyroid function. It acts as an escort to transport the thyroid hormone to all bodily tissues.

Adrenal Burnout
Healthy thyroid function is intimately related to the adrenal glands. They both work synergistically to keep you functioning. When you are under stress, your adrenals secrete cortisol, which can block the thyroid's T4 to T3 conversion. When active T3 is suppressed, more cortisol comes to the rescue to rev up metabolism, creating a vicious cycle. The adrenals can make more cortisol from the hormone progesterone, which ultimately decreases available progesterone for other tasks. Diminishing progesterone levels trigger the thyroid to pinch-hit to make enough adrenal hormones. Long term, this process creates burnout for both the adrenals and the tired thyroid.

Dwindling Probiotics
Gut flora is also dependent upon your thyroid. At least 20 percent of thyroid function relies on a healthy amount of quality beneficial bacteria. One strain in particular has been found to protect against the toxicity of gliadin, which is so problematic for thyroid patients. That strain is B. lactis BI-04 and comes from the Bifidobacterium family.

Fluoride, Bromine and Chlorine Overload
These chemicals compete with iodine for uptake in the thyroid, negatively impacting metabolism. They are contained in water, toothpastes, hot tubs, non-organic foods, soft drinks, teas, commercial breads, some medications and brominated vegetable oils.