← The Thyroid (and Hormone) Fixer Podcast: Thyropause, Menopause, Metabolism and How to Fix It
The Thyroid (and Hormone) Fixer Podcast: Thyropause, Menopause, Metabolism and How to Fix It
604. From FDA Bans to Broken Guts: Two Conversations Thyroid Patients Need w Dr Amy Myers
00:47:17
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- [00:00]
Dr. Amy Myers
It's not about what you actually are eating. It's what you're actually able to digest and absorb. Because I saw so many people eating incredible diets and then coming in and having problems. And that's because they didn't have enough stomach acid to break down their proteins to get the amino acids that they need to start building building blocks of their thyroid.
- [00:19]
Host 1
Welcome to the new and completely reimagined Thyroid Fixer podcast, a podcast that refuses to sound like every other health show out there. We're here to disrupt this entire space, and now you are part of that disruption. If you're listening right now, it's because something inside you finally said, I'm done being ignored. And I'm here to tell you.
- [00:41]
Dr. Amy Myers
Good.
- [00:42]
Host 2
Because this is where everything changes for you. This is where you say, no more.
- [00:47]
Host 1
No more being dismissed by your doctor.
- [00:49]
Host 2
No more being told your labs are normal.
- [00:52]
Host 1
No more recycled medical advice. No more recycled biohacking advice.
- [00:56]
Host 2
No more being told to accept.
- [00:58]
Host 1
That's what you know isn't right here. You'll get truth. You'll get clarity. You'll get information you can actually use, tools, strategy, and guidance you can apply right now to take back your energy, your hormones, your metabolism, and your life. Every episode will give you something real, something that moves you forward, something that reminds you that you were never the problem, the system was. This is the Thyroid Fixer podcast. This is your turning point.
- [01:29]
Host 2
This is where you rise. Get ready. We're about to disrupt everything you thought.
- [01:34]
Host 1
You knew about thyroid and hormone health.
- [01:37]
Host 2
Let's go. I need to talk to every woman who's been told your labs are normal while your body is screaming at you.
- [01:45]
Host 1
And rebelling against you. Fatigue, brain fog, the weight that will not come off, mood swings, hair loss, feeling dismissed, frustrated and confused. I get it. And that is exactly why I wrote my new book, the Thyroid Fix. The no nonsense Guide to Fix Fatigue, Fogginess, and fat that won't budge. That just says it all. And it is now available for pre sale. So I need your help to spread the message. I am giving you an ask as my listener and a promise at the same time. If you pre order the thyroid fix, my promise to you is to continue delivering all kinds of free advice, information, content, education, empowerment. Because that's what I love to do, Whether it's here in the just fix your thyroid Facebook group or I'm on.
- [02:43]
Host 2
Live, I will give you everything I.
- [02:47]
Host 1
Possibly can if you do me one.
- [02:50]
Sponsor/Advertisement Voice
Favor, which will be a favor for yourself as well.
- [02:52]
Host 1
And pre order the thyroid Fix now.
- [02:55]
Host 2
This book is not another list of supplements, vague advice. It's not a diet plan. It's not filled with recipes. It is a clear, honest guide.
- [03:07]
Host 1
It is the Thyroid Bible.
- [03:09]
Host 2
It is the last thyroid book that.
- [03:11]
Host 1
You will will ever need because it teaches you how to read your own labs. No other book has done that. It teaches you what medication and dose you need. No other book has ever done that.
- [03:25]
Host 2
It will help you to understand why.
- [03:27]
Host 1
You are being misdiagnosed, why you're being.
- [03:30]
Host 2
Under treated and why you can't talk about hormones, weight loss or menopause without.
- [03:35]
Host 1
Talking about the thyroid.
- [03:36]
Host 2
I called it Thyroid Bible because like I said, this is going to be.
- [03:42]
Host 1
The thyroid book of the next few decades. When you pre order, you're not just supporting me, you're telling the publisher. This message matters and it needs to get out to the world and it needs to get into the hands of women who have been ignored for far too long.
- [03:58]
Sponsor/Advertisement Voice
So will you go to thyroid fixbook.com and pre order a copy of yours today?
- [04:06]
Host 2
It'll be shipped to you on May 12th and you will get free entry to our all day live event where I will be there answering your questions.
- [04:16]
Host 1
Live, teaching live and bringing in amazing guests for you to also connect with and ask your questions too. So thyroid fixbook.com pre order yours today. If you are exhausted, gaining weight, you you have brain fog, you just feel off and you're tired of doctor hopping and wasting money. Listen closely. So many women bounce from provider to provider trying supplements, protocols and then functional approaches that never truly address the thyroid. Months turn into years and you're still stuck feeling like garbage, wasting your precious life. So this is why we offer a thyroid and hormone solution call. It's not a lab review. It's not treatment. It's clarity and strategy to determine whether you're a good fit for working with our clinic. We specialize in thyroid optimization and hormone optimization together because they go hand in hand. You can't do one without the other. You have to do them both. We prescribe in all 50 states and if you become a patient, we take care of you from start to finish. Testing, treatment, optimization and ongoing support. You don't have months or years to waste feeling this way and you shouldn't have to keep throwing money at people who don't truly understand the thyroid and hormones. So if you're ready for real help, go to drami.com that's D R A M I E dot com and click book a call in the top right corner to schedule Your thyroid and hormone solution call and just let us help you with get your life back and be that badass human that you are meant to be, that you deserve to be.
