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THYROID
POWER |
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The
Amazing Program to Help Millions
To Conquer Disease, Fatigue, Overweight and
Depression |
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| Richard L. Shames, M.D. |
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Karilee H. Shames, R.N., Ph.D. |
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ARTICLES
AND
INTERVIEWS |
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Breaking News: Estrogen, Menopause And Thyroid
With Researchers Discovering
That the Benefits of Estrogen Are Overrated and Dangers
Underreported, It May Be Time to Focus on Your Thyroid
by Richard Shames, M.D. & Karilee
Shames, Ph.D, R.N. |
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An article as it appears
on Mary Shomon's website
Thyroid-Info.
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/shames/a/shameshormones.htm |
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The news is in, as described in the New
York Times. A report called "The International Position Paper
on Women's Health & Menopause" from the National Institutes of
Health and scientists from Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and
Australia, have given us the word on estrogen replacement for
menopause woes. The benefits of estrogen have been overplayed,
and its risks have been minimized.
Not only have valid studies found that estrogen replacement
therapy replacement has less protective value for heart
disease, Alzheimer's, depression, urinary incontinence, and
especially osteoporosis, but in addition, the latest studies
are confirming its increased cancer potential. In other words,
its preventive powers are much less than the drug companies
have been saying, and its risks are greater.
This is especially important information for any woman
concerned about her thyroid health. Perhaps the biggest
potential for mischief in the whole thyroid field is in the
arena of women’s health and menopause. Everything from minor
vaginal irritations to repeated miscarriages have been shown
to be thyroid-related in a certain percentage of sufferers.
Menopause is not an illness, but it can sure begin to feel
that way if your thyroid is low or borderline at the time of
your change.
Women in this frustrating circumstance are often told "It's
just your menopause," as if they should expect to feel awful
for years because of a natural reduction in estrogen. Without
an accurate diagnosis of low thyroid, these women are simply
given estrogen and their symptoms linger. The ovaries and
uterus need proper amounts of thyroid hormone as much as any
other organ or system.
Despite increased awareness in the medical community about the
issues and interventions surrounding menopause, tremendous
numbers of women still suffer from menopausal difficulties.
They expend a great deal of time, money, and heartache on
hormone replacement therapies. Frequently, neither the
synthetic nor the natural hormones provides complete relief.
This is often because the underlying problem is undiagnosed
low thyroid. By age 50, one in every twelve women has a
significant degree of hypothyroidism. By age 60, it is one
woman out of every six.
This runaway thyroid epidemic seems to be striking menopausal
women harder than any other group of patients. Fortunately,
much can be done to help them. The standard maneuver for
perimenopausal patients who consult gynecologists is to
provide a handful of estrogen samples. We have heard too many
stories of women in their late 40's and early 50's who were
given these hormones to take without any blood testing at all.
The compliant patient will follow the doctor’s advice. But, in
those cases where women have been put on estrogen, and the
symptoms of hot flashes, insomnia, irritability, palpitations,
and "fuzzy thinking" are still quite annoying, the addition of
thyroid hormone can be a godsend.
For those symptomatic menopausal women not wanting or
benefiting from estrogen, we advocate thyroid blood testing
first, perhaps followed by a clinical trial of thyroid
hormone, even if their blood tests are in the normal range.
Frequently the underlying hypothyroidism is such a controlling
factor that simply correcting it returns the whole system to
fairly normal functioning. Menopause continues, but it is a
more mild, gradual, and comfortable process. If your thyroid
is low, your hot flashes will be much more pronounced, much
more frequent, and more disconcerting. This is because thyroid
is your energy throttle, your gas pedal. You need energy to go
through the change gracefully.
How much energy people have, how well they get up in the
morning, how well they sleep, and how much stamina they have
for the day is directly related to their levels of thyroid
hormone. When your level is too low, you don’t have the energy
to cope adequately with anything, much less the additional
stress and emotional lability associated with the menopausal
years.
Consider the following case. Just the other day we were doing
one of our long-distance telephone consultations with a
51-year-old schoolteacher from the Midwest, named Sarah. Both
she and her mother started menopause at what would be
considered an early age of 46. Sarah knew that her mother had
low thyroid, as well as severe menopause problems. Neither the
mother, nor Sarah, nor their doctors connected these two
situations. When Sarah herself began to have the same severe
menopause problems as her mother, she accepted it as her
genetic predisposition. She was sometimes so hot and sweaty
during a school day that she would need to keep a change of
clothes in the teachers’ lounge. Needless to say, the kids got
on her nerves easily, and she was not enjoying her previously
satisfying job.
Faced with these difficulties, Sarah did what her mother had
not done: she began taking Premarin and Provera immediately.
The hoped-for relief, however, was only minimal, even when the
gynecologist increased her dosage. Fortunately, she was
referred to our office by her school principal, who was our
patient. Sarah’s previously normal TSH was now, with advancing
menopause, 6.2, clearly in the abnormal range. It indicated
that her thyroid hormone levels were not keeping up with the
extra demands of her changing metabolism.
Once on thyroid medication, she began to feel like her old
self in a matter of weeks. Her menopause symptoms faded into
the background, and her life became more balanced and
enjoyable. Best of all, she no longer needed the Premarin and
Provera to maintain this more graceful version of menopause.
Thyroid hormone alone resolved the problems.
Other menopausal symptoms are equally amenable to treatment
with thyroid hormone alone. Atrophic vaginitis, or thinning of
the vaginal wall as the result of falling estrogen levels, can
lead to itching, discharge, and painful intercourse. All of
these symptoms are much more severe when your thyroid is low.
Women who have had unremitting vaginal dryness that was
unresolved with vaginal creams or estrogen pills are often
found to be low thyroid, if checked carefully. In addition to
getting an important part of their intimate life back, once
treated with thyroid medicine, these women are pleased to find
that their problems with dry hair, dry skin, and cracking
nails are often resolved as well.
We don’t intend to belittle the persistent difficulty that
some women have at this time in their life. Not everyone will
be helped as quickly or as completely as was Sarah. The dance
of the hormones is very complex, so the idea that you can take
just one hormone, or even two, and experience total relief, is
not always borne out successfully. You need to look at the
whole picture. That’s what we mean by holistic health.
Try to take into account all of your hormones, not just one of
them. In fact, you can use this multifactorial approach to
assess all aspects of your life when trying to solve a thorny
problem. If you are dissatisfied with your relationship or
your job, these could be crucial aspects of your return to a
less symptomatic menopause. Many women find that more than
medical intervention is needed. Some find that quiet time away
from their life stressors works wonders. Another reason to
look beyond simple estrogen replacement is the fact that
estrogen is not always a friendly and helpful substance.
Contrary to what the pharmaceutical industry and your doctors
may be telling you presently, a blue ribbon panel of
specialists from around the world have confirmed that
estrogen’s benefits have been over-rated and its risks
minimized. Optimizing your thyroid can be a far better way to
achieve the smoother menopause and the preventive health care
you may desire.An article
as it appears on Mary
Shomon's website Thyroid-Info.
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/shames/a/shameshormones.htm |
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GIVE YOURSELF
THE GIFT OF HEALTH!
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Harper Collins, 2001
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Harper Collins, 2002
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Ó October
2002
Created
January 17, 2005 |
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