Health Alert 161
Do you sometimes feel tired for no reason? Is your concentrating power and memory sliding or do you lack the energy you use to have? You could be suffering from the very common problem of the under functioning of your thyroid gland. Thyroid dysfunction may be the most commonly missed diagnosis in modern times.
Equally concerning is that if you have been diagnosed with a thyroid disorder you are likely taking the synthetic form of thyroid hormone called Synthroid. Did you know that for 80 years prior to Abbott Laboratories manufacturing Synthroid, patients were prescribed natural thyroid?
Today you’ll learn how your thyroid functions and how to spot symptoms of malfunction.
I also tell you why natural thyroid is a better treatment than the synthetic form. You’ll also discover that many of the side effects associated with the synthetic form can be avoided if you go natural.
* The Critical Functions of Your Thyroid *
Thyroid function is a chain reaction that begins in the pituitary gland with TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone). The thyroid gland produces 2 hormones T3 & T4. The T4 hormone regulates cellular metabolism or your body’s energy. T3 regulates body temperature, digestive metabolism and helps burn body fat. Proper function of T3 prevents you from feeling cold and getting fat.1 The thyroid gland also regulates function of the liver, your kidneys, and skin.
Nearly 30 million Americans suffer from a malfunctioning thyroid. The majority of them are women. The side effects of a thyroid disorder include:
• Weight gain
• Trouble losing weight
• Sensitivity to cold
• Hair loss
• Fibromyalgia
• Low energy
• Depression
• Mood swings
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Dry skin
• Brittle nails
• Low libido
• Aching joints
• Low blood pressure
• Memory problems
• Constipation
• High cholesterol
• Menstrual irregularities
Eighty percent of malfunctioning thyroids are low thyroid hormone function. The disorder is known as hypothyroidism.2 Unfortunately thyroid disorders often go undetected because the symptoms can be attributed to a variety of other disorders. Some people also just attribute the less bothersome symptoms as a normal sign of aging and never get treatment.3
* Natural vs. Synthetic *
In 1950 a synthetic version of thyroxine (T4) was commercially introduced. It contains only T4 and no T3. By the 1970s, most of the leading medical journals were touting the benefits of Synthroid. However it is not as safe as the medical community has led the public to believe. Between 1991 and 1997, a total of 100 million tablets were recalled under 10 different recalls. The recalls occurred because the tablets were either found to be sub potent or too potent.4
A 1999 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that patients benefited in mood and neuropsychological function from a combination of T3 and T4 as oppose to T4 alone. Another study published in Endocrinology in 1996 also supported the theory that T4 alone was not enough to fully restore thyroid function for those suffering from hypothyroidism.5
Some of the many reported side effects of Synthroid include: headaches, excessive sweating, diarrhea, hair loss, hives, weight gain/loss, mood swings, and heart palpitations.
* Time-Tested Natural Hormone *
Natural Hormone extracted as a glycerin was first used in England in 1891. The first patient treated, a 46-year-old women reported rapid and significant improvement of her symptoms. In 1892 doctors began extracting thyroid from cows and pigs as well to treat hypothyroidism. The only drawback reported was that the injection was a painful experience for some.6
Hormonal imbalances or malfunctions respond better to natural hormones. I don’t treat my patients with chemical-synthesized hormones. Natural hormones are also safer and generally less expensive.
If you are being treated for hypothyroidism with Synthroid and you have side effects, ask your doctor about switching to natural thyroid hormone. It is available at almost all pharmacies although many doctors don’t know it. Like is so commonly the case, they are only taught the synthetic drug option.
Al Sears, MD
1. Body & Soul. “The Hormone Hub Thyroid,” Nov/Dec. 2003: 16-18.
2. Ibid.
3. Rosick, E.R. “The Benefits of Whole Natural Hormone.” : Life Enhancement, January 2004: 11-14.
4. Federal Register 62, No. 157, 14 August 1997, pp 43535-8.
5. Rosick, E.R. “The Benefits of Whole Natural Hormone.” : Life Enhancement, January 2004: 11-14.