- [06:02]
Host 2
It is so rare that I actually have another powerhouse thyroid expert on the show.
- [06:09]
Host 1
Now.
- [06:09]
Host 2
We've had Isabella Wentz before. You know that she's another thyroid powerhouse lady expert. But this is the first time that I'm having Dr. Amy Myers, who you all have heard of, you know her, you have her book, you love her on the show. So we are going to talk a lot of different things thyroid related. But I'm just really excited to bring you on, Dr. Amy, because you have been in this thyroid space for so long. My goodness, when I first started, I was following all of your work, read all of your books. So thank you for doing what you're doing. Thank you for being a voice in this space that women need. And thanks for coming on the show to talk all things thyroid related.
- [06:51]
Dr. Amy Myers
Yeah, thanks so much for having me. I've enjoyed getting to know you as of late. So thank you.
- [06:56]
Host 2
Well, yeah, how we were connected was through this ridiculous FDA ban that started many, many months ago. But as of right now, so we're basically at the end of January 2026. Like I said, author, I just saw a post that you made regarding an update for your listeners. And, and I thought this is a great place to start because honestly, I still don't know what's going to happen. So what is your take on this FDA ban and what are your thoughts of what could potentially play out?
- [07:32]
Dr. Amy Myers
Yeah, I mean, I don't really know what's going to happen. And then I think, as you know, we started a petition, we got lots of signatures. And then there was this tweet from Marty from the FDA saying like, oh, we're going to maintain access to desiccated thyroid hormone for everybody. And then everybody thought, oh, that's it. And it's like, no, they haven't retracted the letter. So just to catch your listeners up to speed, which I'm sure they already are since they follow you, but just that the FDA sent a letter out to all manufacturers, marketers, basically anyone who had a touch point of touching desiccated thyroid hormone that they were going to be referring all of those patients over to get synthetic hormone. And really they were essentially asking them to stop producing this until they had true FDA approval. And this goes back since, frankly, when I was born in the 1970s, that desiccated thyroid hormone is what was solely being used. And then they started manufacturing synthetic Hormones such as Synthroid and the like and got much further away. And back then this desiccated thyroid hormone really wasn't regulated and it wasn't really, what do I want to say where it's getting the same consistent dosage and over the years that is no longer the case. They've really honed in and getting other than one or two brands that I've personally used and used with my patients, really the dose is very consistent in these desiccated thyroid hormones. They purify them out. There was some thought long time ago there might be Pyramid and various other viruses that you could get from taking desiccated thyroid gland. And really all of those issues had been resolved and the FDA had not made these manufacturers get official approval and go through the approval process. They were sort of grandfathered in with the fda and then out of the blue they just said basically you have to be approved and gave them only a 12 month period to do that. And that none of the manufacturers, because they had been grandfathered in, even the ones that were actually working towards getting approval a year was not enough time for them to actually get that approval. So it was gonna mean things coming to a screeching halt. And I myself do not have a thyroid because I had Graves disease. I had my thyroid ablated. I didn't know me or functional medicine back when all that was happening. And so desiccated thyroid hormone is really essential for me. And so many of my patients even that do have thyroids, they just don't make that conversion from T4 to T3. And so I really felt so strongly about this, I started a petition and frankly I need to file it with the fda, but I don't know what's going to happen. I truly don't know what's going to happen. I mean, I would hope with the administration that we have in place now that they aren't going to remove it, but I don't know.
- [10:33]
Host 2
I know, I know. Same position, same thought process as you. I can't imagine this going through because of the battle, because of all the voices out there from our listeners, followers, patients. I mean, not even just from us screaming and saying, hey, wait, this is helping so many people, but from the actual patients themselves, them speaking up, signing petitions and for our government to not listen basically to their voting base. You would think that they would step up and recognize that this is essential for overall health. And yeah, I know something that, I.
- [11:13]
Dr. Amy Myers
Mean to me this is more critical than food dyes, right? I mean food dyes, you can avoid them Now I understand if you're of a certain economic branch, you may have a certain budget for food and you may have to buy like lower quality food. But still, if you're eating real whole foods, you can avoid food dyes. But if we don't have access to desiccated thyroid hormone, we don't have another choice. I mean, as I was going through this process, I was a medical student when I had my thyroid ablated and I was hearing all this stuff about desiccated thyroid hormone in terms of maybe you could get pyrons, maybe you could get this virus, maybe you could get that. And so I was really kind of nervous about it. And so I initially just started on Synthroid and then after reading and learning, I convinced my then endocrinologist to prescribe Cytomel. But Cytomel is pure T3 but it has a short acting on and off. And I didn't know much about compounding pharmacies and I'm not really sure how many were really around back then. And eventually as I got more into this, then I got the T3 compounded because then it was sustained relief. And then eventually once I got into functional medicine, I actually got myself onto armor and desiccated thyroid hormone and of course used it very, very extensively in my practice, in my functional medicine practice. And it really can be life changing for people.
- [12:38]
Host 2
It just can. I mean that was very, very similar. I did not have my thyroid removed. But I do have a specific question for you on that. I'll circle back to it. But same thing, I was put on Synthroid that did absolutely nothing. And I mean we know that just from all the people that we see.
- [12:53]
Host 1
And that T4 only just doesn't work. I mean, especially if you had your thyroid removed.
