Polly Hattemer Book 4 Hormones

The Health ForumBook 4

The Health ForumBook 4

Hormones, Dysbiosis and Candidiasis

Edited and Complied by Polly Hattemer

©2003 by Polly Hattemer, also known as Pauline Hattemer

All rights reserved. Permission must be obtained from the individual contributors beforerepublishing their work. Purchase of this PDF file entitles you to use it for yourself andimmediate family, but not to distribute it to others. If you want to make hard copies for asupport group, please contact us.

Published byHealth Reflections Book CorpPO Box 900Manhattan Beach, CA 90267-0900USA

email: [email protected]

August, 2003 versionMinor updates will be done occasionally.

More Health Forum books can be found atwww.dysbiosis.com

Book 1: Candida’s Impact on your Health

Book 2: Candidiasis and Dysbiosis Abatement Techniques

Book 3: Diets for Immune Support and Gut Health

Book 4: Hormones, Dysbiosis and Candidiasis

Book 5: Hope for Autism through Nutrition

Book 6: Cleansing the Body of Mercury

Book 7: Fibromyalgia Treatment Options

www.dysbiosis.com

DisclaimerThis book contains the opinions, anecdotes, and speculations of lay people. Anecdotes are forpondering. They are not necessarily representative of the majority of people. However, anecdotesdo serve to illustrate possibilities as well as how different we are. The contents of this book shouldin no way be considered professional advice nor should it be interpreted as prescribing treatment.Use your own judgement. If you do not understand the risks involved with a particular treatmentor supplement discussed in the book, please consult a knowledgeable professional. We have triedto present the well-known dangers of treatments and supplements in this book. However, nevertreat this or any other information as the whole truth. There is always more to be learned. Nothingis absolutely safe. Accordingly, the publisher and the contributors to this book do not assume anyliability in connection with any of the supplements or treatments mentioned in this book. Althoughall contributors have tried their best to provide reliable information, this book is not guaranteed tobe accurate or complete. Readers are encouraged to consult other sources.

Please note that the principal editor, who gathered these posts, does not have any financialinterest in any of the supplements or laboratories mentioned. If only one brand or one distributoris mentioned, it is not necessarily an endorsement. It has just been included to give the reader atleast one place to readily obtain a remedy. There is no guarantee that the website addresses in thisbook will be valid or correct. Website addresses go stale and sometimes they are taken over byother businesses. There are also many phone numbers in the last index of this book. There is noguarantee that they will remain valid. Prices of supplements are as of the writing of this book.Again, there is absolutely no way that we can guarantee that these will remain the same. Listedprices may just give you an approximate idea of the cost of products.

Table of ContentsWhat’s Dysbiosis? ................................................................................................. 9

About The Health Forum Books ........................................................................ 10

The Internet Forum............................................................................................ 11

Thyroid................................................................................................................. 12

Let’s Start With The Basics................................................................................ 12

Various Thyroid Medications ............................................................................ 13

Hypothyroidism And Dysbiosis.......................................................................... 13

Hypothyroid Symptoms ...................................................................................... 14

Hypothyroid Symptoms in Children................................................................... 15

What Causes Hypothyroidism?.......................................................................... 16

Hyperthyroid Symptoms..................................................................................... 16

What Causes Hyperthyroidism? ........................................................................ 17

Broda Barnes Basal Metabolism Test For Hypothyroidism.............................. 18

No Treatment? ................................................................................................... 19

Thyroid Glandulars............................................................................................ 20

The Blood Tests For Thyroid ............................................................................. 21

Why Isn’t The Blood Thyroid Level A Reliable Indicator?................................ 22

Hypothyroidism, High Antigen Levels, And Lyme ............................................. 23

Hypothyroidism And Hepatitis........................................................................... 23

Armour, T3, and T4............................................................................................ 23

Thyroid and Allergies ........................................................................................ 25

Hypothyroidism, Thyroid Nodules, and Progesterone ...................................... 26

Wilson’s Syndrome............................................................................................. 26

Do Thyroid Supplements Ruin The Thyroid Gland?.......................................... 27

Do Thyroid Hormone Supplements Cause Bone Loss? ..................................... 27

My Pharmacy Doesn’t Carry Natural Thyroids ................................................ 28

Starting Thyroid Supplements£ Precautions ................................................... 29

Where To Find A Doctor.................................................................................... 32

Books And Websites ........................................................................................... 33

Adrenals ............................................................................................................... 36

Stress And The Adrenals .................................................................................... 36

Adrenal Exhaustion And Hormone Supplements............................................... 39

Salt, Low Blood Pressure, And Cortisols .......................................................... 43

For More Information........................................................................................ 44

Progesterone And Estrogen................................................................................ 46

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) ......................................................................... 46

Dong Quai£Took this Phytoestrogen for PMS ................................................ 47

Estrogen and Yeast ............................................................................................ 49

Doesn’ t Estrogen Protect My Heart and Bones? .............................................. 50

Progesterone and Yeast ..................................................................................... 51

What Kind of Progesterone Cream?.................................................................. 54

Migraines And Hormones .................................................................................. 56

Hot Flashes—Thyroid, Progesterone, And Pregnenolone ................................ 57

Endometriosis .................................................................................................... 58

Vaginal Infections And Pain .............................................................................. 59

Ordering Saliva And Blood Tests ...................................................................... 61

Too Much Progesterone And DHEA.................................................................. 62

Sulfur And The Detoxification Of Hormones..................................................... 65

Migraines.............................................................................................................. 69

How A Migraine Starts ...................................................................................... 69

Magnesium......................................................................................................... 69

B6 And B2 .......................................................................................................... 70

Unsaturated Oils................................................................................................ 70

Food And Herbs................................................................................................. 70

PST, Sulfates And Bioflavonoids ....................................................................... 71

Hormones........................................................................................................... 72

Taurine............................................................................................................... 72

7

Aspirin................................................................................................................ 72

Stress .................................................................................................................. 73

Histamines.......................................................................................................... 73

Migraines And Tryptophan................................................................................ 73

Branch Chain Amino Acids................................................................................ 75

Other Things To Try .......................................................................................... 75

Index ..................................................................................................................... 78

PrefaceThe true power of the Internet is the people who are on it. Rather than being a huge impersonallibrary, the Internet is filled with live people from all over the world who contribute theirthoughts, perspectives and experiences. At one particular site in this vast sea of exchanges,people have gathered to discuss health concerns related to the yeast syndrome and dysbiosis.The people at this Internet site/forum have learned and gained so much from their cyberspacemeetings that they decided to create this book to let others share in the ideas and informationexchanged. This book is a gift from our hearts to you. No one was paid for his or hercontributions, and all net royalties will be donated to charity. May our efforts bear fruit, andmay you, the reader, enjoy this book, and learn as much from the people at the healthyawareness forum as they have from each other.

AcknowledgementThis work would not have been possible without the support of my husband, Dale Goudey,PhD. Thank you for your patience and for your generosity. A special acknowledgement is dueRaymond Peat, PhD. Without his 1985 lecture on “The Endocrine System and Candidiasis,”I would have surely lost my health. More than anyone else, his books and newsletters haveinfluenced the way I think about nutrition. Thank you Andy Cutler, PhD, for teaching me aboutmercury poisoning, and thank you Willis Langford for teaching me about autism. I owe muchto the Candida and Dysbiosis Information Foundation, as they were my only link with reliableinformation for many years. Thank you to all my friends on the Internet who participated in thisendeavor. Special thanks to Susan Rodriquez, Shelley Thorstensen, Kippy Noble, Thone Ritch,Billie Jo Secrist, Marilyn in Seattle, Jeanne Jackson, and Taylor Vance for their suggestedimprovements to the book. Also, Huy Hoang, MD was kind enough to review the book for me.Thank you Brent James for the formatting suggestions. Rosalind James, Shari Ostapiuk andSondra Lewis have my sincere gratitude for proofreading the manuscript. And of course, lastbut not least, thank you to Kelly Nowicki for bringing so many of us together at the healthyawareness Internet site. This book would not exist if it weren’t for the help of so many.

What’s Dysbiosis?Dysbiosis means there is too much yeast, harmfulbacteria, viruses or parasites in the intestines.Dysbiosis does more than interfere withdigestion. Dysbiosis makes you tired. It altersyour immune system. It upsets your hormonalbalance. It can even make it difficult for you tothink clearly. Dysbiosis can cause anxiety,depression or mood swings. Dysbiosis can affectalmost every aspect of health. A person withdysbiosis is more likely to suffer from

Frequent Colds or FluBrain FogAttention DeficitAutismCrohn’s, ColitisAnxietyProstatitisInterstitial CystitisFood AllergiesMitral Valve ProlapseLeaky GutSinus and Ear InfectionsConstipation or DiarrheaFatigueArthritisHypoglycemiaEczema and HivesHypothyroidismCarpal Tunnel

AsthmaMigrainesPoor sleepFibromyalgiaDepression

Notice that many of these same ailments areattributed to Candida or “The Yeast Syndrome.”That is because the yeast syndrome is reallydysbiosis. Dysbiosis is just a more general term.It encompasses the observation that yeast aren’tthe only intestinal residents that can cause thesesymptoms. In fact, intestinal bacteria or virusesmay have center stage in some of these illnesses,not yeast. Even though yeast isn’t the culpritevery time, the presence of intestinal yeast can bea huge factor in the health of some patients.Unfortunately, yeast overgrowth is particularlyhard to eradicate because yeast can live insidebody cells where antifungals cannot kill them.The sickest dysbiosis patients will have bothyeast and harmful bacteria in their intestines.

Depending on the situation, a person maywant to employ antibiotics, antifungals, antiviralsor antiparasitic medication to kill the pathogensinside the intestine. However, there is a lot moreto the art of getting well than just killingpathogens. If you kill off one resident of theintestines, another is going to take its place. Willit be good? Seeding the intestines with good

Hormones, Dysbiosis and CandidiasisThe Health Forum—Book 4

10

bacteria can help ensure that the new growth ishealthy. Sometimes the lining of the intestinemust be washed in order to make space for theimplantation of the good bacteria. Although thismay be very helpful, this doesn’ t assure asuccessful outcome.

The situation is very analogous to farming.You can remove rocks, kill weeds and plant goodseeds, but you aren’ t going to get a good crop ifthe soil is poor. Your body is the soil. Bacterialive off of the mucous lining of the intestine. Yougrow this lining. Therefore, the bacteria areliving off of you. If your body chemistry iswrong, your intestinal bacteria aren’ t going to behealthy. That is one reason why some people getyeast/Candida after taking an antibiotic, andother people don’ t. Their body chemistry isdifferent.

Proper hormonal support is another importantaspect of healing from dysbiosis. Without theproper hormone balance, the intestinal movementis disrupted, and different flora is promoted.Once the poor flora is established, it will interferewith the hormonal balance. To recover thehormonal balance, the flora needs to change, theliver needs to be supported, and often thyroidhormone must be supplemented. Thyroid seemsparticularly important, possibly because toxinsfrom yeast and gram-negative intestinal bacteriacan lower the thyroid hormone level in the body.This book will help you understand whyhormones are so important to your recovery. Itwill also cover some of the problems that mayoccur when supplementing hormones.

About The Health Forum BooksIn these books, you are listening to real peopletalk about their experiences with the yeastsyndrome, autism and mercury poisoning. Theconversations first took place on the Internet.Then they were compiled with permission into

these books. However, you will not be readingexact replicas of the Internet conversations.Editing was necessary to avoid repetition ofinformation and to help with the clarity ofpresentation. Often a person will post a messagethat covers many different topics. Including thewhole message/post would make organization ofthe book impossible. So most posts wereshortened to only include comments on one topicat a time. To improve the organization further,several real discussions on the same topic wereoften combined to create what appears to be onelong discussion in this book. Backgroundmaterial and introductory remarks were addedthrough the voice of Polly, the person whogathered the posts for this book. Occasionally,you will find a post from a Mr. or Mrs. Genericin this book. This was a necessary artifact to keepthe discussion moving.

Because there was so much informationgathered, it was necessary to split The HealthForum into several books.

Book 1 — Candida’s Impact on Your Health.Is the problem really Candida, or is it just aweakened and toxic body that allows thecandida/yeast to take over? What about bacteria,parasites and viruses? This book also covers thetotal body load, liver support, and the usualconcurrent health problems associated with yeastovergrowth.

Book 2 — Candidiasis and DysbiosisAbatement Techniques. This book delves intosome basic methods for eliminating the problem,like employing the right antibiotics, antifungals,and probiotics. Also, this book discusses theparticular vitamins and minerals that are morelikely to be depleted in this syndrome.

Book 3 — Diets for Immune Support and GutHealth. There isn’ t a perfect diet for everyone.However, some very common mistakes must be

What’ s Dysbiosis? 11

avoided. There is much that we can learn fromeach other.

Book 4 — Hormones, Dysbiosis andCandidiasis. When there is dysbiosis, often thereis low thyroid, high estrogen and/or weakadrenals. This book explores the proper use ofhormonal support when dysbiosis is present.Migraines are also covered.

Book 5 — Hope for Autism through Nutrition.This book covers autism, attention deficit, andvaccinations. Most people with autism havesevere dysbiosis. What helps the autistic providesinsight into everyone else’ s dysbiosis problem.The treatment of attention deficit is also touchedupon in this book. The treatment strategy is verysimilar to that for autism. The role ofvaccinations and mercury in triggering autism isalso explored.

Book 6 — Cleansing the Body of Mercury.Those who are mercury poisoned are very likelyto have dysbiosis. This book covers mercurydetoxification methods and the role of aminoacids in dysbiosis and mercury toxicity.

Book 7 — Fibromyalgia Treatment Options.Fibromyalgia is a special case of dysbiosis, withusually a bacterial overgrowth in the intestines.This bacterial overgrowth can contribute to thepoor sleep, lack of energy and hormonaldisturbances found in this condition. This bookdeparts from the usual format, and is but asummary of the information gleaned from thepatients and medical literature.

Even if you are only interested in the conditionsspecifically covered in the latter books, at somepoint you should consider reading the first fewbooks. The earlier books will add depth to your

understanding and give you many practical hintson how to recover. All the chapters are fairlyself-contained, so you can read the chapters orthe books in about any order you wish. However,if you are new to this subject, you will find thatthe chapters in the first books are easier to grasp.

The vast majority of messages found inbooks 1 to 4 came from the Healthy AwarenessInternet forum. These messages can still be foundin the archives at www.healthyawareness.com.However, the latter books are a little different asthey focus on autism, mercury poisoning andfibromyalgia. Although these illnesses arediscussed at the healthy awareness site, they arenot the main thrust of the conversations.Therefore, to a much greater extent, otherInternet resources were tapped to complete thesebooks.

The Internet ForumThe quotes in this book are but a snapshot in timeof the interactions found at the healthy awarenessforum. As people heal and move on with theirlives, they visit the healthy awareness forum lessoften. If you come visit the forum, most of thepeople found in this book will no longer be there.Yet, you will find other very interesting andcaring people at the forum who would love tohave you join them. Please be aware that at anyInternet site, including this forum, unfortunatemisunderstandings arise. When you visit, pleasetry to keep your posts polite and unambiguous.For many of us, fatigue and brain-fog make itdifficult to create perfect posts. Please don’ texpect perfection. The forum is a place to learn,express your thoughts and enjoy the camaraderie.Have fun!

www.healthyawareness.com

ThyroidPolly: Although a few people with dysbiosishave too much thyroid hormone, usually theopposite is true. People with dysbiosis often needmore thyroid hormone. In the latter case, takinga supplement of thyroid hormone can help themheal. The change is sometimes dramatic, butmost of the time it is a very gradual change.

Unfortunately, there is a huge difference ofopinion on what constitutes enough thyroidhormone and what doesn’ t. Conventional doctorswill test your blood, and will often find that thehormone levels are within “normal” range. Yetan alternative doctor will look at the same bloodtest and decide that it is too far from optimum,and will try a thyroid supplement. An alternativedoctor will also weigh your symptoms moreheavily than a conventional doctor will. He ismore likely to give you a trial of thyroid to seehow it makes you feel. Since there is such a hugedifference of opinion, you will have to decidewhat to do yourself. I suggest you see analternative doctor and possibly get a trial of anatural thyroid supplement, or at least a mixtureof T4 and T3 thyroid. See how it makes you feel.If it doesn’ t help after a few months, then at leastyou didn’ t let the opportunity pass you by. Whatis at stake is well worth the effort.

Let’s Start With The BasicsMr. Generic: What do you mean by “takingthyroid?” What is there to take?

Polly: The nomenclature is confusing. The glandat the base of your neck is called a thyroid, thehormones it produces are called thyroid, and themedication that is prescribed is also calledthyroid. To add further confusion, there areseveral different types of thyroid hormonemedications. Some contain only one special typeof thyroid hormone, and others contain all thedifferent types of thyroid hormone.

Mr. Generic: You used the term “low thyroid.”Can you explain what that means?

Polly: When you do not have enough thyroidhormone, you are said to be hypothyroid, whichI sometimes refer to as being “low thyroid.” Backwhen my brain was very foggy, I was alwaysgetting confused with the prefixes hypo andhyper. Hypo means not enough or low, and hypermeans too much or high. It was easier for me toremember low thyroid than hypothyroid. Often,I still refer to hypothyroidism as a low thyroidcondition.

Thyroid 13

Various Thyroid MedicationsMrs. Generic: You claim that people usually feelbetter using a natural thyroid supplement insteadof a T4 thyroid supplement. What do you meanby a natural thyroid supplement?

Polly: If you cut out the thyroid gland in a pig,process it, freeze dry it, and make it into pills,then you have what is called natural (desiccated)thyroid pills. Thyroid from a cow is alsoavailable, but Broda Barnes, MD, felt the pigthyroid was superior. Others have come tosimilar conclusions as Dr. Barnes. However,once in a while, a patient will do much better onbovine instead of porcine thyroid. These naturalthyroid pills contain all the different types ofthyroid hormones that your body makes. Thesesupplements contain T5, T4, T3, T2, and T1thyroid as well as calcitonin. T5 thyroid has 5iodine atoms attached, T4 has three iodine atomsattached, etc.

T4 and T3 are the most important of theseforms of thyroid. T4 is sort of a storage form ofthe hormone. The cells of the body convert T4into T3 as needed. T3 is the active hormone thatyour body needs to function properly. Not muchis attributed to T2, except it is thought that T2many stimulate the enzyme needed to convert T4into T3. Doctors don’ t know the purpose of T5and T1, although it is likely that all forms of thehormone have some function. The othercomponent of natural thyroid, calcitonin, helpsregulate calcium.

The most well known brand of naturalthyroid is called Armour. However, there areother brands called Bio-throid, Westhroid, andNaturethroid. The Bio-throid and Naturethroidare hypoallergenic.

However, most doctors use thyroidsupplements that only have T4 or T3 in them.The best-known of these thyroid supplements are

the brands Synthroid and Cytomel. Synthroidonly contains the T4 thyroid hormone. Cytomelonly contains the T3 thyroid hormone. Of these,conventional doctors usually prescribe the T4 andignore the fact that your body usually needs someT3 too. The T4 stays in the body for a relativelylong time. Therefore you only have to take onepill per day of T4, and if you skip a day, itusually isn’ t a problem. T3 should normally betaken several times per day, and therefore it is notas popular with doctors.

