Breast blend, goiter, iodine etc ?

purple32

HI all

I finally had a phone consult with a naturopathic dr. ( " Real" appt. in  late AUG was the earliest I could get )

In any case, I told her about all of my conditions, and she mentioned iodine deficiency with the thyroid.  That concerns me a bit because I made it clear I was close to being HYPER, not HYPOthyroid, but had the goiter.  That seems tricky to treat with iodine, and I'd have to really have faith in her/ not sure yet.

She also said she has something called " BREASTBLEND" that is DIM, calcium diglucarate and more.  Has anyone heard of this ?

I told her I am cautious of the DIM due to the goiter ( cruciferous vegs are ' goiterous")  and she said we would need to follow that .  Hmmmmmm?

Most of the tests she wants to order would co$t me...only D3 etc ..would be covered by INS., and I have already had that one .

Just seems like " risky business' to me.  I have been very  fortunate in not having to take thyroid meds, and I dont care to do anything that  forces me into an area where I need them.  For that matter, I emailed my endo dr about DIM and she finally replied.

She said she was fine with EATING cruciferous vegs., but not sure how comfortable she would be with someone with a multi nodular goiter taking large amts. such as what DIM would supply.  She basically suggested it might be ill advised.

I dunno'.  I dont want to jump from the frying pan into the fire , and its not like INS will cover his ND, and I find the  the " just try it" comments frustrating at best because sometimes you try something and pay  a hefty health consequences.  (First, do no harm!)

Any opinions by those with goiter  hyperhtyroidism , iodine issues or similar problems ?

THX

Natkat

I am sorry I can't be of specific help, but this website has links to a lot of info about breast cancer and iodine therapy

http://www.breastcancerchoices.org/iodine.html

I think a doctor named Eskin is the main researcher.  You will find a lot if you google it.

Momine

I do not have thyroid issues, but I think it is smart of you to check all the angles before jumping into treatment.



I find it quite frustrating sometimes when people use the argument of "no harm in trying it, it is natural." If it is supposed to have a real effect in the body, then natural or otherwise, there is also the possibility of it having some kind of harmful effect.



Other than D3, what is it she wants to check?



What are your reasons for wanting to avoid the thyroid meds? My impression was that they can be quite helpful and have few SEs, but I don't actually know, truth be told.

purple32

"no harm in trying it, it is natural...'

I couldnt agree more, Monine  - natural or otherwise.

I have had LOTS of ppl. on this forum to tell me it cant hurt to ' just try' tamoxifen  ( hello ?!)Ever hear of a blood clot or a stroke or ????

Anybody who knew enough would want to avoid thyroid (or any ?) meds is at all possible.  They screwed me up before with levoxyl. Then , a decent DR at Lahey in Boston got me right off it and told me never to let one pass my lips again.  She sounded pretty serious, and I never looked back.

Wilsie2

I had a goiter when I was 8 years old, back in 1954, and was hyper, they were just using radioactive iodine and I was treated with that.  I lived in New Orleans at the time, and the treatment was very new, I was written up in medical journals.  It did destroy the goiter, and also part of my thyroid gland, but have had thyroid supplements that keep me normal since then.  Do they still use radioactive iodine?  I often wonder if it was the cause of my breast cancer.  Thyroid medication is very inexpensive and I have no side effects.

purple32

"Do they still use radioactive iodine?  "

YES.  I had it app. 13 yrs ago .  They do whats called a radioactive iodine uptake test.  They give it to you and then the following day they scan the goiter to see hot spots.

I as JUST ABOUT to have 1 again afer all these yrs when I had a  callback for a suspicious mammo app FEB 2012.  The thyroid went on the back burner and the rest is history.  I have seen a disproportionate number of ladies on this board with " thyroid issues'.  I personally believe there is a link, at least in some cases- possibly not in all.  The endocrine system serves both the breast and the thyroid after all!

Food for thought.

suzieq60

Purple - I'm a strong believer of the link between the thyroid and breast cancer. The breasts compete with the thyroid for iodine.

I have a large goitre - my thyroid function was normal though. I have declined surgery as I also strongly believe that synthetic thyroid hormones cause BC. I take Kelp tablets daily, hoping they might shrink the goitre, but no luck so far. I have always used iodised salt, but I don't eat much added salt.

purple32

susieq

I have very low BP and so eat an excess of salt as directed by my PCP  so go figure.

I am borderline hyper and surgery has not been mentioned. Of course, I have not had a RAI or scan  test in over 10 yrs.let alone biopsy, which my new endo dr might like.

suzieq60

I forgot - I've had 2 ultrasounds and a biopsy - benign. My bs wants me to have surgery, but it doesn't affect my swallowing, so I keep telling her I'd rather wait unti it's absolutely necessary.

purple32

I wouldnt let her touch it with a 10 foot pole suzie!