- [12:58]
Host 2
So I was on T4 only, moved to armor. That made a huge difference in my life for a couple of years. But eventually I had to transition to T3 only because I have genetic snips that just do not allow me to convert. So I was never fully optimized on ndt. But goodness, I mean, yes, it helped, especially coming off of T4 only. So definitely when you said you had your, you were graves, you had your thyroid removed. Now when you are dealing with total thyroidectomy or even partial thyroidectomy patients or those who have had radioactive iodine people with either a half or no thyroid left, what is your opinion? And then I'll jump in with mine, but I want to hear yours. What is your opinion on those people going on T4 only when essentially the gland that once produced T3 is no longer present.
- [13:52]
Dr. Amy Myers
Right. I mean, I, I don't, I didn't have any patients that I did that. In fact, my book, the Thyroid Connection, I mean, I write that if you've had your thyroid partially removed, removed or like me, radioactive iodine, that really, you must be on a desiccated thyroid or a T4 T3 combo that's compounded. I mean, I do think that the desiccated thyroid hormone really works better for people because they say that there's T1, T2 in it versus when you're getting something compounded, it's frankly still synthetic. And then you're just getting the T4 and the T3. And so I am a firm believer in those folks to have desiccated thyroid, I actually take a little bit of Synthroid. I found this a lot with my patients too, because the T4, T3 is coming in a certain ratio. When you're taking desiccated thyroid gland, if you're getting it compounded, you can get it compounded to the ratios that you need. But like, if you're dealing with something that's already pre made, like Synthroid, I mean, like armor some people, it might be too much T3 for them and not enough T4. So I actually take a little bit of Synthroid and I would do this commonly with my patients as well. I'm on 50, which is the white pill, so there's no dyes in it. It's the purest one. And so I take Synthroid 50 and then I take Armor twice a day. And so I think it's really, really critical for people who don't have a thyroid. I mean, is it impossible to take Synthroid? No, I mean, that's why I formulated the multivitamin that, that I have that really has all of the things that you need. I formulated that as I was writing the Thyroid Connection because when I wrote the autoimmune solution, people said like, oh, I was so overwhelmed by all the supplements. So I thought, okay, I'm gonna have like one supplement to go with this book that really has everything that you need to support your thyroid. So I mean, you need iodine, selenium, you need B vitamins, you need magnesium, you need D, you need all of these things, zinc to help convert from T4 to T3. And a lot of people, the reason they're not converting is that they don't have the necessary nutrients in order to do that. And so I think some people can get away with it, but it's Much better if you don't have a thyroid to be on a desiccated thyroid hormone.
- [16:11]
Host 2
Yep, I totally agree. Or some kind of T3 like T4. T3 like you have to have the T3 in the mix because this is what I would say. We take out the thyroid gland that produce T4 and T3, then we also have to remember that the thyroid gland is one of many different conversion locations. I mean, we know that most of it happens in the gut, liver, peripheral tissues, but the thyroid gland does help with that as well. And then to give someone T4 only with just like you said, all the nutrient deficiencies that we have in this country, the soil depletion, the. Then there's the stress, there's the processed food that's jacking up people's insulin and pretty much what is it, 93% of Americans are insulin resistant is the latest stat. And then we have genetic markers that, like I, I said, I have as well that prevent conversion. I mean, that's a lot of interference with the T4 to the T3 conversion process. There's a lot of interference there. So when someone has their thyroid gland.
- [17:13]
Sponsor/Advertisement Voice
Removed to give T4 only I just.
- [17:15]
Host 2
Think is absolutely ludicrous. And of course, if you're on T4 only and you're just not in the functional system and that's all you have access to, per your doctor, then absolutely. Adding in the vital nutrients that support that conversion is key. But the bottom line is to have that conversation with your doctor to possibly add in T3 or natural desiccated thyroid if we can save it and get it pushed through as an option. I think that's key. Now you had mentioned iodine. Now we know that this is very controversial. I want to know your take on iodine. Obviously you just said it's vital. So can you expand on that for the audience?
- [17:53]
Dr. Amy Myers
Yeah, I have a whole section in my book about it. And I think that we used to have a very iodine rich diet and that has gone away. We used to have iodized salt that's gone away. And then we now have brominated our baked goods. We have chlorine in our pools, in our water, we have fluoride in our water. We have all of these and they're all halides. And so they're displacing our iodine. And so I think it's twofold. We're not getting it in our diet. And then we have all of these other halides all around us that are displacing it in our body. So I do believe that we are, as a society, iodine deficient. Now, I don't think that we're 50 milligrams or 25 milligrams deficient. I used to see a lot of people coming in from other practitioners on something called iodorol, which is 25 milligrams or 50 milligrams of iodine. And I had these people coming in, they were getting graves, they were Hashimoto's, they were hyperthyroidal hypothyroid, their thyroid was all out of whack. So I am not a huge believer in the very high dosages. What I have in My multi is 300 micrograms, which is, you know, hundredths of a fraction of what we were just talking about. And so I think that that's about the amount to replenish in your diet along with eating iodine rich foods. That seems to be what I've experienced with my patients as a good amount. So the shorter answer is we are iodine deficient. We are not milligrams a day deficient in iodine. And, and I personally saw many, many people. There may be many success stories as well, but I of course saw all the people that were having huge problems on large dosages of iodine.