Usually it is best to take a natural thyroid orat least a mixture of T4 and T3. It is usually nota good idea to take only T4 thyroid. Taking onlyT4 can actually make some symptoms ofhypothyroidism worse. In tissue that is notconverting T4 into T3 rapidly, excess T4 canactually have an anti-thyroid action. [1] Naturedidn’ t intend for the body to just get one of thesehormones from the thyroid gland. Many peoplefeel much better if they are given a combinationof T4 and T3, and women seem to need a higherproportion of T3 than men. The need for T3 aswell as T4 is finally being presented in some ofthe prestigious medical journals, butunfortunately it is still common practice for manyconventional doctors to place their patients onjust T4.

Hypothyroidism And DysbiosisRoxanne: I am new to this board and just foundit. I have been researching about hypothyroidlately, because I am to begin treatment for a verymild case of it. But this morning I startedthinking about my past medical history andthought about the production of yeast in thebody. I have had 2 breast abscesses, both with themain content yeast, and I have been diagnosedwith histoplasmosis, a fungal infection of thelungs. The symptoms I have been experiencinglately and the symptoms of candida mimic


14

hypothyroidism. Should I tell my doctor what Ihave learned about this? Is there a test I shouldask for to rule out candida before starting thethyroid medication? Any advice would beappreciated. Also, I would like to know of otherpeople’ s experiences, similar or not with candida.Thanks. Sorry this was so long!

Polly: Unless your doctor is an alternative doctor,he will likely not want to hear about yeast. Isuggest that you try to explain, but do not insist.Not only does hypothyroidism mimic many ofthe symptoms of yeast overgrowth, it can alsocontribute to yeast overgrowth. Correcting yourhypothyroidism will improve your immuneresponse and will help you get rid of the fungusand yeast. Conversely, the yeast or fungusproblem might be the cause of yourhypothyroidism.

Be glad your doctor is going to treat you forthe hypothyroidism. If he is a conventionaldoctor, he will likely give you a brand of thyroidhormone called Synthroid, or perhaps the newlyFDA approved Unithroid or Levo-T. Theseproducts only contain one form of thyroid calledT4. Usually, but not always, you will be betteroff with a different kind of thyroid supplementcalled desiccated or natural thyroid. Take a lookat what the patients are saying on the Internetabout the product differences. For instance, takea look at this conversation thread.

http://forums.about.com/ab-thyroid/messages?lgnF=y&msg=21387.3

Roxanne, if you have had 2 breast abscesses,both with the main content yeast, and have beendiagnosed with a fungal infection of the lungs,that is plenty of reason to stay a while at thisforum and learn more. Welcome to our group.

Roxanne: Thanks, this seems to make a lot moresense than a lot of the other ways that I have been

led. After feeling crappy for so long, and kind-oftaking matters into my own hands, something justsort of clicked yesterday and I said there mightbe a connection with the yeast and my symptoms.I have already been to the library and got somebooks. I can kind of guess what my doctor’ sreaction is going to be because I have alreadyasked him if there might be a connection and hejust kind of laughed it off. Thanks very much forthe help. It really means a lot knowing thatyou’ re not the only one and that you are possiblynot going nuts!

Polly: You are more than welcome, Roxanne. Ifwe are loony-tunes, then there are sure a lot of uswatching the same cartoon.

Hypothyroid SymptomsPolly: There are many manifestations of lowthyroid. If you are hypothyroid, you may have afew of the following list of symptoms. Don’ texpect to have most of them.

fatigue

dry skin

brittle nails or nails that grow slowly

hair loss or slow hair growth

difficulty with focusing in school

poor athletic ability

sleep disorders

not sweating

sensitivity to cold or sometimes to heat

cold hands and feet

anemia

bedwetting

eczema

rough gray elbows

edema (water retention)

http://forums.about.com/ab

Thyroid 15

puffy hard swelling of skin (especially noticeableon face)

acne

loss of memory

loss of concentration

mental confusion

mood swings

headaches

poor teeth and gums

asthma

allergies

depression

weight gain or sometimes weight loss

constipation

arthritis

aching joints (especially in the morning)

high or low blood pressure

bladder problems

cystitis

high cholesterol

low libido

menstrual disorders

infertility

premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

slow Achilles reflex (the muscle takes longer torelax after the tendon is struck)

yellowish cast to skin (especially on palms ofhands or around eyes or cheeks)

poor or soft heart tones

visual disturbances

night blindness

carpal tunnel

deep voice or hoarseness

hyperlaxity of joints (hands bend easily, or flatfeet)

poor muscle strength (a child may present with aweak grasp or a protruding belly due to poormuscle strength)

low basal temperature (body temperature at rest)

susceptibility to infections like tuberculosis (TB),colds, flu, and bronchitis.

There are also a couple of odd characteristicsthat are sometimes associated with deficientthyroid. These are premature gray hair, missingthe outer third of the eyebrow, splayed fingertips,and a pinky finger that is short. (The smallestfinger is shorter than the first knuckle of theadjacent finger.) The voltage on anelectrocardiogram will be low. Low thyroid isoften associated with dysbiosis (harmfulintestinal flora), fibromyalgia, diabetes,hypoglycemia, and autoimmune diseases likemultiple sclerosis, and lupus. Low thyroid canpredispose you to cancer and atherosclerosis(heart disease).

Hypothyroid Symptoms inChildrenPolly: The manifestations of hypothyroidism inchildren are a little different than in adults. Alecture by Richard S. Wilkinson, MD, and alecture by Jaques Hertoghe, MD, (both availablefrom the Barnes Foundation) described some lowthyroid symptoms to look for in infants and invery young children. They are:

jaundice at birth

low birth-weight

birth defects

problems with sleep

developmental delays or mental retardation


16

poor muscle tone or flaccidness (eg troubleholding up head, or sitting up, or protrusion ofbelly due to poor muscle tone)

low body temperature

hyperactivity

lethargy (fatigue or non-responsiveness)

hyperlaxity of their joints (hands bend easily, orflat feet)

dry skin

pale complexion (anemia)

late teething

frequent ear infections

frequent colds, bronchitis or other infections

allergies

asthma

bedwetting

eczema

abnormal fatigue

difficulty with focusing in school

poor athletic ability

Sometimes the problems are not apparent untilthey are teenagers, where there is the greatestdemand for thyroid. Eg, PMS, school problems,mood swings, and drug or alcohol abuse mayappear at puberty.

If the hypothyroidism is severe, the boneswill not develop properly. The child will looksimilar to someone with Downs Syndrome. Theymight have a wide distance between the eyes,deep nose root and middle bone structure, deepeyes, a big skull, and a flat appearance. The neckwill be short, the body will look short with a deepbone structure (chest looks big in proportion tothe rest of the body). They may also have a thickedematous tongue that protrudes or has teethindentations. Other possible symptoms are thicklips, missing the outer third of the eyebrows, dryfalling hair or hair that grows slowly, and maybe

they will develop puffiness under the eyes. Oncein a while, you will see a yellow cast to the palmsof the hands or around the eyes and cheeks, dueto an inability to handle carotene.

Please be careful about the type of thyroidyour child receives. According to the BarnesFoundation doctors, very often when you correcthypothyroidism with just T4, you still have manyof the symptoms of hypothyroidism. Giving thenatural will often clear up the remainingsymptoms. Listen to the tape available from theBarnes Foundation on what happened to adevelopmentally retarded baby when she wasswitched from T4 to natural thyroid. The tape is“ Baby Rachel: Physical Examination of aHypothyroid Child,” and is available from www.BrodaBarnes.org or phone 203-261-210.

What Causes Hypothyroidism?Polly: There may be a birth defect or adysregulation in the brain, but the most commoncauses of hypothyroidism are

1. Liver weakness/stress (The stress can be dueto toxins produced in the gut by yeast orbacteria.)

2. Estrogens and estrogen-like substances(pesticides and plastics)

3. Polyunsaturated oils

4. Radiation

5. Fluoride

6. Excess or inadequate iodine

7. Mercury poisoning

8. Nutritional deficiencies

Hyperthyroid Symptoms

Polly: If you have too much thyroid hormone,you might have some, but not all of the followingsymptoms/signs:

www.BrodaBarnes.org

Thyroid 17

heart palpitations

heat intolerance

nervousness/anxiety

insomnia

breathlessness

more frequent bowel movements

light or absent menstrual periods

fatigue

muscle weakness

fast heart rate

trembling hands

weight loss

hair loss

eyelid lag

staring gaze

increased sweating

What Causes Hyperthyroidism?Polly: In Ralph Golan’ s book, Optimal Wellness,he mentions mercury toxicity, food allergies, andabnormalities in the hypothalamus and pituitaryglands as being possible factors inhyperthyroidism. Janet Starr Hull in her book,Sweet Poison: How the World’ s Most PopularArtificial Sweetener Is Killing Us—My Story,attributes her hyperthyroidism to the sweeteneraspartame, found in NutraSweet.

In the book Mineral and Trace ElementAnalysis by Eleonore Blaurock-Bush, PhD, shementions that the zinc to copper ratio is veryimportant. [2] Low copper can aggrevate hypoand hyper thyroidism. I saw a posting on theInternet where a person had hyperthyroidism, andhe was able to control it with copper, traceminerals, calcium and magnesium. There isspeculation that the reason low copper can lead tohyperthyroidism is that copper is needed to form

MAO (monoamine oxidase). MAO is an enzymethat breaks down serotonin, thyroid, tyramine andcatecholamine hormones. Mineral balance isdefinitely something to have your doctor check ifyou are having thyroid problems, especiallycheck zinc and copper. See this article, www.ithyroid.com/tyramines.htm. Also, there aresome herbs that some people find helpful. Seethis article by Ryan Drum, PhD, on thyroid. www.planetherbs.com/articles/thyroid.html.Amoung other herbs he mentions Melissaofficinalis (lemon balm), Lycopus virginiana(bugleweed) and Leonurus cardiaca (motherwort)as having apparent thyrosuppressive effects.

There might also be a connection between aharmful intestinal bacteria, Yersiniaenterocolitica, and hyperthyroidism. In the bookProbiotics, Nature’s Internal Healers by NatashaTrenev, she states,

“This bacteria has the ability to provoke theproduction of certain substances that attachthemselves to cells in the thyroid, resulting in theoverproduction of thyroid hormone… more than80% of those with Grave’ s disease carryantibodies produced by the immune system todestroy Yersinia.”

I’ ve also heard rumors that Yersinia is associatedwith some cases of hypothyroidism. (TeresaBinstock, an autism researcher, has gatheredabstracts on Yersinia, and they can be found at www.jorsm.com/~binstock/yersin-2.htm.)

Susan: Yersinia is the name of a genus ofbacteria, of which Yersinia pestis (bubonicplague) is the most well known. In addition, thereare several other species of Yersinia that can anddo infect humans. One of the troubling aspects ofYersinia infections is that the immune responseto them is severely impaired. Apparently one ofthe ways that Yersinia does this is to “ hid” inmacrophages (a type of white cell which, in the

www.ithyroid.com/tyramines.htm

www.planetherbs.com/articles/thyroid.html

www.jorsm.com/~binstock/yersin


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blood stream, is called a monocyte) and then tosuppress thyroid function, interact with thenormal inflammatory response to cause it not towork correctly, alter the ability of the blood/brainbarrier (which keeps out of the brain lots and lotsof stuff) allowing foreign material, bacteria, etc.to get in there, and when the Yersinia infectedcells are found in the gut, can contribute tomalabsorption of gluten (breads) and to causecolitis.

Kimberly: Wow, I am definitely going to checkinto the connection between the Yersiniaenterocolitica bacteria and hyperthyroidism. Isuffered with hyperthyroidism for years. I justhad a partial thyroidectomy in late Feb. ‘99 andwhen I came out of it I was a different person. Itwas amazing. The doctor didn’ t understand whythe change, no more depression, etc, but washappy that I felt so much better. One of the firstthings I said to my husband was, “ maybe the partthey cut out was full of yeast and that’ s why Ifeel so much better.” Well, I guess I was close.The experienced surgeon also indicated that thepart of my thyroid he removed was very white,whiter than he had seen before, (for whatever thisis worth).

Some history: They first discovered that Iwas hyperthyroid in my late teens, early 20’ s. Upto that point I was just considered to be “ nuts.”First I was given medication to lower my thyroidlevels, then I took radioactive iodine (I-131) tokill the thyroid, then became hypothyroid andwent on thyroid replacement hormone. I finallyhad a partial thyroidectomy in late Feb. of ‘99due to increased discomfort and growth of thecystic mass in my neck. I was a vocalist and ithad gotten to the point where I couldn’ t singanymore£very depressing. Anyway, now mylevels fluctuate up and down. They are still notstable since the surgery. I’ m still hoping I did theright thing by having the surgery, although I

would never want to go back to the approximate16 year depression, of which the last 6 years werethe worst.

Polly: An alternative doctor might try iodinedrops for about three weeks to control excesssecretion of thyroid by the gland. This wouldprobably be safer than the radioactive iodine thatyou were given. Yet, even treatment with theplain iodine is dangerous if you are pregnant.

Broda Barnes Basal MetabolismTest For HypothyroidismPolly: The Broda Barnes basal metabolism test isa simple test you do at home, using just anordinary shake-down glass thermometer. It is anindication of whether you need thyroid hormonesupplementation or not. If you take this testbefore your first appointment with an alternativedoctor, you will have more information to helphim with your diagnosis. Here is the procedurefor the test.

Shake down a thermometer and place it onthe bedside table before going to bed.Immediately upon awakening, place thethermometer snugly in the armpit for 10 minutes.Just relax for ten minutes without moving a lot.Don’ t place the thermometer in your mouthbecause if you have any type of a sinus infectionor allergy this could elevate the mouthtemperature above that of the rest of the body.Take your temperature in this manner for threedays or more in a row and record the results.Don’ t pick days when you have a cold or fever.Women: Since the body temperature varies withthe phases of the menstrual cycle (progesteroneraises your temperature), the test should be madeduring the week of menstruation, but not startingon the first day. Eg, take your temperature on thesecond, third, and fourth days of menstruation, ormaybe the fifth, sixth and seventh days. Children:

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In young children, rectal temperature can betaken; two minutes are adequate. You might alsotry taking the temperature under their armpit, justbefore they wake. (Don’ t ever put a mercury-containing thermometer in a young child’ smouth. They may bite it and release mercury.)

The following table can help you interpret theresults. However, if your basal temperature is notlow, but you have arthritis, then you stillprobably need thyroid. According to BrodaBarnes, most arthritics need thyroid, yet thearthritis may artificially raise the basaltemperature because of the pain. Very highadrenaline and cortisol or a restless and badnight’ s sleep will also raise the morning basaltemperature and throw off the interpretation.

Average BasalTemperature

Interpretation

Above 98.2 Weak indication ofhyperthyroidism

Between 97.8 and 98.1 NormalBetween 97.5 and 97.8 Weak indication of

hypothyroidism.The problem couldbe just weakadrenals.

Between 97.0 and 97.5 Fairly strongindication ofhypothyroidism

Below 97.0 Very strongindication ofhypothyroidism

Some people claim that the low basaltemperature is due to toxins in the body, and isnot due to low thyroid. They claim that all youhave to do is remove the toxins and your bodytemperature will go up. In my opinion, this isonly a half-truth. Yes, you should go aboutgetting rid of toxins with saunas and nutritional

support, and every way you can think of doingso. Maybe afterwards your body temperature willrise and you won’ t need the hormonal support.Yet in the mean time, you need the thyroid orother hormonal supplements to help your liverget rid of toxins, and to help your immune systemfunction. Thyroid and progesterone will help youabsorb your nutrients and keep them from beingwasted. Hence I feel thyroid and progesteronesupplementation can help you get healthier faster.Trying to get nutrients and trying to detoxifyyour body without hormonal support is an uphillbattle. I know from personal experience. Severalyears ago I finally got some thyroid. I’ ve mademuch more rapid progress since getting thisthyroid than the many previous years. Thyroid,progesterone, DHEA, and pregnenolone supportyour body and allow it to heal.

No Treatment?Donna: My thyroid is low, I think it is my T4,my doctors just took more blood tests this pastTuesday and I am waiting for the results as I typethis. I don’ t know if they will give me somethingfor it if it still comes back low. In that case, I willtreat myself for it. Where can I get theseproducts? Health food store?

Polly: It is best that you get someone to help youwith this. However, you do have the option oftrying the thyroid glandulars that you can getfrom Nutri-meds. (More about this later.)

In my opinion, if your tests were borderline,that deserves a trial prescription of the hormone,not a repeat of the blood test. Many people thinkthat the normal ranges are too wide to begin with.A “ borderline” measurement is a pretty strongindication that the level isn’ t right.

Some doctors are way too conservative inhow they treat with thyroid. I’ ve heard of doctorsgiving patients just enough thyroid so that the test


20

results barely creep into the “ normal” range, eventhough the patient is still exhibiting manyhypothyroid symptoms. That is unacceptabletreatment. A person deserves to feel well.

I even have a friend whose blood tests wereoutside of the standard ranges; still her doctorwouldn’ t give her thyroid. Her doctor just saidthe thyroid was fine. Yet this friend knew thatshe felt just like she did at another time when sheneeded thyroid. So she got a copy of her testresults, discovered the discrepancy, and wentelsewhere. Her new doctor couldn’ t understandhow those tests could have possibly beeninterpreted as normal.

If you want a second opinion, ask thereceptionist for a copy of your thyroid testresults. Make sure it isn’ t just a slip of paper witha number scribbled on it. It should have the“ normal” ranges for each test printed on it.Different labs may use different units and ranges.So you want a copy of the whole lab test printout.Then show it to another doctor, preferably analternative doctor. (Keeping your own records isa good idea anyway. Then if the blood thyroidlevels change with time, you might catch aproblem early.)

There is such a difference of opinion on theuse of thyroid. Sometimes a patient’ s new doctorwill take them off of dessicated thyroid. Even ifthe patient feels much worse, the patient can’ tconvince the new doctor to given them theoriginal prescription. Many people have beentotally frustrated with the situation. They don’ tknow where to find a doctor that will treat them.So with limited energy and funds, they suffer insilence.

Thyroid GlandularsPolly: Thyroid glandulars are the ground up anddried whole thyroid gland. The product isn’ t asprocessed as the prescription desiccated thyroids.

Yet, it may still contain the active hormones.Several years ago, a bill passed in the UScongress made it legal to buy and sell thyroidglandulars without a prescription, even if theystill contained some of the thyroid hormones.However, the FDA is not too pleased withmaking thyroid glandulars available. There is achance that the public will abuse the product andsomeone will get hurt. Therefore, the FDA doesits best to monitor the way the glandulars aremarketed. If you sell this product, then youcannot imply that it will help a person with anyphysical or mental problem.

Because the FDA is especially strict with thisproduct, it is difficult to find a source for it. Mostglandulars on the market have been denatured.(Denatured means that the thyroid hormoneshave been removed.) The only place that I’ vefound to purchase the undenatured thyroidglandular by itself is through Nutri-meds. It is agood product. Some people are even gettingbetter results with this thyroid glandular thanthey did with their prescription dessicatedthyroids.

People on the Internet have surmised thateach Nutri-meds pill is roughly equivalent to afourth grain of the prescription desiccatedthyroids. This is not very much, but it is enoughto help an adult. One Nutri-meds pill per day isgood general nutritional support. If we were stilleating blood pudding and other such traditionalfoods, then we would be getting about a fourthgrain in our daily diet. Most healthy people willhave no problem with this much. However, if youare particularly weak, you need to be morecautious.

