Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
The Thyroid Wellness Newsletter October Special - 15% off Three of Our Best Selling Supplements During the month of October to coincide with our September/October Newsletter’s theme about antioxidants, AremNutritionals is offering a 15% discount on the following supplements: ThyroLife Optima, Body Slim Mediterranean and Vitality Choice One Probiotic. the discount code is OctNews11. Please fill this in at check out to receive the discount. Weight and Gender but Not Age Affects the Dose of Your Thyroid Medication It has previously been common belief that age affects the dose required of Levothyroxine for the treatment of hypothyroidism. A study published in Thyroid challenges that belief. The older you get, the less thyroid hormone you need, but that does not seem to be the case. This study was very thorough to separate age, gender, body weight, ideal body weight, and menstrual status, and the patients studied included men and women between the ages of 18 and 85, all of whom were In This Issue... Weight and Gender but Not Age Affects the Dose of Your Thyroid Medication Acne as an Indication of Thyroid Disease in Adult Women Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis Dr. Ridha Arem Vitamin and Antioxidant Supplementation is Crucial for Your Thyroid! diagnosed with hypothyroidism at least 12 months prior. The research concluded that age does not affect Levothyroxine dose requirements once gender and body weight are considered. Instead, age masks a variety of other issues that could affect the required dose. For instance, older age is often synonymous with altered body weight, change in body composition, and changes in hormone. Any of these could actually affect Levothyroxine dose requirements. Gender, on the other hand, seems to hold the highest impact on variations in dose requirements. A possible explanation for this is the idea that men have different physiological requirements than women. Besides gender, the other important factor that affects the dose requirement seems to be the weight of the patient, and this has been shown by previous research. The more you are overweight, the more thyroid hormone you need to treat your hypothyroidism. The Texas Thyroid Institute • Dr. Ridha Arem M.D. • 7501 Fannin Suite 730 • Houston, TX 77054 • www.thyroidwellness.com Acne as an Indication of Thyroid Disease in Adult Women Acne vulgaris, a disease affecting the sebaceous follicles, is typically understood to be an adolescent disorder. However, acne occurring after adolescence has been increasing over the last decade, and affecting more women than men. While the causes of adult acne are not always understood, some possible explanations include: smoking, stress, resistant bacteria, the use of some cosmetics, and the use of oral contraceptives. There also seems to be a connection between thyroid disease and adult acne in women. Released in April 2011, one study hypothesized a link between acne and thyroid autoimmunity. Several thyroid function tests were run on groups of adult women with acne, as well as adult women with no acne or presence of previous lesions. The most significant difference between the groups was that the women with acne had increased levels of antithyroglobulin antibodies, or had higher chances of having high levels of the antibodies in the future. Thyroglobulin antibodies are markers of autoimmune attacks on the thyroid, such as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, a condition that can cause hypothyroidism. Based on this research, it is important that adult women with acne consider being treated for a thyroid condition. Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis It has been determined that vitamin D deficiency affects 20-100% of elderly persons in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Children and adults are equally at high risk of suffering from Vitamin D deficiency world-wide. One of the major causes of Vitamin D deficiency is an indoor lifestyle, clothing choices, and sun avoidance. Vitamin D is a major component of many important functions in the human body. Without Vitamin D only 10-15% of dietary calcium and phosphorus are absorbed into the body. A recent study published in the journal Thyroid reported that Vitamin D deficiency is much more common in patients with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (92%) compared to the general population( 63%). Vitamin D, in addition to promoting calcium absorption in the GI tract, has many regulatory effects in the body; in particular it regulates the immune system. The active form of Vitamin D has been shown to inhibit and slow down autoimmune conditions. It is likely that Vitamin D deficiency is a trigger or a contributing factor to the occurrence of autoimmune attacks on the thyroid such as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. In essence, if you are at risk for developing an autoimmune thyroid condition or if you already have a thyroid condition, you need to pay serious attention to your Vitamin D status and have your Vitamin D tested periodically. Also you need to take adequate amounts of Vitamin D on a regular basis. Vitamin D is normally produced in the skin. The rate at which the body can produce Vitamin D in response to sun exposure is, however, greatly affected by skin pigmentation, aging, and topical use of sunscreen. There are few foods that naturally contain Vitamin D like cod liver oil, salmon, sardines, mackerel, tuna, mushrooms, and egg yolk. Some products like milk, bread, orange juice, cereals, yogurt, and cheese are fortified with Vitamin D in the United States and Canada. But vitamin D intake from food may not be adequate enough to maintain optimal Vitamin D levels. The best way to keep your vitamin D in an excellent range is to take vitamin D supplementation. There are two types of Vitamin D supplements that are commonly prescribed in the United States: Vitamin D2 & D3. Vitamin D2 is a prescription supplement (50,000 units per