Earlier this year, The Thyroid Secret burst onto our screens and, with it, came some shocking revelations.
Created by thyroid pharmacist, Dr. Isabella Wentz, the documentary series revealed the truth about thyroid disease with one-to-one interviews with more than 100 leading thyroid experts, naturopaths, nutritionists, and medical professionals.
The thyroid is the butterfly-shaped gland that sits at the base of the neck below the thyroid cartilage.
The word ‘thyroid’ comes from the Greek word for ‘shield’ – and it is just that, organising and managing the body’s defences.
The thyroid gland also controls how quickly the body uses energy, makes proteins and is central to the body’s metabolism.
Toxins are one of the biggest causes of thyroid disease. They cause havoc: increasing inflammation in your body, disrupting your hormones, putting you at risk of an autoimmune disease, and even causing cancer.
And this problem is not going away with the number of people suffering from thyroid disease skyrocketing over the past few decades.
Damage can start in the womb, leading to reductions in the level of infant thyroid hormone, which in turn, disrupts brain development and leads to lower IQ and behavioural issues.
The science is simple but scary. Toxins are everywhere. Iodine is crucial for thyroid function. Bromide is one of its greatest enemies.
Often found in pesticides, citrus drinks, flour, vegetable oils, carpets and mattresses, overexposure to bromine depletes your body’s iodine by competing for the same receptors that are used in the thyroid gland to capture iodine.
Mercury is another big threat, found in cosmetics to fish, to fertilisers, to vaccines, to dental fillings.
The chemical element damages the cells of the thyroid gland and causes the immune system to go on high alert.
This chronic state of inflammation stresses the immune system so much that it starts attacking the whole thyroid.
Toxins are inescapable but there are a few things you can do to help yourself. This includes eating organic as much as possible, avoiding drinking from plastic containers and applying natural beauty products such as Ila.
We use only the finest natural plant and mineral ingredients in our skin care products – try our Ila Body Cream for Vital Energy which contains the pure essential oils of Lavender, Juniper and Geranium.