If you decide to purchase these undenaturedthyroid glandulars, then you must take on theresponsibility of this choice. Do not abuse them,or the FDA will take away everyone’ s right touse them. Especially if this is the first time youhave taken such a product, you need some

Thyroid 21

guidance. Look for a progressive MD or seek theadvice of a naturopath. You should request thatyour doctor take periodic blood thyroid tests. Ororder your own blood thyroid tests. (See thesection on ordering hormone tests in theprogesterone/estrogen chapter.) Also, read andunderstand the precautions section in thischapter.

Thyroid glandulars that have not beendenatured can be purchased at www.nutri-meds.com/thyroid.htm, phone (888)-265-3353.Both the porcine (pig) and bovine (cattle)glandulars are available. Although people usuallyreact better to the porcine, once in a while, aperson will do better on the bovine.

The Blood Tests For ThyroidPolly: Many doctors, especially those bound byHMO (Health Maintenance Organization) rules,rely only on the TSH (thyroid stimulatinghormone) blood test to screen for thyroidproblems. However, this can miss some cases ofhypothyroidism. For instance, excess serotonininfluence in the brain of people with autism orfibromyalgia could suppress TRH (thyrotropinreleasing hormone), which tells the brain tocreate TSH. Both the autistic and those withfibromyalgia will very often have a lowered TSHresponse to TRH. [3] These thyroid problemswill be missed with just a TSH test.

Recently, the conventional dogma has comecloser to the position of the alternative doctors.Mary Shoman’ s newsletter contains an articleentitled “ Major Reversal at AmericanAssociation of Clinical EndocrinologistsRegarding TSH and DiagnosingHypothyroidism.” The essence of the article isthat The American Association of ClinicalEndocrinologists (AACE) was previouslyadamant that patients not be treated if their TSHreading were within “ normal” limits. Now they

state in their material provided for the January2001 Thyroid Awareness Month that:

“Even though a TSH level between 3.0 and 5.0uU/ml is in the normal range, it should beconsidered suspect since it may signal a case ofevolving thyroid underactivity.” (AACE PressStatement, January 18, 2001)

This new lower acceptable TSH range fortreating patients is one step in the right direction.At least, if your doctor has heard about it, then itmay help. In contrast, many of the alternativedoctors had already been using a TSH of 2.0 orhigher as the range of readings where theysuspect a thyroid problem.

Rue: Just wanted to add that candida can cause athyroiditis that will not raise the TSH abovenormal limits or just a bit above. However, theperson may have symptoms of someone with aTSH of 60.

Polly: Yes. If you only test TSH, then you couldmiss that condition. There are many differenttests for thyroid function, and not one of themwill catch all the cases of low thyroid.

However, some doctors say that all thoseproblems are now solved because they have thelatest and greatest tests—free T4 and free T3.The hope is that the “ free” or unbound thyroidlevels will show what the cells actually haveavailable to them for use. Yet, this isn’ tcompletely true. These tests ignore the proteinbound thyroid, which is 95% of the thyroid foundin the blood. The brain is an example where theprotein-bound hormone is the active form, not thefree thyroid hormone. But the test for free thyroidis important. If free thyroid is low, yet the boundthyroid looks normal, then this is an indicationthat the body might be suffering from too muchestrogen.

www.nutri


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When the symptoms of hypothyroidism arepresent, and yet all the aforementioned bloodtests don’ t show a problem, then a few doctorswill resort to the more expensive thyrotropinreleasing hormone (TRH) blood test. This testwill show if the brain is having trouble producingenough TSH. The TSH response can besuppressed by stress, lack of sleep, or exposure tolipopolysaccarides from gram-negative intestinalbacteria. [4] About half the people withfibromyalgia will fail this test. About a third ofthose with autism will fail this test. [5] Many ofthose with depression will fail this test, especiallyif it is given in the evening. [6]

However, don’ t be in a hurry to get the TRHtest. With this test, you are given an injection ofTRH to stimulate the pituitary into producingTSH. There is a chance that the TRH will over-stimulate a weak pituitary and harm it. Therewould be less risk and certainly less expense ifmore doctors were willing to give a trial ofthyroid based on symptoms.

Every doctor should know that the standardblood tests couldn’ t possibly cover all thepossibilities. Yet many doctors won’ t treat unlessthey have found a blood test that indicates aproblem. Even if the blood test shows a problem,they are very reluctant to treat if it is a child.Doctors are acutely aware of peer pressure, theiremployer’ s guidelines, and/or the opinion of theirlocal medical board; they feel their hands aretied. These policies may save the doctors fromgetting sued, but it isn’ t helping the patient. Itwould be almost impossible to prove that a lackof thyroid hormone treatment was the reason apatient later developed pneumonia, heart diseaseor cancer. Yet it would be fairly easy to drag adoctor into court claiming that unnecessarytreatment harmed someone. Unfortunately, ourlitigious society creates a situation where it issafer for doctors not to help their patients.

Why Isn’t The Blood ThyroidLevel A Reliable Indicator?Polly: Many of us seem to require more thyroidhormone than the blood tests indicate. Somethink it is due to the yeast or bacteria toxins thatare in the gut. Others, point to the interferencecaused by high antibody levels that can beassociated with yeast overgrowth.

The blood tests can be dangerouslymisleading. An example was a man admitted toa French hospital with severe hypothyroidism.He was so bad off that he was exhibiting full-blown myxedema (puffy skin that doesn’ t indentwhen pressed due to accumulation ofmucopolysaccharides). Still his blood thyroidtests were normal. (One of the Barnes Tapes byDr. Hertoghe mentions this incident.).

According to a 1994 lecture by JacquesHertoghe, MD, the blood tests are a poorindicator of the less severe forms ofhypothyroidism because there is a slowclearance from the blood of the thyroidhormones when there is hypothyroidism. Thethyroid hormones aren’ t being used very quickly,so more remains in the blood. This makes it looklike there is enough thyroid hormones in theblood even though the patient is hypothyroid. Dr.Hertoghe listed these reasons for the slowclearance:

1) a reduced blood volume, with overall arterialvasal constriction (including in the kidneys)

2) accumulation of waste products andmucopolysaccharides in extracellular spaces(acting as a barrier),

3) lazy lymphatic drainage,

4) fewer cellular receptors for T4 and T3

5) slower conversion of T4 to T3,

6) lower intracellular demand for thyroidhormones

Thyroid 23

Hypothyroidism, High AntigenLevels, And LymeJohn Q: I was in great health, ran more than 20miles weekly while playing and refereeingsoccer. I went to seven doctors and three shrinksbefore I went to a doctor that understands therelationships between allergies and thyroid. Mythyroid was in a low normal range T4=.93normal range = .9 to 2.0. The problem with myblood was that my antigens were all extremelyelevated, thus blocking the low normal T4 fromworking at the cellular level. IgA, IgG and IgMantigens should all be less than 75—mine were:IgA=540, IgG=177 and IgM=110. You can haveyour doctor culture your blood and see what yourantigens are. When they are out of balance as badas this, then your thyroid will not work properlyand you won’ t have an ounce of energy.

Note: John Q was subsequently diagnosed withLyme. After an intensive course of antibiotics, heis doing much better. Although it was his Lymethat led to his high antigen levels, otherconditions can lead to high antigen levels, andtheoretically, these can interfere with yourthyroid use.

Hypothyroidism And HepatitisPaula: I just visited a new doc today. I havehepatitis C liver problems and probably ongoingintestinal problems including candida. I also havea thyroid nodule that was irradiated 2 years ago.I am supposed to have normal TSH and T4. Mynew doctor has requested several thyroid tests,such as T3 and reverse-T3 that myendocrinologist never did. The new doc isguessing that my dysfunctional liver is notconverting T4 to T3, causing hypothyroidsymptoms in spite of a diagnosis by anendocrinologist of hyperthyroidism.

He also thinks I have possible estrogendominance since the liver clears excess fromblood and mine isn’ t doing a good job of thateither. (PMS worsening as I approach mid life).Hope this helps someone and proves that we needto find a doc who can see these things thatregular docs just don’ t see at your run of the millmedical clinics...!

Polly: That is interesting that you were almostdiagnosed as hyperthyroid instead ofhypothyroid. I’ ve heard of people beingmisdiagnosed hyper instead of hypo because theyhad an inability to convert T4 into T3. Thesepeople have some indications ofhyperthyroidism, like nervousness andsuppressed TSH, and yet they are actuallyhypothyroid. Glad you found a doctor that isexceptional.

Note: See the chapter on Liver Health in Book 1,for some common treatments of hepatitis. Thechapter on Estrogen And Progesterone has somesuggestions on how to deal with estrogendominance.

Armour, T3, and T4Patti: Just to share my experience here. Iswitched to Armour after I began to suspect mySynthroid wasn’ t working well any more. Thedose went up a bit too. But nothing much seemedto occur. My TSH number was low-normalwhich means good and healthy according tostandard medical practice. But I wasn’ t feelingbetter; and I suspected the thyroid still. Anadditional increase in the Armour led to ahorrible migraine that lasted 2 weeks! Eeeeks!

Finally still suspecting a thyroid imbalance Iswitched to taking T4 plus T3 separately. I alsoavoided getting possibly allergic to the Armour,which had also been a concern. I have actually


24

been much happier with my new thyroid; energyis coming back to normal levels. Apparentlysome people do better on this regime.

My doctor says people don’ t know how muchT3 is in an Armour dose and this way I can beexact. For what it is worth, it worked for me. Iam way more energetic...and just like,NORMAL- A success- Yay!

Sarah: I was taking just thyroxine (equivalent toSynthroid or T4) for my thyroid disease. When Ifirst got ill, I thought it was all about my thyroid.So I tried Armour. Armour gave me bad chestpains, but otherwise I did feel better. Now I amback to taking thyroxine (T4), but have added T3with it in small doses. This, with the anti-candidadiet, made quite a big difference in my health.The diet helps with brain fog and fatigue and theT3 seems to help with pollution in London andenvironmental allergies in general.

I think that when the candida is cleared up, Iwill probably not have to take T3. I could bewrong, but it seems that when your immunesystem is down and you have dysbiosis, the bodyhas problems converting T4 into T3.

Patti: Yes, somehow I stopped converting T4into T3 as easily as before....interesting, huh? Iwonder if this is a common occurrence. I askedmy doctor friend why I might have lost myability to convert to T3 from T4 and he saidmaybe it’ s genetic and was a latent inability thatshowed up more so as I grew older.... I don’ tknow why I stopped making the T4 to T3conversion. I was hoping someone else did.

Polly: I have the same problem converting T4 toT3. I think part of my problem is the kidney I hadremoved. The kidney secretes an enzyme thehelps convert T4 to T3. There are several thingsthat are a factor here. Natural progesterone helpsyou convert T4 into T3. You need certain basic

nutrients for this conversion, like selenium, zinc,copper and iron. Low cortisol or not enoughglucose or calories in your diet can cause aproblem with the conversion too. Cirrhosis of theliver can interfere with the conversion. (About70% of the conversion of T4 to T3 is done in theliver.) Low body temperature can interfere. Theremay be some toxin similar to estrogen, possiblyfrom the gut, which is interfering with the liver’ sability to convert T4 into T3.

Patti: Thanks for your hypotheses. I bet it’ s theone with the estrogen like toxin. Estrogen and Idon’ t get along at all, and I do take a lot ofprogesterone.

Polly: Patti, how much T4 and T3 are youtaking?

Patti: 0.1 mg Levoxyl and 12.5 mcg Cytomel

Polly: The ratio that you are presently taking is 8parts T4 to one part T3. That ratio seems a littlehigh on T4 compared to what is in naturalthyroid. Natural thyroid is 3 parts T4 to one partT3. Yet, I guess one can’ t expect too much of acomparison between what you are taking andnatural thyroid. Natural thyroid contains morethan just T4 and T3.

Personally, I was on a grain and a half of justdesiccated thyroid for about four years. I hadtried increasing the dose to 2 grains and noticedno improvement. Then, we dropped thedesiccated thyroid dose from a grain and a half tojust one grain and concurrently added 15 mcg ofCytomel (T3). I definitely feel much moreenergetic and clear-headed with this. I thinkeveryone, especially women, should look intothis. Raymond Peat has found that a woman ismore likely to need additional T3 than a man.Also, the wrong balance between T4 and T3 in a

Thyroid 25

supplement can actually interfere with the body’ sability to create T3.

For me, it doesn’ t seem to make muchdifference if I space the T3 out during the day orjust take it all with my morning desiccatedthyroid. That is strange because for most people,the T3 needs to be spread out through the day.

Geo in Jersey: I definitely do better when I addsome Cytomel (T3) to my Armour. I am taking 1grain (60 mg) Armour + 2.5 mcg Cytomel, boththree times daily on an empty stomach. Just theother day, I ran out of Cytomel and tried tosimply up the Armour to 1.5 grains and felt reallyawful. I also remember feeling much better whenI initially added the Cytomel. The doctor wantedme to take both only twice a day. This didn’ twork for me, so I started taking them three timesdaily. I was feeling way too unsteady on twotimes daily. The uninformed doctors pay noregard to the much shorter half-life of T3 withrespect to T4. Some doctors recommend takingthe T3 six times daily or in the case of RaymondPeat, nibbling on a tablet throughout the day.(I’ m not sure how well that would work!) I amfairly sure that I have trouble with converting T4to T3, probably due to my mercury poisoning.

Thyroid and AllergiesPatti: I remember when I started Synthroid 12years ago; my allergies cleared up (to airbornestuff). All of a sudden they had become severe,(actually I never even had allergies before acertain spring and then they exploded to the pointof being disabling; I had to wear a dust mask justdriving around in the country.) I guess that’ swhen I needed the thyroid, and the thyroidcleared them up in one month, no more airborneallergies, since then. (I don’ t think this applies tomold which is disastrous for me.)

Sarah: I find that all the small amount of T3 doesfor me is to help ward off environmental andchemical pollutants as well as maybe helpingwith headaches. It doesn’ t help with tiredness etcand food allergies. No one has been able toexplain why it helps with outside allergens.

Polly: Thyroid can raise your blood sugar.Higher blood sugar can reduce your allergies.Often the addition of T3 will improve manydifferent conditions. I almost think that the T3supplement helps “ prime the pump.” It may giveyour cells just enough energy to help them startmaking their own active T3 from T4.

Sarah, earlier you reported that you weren’ table to tolerate the natural Armour thyroid.(Armour is the most common brand of naturalthyroid.) If you have allergies, perhaps youwould have been able to tolerate one of thehypoallergenic natural thyroid supplements.

Avandish: Armour is good but it contains someinactive ingredients that can be allergenic. Acompany called Bio-tech uses the samepharmaceutical grade thyroid glandular powderthat Armour uses, but the only other ingredient inthe Bio-tech product is cellulose. Armourcontains titanium dioxide (for color), a cornderivative (very allergenic), etc. Bio-tech is alsoby prescription only and the dosages are the sameas used with Armour. Your pharmacist can orderit or call Community Pharmacy in MadisonWisconsin if you have trouble finding it. (phone608 251 3242) I bought it there with aprescription. I didn’ t have any problems with theold formulation of Armour, but when I tried thenew Armour formulation, I had an allergicreaction (Scratchy throat, trouble breathing, itchyall over). I switched to Bio-tech and the allergysymptoms went away.


26

Polly: The price for the Bio-tech thyroid (calledBio-throid) is presently about the same orsometimes less than the price of Armour. (Theprice of the Bio-tech product doesn’ t ratchet upquickly with dose.) If you want to try it, you canhave either your pharmacy or your doctor orderit. The Bio-Tech product is encapsulated powder.The Armour is a tablet. If you suspect theArmour isn’ t dissolving, you could crush it. Eventhough I’ ve heard of people doing better on Bio-throid than Armour, I’ ve also heard the opposite.Some people do better on Armour. It is ratherhard to figure out what is going on here.

Hypothyroidism, Thyroid Nodules,and ProgesteroneBarbara: I am now on thyroid medication. Ihave an enlarged thyroid with benign nodules.My blood tests are all normal. The doctor isreluctantly treating me now to shrink my thyroid.

Polly: Nodules such as you describe can beformed when the thyroid gland is constantlystimulated beyond its capacity to produce thyroidhormone. If this goes on too long, you get thyroidcancer. As in your case, doctors will usuallyprescribe thyroid hormone to lower thestimulation of the thyroid gland. This will helpreduce the size of the nodules.

Raymond Peat, PhD describes something elsethat can be tried in the situation that you arerelating. After the thyroid supplements havereduced the size of the nodules, then you can takenatural progesterone to release the thyroidhormone from the colloid. When the thyroid isreleased from the nodules, this may temporarilycreate hyperthyroid symptoms of rapid heart rateand higher temperature. This should be a safeprotocol, so long as the goiter isn’ t too big (aboutthe size of a normal pregnancy goiter), andassuming your heart can tolerate some

stimulation. Once the thyroid has been releasedfrom the nodules, the nodules will disappear. [7]Since unsaturated oils interfere with the releaseof thyroid, these are something else to avoid inthis situation.

Wilson’s SyndromeMichele: Have you checked out Wilson’ sSyndrome? There is a web site and an excellentPhysicians Manual with very specific testing andtreatment protocol that is aimed at restoring T3conversion.

Polly: Yes, I’ ve considered Wilson’ s Syndromeas a possible problem for myself. I even boughttheir physician’ s manual. Their protocol seems towork best for patients who have suffered atraumatic incident, which lowered their T4 intoT3 conversion capability. This protocol givesthese patients a much-needed boost to help themstart the conversion again. However, I suspect itis not the protocol of choice for most of us here.But I could easily be proven wrong. I don’ t knowuntil others report on this.

Briefly, people with Wilson’ s Syndrome areconverting too much of their T4 into reverse-T3instead of regular T3. Reverse-T3 interferes withthe action of the thyroid hormone. The treatmentfor Wilson’ s Syndrome is to give the patient somuch time-release T3, that it suppresses thepatient’ s own production of T4. When thishappens, supposedly there is no T4 from whichto make reverse-T3, and therefore the body stopsmaking the reverse-T3. This protocol willhopefully raise the body temperature and give allthe enzymes in the body a chance to recover.After the T3 supplementation has been graduallyremoved, hopefully, the body has forgotten howto make “ reverse-T3,” and only makes normalT3. (The protocol has merit, yet not everything inthis theory makes sense. The theory ignores the

Thyroid 27

fact that the body can make reverse-T3 from T3.)Another option that might help is naturalprogesterone. Natural progesterone inhibits theformation of reverse-T3.

Michele: That is a new piece to the reverse-T3puzzle. I can’ t even use the T3 plan because oftoo many heart irregularities. I got the impressionthat any severe stress could cause this reverse-T3to form excessively, like severe candida ormercury toxicity.

Polly: If any severe stress can cause this reverse-T3 to form excessively, then even if youtemporarily get rid of the reverse-T3 formation,I’ d think that the problem would return unlessthat stressor is no longer present. Therefore, Iwould guess that the Wilson protocol is moreappropriate if the initiating stressor has alreadybeen removed.

Michele: It is really exciting to me that you saidthis reverse-T3 process can be inhibited inanother direction through natural progesterone. Ihave been searching for a safe alternative. Doyou have any source material for that informationthat you could direct me to?

Polly: Raymond Peat, PhD, mentioned in hisbook Nutrition for Women (page 20), thatprogesterone inhibits the formation of reverse-T3. He also stated that reverse-T3 blocks theaction of the thyroid hormone. However, that isall the detail he went into on the subject ofreverse-T3. It is a relatively small book, but itreads like a set of lecture notes on the interactionbetween nutrition and hormones. I’ ve read it fourtimes, and I still haven’ t fully absorbed all theinformation.

