Thyroid Imbalance 
 

Thyroid Hormone Therapy for Women and Men

How does Thyroid Relate to Your Hormone Balance?

Thyroid Hormone helps the body convert food into energy and heat, regulates body temperature, and impacts many other hormonal systems in the body. More than half of all people affected by thyroid disease are unaware of there condition, and may have many symptoms but not me diagnosed for years. Symptoms of hypothyroidism may include fatigue, cold and heat intolerance, hypotension, fluid retention, dry skin and/or hair. Constipation, headaches and/or migraines, low sexual desire, infertility, irregular menstrual periods, aching muscles and joints, depression, anxiety, low self esteem, slowed metabolism and decreased heart rate, memory and concentration impairment, enlarged tongue, deep voice, swollen neck, PMS, weight gain, and hypoglycemia. Hypothyroidism is a leading cause of high cholesterol and triglycerides, and severe hypothyroidism can cause symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s disease.

Thyroid Hormone exists in two major forms:

• Thyroxine (T4) an inactive form that is produced by the thyroid gland and converted to T3 in other areas of the body
• Triiodothyronine (T3), the active form

Although both T4 and T3 are secreted by the normal thyroid gland, most patients are treated only with levothyroxine (synthetic T4). Some hypothyroid patients remain symptomatic, and a combination of levothyroxine and T3 may be required for optimal thyroid replacement therapy. However, the only commercially available form of T3 for replacement therapy in synthetic liothyronine sodium. Liothyronine is an immediate release formulation which is rapidly absorbed, and may result in higher than normal T3 concentrations throughout the body causing serious side effects, including heart palpitations. Research indicated there is a need for sustained-release T3 preparations in order to avoid adverse effects.

A randomized, double-blind, crossover study compared the side effects of thyroid hormone replacement with T4 alone versus the use of T4 plus T3 in patients with hypothyroidism. Two-thirds of patients preferred T4 plus T3 and tended to be less depressed than after treatment with T4 alone. This study concluded that including T3 in thyroid hormone replacement improved cognitive performance, mood, physical status, and neuropsychological  function in hypothyroid patients.

Patients and their physicians may wish to consider the inclusion of sustained release T3 in the treatment of hypothyroidism, particularly when the response to levothyroxine (T4) has not been complete.

The role of thyroid hormone and consideration of its impact on multiple body systems is emerging as a critical component of balanced hormone replacement for men and women.

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Thyroid Power: Ten Steps to Total Health
by Richard L. Shames, Karilee H., Phd Shames "I led a normal life until the birth of my second daughter..." (more) "Consider Thyroid Power a long, personal visit with a caring, prevention-oriented practitioner," state the authors. The journey begins with thyroid basics: how this little hormone-producing tissue operates, signs that things are amiss, how other illnesses compound the problem, and how to determine one's risk for hypothyroidism.

The Thyroid Solution : A Mind-Body Program for Beating Depression and Regaining Your Emotional and Physical Health
by Arem Ridha "Could you have an overactive or underactive thyroid and not even know it?..." One in ten Americans suffers from thyroid dysfunction, yet most don't realize the mental and emotional components of this condition. "This is the first book to explain the hidden suffering that many patients have difficulty expressing and the first book to provide new ways of helping address and heal this suffering," promises author Ridha Arem, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and chief of endocrinology and metabolism at Ben Taub General Hospital, both in Houston, Texas.