The Supplement Trap: How Supplements Are Sabotaging Recovery from Thyroid, Autoimmune & Hormone Disorders

WANT TO REVERSE A THYROID, HORMONE OR AN AUTOIMMUNE DISODER?

Most people believe supplements are essential to healing. But in fact, they’re doing more harm than good!

In recent years, it’s become trendy—especially on social media—for so-called "thyroid and autoimmune specialists" to push unsustainable supplement protocols that cost thousands, paired with restrictive diets, as a cure-all solution. It's like a rite of passage: to be considered a holistic practitioner, you must recommend supplements. And to be their good patient, you must treat their supplement protocols like the Louis Vuitton of healing.

The problem is that most of these "experts" are not trained to understand why thyroid, hormone, and autoimmune disorders happen, and they have even less first-hand experience in addressing them holistically and permanently. So, they resort to creating protocols that sound convincing on the surface but are based on misleading or outdated science. The result?

Their patients—people who suffer, particularly women—are the ones paying the price. They're stuck on a treadmill of chasing solutions, but the fixes they're offered often lead to more problems instead of true healing.

The global supplement industry is growing rapidly, projected to reach a staggering $327.42 billion by 2030. With such exponential growth, if supplements were the solution, we would all be getting better. In fact, you wouldn’t be reading this page right now. So, something is amiss.

Most people who reach out to me are taking 10, 15, or even 30+ supplements, yet they aren’t getting better. Why?

Because more supplements do not create better health. 

Here's the truth that both my personal experience and recent studies have revelead... 

The supplement industry—and the specialists pushing thousands of dollars worth of products—don’t want you to know that most supplements aren't just ineffective, they can actually be very harmful. 

But there’s a better way! 

Author: Elena Isoldi Medici, Holistic Master Health Coach

Elena specializes in the reversal of thyroid, hormone, autoimmune disorders, and digestive disorders.

In today’s health landscape, there’s an overwhelming emphasis on supplements as the go-to solution for virtually every health issue. Whether it's bodybuilding, fertility, thyroid disorders, autoimmune conditions, or hormonal imbalances, people are being told that the answer lies in a bottle. There is a supplement protocol for almost anything you can imagine. Some programs even offer multiple phases of supplements that must be taken throughout the day, and even night, all in the quest for feeling better. 

This narrative has become deeply embedded in the wellness industry, largely due to marketing strategies that promise quick fixes and easy solutions. And who wouldn't want a quick fix? I certainly did when I was battling infertility, a hormone imbalance, a thyroid disorder, and a growing tumor in my head. 

Supplements are pitched as the missing link to better health, overshadowing the fact that true healing requires addressing much deeper issues like diet, stress, lifestyle, environmental toxins, mutations, and inflammation.

One of the reasons for this reliance is that supplements are often marketed as a convenient solution for the consumer. It’s much easier to take a pill than to overhaul your diet, address unresolved trauma, learn how to manage stress, or empower your liver and kidneys to detox your system. 

And for the practitioner, selling supplements does not require ongoing education in human health. It is much easier to sell a 15-supplement protocol than help someone heal unresolved trauma. 

We are also led to believe that our diets and soil are extremely deficient. And rather than addressing both, the promise of supplements seems alluring. 

This widespread dependence on supplements also stems from great marketing and a whole lot of misinformation from "specialists."

Since none of us who are desperate for a solution, were born with a manual for human health, we rely on doctors and specialists to lead the way. Unfortunately, the medical community only knows how to manage sick-care, not create health, and the holistic community is not far behind, often not understanding root causes or that there are no miracle cures, and no one-size-fits-all solution, even when it comes to supplements. So, it's a Wild, Wild West out there. And we pay the price. 

Now, is it possible to feel a temporary relief from some supplements? Yes! It could be due to a placebo effect. Or it could be that a supplement might help with a symptom or two. Yet, no supplement can address the root cause of the problem. Healing requires a comprehensive approach.