JMO

suzieq60

Trouble is, it is already 5cm, but as long as it doesn't affect breathing or swallowing, it can damn well stay there

purple32

Yep, I agree susie !

Mine has *slightly* displaced my trachea, but the drs are not concerned about that. I was  very worried going into surgery with that , but the anestheiologists said it was not bad at all ( I had films)
 I do not know the size of it, and since I am not planning to do a  thing about it, I would rather  not know !  I dont need any more worries at the moment.

dsgirl

Hello, hope you don't mind my joining the discussion, I also have thyroid issues, goiter, but am low or hypothyroid. Diagnosed over 20 years ago, and have been taking synthetic hormones ever since, mostly staying at the same dose for many years at a time, and the goiter no longer has nodes on it and has shrunk so that I hardly notice it. However, any sickness, disease comes along in my life and the thyroid hormone level in my blood has never failed to go completely wild until whatever made me ill has been dealt with.  About 8 months before I found my b/c lump, my thyroid labs were changing and my doctor lowered my dose, from 100 mcg to 75mcg, we tested monthly, I kept having too much thyroid hormone in me, by the time I could feel the lump in my breast, it was at least 6 months, by then I was on 50 mcg every other day. The day before my surgery,  they do routine labs, I was told to take 100 mcgs, both that nite, and in the morning, stay on 100 mcg and see my doc asap.  What happened ?  I do believe the thyroid goes wonky when your immune system is not able to handle what's going on inside, in my case the cancer growing in the duct. Suzie, I don't think the synthetic thyroid hormone meds causes breast cancer, but I do feel in my gut that the thyroid for some reason or other, starts overproduction and/or underproduction trying to fix some problem within the body, it can go from behaving for a long time to just fluxing up and down. Wish there was some research done on this, however women gets breast cancer with normal working thyroids too I am assuming, although it could be they were never diagnosed with either hypo or hydrothyroid disease. Unfortunately for me or my worried mind, a new wrinkle has come up but really that may be more appropriate in a different forum or discussion. Just wanted to add my 2 cents/ more like a dollars worth as I am longwinded,lol.

Last monday I had my 3 year follow-up mammo and breast axam, and for some reason was real anxious about it, however all was ok, and NED on the report. Happy Dance, right. Then I realized I was still feeling anxious, so I thought I'd call my primary doc soon and see about getting labs for thyroid, because it was that same feeling "being anxious" I get when I get too much thyroid hormone.  Thursday 4am I woke up with severe chest pain, blurred vision, nausea, hot and cold waves sweeping over me, and my husband hauled me to the ER. I do have high BP, High Cholesterol, had a coronary stent implant 7-8 years ago, so it was reasonable to assume I was having another heart attack. EKG was normal as was most bloodwork, I was given an appointment for a stress test, and nitro prescription to use in case the chest pain came back, just for curiosity I asked if they got enough blood to do the thyroid labs since we really don't know what caused this incident yet, and told the doc about how I felt. The doc said yes to the thyroid labs and called that afternoon and said for me to lower my thyroid meds for 10 days, take only 1/2 tablet, then go back to regular dose, and we would check in a month. As you can imagine I am not too anxious to get on the "lower the dose routine again", but what else can I do, but you can bet I will do many breast exams in the coming weeks, maybe even ask for a breast MRI, and of course keep my heart doc. appts. 

Purple, I too have osteo, -3.17 last dexa, I took HRT for over 10 years to help the osteo, always have stayed in the -3.00 range, with or without HRT. I broke my pelvic bone in a fall, but have not had any other problems with broken bones.

Sorry this is so long, promise to be short and to the point if I post again

dsgirl

purple32

dsgirl

"however, any sickness, disease comes along in my life and the thyroid hormone level in my blood has never failed to go completely wild until whatever made me ill has been dealt with.  "

I really find that intriguing.

I wish more endo drs. would look into BC and more BC MOs would be looking at thyoid and insulin resistance issues.

It may not be true in all cases, but it sure seems like a majority of women on this forum have had one of those two issues, and who knows how many others have never had an A1C test and may be pre-diabetic or else have only had  a simple TSH and presume the thyroid is fine.  The full panel might prove otherwise.

 Seems like they are inter-related in many cases.

 I'm not sure of the forum rules on brevity , but when I post, I say what I need to say...all of it !

Momine

Purple, I agree. 5 years prior to cancer DX, I had gone to the doctor because of nagging, minor issues that I thought might be thyroid related. Doc found nothing. In hindsight, I obviously already had cancer then.

When finally DXed, my fasting sugar was in the high end of normal and I had steadily gained weight for the two years prior to DX. The docs ignored it because it was not in the danger zone and because my weight was still well within normal BMI. Never mind that it was really high for me. Only other time I was that heavy, I was 6 months pregnant.