tablet) taken weekly or monthly while Vitamin D3 is usually taken daily. There is suggestion that vitamin D3 is more active than vitamin D2 and these 2 supplements are metabolized differently. Regardless of the supplement you are taking you need to have your Vitamin D level monitored by your physician. Vitamin and Antioxidant Supplementation is Crucial for Your Thyroid! Several vitamins and antioxidants play an important role not only in maintaining a healthy thyroid system, but also in making thyroid hormone work efficiently in the cells of your body. Despite this, thyroid patients have not been educated enough about the health benefits of vitamin and antioxidant supplementation. Also, many physicians who care for thyroid patients typically do not acknowledge the benefit and do not recommend appropriate supplements to enhance the thyroid treatment they prescribe. Adequate well balanced supplementation with vitamins and antioxidants helps the immune system, supports the thyroid system, and enhances benefits of thyroid treatment. There is even a link between taking vitamins and antioxidants and a decreased incidence of thyroid cancer. For instance, selenium and zinc are essential for the thyroid gland to manufacture the right amount of thyroid hormone and for thyroid hormone to accomplish its multiple metabolic functions in the cell. Vitamins A, B, and C are also very important to maintain a healthy thyroid. Research has shown that Vitamin A deficiency causes slowing of the thyroid, and goiter, which is an enlargement of the thyroid gland. Vitamin B6 deficiency, which can cause irritability, mood changes, high homocysteine levels, anemia, neuropathy, and seizures, has been shown to cause hypothyroidism in rats related to low signaling from the hypothalamus to the pituitary. The low thyroid can be reversed with supplementation and normalization of Vitamin B6 levels. Vitamin B12 deficiency is also common in thyroid patients, especially in patients with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, and Graves’ disease. The deficiency of vitamin B12 may result in a number of neurological and non-neurological problems like anemia, weight loss, impaired fertility, depression, and cognition issues. Low Vitamin B12 is found more frequently in women who suffer from hypothyroid and hyperthyroid conditions. Long term Vitamin B12 supplementation is often recommended to prevent health issues in patients with thyroid disease. Recent research has also shown that Vitamin D is one of the most influential vitamins in the human body. It regulates function of the immune system and Vitamin D deficiency could contribute to immune attacks on the thyroid. Vitamin D deficiency is more common in patients with Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Vitamin D also regulates insulin secretion, regulates the cardiovascular system, the development of the nervous system, and maintains bone health. One of the side-effects of hyperthyroidism is loss of bone mass. Vitamin D supplementation helps to reduce the negative effects on bone loss and helps the body restore bone mass lost by the disorder. In addition to maintaining a healthy thyroid system, several vitamins and antioxidants are essential to fight the oxidative stress often generated by a thyroid imbalance. If you suffer from a thyroid imbalance, whether hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, your body becomes overwhelmed with oxidative stress and harmful free radicals, which are byproducts of oxygen metabolism. These free radicals cause damage to the cells and inflammation, and impair function of cells. Oxidative stress and free radicals contribute to aging, to the occurrence of vascular disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. Excessive amounts of free radicals contribute to the occurrence of symptoms such as fatigue, low mood, and lack of vitality. They also promote inflammation in the cells and, consequently, insulin resistance and weight gain. This is why when you have a thyroid imbalance; you may experience depletion of the good guys, the vitamins and antioxidants that we are talking about. And this is why if you have a thyroid imbalance, taking adequate supplementation of these vitamins and antioxidants will make you feel better, will give you more vitality, and will improve your mood. Also, you will make the thyroid treatment you receive more efficient. Research has shown for instance, that a mix of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, selenium, zinc, and copper causes improvement of symptoms in hyperthyroid patients the same way as if they were receiving treatment to regulate their thyroid. Also, patients with overactive thyroid who receive antioxidants along with antithyroid medications attain normal thyroid levels sooner. It is clear that as a thyroid patient, you need to be aware that supplementation with vitamins and antioxidants helps prevent your symptoms and should be part of your treatment program so that you can reach and maintain optimal wellness. Supplementation helps stabilize your thyroid condition, and helps with prevention and minimizes damaging effects of free radicals to your body and brain. Patients often wonder about the effects of vitamins and antioxidants on their thyroid conditions. Not all supplements and vitamins are made equally, therefore it is always important to read the ingredients included and be sure it is complete and well balanced. Many of the over the counter vitamins and antioxidant supplements are unbalanced or incomplete. They may also contain iron, calcium, or ingredients that can interfere with thyroid hormone absorption. ThyroLife Optima has been designed to be complete, comprehensive, and well-balanced to achieve all the desirable effects that thyroid patients need. ThyroLife Multi-Preventive is an ideal mix of vitamins and antioxidants for relatives of thyroid patients genetically at higher risk for having thyroid disease. It is also an excellent multivitamin for everyone for prevention and overall health.