In this episode
- What the thyroid is and why it's often called the body's "speed dial" for energy, growth, and temperature
- Why thyroid patterns are more common in the Down syndrome community, and which signs families tend to miss
- A plain-language look at hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's, and Graves'
- How functional medicine looks upstream at nutrients, gut health, and inflammation
- Foods, nutrients (including selenium and zinc), and lifestyle habits that support thyroid wellness
- What to ask your provider about screening, and how to build a care team that takes thyroid seriously
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/down-for-health/id1802663420?i=1000704325638
Show notes
Many children and adults with Down syndrome live with a thyroid that runs slower than it should. The symptoms, low energy, slower growth, cold hands, weight changes, shifts in mood or focus, can look like a dozen other things, so thyroid patterns are easy to miss for years.
In this episode, Dr. Blake Butler, DC explains what the thyroid actually does, why the Down syndrome community is more likely to see thyroid changes across the lifespan, and what the most common patterns look like. That includes hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid), Hashimoto's (when the immune system starts targeting thyroid tissue), and the less common Graves' pattern on the other end.
Blake then walks through how a functional medicine approach differs from prescribing and moving on. Functional medicine looks at the whole picture: nutrient status, gut health, inflammation, stress, sleep, and the foods on the plate every day. Nutrients like selenium, zinc, iodine, and iron all play a role in how the thyroid builds and uses its hormones, and a nutrient-dense foundation matters.
He closes with practical next steps for families: ask for regular thyroid screenings, prioritize a nutrient-rich diet, support gut and immune health, and build a care team that understands the Down syndrome community.
Related on Down For Greens
- Shop the greens complex: https://www.downforgreens.co/collections/nutritional-supplements
- From the blog, Down For Health: https://www.downforgreens.co/blogs/down-for-health
- All episodes of the Down For Health Podcast: https://www.downforgreens.co/blogs/podcast
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A note for families This episode is for general education and is not medical advice. Thyroid care should always involve your own or your child's provider, who can order the right labs and tailor a plan. If you're concerned about thyroid symptoms, please ask for screening.
About the podcast The Down For Health Podcast is hosted by Dr. Blake Butler, DC, a functional medicine practitioner with postgraduate training through The Institute for Functional Medicine and the founder of Down For Greens. Blake's older brother Nick has Down syndrome, and that lived experience shapes every episode. The show exists to give families, caregivers, and clinicians a functional medicine lens on the health questions that matter most in the Down syndrome community.
Sources:
- Amr, Nermine H. “Thyroid Disorders in Subjects with Down Syndrome: An Update.” Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis vol. 89,1 132-139. 27 Mar. 2018, doi:10.23750/abm.v89i1.7120
- Lavigne, Jenifer et al. “Thyroid dysfunction in patients with Down syndrome: Results from a multi-institutional registry study.” American journal of medical genetics. Part A vol. 173,6 (2017): 1539-1545. doi:10.1002/ajmg.a.3821
- Cebeci, Ayşe Nurcan et al. “Profile of hypothyroidism in Down's syndrome.” Journal of clinical research in pediatric endocrinology vol. 5,2 (2013): 116-20. doi:10.4274/Jcrpe.88
- Cattoni, Alessandro et al. “Thyroid Function Tests in Children and Adolescents With Trisomy 21: Definition of Syndrome-Specific Reference Ranges.” The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism vol. 108,11 (2023): 2779-2788. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgad333
- Szeliga, Kamila et al. “Subclinical Hypothyroidism as the Most Common Thyroid Dysfunction Status in Children With Down's Syndrome.” Frontiers in endocrinologyvol. 12 782865. 4 Jan. 2022, doi:10.3389/fendo.2021.782865
- Piticchio, Tommaso et al. “Effect of gluten-free diet on autoimmune thyroiditis progression in patients with no symptoms or histology of celiac disease: a meta-analysis.” Frontiers in endocrinology vol. 14 1200372. 24 Jul. 2023, doi:10.3389/fendo.2023.1200372