After treatment the sugar has remained at the limit to pre-diabetes. The docs still won't discuss or address it, because it is not IN the problem range, yet. I went and got an A1C myself, just to make sure that the fasting sugar readings were accurate (which they are, A1C is at the upper edge of normal as well).

I am convinced it must be connected to the cancer somehow. 

purple32

Monine

Sounds EXACTLY like me !
Are you on metformin?

I too requested the A1C ( BEFORE my BC Dx) and they said it was 'ok'.  I was already skinny, but I had gained weight after menopause and  had a lot of belly fat. I didnt like it .After my test results,    I  even asked if I should at least make some dietary changes and exercise more, but was told :  " If you want ..it doesnt matter".  ( hello ???)  I was on low end of  the pre diabetic numbers.

After my DX, I begged my endo dr. for the metformin and she said no.

 Then I emailed her and  upped the begging a bit and she reluctantly agreed,  She stressed that she would not put diabetes down as a dx and so my INS would probably not cover.

 No big deal- I get it from Walmart for $4.

Momine

Purple, no, I am not on metformin since strictly speaking my numbers are normal, just barely.

vivre

Lugol's iodine was the remedy for goiters for decades before drugs took over. It still is a viable solution. Sadly, doctors believe the Wolff Chaikoff study that says too much iodine can cause hyper thyroid, so they fear iodine. This study has been refuted time and again, but is still taught in med schools. Iodine will cause TSH numbers to rise, however it is usually temporary and a result of the thyroid literally being starved for iodine. There is so much info about this and I have a ton of it archived on my website. I spent a year researching iodine for breast health before I started using iodine and my only regret is I did not try it sooner. It has changed my life. Taking iodine is a bit complicated, so try to find a doctor who can guide you through it if you are not confident. I could not find a doctor so I have been able to do it on my own, and have since been able to encourage doctors in my area to start to consider iodine treatment. Very few people with breast cancer do not have thyroid issues. They go hand in hand.

I am not going to say how at this time, but I know that within a few years iodine will again become a standard protocol. Even main stream doctors will come to realize iodine is every bit as essential as Vit D. When they do, we will see a tremendous drop in breast, thyroid and prostate cancers. It is going to be very exciting.

dsgirl

Ladies, thanks for listening, posting. Vivre I remember my grandmother taking Iodine liquid every morning, she obviously had a goiter, as it was very visible, even to a child.

As far as the insulin goes, my bloodsugar levels have always been low, in the 80-90 range, my husband has diabetes, so I am aware of bloodsugar levels, checking them etc.  if his was measuring in the eighties, he'd feel real "sick", whereas I feel normal with those numbers. I do have to eat something pretty quick when I get up in the morning, just feel that urge, always have, with or without checking my bloodsugar. According to my pcp my sugars are normal. I should maybe add that a year ago I was a sugar junkie, and now use hardly any sugars. Since I have osteoporosis I read somewhere, probably here at BCO, about sugars, how it feeds cancer and also not good for bones, so there is a real change there in my intake of sugars, however my tests are always normal, so I assume I handle sugar WELL, no matter how much I ingest. I was never asked by any doctor what my sugar intake was, and since my levels were always good they would assume I ingested very little, that was not the case.

I have been searching for a naturopath, found one about 80 miles away, do not know anything about him yet, his practice also lists a Natures Vitamin type store, same phone number and address. I am tempted, but also a bit apprehensive about messing with things I am not really understanding, I just know I dont feel right, lol. My pcp is a D.O. not an M.D, and for years I felt I was treated as a whole person not just handed a prescription for a symptom, but the past 2-3 years it seems like that has changed somewhat, I am sure the thyroid is a hard thing to treat, as not enough is known about it. I do get several tests done, not just the TSH, but I had to ask for that, alas I still do not comprehend it all. Glad to be able to post here and read your responses, your experiences etc, at least I know I am not alone, although our symptoms are all different. There really is not a one size, fits all cure or solution to our b/c and other health issues.

dsgirl

purple32

Momine

My numbers are as well.  I wanted it due to the clinical trials ( you can read the thread here on BCO) on treating BC with metformin.  I figured it really couldnt hurt as long as I was a " high  NORMAL" anyway.

You may want to look into it.

 Just a  thought.

pebee

Can I join the club?

five years ago, I was really sick.  Everything pointed to a misfiring thyroid - but no one would diagnose it. After 10 hellish months, I ended up at a naturalpath who gave me Armour thyroid.  Too much, but at least I was on something.

And, for the next two years I told her that my left breast was itchy.  So itchy that when I scratched it, I left gouges.  Then, guess what I was diagnosed with!