Tracy: I’ ve been on the T3 for eight monthsnow. When I started taking it in May, I started

feeling better right away. I had been trying to geta doctor to treat me for low thyroid for over twoyears, all of them saying there was nothingwrong because my tests were normal. Then Ifound the Wilson’ s Syndrome website. I got areferral from them and went to see her rightaway. Finally, a doctor that would listen! I waslucky because she was only 45 minutes from me.Some of the people at their forum have to travelto other states. But it’ s worth it. The T3 really ishelping; my body is having a hard time holdingthe temperatures though. Whenever I have stress,mental or physical, my temperatures will drop. Ithink it is because my adrenals are exhaustedfrom the lack of thyroid function. I have anappointment at an endocrinologist tomorrow toget an adrenal stress index done. I hope I don’ thave to argue with him. I think if I get support formy adrenals, the T3 will be able to keep mytemperatures up.

Do Thyroid Supplements RuinThe Thyroid Gland?Polly: Many people are worried that if they takea thyroid supplement, then it might ruin theirthyroid gland. This doesn’ t happen. Even if youtake enough thyroid to completely suppress yourown thyroid hormone production, it will not ruinyour thyroid gland. If you decide to graduallystop taking it, your body’ s own thyroidproduction will return to its previous level and/orsometimes it will end up even better than before.[8]

Do Thyroid HormoneSupplements Cause Bone Loss?Polly: Hyperthyroid people tend to suffer frombone loss. Animal experiments also show thathigh T4 levels are associated with bone loss. [9]So some caution is warranted. However, there are


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doctors that are too conservative. They only giveenough thyroid to keep the patient’ s readings inthe low end of normal. This policy does notprotect the patient from bone loss. In fact, it maybe doing the opposite by harming the patient’ sbones.

Here are a few mechanisms by whichinsufficient thyroid could lead to bone loss.

1) Thyroid is needed to keep your cortisol levelsunder control. Cortisol needs to be kept undercontrol because it contributes to bone loss.[10]

2) Low thyroid often leads tohyperprolactinema, which contributes to boneloss. [10]

3) Hypothyroidism produces a predisposition tohyperventillation, and hyperventillation tendsto cause calcium loss. [11]

4) Thyroid is needed to keep progesterone levelsup. Progesterone promotes the growth ofbone. [9] Note: When you first startsupplementing natural progesterone, therewill be an initial drop in bone density. This isbecause the oldest, most brittle bone is beingdiscarded in preparation for new bonegrowth. [12]

Good nutrition plays a key role in keeping thebones strong. In the body, new bone is constantlybeing created and old bone is constantly beingdiscarded. If this process is accelerated by theaddition of thyroid, more nutrients are needed.Vitamin E protects one from bone loss inhyperthyroidism. [13] Other nutrients likecalcium, phosphorus, and vitamin K and D arealso very important. If rats are given adequatecalcium and decent nutrition, and if these animalsare made extremely hyperthyroid by giving themhuge doses of natural thyroid, there was:

“… no evidence of failure of calcification in thebones of rapidly growing rats or ofdecalcification of the bones of older rats” [14]

In fact, the bones were about 5% heavier in theseverely hyperthyroid rats. (There was more ashin the bones, but most of the extra weight wasdue to a higher water content. This suggests thatthe bones were less brittle.) One has to rememberthat thyroid not only accelerates bonereabsorption, but it can accelerate boneformation. [15] With good nutrition, the bodyshould be able to keep these two processes inbalance even when there is too much thyroidpresent. (If you get rid of the intestinalinflammation and dysbiosis, then you willimprove the absorption of minerals and vitamins;this might help your bone density. Also gelatin inyour diet will likely improve bone density. [16.])

One should not be afraid of taking enoughnatural thyroid to feel decent. The currentmedical literature does not show any decrease inbone density associated with correcting ahypothyroid condition. Even giving a large TSHsuppressive amount of thyroid doesn’ t seem to bemuch of a problem. [17] A study of using TSHsuppressive thyroid to treat depression in 11patients showed an increase in bone densityinstead of the expected decrease. [18] Takingthyroid hormone is sometimes helpful for bonedensity.

My Pharmacy Doesn’t CarryNatural ThyroidsPolly: Not all pharmacists and doctors arefamiliar with the natural thyroids. There are fourbrands of natural thyroid: Armour, Westhroid,Naturethroid, and Bio-throid thyroid. Mosteveryone uses the Armour thyroid. However,once in a while, someone cannot tolerate theArmour. Armour has fillers derived from corn

Thyroid 29

and potato. In the new formulation of Armour(starting in 1996), they also added titanium oxidefor coloring. (In one study, 3% of the patientshad an immune reaction to titanium dioxide.[19]) Westhroid contains corn, so avoid that ifyou are sensitive to corn. Naturethroid and Bio-throid are hypoallergenic, and only contain thedesiccated thyroid and cellulose.

Armour is made by Forest Pharmaceuticals.Westhroid and Naturethroid are made by WesternResearch. Bio-throid is made by Bio-TechPharmacal. Bio-Tech Pharmacal ships the Bio-throid thyroid to other countries. At this time,Western Research does not ship outside the US.Forest Pharmaceuticals does not ship Armour toother countries because they do not have thedistribution rights outside the US. To purchaseArmour outside the US, contact the Broda BarnesFoundation.

If you live outside the European Union, ahypoallergenic natural thyroid can be orderedfrom International Anti-Aging Systems (IAS)without a perscription. Currently they carry 1/4and 1 grain capsules. (IAS also carries ahomeopathic thyroid supplement called Thyrium.So don’ t get the two mixed up.)

Forest Pharmaceuticals13600 Shoreline DriveSt. Louis, Missouri 63045phone 800-678-1605 extension 7037fax 314-493-7457

Western Research12209 North 32nd streetPhoenix, Arizona 85032phone (623) 879-8535website www.westernresearchlaboratories.com

Bio-Tech Pharmacal3481 North Hwy 112Fayetteville, Arkansas 72703phone 800 - 345-1199 or 501-443-9148

Fax: 1-501-443-5643.website www.bio-tech-pharm.com

Broda Barnes FoundationPO Box 98Trumbull, CT 06611USAphone 203-261-2101Fax 203-261-3017Email for Barnes Foundation:[email protected] www.brodabarnes.org.

International Anti-Aging Systems (IAS)Channel IslandsGreat Britaintelephone: +44 870 151 4144website www.antiaging-systems.com.

Starting Thyroid Supplements£PrecautionsPolly: When starting a thyroid supplement, youand your doctor should be aware of certainpossible consequences. This knowledge will helpyou participate in the presevation of your ownhealth and exercise some common sense. Here isa list of precautions that I’ ve found to date.

1) Watch for symptoms of too much thyroid.Symptoms of too much thyroid include heartpalpitations and perhaps chest pain, excessivesweating, heat intolerance, or nervousness.

2) Most people have no problem starting thyroidsupplements. However, a few people willhave symptoms of anxiety or palpitationswhen they first start. You are more likely tohave this reaction if you have thyroiditis(antibodies to thyroid), if you are alreadyhaving problems with anxiety, or if youradrenals are weak. These reactions to thyroidmay be due to an increased sensitivity toadrenaline. [20] If you happen to have high

www.westernresearchlaboratories.com

www.bio

www.brodabarnes.org

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adrenaline, the thyroid supplement shouldgradually help bring your adrenaline levelsback down to normal. With time, you willadjust.

If you have anxiety or palpitations uponstarting a small dose of thyroid, you can stopthe thyroid and go on some adrenal supportfor a while, and then try again. Or you canuse a lower dose of thyroid and give yourbody more time to adjust. A quarter grain isusually tolerated, but once in a while, evenless must be used to start. Stephan Langer,MD, starts some patients out on as little as0.025 grain of thyroid in a liquid form. Dr.Langer also suggests that vitamin D may helpa person eliminate the palpitations or anxietysymptoms. In his book on hypothyroidism,Solved the Riddle of Illness, he suggests thatif you are not getting sunlight then you mightneed as much as 2000-4000 IU of vitamin D.(The RDA is 400 IU.) Another suggestion—Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, suggests that taking100 mg to 200 mg of vitamin B1 each daymay help your body adjust to taking thyroid.[21] Dr. John Lowe suggests that you mayhave to eliminate narcotics/opiates.

3) People with heart disease or who areextremely hypothyroid must start out veryslowly with a half grain or less. Less isespecially appropriate if you have problemswith anxiety or thyroiditis. The heart needs toget use to working harder gradually. Younever start on any thyroid hormone within amonth after a heart attack. Your doctor maydecide to be a bit more conservative on yourfinal maintenance dose too. A doctor had mymom on a half grain of thyroid for a yearbefore he finally increased her dose to agrain. That is more conservative than BrodaBarnes, MD would have probably done, butyou get the picture. Also, just because youhave heart problems, you shouldn’ t avoid

taking thyroid. Heart irregularities/problemscan result from not enough thyroid too.

4) T4 and desiccated thyroid take weeks to buildup in your body. So you will not find theproper dose by experimenting with a differentdose each day. To find the proper dose, youstart with a relatively low dose and keep itthere for at least two weeks before decidingto increase it. (Eg, start with a half grain orless and keep it there for at least two weeks.)Then you stay at the increased dose for atleast another two weeks before you considerincreasing the dose again. If at any time youget symptoms of a rapid heartbeat, you backdown on the dose. Broda Barnes wouldusually start a relatively healthy woman outon 1 grain a day for a month beforeconsidering increasing the dose. With someof the larger men, he would start them on 2grains a day. This is where your doctor’ sexperience and guidance are so important.However, your observations and commonsense play a very big part in this too. When indoubt, go slow.

5) People with very low blood pressure (below100 systolic) likely have poor adrenalfunction. It is dangerous to give thyroid whenthe adrenals are very weak. Thyroid clearscortisol and this could put a strain on weakadrenals. Adrenal support in the form ofCortef or mixed cortisols is often added to thethyroid treatment protocol in this case.

6) If you are taking anti-coagulants, you shouldhave your doctor monitor your protime. Hemay have to reduce your blood thinningmedication. Also, check your iodine status,because aspirin and other anti-coagulants candeplete iodine. (Iodine should be measuredvia a urine test, not blood.) See this article byRyan Drum, PhD, entitled “ Botanicals for

Thyroid 31

Thyroid Function and Dysfunction.” www.planetherbs.com/articles/thyroid.html.

7) The package insert on your thyroidsupplement may mention a possible changein insulin requirement. However, BrodaBarnes did an experiment with diabeticpatients and found that none of them had toadjust their insulin medication. Of course, hewas using Armour thyroid, not just T4.Perhaps there is a difference. Also, BrodaBarnes’ s experiment was in a hospital setting,so the patients weren’ t changing theirexercise levels. If thyroid makes you feelmore energetic, you may end up exercisingmore, needing more fuel for your cells, andthus may need to adjust your insulin.

8) By increasing your metabolism, thyroid mayalso uncover nutritional deficiencies. Inparticular, when thyroid is given, there isincreased need for B vitamins. [22]

9) If you are taking prednisone for asthma, youmay have to adjust your dose since thyroidclears (removes) cortisols from the blood.

10) Don’ t stop medication prematurely. Somepeople notice a difference immediately, butmost take much longer. A month or even twois often required. That is why an alternativedoctor will usually give a three-month trial ofthyroid.

11) After you have been on the thyroid for a fewmonths, be sure that your doctor checks yourblood thyroid levels. You can’ t rely on yourbasal temperature or your TSH to tell youwhen to stop increasing the thyroid dose.Your basal temperature might not rise thatmuch, especially at first. Sometimes thetemperature will even initially decrease as ahyperadrenaline/ hypervigilant statedisappears and you get better sleep. If yourtests show that your TSH has beensuppressed by the thyroid supplements, that

might be okay, depending on thecircumstances. However, you don’ t wantyour T4 and T3 levels well out of range.Typical end-point doses are between one andtwo grains of desiccated thyroid for an adult.

12) Don’ t take your thyroid supplement at thesame time as a calcium supplement or withmilk. Less thyroid will be absorbed. Thethyroid absorption problem also applies to theconcurrent ingestion of iron, somecholesterol lowering drugs (cholestyramine,colestipol), or antacids that containaluminum, or sucralfate (an ulcer drug thatcontains aluminum). [23]

13) Pay attention to when you take your thyroidsupplement. Personally, I can’ t tell anydifference between taking the thyroid with orwithout meals or at any particular time of theday. Yet there are others that find this quiteimportant. Many thyroid specialists advisethat T4 thyroid supplements (like Synthroid)be taken alone, first thing in the morning, andthat nothing else be ingested for at least 30 to45 minutes afterward. Some doctors suggestthat the non-time release T3 supplementsshould be taken with meals to spread out thedose. I’ ve also heard a suggestion that youjust lick or nibble the regular T3 throughoutthe day because the time-release T3 isn’ treliable.

14) If you are switching from T4 to the naturalthyroid, do so gradually to give your body achance to adapt. Eg, start by cutting the T4dose down by 25% and substituting 25% ofthe natural thyroid dose. Stay on this mixturefor at least a week before changing it to ahalf-and-half mixture, etc. One grain of thenatural thyroid is roughly equivalent instrength to 0.1 mg of pure T4. However,there can be quite a bit of variation between

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individuals. One grain of the natural thyroidis usually labeled 60 mg.

15) If you are coming off thyroid, do so graduallyover a few months to give your body time toadjust.

16) Be sure to ask your doctor about anyconcerns you have with your particularsituation. If you are suffering from “ brainfog” write key points down on paper toremind yourself what to ask or do.

Where To Find A DoctorPolly: Ask at your local health food store. Theyare an excellent referral source for the bestdoctors in your area. For top doctorsrecommended by patients, do a search at thesesites.

http://thyroid.about.com/health/thyroid/

www.thyroid-info.com

This list is not just alternative doctors. Anydoctor that is exceptional can be placed on thislist. There are doctors listed for many differentcountries there. Not all of them believe in usinga natural thyroid. If you find no one on this listthat is suitable, you might try finding a doctorthrough one of the companies that make thenatural thyroid. For US doctors, WesternResearch will give you the name of a doctor nearyou who uses their Westhroid and Naturethroidproducts, phone (602) 482-9370. Bio-Tech willalso give you the name of a doctor near you whouses their Bio-Tech product. phone 800-345-1199 or 501-443-9148 Unfortunately, ForrestPharmaceuticals does not have a list of doctorswho regularly use Armour.

Some of the best alternative doctors are at theBarnes Foundation. If you have a very unusualsituation, you might want to contact themdirectly. However, they are swamped with work,

and you may wait a very long time for results.Alternatively, you might write a letter to theBroda Barnes Foundation, enclose $15, and askfor their literature and a list of doctors in yourarea. Interview the doctors on their list aboutprices and tests. Prices vary widely. Some want$75 for the first visit, plus a very nominal amountfor testing, and others want as much as $300 forthe first visit and $500 for testing.

You can also attempt to work with an HMOor more conventional doctor. Unfortunately,HMOs are very reluctant to spend money ontests. In Mary Shomon’ s book, Living Well WithHypothyroidism, she suggests that you can oftenget your HMO to test you if you go about itcorrectly. (See page 83.) If being persistence inyour request doesn’ t work, get a list of yourhypothyroid symptoms, and some articles, andshow this to your doctor. If he refuses to test you,then you have him sign a simple letter stating thateven though he has reviewed your list ofhypothyroid symptoms, it is his opinion that youdo not need to be tested. Have him put the letterand the list in his chart. Get a signed copy foryourself. Then you can use the letter to petitionthe HMO for referral to a different doctor or fortesting.

I suggest that you keep a copy of your testresults. You don’ t want to pay for these testsagain if you decide to see any other doctor. Askthe receptionist for a copy. You don’ t have tobother the doctor directly if you feeluncomfortable about it. In some establishments,records are very easily lost; so get a copy of thetest results immediately. If you have the money,you might avoid the hassles, and go directly to analternative doctor. Most (not all) alternative MDswill help you. In certain states, even a naturopathcan prescribe thyroid.

If your doctor is unwilling to test you forthyroid function, and you are willing to spendanywhere from thirty to two hundred dollars

http://thyroid.about.com/health/thyroid/

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(depending on the number of tests ordered), youcan order the tests yourself. (See the section onordering hormone tests in the chapter onProgesterone And Estrogen.)

Books And WebsitesPolly: The classic book on the alternativetreatment of hypothyroidism is Hypothyroidism:The Unsuspected Illness, by Broda Barnes, MD.It is very straight forward, very easy tounderstand and entertaining. A good place tolearn about the treatment protocol is the tape “ IfYou Want to Be Confused, Run a Blood Test forThyroid Function” by Broda Barnes, andavailable from the Barnes Foundation. It is alsovery entertaining and easy to understand.

I love this book by Mary J. Shomon, LivingWell with Hypothyroidism. She covers the subjectof hypothyroidism from several different doctors’perspectives. She also gives you the patient’ sperspective. Her book is informative,entertaining, and it gives great insight into thesituation. Mary J Shomon also hosts www.thyroid.about.com, which is one of the bestwebsites on thyroid problems. (My other favoritewebsite on thyroid is www.ithyroid.com )

There is another informative book, TheThyroid Solution, by Ridha Arem, MD. Theauthor is very orientated to blood testing, and hasa conventional viewpoint. The book will take youthrough some of the physical changes thathappen when you are hypothyroid. He explainsT3/T4 balancing, and the importance ofsometimes using T3. He also explains why theTSH, T4, and T3 blood tests are not alwaysadequate.

Since Dr. Ridha Arem’ s book is written froma conventional viewpoint, you might be able touse it to convince a conventional doctor thatfurther testing is needed, or that an addition of T3to the usual T4 regimen could be helpful. Since

the explanation is coming from a conventionaldoctor, other conventional doctors might be moreinclined to listen. Yet don’ t get your hopes up.Doctors need both information and time to adjusttheir thinking. One book is usually not enough toget them to think differently.

Dr. Raymond Peat’ s books are always full ofthe most wonderful information about the effectsof nutrition on hormones. They are written inlayperson’ s terminology. Sometimes they can bea bit of a challenge, but they are well worth theeffort. His book Nutrition for Women is stillavailable if you write to him and send in theappropriate amount of money. Presently, it isonly $10 plus $2.50 shipping.

Raymond Peat’ s latest book is perhaps theeasiest to read. It is From PMS to Menopause for$12 plus $2.50 shipping. Even though this latestbook is relatively easy to read, I suggest that youstart with one of the more introductory books onhormones by John Lee, MD. Afterwards, youmay enjoy learning some more about hormonesfrom this book by Raymond Peat.

Raymond Peat, PhD, also has a book calledProgesterone in Orthomolecular Medicinecurrently for $6.00 plus $2.50 shipping. This onegives you information on your adrenals,pregnenolone and thyroid too.

His monthly newsletter is fascinating to me.It is usually fairly technical, yet it is well enoughwritten that us lay people can catch on to a fairamount. His newsletter is currently $24 for 12issues.

