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Cheryl's success story
I have had hypothyroidism for over seven years. Every year, my primary medical doctor would increase my Levothyroxine in hopes that I would be able to lose weight. My weight never changed. My cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure were sneaking up during this period of time, though. My doctor was threatening to put me on medications for all of these things.
As a Registered Nurse, I have seen people on all of these medications and did not like the side effects noted. I determined to find a course of action that would address the underlying issues instead of just covering up the symptoms. This is when I decided it was time to see Dr. Berglund. I started on supplements with him and began to lose weight immediately. I lost an average of one pound per week. When my labs were done again, they showed that my blood sugar was down, along with my blood pressure and cholesterol. I lost 30 pounds over a six-month period of time. I have lots more energy and feel so much better than I had for years. I have also gone off the Levothyroxine medication.
I hear that way too often. Synthroid (generically referred to as Levoxyl or levothyroxine) has two fundamental flaws that often cause it to, oftentimes, not work very well.
Synthroid is synthetic. Synthroid is made to function like the thyroid hormone T4 (also called thyroxine) but they are chemically different. Synthroid is not bioidentical. You hear that term more with regard to the female hormones estrogen and progesterone, but thyroid medications also suffer with this same issue. Because of the difference, I've seen Synthroid cause reactions in patients of mine. Doubt me? Do a web search for Synthroid side effects. It can also be terribly ineffective.
Medicating with Synthroid doesn't solve any underlying issues the individual may be having. Since the body's more active hormone is not T4 but rather T3 (triiodothyronine) and since Synthroid is T4, the question that begs to be asked of the individual patient is: Can they convert the T4 to T3? Medical practitioners always assume that they can. However, the individual is hypothyroid for a reason. Maybe it's sluggishness in the thyroid gland itself, or maybe they lack the enzyme, 5'-deiodinase, or maybe they lack the nutrients necessary for that 5'-deiodinase to work effectively.
The truth is that the thyroid is a gland that is in massive dysfunction in our modern day society to the point where I believe hypothyroidism is at epidemic proportions. The question is "why?" There are a great number of theories being bantered about by alternative practitioners and researchers. Here are a few:
Chloride and Fluoride: The extensive/increasing use of chlorine (bleach, pools, and municipal water purification) and fluoride (added to municipal water supplies and provided by dentists to strengthen dental enamel). The thyroid gland relies heavily on iodine to make thyroid hormone. In fact, each T4 uses 4 iodine atoms (T3 has 3, T2 has 2, etc). Iodine is part of the halogen family occupying the same column on the periodic table of elements. Other halogens include bromine as well as chlorine and fluorine. Since these molecules share similar atomic similarities, it's been postulated that chlorine and fluorine (which are poisons in their natural gaseous form) are picke dup by the thyroid gland (it assumes they that are iodine) and these compounds either kill or suppress the normal thyroid cells.
Gluten: I'm not a huge believer that gluten is evil like some practitioners are. However, I do believe that a combination of our genetic "tinkering" with wheat as well as our culinary and fast food infatuation with white flour (processed from wheat) has made many grains a source of inflammation and a drag on our systems as well as likely stimulating a host of autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus as well as a thyroid autoimmune condition known as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.
Estrogens: It's been known for years that estrogen can suppress thyroid function. A condition known as Estrogen Dominance (we should link out to something here) or even pregnancy can cause the thyroid to go into shut-down mode. The answer usually lies in helping the liver/gall bladder system conjugate (process) and remove the excess hormone from the system. Sometimes progesterone can be helpful in balancing out the negative effects of estrogen.
Cortisol: In a word, this hormone is about STRESS. There are useful products out there that can help the body get rid of cortisol. However, the problem with over-secretors of cortisol is that it has a half-life in the average human body of 12 hours which means that it takes 12 hours from the time it was secreted for the body to remove HALF of the cortisol. Then it takes another 12 hours to get the level to a quarter of its original level… then another 12 hours to get to an eighth of what was initially secreted. That's a long time for a single secretion. Most people that are stressed are secreting multiple times within that 36 hour period so the levels keep rising. Cortisol can suppress thyroid function. I believe it does so as a normal part of its design. Think of it this way: if the body is secreting stress hormones, danger is around. So releasing/activating a hormone (like thyroid) that is designed to expend resources to repair and upkeep the system seems like a waste if there's a bear or lion ready to pounce on you and eat you. It's a priority system. However, stress-ridden people aren't being chased by bears, they are worried about life and they don't need to prepare to run or fight, they need to reduce their worrying. I address these patients both ways, helping them to not secrete as much cortisol and to help their body get rid of the cortisol they secrete.
Can people take natural supplements while they are taking Synthroid? Sure. It can be a bit tricky so I recommend that people do so with the help of someone who's done this before. Be clear with your goals ahead of time. Are you trying to get off the Synthroid? Are you trying to fill the gaps (help with the symptoms) that the Synthroid has been unable to help with? Is your medical doctor going to be involved in the process? Will you use lab testing or symptoms to judge your progress?
What happens if I take too much? Can I go into hyperthyroid (too much thyroid hormone)? Absolutely. But if you're taking a natural supplement with raw materials in it that are meant to assist the thyroid, usually when you discontinue taking it, within 24 hours we see the hyperthyroid symptoms improve. If they don't, there are natural herbs that are known to help calm the thyroid down.
Are there prescription medications that aren't synthetic like Synthroid? Yes. Armour (porcine thyroid) has been used for years by medical doctors. Some thyroid patient advocates are not recommending Armour (porcine thyroid) as much as they used to, but there are other brands of prescription porcine thyroid glandulars out there like Naturethroid, Westthroid and a Canadian version of porcine glandular by a company called Erfa. Go to this site to get up-to-date information on the brands, their ingredients, and their availability: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/armour-vs-other-brands