Restoration of the optimal balance of thyroid hormones: treatment regimens
Types of medications
What kind of drugs for the thyroid gland is better to take if it is so necessary for me? This is an important issue, especially for women who are overweight. These issues are actively discussed on the Internet. What is better is to take pure synthetic T4 (synthroid, levoxyl and similar unpatented drugs) or a mixture of animal origin from T4 and TK (for example, armor thyroid).
“Natural” versus “synthetic”. Another fashionable term “natural” has penetrated into the sphere of thyroid hormone therapy, just as it used to be in menopausal terminology. Keep in mind that “natural” may mean “identical to natural” or that the substance has a biological origin, but its molecules are chemically different from the molecules produced by your body. “Synthetic” can mean only “made in the laboratory” and corresponding to what your body produces, or it can also mean “having a different chemical composition”, unlike that produced by your body. It is important to know this difference and not fall for the advertising tricks of manufacturers.
When scientists learned the exact molecular composition of T4, they were able to create, or “synthesize”, in the laboratory, the T4 molecule, identical to the natural one. This allowed the production of standard commercial thyroid hormone drugs T4, obtaining all the best results with each new batch. Today, American commercial pharmaceutical thyroid drugs (brands such as Unidroid, Synthroid, Levoxil, and other unpatented drugs from different manufacturers) are identical to natural compounds, even though they are made in a laboratory. They are “natural” for your body because they are identical to the T4 thyroid hormone produced by your own thyroid gland. For most people, the T4 contained in these preparations under the action of the thyroid gland and body tissues will be processed into the necessary amount of TK. In case this does not occur, there are several ways to restore an identical to the natural TK.
Some consider a mixture of T4 and TZ along with an armor thyroid to be a “natural” thyroid preparation.
It is called natural because it is obtained from the dry (dried) thyroid tissue of animals. However, in reality, this mixture of living origin from TK and T4 does not correspond to their natural ratio in the human body, therefore this drug often provides the body with a large number of TK and an insufficient quantity of T4. Since the combination of T4 and TK in the preparation is fixed in definite amounts per gran (0.065 g) of armor thyroid, the preparation cannot be dosed specifically for your body, as if TK and T4 were administered separately.
Synthroid, levoxyl, unitroid, and the generic version of levothyroxine (T4) do not contain animal residues and, therefore, do not lead to increased antibody production. In practice, there were quite a few women, whose body produced a large number of thyroid antibodies of both types with long-term use of thyroid preparations of animal origin, therefore I do not recommend using armor thyroid. This problem is especially acute for women suffering from overweight, because for them it is important that the thyroid drug has an optimal effect on exchange pathways (pathways of metabolic processes) and muscle tissue and it is also necessary to avoid the appearance of antibodies that inhibit the effective functioning of the thyroid gland. and thyroid hormones.
One of the reasons doctors recommend armor thyroid is that it contains both TK and T4. In fact, today it is not a good enough reason to use a drug of animal origin. If you, in addition to T4, need TK, then you can get this hormone in another form. A commercial cytomel preparation containing TK has been used for several decades. It gives a certain effect, however, its action is short, therefore, in some cases of taking the drug, the level of TK rises sharply, and then a “collapse” occurs when the drug passes. Previously, when there was no longer-lasting drug, cytomel was prescribed to its patients, but they did not like the feeling of “take-off” accompanying its administration.
How to safely begin treatment
Taking too much of a thyroid drug at once, as a rule, leads to increased heart rate and pulsation, headaches, anxiety, irritability, or insomnia. These symptoms are characteristic of women with greatly reduced levels of estradiol, so if you take a thyroid drug before the level of estradiol normalizes, the effect will be about the same as if you add gasoline to the fire. The heart jumps, thoughts are confused, sleep does not go, the head breaks – the feeling is not pleasant. You can see for yourself that in order to avoid these problems, you must start taking the drug in small doses and gradually increase them.
Therapy with thyroid hormones is a rather extensive topic. The above are only the main issues that need to be addressed together with your doctor, especially if you are constantly gaining weight or if you are unable to lose weight, despite the exercises and proper nutrition. There are many ways to adjust and optimize thyroid hormone therapy to help you feel better and provide an opportunity to more confidently cope with other problems associated with overweight.
