Last week I explained some of the myths about “natural” hormones for menopause, so this week I want to address some myths about “natural” thyroid hormones. But first, let’s hear from Vicki and her experience:
Dear Dr. Vliet,
I have devoured many books and articles on websites from people who say they are “natural thyroid” gurus, natural progesterone advocates, or "anti-aging experts."
I also did a saliva test that said I was "estrogen dominant. I was using desiccated thyroid, high-dose natural progesterone cream, adrenal support, and various other hormones -- everything except estradiol. I was getting worse in many ways. Doctors I consulted with wanted to dish out antidepressants.
But I found help by reading your books. I've finally ditched all that other stuff and feel much better for doing so. With the current craze for everything "natural," women are using all sorts of things that are probably useless or even harmful, but because they're touted as "natural," they're seen as being beneficial with no evidence to back this up.
Thank you again Dr. Vliet. -- Vicki
I appreciate hearing from women like Vicki. Yet it makes me sad and even angry that so many women suffer needlessly while simply trying to restore a healthy hormone balance. There is a wealth of sound medical information from reputable international researchers to give us a systematic approach to helping women regain their health when they are hit with various endocrine problems. I have explained these medically sound approaches in my book Women, Weight, and Hormones.
Take thyroid disorders. There is a myth going around that “natural thyroid” hormones are better for you than “synthetic” thyroid options made by pharmaceutical companies. Women are told products like Armour thyroid, Naturthroid, and others are more natural, and doses should be based on saliva testing and axillary (underarm) basal body temperature. Let’s address this.
First, the most reliable tests to determine thyroid disorders are blood tests for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), total and free T4, total and free T3, and thyroid antibodies. These tests help identify hypo- or hyperthyroidism, and the tests also help guide doctors in deciding the best dose to give optimal therapeutic response. Saliva tests do not give reliable measures to determine either the presence of a thyroid disorder, or to decide the dose needed.
Second, underarm (axillary) testing of body temperature is even more unreliable as a diagnostic test, since underarm temperatures always run about one degree or more below body temperature measured orally or rectally. Putting a thermometer under your arm is an old test from the 1950s that was popularized by practitioners like Broda Barnes. Most women don’t realize that Broda Barnes lived and worked at a time before scientists had developed today’s sophisticated blood tests and before current research to show that ovarian hormone cycles also affect basal body temperature to cause changes that are mistaken for thyroid disorders.
Animal derived thyroid products like Armour thyroid (and all the copies, like Naturthroid and others) contain both T4 and T3 in ratios that are natural for the animal (pigs or cows), but are not the natural balance found in humans. The human ratio of T4 to T3 is about 10:1, while in the pig it is 4:1. That means women taking an animal-derived thyroid are getting too much T3 relative to T4, and this can cause insomnia, racing heartbeat or palpitations, anxiety, irritability, hair loss, muscle weakness, and fatigue.
I think a better approach is to use the reliable FDA-approved bioidentical thyroid products (Synthroid, Unithroid, Levoxyl, and generic levothyroxine tablets) that are exact copies of our own body hormones. For women who need T3 in addition to T4, doctors can use Cytomel and adjust the dose individually for each woman’s needs.
I tailor the product and dose to each woman based on clinical and reliable laboratory monitoring. A fixed-dose combination product like Armour or its clones cannot be adjusted or tailored to your individual needs. The approach I outlined using separate T4 and T3 pills gives a more effective way to achieve optimal results for my patients to feel better. For more on how to get properly tested, and what product options are available, check out the free booklet on my website, www.herplace.com.
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