- [19:42]
Host 2
Yeah, yeah. And I always say that too. It was, it was really, I believe, the practitioners that were jumping people up to those high doses where they got a thyroid storm. That's what gave iodine the bad reputation. And I think so many functional practitioners out there are anti iodine now. And it's like, wait a minute, can we find that sweet spot in the middle? We don't have to totally eliminate iodine because just like you said, it, it displaces the toxic allies that we're exposed to every day that wreak havoc with our thyroid, but also with our entire body. But then you have the extreme higher doses that. Okay, in some cases, I know Dr. David Brownstein has talked about this, that he will use it in, let's say cancer cases or select few cases of people needing that 50 milligram dose. But it's very few and far between. And they have to be monitored obviously to not go hyper, have a thyroid storm. What about that sweet spot in the middle, you know, where we can add it in at a beautiful dose to really help support people. I love iodine. I'm pro iodine as well. When used at the right dose. When used at the right dose. Okay. I, I knew this would be. I have so many questions for you because I wanted to be able to pick your brain on air again. Another thyroid expert. I mean, this is gold. This is absolute gold. Now, Dr. Amy, you really go into the gut and how there is this beautiful connection between your thyroid health and conversion, like we just talked about, and the gut. Can you start there? And then I kind of want to go into the different gut issues that people have, like Sibo, H. Pylori, but start there with just the importance of our gut health when it comes to producing thyroid hormone and converting thyroid hormone.
- [21:32]
Dr. Amy Myers
Yeah, I mean, well, first of all, if you have an autoimmune condition of your thyroid, which if you have low thyroid or certainly high thyroid, most of it is autoimmune. Hashimoto's Graves. And so nearly 80% of our immune systems in our gut. And so if you're dealing with any type of autoimmune condition, whether it's thyroid or otherwise, the gut really is the first place that I go. I mean, I say it's the gateway to health. And I mean, it goes from back to, do you have the nutrients to make the conversion? Well, you may not be eating them. Or like many people that would come see me because after you've written a couple of books, you have this long waiting list and people would go and read the books and do the programs. So by the time they were coming to see me, they had already been doing my diet or the diet in the book for many months. Right. And so they're like, I'm eating this incredibly nutrient dense diet. And then we would go and check and they really were not absorbing their food. And so if you're not absorbing your food properly, then you're not getting the proper nutrients that you need. And so that gets back to things like, do you have enough HCl and digestive enzymes to break down your food? Are you dealing with some type of infection like Candida or Sibo or H. Pylori, where maybe you cannot absorb things? So it could be that you're eating everything that you need, but you're just not absorbing in. You know, when I was growing up, as you are what you eat, and I changed it to say you are what you can digest and absorb, right? Like, it's not about what you actually are eating, it's what you're actually able to digest and absorb. Because I saw so many people eating incredible diets and then coming in and having problems. And that's because they didn't have enough stomach acid to break down their proteins to get the amino acids that they need to start building building blocks of their thyroid. Maybe they didn't have enough digestive enzymes. Maybe they didn't have bile acids because they have a sluggish gallbladder, or they had their gallbladder removed. And of course, we can get into the different types of infections as well. So the gut really is central. I mean, I've already just said it. The gut is the gateway to health. And so it is absolutely the first place that I would start when I was working with patients to look what was going on in the gut. And generally in fixing the gut, it helps fix so many problems.
- [23:50]
Host 2
Oh, yeah, top to bottom. I mean, even beyond the thyroid from our immune system calming down. That autoimmune attack of Hashimoto's, like, really head to toe. The gut plays a role, brain function, everything.
- [24:04]
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- [24:20]
Host 2
A lot of lately.
- [24:21]
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- [25:07]
Dr. Amy Myers
Wait a minute.
- [25:08]
Sponsor/Advertisement Voice
I'm supposed to be avoiding nicotine and caffeine?
- [25:10]
Host 1
No, no, no.
- [25:11]
Sponsor/Advertisement Voice
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- [26:24]
Host 1
You will feel the difference.
- [26:26]
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- [26:54]
Host 2
So now you had mentioned, and I've said this before on the show too, but I want you to expand on it. Why is it that patients, Hashimoto patients are low in betaine hydrochloric acid? Is it because everything is just low and slow and they're not producing it, or is there a deeper connection?
- [27:12]
Dr. Amy Myers
I mean, it can be that it can be sort of what came first, the chicken or the egg. Right. Like, are you low in stomach acid from whatever the cause, you've had a surgery, you're drinking too much bubbly water to you have a H. Pylori infection. What came first, the chicken or the egg? And then that has led to you not absorbing your food and your amino acids properly or your proteins to break down to amino acids. So then you have problems with your immune system or you can't make your thyroid hormone. And then therefore your hypothyroid is hypothyroid or backing up. Are you hypothyroid? That then slows everything down. Right. You could have sibo. You could have just a slowing down of your digestion leading to an infection such as H. Pylori. So it's a little bit the chicken and the egg, as you know, what came first or a gerbil wheel. What came first, the chicken or the egg.
- [28:03]
Host 2
Right, Right. And so in your opinion, everyone with Hashimoto should be taking digestive help, preferably something with like you said, digestive enzymes, a little bit of, of bile support for your gallbladder and that. Betaine, hcl.
