September 30, 2023
Every once in a while, a personal story serves as a stark reminder that your body, while resilient, isn’t infallible. Sometimes, it sends signs—like unexpected weight gain before a major event or constant fatigue—that something’s off.
But what if those signals are misunderstood? Or worse, overlooked?
Meet Dr. Amie Hornaman, doctor of clinical nutrition and host of the top-rated podcast in medicine and alternative health The Thyroid Fixer™, with listeners around the globe. The title of “The Thyroid-Fixer” didn’t just fall into Dr. Amie’s lap; she earned it. Not only through her groundbreaking work, but because she knows the frustration of being misdiagnosed, not once or twice, but six excruciating times. It’s not just about the wrong diagnosis; it’s the emotional upheaval, the self-doubt, and grappling with a system that often doesn’t look beyond the superficial. But adversity has a way of shaping trailblazers.
The founder of The Institute for Thyroid and Hormone Optimization, an organization with transformational, proven approaches to address thyroid dysfunction and support people in returning to full health, Dr. Amie is also the creator of The Fixxr™ supplement line, offering revolutionary, proprietary supplements that are changing the lives of many people.
From her own challenges, Dr. Amie carved out a mission: to ensure that you don’t endure the harrowing cycle of misdiagnoses she faced. Armed with her expertise in Clinical Nutrition, her credentials as a leading Functional Medicine expert, and her personal journey, Dr. Amie isn’t just treating; she’s transforming. She digs deep, looking beyond mere lab values to see the person in front of her. Her message to you is clear: “I don’t just fix numbers; I fix people. I give you your life back.”
So, why the focus on the thyroid?
Because this tiny, butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck wields immense influence in your body. The thyroid plays a pivotal role in determining how your cells use energy, affecting almost every organ in your body. Its proper functioning is essential for heart rate, body temperature, and even cognitive functions, underscoring its central role in overall health and well-being.
Today, let Dr. Amie guide you through the nuances of thyroid health. Are typical tests enough, or are there gaps in the bigger picture? How does your genetic makeup influence your thyroid’s function? And that low-carb regimen you’re adhering to—what’s it doing to your thyroid? Discover why T1 and T2 hormones are more vital than most realize, and if you’re curious about animal-desiccated thyroid glandular, that’s on the docket too. This is a discussion that goes beyond the thyroid to the importance of tuning into your body, championing your health, and realizing it’s okay to challenge the norm.
During our discussion, you’ll discover:
-How did Amie Hornaman start her journey?…07:37
- Amie competed in fitness and did fitness modeling
- She had chicken, fish, asparagus, gym twice a day regimen
- Getting ready for a pretty big show
- Started gaining weight out of nowhere
- Went to her doctor
- The first doctor told her that everything was fine
- To eat less and exercise more
- She went to other doctors because she felt something was wrong
- Dr. #7 told her she had Hashimoto’s
- Started taking pills – Synthroid T4
- Nothing improved
- Started Googling thyroid hormones
- Went into functional medicine
- A functional medicine practitioner saved her life
- Became her mentor
- Amie is a Doctor of Clinical Nutrition and a Functional Medicine practitioner
- Specializes in thyroid hormones
- The Institute for Thyroid and Hormone Optimization
-How does your thyroid affect weight gain?…15:43
- Formation of new fat based on the decrease in metabolism
- The thyroid is the master of all metabolic processes, including fat-burning
- If your thyroid isn’t working, there’s nothing that is working
- People can’t burn body fat; their metabolism starts to lower
- Eating less and exercising more drops their metabolism even lower
-Are the usual thyroid tests adequate?…18:45
- If you do not specify the thyroid test, doctors usually get you TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone)
- TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone
- It is adequate, but not enough
- Functional medicine has different lab values than standard medicine lab values
- For TSH, functional medicine reference range should be below 2
- Standard medicine says 4.5+
- Free T3 – the active thyroid hormone
- Free T4 – the inactive thyroid hormone
- We want to see the total of Free T3
- Shows how much free active thyroid hormone is in the body
- Reverse T3 – anti-thyroid hormone
- Too much reverse T3 blocks T3 action at the cellular level
- Hashimoto antibodies
- 95% of all hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s
- Over-exercising and over-dieting can affect the thyroid directly
- A stressor on the body that can flip on the Hashimoto switch
- Analogy to leaky gut
-What to do when thyroid values are off?…24:32
- Hashimoto’s Bundle (use code BEN20 to save 20%)
- Low Dose Naltrexone
- Black cumin seed oil
- Gluten-free diet
- Low thyroid hormone treatments
- The goal is to get lab values in the optimal range and eradicate symptoms
- Only 2% of hypothyroid patients do well on T4 monotherapy
- 98% do well on T4 and T3, or T3 alone
- T4 alone is not going to work, we have to add T3
- With reverse T3 issue, lower the T4 or do just T3
- It’s all about the personalization aspect
- Podcast with Kashif Khan:
