Do you feel like you could use some support when it comes to your hyperthyroid symptoms? In this piece, I want to offer a deep dive on the next addition to our new line of products and give you the hyperthyroidism supplements you need.
Need a quick catch-up? We are rolling out a whole new line of thyroid-specific supplements for you to try. You can read more about it here (Read More: Dr. C’s thyroid-specific supplements).
Product Recommendation: Hyperthyroid Support is specifically designed for those suffering from the debilitating symptoms of Graves Disease and Hyperthyroidism. Click Here
What Is Hyperthyroid Support?
How Is Hyperthyroid Support Formulated?
The Benefits of Hyperthyroid Support
What Is Hyperthyroidism?
How Do You Select Thyroid Specific Formulation Ingredients?
Hyperthyroid Support: Ingredient Breakdown
How Do You Take Hyperthyroid Support?
What Doesn’t Hyperthyroid Support Contain?
Resources
Today’s addition to the line is called Hyperthyroid Support. Who is it for? Well, it’s catered to mainly two types of people: those with Graves’ disease and those on high-dose thyroid meds.
Hyperthyroidism is dangerous, and the two most common causes of it are Graves’ disease and overtreatment with thyroid medications. This supplement is designed to help with that.
Here’s the odd thing about Graves’ disease: it is serious and can cause major symptoms, but it also has a very high rate of remission. For that reason, Hyperthyroid Support can boost your odds of going into remission sooner (with fewer complications, too).
Some people take enough thyroid medication that ends up making them hyperthyroid. In the earliest forms of hyperthyroidism, the TSH is below range but T3 and T4 are not elevated.
In fact, they might even be below range. In the later stages, TSH is low and T3 and T4 are up.
Some people are advised to be hyperthyroid due to thyroid cancer. Others, they only feel normal when they are hyperthyroid. In cases like these, Hyperthyroid Support can lower the risk of complications and hyperthyroidism symptoms, overall.
So, what’s in it and how does it work? Here is the detailed information put together for the product monograph.
Hyperthyroid Support consists of the following;
As it happens, the ingredients that can be found in Hyperthyroid Support have been clinically proven to:
Now that we know a bit more about Hyperthyroid Support, let’s take a bit of a step back and talk about hyperthyroidism more generally.
Simply put, hyperthyroidism is the condition when thyroid hormones are produced in excess of the body’s needs. The most common cause of persistent and progressive hyperthyroidism in adults is called Graves’ disease (also known as toxic diffuse goiter).
Key Insight: Roughly 0.5% of the population will develop Graves’ disease. Graves’ disease affects both genders but is more common in women.
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune condition in which antibodies called thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins attack the thyroid. This autoimmune attack mimics the normal signals that cause the thyroid to release hormones.
One of the complications of Graves’ is what’s known as Graves’ eye disease (aka Graves ophthalmopathy). Graves’ eye disease affects about 30% of people with Graves’ disease.
In short, it causes tissue buildup that creates pressure on the eyes causing them to protrude and feel irritated. In many cases, Graves’ eye disease can threaten visual function.
When it comes to Grave’s disease, hyperthyroidism can worsen the autoimmunity. This leads to a vicious cycle, which is why Graves’ requires some process to reverse hyperthyroidism.
Treatments include medications to slow the thyroid (like Methimazole or Propylthiouracil), radioactive iodine to ablate thyroid tissue, or surgery to remove the thyroid.
Graves’ disease can reverse in the vast majority of patients within 18 months following the point at which hyperthyroidism is reversed1.
The mechanisms of action of supplements that may help reduce thyroid nodules include those that:
Slow rates of cell division
Act as anti-inflammatories
Regulate iodine metabolism
In addition to Graves’ disease, other causes of hyperthyroidism can include toxic nodular goiter, or hyperthyroidism due to thyroid medication.
In these conditions it is essential to resolve the causative factor behind hyperthyroidism.
While the cause is being treated, Hyperthyroid Support may help treatment work better. It may also lower the rate of symptoms, and the risk of complications.
I’m glad you asked. In this case, every single ingredient considered must share the following properties to warrant inclusion…
All considered ingredients must be natural compounds that have been safely consumed by humans for centuries. They must be generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by toxicologists. Finally, they must not contain unsafe levels of iodine.
All considered ingredients must have high-quality evidence proving their efficacy. The best quality evidence is that which demonstrates significant positive outcomes, on human subjects, in multiple, double-blinded controlled studies.
