I've been reviewing ashwagandha's impact on thyroid function, and honestly I think the risk of hyperthyroidism from taking it is overblown
The only studies I've found showing it increases thyroid function are in patients that already have hypothyroidism, not in healthy adults
It's well-known that cortisol has an antagonistic effect on every step in thyroid hormone synthesis, and ashwagandha is one of the most potent herbs at reducing cortisol, so from this perspective it makes sense that ashwagandha could have therapeutic value in hypothyroidism
However, I don't think this indicates a general ability to stimulate thyroid function in and of itself
Ashwagandha has some of the most impressive benefits I've ever seen that make it well worth consuming for many individuals
Among these is its ability to increase testosterone, which outpaces many other testosterone boosting herbs by a significant margin
It may increase testosterone in men with low testosterone by as much as 22%, with an average increase of 15% above baseline in healthy adults
This again likely stems from its effect on cortisol, as cortisol is catabolic and antagonizes testosterone directly
Beyond that, ashwagandha has also been shown to increase power output and endurance, and while this effect is not extremely potent it is consistent
There are many more benefits, but its ability to promote neurogenesis also really stuck out to me
Some of its primary actives have been shown to promote neural stem cell proliferation in cell studies, and general neurogenesis in rodent studies
If you are concerned about ashwagandha increasing thyroid function I would still get a regular thyroid panel while on it, but based on the existing research I think the risk is low
Personally I find I get the most benefit from it when I cycle it 5 days on 2 days off as well
Note: there are some reports of rebound anxiety symptoms after use of high doses, so start with a lower dose if you're prone to this effect from GABAergic substances
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The most potent phytoestrogen, coumestrol, found primarily in alfalfa and red clover, is one of the few phytoestrogens that actually has any ability to cause endocrine disruption (at least in rodent studies)
Surprisingly, it does this through its anti-estrogenic effects!
All phytoestrogens activate estrogen receptors far weaker than estrogen itself does, because of this they reduce estrogen receptor activation rather than increase it
In some cases this could be beneficial (ie in reducing breast cancer), but issues can still occur
The most potent phytoestrogens still bind to estrogen receptors as strogly as estrogen itself, without properly activating the receptors
This blocks the activity of estrogen, altering gene expression, and preventing feedback loops that regulate estrogen levels
Personally I subscribe to the theory that the paleolithic diet was actually fairly low in animal fat
After the extinction of megafauna the remaining wild game would have been quite lean, similar to elk or venison today, since only large animals carry much body fat in the wild
At the time fat was prized due to its relative scarcity, and was likely divided among important individuals in the group like hunters or expectant mothers
We still see this in modern hunter-gatherer tribes today, groups like the Hazda eat mostly lean meat and moderate carbs
To an extent, animals with a high body fat % are a product of modern agriculture, which often encourages them to be sedentary and eat a caloric surplus
These practices serve to increase the weight of each individual animal so that they have more market value
I've been working on ways to actively limit the effects on xenoestrogens beyond just limiting exposure
So far, the most promising compound I've found for this purpose is diindolylmethane, also known as DIM
Let me expand on this:
First, let's look at the primary mechanisms by which xenoestrogens cause endocrine disruption
They are thought to act primarily by binding to the aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptors, altering gene expression of hormone metabolism enzymes, and by binding to estrogen receptors
Activating of the Ah receptors is primarily what skew hormone balance by increase the conversion of testosterone into estrogen by aromatase
DIM is a weak but competitive ligand at both the Ah receptors and estrogens receptors, as well as a mild aromatase inhibitor
Calpains are calcium-dependent regulators of the entire body
Specifically they model glutamate/GABA in the central nervous system, excess calcium activation overrides normal calpain function and causes their overexpression
Calpain overexpression breaks down gephyrin, GABA receptors, and chloride clearance channels which = excitotoxicity and in extreme cases disease like epilepsy
This is how epileptic states are kindled by substances that drive up calcium channel activation, like alcohol
Calpains seem to play a role in other calcium-related aspects of health like bone metabolism and heart disease as well
Alkaline phosphatase enzymes counteract their activity, these enzymes are magnesium dependent and I believe they may be upregulated with megadose magnesium
I think a lot of people assume that because I talk about a lot of different supplements I must take dozens of them each day
The truth is that honestly at this point I often go a week or two at a time without taking any pills whatsoever
My goal has always been to use as few substances as possible
When I was focusing on neurogenesis originally, it required a lot more maintenance, but the last few months I've been able to minimize significantly
At this point I use almost solely herbs, either in tea, or occasionally as formulations I've put together like adaptogen coffee
I've been using ULDN, ku shen, and maral daily, adaptogen coffee and vitality tonic every few days, and magnesium topically/orally as needed, that's it
Just because I've created a patreon does not mean I'm going to stop sharing the same quality and depth of information on twitter
It's simply a way for those of you who prefer longform writing and would like to ask me questions directly to support my work if you choose to
Creating in articles and lectures like this takes hours, if not days in some cases, this will allow me to provide content on the level normally reserved for those I consult with for much cheaper
If you don't want to pay anything, that's okay, my presence here will stay the same
The only thing I can't post here is phrasing that implies medical "treatments" or "cures" for different conditions, I wiped past tweets to give me the chance to rewrite anything I may have worded poorly in the past, and expand on it with my more recent research