About Your Thyroid Gland -Roger Mason

Thyroid problems in Americans, especially over the age of 40, are all too common now. Unfortunately, very few people ever get their thyroid hormone levels tested. Most all of these problems have to do with underactive thyroids, or hypothyroidism, and usually with T4 rather than T3. Women (90%) are far more affected by this than men. Anyone over the age of 40 should have their thyroid checked. You can see your doctor, pay some extortionate fee to someone who has little idea what he is doing, and leave there with your TSH, T3 uptake, and other almost useless information. Saliva tests for free T3 and free T4 are currently not available, but will be soon. You can also get an expensive blood spot test without a doctor for your free T3 and free T4. Forget your T3 uptake and TSH. The best way is to go to www.healthcheckusa.com and send them $85 to get a real blood test (Panel 2) for free T3 and free T4. No doctor! Also, your undereducated doctor will probably tell you that any results "in range" are fine. This is not true. If you are, say, a 1.7 on a 1.5 to 2.5 scale (average of 2.0) for T3, you are low range ("subclinical") and need to raise that level with bioidentical triiodothyronine. If you are, say, an 10 on a 7-25 scale (average of 16) for T4 you are low range and need to raise that level with bioidentical L-thyroxine.

Overactive thyroid is much harder to treat, and one should never resort to allopathic medical procedures to poison (methimazone), destroy (radioactive iodine), or remove their thyroid gland to slow down hormone production. An American macrobiotic diet, lifestyle, proven supplements and balancing your other (9 for men, 12 for women) hormones will help normalize your levels.All your hormones work together in harmony as a team. so balance all of the basic ones as much as possible.

People think that Synthroid, which is simply T4, and Cytomel, which is simply T3, are somehow not natural. Both of these are bioidentical fortunately and very inexpensive. You can get these without a prescription from the Mexican online pharmacies legally and very inexpensively. Do not think that Armour Thyroid (which is pig extract of T4 and T3 in a 4 to 1 ratio) is somehow "natural" and "better" than Synthroid and Cytomel. You CANNOT take Armour Thyroid unless both your T3 and T4 are equally low. Very, very few people have such a condition. Any naturopath who offers you Armour Thryoid unless BOTH your T3 and T4 are equally (please notice the word "equally") low is a quack. This will cause excessive levels of the hormone you are not as deficient in.

If you find you have a low free T3 level, you can consider a basic dose of 25 mcg of Cytomel (triiodothyronine) as a starting point. If you find you have a low free T4 level, you can consider a basic dose of 100 mcg of Synthroid (L-thyroxine) as a starting point. It is always a 4 to 1 ratio of T4 to T3 in mammals. Everyone is different, and only blood monitoring over time will tell you which dose you personally need. Be careful here, take your time. and do it right. You need midrange levels and not below midrange.

Please read Zen Macrobiotics for Americans and eat a whole grain based diet, take the 20 plus supplements, and balance your other basic hormones. All our hormones work together, and your thyroid will work infinitely better if your other basic hormones are all in normal ranges. This includes testosterone, DHEA, pregnenolone, melatonin, insulin (go by fasting blood sugar), progesterone, T3, and T4, and cortisol (and estradiol, estrone, and estriol in women). GH is expensive ($120 a month for 30 IU of Jintropin or Hygertropin), but can be used by those over 50 who can afford it.

What are the symptoms of an underactive thyroid? Fatigue, weight gain, excessive appetite, depression, a general tired feeling, irritability, feeling cold inappropriately, thinning hair, difficulty in concentration, infertility, and high blood fats are some of the common symptoms. If you are low in T3 and/or T4 you may be overweight and eat too much. Normalizing your levels will change this, but you CANNOT take thyroid hormones to lose weight unless you prove your levels to be too low. Symptoms of overactive thyroid are high pulse, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, vision problems, restlessness, a feeling of being nervous, and even bulging eyes in extreme cases.

If you prove one or both thyroid hormones are low and supplement them, you MUST monitor this after 90 days to see if you are taking the correct dose. Then you must monitor yourself yearly to maintain this dose. Again, please remember that all your basic hormones should be balanced for your thyroid to operate well. Diet and lifestyle will do wonders for your thyroid gland.