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Posted: Wed Oct 12th, 2005 07:41 |
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Basic information on thyroid disease
Thyroid Disorders
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Foundation Staff
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Posted: Wed Oct 12th, 2005 07:43 |
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(filelink)
Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)
Anemia
Anorexia
Anxiety
Breathing Difficulties (shortness of breath)
Constipation
Depression
Diarrhea
Dyslexia (difficulty with reading, calculating, thinking)
Erratic behavior, Excessive mood swings
Eye problems (blurring; double vision; gritty, achy, dry, irritated
red eyes; bulging eyes; light sensitivity; jumpy eyes; watery eyes)
Fatigue (all the time, despite sleep sufficiency)
Fertility problems
Goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)
Hair problems ( thinning and loss, textural changes)
Hearing disabilities (tinnitus, ear ringing among them)
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Hypersensitivity to heat (heat intolerance)
Increased appetite
Increased frequency of stools (without diarrhea)
Increased sweating
Insomnia or restless sleep
Low resistance to infections
Menstrual changes (flow, duration)
Mental challenges (forgetfulness, brain fog, uncontrollable rages)
Muscle weakness (arm triceps, leg quadriceps)
Nail problems
Osteoporosis (demineralization and weakening of the bones)
Palpitations (rapid, forceful or irregular heart beats)
PMS (premenstrual syndrome)
Restlessness
Sexual dysfunction (low drive in both sexes, impotence in men)
Skin Changes (rashes, dry, itchy, patchy)
Swelling (facial, eye or leg)
Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)
Throat problems (difficulty swallowing, sore throat)
Tremors (shaking hands)
Voice changes (hoarse, husky)
Weakness (overall, all the time)
Weight fluctuation (gain or more commonly loss, 6-10 lbs.)
.................................................................................
Conceptually the 'hyper' condition (without supplementation) would occur with a hormone when a different part of the concentration control-system becomes dysfunctional. The hormonal systems typically keep their hormones under tight control. Pathogen-induced-mutations pervert that control.
..Trevor..
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Foundation Staff
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Posted: Wed Oct 12th, 2005 07:44 |
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(filelink)
Symptoms of Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid condition)
Allergies (developing or worsening)
Anxiety
Breathing difficulties (shortness of breath, chest tightness)
Cold body temperature (feeling cold too)
Constipation (not usually relieved with the usual aids)
Depression
Dizziness (often accompanied with vertigo)
Eye problems (bulging eyes; gritty, dry, achy, blurry, irritated, red eyes; light sensitivity; double vision; jumpy eyes)
Facial puffiness (eyes, lids too)
Fatigue (despite sleep sufficiency)
Fertility problems (miscarriage too)
Goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)
Hair problems (coarse, dry texture) (hypothyroid hair loss: head and outer edge of eyebrow )
Hearing disabilities (tinnitus, ear ringing)
High cholesterol levels
Infections (less resistance to them)
Low blood pressure
Menstrual changes (flow, duration)
Mental Challenges (brain fog, lack of focus, concentration)
Mood changes
Muscle and joint aches (severe, especially hands and feet)
Nail problems (dry, brittle)
PMS (premenstrual syndrome)
Sexual dysfunction (low drive in both sexes, impotence in men)
Skin changes (dry, itchy, patchy)
Sleep apnea (lapses of breath while sleeping) and snoring
Slow pulse
Throat problems (swallowing difficulty)
Voice changes (hoarse, husky)
Weakness (overall, all the time)
Weight fluctuation (gain or loss)
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Foundation Staff
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Posted: Wed Oct 12th, 2005 07:48 |
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Parathyroid Hormone and Th1 inflammation
"1,25-D spreads from the site of the inflammation (where it is acting as a cytokine) through the bloodstream (acting as a hormone)... 1,25-D directly controls the Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) and thence the Thyroid hormones as well as a number of other metabolic pathways, so it is pretty powerful feedback to the body systems, and when the bacteria interrupt that feedback path everything goes unstable (that's how a control-systems engineer might describe it)."
..Trevor..