- [28:21]
Dr. Amy Myers
Well, I think you need a test. And see, I mean you can either literally do a test or I mean, look, I think most people can benefit from some digestive enzymes, right? And that's not going to hurt you if you take some and you don't need them. So typically I would put everyone on digestive enzymes. I would do a stool test as well. And then if when we tested they didn't need them, we would get them off. But it doesn't hurt when you're dealing with any chronic condition to sort of ease the burden. Now when it comes to bile salts, that's usually people who see fat in their stool if they're eating a heavy meal, heavy fat meal, I mean even healthy fats, right, they may see fat floating at the top of like a grease in the toilet bowl after they might know that they have a sluggish gallbladder, they might have had gallstones, they might have had their gallbladder removed. Definitely those last three. If you know you have a sluggish gallbladder, you had yours removed or you have gallstones, would add in some bile salts, particularly with heavy meals. Now when it comes to hcl, I don't just throw that around willy nilly because it is an acid and you can burn a hole in your gut or in your stomach and get an ulceration if you're taking too much acid. And so with the stomach acid, the way that you can tell is you can take, make sure you're eating a high protein meal, take one pill of hcl and if you have no burning, that means that you actually do need some hcl. And so then you can go in at your next meal and take two pills. If at that point you get some burning, indigestion, acid reflux, then you know that one pill is your dose. And over time, hopefully as you're healing your gut and healing your body, we can also get off of all of these things. Now again, if you don't have a gallbladder, you might want to be on the bile salts the rest of your life. Or if you have pancreas issues, you might want to be on the digestive enzymes. But my goal is to have people on these things, heal their body and then get them off of them and not need to be on them full time. So you might notice as you're taking the hcl, maybe you start off and you need Three pills at every meal. And then over a few months, you might gradually need start getting some burning and. And then you only need two pills and then you can back down to one. But I do want to caution people. No, I don't just hand out hcl to everybody because it's stomach acid and you can do some damage. So you do need to be careful with that and make sure that you really do genuinely need it.
- [30:46]
Host 2
Now, people can get heartburn when they're low in stomach acid.
- [30:50]
Dr. Amy Myers
Absolutely right. Yes, yes, yes. So it's counterintuitive. A lot of people, you go to your conventional doctor, you've got acid reflux, they put you on an acid blocker. Then what does that do? That blocks your acid. Then you're not able to break down your proteins into amino acids. This is the beginning. Right. You don't have stomach acids, so it doesn't kill off those viruses. It doesn't kill off parasites when you're ingesting them on your fruits and vegetables. It doesn't kill off Candida. It can lead to sibo. So it is important to have stomach acid. The acid is there for a reason. It's the, like, you eat, you swallow, and it goes straight to that acid. And that acid is killing things and breaking things down. So when you don't have enough, it can be a problem. But, yes, it's very counterintuitive. And it sometimes can be difficult and scary for those people with the acid reflux to actually feel like they're going to take the acid, but really after a couple doses and things like that, they notice that their heartburn has gone away.
- [31:47]
Host 2
Yeah, it's very hard to convince someone with. With acid reflux to take something with acid in the word. So, yeah, very counterintuitive. But I wanted to hear your take on that, too, because, you know, it's one of those things. I mean, you had a podcast and you're starting to back up again, that you can talk all day long to your audience, but when somebody else says it, it's kind of like when your parents tell you something and you're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, thanks. And then a friend comes along, you go, oh, okay, now I believe you. I didn't believe my parents, though, so, yeah, I'm so happy you're saying that. Now, you had mentioned infections a couple different times, so let's talk about that.
- [32:23]
Dr. Amy Myers
What are the.
- [32:25]
Host 2
The gut infections that maybe we're not even talking about enough in the. The hypothyroid Hashimoto community?
- [32:32]
Dr. Amy Myers
Well, I mean, the biggest One, I think that people are aware of the connection now is sibo, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. When I was in practice and when I wrote my book 10 years ago, nobody was talking about Sibo, and it was very difficult to get that. There is a very specific antibiotic that can be very helpful with sibo. And it was one of the few antibiotics prescriptions that I wrote for people. But it was something that typically would work for people. But it was so expensive, and the insurance companies were not covering it because they didn't even believe in a diagnosis. I don't think there was a. I mean, back then, we were in ICD 9. Now we're in ICD 10. But there wasn't even a code for SIBO. And then suddenly GI doctors started recognizing it. And then sometimes the antibiotic would get covered, but I created a supplement, microclear, because I wasn't able to get my patients coverage. And this antibiotic would cost thousands of dollars sometimes for people. I mean, some people would pay the money, they were that desperate. But other people just couldn't. But we now know sibo. And so when you're hypothyroid, everything slows down, and so your digestion slows down, and then your food's sitting in your gut for longer, and in your small bowel, where the bacteria are starting to break down your food, there's more food sitting longer. And so then the bacteria start to break it down, and then they begin to feed off of this. I mean, it can also come from surgery and various other. But we now know that there is a Hashimoto SIBO connection, and then this then can lead to irritable bowel and things like that. I don't know that there's a specific connection to hypothyroidism and. Or hyperthyroidism and Candida. But particularly if we're dealing with autoimmune issues, there's certainly an autoimmune connection to Candida. And I think that that's just. We're born by C section. Kids are not getting breastfed these days. I mean, for many years now, right? So they're not getting the microbiome, ear infection, they're drinking dairy, they're getting ear infections, they're getting antibiotics. Teenagers put on acne, antibiotics for acne, all these things. We just have so much antibiotics in our lives these days that it really leads to candida overgrowth or some sort of yeast overgrowth. I say Candida. That's the most common form. But there can be various other forms of. Of Yeast as well. High estrogen levels can lead to, to, can lead to yeast overgrowth, whether it's from birth control pills to pregnancy, to even hormone replacement. Typically not coming from bioidentical hormone replacement, but if you're somebody who's on non bioidentical or on high dosages, or if you just have estrogen dominance. So those are the things. I mean, there's an H. Pylori connection with hypothyroidism. We talked about that. Parasites, they are more common than people think. I, I feel like we used to think this was just something that you got in a developing country. And I think now with the Internet and with social media, people are realizing it's on our fruits and vegetables. If you're not washing them properly, it can be in an undercooked meal, undercooked pork, sushi, things like that. So it is very, I mean, I would say pretty common. They're hard to identify and to find on stool tests, but I would say it's more common than people think. For sure. Those are probably the top four infections that I see in the gut.
