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Thyroid

Thyroid gland, one of the largest endocrine, affects almost every cell in your body. In addition to regulating metabolism and weight by controlling fat burning, thyroid hormones are also needed for the growth and development of children and in almost every physiological process in your body.
When your thyroid levels are unbalanced, too much or too little hormone in this gland can cause problems for your overall health and well-being.
Researches have shown that 10 to 40 percent of people living in the United States have a malfunctioning within the thyroid gland. Thyroid function has been linked to serious health conditions such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, acne, eczema, gum disease, infertility and autoimmune diseases. This is why it is necessary to take care of your thyroid gland  and know what causes make it go out of harmony.
The Thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland located inside your neck, below the larynx box or sound box. This two-inched brownish red gland is highly vascular contains two lobes on each side of the trachea, both of which are attached to a tissue called the isthmus. The normal thyroid weighs between 20 and 60 grams.
The thyroid gland is responsible for producing the major metabolic hormones that control every function in your body. It produces three types of hormones:

  • Triiodothyronine (T3)
  • Thyroid hormone (T4)
  • Diodothyronine (T2)

Hormones produced by the thyroid gland interact with all other hormones, including insulin, cortisol, and sex hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. And show the fact that these hormones are linked to each other and are in constant communication and this shows why less- than-optimal thyroid status is associated with so many widespread symptoms and diseases.
Nearly 90 percent of the thyroid hormone is produced in the form of T4, an inactive form. Then your liver converts T4 to T3, the active form, with the help of an enzyme. T2, however, is currently the least understood component of thyroid function and the subject of a number of ongoing studies.

If everything works properly, your body‘ll make what you need and have the right amounts of T3 and T4, which control the metabolism of each cell in your body. If the T3 is inadequate, either by scarce production or not properly converted from T4, the whole system suffers. T3 is very important because it tells the nucleus of your cells to send messages to your DNA in order to boost your metabolism by burning fat. This is how T3 reduces cholesterol levels, regenerates hair growth and helps keep you more lean.

Your T3 levels can be disrupted by nutritional imbalances, toxins, allergens, infections, and stress. This leads to a series of complications, including thyroid cancer, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, which today are three of the most prevalent thyroid-related diseases.

Hypothyroidism: The Sluggish Thyroid Syndrome

Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid produces little thyroid hormone secretion, a condition often associated with iodine deficiency.
In addition, 10 percent of the general population in the United States and 20 percent of women over the age of 60 suffer from subclinical hypothyroidism, a case in which there is no obvious symptoms, and only with minor abnormality within laboratory tests.
However, only a marginal proportion of these persons are being treated. The reason for this is misinterpretation and misunderstanding of laboratory tests, especially TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). Most doctors believe that if your TSH is within the “normal” range, your thyroid is fine. Now more and more physicians find that the value of TSH is highly unreliable to diagnose hypothyroidism.

How to Know If You Are Hypothyroid

Determining hypothyroidism and its cause is a difficult task. Many symptoms of hypothyroidism are vague and interfere with other disorders. Doctors often miss the thyroid problem because they rely only on some traditional tests, leaving other undiscovered evidence.

The most sensitive way to find out is to listen to your body. People with slow thyroid gland usually suffer:

  • Lethargy and lack of energy: are typical signs of thyroid gland malfunctioning. The condition is associated also with depression. If you have been diagnosed with depression, make sure your doctor is checking your thyroid levels.

It is important to note that all fatigue or lack of energy cannot be blamed on the impaired thyroid gland. Thyroid-related fatigue starts when you cannot maintain energy long enough, especially when compared to a past level of fitness or ability. If the thyroid gland is weak, maintaining energy production will be a challenge. You will notice that you do not seem to have the energy to do things as you used to.