Ultimately, these human subjects and the outcomes should be clinically relevant to the product’s end-users. It needs to mean something for them.
So, let’s introduce you to all the components that make up Hyperthyroid Support, why they matter, and how they will ultimately help you…
Quercetin is a bioflavonoid first found in oak bark (Quercus alba). In vivo studies show that quercetin can decrease the rate of hepatic activation of T4 into T3 to a degree comparable to propylthiouracil.
Quercetin can also improve the levels of endogenous antioxidants superoxide dismutase and catalase when they are depleted due to hyperthyroidism2.
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid is a water soluble antioxidant essential for human health.
In vivo studies have shown that Vitamin C can play a beneficial role at inhibiting the inflammatory changes that give rise to Graves’ eye disease.
Such effects were only seen when Vitamin C was administered at doses exceeding the levels found in typical diets3.
L-Carnitine is a naturally occurring amino acid that is essential for mitochondrial energy production. In optimal health, our bodies produce it in adequate amounts.
When L-Carnitine is lacking, fatty acids cannot be brought across the cell membranes to enter the mitochondria and therefore cannot be used to produce energy. In chronic conditions such as thyroid disease, L-Carnitine metabolism can be impaired4.
Clinical trials have shown that supplementation with L-Carnitine can improve symptoms of hyperthyroidism from Graves’ disease.
In one such study, adults with hyperthyroidism largely from Graves’ disease were given L-Carnitine supplementation over a 2 month time period.
During the time of treatment, symptoms including palpitations, tremors, and nervousness decreased by roughly 3-fold. The overall quality of life scores improved dramatically. No side effects were noted from the treatment.
Melissa, also known as Lemonbalm, is a relative of mint. It has a long history of use as a folk remedy in the Mediterranean countries.
It has been shown in human studies to be effective at reducing hyperthyroid symptoms such as anxiety, panic, and increased heart rate5.
Graves’ autoimmunity causes hyperthyroidism by the binding of thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins to TSH receptors. In vitro studies have shown that Melissa may inhibit the binding to TSH receptors6.
Radioactive iodine is a common treatment for hyperthyroidism. Side effects can include increased risk of non-thyroid cancers due to DNA damage7. Melissa extracts may also lower DNA damage to people exposed to radioactive iodine8.
In vivo studies have shown that supplementation with rutin improved the elimination of excess thyroid hormones from exogenous hyperthyroidism. It also prevented associated free radical damage and hepatic lipid peroxidation9.
Hyperthyroidism is associated with pathologically low levels of CoQ10. It seems that CoQ10 may be harder to produce when tyrosine is used for excess thyroid hormone and it may be degraded from the free radicals produced by hyperthyroidism.
Studies even show that CoQ10 depletion more accurately predicts the metabolic effects of hyperthyroidism than direct measurement of thyroid levels10.
It has been speculated that the cardiac damage from hyperthyroidism likely relates in part to CoQ10 depletion.
Selenium is essential for nearly all facets of thyroid function including iodine regulation, cell proliferation, and regulation of free radicals within thyroid follicles.
A recent clinical trial tested to see whether selenium with vitamin C could help methimazole reverse hyperthyroidism more quickly than methimazole alone11.
In the study, the patients were adults, mostly women. They were tracked for 60 days. Those given selenium showed lower levels of T3 and T4 and higher TSH scores.
The researchers concluded that:
“Supplementation undoubtedly contributed in the treatment of hyperthyroidism. Namely, it affects the speed of normalisation of thyroid hormone values and thus reduces the period of exposure of the organism to oxidative stress.”
In a recent clinical trial, 204 patients participated in a study to determine the effects of supplemental selenium on Graves’ eye disease. The participants were randomly distributed to receive selenium, an antiinflammatory medication (pentoxifylline), or placebo.
After 6 months, selenium showed dramatic benefits that were not seen in the anti inflammatory or placebo groups. These results continued to improve through a 12-month follow up.
Key Insight: The rate of overall improvement for those on selenium was 7-fold greater than those on the placebo or medication.
No adverse effects were noted in the patients taking selenium but several did occur in those taking pentoxifylline.
It’s simple: two capsules, once daily, alongside food. You should also take it at least one hour after taking your thyroid medication.
Hyperthyroid Support does not contain any of the following:
The ingredients listed have not been studied in pregnant or lactating women and should be avoided.
