–by Dr. Michael L. Johnson
Many of us grew up with the Wonder Bread commercial telling us how it “helps build strong bodies 12 ways!” What the commercial failed to tell us is that Americans have been consuming “enriched” or “fortified” white flour since the 1940’s and it is slowly killing them.
The problem is that white flour is “enriched” or “fortified” with rock forms of iron. That’s correct, they literally take iron ore, pulverize it, and add it to white flour.
Yes, it’s true, iron is vital to make a substance in your body called tyrosine, but over time, rock iron accumulation signals the liver not to absorb more iron so it can’t make tyrosine.
You need tyrosine to make the thyroid hormone thyroxine (aka.T4) and adrenaline.
One of the functions of adrenaline is holding magnesium in the blood. Magnesium is important for…
–Proper bone formation
–Maintaining normal muscle function
–Releasing energy from muscle storage
–Regulating body temperature
–Proper absorption of calcium
Since adrenaline can’t be made because of rock iron accumulation causing a lack of tyrosine, many patients suffer from magnesium deficiencies. They find themselves supplementing with magnesium supplements but they never address the cause… low adrenaline levels due to decreased tyrosine levels.
Back to the liver…
Anytime that I see a patient suffering from a hormone problem (male or female whether increased or decreased), an iron problem (including serum iron, ferritin, transferrin and/or TIBC), a problem with RBCs, or a B-vitamin (esp. B12 or folic acid), I immediately start thinking that the patient is suffering from a liver disorder. The liver is the cause!
Think for a minute about the functions of the liver. The liver is important for…
• Bile production and excretion
• Excretion of bilirubin, cholesterol, hormones, and drugs
• Metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates
• Enzyme activation
• Storage of glycogen, vitamins, and minerals
• Synthesis of plasma proteins, such as albumin, and clotting factors
• Blood detoxification and purification
Can you see why the liver is such a major player in our health?
The main reason why many doctors fail to address liver disorders is that the lab ranges of the liver enzymes and other tests are very broad. The liver enzymes are normally contained in the cells and if the liver is injured or damaged, the liver cells spill the enzymes into the blood.
The lab range for the liver enzymes ALT (SGPT) and AST (SGOT) are 10-40 (and I have seen some labs go as high as 10-60), while the functional or optimal range is 10-26! A patient can have an ALT range of 35 and an AST reading of 37 and their physician will tell them that their liver function is “normal.” No, it’s not, and it needs to be addressed for them to regain their health!
Many doctors are addressing thyroid patients BUT they are not addressing the patient’s liver issues and this is flat out wrong! The liver plays a major role in thyroid function because 60% of T4 is converted to T3 in the liver. The other 20% of T4 is converted to T3 in the stomach (yet another reason why you need optimal amounts of stomach acid – please see my article on Methyl Groups) and the final 20% in the periphery.
T4 to T3 conversion is also dependent on zinc! Should thyroid patients gobble down handfuls of zinc supplements? No, I strongly feel that patients should get trace minerals from their diet. Beef, lamb, veal, crab, shrimp, scallops, turkey, pumpkin, sesame and squash seeds, oysters, peanuts, and yogurt all contain good levels of zinc.
Low levels of selenium will cause inactivity of T3 and that is also not good for a thyroid patient! Tuna, cod, halibut, sardines, shrimp, salmon, beef, turkey, and lamb all contain high levels of selenium.
In order for T3 to be accepted by the cells it needs calcium, magnesium and trace minerals. This is WHY it is vital to have sufficient mineral absorption and your pH between 6.4 and 7.0. (Please see my article on the importance of pH.)
Homocysteine
Homocysteine is an amino acid that can be generated in response to a toxic or nutritionally deficient diet.
When homocysteine is increased in the blood, it is linked to massive inflammation and neurodegeneration!
In Alzheimer’s disease and many other chronic diseases, we find a significant increase in homocysteine in the blood tests. Since homocysteine is a powerful excitotoxin and neurotoxin, elevated homocysteine levels have been found to make symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic conditions worse. The metabolic breakdown components of homocysteine alter the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor sites, leading to multiple negative effects, including free radicals and a massive inflammatory cascade!
These free radicals and inflammation can trigger an autoimmune response in which the patient’s immune system attacks the thyroid gland and/or other body systems.
Free radicals, excitotoxins and inflammation can all be successfully addressed via diet and by using proper nutritional supplemental protocols.
Liver and inflammation problems in the body can be addressed successfully using natural protocols. I recommend Max B-ND, Liver-ND and coffee enemas (see my article on Coffee enemas) to help detoxify and heal the liver. CoCurcumin from Ayush Herbs and Inflamma-ND and Green Tea-ND from PRL are great for reducing inflammation. In closing, I only use Premier Research Labs (PRL) nutritional supplements, Ayush Herbs and Hope Science products in my office because they are natural, live-source nutritional supplements that are excipient-free.
If you have any questions, please email Dr. Johnson at [email protected].
Dr. Michael L. Johnson is a Board-Certified Chiropractic Neurologist and has been in private practice in Appleton, WI since 1983. He is the author of five books. His first is What Do You Do When the Medications Don’t Work?—A Non-Drug Treatment of Dizziness, Migraine Headaches, Fibromyalgia and Other Chronic Conditions is available on Amazon.com. His second book,You Can Beat Cancer…Naturally! , his third book, You Can Beat Thyroid Disease…Naturally!, his fourth book,You Can Beat Fibromyalgia…Naturally!, and his fifth book, You Can Beat Autoimmune Conditions…Naturally! are all available as a FREE download e-book at www.askdrjohnson.com. His sixth book, You Can Beat Heart Disease…Naturally!, will be released later this spring. Dr. Johnson’s YouTube and Facebook pages are at “Dr. Michael Johnson.”
© 2013 Dr. Michael L. Johnson