So, before you spend another of your hard-earned dollars on fancy protocols that promise to give you back your health, you need to know this...

What most consumers don’t know is that the supplement industry often operates in a gray area, with minimal oversight and regulation. While supplements are marketed as natural, health-boosting products, the reality behind their production is far more concerning. Many of these products are filled with synthetic ingredients, cheap fillers, and even contaminants that can pose serious health risks, particularly for individuals with thyroid, autoimmune, and hormonal disorders.

One of the biggest issues with the supplement industry is the use of synthetic ingredients. These are often created in a handful of factories, most overseas, where quality control is not a priority. They are labeled for different U.S. companies and shipped here to make us think that they are individually crafted. 

Despite being marketed as "natural," many supplements contain synthetic versions of vitamins and minerals that the body cannot properly absorb. (This piece of information will become very important later in the article.) In fact, research has shown that the bioavailability of these synthetic nutrients is often much lower than their natural counterparts, meaning they are less effective at best—and harmful at worst. (2, 3) 

Additionally, many supplements contain cheap fillers like rice powder, houseplants, gluten byproducts, or even sand. 

A New York Attorney General investigation into popular supplements sold by major retailers such as GNC and Walgreens found that four out of five products tested didn’t contain the active ingredients advertised. Worse yet, some contained potentially harmful fillers, unlisted allergens​, and even...sand! (2)

These findings are scary, but are particularly alarming for people with pre-existing conditions like Hashimoto’s, Graves’ Disease, MS, or lupus, who are already dealing with compromised immune systems. The addition of contaminants can exacerbate their symptoms or trigger new ones, putting their health at even greater risk.

The lack of regulation in the supplement industry is one of its most well-kept secrets. Unlike pharmaceuticals, which must undergo rigorous testing and approval processes, supplements are not required to prove their safety or efficacy before hitting the market. In fact, if you wish, you can start making and selling your own supplements without jumping through many regulatory hoops. This creates a breeding ground for mislabeling and contamination, allowing companies to cut corners in production to maximize profits. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has very limited oversight over the supplement industry, meaning that companies are largely left to regulate themselves​. (4, 3)

The bottom line is, what you see on the label is often not what you get. Consumers are buying into the hope and promise of better health, which turns out to be a lie, and in doing so, they’re putting their health on the line—especially those already struggling with chronic health conditions.

These synthetic ingredients and harmful fillers pose an even greater risk for individuals with genetic impairments, whose bodies struggle to detoxify properly.

I work primarily with people who have hormone, autoimmune and thyroid disorders, such as: PCOS, infertility, endometriosis, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto’s, Graves' Disease, Thyroid Eye Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Sjogren’s, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, chronic fatigue; and digestive disorders. Over 50% of my clients have genetic mutations that often go undiagnosed, overlooked, and are almost always unaddressed by their healthcare providers. 

One of the most prevelant mutations that contributes to the onset and worsening of these conditions is MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate).

For people with MTHFR mutations, taking most supplements, and especially the wrong supplements, can be far more harmful and dangerous than for most. 

These genetic mutations that impact the body’s ability to methylate and detoxify properly, can turn even seemingly harmless supplements into a toxic burden. When the body’s natural detox pathways are compromised, as is the case with MTHFR, the buildup of toxins from the environment, medications, medical treatments, personal care products, the wrong diet, and synthetic supplements can worsen symptoms and contribute to long-term health issues.  

For people with MTHFR mutations, taking most supplements, and especially wrong supplements, can be life-threatening. 

MTHFR mutations, particularly the C677T and A1298C variations, affect the body's ability to methylate, a critical process for detoxification. Methylation is essential for converting toxins into safer compounds that can be excreted from the body. 

When this process is impaired, toxins such as heavy metals, chemicals, pollutants, and synthetic ingredients, including fillers and binders found in vitamins, begin to accumulate. (5) Most people with the MTHFR mutation develop health conditions throughout their lifetime, this makes things even more dangerous over time. 