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Posted: Wed Oct 12th, 2005 07:49 |
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The effect of Th1 inflammation on the thyroid hormones
Dr. Marshall has created a diagram summarizing some of the key relationships between the body's hormones and 1,25-D. You can access it at
http://autoimmunityresearch.org/hormones.pdf
Related Topics:
Hormonal Rebalancing
Hypervitaminosis-D Symptoms (High 1,25-D)
Control of body temperature
Control of body temperature is at least partly regulated by the Thyroid Nuclear Receptors, which are profoundly affected by the runaway production of 1,25-D in the Th1 diseases. The thyroid interaction of 1,25-D is covered in my new paper, which should be available in a month or two. See Vitamin D Discovery outpaces FDA decision making
..Trevor..
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Posted: Fri Apr 14th, 2006 20:39 |
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Thyroid supplementation while on the Marshall Protocol
If you are taking a thyroid supplement, it is fine to continue that supplement while on the Marshall Protocol. The thyroid hormones are unique amongst the Nuclear Receptor ligands as they do not affect receptors other than the thyroid receptors. Do not stop or alter your thyroid supplementation without consulting your doctor.
The MP Phase One Guideline states:
7. If you are taking thyroid supplements, your need for those supplements may change within a day or two of your starting the Benicar blockade.
Monitor thyroid function
Your doctor will need to monitor your thyroid function more closely than usual while you are on the MP. The level of thyroid supplementation may need to be reduced as your Th1 inflammation resolves on the MP. Please note the symptoms of hyperthyroidism and report any you develop to your doctor.
Soon after you commence the MP your thyroid will begin functioning again. It might take just days, it might take months, and it may start very slowly, gradually working up full functionality over a period of a year or so.
A slow functioning thyroid (hypothyroid) can also cause increased symptoms that can affect the way you adjust your MP meds to attempt to palliate symptoms. This can add up to difficulties for you as you move along. See hypothyroid symptoms
Thyroid tests
Different Drs do different variations of thyroid panel tests.
Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
This protein hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland and regulates the thyroid gland. The TSH is an indicator of whether or not your thyroid is functioning properly. The TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is produced as a feedback mechanism from your pituitary gland.
When your body's under producing thyroid hormone, your pituitary signals the thyroid to produce more meaning if your TSH is elevated, you're not making enough thyroid hormone and replacement may be necessary.
If your TSH is low, that's an indicator that your body is either producing too much thyroid hormone or you're over medicated with thyroid replacement. A high level suggests your thyroid is underactive.
Frequent TSH levels are recommended especially while on the MP as your hormones will fluctuate during the healing process and proper dosage should be adjusted according to lab readings.
Free T4 and T3
The most informative thyroid function tests are the "free" tests since this gives you an indication of the usable thyroid hormone for use to your body. Free T4 (FT4) is the amount of available thyroxine in your body, which your body then converts to FT3 for metabolic functioning use.
Use Free T3 levels to check as well as Free T4 and TSH and permit the last two to be low if Free T3 is in mid normal range.
Thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) are easily measurable in the blood. For technical reasons, it is easier and less expensive to measure the T4 level, so T3 is usually not measured on screening tests.
Free T4
This test directly measures the free T4 in the blood rather than estimating it like the FTI. It is a more reliable , but a little more expensive test. Some labs now do the Free T4 routinely rather than the Total T4.
Total T3
This is usually not ordered as a screening test, but rather when thyroid disease is being evaluated. T3 is the more potent and shorter lived version of thyroid hormone. Some people with high thyroid levels secrete more T3 than T4. In these (overactive) hyperthyroid cases the T4 can be normal, the T3 high, and the TSH low. The Total T3 reports the total amount of T3 in the bloodstream, including T3 bound to carrier proteins plus freely circulating T3.
Free T3
This test measures only the portion of thyroid hormone T3 that is "free", that is, not bound to carrier proteins.
The only concern you should have is to make sure that the supplement you are taking is not more than you need to keep your body functioning properly. As the thyroid function slowly returns, you will need to reduce your thyroid meds, and Doc can do the tests to help you with the weaning.
Please be clear on which test you are looking at. We continue to see a tremendous amount of confusion among doctors, nurses, lab techs, and patients on which test is which. In particular, the "Total T3", "Free T3" and "T3 Uptake tests" are very confusing, and are not the same test.
Thyroxine (T4)
This shows the total amount of the T4. High levels may be due to hyperthyroidism, however technical artifact occurs when estrogen levels are higher from pregnancy, birth control pills or estrogen replacement therapy. A Free T4 (see below) can avoid this interference.