If you would like to order any of his books orsubscribe to his newsletter, include your check ormoney order, your name, address, phone, and ifavailable, your email address with your order.This is his website and address www.efn.org/~raypeat/index.html.

www.thyroid.about.com

www.ithyroid.com

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Raymond Peat, PhDP.O. Box 5764Eugene, OR 97405

There are several thyroid lists onwww.yahoogroups.com

Thyroid Top Doctors is atwww.thyroid-info.com/topdrs

references1. Goumaz, MO, Kaiser CA, Burger AG, “ Brain cortex

reverse triiodothyronine (rT3) and triiodothyroxineconcentrations under steady state infusions ofthyroxine and rT3.” Endocrinology, April, 1987,120(4): 1590-64. As mentioned in Peat, Raymond,PhD, “ Thyroid: Therapies, confusion, and fraud,” RayPeat’ s Newsletter, May 2000

2. Blaurock-Bush, Elenore, PhD; and Griffin, Veronica,PhD, Mineral and Trace Element Analysis, TMI, Inc.6545 Bunpark Drive, Suite 240, Boulder, DO 80301,Phone (303) 530-5135, email: [email protected],publishing date 1996, page 156 and 158

3. Reduced thyroid-stimulating hormone response tothyrotropin-releasing hormone in autistic boys. DevMed Child Neurol. 1991 Apr;33(4):313-9. And NeeckG. “ Neuroendocrine and hormonal perturbations andrelations to the serotonergic system in fibromyalgiapatients.” Scand J Rheumatol Suppl 2000;113:8-12and Aihara R, Hashimoto T [Neuroendocrinologicstudies on autism] No To Hattatsu 1989Mar;21(2):154-62 and Brizzi G, Carella C, Foglia MC,Frigino M “ Thyroid hormone plasmatic levels in ratstreated with serotonin in acute and chronic way.” JPhysiol Paris 1997 Dec;91(6):307-10, and of course,Dr. Lowe’ s work.

4. Dunn AJ. “ The role of interleukin-1 and tumornecrosis factor alpha in the neurochemical andneuroendocrine responses to endotoxin.” Brain ResBull 1992 Dec;29(6):807-12 and Everson, speaking ata scientific workshop stated that a lack of sleep willcause central hypothyroidism. in “ The neuroscienceand Endocrinology of Fibromyalgia.” as reported bythe NIAMS, National Institute of Arthritis andMusculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, atwww.niams.nih.gov/ne/reports/sci_wrk/1996. Vandder Poll T, Endert E, Coyle S, Abosti J, Low;ry S

“ Neutralization of TNF does not influence endotoxin-induced changes in thyroid hormone metabolism inhumans.” Am J Physiol 1999 Feb;276(2 Pt 2):R357-62. LPS suppresses T4, T3 and TSH, while raisingrT3 in humans. Neeck G. “ Neuroendocrine andhormonal perturbations and relations to theserotonergic system in fibromyalgia patients.” ScandJ Rheumatol Suppl 2000;113:8-12 and Neeck G,Riedel W. “ Thyroid function in patients withfibromyalgia syndrome” J Rheumatol 1992Jul;19(7):1120-2 and this is interesting too, Brizzi G,Carella C, Foglia MC, Frigino M “ Thyroid hormoneplasmatic levels in rats treated with serotonin in acuteand chronic way.” J Physiol Paris 1997Dec;91(6):307-10 (Serotonin suppresses TRH andthyroid hormones.

5. Aihara R, Hashimoto T [Neuroendocrinologic studieson autism] No To Hattatsu 1989 Mar;21(2):154-62

6. Extein I, Pottash AL, Gold MS “ The thyrotropin-releasing hormone test in the diagnosis of unipolardepression.” Psychiatry Res 1981 Dec;5(3):311-6 andBartalena L, Placidi GF, Martino E, Falcone M,Pellegrini L, Dell'Osso L, Pacchiarotti A, Pinchera A.“ Nocturnal serum thyrotropin (TSH) surge and theTSH response to TSH-releasing hormone: dissociatedbehavior in untreated depressives.” J Clin EndocrinolMetab 1990 Sep;71(3):650-5 (a lack of nocturnal TSHsurge supports the case for some degree of centralhypothyroidism in depression.)

7. Raymond Peat, PhD, lecture tape on “ Candidiasis andEndocrine System.” You can get the tape by fromCDIF, PO box JF, College Station, Texas 77841-5146

8. Peat, Raymond, PhD, Nutrition for Women, 1993, page18. This fact that thyroid production returns to itsprevious level is also mentioned by Broda Barnes, MDin his tapes.

9. Peat, Raymond, PhD, From PMS to Menopause:Female Hormones in Context, 1997, available fromRaymond Peat, P.O. Box 5764, Eugene, Oregon 97405

10. Peat, Raymond, “ Bone density: First do no harm,” RayPeat’ s Newsletter, June 2001

11. Lee HT, Levine M., “ Acute respiratory alkalosisassociated with low minute ventilation in a patientwith severe hypothyroidism” Can J Anaesth 1999andKrapf R. Jaeger P, Hulter HN, “ Chronic respiratoryalkalosis induces renal PTH-resistance,

www.yahoogroups.com

www.thyroid

www.niams.nih.gov/ne/reports/sci_wrk/1996

Thyroid 35

hyperphosphatemia and hypocalcemia in humans,”Kidney Int 1992 Sep;42(3):727-34 as mentioned inRay Peat’ s June 2001 newsletter.

12. Lee, John R., MD; Hopkins, Virginia, What yourDoctor may NOT tell you about Menopause, WarnerBooks, January 1996

13. Ima-Nirwana S, Kiftiah A, Sariza T, Gapor MT,Khalid BA. “ Palm vitamin E improves bonemetabolism and survival rate in thyrotoxic rats.” GenPharmacol. 1999 May;32(5):621-6

14. Smith, Evelyn, and Mclean, Franklin, “ Effect ofHyperthyroidism upon Growth and ChemicalComposition of Bone, Endocrinology, 1938, Thisreference was mentioned in a 1996 lecture byRaymond Peat given to the National Health Federation(which is now the Cancer Control Society).

15. Kumeda Y, Inaba M, Tahara H, Kurioka Y, IshikawaT, Morii H, Nishizawa Y. “ Persistent increase in boneturnover in Graves’ patients with subclinicalhyperthyroidism.,” J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2000Nov;85(11):4157-61. Also, Lee, Lita, PhD, TheEnzyme Cure, Future Medicine Publishing, Inc., 1998,page 191

16. Eggersglüss B, and R +D Department of the DGFSTOESS AG, Eberbach, Germany “ GelatineHydrolysate and its Health Aspects”

17. Fujiyama K, Kiriyama T, Ito M, Kimura H, AshizawaK, Tsuruta M, Nagayama Y, Villadolid MC,Yokoyama N, Nagataki S. “ Suppressive doses ofthyroxine do not accelerate age-related bone loss in

late postmenopausal women. Thyroid 1995Feb;5(1):13-7

18. Whybrow PC, “ The therapeutic use of triiodothyronineand high dose thyroxine in psychiatric disorder.” ActaMed Austriaca 1994;21(2):47-52

19. Stejskal, Vera D. M., PhD “ Human Hapten-SpecificLymphocytes: Biomarkers of Allergy in Man” DrugInformation Journal, Vol. 31, pp. 1379-1382, 1997

20. PAK, C. The effect of hyperthyroidism on the actionof adrenaline and ephedrine.” Chinese Jour. Physiol.14(3): 231-248, 1939 or in more modern terms,thyroid increases the density of beta-adrenergicreceptors on your cell membranes.

21. This article is a summary of Dr. Teitelbaum’ s protocolfor the treatment of CFIDS and fibromyalgia.www.immunesupport.com/fame/showarticle.cfm/ID/10

22. Drill, V a, and Sherwood, C R, “ The effect of vitaminB1 and the B2 complex on the weight, food intake,and estrual cycle of hyperthyroid rats.” Am. J. Physiol.124:683. 1938

23. Arem, Ridha, MD, The Thyroid Solution, BallantinePublishing Group, 1999

24. Broda O. Barnes, MD Research Foundation, Inc.,Lecture tapes. These tapes are available from theBroda O. Barnes Research Foundation, PO Box 98,Trumbull, CT 06611. Their website iswww.brodabarnes.org, and their phone is 203-261-2101.

www.immunesupport.com/fame/showarticle.cfm/ID/1

www.brodabarnes.org

AdrenalsPolly: The adrenals are small glands located onthe top of the kidneys. The center of the glandcreates adrenaline and noradrenaline. The outerportion of the gland produces many differenthormones. The most well-known arepregnenolone, DHEA, progesterone, aldosterone,and all the cortisols. The hormones of theadrenals help you regulate your sugar, salt,electrolytes and blood pressure. Supplements ofany of these hormones may be necessary tosupport the adrenals. However, usually the firsthormone that comes to mind for adrenal supportis cortisol. Sometimes licorice is employedbecause it has cortisol like substances.

A classic symptom of adrenal exhaustion islow blood pressure. However, everyone withpoor adrenal function does not display thissymptom. Fatigue is quite common, but notalways apparent. Since progesterone and cortisolfacilitate the conversion of T4 into T3, a lack ofeither of these hormones may manifest itself as aproblem with this conversion. Some otherpossible symptoms of adrenal exhaustion are

dizziness, lightheadedness, thirst, craving forsalt, sugar or both, joint or muscle pain,headaches, vision disturbances, cold hands andfeet, cold and/or heat intolerance, red palms andfingertips, panic and anxiety, intolerance to heatand humidity, sinusitis, frequent colds, flu,infections, sore throats, allergies, asthma, skin

problems, digestive disturbances, and emotionalproblems (mood swings, weeping, fears, phobias…). [1]

The possible symptoms of adrenal exhaustion arevery similar to that of hypothyroidism. However,certain symptoms and physical characteristics aremore prevalent in one than the other. Eg, thecheeks are more likely to be puffy inhypothyroidism, but sunken or dark inhypoadrenalism. Here is an article by Dr. Rindthat helps differentiate between these twoconditions. http://drrind.com/symptoms.asp.

Stress And The AdrenalsPolly: When the body is under stress, eitherphysical or emotional, the adrenals will try toproduce more cortisol or adrenaline. Cortisol canbring the blood sugar levels up by increasing theburning of protein. Adenaline causes fatty acidsto be drawn into the blood to help increase theburning of fat. If the stress goes on too long,eventually the adrenals become exhausted.Exhausted adrenals produce very little cortisols.When the adrenals are exhausted, the body down-regulates the thyroid (lowers thyroid production).This spares the remaining cortisol. Exhaustedadrenals cause fatigue. The way out of this messis to remove the stresses and to supply thenutrients needed to restore function.

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Mrs. Generic: When I’ m stressed-out, I can’ tsleep well and I can’ t tolerate very manycarbohydrates in my diet. I think this could becaused by my cortisol levels shooting up too highwhen I’ m under stress.

Avandish: Cortisol levels don’ t just get stuck onhigh output for no reason. It is a response to othermetabolic abnormalities like chronic infection,prolonged malabsorption / digestion, radiationexposure, surgical removal of vital organs suchas the thyroid, ovaries, etc. Cortisol elevateschronically to catabolize body proteins as anenergy source. High cortisol on a chronic basis isusually caused by a low blood sugar issue.Normally, with good digestion, your body canmaintain blood sugar levels necessary for properbrain function. Thyroid hormones are alsoinvolved in this process. However, when thethyroid is malfunctioning or you have chronicmalnutrition from digestion problems, increasedcortisol is a life saving reaction needed tomaintain blood sugar levels. Cortisol increasesthe catabolism (burning or conversion into fuel)of your muscle proteins to form adequate sugarlevels at a controlled rate.

When cortisol production and reserves aredepleted, the body produces excess adrenaline topromote the same catabolism of body tissues.Adrenaline, though, will make you hyper.Thyroid levels, especially T3, should be checkedin this case. If low, a natural thyroid with T3 andT4 should be gradually introduced as tolerated.Too much, too quick will make you hyper andcause heart arrhythmia and palpitations. If thisoccurs, stop until resolved and start at a lowerdose.

Each organ requires specific nutrients toproduce its typical byproducts of metabolism.When anything is short, the organ can’ t meetdemand for its products. This includes yourhormone production. If you continue on the same

path, eventually your production of cortisol willfall also. If it falls because of a lack of nutrients,this is bad. If it falls because nutrients arerestored and cortisol is no longer needed in thesame high quantities, this is good.

Polly: Stress, whether it is from infection,nutritional or emotional problems, will increasethe demand placed on the adrenals. There are acouple of ways to reduce this reaction, but thesesuggestions won’ t make much sense unless I firstexplain why they are important. Stress mayincrease the demand placed on the adrenals via avery curious mechanism, as follows. Stressmobilizes free fatty acids and increases theirpresence in the blood. If these free fatty acids areunsaturated, they will increase free serotonin. [2](Free serotonin means serotonin is outside ofcells.) Free serotonin increases CorticotropinReleasing Hormone (CRH) and this interefereswith sleep and increases ACTH. [3] ACTHsignals to the adrenals to work harder.

Here are a few suggestions on how to reducethis reaction. When you are a bit better, add fruit,or even cooked fruit to the diet. This will reducethe amount of free fatty acids released into theblood. Reduce the percentage of polyunsaturatedoils in the diet. Another way to lower thisdemand is to get rid of the dysbiosis. (Eg,lipopolysaccharides from the shell of gram-negative intestinal bacteria increase the tendancyfor platelets to aggregate and release theirserotonin. The hypoglycemia caused by thedysbiosis will cause the release of free fattyacids.)

I know it isn’ t much help to say “ get rid ofthe dysbiosis.” You already know that. However,it may give you hope that this problem willdisappear once you get the dysbiosis undercontrol. Also, work on getting rid of the allergiesbecause this will reduce the amount of serotoninreleased by platelets and mast cells. Magnesium


38

might help because it stabilizes platelets and mastcells, so less serotonin is likely to be released.Taurine reduces platelet aggregation and so mayhelp too. If you can tolerate it, add some gelatinor soup broth to your diet. The glycine in itcounters many of the effects of free serotonin.Don’ t take 5-HTP unless absolutely necessarybecause it may raise serotonin levels too high. Orif you do take it, don’ t take it for an extendedperiod of time. The 5-HTP will increase theformation of serotonin and probably lead toadditional free serotonin in the blood. Theforegoing was merely some suggestions on howto reduce the effects of stress on the body.

To repair the capability of the adrenals, theclassic recommendation is to take dried adrenalglandulars, B vitamins (especially niacin), lots ofpantethenic acid and vitamin C. [4] However,pantethenic acid will inhibit taurine metabolism.[5] So, a few people might have a problem withvery large doses of pantethenic acid if theirtaurine levels are low. Pantethenic acid acidcompetes with biotin and alpha lipoic acid. Sothese should not be forgotten if a lot of patethenicacid is supplemented. Here is a little moreinformation about some substances that supportvarious functions of the adrenals. Not all of themmay be appropriate for everyone.

1) Taurine: The amino acid taurine isparticularly abundant in the adrenals. Those of uswith yeast overgrowth are more likely than thegeneral population to be low on taurine. [6]Taurine will inhibit the release of adrenaline. [7]Thus it might help with some anxiety reactions orcertain blood pressure problems.

2) Tyramine, Or Tyrosine to increaseadrenaline: Adrenaline can be produced via twodifferent pathways. If you have a fatty liver or agenetic condition where certain enzymes are low,you might have trouble creating an adequateamount of adrenaline from phenylalanine and/or

tyrosine. In this case, tyramine may be bettersuited for you. [8] Tyramine is in manyfoods. However, the only place I know topurchase unbound tyramine is from DEWS,website www.DEWSnatural.com or phone(940) 243-2178. They call their tyramine productTAT. They also have a product called BHB thatcontains both the tyramine and beta hydroxybutyric. (Another name for beta hydroxy butyricis threonine. Threonine is an amino acid.) Thebeta hydroxy butyric helps to remove fat from theliver. If you work on removing the fat from theliver, you may improve the liver enzymes andeventually, you might eliminate the need for thetyramine product.

There are a few precautions. Just because alittle is good, it doesn’ t mean a lot is better.

A. Tyramine is an inhibitor of pyridoxal kinase,which decreases the active form of vitaminB6 in the body.

B. Tyramine may increase blood pressure. Itdoes this by releasing neuronalnorepinephrine.

C. In some people, tyramine will trigger amigraine.

D. Tyramine should be used with caution if youhave a heart condition, have low copper orare on MAO inhibitor drugs. Tyramine isbroken down by MAO. So is thyroidhormones. Therefore, you could end up withboth hypertension and hyperthyroidism if youwere taking MAO inhibitors and tyramine atthe same time. If you are very low on copper,the same problem could occur with takingtyramine because MAO is dependent on acopper enzyme. So if you have an unusualreaction to the tyramine, check to see if youhave low copper. This article explains what ishappening, www.ithyroid.com/tyramines.htm.

www.DEWSnatural.com

www.ithyroid.com/tyramines.htm

Adrenals 39

3) Salt and sugar: Enough salt in the diet is veryimportant when the adrenals are weak. Accordingto Raymond Peat, PhD,

“…animal experiments have demonstrated thatwith adequate sodium and sugar, animals canfunction normally without their adrenals.”

He also states that magnesium and potassium canbe helpful when the adrenals are under stress.

4) Progesterone: Adequate progesterone is veryimportant to the health of your adrenals.Progesterone regulates your body’ s level ofsodium and glucose (a sugar)£perhaps that iswhy animals given enough natural progesteronecan live without their adrenals. (Thyroid,pantethenic acid, vitamin A, E, and C support theproduction of progesterone. [9])

5) SeriPhos Or Phospholipids: If the problem ispoor regulation of the adrenals by the brain, youmight consider a product called SeriPhos, by T.E.Neesby. (phone (800) 633-7294 or (559) 433-3110) SeriPhos is also available from N.E.E.D.S., www.needs.com, or (800) 634-1380. The productcontains phospholipids, which are normalconstituents of the brain. (Phosphotidylserine andphosphotidylcholine are phospholipids.)

7) Hypothalamus raw tissue concentrate: Thismay also be of some help with the regulation ofthe adrenals by the brain. There are many placesto purchase it. Ask at your local health foodstore, or here is a place that carries the Atriumbrand, phone (310) 395-1131 and website, www.smhomeopathic.com/inventory.html Someof the other brands contain added ingredients.

Adrenal Exhaustion AndHormone SupplementsSarah H: This is a long post but please bear withit if you know anything about the adrenals /thyroid and candida link, as I am desperate for

advice. I’ m so confused. I have just searched theforum archives under cortisol and ACTH and Ican’ t make head nor tail of all the advice on theabove.

I have Hashimotos (auto immune thyroiditisie hypothyroidism) and have been on thesynthetic form of thyroid hormones (thyroxinehere in the United Kingdom—Synthroid to you)for three years now. It never really did much forme but I supplement it now with a small amountof T3, which seems to help with myenvironmental allergies but not food allergies.For me it was the thyroid disease that marked thedefinitive start of all my problems. After thatcame the allergies and eventually the stomachtroubles.

About a year ago, I saw a doctor who talkedabout adrenal exhaustion and small doses ofsteroids, but I fiddled about with a few things andnever did it properly. He never ran any tests tosubstantiate what he said either. I then discoveredI had candida, went on the diet and dismissed allother advice as the diet helped. However, I can’ ttake anti-fungals, I can’ t get anywhere withtreating the candida, and I still need T3supplementation, as things aren’ t working well inthe thyroid camp.

Twice I have been told that checking mycortisol levels would be beneficial, but myregular doctor has dismissed this saying it’ s notstraightforward and therefore ‘difficult’ toarrange. I don’ t think she sees any point in it!Recently, however, I have been told I have lowblood pressure and things seem to be clickinginto place for me.......this diagnosis of ChronicFatigue Syndrome (CFS) could be completelymisplaced. If I have problems with my adrenals,then surely this could be causing a lot of myproblems and preventing me from getting rid ofmy candida too?