For individuals with MTHFR mutations, taking most supplements can be catastrophic. Instead of supporting detoxification, synthetic or improperly processed ingredients can add to the body’s toxic load. For example, if someone with an MTHFR mutation takes a supplement containing synthetic B vitamins or folic acid, their body may be unable to break down these compounds, leading to further accumulation of toxins. This not only exacerbates their current health issues but can also trigger new symptoms like increased inflammation, chronic fatigue, and neurological problems​. Over time, this can snowball into MULTIPLE chronic conditions.

In a scenario where the body cannot efficiently detoxify, each dose of a poorly formulated supplement worsens the toxic buildup, increasing the risk of damage to the liver, kidneys, and other vital organs.  

One of the most dangerous oversights in the supplement industry is the use of synthetic forms of folate and B vitamins, which are widely included in multivitamins and other supplements. For people with MTHFR mutations, the ability to convert synthetic folic acid into its active form—methylfolate—is nearly impossible. 

This can lead to a buildup of unmetabolized folic acid in the bloodstream, which can block cellular receptors and prevent the body from utilizing the active form of folate, resulting in even more severe health conditions, such as neural tube defects, hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue, inflammatory conditions, brain fog, mood disorders, and cognitive dysfunction. (6)

Similarly, synthetic forms of B vitamins, such as cyanocobalamin (B12), are not well tolerated by individuals with MTHFR mutations. Cyanocobalamin, the synthetic form of vitamin B12, contains a cyanide molecule, which the body must detoxify after consumption. Whether you have the MTHFR mutation or not, your body will struggle to detoxify cyanide efficiently, but if you have the mutation, this will lead to a faster buildup of toxins, which becomes detrimental. For people with Leber’s disease—a hereditary optic neuropathy—taking cyanocobalamin can be particularly dangerous and may lead to worsening of optic nerve damage or vision loss.

The detoxification process of cyanide can also deplete glutathione, an essential antioxidant, further stressing the body’s ability to detoxify harmful compounds​. 

By not understanding the nuances of MTHFR mutations, supplement companies and healthcare specialists continue to churn out and push products that can be dangerous for a large portion of the population, especially once they have already developed thyroid, hormone, or autoimmune disorders. In fact, consuming supplements with these conditions, predisposes these individuals to developing more health disorders. 

Whth this in mind, imagine what happens to your health when yet another health guru offers a 3-phase process where each phase includes 10-15 products.  

Vitamin D, the darling of today’s health industry, is widely prescribed for its role in bone health, immune function, and overall well-being. However, Vitamin D is actually a hormone, not a vitamin, and it’s produced when our body is exposed to sunlight. Its synthesis takes hours to be absorbed through our skin and becomes usable to our system. 

Tempted to bypass this intricate relationship with your environment and take your chances with supplements? Here is what you should know. 

Side Effects of Vitamin D Consumption:

Fillers in Vitamin D Supplements:

Multivitamins are incredibly popular for general health support, but they can also cause a range of side effects and pose additional risks.

Side Effects of Multivitamins Consumption:

Fillers in Multivitamins:

When Sean first came to me, he was on the verge of giving up hope. His wife had traveled with him to five continents, desperately seeking answers for his deteriorating health. Despite their efforts, Sean was living with 50 different symptoms, including a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, heavy metal toxicity, and more. He was confined to a wheelchair, barely able to walk.

Sean was on a cocktail of 7 medications and 27 supplements, and his body had been subjected to multiple treatments. Yet, nothing was working. In fact, his health continued to spiral, and the supplements he relied on were only adding to his toxic load. By the time he found me, Sean and his wife were at their wit’s end. 

What would modern-day health gurus tell Sean to do? Take more supplements, perhaps something like CytoDetox and Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA), to help his body detox! But rather than doing that, we dove into uncovering and addressing his root causes.

