Dr. Alan Christianson, NMD is a naturopathic endocrinologist with a focus on thyroid disease. He has been actively seeing patients since 1996 and is a New York Times Bestselling Author of The Metabolism Reset Diet and The Thyroid Reset Diet.    Dr. Christianson is the founding president of The Endocrine Association of Naturopathic Physicians and is the founding co-president of The American College of Thyroidology. He has appeared on national TV shows like Dr. Oz, The Doctors, The Today Show, CNN, or print media like SHAPE magazine and Natural Health.    Dr. Christianson sits down with Dr. Trevor Cates to share his knowledge and research about thyroid issues in women. He busts the myth that synthetic hormones are inherently worse than natural, explains why instances of thyroid disease increase as women age, and demystifies the functions of some lesser known hormones and nutrients like T2 and iodine.   Takeaways:  [4:22] Dr. Christianson explains what happens to thyroid hormone levels during pregnancy [7:14] What to ask your doctor for when trying to get your thyroid levels tested [11:50] What an antibody panel tests for and why it is a common way to detect thyroid issues [17:38] Why iodine is one of the most important factors associated with thyroid function [20:33] Other nutrients that are crucial for proper functioning of the thyroid, including selenium and iron [24:50] Comparing natural and synthetic thyroid hormones, and why synthetic thyroid hormones are not as scary as they sound [27:23] Dr. Christianson speaks about the lesser known thyroid hormone T2 [32:35] Discussing how dramatically long-term outlooks have improved for patients with thyroid disease today [37:04] How and why the odds of developing a thyroid issue increase as you age [49:30] Ways to improve your health and reduce your chances of developing hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, and Graves’ Disease   Mentioned in This Episode:  Dr. Christianson’s Website Dr. Christianson’s Facebook Dr. Christianson’s Youtube Channel Dr. Christianson’s Pinterest Dr. Christianson’s Instagram The Woman’s Doctor Website   Twitter: “If your thyroid’s functioning at 50% you might not know otherwise, but once the hormones of pregnancy come in, that’s when it can really show up.”   “If you’re a speck below a certain window on your iron stores, that will really compound thyroid issues.”   “Thyroid disease is something that’s going wrong for a long period of time and finally crosses a threshold, and that’s why it’s more common with age.”