- [35:53]
Host 2
Gut infection, yeah, absolutely. Let's, let's go back to parasites because that's another, I mean, we're hitting on all these hot topics today. Another controversial yet very hot topic. You have the people that say basically if you have a pulse, you have parasites. And then you have the other group that says, no, no, no, you know, you can have parasites, but maybe they're not actually doing anything in your body. What is your take on parasites and what should we be doing? Should we be trying to eradicate them with every full moon or if we feel good, do we just let it go?
- [36:31]
Dr. Amy Myers
Yeah, I mean, parasites are difficult. And as I was practicing the functional medicine, stool testing was getting better and better. You name it, I've probably done it. So, you know, any kind of energy medicine, any kind of machine out there that can pick anything up, I guarantee you I've tried it. Stool testing, all that kind of stuff. I thought for sure I was going to have a parasite.
- [36:51]
Host 2
Right?
- [36:52]
Dr. Amy Myers
I mean, I've had pretty much everything else. I was in the Peace Corps in the middle of nowhere, drink my water from a well, and I thought for sure nothing ever showed up on a stool test. I mean, nothing has ever showed up in any kind of muscle testing, anything. But I have also had Sibo many times in my life. And so I've used my product Microclear a number of times. And that also, we use that for the treatment of parasites. Parasites as well. Then I went and did this other testing at a clinic. My sister passed from breast cancer recently. And so she was at an integrative oncology clinic. And I was like, well, I'm here. They do preventative stuff. Let me like go do all these tests too. So I did. And they're like, wow, like everyone has parasites. You don't have any parasites. And I was thinking, okay, maybe I really don't. But I also took ivermectin for almost two years straight during COVID So I don't know if I've just treated mine naturally. I mean, I've never had any symptoms of anything, but no testing has ever come up. I feel like I'm one of the few though, like literally one of the few that like I've had other people shows up on a stool test, doesn't show up on like any of these energy medicine tests, shows up on all these energy medicine tests, doesn't show up here. So my answer is I don't really have a proper answer for you. I think if you've been in any high risk environment, meaning you've traveled somewhere and you got sick, you know, like you went to Mexico and got Montezuma's revenge or something like that, I think that's going to be a clue to you. If you've traveled somewhere and you got sick, that's going to be a clue that you probably got something. Whether you got rid of it or not, you probably got something. If you're eating high risk foods, right? I mean, if you're eating undercooked pork, if you're eating sushi. I don't like sushi. My 8 year old loves sushi. So I'm like, okay, I'm going to have to like every month get some ivermectin in this child because, you know. Yeah, I can't even believe I'm letting her eat it. But I'm kind of, I don't know. She, she likes raw octopus. She, she does, she's eight. She loves all this stuff. So if you're eating high risk food, you're not washing your fruits and vegetables, I think that these are clues that you could have parasites. And yes, I think it's worth doing. I think it depends on your health issue. If you have something chronic and you've tried everything else, maybe you want to be doing this monthly at the full moon. If you do a parasite cleanse once and you get rid of things, maybe don't have to do it again. I mean, it's so individualized. I mean, colonics that's another thing that I've tried in the last, I've tried a lot of things in the last year. You know, when my sister got sick and she can usually see the strings of parasites coming out and nothing came out on mine. So I don't know. That was probably the most long winded answer to something I've ever had on a podcast. I'm usually very succinct, but I think it's very individual and it's real. And they're hard to pick up because a lot of these are hiding and they have certain life cycles that only come out at certain times. There is, in both my books and on my website, I have a quiz like, do you have a parasite? And it has some questions to ask. And I think if you're scoring high on that, you test high on energy. And certainly if it comes up on an actual stool test, then I would go through some sort of parasite cleanse for sure.
- [39:58]
Host 2
Now, I absolutely love your answer because I'm the same way. I never tested positive on a stool test. My eosinophils are not elevated. I, I, but I, I have a dog. I mean, I have a dog that kisses my face. So right there, according to parasite experts, I have parasites. So just what you said, I have no symptoms, I have no markers. But, you know, you kind of sit there and go, I don't know, everybody's doing parasite cleanses. Should I do one? I don't know. And right now I am taking Ivermectin because like we were talking off air. That is one of the agents, the substances that have been proven to kill my circulating tumor cells. So now I'm, maybe I'm killing them off.
- [40:41]
Dr. Amy Myers
Yeah, I mean, I, I still take ivermectin if I feel like I'm getting sick or if I'm traveling on long flights, things like that, you know, and my daughter, if she ever feels like she's getting sick, I just open up a Ivermectin and stick it in some juice for her. So hopefully, yeah, I mean, I've never done one of those, like, intense parasite cleanses, right. Where people are like, oh, I, there was a bucket of worms in my toilet and things like that, but I haven't seemed to need to. But I do think that those can be valuable to certain people.