Sean emptied his cupboards of 7 medications and 27 supplements, and reclaimed his health.

In just one month, with his doctor's approval, we had Sean off all his medications and most of his supplements. The results were astounding. Within seven weeks, he had shed 20 pounds and his symptoms improved by 75%. His mobility returned, and for the first time in years, Sean was able to live his life again. By the ninth month, he was able to travel overseas to visit his family without a wheelchair—a feat that once seemed impossible.

Here's what Sean said only 7 weeks into his healing journey:

"The doctors have tested me for everything. I have been poked and prodded, injected on a daily basis and traveled to 'specialists' on flights which had necessitated me getting around in a wheelchair. Eventually after pumping myself full of Testosterone, Human growth hormones, Vit B12, Low dosage Naltrexone, Amor thyroid, Cytomel, DMSA (chelation for heavy metal poisoning) along with about 27 different supplements and my personal "favorite" - daily coffee enemas, we came across Elena Isoldi Medici and my life changed. I'm now prescription drug free and take 2 supplements. I can say with hand on heart that I am a good 75% better and 20 lbs. lighter after only 7 weeks and for me that is nothing short of a miracle."

When it comes to managing thyroid, autoimmune, and hormone disorders, the prevailing belief is that more supplements mean better results. However, the truth is quite the opposite - LESS IS MORE! I know this seems like a preposterous idea, but with 20 years of experience, I can assure you that this is the only way. 

If your goal is to REVERSE rather than manage these conditions, addressing the root causes rather than relying on supplements is the answer. 

Supplements, like medications, can never be a long-term solution. In fact, as we just established, they are an obstacle to permanent, natural health. 

While a limited number of supplements can play a significant role in some cases, they should be used sparingly, strategically, and with great care. A protocol must be designed for each person depending on their root causes, health history, genetic patterns, environmental factors, emotional health, and the totality of their health. To do it any other way is to set you up for failure. 

LESS IS MORE, when it comes to supplements. 

In my twenty years of practice, I have never had to use more than a handful of strategically picked supplements to help my clients reverse even the most of devastating conditions, as you just saw in Sean's case. 

The key to effective healing lies in ridding the body of inflammation. This means that all sources of inflammation must be identified. You cannot use the same approach if one source of inflammation is dietary and the other is viral, one is environmental and the other is caused by trauma. To do so is a fool's errand. If you have a practitioner that uses this approach, you will be the one paying the price. 

The body’s detox pathways are always overwhelmed in individuals with hormone, autoimmune and thyroid disorders. So, if not supplements, what must be done to free them up so you can start healing?

It must begin at the core. 

1. THE DIET:  Focus on a healing diet that is alkalizing to the body, and gets rid of oxidative stress. No amount of supplements can substitute a diet based on whole foods, high in fiber, and void of toxins, synthetic and chemically laced ingredients. It cannot be one of the fad diets, like Paleo and Keto, which will get your body more toxic over time.

2. TRAUMA: Identify if your illness is rooted in trauma. Traumas vary from person to person, and how we store and process traumas differs too. One person can be resilient despite multiple traumas, while another can break under the insurmountable load of emotional, psychiological or physical abuse. If trauma is identified as a root cause, you can imagine that no supplement will move the needle on the scale of healing. You can take seven or seventy supplements, if you wish, you will still be suffering. Traumas must be identified, addressed, and released from the body, for your body to heal.

3: DENTAL HEALTH: Another little known fact in the health industry is that your oral health has everything to do with your gut health, digestion and absorption of nutrients. Additionally, every tooth in your mouth is connected to an organ in your body. If there is inflammation in your gums and jaws, the connected organ, and by default the entire system, will suffer. No amount of Vitamin A, B, C or K  or glutathione can address this physical misalignment. 

4. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS: pollutants, pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, mold, endocrine disruptors, and more must be considered and addressed. This process  involves "taking away from" (cleansing your environment, so the body can unburden), rather than "adding to" with supplements, so the body is further burdened. 