And, did I mention the low blood sugar from childhood?  The diagnoises that I was close to PCOS, but not quite?  Never could lose weight?  Yup, that is me.

And, now I am on metaformin.  And i would like to use iodine and explore the options.

The one thing that I will not do is return to the naturalpath.  She dropped me as soon as she found out I had BC.  And, when they went to start me for surgery, they refered me to the only endo who would work with someone on Armour but only until I finished chemo.  The endo insisted on a month to get the synthoid under control and then surgery.

I think the whole Thyroid as a baramator of health is a great idea.  And, I would love to see an endo that works with BC.  And, if anyone has resources of iodine, can you send them to me? 

dsgirl

Hi pebee,

When I read the heading on this thread, I did briefly think that maybe this was not my place to post, since the OP asked about breast blend and I had no clue as to what that is, however I am concerned about thyroid, iodine, goiter and b/c,  and feel there is a connection, so I posted anyway, and hoped Purple32did not mind as there are not too many places here to address the issue of either high or low thyroid and b/c.  I purchased the book "What your doctor may not tell you about b/c by John R. Lee, MD", subtitled "how hormone balance can help save your life", and leafing thru it, I see only one chapter dedicated to insulin resistance and thyroid, and that chapter covers other factors as well. So I will sign off for now and go read,

Wishing good health and luck to all

dsgirl

She

Interesting thread! I developed Graves Disease after my thyroid was nicked by rads scatter. I tried beta blockers and got worse. I ended up taking RAI (radioactive iodine) which destroyed my thyroid, I'm on synthetic hormones for life.



Goiters sometimes = Graves. Graves can impede conversion of T4 to T3 in your body. I was so lucky to meet someone here at BCO with the same problem and learned about Cytomel, which aids in the conversion.



As i understand it, TSH is not a completely reliable test for thyroid function. It is an adrenal gland function with indicators to thyroid function. To get a real snapshot of thyroid function you require three tests, TSH, Free T3 and Free T4. I think the test is called a 'Thyroid Panel' in the US.



If you're on the verge of hyperthyroid pay close attention to your levels, you do not want to develop Graves. It sux.

purple32

peebee

vivre knows all about iodine.

I would suggest you do a member search on her name or try to PM her.

Good luck

purple32

Yes, it is called a ' full panel" she.

That is women should be asking for .

For many many yrs my drs always said my thryroid tests were prefect. All they ever took was the TSH ( what did I know ?)  It wasnt until I could feel my goiter and had an MRI to show it that I had the full thyroid panel.

As far as I am concerned, they should be a part of the routine annual physical and any woman with a thyroid problem should be following every possible measure to prevent BC, in my opinion.  I will always believe there is a link.

There may be 5 or 10  ( or whatever) components until the perfect storm develops and BC blooms. All I am saying is that I think one such scenario involves the thyroid in a significant  number of cases.

Even my MO said :  " Yes, BC is very  "endocrinish".  ( HER words, not mine !)

dsgirl

Hello again,

Purple32  Did you ever find out anything about the Breastblend ?

On the subject of thyroid tests ,I recently got my lab result back, only TSH yet, (the others apparently takes longer, go out to another lab), and I am really thinking I need to find an endocrinologist as my TSH was <100.00, and my doctor's nurse called and told me to half my levothyroxin for a month and then go back for labs again.  I asked was that for sure what the doctor said and she said yes. I said: My understanding was that high lab numbers means you need more thyroid hormone, so why lower the dose at this time.

I have never had labs that high, usually around 7.0 to 10.0 for the TSH and always my dose was increased to bring the numbers down. Gads. Talk about confused. I am feeling really tired, so I am assuming the labs were correct, and I think I will stay on my current dose until I can find an Endo.  Argh, always something to keep me busy. I have searched the web, but don't really find anything that has helped me understand. I did have an episode about 2 weeks ago, where I had symptoms of a heart attack, (but I did not) and read at one website about Thyroid Dump,and that had alot of the same symptoms, so I guess that could be what I had, and why I am a bit short on thyroid hormone as per lab at present time. I but did not find out why it can happen though, and what to do to avoid it again.  I was thinking before this happened that I would try the iodine protocol, but now think I maybe better just cool it for a while, and let things settle down within my body. I just take my thyroid meds, BP and Cholesterol meds, calcium w/d magnesium and potassium to help my bones. Also some nites take melatonin if sleep is elusive, even though I feel bone tired.

dsgirl

purple32

Purple32  Did you ever find out anything about the Breastblend ?

Not enough to trust dsgirl.

My TSH was 0.61.  Leaning toward hyper. I also have  a goiter.  It gets very complex.

The FULL panel with free T3s and T4s  is much more telling. I will be asking for that the next time I go.

I would not play around with meds or supplements  related to the thyrpoiud without the endo's inpout. It is complicated.

Good Luck to you!