Some obvious signs of thyroid fatigue include:

        • Feeling that you do not have the energy to exercise, and usually do not exercise on a consistent basis
        • Heavy or tired head, especially in the afternoon; your head is a very sensitive indicator of thyroid hormone status
        • Falling asleep as soon as you sit down when you do not have anything to do

 

  • Weight gain: easy to gain weight gain or difficulty losing weight, despite an aggressive exercise program and watchful eating, is another indicator.
  •  Coarse and scaly skin and / or dry, coarse and tangled hair:If you have a permanent dryness that does not respond well to moisturizers or creams, consider that hypothyroidism is a factor.
  •  Hair loss: Women in particular want to pay attention to the thyroid when unexplained hair loss occurs. Fortunately, if your hair loss due to low thyroid function, your hair will return quickly with appropriate thyroid treatment.
  •  Sensitivity to cold: feeling cold all the time is also a sign of low thyroid function. People with hypothyroidism are slow to heat, even in the sauna, and do not swat with mild exercise.
  •  Lower basal temperature: Another sign of hypothyroidism is low basal body temperature (BBT), less than 97.6 ° F averaged at least three days. It is best to get a BBT thermometer to evaluate this.

Any of these symptoms can be suggestive of hypothyroidism. The more symptoms you have, the greater your risk of hypothyroidism. Moreover, if you have someone in your family with any of these conditions, the risk of thyroid problems becomes higher:

      • Goiter
      • Diabetes
      • Multiple sclerosis
      • Prematurely gray hair
      • Autoimmune diseases
      • Elevated cholesterol levels
      • Left-handedness
      • Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
      • High or low thyroid function

There are a few ways to diagnose an underactive thyroid, but I prefer using the following laboratory tests if you want to get the real score of your thyroid health:

  • TSH Test: The higher your level of TSH, the higher the likelihood that you have hypothyroidism. The optimum levels for TSH is between 1 and 1.5 IU/L
  • Free T4 and Free T3: The normal level of free T4 is ranging between 0.9 and 1.8 nanograms per deciliter. T3 should be between 240 and 450 picograms per deciliter.
  • Thyroid Antibody Testing: This includes thyroid peroxidase antibodies and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies. This measure helps determine if your body is attacking your thyroid, overreacting to its own tissues (i.e., autoimmune reactions). Physicians nearly always leave this test out.
  • TRH Stimulation Test: For more difficult cases, TRH can be measured using the TRH stimulation test. TRH helps identify hypothyroidism that’s caused by inadequacy of the pituitary gland.

Empower pharmacy offers you/your patient as potent a tool-kit possible: Thyroid USP, Levothyroxine, Liothyronine with complete control over dose composition and strength. Empower offers physicians & patients a choice in the matter, especially in light of a substantial body of evidence that asserts extended-release versions of Thyroid USP, levothyroxine sodium, and liothyronine sodium can provide some people superior results and an improved quality of life.

  • Thyroid USP:This compounded prescription contains a natural thyroid (T3: triiodothyronine and T4: thyroxine). This medication is derived from porcine (pig) thyroid glands. Side effects are rare unless too much thyroid hormone (overdose) either initially or during the maintenance period.Somestudies revealed the superiority of Thyroid USP in the treatment of hypothyroidism
  • LEVOTHYROXINE SODIUM TABLETS: used to treat or prevent goiter (enlarged thyroid gland), which can be caused by hormone imbalances, radiation treatment, surgery, or cancer.
  • LIOTHYRONINE SODIUM SR CAPSULES:It replaces or provides more thyroid hormone, which is normally made by the thyroid gland. Liothyronine is a man-made form of thyroid hormone. This medication is also used to treat other types of thyroid problems(such as certain types of goiters, thyroid cancer). It can also be used to test for certain types of thyroid disease.
  • LEVOTHYROXINE / LIOTHYRONINE SODIUM CAPSULES:   Both levothyroxine and liothyronine are synthetic thyroid hormones, and this combination is targeting a synergetic effect for optimum benefit and is used when treating a person with an under-active thyroid.

Empower has the ability to compound Thyroid USP, T3 (liothyronine) and/or T4 (levothyroxine) alone or in customized combinations.