T3 Resin Uptake or Thyroid Uptake
This is a test that confuses doctors, nurses, and patients. First, this is not a thyroid test, but a test on the proteins that carry thyroid around in your blood stream. Not only that, a high test number may indicate a low level of the protein! The method of reporting varies from lab to lab. The proper use of the test is to compute the free thyroxine index.
Free Thyroxine Index (FTI or T7)
A mathematical computation allows the lab to estimate the free thyroxine index from the T4 and T3 Uptake tests. The results tell us how much thyroid hormone is free in the blood stream to work on the body. Unlike the T4 alone, it is not affected by estrogen levels.
You have most of what you need/want to know in the FT3, FT4 and TSH tests.
T3 vs T4 supplementation
Dr. Marshall wrote: I would be careful of the Armour Thyroid. Thyroxine does have a high affinity for the Glucocorticoid Receptor. Regardless of what the tests say, if you can stay away from supplementation, and let the body's nuclear receptors balance their own hormone requirements, while remaining asymptomatic (without thyroid problems), then that is the best plan, IMO. Otherwise, use T3, with as little T4 as is possible.
April 2008: "T4 has a 10 times higher affinity for the PPARalpha receptor, 35 times higher for the Glucocorticoid receptor, and twice as strong into the PPAR gamma receptor.
T4 is supposed to be converted in the body into T3, and I suspect that some of it is, but I haven't seen any good studies describing exactly how, why, or when that might happen.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5449321
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=4986007
Cytomel works for many people but not everyone seems to tolerate it because it gives a few a rapid heart rate and anxiety even at low doses.
A few do seem to tolerate the T4 only preparations but many swear by Armour that is a porcine combination of T1,T2,T3,T4 and calcitonin. Some use Armour and add small dose cytomel to more closely mimic human production percentages. Dr Marshall calculations are that T3 may cause less havoc on the nuclear receptors when used alone at lower doses.
You can find approximate conversions of Armour doses to Cytomel doses here.
See T3 supplementation is preferable to T4
If patient is on 75 mcg of Levoxyl then approximate equivalent dose would be 5mcg of Cytomel every six hours. Could be started 5mcg with breakfast and lunch and if tolerated it then go to q6 hour dosing with the Benicar.
Adjusting thyroid medications
It's important you work with your doctor to find the correct dose of supplement as you progress on the MP by monitoring thyroid function frequently. If symptoms appear to be due to improved thyroid function and too much thyroid supplement, reduce the dose and contact your doctor as soon as possible.
Fatigue
Since the immunopathology will provoke bouts of severe fatigue don't be tempted to use more sypplementation to help. The fatigue comes with the bacterial die-off.
-Increasing or decreasing Synthroid without corresponding blood lab work to substantiate the need for additional T4 is a dangerous practice and will also contribute to interference in the feedback mechanism b/t your thyroid and your anterior pituitary. When T4 (Synthroid) is increased the Thyrotrope cells in the anterior pituitary reduce secretion thereby decreasing the TSH and the regulatory feedback loop is interrupted.
-It will take your body about 6 weeks before you'll see the adjustment of T4 supplementation in your blood work so although your TSH is going up already, it may take your T3 and T4 longer to show what your thyroid is producing along with the lower dose of supplementation.
-Your doc should work with you about slowly upping the dose (cytomel) to get your TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) less than 3 and probably less than 2, IMO. I personally prefer 5 mcg tablets of cytomel to take every six hours as the half-life of T3 is much shorter. When your (cytomel) levels are at their nadir (lowest) your pituitary will be stimulated to produce TSH. A more constant serum level (of cytomel) with q6 (every six hours) dosing reduces this effect. Repeat labs after corrections in dosing will indicate if you are on the right track. ~P.Bear R.N.
- I find it better to take my T3 split into doses of 5 mcg every 6 hours by mouth with my Benicar because the half life of this drug is so much shorter than T4. It might provide more reliable lab information also to do it this way. ~P.Bear R.N.