I have just read that you have to treat adrenalexhaustion (with cortisol) BEFORE putting

www.needs.com

www.smhomeopathic.com/inventory.html


40

someone on T4. The doctor that I mentioned (thattried to put me on steroids without any tests) tookme off T4 and played around with natural thyroidat the same time. I ended up in a really bad wayand blacked out on my way to work and sufferedreally really bad irregular heartbeats for weeksbefore I settled back onto T4 again. Has anyoneout there been treated whilst taking thyroidsupplementation already? Seems like the medicalprofession has made a bit of a mess of me!

Shelley: Sarah! What a big mess for you! I readyour post much earlier when I couldn’ t sleep andhave been thinking of you ever since... I havechronic systemic yeast, hypothyroidism and nowChronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). When I firstread your post, I thought to tell you to visit thissite: www.chronicfatigue.org . That is the site ofa medical facility that believes that CFS is largelydue to adrenal “ exhaustion.” These (MD’ s) weretrying to treat Candida when Candida was afigment of the imagination for most others in themedical field. The clinic is in EasternPennsylvania in the US.

I also want to tell you that I was on cortisol(Cortef, as in the Jefferies research£right underthe mark that is supposed to make your adrenalsshut down—about 25 mg) and I was also onthyroid medication (Armour —a mixture of T3and T4). I did it like a good soldier for 4 months,and it was a horrible experience. I have neverbeen so revved up and exhausted at the sametime. I was like on a roller coaster of up anddown energy levels.

I have been mediating for 25 years, every daytwice a day without fail. I could hardly settle mybrain to meditate and that was a first for me. I amstill on the thyroid medication, but a differentdoctor took me off the Cortef. I didn’ t know whatexactly she was talking about (chemically) butshe said my brain was way too over-stimulated(no kidding). She also told me the combination is

used for treating MS patients as kind of a lastresort—only in that it is pretty hard to be in thestate I described above.

There may be others that know much moreabout all this on this forum—I’ m hoping thereare. And of course the doctor was speaking fromher own point of view about me, specifically. Ijust thought I’ d add what I could.

You need a good doctor (of course you knowthat) and I am thinking about you. I wish I couldsuggest more, but I am in the throes of all of thistoo, but coming form a different place. I wouldlike to hear how you are doing. Stay calm andone thing at a time. I’ m thinking of you.

Sarah H: Shelley, thanks for your message. Thatsort of information is so helpful to me. As I amsure you know, this is all so confusing. If I findout once and for all what the underlying problemis here, then I would use all my savings to see thebest possible doctor, even if that means flying tothe States. But, as you say, one thing at a time.

Do you find your doctor helpful in your battlewith all of this? Your steroid experience soundsfrightening! I suppose that what I would reallylike is to find a clinic where they are extra extraknowledgeable about EVERYTHING to do withChronic Fatigue Syndrome and candida andthyroid hormones and adrenals. Every time I seea doctor they look at just the one thing and thenwhen I have problems they give up on me. Iguess I am living in a dream world! Anyway,thanks for your help. If I find out any informationI’ ll mail back. Nice to hear you’ re battling on.

Polly, you sound really knowledgeable abouthormones like progesterone and the other onebeginning with ‘p’ . Do you have any comments?Thanks.

Polly: Sarah, perhaps the best way to know whatis happening is to get a 24 hour urine test fromthe Broda Barnes foundation. This will test more

www.chronicfatigue.org

Adrenals 41

than just DHEA, thyroid, and cortisol. And it willgive you an idea of what is being used by yourbody. Unfortunately, it usually takes manymonths to get a result back from them. Anotheroption is to have your doctor do saliva tests onthe main hormones. These saliva tests don’ tcover as many of the hormones as the Barnestest, but they have the advantage of only taking aweek or two to get your results back. (See thesection on ordering hormone tests in the chapteron Progesterone And Estrogen. If you are willingto pay for the tests yourself, you don’ t need adoctor’ s okay to get tested for hormones.)

If your body doesn’ t have enough cortisol,then your pituitary will (usually) produce moreACTH as a signal to the adrenals to make morehormones. Sometimes the pituitary can’ t makeenough ACTH and so your adrenal outputsuffers. At other times, the adrenals are gettingplenty of ACTH, but the adrenals are just are tooexhausted to produce the hormones. In eithercase, you may need to supplement with some ofthese hormones. When there are weak adrenals,usually the first thing doctors want to try iscortisols. However, before trying cortisols, youmight first consider trying natural progesterone.This is not to say that cortisol supplementation isto be shunned. Cortisol supplementation may beexactly what is needed. However, I suggesttrying the natural progesterone first because it isa more general support for the adrenals. Plus youdon’ t have to take progesterone as many timesper day as you do the cortisols. (The cortisolsshould be supplemented four times per day.Progesterone is usually supplemented only onceor twice per day.) Many of the benefits that Dr.Jefferies attributes to small physiological dosesof cortisol are exactly the same ones attributed tonatural progesterone. This is not totallysurprising. Often functions of the hormonesoverlap. Raymond Peat, PhD made a very

interesting statement concerning the adrenals andprogesterone. He wrote,

“Hans Selye demonstrated that progesteronesupplements keep animals healthy for their entirelife after their adrenals have been removed.”

On the next page there is a simplified diagram ofthe relationship between the hormones. (JohnLee’ s book on menopause has a more completediagram in his appendix.) Pregnenolone is at thetop of the diagram and progesterone is near it.They are closely related chemically. The otherhormones are more distantly related, and areplaced further down on the diagram. Accordingto Raymond Peat, supplements near the top of thestream, like progesterone and pregnenolone, aregenerally safer than taking supplements that arefurther downstream like DHEA, testosterone,estrogen or cortisol. Read Dr. Raymond Peat’ spaper at his website under hormones entitled“ Three Youth Related Hormones” , which refersto pregnenolone, progesterone, and DHEA. See www.efn.org/~raypeat/index.html.

The arrows in the diagram represent how thebody will normally convert one hormone intoanother. Any one of these conversions may notbe proceeding at the correct rate. If a conversionis blocked, the logical approach is to supplementthe hormone that is right after the blockage.However, the body is such a complex machinethat this strategy probably isn’ t perfect. It is justsomething to try.

What do you do if a conversion is proceedingtoo quickly? For instance, if one is under a lot ofstress, the adrenals may be producing a lot ofcortisol. (This will eventually exhaust theadrenals.) One might guess that the solution is tolimit progesterone, because cortisol is made fromprogesterone. It doesn’ t work that way. In fact,you may be able to reduce the fast conversionand excess cortisol by supplying moreprogesterone. (Confusing, right?) The reason is



42

that progesterone can reduce stress, and stresscan be the reason for the fast conversion.Pregnenolone, DHEA, progesterone, thyroid,sunlight, vitamin A, protein, and other nutrientscan alleviate stress and improve hormonebalance. Thus, using some of these precursorhormones may actually slow down a later

conversion that is proceeding too quickly.Pregnenolone, and progesterone also tend todilute the adverse effects of too much of the otheradrenal hormones. (A much more comprehensiveexplanation is in Raymond Peat’ s chapter onarthritis in his book From PMS to Menopause.)

Figure 1. Hormone Cascade

If I were you, I’ d concentrate on reducing stress,and improving your liver’ s ability to get rid ofestrogen and other toxins. If you experiment withhormone supplementation on your own, start with thehormones at the top of the stream, which arepregnenolone and progesterone. It is much safer.

DHEA would be next in line to try, and perhapswould be particularly appropriate for men since itconverts into testosterone. However, some men areusing the 7-Keto DHEA because they think it issafer. 7-Keto DHEA usually doesn’ t increaseestrogen and testosterone in men. (Yet, it will usually

Pregnenolone

Cortisol Aldosterone Androstenedione

DHEA

Testosterone

Estrogens

Progesterone

Adrenals 43

increase estrogen and testosterone in women.) Lessestrogen means less chance of prostate problems inmen. DHEA and 7-Keto DHEA have some bloodthinning properties, so one must be careful if usingprescription anti-coagulants with it.

Men can also try a little of the progesterone.However, it may inhibit sperm maturation.According to Raymond Peat, PhD, there are timeswhen men, especially older men, can take a littlenatural progesterone and benefit from it. Dr. JohnLee suggests that the natural progesterone, combinedwith a program of eliminating outside estrogensources, might be beneficial for the treatment ofprostate cancer.

Sarah H: Polly, thanks so much for replying. I am ina right quandary at the moment. However, I don’ tfancy fiddling around with my hormones withoutexpert guidance so I’ m going to find a good doctorfor that. What are your experiences on thesehormones if you don’ t mind me asking? Have youtried DHEA or progesterone?

Polly: Progesterone helped me keep my health whengoing through menopause. Without it, I would havelost a lot of ground. If instead, I had succumbed tothe estrogen hype, I don’ t think I would be heretoday.

My measured DHEA levels were normal.However, out of curiosity, I did try one 25mg pill ofregular DHEA (not time-release). It wasn’ t right. Ihad lots of wonderful energy at first, but four hourslater I was very tired. Perhaps it has to do with acortisol release that happens when you take the non-time-release DHEA, and/or perhaps it had somethingto do with my low sulfur levels at that time. Lowsulfates can cause an exaggerated response to DHEA.Raymond Peat talks about using only 4 mg of DHEAfor most people over 50 years old. Maybe I just triedway too much DHEA. I find pregnenolone very mildand helpful.

Salt, Low Blood Pressure, AndCortisolsPolly: Weak adrenals can allow your blood pressureto drop too low. In this situation, Cortef(hydrocortisone) or Florinef (fludrocortisone) issometimes prescribed to bring your blood pressureback up. However, before starting these, you shouldfirst increase salt and water intake. This may be allthat is necessary. Besides, these drugs won’ t help youretain salt if there is not enough salt available toretain. Cortisols, progesterone and thyroid help youregulate and retain salt. Both Cortef and Florinef helpyou retain salt and can be used to increase low bloodpressure. (Florinef will help you retain salt betterthan the Cortef. Yet Florinef’ s anti-inflammatoryeffects aren’ t as good as Cortef’ s.) If you takeFlorinef, potassium should be supplemented andmonitored. In fact, if you use either of these drugsyou might need a little more potassium andmagnesium.

Licorice contains cortisol-like substances. Youmight want to try it instead of the prescription drugs.Licorice also has the property of slowing down theclearance of cortisols. Using licorice in the morningmakes the most use of licorice’ s ability to spread outthe available cortisol, since in the morning, theamount of cortisol is usually at its peak. Sincecortisol levels are lower during the rest of the day,you don’ t have this same advantage later. Hence,some people suggest taking licorice only in themorning. Eating a lot of licorice all day long isn’ t aparticularly good idea because licorice has estrogenicproperties. Licorice will also speed up Phase Idetoxification in the liver, which you may or may notwant to do. [10] If you buy licorice candy, it musthave the licorice herb in it, anise, instead of theartificial flavoring.

Instead of the prescription drugs, you canpurchase mixed cortisol products like Drenamin. Anyhealth professional, including your chiropractor, canpurchase Drenamin or BioMax Adrenal Cortex


44

Extract. Standard Process makes the Drenamin,phone 262-495-2122 or 800-848-5061. BioMaxFormulations makes the other product. It is not aprescription item, because the Dietary SupplementHealth and Education Act of 1994 allows for lowdose hormones to be sold and marketed as dietarysupplements. Yet the manufactures only distributethrough health practitioners (including chiropractors)because they want to make sure the product is usedproperly. You can also purchase these adrenal cortexextracts from various companies who have healthprofessionals on staff to answer basic questions. See

www.thewayup.com/products/0076.htmphone (800) 289-8487 or (760) 322-7797,

http://healthchoice.net/supplements/ace.htmlphone (800) 908-0000 Ext. 409

www.gaines.com/store/BioMax/BioMax.htmlphone (888) 248-7159 or (619) 229-2121

Unless you are rich, the price (approximately $36for 15 ml) should keep you from abusing the product.Remember, you need to take the recommendedamount approximately every 4 hours during the day.Eg, take upon arising, at noon, at 4 PM and 8 PM.Don’ t take the day’ s dose all at once. Don’ t takemuch more than suggested. If there are any unusualreactions to this (or any substance for that matter),discontinue its use, and contact your doctor.Although we trust our manufacturers to give usquality products, once in a while, there arecontaminants. In 1996, there was a contaminatedbatch of injectable adrenal cortex extract made byHallmark Labs, which produced sores at the sites ofinjection. (See article atwww.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol5no5/galil.htm )

For More InformationPolly: There is a fairly recent book called Adrenalfatigue: the 21st Century Stress Syndrome, by JamesWilson, ND, PhD. There is a lot of good information

in it, and it is easy to read. There is also conventionalmedical site that has particularly good articles onhormones. You might want to take a look at thepatient information on adrenals at this site,www.uptodate.com. It may help you understand whatyour doctor is saying. Of course, Raymond Peat’ sbook, From PMS to Menopause, is a very goodchoice too.

references1. www.healthy.net/LIBRARY/Articles/Schacter/hypothyr.d.

htm

2. Peat R, Several of his newsletters describe this mechanism.Eg. July 2003, “ Glycemia, starch, and sugar in context”

3. Jorgensen H, Knigge U, Kjaer A, Moller M, Warberg J,“ Serotonergic Stimulation of Corticotropin-ReleasingHormone and Pro-Opiomelanocortin Gene Expression.” JNeuroendocrinol. 2002 Oct;14(10):788-795. and Mark ROpp M, “ Coticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) as aregulator/modulator of waking.” Actas de Fisiología 7,2001 93http://www.rau.edu.uy/universidad/medicina/actas7/focus_groups.pdf

4. Bach, Phyllis, C.N.C, Balch, James F., MD Prescription forNutritional Healing, 2nd edition, Avery Publishing Group,Garden City Park, New York, 1997, page 92

5. Braverman, Eric R., MD, The Healing Nutrients Within;Facts, Findings and New Research on Amino Acids, KeatsPublishing, Inc. 27 Pine Street (Box 876), New Canaan,Connecticut 06840-0876, date 1997, page 178

6. ibid. Balch, page 41

7. ibid. Braverman page 169

8. Gringauz A, “ Alternative Route to Adrenaline Production,”Introductionn to Medicinal Chemistry, Wiley and SonsPublishers, page 384, figure 9-1, as cited in this paperDews J, “ Alternative Rounte to Adrenaline (Epinephrine)production: tyramine, the misunderstood nutrient” DewsResearch Laboratories, Mineral Wells, Texas 76067. Onepathway is tyrosine to dopamine to noradrenaline toadrenaline. The other pathway is tyrosine to tyramine tooctopamine to synephrine to adrenaline.) Jone Dews alsocited some other interesting work. “ Inhibition of thisFunction by Normal Route” Review of PhysiologicalChemistry, 17th edition, Lange Publishers, page 392 and532. And “ Conversion of Tyrosine to L-dopa/dopamine

www.thewayup.com/products/0076.htm

http://healthchoice.net/supplements/ace.html

www.gaines.com/store/BioMax/BioMax.html

www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol5no5/galil.htm

www.uptodate.com

www.healthy.net/LIBRARY/Articles/Schacter/hypothyr.d

http://www.rau.edu.uy/universidad/medicina/actas7/focus

Adrenals 45

Takes Place in the Liver” The Merck Manual, 16th ed, page2240, see variants. And “ Conversion of Phenylalanine toTyrosine by Liver Enzymes” The Geigy Scientific Tables#4, page 155-156, biochemistry. And ImpairedCatecholamine Synthesis” Lippincott’ s Ilustrated Reviews:Biochemistry, 2nd ed, pages 252, 253 and 254.

9. Peat, Raymond, PhD, Nutrition for Women, 1993, page 40

10. Cutler, PhD, PE, Andrew Hall. Amalgam Illness: Diagnosisand Treatment , Minerva Laboratories, June 1999, page 41

11. Jefferies, William McK, MD, Safe Uses of Cortisol,Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd, 1996

12. Peat, Raymond, PhD, From PMS to Menopause: FemaleHormones in Context, 1997, available from Raymond Peat,P.O. Box 5764, Eugene, Oregon 97405

13. Peat, Raymond, PhD, “ Endocrine System and the CandidaPatient” , 1985 lecture tape given to the Candida andDysbiosis Information Foundation

Progesterone AndEstrogen

Polly: If you are a woman and you have asignificant intestinal yeast problem, then there isa fairly high probability that you have too muchestrogen compared to progesterone. Generally,low thyroid hormone, low progesterone, and highestrogen are associated with yeast overgrowth.

It isn’ t that hard to understand the basics.However, if this is the first time you have heardabout these hormones, you may have to do someadditional reading to feel comfortable with thesubject. Usually, you will want to stop using birthcontrol pills and hormone-replacement-therapy(HRT) because the hormones in these treatmentsincrease yeast growth. If you have PMS duringthe last two weeks of your cycle, or otherestrogen dominance symptoms, then check for athyroid problem, and consider trying a littlenatural progesterone and/or pregnenolone.

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)Taylor: Got this in my email today...

10 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE PMS

1. Everyone around you has an attitudeproblem.

2. You’ re adding chocolate chips to your cheeseomelet

3. The dryer has shrunk every last pair of yourjeans.

4. Your husband is suddenly agreeing toeverything you say.

5. You’ re using your cellular phone to dial upevery bumper sticker that says, “ How’ s mydriving call 1-800-***-****.”

6. Everyone’ s head looks like an invitation tobatting practice.

7. You’ re convinced there’ s a God and he’ smale.

8. You’ re counting down the days untilmenopause.

9. You’ re sure that everyone is scheming todrive you crazy.

10. The ibuprofen bottle is empty and you boughtit yesterday.

Sue BC: For the first time in my whole adult lifeI have had no PMS. I have been on a strict dietand antifungals for almost a month. I have hadsevere PMS and never knew a month withoutsore breasts, severe cramps, Naproxin and a hot

Progesterone And Estrogen 47

water bottle. Not to mention the emotionaloutbursts, bingeing on chocolate and potato chipsand threatening to leave my poor unsuspectingmate for some unfounded reason. Thismonth...Nothing! I’ ve been active and cheerfuland loving. No cravings. No pain. No headaches.I have this forum to thank. While treating mycandida I accidentally cured my PMS. Myhusband is now the greatest supporter of my dietregime. He has had to live with my rages andcrying jags once a month for several years andeven he says I’ m never cranky any more. GODBLESS ALL OF YOU who have added yourwords of wisdom to this forum.

Dong Quai£Took thisPhytoestrogen for PMSFranca: Hi all! This forum is great! Thanks tothe information here, I managed to get a 3 monthDiflucan treatment from my gynecologist 4months ago. The only problem is, that I don’ tthink it’ s got rid of the problem for good. (Inculture tests, only normal flora was found, but Ido live in the tropics, and suspect that I may havehad Gardnerella).

By chance, as the symptoms were returning(external vaginal itch, discharge, bleeding gums,crusty eyes, waxy ears, etc), I decided to takesome Dong Quai for PMS. ALL of the symptomswent away that same day!! This was about 3weeks ago, and I have been taking between 600and 1300 mg/day, with no return of thesymptoms.

What was especially weird is this: TheDiflucan seemed to beat back the yeast, but forthe first time since getting the infection (2 yearsago!), it feels like the Dong Quai is killing it at itsroots. I don’ t know much about Dong Quai at all,except that it’ s supposed to have a positive effecton PMS (which it does£better than EveningPrimrose oil, in my opinion).

Can anyone tell me more about how it works?Whether it has any side-effects if taken long-term? Combined with other food/medication?I’ m very curious! All I know so far, is that it hasan effect on hormones. Can anyone tell me more?