-Genetic tests for thyroid?…32:31
- Genetic-wise, we can only test D101 and D102 pathways
- It shows if the body is converting T4 to T3
- Or pushing T4 to reverse T3
- No genetic test that tells us exactly what medication is the best for us
-The importance of T1 and T2 hormones…34:11
- T1 and T2 are very important
- T1 is inactive
- Amie has been studying T2 for 15 years
- Many women bodybuilders would use T3 in order to lose body fat
- After the show, they would put on significant weight
- They cause thyroid problems because they shut down their own thyroid production
- Like men taking testosterone
- T2 in supplemental form – Thyroid Fixxr (use code BEN20 to save 20%)
- Decreases body fat
- Increases basal metabolic rate
- Stimulate brown adipose tissue
- Protects muscles
- Ben’s experience with Thyroid Fixxr when he traveled in Italy
- T2 is 3,5-Diiodo-L-Thyronine in Thyroid Fixxr (use code BEN20 to save 20%)
- Amazing fat-burning results with no effect on thyroid lab values
- No downside effect on the thyroid gland itself
- T2 works at the mitochondrial level
-Does lack of carbohydrates suppress the thyroid?…40:38
- Faster study over at Dr. Jeff Volek’s at the UConn Human Performance Laboratory
- Beyond Training by Ben Greenfield
- Glucose dysregulation and insulin resistance in the majority of thyroid patients
- All of them go on a low-carb diet
- Months and years of low carb diet can influence T3 production
- Not significant enough to say a low-carb diet is bad
- Cheat days and re-feeds every four weeks to push the reboot button
- Haven’t seen any hardcore evidence or studies on it
- Good quality carbohydrates once a week is ok
- Live life and it will come naturally
-The use of animal desiccated thyroid glandular…45:44
- Organ meats supplements
- The story goes back 15-20 years ago
- Drying the thyroid gland out of a cow, hormones are going to be dried
- They are beneficial if you are not a converter
- Glandulars are 80% T4, 20% T3
- If someone’s a non-converter and they take a glandular, they could actually get worse
-Are iodine and selenium good for thyroid problems?…48:34
- 50% of the people say Hashimoto hypothyroid patients shouldn’t do iodine and 50% say that they should
- Amie believes iodine is good
- A fan of using straight-up iodine (use code BEN20 to save 20%)
- Too much selenium can increase reverse T3
- One or two Brazilian nuts per day are enough
- Brazilian nuts should be kept in the freezer
- Dr. Leland Stillman did an experiment
- Podcast with Dr. Leland Stillman:
- Ben takes 150µg of iodine a day
- Iodine supports detoxification process
- Binds to chlorine, bromine, and fluoride
-Peptides and bio-regulators for thyroid support…53:12
- Peptide bioregulators will work whether you’re hyper or hypo
- You have to have a thyroid gland for the bioregulators to work on it
- Balances the thyroid
- Podcast with Phil Micans:
- Peptides will help people with Hashimoto’s
- With Hashimoto’s, your body is attacking your thyroid gland
- Most beneficial peptides:
- Growth hormone peptides act slowly
- The effect of TB-500 on thyroid (use code BEN10 to save 10%)
- More for wound healing, post-surgery (injury component)
- The source for peptides and bio-regulators
- Anti-Aging Systems (use code BGF15 to save 15%)
- Amie has Thyreogen in her store (use code BEN20 to save 20%)
- T2 is 3,5-Diiodo-L-Thyronine in Thyroid Fixxr (use code BEN20 to save 20%)
-Red light therapy for thyroid issues…58:46
-Cold thermogenesis for thyroid support…1:01:25
- Cold therapy is very useful:
- Brown fat activation
- Decrease in inflammation
- Body is adjusting to cold
- Cool Fat Burner
- Cold packs for gut and neck
- Stacking with T2 (use code BEN20 to save 20%)
- Lowers or improves insulin sensitivity
- Stimulates mitochondria
- Improves energy
- Inflammation goes down
- Fat is burned
- Grains of Paradise
- Super potent brown fat activator
-Testosterone for women…1:05:54
- Women get left behind in the testosterone talk
- Testosterone is the most abundant hormone in a woman’s body
- It gives us motivation, drive, strength, helps with body fat, libido, hair growth
- Conventional medicine and standard lab value range for women – 2-48
- Amie believes it should be 50 and above
- Women’s Testosterone Booster (use code BEN20 to save 20%)
- It’s all about the dose, the administration, aromatizing testosterone into DHT
- Personalization is important
- Testosterone protects against auto-immune
- You can lower the Hashimoto antibodies by bringing the testosterone levels up
- Amie can prescribe to all 50 states
-And much more…
Upcoming Events:
- Couples Collective: October 25th – 29th, 2023
Couples Collective is an exclusive and immersive way to explore health, wellness, and mindset with your significant other. Jessa and I will be leading a health optimization and relationships workshop, alongside many other awesome couples. This is a small event, and access requires you to interview with event-holder OWN IT to ensure a right fit. However, for those who are said fit, this event is designed to bring you into deeper union within your relationship and onward into greater connection with your life, love, health, and happiness. I’m looking for 6 to 7 powerful couples to come join me at the event – are you one of them? Learn more here.
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Resources from this episode:
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Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for Dr. Amie Hornaman or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!