- [41:12]
Host 2
Yeah, yeah, no, I'm with you there. I, I completely agree now, okay. Outside of parasites, so we don't really know if everybody has them, but doesn't everybody have leaky gut? And how can you actually tell if you have, quote unquote, leaky gut, I mean, I guess first give the audience the definition of it, because that's kind of the layman's terms that has developed and come out over the last few years for people to understand it. And then what is your take on it?
- [41:40]
Dr. Amy Myers
Sure. I mean, yeah, it's also funny, like, I was Talking about this 10 years ago and wrote about it in my books. So your gut sits together with these tight junctions. I have this very famous YouTube video 15 years ago. And these are the villi where you digest and absorb. And then you have these tight junctions that come apart a little bit. And that is literally how you absorb your food. And so those tight junctions are supposed to, like I've referred to it as a drawbridge. Teeny tiny boats can get through without the bridge needing to really open, but big boats should not be able to get through. But as we bombard our body with different infections, different foods, different toxins, over time these tight junctions can break apart. Or as Alessio Fasano says, as gluten can go right there, cause zonulin to release, and it keeps the tight junctions open. Therefore, these big particles like gluten that was never meant to get through our bloodstream gets through your immune system sitting right there. It's one of the theories behind particularly autoimmune thyroid disease. But all autoimmunity is that our thyroid gland looks very similar to the gluten molecule. And so as the gluten comes through your immune system, goes to attack the gluten. Your thyroid looks so similar it can inadvertently attack your thyroid. So it's the theory behind some of these, you know, behind Hashimoto's, behind Graves and certainly other autoimmune conditions as well. And why absolutely say avoid gluten if you have an autoimmune condition, particularly a thyroid one. So does everyone have leaky gut? No, I do not believe that everyone has leaky gut. I do believe that if you have an autoimmune condition, based on the research of Alessio Fasano, you likely have a leaky gut. So I just assumed everybody did. Most everybody that was coming to see me after you've written the autoimmune solution had an autoimmune condition. So I just assume they did. And we worked through the four hour program to reverse their leaky gut. You can do testing. You know, I got quizzes on my website and in my book, you can do you score high if you got an autoimmune condition and you haven't done anything about it, I'm gonna assume you have a leaky gut.
- [43:43]
Host 2
Yeah.
- [43:44]
Dr. Amy Myers
But if you really wanna know, there is testing. I mean, there's testing to look for some antibody markers. If those are elevated, there's some signs on stool test and even some urine tests. Even if you get a food sensitivity test and these people are like, oh my God, I'm allergic to 50 foods. Well, you're not really allergic, first of all, you're sensitive, sensitive. And it's probably that you have a leaky gut and these foods are, you're just eating them a lot. So stop eating the foods for a while, heal your gut, and then you can likely get back to the foods, but probably not at the frequency at which you were eating them before. So I think it's one of those things. If you're really curious and maybe if you have, let's say, a neurologic disease, you really want to know. But if you're the average person, again, I look at like risk benefits, like, is it going to be harmful for you to treat a leaky gut even if you don't have a leaky gut? No. Is it gonna be beneficial? Can you save five, six hundred dollars on testing? Yes. So going through the four hour program now, is that something that I think everybody could benefit from? Sure. I mean, if you don't actually have a leaky gut, I'm sure. I mean, I wrote about, in my book, I wrote the autoimmune spectrum and it's a spectrum. There's probably a leaky gut spectrum too. And I'm just coining that as we're on the talk right now, that there's some spectrum to the leaky gut. Like is it full blown? Like literally you've got antibodies to, you're on your way to that. And so I think, yeah, probably think most people are somewhere on the spectrum. And so you could benefit from going through a four hour program of healing a leaky gut, particularly something like after the holidays where you might have indulged in alcohol, you may be overindulged in sugar, maybe even indulged in some foods that aren't great for you if you've just had a round of antibiotics. I mean, there's certainly some risk factors that if one of these things has just happened to you, then absolutely, I would work through a 4R program. And if you need me to tell your listeners what that is, let me know.
- [45:45]
Host 2
Well, yeah, give me the four R's. And since they're in your blood book, you don't have to Go into detail, because people will just have to go get your book to learn about the detail of the four. But give me the big overview of what are the four Rs.
- [45:56]
Dr. Amy Myers
So the first is to remove. And so you're removing foods, trigger foods, all the high inflammatory and toxic foods, gluten, dairy, sugar, seed oils, stuff like that, alcohol. And you also want to remove infections. So that's where getting into these programs of treating Sibo, candida, parasites, H. Pylori, things like that. And then you want to replace whatever's missing. And so that gets back to our conversation about the enzyme. So enzymes possibly digest HCl, possibly bile salts. You want to re inoculate with good bacteria. So now here's where. If you have sibo, I recommend that you take a soil based probiotic. And because sibo typically is an overgrowth of Lactobacillus and most all probiotics, even the ones I make have Lactobacillus in it, except for the soil based ones that we make. So too much of a good thing is bad thing. Now if you have Candida, you want to be taking the Lactobacillus based ones at a very high dose and reinoculate your gut. And then you want to repair, and so you want to repair your gut. So the good thing about our gut is that one, we can alter our microbiome within 48 hours just by diet alone. And also we have our gut cells. The lining of our gut turns over very quickly. It's why, like if you're going through chemo or one of these things, you know, your gut is one of the first places to be affected. It's because those cells turn over so quickly. And so but that's a good thing. So you can speed that up by adding in L glutamine, marshmallow root, slippery elm, things to help build the mucus of your gut. And then the L glutamine helps to repair or helps speed up that repair process.
