Hypothyroidism and Adrenal Insufficiency (Video #01)
Hi, I’m Dr. Michael Doyle. I’d like to talk to you for a minute about two of the most important substances in the human body — thyroid hormone and cortisoL These two hormones are the foundation of human metabolism and are as important to your health as gasoline and oil are to your car.
Thyroid hormone actually refers to four hormones made by the thyroid gland. I think of thyroid hormones as hormones as the dimmer switch on human metabolism. They literally go into every single cell in your body, including adrenal glands, to boost metabolism. The most common problem with the thyroid is low thyroid function, also called hypothyroidism. The symptoms of hypothyroidism are widespread and extremely varied. They range from fatigue, low temperature, depression, weight gain, and hair loss to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, early heart disease and much more.
Hypothyroidism and Thyroid Hormone Therapy
DIAGNOSIS
Usually based on blood tests (TSH and others). I believe that the TSH can be misleading. I look for other evidence of low thyroid such as fatigue, hair loss, depression, dry skin, weight gain, cold hands, constipation, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. to help identify this problem. I use blood tests, body temperature testing + urine thyroid testing to confirm the diagnosis. This approach is not widely accepted.
TREATMENT & THYROID DOSING GUIDELINES
I routinely use a thyroid extract such as Armour Thyroid because: 1) it works the best for most people. 2) It contains both active thyroid hormones T3 and T4 (as well as T1 and T2). Synthetic treatments such as Synthroid contain only T4.
For maximum safety and effectiveness, the dose starts low and is gradually increased to maximum effectiveness. Dosage is adjusted to restore normal thyroid function — not simply to restore normal blood test results.
I do not usually rely on the TSH test to adjust doses. In theory, a thyroid dose that causes a “suppressed” (low) TSH automatically leads to heart rhythm problems and bone thinning. This theory is refuted by a century of medical experience as well as scientific analysis*. I am convinced by my research and clinical experience that the TSH test is generally not the best way to determine thyroid dosage.
*USPSTF Report on Hypothyroidism-Annals of Intern Med 2004; 140:125-7.
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