Desiccated Thyroid Hormone - Virtual Appointments Available in Ontario
Thyroid Hormone requires a prescription and is currently available through Naturopathic Doctor, Dr. Jennifer Cox ND, following a thorough patient evaluation.
What is hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid gland is underactive and doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone. Symptoms vary from mild to severe for each individual and can include: hair loss, fatigue, weight gain or inability to lose weight, enlarged thyroid, constipation, cool body temperature, carpal tunnel syndrome, menstrual changes and poor memory.
Blood work:
At the Naturopathic Family Practice of Niagara, we believe that in order to truly diagnose thyroid issues, a full thyroid panel needs to be run. This includes more than just a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) to include free T4, free T3, TPO antibodies and in some cases, rT3. Often times an underactive thyroid can go unnoticed when you have a normal TSH, but low T4 and/or low T3.
What are the treatment options?
Conventional treatment often recommends Levothyroxine (T4), the major hormone produced by the thyroid gland. While many people benefit from this treatment, a small percentage of others still go one with hypothyroidism symptoms. This is because some people do not metabolize T4 (inactive hormone) into T3 (active hormone). This poor conversion can be from low progesterone as seen in menstrual irregularities and menopause; high or low cortisol with acute or chronic stress; nutritional deficiencies and even heavy metal toxicity. As a result, some people treated with T4 thyroid hormone still suffer from symptoms of hypothyroidism due to insufficient active T3 thyroid hormone.
Desiccated thyroid option:
Desiccated thyroid extract is a natural thyroid hormone derived from porcine. In Canada, Erfa Thyroid is the standardized form and contains both T4 and T3 in a ratio of approximately 4:1. This treatment offers another option for people who struggle to convert T4 into T3.
A randomized, double blind study of 70 patients with hypothyroidism were treated with either desiccated thyroid extract or levothyroxine for 12 weeks. After each treatment period, patients were weighed, had blood tests, underwent psychometric testing and were asked which therapy they preferred. The researchers report that 49% of the patients preferred desiccated thyroid extract, 19% preferred levothyroxine and 23% had no preference. Desiccated thyroid extract use was also associated with more weight loss.
Our thyroid program is available with Dr. Cox and involves a full work-up and evaluation to determine if desiccated thyroid hormone is for you. In addition to your thyroid recommendations, you can expect Dr. Cox to suggests dietary and lifestyle changes to optimize your thyroid gland and address potential causes of your under active thyroid.
References:
Hoang TD et al Desiccated thyroid extract compared with levothyroxine in the treatment of hypothyroidism: A randomized, double-blind, crossover study. J Clin Endo- crinol Metab 2013;98:1982-90. Epub March 28, 2013.
A randomized, double blind study of 70 patients with hypothyroidism were treated with either desiccated thyroid extract or levothyroxine for 12 weeks. After each treatment period, patients were weighed, had blood tests, underwent psychometric testing and were asked which therapy they preferred. The researchers report that 49% of the patients preferred desiccated thyroid extract, 19% preferred levothyroxine and 23% had no preference. Desiccated thyroid extract use was also associated with more weight loss.
Our thyroid program is available with Dr. Cox and involves a full work-up and evaluation to determine if desiccated thyroid hormone is for you. In addition to your thyroid recommendations, you can expect Dr. Cox to suggests dietary and lifestyle changes to optimize your thyroid gland and address potential causes of your under active thyroid.
References:
Hoang TD et al Desiccated thyroid extract compared with levothyroxine in the treatment of hypothyroidism: A randomized, double-blind, crossover study. J Clin Endo- crinol Metab 2013;98:1982-90. Epub March 28, 2013.