Post thyroidectomy
As you know you will need thyroid replacement for the rest of your life. You should eventually be able to re-balance the rest of your hormonal status as you heal, and slowly weaning off the "adrenal support" of glandular extract and DHEA will be much easier once you are on Benicar. You are not alone in finding that Armour seems to work better than T4 alone. I myself have switched from Armour to low doses of Cytomel every six hours with the Benicar and it seems to work fine for me. You would need to work with your physician to slowly switch to Cytomel by using labs and symptoms aiming for free and/or total T3 levels mid-range while keeping TSH low or low normal (IMO). I have read about time released versions of T3 and topical versions that can be compounded; but find that the regular Cytomel works well enough for me. I have found that T4 seems to adversely effect me, but many people do seem to tolerate it in the Armour or in a single formulation. ~P.Bear R.N.
-You will be able to recover without a thyroid. Thyroid hormone receptors exist throughout essentially all of our cells in the cell nucleus, and thyroid hormones can also act to influence other cell functions outside the nucleus. Your physician will need to advise you about any changes in thyroid medications based upon your lab values and your symptoms. It is up to the two of you whether you want to change from the Armour to the Cytomel and exactly when and how to do it. It could be done before starting the MP or later after you have begun the Benicar. Not everyone will tolerate a change to Cytomel, but most can in my opinion. Some physicians like to add some Cytomel to the Armour instead of a total switch, and there is more than one right way to achieve the goal of optimum thyroid replacement. ~P.Bear, R.N.
See Members' experiences with thyroid supplementation
Last edited on Thu Jul 31st, 2008 10:04 by Foundation Staff
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Aussie Barb
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Posted: Wed Aug 2nd, 2006 22:34 |
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Thyroid function affects bone health
Close to our science is this paper showing that the Alpha Thyroid receptor is key to bone structure.
http://tinyurl.com/mlaea
A simpler summary of what is known is found here
http://tinyurl.com/nwpaj
My molecular genomics shows that 1,25-D directly acts on the alpha-1-Thyroid receptor, with higher affinity even than it has for the VDR. This is clearly an important pathway towards the osteopenia we often see in Th1 disease, especially when folks exhibit hypothyroid symptoms.
...Trevor...
____________________
Barb: Dx Inflammatory Disease Endocrine Imbalance 2003| Depression| 24+ years not Dx| MP Aug04| ABC of MP| MP Search|
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Posted: Mon Oct 9th, 2006 02:12 |
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T3 supplementation is preferable to T4
-The new guidelines for TSH say that the normal range is 0.3 to 3.0. That you have a TSH of 3.342 while taking T4 replacement would seem to indicate that you may still be hypothyroid, especially since your T3 level is low.
Docs seem to have some differences in how they like to treat. The standard seems to be just using T4. I found Armour (combo of T3, T4 and others) to work better for me than T4; but I am now switched to T3 alone based upon Dr Marshall's opinion below and it seems so far to be working based upon my symptoms. (without replacement I get so cold I can't sleep) I am of the opinion that one should just use as little as is needed to help symptoms. IMO it would be best to have your t3 and t4 measured when you have your thyroid checked. TSH alone does not give enough information.
Dr Marshall wrote: "I would be careful of the Armour Thyroid. Thyroxine does have a high affinity for the Glucocorticoid Receptor. Regardless of what the tests say, if you can stay away from supplementation, and let the body's nuclear receptors balance their own hormone requirements, while remaining asymptomatic (wrt thyroid problems), then that is the best plan, IMO. Otherwise, use T3, with as little T4 as is possible."<
Your thyroid doc may not agree to try the T3 alone as this is pretty unorthodox, but may permit you to add it and reduce your T4 dose. ~P.B. RN
-T3 comes as brand names Cytomel, Tertroxin or Triostat in the States. My drug book states that for adults needing thyroid hormone replacement, 25mcg P.O. daily, increased by 12.5 to 25 mcg q1 to 2 weeks until satisfactory response is achieved. Usual maintenance dose is 75 to 100 mcg daily. It comes in 5, 25, and 50mcg tabs.
I was prescribed 50 mcg twice a day so I would have enough to titrate to my symptomatic improvement. The 50mcg size is scored in two. I currently take 1/4th of a pill (12.5 mcg) every 6 hours (with my Benicar). Some Docs think taking after breakfast and dinner is a good way to slow down and prolong effects. I have had no problems getting to sleep with the Q6 dose and it is my opinion that it is better to take a smaller dose more often, but twice a day works well for some. It would be easier splitting a 25 mcg tab in two than a 50mcg in quarters if you are looking for ease of use. Some Docs like to use compounding pharmacies and give T3 as a topical cream for more constant serum blood levels, but the way I am taking it seems to work just fine for me.