5. MUTATIONS: Mutations must be identified and addressed, and the body must receive aid to detoxify built-up toxins and inflammation to begin healing. To add more supplements to this process would be detrimental. Most people with mutations need a couple of very finely tuned and chosen supplements to function.

It feels daunting to try resolving symptoms of thyroid, hormone, and autoimmune disorders, especially when the idea of a magic pill (supplements) is removed. I’ve been there myself, so I know it firsthand. But it doesn’t have to be that way. 

There is an easy way to address chronic symptoms of most health disorders AND reverse them permanently. However, it starts with a simple yet complicated step: 

IDENTIFYING THE ROOT CAUSES of these conditions.

Over the years of helping thousands from all over the world achieve the reversal of conditions such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Graves' Disease, Hashimoto's, Thyroid Eye Disease, goiters, nodules, endometriosis, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), infertility, Sjogren's, MS (multiple sclerosis), estrogen dominance, chronic fatigue, and many other autoimmune and hormone disorders, I uncovered over 54 root causes that trigger these conditions. 

Fifty-Four sounds like a large number, I know. However, without understanding your personal root causes, it is absolutely pointless trying to treat your condition and your symptoms. This is the reason you may still be suffering even after years of medical and naturopathic medical care. 

However, if the ROOT CAUSES are IDENTIFIED and ADDRESSED, the reversal of these conditions becomes not only possible but probable. I know this because I personally reversed hypothyroidism, pituitary tumor, a hormone imbalance, and infertility, even though I was deemed incurable. And I did it without medications and with only one supplement. 

And since then, over the years, I have helped thousands from 34 countries do the same.   

If you are done missing out on life...

If you are done suffering and feeling confused...

If you're done being held hostage by your symptoms... 

If you don't want to keep adding inflammation to your body and prolong suffering...

If you're done wasting thousands on supplement protocols and treatments that don't work, and...

If you want REAL measurable LASTING results NOW...

I am hosting the LAST LIVE TRAINING of the year on 12/5/24, during which I will show you how to identify the First 5 Primary Root Causes of Thyroid, Hormone, and Autoimmune Disorders.

During this LIVE EVENT, you will learn: 

BONUS: a DEEP DIVE into understanding SUPPLEMENTS (the wrong and the right kind) and how they effects your thyroid, immune and hormone health, and what to do about them to start healing.

And, how to identify and address YOUR PERSONAL ROOT CAUSES so you can stop suffering and start thriving NOW! 

You can sign up for this LIMITED-AVAILABILITY LIVE EVENT by clicking on this button.

Elena Isoldi Medici

Holistic Master Health Coach

Elena Isoldi Medici specializes in serving those who want to reverse thyroid, hormone, and autoimmune disorders naturally.

In 2007, Elena faced her own health challenges, being diagnosed with hypothyroidism, hormone imbalance, a pituitary tumor, and infertility. Plagued by over 20 debilitating symptoms and little hope of recovery, Elena sought both allopathic and naturopathic treatments, but to no avail. She was deemed INCURABLE.

Undeterred, she embarked on a journey of self-discovery and research. She crafted a unique health protocol that allowed her to reclaim her health FULLY in an impressively short time, and enabled her to conceive naturally.

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HER SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSES WAS RESOLVED, and she hasn't been sick since!   

Elena's innovative approach has transformed thousands of lives across more than 34 countries, helping them restore their health naturally.

REFERENCES

1. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/dietary-supplements-market-report

2. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/supplements-are-the-wild-west-of-health-one-attorney-general-is-out-to-change-that/

3. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4389/4/1/8 

4. https://www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/many-popular-dietary-supplements-can-yield-dangerous-liver-results

5. https://life.360impacthealth.com/360/mthfr/autoimmune-thyroid-infertility

6. https://www.mthfrdoctors.com/mthfr-and-addiction-the-ties-that-bind/