Marilyn in Seattle: In the days before the doctorput me on progesterone cream, which regulatesmy cycle to a normal 28 day cycle, I gave updairy products and switched to soy milk. When Idid this I found that soy products added 3-4 daysto my 18 days, so that it was lengthening the timebetween menses. I assume from this experiencethat the soy was having beneficial effects, eitheron progesterone levels or mopping up excessestrogen. Earl Mindell in his book on soybeanssays that soy acts like an adaptogen£that itregulates estrogen either way needed in the body.I don’ t know if this is true, but his book is veryinteresting.

Polly: You have to be careful about the amountof phytoestrogens in your diet and supplements.In the May 15, 1999 issue of Science News, thereis an article on soy and cancer. One of thephytoestrogens in soy, genistein, inhibits theformation of a certain precancerous change incells if it is in low concentrations, but at higherconcentrations this phytoestrogen fosters thissame precancerous change. (The saponins in soyturned out to be much more cancer protectivethan the phytoestrogens.)

In a journal published by the NationalInstitute of Health, there was another example ofhow important the dose can be. If given in lowdoses, certain phytoestrogens will inhibit theconversion of testosterone to estrogen, and thuscan reduce the amount of estrogen in the body.However, at higher doses, the inhibitory effectdisappears and the extra phytoestrogens only addto the estrogenic effects in the body. [1]


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Dr. John Lee thinks it is okay to usephytoestrogens to help with hot flashes if youhave enough progesterone to balance them. JohnLee might be right, but you have to be veryjudicious in how much and for what reason youingest them. At the 29th Cancer Control Society’ sannual convention, Vicki Hufnagal, MD, saidthat some women are getting themselves intotrouble by using a lot of phytoestrogens that arenot balanced by enough progesterone. She knewof 10 women with uterine cancer who had beentaking large doses of phytoestrogens to get rid oftheir hot flashes. I’ d first try to find other ways todeal with a health problem before resorting tosomething that contained phytoestrogens.

Raymond Peat, PhD, also warns us thatphytoestrogens can be dangerous. In the March1999 issue of Raymond Peat’ s newsletter, hewrote about estrogen receptors and the currentconcept being fed to the public that they could besaturated with weak protective estrogens.Basically, he said that thinking only in terms ofreceptors would lead you to false conclusions.Estrogens have a lot of actions that can’ t beexplained just by their attaching to receptor sites.Here is a list of some things estrogen can do thathas nothing to do with the receptors:

1) changes the activity of existing enzymes,

2) immediately increases the cell’ s affinity forwater,

3) modify ionic balances,

4) act on the mitochondria,

5) cause mutations,

6) produce massive amounts of free radicals,

7) accelerate cellular aging,

8) cause an unsaturable dose-related increasein active electrons,

9) cause inflammation,

10) epileptic seizures,

11) birth defects,

12) activate the stress/shock proteins,

13) disrupt microtubules,

14) disorganize the mitotic apparatus in a doserelated manner, up to the point that itproduces genomic instability

15) three-cornered cell division,

16) loss of gain of chromosomes,

17) multipolar cell divisions, and

18) cellular disintegration.

Julia Chang, MSc, also feels that we shouldnot be using phytoestrogens on a regular basis.According to her, an herb containingphytoestrogens may make you feel better at first,but if you take it for more than a little while, it isgoing to make you sicker. Here is a quote takenfrom her website (with permission).

“There seems to be a common misconceptionin the natural health community that women withhigh estrogen levels should take phytoestrogen(plant estrogen) because phytoestrogens are“protective estrogens” which reduce estrogenicactivity. It is believed that phytoestrogenscompete with endogenous estrogens for estrogenreceptors. When the estrogen receptors areoccupied by phytoestrogens, cell divisions arereduced because phytoestrogens are “weakestrogens”. This theory made sense to me untilmy own experience showed otherwise. With myendometriosis, my pain level was a measurementfor my condition. When I tried Don Quai,Licorice, Ginseng and Royal Jelly, I did feelbetter initially for a few weeks because theyhelped my blood circulation. As I continued totake these remedies, my pain would come backwith a vengeance, more severe than before. Irealized that weak estrogens could add upsignificantly if given enough time. I believe thatmany women are misled by initial feelings of


wellness without realizing that longer periods ofusage actually makes the problem worse. Manyother endometriosis sufferers that I know alsohave had similar experiences with phytoestrogen.

Interestingly, one of the three commonestrogens, Estriol, has similar properties. Beinga less potent cell stimulant, Estriol was onceclassified as an estrogen antagonist. In the book“ Estrogens in the Environment,” it wasmentioned “ because it failed to induce breasttumors in susceptible rodent strains andappeared to block such induction by Estradioland Estrone, it was considered to be a safeestrogen.” However, later studies showed thatEstriol was safe only if it was administered as asingle injection. A continuous administration ofEstriol showed the same responses from thatinduced by Estradiol, which is the most potentestrogen. Continuous administration of Estriolwas also shown to induce breast tumors inrodents. [2]

Generally I have found that estrogen contentsin foods are less than in herbs. My suggestion forwomen with hormone imbalance is to avoidestrogen-containing herbs such as Don Quai,Licorice, Ginseng, Royal Jelly, fennel, hops,anise, clover, flax seed oil and evening primroseoil even though they may make you feel betterinitially. Estrogen-containing foods such asalfalfa, chickpea, carrot (or beta-carotene) canbe taken occasionally but not on a regular basis.

Pesticides sprayed on fruits or vegetables areanother source of estrogen (xenoestrogens).Soaking them in a water-vinegar mixture for 20to 30 minutes followed by rinsing in clean watercan remove much of the pesticides if organically-grown vegetables or fruits are unavailable.”

Julia Chang, MSc, sells Chinese herbs to treat theliver and gallbladder. This is her website: www.sensiblehealth.com/prime.html You can

contact her company by phone at 416-248-2930,fax: 416-233-5347, or by mail at

Prime Health Products15 Belfield Road, Unit CToronto, Ontario, Canada M9W 1E8

Estrogen and YeastPamela: I want to express my gratitude for thisgroup. I have learned so much and you arewonderful support. I have been reading most ofthe posts, but remain confused about theconnection between candida and estrogen. Howexactly does it increase estrogen? Thanks

Polly: Quite simply, yeast make estradiol, astrong estrogen.

Susan in Olympia: I had a violent reaction tobirth control pills. They kicked off the candida-festival that is now going on its fifth year. I justquit work to take a medical leave for ChronicFatigue Syndrome... so maybe one of these daysI’ ll recover from the damage that was started in1994 by those little pills that doctors claim aresafe. I used about 3 different pills with varyingrecipes of hormones... over about 7 weeks time...with devastating results. I cringe wheneveranyone mentions using birth control pill foranything at all. (I was prescribed them forendometriosis.)

Polly: Everyone needs to be careful aboutsupplementing any estrogens. It increases yeastgrowth. Too much estrogen also suppresses ourliver’ s ability to get rid of toxins. Estrogen alsoreduces the number of secretory antigens that canreach the yeast and help our body kill the yeast.[3] For most of us, I feel that more estrogen isn’ tthe correct treatment. We get plenty of estrogenin the meat we eat and from the estrogen

www.sensiblehealth.com/prime.html


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produced in our fat. Adding more only fuels theyeast growth.

However, there are always exceptions to therule. There are a few instances where a tiny bit ofadditional estrogen has been helpful, especially ifthe woman is very thin. Sometimes a little moreis needed for about five days near ovulation if thebody’ s rate of production starts too slow. Thereis a condition dubbed “ reverse PMS” where thesymptoms of PMS occur during the first twoweeks of the cycle. Often giving a little estrogenduring this time helps relieve the symptoms. [4]However, if the PMS occurs during the last twoweeks, there is usually too much estrogencompared to progesterone. Then you may want toadd some natural progesterone and/or work onhelping your body get rid of the estrogen.

I’ ve heard of several ways to help the body toget rid of estrogen. The liver dumps some of theunwanted estrogen into the intestines. A littleroughage in your diet will help move the estrogenout of the bowel before the estrogen has a chanceto be reabsorbed. Raymond Peat suggests eatinga carrot per day to provide the roughage. Perhapsgrate it and use a dressing with coconut oil in it.He suggests that coconut oil and milk in the dietwill be helpful in removing estrogen.

Before dumping the estrogen into the bowel,the liver conjugates the estrogen. In this form, thebody cannot use the estrogen. However, bacteriain the intestine can break down the conjugationand allow the estrogen to be reabsorbed and usedagain. Calcium-d-glucarate can help with thedisposal of estrogen (and other hormones) bypreventing the conjugated estrogen fromconverting back into a form that can bereabsorbed. Calcium-d-glucarate can bepurchased in many health food stores, or it can beordered from places such as Wilner’ s Chemists,phone 800-633-1106. However, ask you doctor’ sopinion before using it. Calcium-d-glucarate canspeed up the disposal of other toxins/drugs too. If

you are on medications, it is particularlyimportant that you ask your doctor before tryingcalcium-d-glucarate. If you try it, start with justa small amount to allow your body to get used tothe change in hormonal balance. Too fast achange could set off a migraine.

Make sure you are getting enough protein inyour diet, as protein is necessary for the disposalof estrogen. Natural progesterone and thyroidalso help the liver get rid of estrogen. If tolerated,additional B vitamins, A, E, C, and magnesiummay also be helpful here.

Doesn’t Estrogen Protect MyHeart and Bones?Polly: That isn’ t so obvious anymore. The oldstudies that say estrogen is good for your heartwere probably not valid because the groupschosen to receive estrogen were generally inbetter health than those who were not given theestrogen. After following 2,763 women for fiveand a half years, the recent results of the HeartEstrogen-progestin Replacement Study (HERS)indicate that hormone replacement therapy doesmore harm than good. Hormone replacementtherapy (HRT) was of no overall benefit in thesecondary prevention of coronary artery diseaseevents in postmenopausal women, and HRT wasassociated with a threefold increase inthromboembolic events. [5] A larger study, theWomen’ s Health Initiative clinical trial, washalted May 31, 2002. After 5 years of datacollection, they concluded that Prempro increasesa woman's risk of breast cancer, heart disease,and stroke. They also found that treatment withPrempro doubled the chances for Alzheimers forwomen who began taking the drug at age 65 orolder. Also see these articles about estrogen.

www.mercola.com/2000/apr/9/estrogen_heart_disease.htm

www.mercola.com/2000/apr/9/estrogen_heart_di


www.mercola.com/2000/aug/27/hormone_replacement_heart_disease.htm

www.mercola.com/2000/mar/19/estrogen_no_benefit_heart_disease.htm

If you read Dr. John Lee’ s book What yourDoctor may NOT tell you about Menopause, youmay come to the conclusion that progesterone ismuch more important then estrogen for strongbones. Progesterone promotes the formation ofnew bone. In contrast, estrogen slows down theformation of new bone. [6] Estrogen’ s benefitsare limited to its ability to slow down theresorption of old bone.

Progesterone and YeastRuby: Progesterone fosters candidiasis. Takingprogesterone alters mucous membranes of themouth, throat, lungs, and vaginal vault. 2,000birth control users studied in 1983 at theUniversity of Southern CA School of Medicineindicated ALL possessed vaginal yeast invasionand approximately 30% suffered chronicvaginitis, fatigue and depression. Estrogen alsoencourages yeast growth.

Kippy: Ooooh, now you’ ve done it, you’ re goingto get Polly all riled up! I am no expert on thissubject, however, I wouldn’ t believe a 15-year-old study of birth control users. Birth control pillscontain both estrogen and progestins. They’ readministered throughout one’ s cycle (unlikeprogesterone cream which is administered ondays 12-25 only), and birth control pills in theearly 80s contained much higher levels ofhormones than current versions.

There is still some question in the alternativemedical community on the subject ofprogesterone causing yeast overgrowth; however,it appears from my limited research that the

scales are tipping in favor of progesterone notcausing yeast, while estrogen does cause yeast.

Polly: Ruby, I can easily believe you when yousay that the patented progestins (which mostdoctors prescribe) will increase yeast growth.However, the patented progestins are not thesame type of progesterone that the body makes.Those patented progestins should never be used.One reason they are still in use today is that youcan patent altered progesterone and make moneyfrom the patent. You can’ t patent the type ofprogesterone that the body makes because thelaw classifies it as a natural substance.Substances that can’ t be patented can’ t generateenough revenue to justify studying them. Thepatented progestins are so unlike naturalprogesterone that I feel they should really becalled artificial or unnatural progesterones.

You cannot generalize studies done withthose patented progestins and say they apply tothe natural progesterone. For one thing, thepatented progestins lower your own body’ snatural progesterone levels, and interfere with thereceptor sites that require the naturalprogesterone. When you take the patentedprogestins you get many symptoms thatcorrespond to a lack of the natural progesterone,eg blood clots, hypoglycemia, depression, somecancers. For this reason, studies done with thepatented progestins can give exactly the oppositeresult as using the real progesterone.

I’ ve only seen a couple studies that look atthe real (natural) progesterone, and these studiesseem to indicate that progesterone helps keep theyeast at bay. Here is the first study. ACzechoslovakian researcher, Alena Tomsikova,found that 23% of patients with chronic,recurrent vaginitis (CRV) had elevated estrogenlevels, and that progesterone was decreased in22% of these same CRV patients. [7] (Note: Theterm “ vaginosis” refers to bacterial vaginal

www.mercola.com/2000/aug/27/hormone_replac

www.mercola.com/2000/mar/19/estrogen_no_be


52

infection vs the term “ vaginitis” which usuallyrefers to a yeast/fungal vaginal infection.)

This next study was on yeast infections inrats that had had their ovaries removed, and thenwere treated with either estrogen or progesterone.Quote:

“ Estrogen dosing following ovariectomypredisposed toward infection, while progesteronedosing did not.” [8]

The abstract is at

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=3527984&form=6&db=m&Dopt=b

Patti: A note from the school of personalexperience (mine£a sample of one). The fewtimes I began birth control I always (100% of thetime) got a vaginal yeast infection. (I went backand forth between the patch and the pill for awhile, like a frog jumping from frying pan tofire). I don’ t know whether it was the estrogen orthe progestins. I’ d believe either, or both! I havenot had a vaginal yeast infection since usingnatural progesterone cream. I have been using thecream for 6 months now. Your mileage may varybut this is my experience.

Ruby: Thank you for citing the website. Wheredo you put the natural progesterone cream?

Polly: Rotate the places on your body where youuse it. Rub it on just about anyplace. The creamabsorbs well on the inside of the arms, the palmsof the hands, the soles of the feet (if not callused)and on the neck. For the oil, it is suggested thatyou rub it on your gums, or put some on atoothpick and place it between your cheek andyour gums. If you get good at this, you don’ ttaste the oil. I’ ve also heard that if you are usingit to treat acne, to rub it near but not on the acne.

If you can’ t tolerate the taste of the oil, you canmix it with a tiny bit of olive or coconut oil, anduse it just like you would the creams.

Mrs. Generic: But progesterone makes me feelworse.

Polly: When you start natural progesterone, it cansometimes give you symptoms of an estrogenoverdose. It has been suggested that thisestrogenic effect is due to the progesteronesensitizing the estrogen receptors and making theestrogen stick better to the cells. However,Raymond Peat, PhD points to references thatstate progesterone degrades and eliminatesestrogen receptors. [9] So the answer isn’ t soobvious. What makes the most sense to me is thatthe initial symptoms are due to the movement,conversion, detoxification or redistribution ofestrogen. Raymond Peat, PhD states,

“ Progesterone activates enzymes whichphysically/chemically detoxify estrogen,converting it to a water-soluble sulfated form, inwhich it tends to be expelled from cells and to beexcreted in the urine.” [10]

Progesterone seems to prevent the tissue fromconcentrating/storing estrogen. Each month itdisplaces the estrogen in the tissue.

To counter this initial effect, and to gently getyou off estrogen supplements, Dr. John Leesuggests that you should cut your estrogen dosein half as soon as you start the progesterone. (Acouple months later you can cut the estrogen dosein half again.) If you continue to have problemsafter a few months, then maybe something elseneeds to be corrected. Try to support your liver’ sability to eliminate unwanted hormones as muchas possible (Try sulfates, protein, thyroidhormone,…).

Of course, your symptoms might also be dueto some interplay with the yeast. Since estrogen

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin


is leaving your body’ s cells, perhaps the yeasttemporarily have more access to estrogen. Somepeople have reported a temporary flare up ofyeast symptoms when they first startprogesterone. [4] So be observant. Work ongetting the yeast growth down before you try theprogesterone. If after a few months, you are stillhaving problems with the progesterone, consideradding pregnenolone or a tiny bit of DHEA.Once in a while, you will find someone whodoesn’ t tolerate the progesterone unless it isbalanced with pregnenolone or a little DHEA.

Susan in Olympia: I’ m glad you mentioned theinitial effects of supplementation with naturalprogesterone. For the first six weeks or so oftaking it my body was really mixed up. I had myfirst two periods very very early and things wereall jumbled up. I’ m glad however, that I gave theprogesterone a chance, because within three orfour months the magic had begun to work... andit’ s all been good ever since.

Mrs. Generic: Why do some people think thatprogesterone increases yeast growth?

Polly: The only reasons that I’ ve heard profferedare that:

1) Progesterone increases blood and tissue sugarlevels.

2) Yeast symptoms are more prevalent duringpregnancy when progesterone levels are high.

3) Women have found that their yeast problemsflare during the last two weeks of the monthwhen progesterone levels are at their highest.

So where are the flaws in the original logic?

1) Progesterone increases blood and tissue sugarlevels, but it can also improve tissueoxygenation and enhance the immune

system. There is a lot to consider besidessugar levels.

2) You have to look at the ratio of estrogen toprogesterone in pregnancy, and the normallevels of both of these, not just the amount ofprogesterone present.

3) During the last two weeks of a woman’ scycle, progesterone is at its highest, but so isestrogen. If you look at the ratio of estrogento progesterone, the ratio is generally at itshighest around ovulation and in the weekbefore menstruation. [11] Estrogendominance is more likely the culprit.

From the above and my own experience, Iconclude that if you correct a hormonalimbalance by adding natural progesterone, thereis a good chance that it can help with a yeastproblem. What if you take more naturalprogesterone than you need? I have taken verylarge doses of natural progesterone with no illeffects. However, everyone’ s situation isdifferent. Sometimes people take too muchprogesterone and have problems eliminating theestrogen released from the cells and/or dealingwith other downstream hormones. Sometimes theadded progesterone must be balanced withpregnenolone or DHEA to make one feel right.Healing is an art form. Trends and other people’ sexperience are helpful, but your own body mustdecide how much of a substance to take andwhen to do so.

Mrs. Generic: Which do I need, progesterone orthyroid hormone?

Polly: That is tough. The symptoms of lowthyroid hormone and low progesterone overlap alot. Thyroid hormone promotes the production ofprogesterone. Similarly, progesterone supportsthe secretion of thyroid hormone and enhances itsuse. John Lee, MD feels that often people are


54

given thyroid hormone when what they actuallyneed is progesterone. A good clinician may beable to tell the difference, but barring that, Iguess you can try the progesterone, and see if thatis all that is needed. If your basal temperatureisn’ t too low, then perhaps that is all you need.Yet with this yeast syndrome, it is fairly likelythat you will need to take thyroid hormone. Oncethe thyroid is corrected, the need for progesteronewill be less.

What Kind of ProgesteroneCream?KW: What kind of progesterone cream do youuse?

Polly: I started with Progest, and I think it is agood brand. You can purchase this brand inalmost any health store. Some people find otherbrands better for them. Everyone is a bit differentin their response. Dr. John Lee has a list ofbrands in his book rated by the amount ofprogesterone in it. This is in his book, What yourDoctor may NOT tell you about Menopause.There is a wide variation in the amount ofprogesterone in the creams. Even once you takeinto consideration the amount, there is alsoabsorption to consider and stability of theproduct.

