The woman had
a constellation
of symptoms
forming a
common pattern,
revolving around
the relationships
between low
thyroid function,
higher levels of
oestrogen and
an overgrowth
of Candida
albicans.An endocrine imbalance
KAREN
BRIDGMAN
is a Holistic Practitioner
at Lotus Health in
Neutral Bay. She is
passionate about
transformative education
and the regaining of
health through the use
of foods and herbs.A
young 39-year-old woman staggered into
the clinic late in the day. She presented
with very low energy and a nodule in the
right breast and had gained 20kg in weight
over five years. She wanted to lose this weight but had
had little success despite exercising regularly. She was
also complaining of recurrent pain in her right armpit
(axilla) where she had a large inflamed lump which
had been problematic for a number of years.
She had been to her doctor and had her breasts
checked; the current nodule was benign. She had had
a cystic nodule removed from her right breast several
years ago but at the time had complications of swollen
lymph glands and septicaemia. As such, she has had
large and repeated doses of antibiotics to manage
this condition. Her recent medical blood tests were all
within normal range.
On examination, her thyroid was slightly swollen,
her skin was dry with sun damage and her hair and
eyebrows were thinning. Her blood pressure was low
with a slow pulse. She weighed 75kg and had a family
history of diabetes, heart disease and liver cancer.
She was complaining of poor digestion with
regular bouts of bloating, wind and constipation,
partly managed by eating bran with her breakfast. She
also had recurrent sinusitis and mouth ulcers. She
struggled with premenstrual symptoms with increased
bloating, worsening constipation and tender, swollen
or “lumpy” breasts. Annually, she had two colds and
took antibiotics for these with minimal improvement.
She was currently on no pharmaceutical medication
but was supplementing daily with garlic and probiotics.
She was conscious of diet but could not determine
the cause of her digestive problems. She had a sweet
tooth but rarely indulged. Overall, her diet consisted of
porridge and fruit for breakfast with soy milk and lamb
and salad sandwiches for lunch. She ate out most
nights preferring Asian food, mainly vegetarian with
noodles or chicken. She drank eight glasses of filtered
water daily, two cups of dandelion coffee and one or
two glasses of wine per night.Thyroid symptoms
The woman had a constellation of symptoms forming
a common pattern revolving around the relationships
between low thyroid function, higher levels of
oestrogen and an overgrowth of Candida albicans.
The thyroid symptoms manifested as low
energy, weight gain, constipation, dry skin, impaired
digestion and immunity, slow pulse, hypoglycaemia
and puffy eyes. Low thyroid activity also slows
lymphatic drainage, causing swollen glands. It can
also lead to high cholesterol and triglyceride levels
— risk factors for atherosclerosis — and she had
a family history of heart disease.
Thyroid hormone has an inverse relationship with
oestrogen. For example, low thyroid function can
relate to higher oestrogen, leading to breast cysts and
premenstrual symptoms. This can be complicated
further by a candida overgrowth from a combination
of antibiotic use and its relationship with oestrogen
imbalance. Candida overgrowth can also cause
symptoms of recurrent sinusitis along with digestive
symptoms such as bloating and constipation.Low thyroid function can be related to pituitary
dysfunction, vitamin B 1 deficiency, low iodine, low
tyrosine, low HCL, excess goitrogens in the diet
and stress, along with low zinc, manganese and
vitamin B 6. Zinc and copper balance are important
in managing oestrogen — higher oestrogen
increases copper storage and the excretion of zinc.
Supplementing zinc rebalances oestrogen, improves
thyroid hormone production and improves immunity.
Medical tests recommended were urinary iodine,
thyroid function tests and antibodies for Hashimoto’s
thyroiditis. Iron stores were important to check
anaemia with the heavy menstrual bleeding. The
tiredness was potentially a combination of anaemia
and low thyroid function.Dietary advice
It was assumed she was low in iodine (no fish/seafood
in her diet), so eating fish three times a week was
important. Iodine supplementation was also suggested
for a period of time until the deficiency corrected.
Avoiding foods high in goitrogens such as soy, brassica
family, legumes, peanuts, pine nuts and millet was
suggested as these impact on iodine absorption.
Chewing food slowly is important to improve protein
digestion. This was difficult for her to remember, so
protein digestion enzymes were recommended at
the end of each main meal. Her digestive symptoms
improved quickly, relieving the bloating and the
constipation. She was also recommended slippery elm
and lecithin and to continue the probiotics while adding
200mL of kefir into her diet, mainly on her porridge.
It was suggested she not eat out so much. Specific
foods recommended were buckwheat, bitter greens,
green tea and a variety of berries for their antioxidant
properties. Ginger, turmeric, garlic, onions and
shiitake mushrooms were also recommended in
addition to the garlic she was taking. A higher protein
diet and nuts and seeds as snacks would help
manage blood sugar. Reducing alcohol consumption
to two to three nights per week was also important.
Supplements recommended were zinc, magnesium
and vitamin B 6 (to manage the production of thyroid
hormone), chromium to stabilise blood sugar levels,
an iron supplement and coenzyme Q10 for the heart.
Vitamin C, E and selenium were also recommended.
Two herb mixes were prepared for her, the main
one consisting of bladderwrack, echinacea and
andrographis to improve immunity, cleavers and
phytolacca to assist in lymphatic function, pau d’arco
to reduce the candida overgrowth and st mary’s
thistle for liver function. Chaste tree extract was
recommended to be taken for the two weeks (only)
prior to her period as these would help balance the
high luteal phase oestrogen.
She was also advised to be very careful of her
mobile phone use as this can be a major disruptor
of the endocrine (hormonal) system.
After only a couple of weeks, her energy improved
dramatically. Over several months, she continued to
show improvement and her menstrual cycle became
more regular with fewer PMS symptoms. What
pleased her most of all was the slow but incrementalPh weight loss occurring without following a strict diet.
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