- [47:43]
Host 2
Okay, beautiful. So it can be repaired. That's the bottom line, is that no matter what you're dealing with, gut wise, I think a lot of people out there have heard so many Instagram influencers talk about the gut that it almost seems overwhelming. And so overwhelming. I mean really, that is, that's the word that's coming to my mind is just I hear this from my patients all the time, that I don't have the time to take 25 different supplements, cut out every single food to where I can't eat anything, and then just live on sauerkraut and bone broth. Right. I mean, that's really the message that is being pushed so hard by IG influencers. That's why I wanted to ask an expert about her opinion on this. Because people need to know that this can be done from listening to you in a very simplistic way. It doesn't have to go over the top where you're breaking the bank in.
- [48:37]
Host 1
An attempt to heal your gut.
- [48:39]
Dr. Amy Myers
Not at all. I mean, I find it humorous. I don't get online too often, but I find it humorous that 11, 12 years ago, when I started the autoimmune solutions. 10 years old. Well, last year, actually. And so then I wrote it 12 years ago. So I'm currently working on an update because so much has changed. But nobody was talking about the gut, right? And I mean, leaky gut. The GI doctors were laughing my patients out the door about it. And now, as you said, every influencer and their brother and sister are talking about this. And one sense is like, amazing, right, that everybody's talking about this. But now it is so crowded. And I saw something on TikTok by this girl talking about Candida and then she called it a bacteria. So it's also completely unregulated of, like, who's talking about what and what is their actual knowledge base about it all.
- [49:31]
Host 2
Yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly. So I wanted to pick your brain on the show about that. Oh, Dr. Amy, thank you so much for coming on and giving your time. I know we kind of went all over the place, but that's exactly what I wanted because again, it's so rare that I have another thyroid expert on that. I can really, again, pick your brain and pull out. Okay, would it be, what are your thoughts on this? What's your opinion on this? Because people can hear me talk all day long, but when they hear it from another expert who has been there, done that in the trenches, seeing patients, writing books, researching, that's when it really drives the point home. So we will put a link down in the show notes, obviously, for your site, your book, but can you tell people where they can find you and when is. When are you reviving the autoimmune connection and re releasing it?
- [50:17]
Dr. Amy Myers
Yeah. So it's autoimmune solution that I'm updating and it's just kind of whenever we finish it, it's an update. It's not a new book. So I'm limited to what I can update. But so it will be out sometime this year.
- [50:30]
Host 2
Well, I know you're looking for stories from people that read the first one.
- [50:33]
Dr. Amy Myers
Yes.
- [50:35]
Host 2
So make sure you check out Dr.
- [50:36]
Dr. Amy Myers
Amy's yeah, so if you followed any of my books or programs and it's helped you, we'd love to feature you. You know, it's great. When it was people who came and saw me that all the success stories in the original book are of course my patients. And they came and saw me and spent a lot of time and effort and money. And so this time I want to include success stories of people who just read the book and followed the program because I feel like that's even more. More inspiring. I did have this one woman that had reached out years ago to us that said she had spent $20,000 and all this stuff and then she spent 1999 at the the time for the book and and got healed from the autoimmune solution. So those are always just incredibly inspiring stories. So if that is you, please reach out and let us know how you can find me. My website is amymyersmd.com and all of social media that is Amy Myers MD is really my supplement company. So if you want to follow me Personally, everything's at Dr. Amy Myers.
- [51:34]
Host 1
Beautiful.
- [51:35]
Host 2
Amazing. Ah, Dr. Amy, thank you so much. Thank you so much.
- [51:39]
Dr. Amy Myers
Thank you. So great to have a conversation and chat with you.
- [51:42]
Host 2
I know this is fantastic.
- [51:43]
Host 1
We can do this more often because.
- [51:45]
Host 2
I know my people will absolutely love it. So thank you once again. Make sure you check out the show notes for all the links to follow Dr. Amy, check out her book, check out our supplements, the whole deal. We'll put it down in the show notes. So once again, thank you so much for your time, Dr. Amy, and thank.
- [51:59]
Host 1
You everyone for listening.
- [52:00]
Host 2
Please share this episode if you find this is going to help your sister, your aunt, your best friend, all of the people out there, mainly women, but all the people out there with a thyroid problem.
- [52:12]
Host 1
Share this episode so we can help them as well. The information shared on the Thyroid Fixer Podcast is intended solely for informational and educational purposes. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult with your physician or other qualified healthcare professional provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition treatment or before making changes to your healthc care regimen, including medications, supplements or other therapies. Use of the information provided in this podcast does not establish a doctor, patient or client provider relationship between you and the host or between you and any other healthcare professionals featured on the show. Any medical opinions or statements made by guests are their own and do not.
- [52:52]
Sponsor/Advertisement Voice
Necessarily reflect those of the host or affiliated parties.
- [52:56]
Host 1
Statements regarding dietary supplements or health related products mentioned in this podcast have not been evaluated by the fda. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
- [53:07]
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- [53:09]
Host 1
May include sponsorships or affiliate links. The host may receive compensation for discussing or promoting certain products or services. Any such sponsorships or affiliations will be clearly disclosed during the episode. All opinions expressed are those of the hosts or guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of any sponsors. The inclusion of a product or service does not imply endorsement by any healthcare professional featured on this podcast.