Those on thyroid medication may need a reduction in their dosage due to the usage of this product. Please work with your prescriber to monitor your thyroid levels regularly and report any new symptoms or changes to existing symptoms.
Now that you know a bit more about it, how about trying it for yourself? If you’re interested in support for hyperthyroid symptoms, then Hyperthyroid Support is made with you in mind.
1 – Laurberg P. Remission of Graves’ disease during anti-thyroid drug therapy. Time to reconsider the mechanism? Eur J Endocrinol. 2006 Dec;155(6):783-6. doi: 10.1530/eje.1.02295. PMID: 17132745.
2 – Panda S, Kar A. Annona squamosa seed extract in the regulation of hyperthyroidism and lipid-peroxidation in mice: possible involvement of quercetin. Phytomedicine. 2007 Dec;14(12):799-805. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2006.12.001. Epub 2007 Feb 8. PMID: 17291737.
3 – Lanzolla G, Marcocci C, Marinò M. Antioxidant Therapy in Graves’ Orbitopathy. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2020;11:608733. Published 2020 Dec 14. doi:10.3389/fendo.2020.608733
4 – Flanagan, J.L., Simmons, P.A., Vehige, J. et al. Role of carnitine in disease. Nutr Metab (Lond) 7, 30 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-7-30
5 – Shakeri A, Sahebkar A, Javadi B. Melissa officinalis L. – A review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology. J Ethnopharmacol. 2016 Jul 21;188:204-28. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.05.010. Epub 2016 May 7. PMID: 27167460.
6 – Santini F, Vitti P, Ceccarini G, Mammoli C, Rosellini V, Pelosini C, Marsili A, Tonacchera M, Agretti P, Santoni T, Chiovato L, Pinchera A. In vitro assay of thyroid disruptors affecting TSH-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. J Endocrinol Invest. 2003 Oct;26(10):950-5. doi: 10.1007/BF03348190. PMID: 14759065.
7 – Radioactive Iodine | American Thyroid Association. https://www.thyroid.org/radioactive-iodine/. Accessed May 27, 2021.
8 – Zeraatpishe A, Oryan S, Bagheri MH, Pilevarian AA, Malekirad AA, Baeeri M, Abdollahi M. Effects of Melissa officinalis L. on oxidative status and DNA damage in subjects exposed to long-term low-dose ionizing radiation. Toxicol Ind Health. 2011 Apr;27(3):205-12. doi: 10.1177/0748233710383889. Epub 2010 Sep 21. PMID: 20858648.
9 – Panda S, Kar A. Antithyroid effects of naringin, hesperidin and rutin in l-T4 induced hyperthyroid rats: possible mediation through 5’DI activity. Pharmacol Rep. 2014 Dec;66(6):1092-9. doi: 10.1016/j.pharep.2014.07.002. Epub 2014 Aug 2. PMID: 25443740.
10 – Evaluation of metabolic status in amiodarone-induced thyroid disorders: plasma coenzyme Q10 determination. Mancini A, De Marinis L, Calabrò F, Sciuto R, Oradei A, Lippa S, Sandric S, Littarru GP, Barbarino A J Endocrinol Invest. 1989 Sep; 12(8):511-6.
11 – Vrca, V. B., Skreb, F., Cepelak, I., Romic, Z., & Mayer, L. (2004). Supplementation with antioxidants in the treatment of Graves’ disease; the effect on glutathione peroxidase activity and concentration of selenium. Clinica Chimica Acta, 341(1-2), 55–63. doi:10.1016/j.cccn.2003.10.028
P.S. Whenever you are ready, here is how I can help you now:
1. Schedule a Thyroid Second Opinion with me, Dr. C, Click Here for Details
2. Need A Thyroid Supplement Recommendation? Take My Thyroid Specific Formulations Quiz Now
3. Need a Personalized Supplement? Check out My Thyroid Specific Formulations
4. Download and use my Favorite Recipes Cookbook Here
5. Check out my podcast Medical Myths, Legends, and Fairytales Here
Dr. Alan Glen Christianson (Dr. C) is a Naturopathic Endocrinologist and the author of The NY Times bestselling Adrenal Reset Diet, The Metabolism Reset Diet and The Thyroid Reset Diet.
Dr. C’s gift for figuring out what really works has helped hundreds of thousands of people reverse thyroid disease, lose weight, diabetes, and regain energy. Learn more about the surprising story that started his quest.
