Hormone Health Hub: Expert Insights on Testing, Balance & Better Living — thyroid and immune function

Selenium is an essential trace element with a critical role in immune function, antioxidant defence, and thyroid health. Research links selenium deficiency to increased viral replication, more severe infection outcomes, and a higher likelihood of viral mutation into new strains. Heavy metal exposure from mercury and arsenic can further deplete selenium, compounding the risk. This article explains the science behind selenium’s role in viral protection, the geographical link between selenium-deficient soils and emerging infectious diseases, and how at-home ICP-MS testing can confirm whether your selenium levels are adequate.

Environmental pollutants are in the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink — and in excess, they can profoundly disrupt thyroid hormone synthesis and action. This article explains how iodine and selenium deficiencies develop, how antagonists like bromine, arsenic and mercury exacerbate thyroid dysfunction, and why urine testing for these five elements can reveal the hidden environmental drivers of thyroid symptoms that standard blood tests miss.