What to do with low cortisol
Renal failure, or Addison’s disease, is a serious illness associated with impaired metabolic processes in the body, which can lead to death if it is not diagnosed in time and the appropriate treatment is not started. If you have low levels of serum cortisol, as well as electrolyte imbalance and other laboratory data suggest Addison’s disease, or kidney failure, doctors recommend visiting an endocrinologist versed in these disorders. If you want to check if you have other hormonal inconsistencies, you can do additional tests, which are usually carried out in order to confirm the diagnosis and identify possible causes of the disease. You will also need the help of a therapist who has experience with various medications to correct cortisol deficiency in the kidneys, such as hydrocortisone or cortisone acetate, and who knows about side effects and potential problems associated with their use.
It is also dangerous to take over-the-counter supplements in the form of renal stimulants or renal glandular preparations, if you have only saliva or kinesiological tests aimed at determining cortisol levels and confirming renal insufficiency. High levels of cortisol have a negative effect on the body. It mainly leads to overweight. Therefore, cortisol should be taken only when absolutely necessary.
In addition, glandular renal drugs sold in health food stores are of animal origin and, therefore, lead to the problems described above. Taking renal stimulants can lead to a further decrease in the activity of your own hormones or increase your already high levels of cortisol, which will affect weight gain.
What to do in case of high cortisol levels
In fact, cases of elevated cortisol levels as a result of kidney or pituitary disease are not as frequent as those where more common factors play a role: from domestic stress to losing the optimal amount of estradiol. Infections, chronic pains, surgeries, thyroid function deficiency, biological depression, and taking progestin birth control pills affect the rise in cortisol. Here are just some of the most common reasons.
To effectively address these problems, you need to start taking another drug or more successfully deal with stress. As a rule, if all these problems are resolved, normal cortisol levels will be restored. Usually, with elevated levels of cortisol as a result of thyroid disorders or menopausal loss of estradiol, the level of cortisol is normalized when the previous balance of estradiol and / or thyroid balance is restored. If this does not happen, we schedule a further examination and offer new treatment options.
If the cause of elevated cortisol lies in a kidney disease, as in the case of Cushing’s syndrome, or in pituitary disorder, the therapist will refer you for further tests, such as for DST. If the morning or daily analysis of DST shows that cortisol levels are above 5 deciliters the next day after taking 1 micron / mg of dexamethasone, a full examination for Cushing’s disease is recommended. You will have to do several more tests, such as analysis of serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), urine analysis for free cortisol and HSC analysis, and, if necessary, to undergo MRI. If it is found that the cause of the high content of cortisol is a violation of the kidney or pituitary, you will be assigned an individually tailored course of treatment aimed at eliminating the underlying cause.
How to restore optimal insulin balance: treatment regimens
The main thing – nutrition: your way to the restoration of the activity of hormones
This can not be ignored. A full, balanced diet, as well as eating meals in small portions throughout the day – this is the basis of your proper nutrition plan and the key to achieving low insulin levels and increasing insulin sensitivity. You will not succeed without proper nutrition.
The next step is exercise
Exercise (low and medium intensity), such as walking, acts like “invisible insulin”, helping the glucose penetrate the muscles and reducing high blood glucose levels. This, in turn, prevents insulin outflow from the pancreas in response to elevated glucose levels. A simple walk with a quick step is, in any case, beneficial for your body, but walking is an absolutely necessary condition for dealing with the serious consequences caused by insulin resistance. Even if you just start to make 5-10-minute walks several times a day, you will notice a gradual increase in glucose tolerance and greater energy production.
How to optimize ovarian hormones
If an excess of insulin is found in your body, again pay attention to the following recommendations. Estradiol in the form of plates best helps to increase the sensitivity of insulin, as evidenced by the many works published abroad over the past few years. If you need to prevent the development of endometrial hyperplasia, natural non-oral progesterone, such as krinon, will not have such negative effects on fluctuations in blood sugar levels and insulin production.
Avoid taking medications that may decrease glucose permeability or increase insulin resistance. These include mixed estrogens (for example, premarin, estratab / estratest, coenestin), synthetic progestins (provera, AMP) and combination drugs with a high content of progestin, such as prempro, preampheyz, kombipetch, fermt. Do not use over-the-counter progesterone-based creams (“wild potatoes”) or birth control pills that are high in progesterone (for example, loestrin, alez-zi, myrset) if you are overweight, have insulin resistance, or have diabetes.
Consider medications that increase insulin sensitivity
Glucofeud (metformin), avandia (rosiglitazone), aktoz (pioglitazone) – these are some of the currently available drugs that help to increase the sensitivity of insulin and reduce the threat to health that occurs when there is excess insulin.