I think it best to take T3 twice or even 4 times a day because it has a shorter half-life. I think morning after breakfast and evening after supper is good because food will slow down the surge effect that makes you feel ill. I myself take 12.5 mcg every 6 hours and it does not give me insomnia, nerves, or upset tummy; and you may get by just fine with 12.5 mcg twice a day after eating. When your doc next checks your T3 it should be in the mid to upper middle normal range, so you may have to move dose up or down. It is best to make changes slowly bit by bit. If you feel too nervous or your heart rate is a little high then your dose is most likely too high. ~P.Bear RN.
-I think that, from your symptoms, you may benefit from thyroid replacement. My wicked coldness has been relieved by taking Cytomel that is a form of the active hormone T3. The problem with many if not most naturopathic solutions is that they are often in reality less regulated forms of allopathic meds; and even most naturopaths will use prescription Armour that is a combo of porcine T4, T3 and other trace hormones. I am not a fan of iodine megadoses either. IMO it would be best to start with a thyroid panel and discuss with your physician your symptoms and see if you could try Cytomel or Armour with goal of relieving intolerable symptoms with as low a dose as is possible to keep active metabolite at least in mid normal range. ~P.B.
.................................................................................
According to Medline, Cytomel is a brand name for Liothyronine, which is also known as L-Triiodothyronine.
If your L-Thyroxin looks like this, then it is Levothyroxine. Various brand names for Levothyroxine are: Levothroid®, Levoxyl®, Synthroid® and Unithroid®, according to Medline.
You can check this with the information from Micromedex at MayoClinic.com. ~Belinda
See also:
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/testsforthyroid/a/newrange.htm
http://www.mercola.com/2003/mar/1/hypothyroidism.htm
http://www.mercola.com/article/hypothyroid/treatment.htm
http://www.mercola.com/article/hypothyroid/diagnosis_comp.htm
Last edited on Tue Nov 13th, 2007 18:23 by Foundation Staff
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Posted: Thu Oct 12th, 2006 14:21 |
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Wilson's syndrome
(filelink)
Wilson's syndrome is controversial.
This article explains why The American Thyroid Association states there is
...no scientific evidence supporting the existence of "Wilson's syndrome."
and the rebuttal:
http://www.wilsonsthyroidsyndrome.com/OpinionsOnWTS.htm
Please research carefully and discuss this issue which your doctor.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12th, 2007 01:17 |
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Members' experiences
I am watching my (thyroid) antibody count drop as I progress on the MP. I've been on the MP for almost a year now. My Thyroid itself has been herxing, as the nasty bugs die and irritate the tissue,so the thyroid can't work as well, as I have noted at the start of each phase: my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone = demand for thyroid to "produce more juice" ) jumped when I started phase I and again on phase II & III. That went along with pain and swelling in my throat and hair-loss, which was a hypo-thyroid symptom. Then it levelled out as my body progressed through the phases.
So a chart of my TSH would show a spike each time, as herxing commenced, then return to normal. However, my thyroid antibodies count, which started "off the chart" has steadily declined throughout. From >1000 to something in the 200s. I look forward to seeing a big fat 'zero' one day  I know we officially "don't believe in autoimmunity" according to the MP theory, however the mainstream medical community does, and anything that can illustrate "recovery from autoimmunity" is useful as well as heartening.
The hair-loss is something I've come to expect and it grows back each time - giving an interesting natural "layered" effect! HaHaHa~Claudia
-When I became jittery, anxious, restless, or teary-eyed, I soon came to realize that my physician needed to adjust my thyroid medication. Thus, please understand that your body is experiencing great hormonal changes as you progress on the protocol, so the new or repeated symptoms are to be expected. ~Carole
-My thyroid medication was reduced and then ceased when I noticed more chest symptoms. ~Aussie Barb
-I got an email from my doctor today, My Vit D level is down to 11 and my TSH is WAY low. He told me to stop my cytomel immediately. I am having minimal symptoms and my hot flashes have completely vanished within the last week or so. ~ctaegar (member in phase 2 with Hashimoto's thyroiditis)
Members experiences with thyroid supplementation
Related FAQs:
Is hair change common in Th1 diseases?
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