Do you know of someone who doesn’t feel right? This person may be a friend, spouse or even yourself. The symptoms are vague – run down, sleepy, chilled, and just not themselves. They have been to their doctor’s office and after running routine medical tests are told there is basically nothing wrong and they should get more rest, exercise or just learn to live with it. These answers aren’t very helpful. Some people believe the situation won’t improve and decide that feeling this way is something they will have to live with. Other people aren’t willing to accept these answers and begin to search for a better way to feel and live.
The search for answers can be confusing with a lot of discussion about their immune system, hormones, the adrenal system and thyroid. We hope to provide some guidance to find your way through this bewildering maze of information. We don’t pretend to have all the answers, but we have been successful helping people find a better way to feel and live.
Approximately 200 million people worldwide have thyroid disorders, and the risk increases with age. More than half of all Americans affected by thyroid disease are unaware of their condition. Thyroid disease affects many more women than men (possibly because women need higher levels of thyroid hormone) but it has no age, gender, or ethnic barriers. Every cell in the body is affected by the thyroid gland. This gland produces thyroid hormone, an agent responsible for controlling metabolism and affecting memory, mood, cholesterol levels and body temperature. The growth of cells and the proper functioning of body muscles depend on having the correct levels of thyroid hormone in the body. Problems arise when the thyroid does not function properly and begins producing the hormone in the incorrect amounts.
There are two thyroid hormones, T3 which is triiodothyronine and T4 which is thyroxine. T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone primarily produced through the conversion of T4 in various tissues of the body. This process is controlled by the hypothalamus which detects thyroid hormone levels in the blood and influences the secretion of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). The function of these hormones is to produce energy from food. Thus too much produces hyperthyroidism and too little hypothyroidism.
Quite often hypothyroidism goes undiagnosed as the symptoms although profound to the individual are vague and are often ignored, particularly so if the blood tests come back normal. This is where integrated medicine is essential, as the doctor must look further than the diagnostic blood levels. Symptoms of low thyroid function must be used as a diagnostic tool.
What disorders affect the thyroid gland?
Hypothyroidism is a condition that results from an inadequate supply (low function) of hormones from the thyroid gland. Symptoms include:
These signs of thyroid deficiency can be dismissed in women as menopausal symptoms and chalked up as the inevitable aspects of aging.
Hyperthyroidism is also known as thyrotoxicosis, which symptoms include an over activity of the thyroid gland and excessive production of thyroid hormones.
Goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland.
Hashimoto's disease, or Hashimoto's thyroiditis has been characterized as a form of chronic autoimmune thyroiditis.
Graves disease is another goiterous condition, usually accompanied by hyperthyroidism.
What should be tested?
Not only must T4 levels be taken but also TSH, for this alone may indicate subclinical hypothyroidism. Even if both of these fall within the normal range hypothyroidism is still a possibility and by simple testing your basal under-arm temperature the health of your thyroid can be established. This should be done over several days with a basal thermometer and taken in the morning as soon as you’re awake. If the temperature is, on average, under 98F inadequate thyroid production is indicated.
What treatment options are available?
Researchers have attempted to provide appropriate thyroid hormone replacement since 1892, when the Armour meat company began to provide desiccated thyroid extract from the thyroid glands of animals. Beginning in the 1970s, the use of desiccated thyroid for the treatment of primary hypothyroidism was gradually replaced by a synthetic form of T4 known as levothyroxine sodium. Physicians note that despite apparently adequate replacement therapy with levothyroxine, some hypothyroid patients remain symptomatic. Studies suggest that replacement therapy for hypothyroidism with levothyroxine alone does not ensure normal thyroid hormone levels in all tissues, and that a combination of levothyroxine and T3 may be required for optimal thyroid replacement therapy. The only commercially available form of T3 for replacement therapy is synthetic liothyronine sodium, an immediate release formulation which is rapidly absorbed and may result in higher than normal T3 concentrations throughout the body. This may cause serious side effects, including heart palpitations. Research indicates there is a need for sustained-release T3 preparations in order to avoid adverse cardiac effects due to high serum T3 levels which can result if the hormone is absorbed too rapidly.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that treatment with T4 plus T3 improved the quality of life for most hypothyroid patients. The researchers also recommended that the ideal thyroid hormone replacement program for someone without a thyroid gland, or whose thyroid gland is nearly non-functioning, should include daily T3 in sustained-release form, along with enough T4 to ensure normal levels of thyroid hormone. Partial substitution of the T4 dose with T3 improved cognitive performance, mood, physical status, and neuropsychological function in hypothyroid patients.
Because the body's need for thyroid hormone changes, regular monitoring by a physician is required.
For more information about thyroid hormone replacement using longer acting T3 formulations, please contact Mixtures Pharmacy & Compounding Center.
Organizations you should know about:
Thyroid Foundations of America
Ruth Sleeper Hall RSL 3
5040 Parkman Street
Boston, MA 02114-2698
Phone: 617-726-8500; 800-832-8321
Website http://www.allthyroid.org
The Thyroid Society
7515 South Main Street, Suite 545
Houston, TX 77030
Phone: 713-799-9909