Please don’ t buy plain “ Yam Cream” andthink that it is going to contain progesterone.Check the label. The wild yam itself isconsidered a phytoestrogen. The wild yam has tobe converted into progesterone by a chemicalprocess. Your body will not do this.

If you are concerned about money, quality,and allergies, the best way to go that I’ ve foundis the Progest-E-complex by Kenogen. There isover three times as much progesterone in onebottle of it compared to most of the rest. If youbuy it from www.vitaminexpress.com, it works

out to be quite affordable£only a few dollars amonth. Phone (800) 500-0733, and FAX(800)218-7900. Nutri-meds also carries theProgest-E-complex at an excellent price. phone(888) 265-3353, website www.nutri-meds.com

However, there are a couple of disadvantagesto this oil. The Progest-E complex oil byKenogen (Raymond Peat’ s company) is soconcentrated that measuring it is somewhatdifficult. You use only three or four drops for atypical dose. Until you get used to it, a good wayto measure it is with a toothpick. Dip a toothpickin the room temperature liquid to a depth of oneinch to get a typical dose. If the oil has been inthe refrigerator, the liquid will be thicker, and sodip the toothpick in only about ½ inch. (Wait acouple of seconds to let the excess oil drip off.)You can then place the toothpick between yourgum and cheek until it is absorbed. Or you canmix the oil with a tiny bit of olive oil and rub iton your skin. However, absorption through thegums is probably the most effective. Pleaserealize that there is a great deal of variabilitybetween people in how much naturalprogesterone is appropriate. [4] If you are havingan unusual reaction to a “ normal” dose ofprogesterone, or if you have no improvement,you may have to adjust your dose up or down.Also, it is probably best to break up the dose intoseveral smaller doses in the day.

The delivery of the progesterone through theskin will be slower and longer lasting thanthrough the gums. Depending on your purpose,you may want to use one or the other means ofapplication. Dr. Lee would suggest that you usethe progesterone on your skin, unless you aretrying to avert a migraine by using the morequickly absorbable route through the gums.Another doctor may prefer using theprogesterone on the gums, so that you canorchestrate a sharper cut-off of the progesteronewhen it is time for the menses. For those with a

www.vitaminexpress.com

www.nutri


poor thyroid condition, sometimes theprogesterone will not absorbed through the skin.In this case, the gums must be used. (I have twofriends like this. Any oils just sit on their skinwithout being absorbed.)

There is another progesterone oil on themarket with almost the same name. This othercompany doesn’ t have the use-patent. For thisreason, I don’ t like the idea of buying that otherbrand. Perhaps even more relevant for most of us,presently, the other brand costs almost twice asmuch as the Kenogen brand. So if you decide totry the oil, look for the one made by Kenogen,called Progest-E-Complex.

KW: I’ m taking Estratest, which has NOprogesterone (I don’ t think), but has testosterone.I’ ve never been sure why I need that anyway.”

Polly: The testosterone helps with the libido (sexdrive) and the bone density. There isn’ t anyprogesterone in it because the current mainstreamprotocol is to give estrogen without patentedprogestins if you have had a hysterectomy. Thereason? Adding patented progestins after ahysterectomy seems to have more risks thanbenefits. The patented progestins protect againstuterine cancer but they increase the risk ofgetting breast cancer. [12] Provera(medroxyprogesterone acetate, a patentedprogestin) can also make a heart attack moresevere in rhesus monkeys. [13] Yet, naturalprogesterone does not make the heart attack moresevere. Therefore, if the uterus has beenremoved, it is all risk and no benefit when addingin a patented progestin. However, it is a differentstory when adding in the natural progesterone.The natural progesterone will protect you fromall of the effects of estrogen. It appears to beappropriate to use it in most cases where estrogenis supplemented.

I don’ t like the idea of using the patentedprogestins. However, I’ d take the naturalprogesterone with confidence. If you read one ofDr. Raymond Peat’ s books, you will realize thatnatural progesterone has anti-cancer properties.Dr. John Lee put his breast cancer patients onnatural progesterone, and none of them had areoccurrence of this cancer. Dr. John Lee alsomentioned in a lecture that an invitro experimentshowed that the natural progesterone stopped adeadly form of lung cancer. Much closer tohome, my dad used some natural progesterone toget rid of his cellulitis and to help him control hischronic lymphocytic leukemia. Within two weeksof using the natural progesterone everyday (onejar altogether), the turnaround in his health andthe change in his blood tests were miraculous.Instead of two months to live as predicted, helived another 6 years. (He used only very smallamounts of natural progesterone after that.) In mymind, there is little doubt that naturalprogesterone, when used appropriately, has verystrong anti-cancer properties.

If you stop to think about it, it is ridiculous toinsist on using the unnatural/altered hormonesinstead of the same hormone that the bodymakes. Unfortunately, mainstream medicalpractice still employs the patented progestins.This is considered the responsible course ofaction because they have large-scale studies onthem. Natural progesterone has just animal andsmall-scale studies, and anecdotal evidence to itscredit. Unfortunately, those large-scale studies onnatural progesterone aren’ t just around thecorner. No one is going to pay that much moneyto study a natural substance. Natural substancescan’ t be patented and hence there is no venturecapital to pay for large studies. Doctors whoemploy natural progesterone must base theiractions on logic and observations. Without thepublic’ s widespread acceptance of naturalprogesterone, their position is tenuous.


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There is a practical reason for doctors toprescribe the unnatrual/patented stuff. Theirliability is much less. Doctors can give youestrogen and patented progestins and they will beimmune from prosecution, even if it gives youcancer, because these substances are part of the“ standard and customary practice.” The doctorscan’ t give you natural progesterone, whichprotects you from cancer, without taking a riskthat you will sue them. They do not have blanketimmunity with the natural progesterone becauseit is not yet “ standard and customary practice.”Attitudes are rapidly changing, yet, naturalprogesterone is still not yet “ standard andcustomary practice.” Great laws we have. Andlast but not least, we have pride and comfortableold habits slowing down the widespreadacceptance of natural progesterone.

Migraines And HormonesMarie: I get migraines along with very bad PMSevery month. This month the headache won’ t goaway. I’ m starting to lose my mind. What can Ido? Thank you everyone. You’ ve all been ofgreat support to me.

Polly: Since your headaches are associated withyour PMS, you need to do something about yourhormonal status as soon as economically feasible.Rapid changes in hormone levels can cause amigraine. Generally, if PMS occurs sometimeduring the last two weeks of your cycle, then youmay need some thyroid hormone and/orprogesterone. (Often the PMS symptoms peakaround ovulation or a few days before theperiod.) If the problem occurs during the first twoweeks, adding more estrogen is more likely to getrid of the migraines than is adding progesterone.[4] However, before trying estrogen, I’ d first tryDHEA and/or pregnenolone, which are generallysafer than estrogen.

Read one of these books: What your Doctormay NOT tell you about Menopause or the bookWhat your Doctor may NOT tell you about Pre-Menopause. Both books are by John Lee, MD.Both are excellent and will help you use thenatural progesterone properly. In my opinion, oneor both of these books should be required readingfor every woman. Dr. John Lee also has a website( www.JohnLeeMD.com ) and newsletter.

The PMS is also associated with low calcium,magnesium, B6, or zinc. Some of thesedeficiencies can be due to estrogen dominance.(Excess estrogen wastes B6, folic acid, B12 andzinc.) Migraines in particular are associated withlow magnesium and a need for more B6. (See thechapter on migraines.)

Patti: As someone who has had major migraines,I sympathize totally. Progesterone.... natural ....lots of it ..... helped me, although maybe not afterten days. It is best to look up the information inthe forum archives and start using itsystematically as suggested. Leaky gut alsocauses my migraines. I am healing that too. I hadto get rid of the yeast first, though. The goodnews: I found a nutritionist whom I have beenworking with for about 6 months now; everymonth I am getting better. It took a while though.But it is happening for me and I feel “ recalled bylife” . This yeast is a terrible monster and I havebeen lucky to have the long-term support of thisgroup as well as my nutritional program.

Not everyone has similar causes for theirmigraines. I feel lucky I ever found out so muchabout how to heal mine. I am winning my battle,though slowly. Hope has kept me alive so don’ tever give up. You can win! The progesterone isessential as a start, at least to try out. It may takea few months to sink in fully. My nutritionistfeels strongly that I use the cream, not oil, so thatexcess gets stored in fat cells to mop up estrogenafter the cycle begins. Oil is good for sudden

www.JohnLeeMD.com


onsets of migraines; it can be fast acting, rub itinto your gums! Keep in touch and good luck!!!

Pamela: I used to have killer migraines when Iwas younger, but my mother told me to starttaking B6 and I’ ve never had one again (exceptwhen I have stopped taking B6)!

Christine: The contraceptive pill that I had hadin my early twenties had not given me migraines.So when (10 years a go) my doctor wanted to putme on the contraceptive pill to control my heavyperiods, I didn’ t think about migraines, eventhough he mentioned it as a possible side effect.Now, the very first month, I had a migraine onday 2 of my period. This went on for threemonths and I had to stop the pill because of themigraines. Over the last few years, I occasionallyhad migraines, but not related to my periods.When I used the Progest cream, I had nomigraines for six months. However, migrainesstarted in the seventh month of use, and were sosevere that I didn’ t even recognize it as migrainefor three months. I thought it was flu that wasgoing around. The migraines lasted two to threedays with every period. In between these times,I often had a muggy head but no migraine. Withthe migraines, I had a lot of retching with it. Infact the sickness reminded me of the sickness thatI had in the first four months of pregnancy— sosick that I couldn’ t get out of bed at all. I wouldlike to warn people that when using progesterone,the migraines don’ t come on immediately likethey do with progestins, so you don’ t necessarilylink it to the cream. The migraines stopped sevenmonths after I last used the cream.

Polly: The progesterone helped me with myheadaches and sinus pain. I took lots of itcontinuously for several years, with no adversereactions. (I was using it to avoid hot flashes.) Iwish I knew why our bodies reacted so

differently. Yet, it is perhaps enough to know thateveryone will not react the same way to naturalprogesterone, and people should be careful.

Hot Flashes—Thyroid,Progesterone, And PregnenolonePolly: Natural progesterone helped metremendously. When I was going throughmenopause, it was the only thing that kept mefrom slipping backwards in my health. Most ofthe time it kept the hot flashes under control too.However, I found that once in a while, the naturalprogesterone wasn’ t enough to control the hotflashes. At those times, I’ d add in somepregnenolone and the hot flash wouldimmediately go away. Later, after I receivedthyroid hormone supplementation, I didn’ t needto use the progesterone and pregnenolone tocontrol the hot flashes. The thyroid hormonesupplement did it by itself. I assume part of thereason that the thyroid hormone worked is thatthyroid hormone (and the retinol form of vitaminA) helps your body make progesterone andpregnenolone. My sister and several of herfriends just use the pregnenolone (150 mg perday) to control their hot flashes. For them, itworks better than the progesterone.

Vitamin E is also helpful with hot flashes.However, you need sufficient vitamin A andselenium to keep your store of vitamin E up. Alsococonut oil seemed to help me a little, perhapsbecause coconut oil spares vitamin E. [14] Usualrecommended doses of vitamin E are 400 IU to800 IU per day. Do not take more vitamin E thanthis unless a doctor directs you to do so. If youhave high blood pressure, you may wish to startat only 100 IU of vitamin E until your bodyadjusts to it. (At first the vitamin E mightincrease blood pressure, but after a while, it willend up lowering high blood pressure.) [15] Thenatural vitamin E (dl-alpha tocopherol) is much


58

more effective than the man-made (d-alphatocopherol) vitamin E. The natural may cost alittle more, but the effectiveness more than makesup for the price differential.

Some people use an extract of the cruciferousvegetable macca to help with hot flashes.Supposedly macca is helpful for the thyroid.Macca doesn’ t contain the dangerousphytoestrogens found in soy, black cohash, andother herbs sold for menopausal symptoms.

MSM may be helpful. In Dr. WilliamRegelson’ s book on MSM he mentions LynneChauncey, who was able to control the hotflashes, night sweats, and headaches by using atablespoon of MSM each day. However, if youtry MSM, start with much less. You need to giveyour body a chance to get used to MSM.

KW: What is pregnenolone?

Polly: Every cell in your body makespregnenolone from cholesterol. Your body canconvert it into the hormones progesterone andDHEA. In general, pregnenolone will balanceyour hormones and protect you from stress andtoxins. Some people use as much as 600 mg perday to help with their arthritis. However, therehave been side effects reported by some peopleusing this much. They get symptoms of excessdownstream products, like DHEA, testosteroneor estrogen. Hence, if you need to take highdoses, then you might want to get your hormonallevels monitored before and aftersupplementation. Also, you may want to makesure that your body has enough sulfates and othernutrients that the liver needs to eliminatedownstream hormones.

Some of the companies who sellpregnenolone have considered it appropriate toinclude all the warnings on the label that areassociated with excess amounts of the down-stream hormones. However, I think that

reasonable doses of pregnenolone are much saferthan what is implied by those labels. In fact, atphysiological doses (similar to what the bodymakes), pregnenolone seems unusually safe.

How much pregnenolone should one take?According to Raymond Peat, at age thirty, thebody normally makes about 30 mg to 50 mg perday; but for some people, a supplement of thismuch isn’ t enough. 50 mg should be sufficient tokeep levels near optimal for most of the olderadults. Yet, just 10 mg per day is sufficient forsome people. One dose of approximately 300 mgkeeps acting for about a week. Pregnenoloneshould help with your allergies, support youradrenals, reduce stress, and generally make youhealthier.

Personally, I found pregnenolone gentler thanthe natural progesterone. It had a subtle, but verynice effect. If you need it, it is great stuff. If youdon’ t need it, you probably won’ t notice a thing.Since pregnenolone most likely improves thebody’ s own production of pregnenolone,eventually you may no longer need tosupplement it. As always, try to learn as much asyou can about any supplement before taking it,and then if you try it, start with low doses, andtrust your body’ s reaction to it more than anytheoretical arguments that you hear. Childrenusually make a lot of pregnenolone. I don’ t thinkthere have been any studies with children, so oneneeds to be very careful there. There are reportsof some children with autism doing better with asmall dose of pregnenolone.

EndometriosisSusan in Olympia: I have had endometriosissince I was 14 (I am 38 now). I had surgery for itin 1995. I have read quite a bit about its links tocandida. Endometriosis is characterized byextremely painful cramps. Usually a person is outof commission for from one to three days each


menstrual cycle, and the cramps may beaccompanied by vomiting or passing out FROMPAIN. Medication is an absolute necessity.

In my case, what has seemed to make myendometriosis go away (besides the surgerywhich helped for a while...) has been cutting waydown on caffeine AND... (most important) usingnatural progesterone. Since starting naturalprogesterone in July I have had my cramps fadeaway to virtually nothing for the first time in mylife (except when I was pregnant and for a shorttime after surgery). It is nothing short ofamazing.

If you do have endometriosis, your doctor’ slikely treatment will include surgery (alaparoscopy through your belly button) andputting you on birth control pills to simulatepregnancy. The theory is that if your body thinksyou are pregnant you will not menstruate andyour body will have a rest from the wanderinguterine tissue that swells and aches monthly. Inmy case they found endometrial tissuethroughout my whole abdomen.

My word of caution about the treatment: itwas this doctor ordered treatment with birthcontrol pills in 1994 (preparing for my surgery inearly 1995) that started my whole candida ordeal.I was absolutely miserable on the pill, eventhough we tried various hormone cocktails andthe doctor kept telling me that it was impossiblethat my symptoms were from the innocent pill! Iwould have rather suffered monthly withendometriosis for the rest of my life (and it wasBAD) than to suffer daily while my body wentout of control with candida. No going back now...so I’ m still dealing with the results of thatdecision to go against my own instincts andmeekly (or not so meekly...doesn’ t matter!)follow doctor’ s orders.

Polly: Sometimes doctors will give a lot ofunnatrual/patented progestins to try and do the

same thing£give the body a rest from the cycles.That can make you very sick, because thepatented progestins compete with the type ofprogesterone that your body makes (naturalprogesterone). One of the forum members endedup with porphyria shortly after such treatment.(Porphyria means there is an abnormal number ofpigment chemicals called porphyrins in the bloodand urine. If you are interested, there is an articlein the Townsend Letter about the relationshipbetween porphyria and hormones. [16])

The best alternative, by far, is to try a lot ofthe natural progesterone for a year or so. JohnLee, MD describes this in his book, What YourDoctor May Not Tell You About Menopause. Ifyour doctor is unfamiliar with this, the Women’ sInternational Pharmacy may be able to help himwith the dose, phone (608) 221-7800. Theircurrent recommendations are 100 mg ofmicronized progesterone in oil taken 4 times perday on days 14 to 28. If you want to be moreaggressive, you can add 100 mg in divided doseson the other days. They suggest the same dose fortheir creams as their pills, which is a bit of anenigma, since John Lee feels that less is neededin the creams. Perhaps it has to do with whichoils each pharmacy has chosen to mix with theprogesterone in order to facilitate absorption.Oils are used for both the creams and the pills.Without them, the absorption/use of themicronized progesterone changes.

Vaginal Infections And PainPolly: Check with a doctor for initial diagnosis,since the treatment is different for yeast than it isfor a bacterial infection or for a sexuallytransmitted disease. Here are a few things thathave helped others with some of their problems.

1) Address the reservoir of yeast or detrimentalbacteria that is probably in your intestines.This will bring the total body load down, and


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help you deal with the vaginal problems.Even just eating yogurt or adding a L.acidophilus supplement is known to help.Merely restricting sugar can reducevulvovaginal inflammation in cases ofCandida overgrowth.

2) Consider coming off oral estrogen. Estrogenencourages yeast growth.

3) Get your thyroid checked. Thyroid helps theliver remove estrogen and promotes theformation of progesterone.

4) Part of your discomfort could be due to anallergic reaction to yeast or some otherpathogen. Allergies to yeast will causeswelling and will actually increase the foodavailable to the yeast that may be hiding inthe deeper layers of the vagina. You can trytraditional desensitization injections or thenewer methods like EPD or NAET to get ridof these allergies. (See www.NAET.com)Sometimes cortisone products and anti-histamines (eg. Benadryl or Atarax) reducethe reaction. (The cortisone cream is notsuggested for long term use.)

5) To help with the vaginal pH and discomfort,some women insert plain (no flavors) yogurtwith active cultures. Store-bought is okay.However, homemade yogurt is fresher andprobably has a higher bacterial count. It canalso be fermented longer to get rid of thesugar, and thus might be better. Please notethat the lactobacillus in yogurt is not the samekind of lactobacillus that flourishes in thevagina. Yet, it seems to help. Check withyour doctor before trying this remedy.

6) Vinegar and water douches may help with asevere yeast problem, but it isn’ t a good ideain general. Lay off the usual douches. Hillierand her colleagues published a study in theNovember 1996 Journal of InfectiousDisease showing that women who douched at

least monthly doubled their risk of vaginosis.(Vaginosis usually refers to a bacterialimbalance.)

7) Keep the area dry by wearing cotton-crotchunderwear and pantyhose. Don’ t usefeminine deodorant and perfumed soaps. Thissite by Sota Omoigui, MD has numerouspractical suggestions that will help you dealwith the sore irritated tissue. See website: www.medicinehouse.com/vulvodynia.html

8) I’ ve heard reports that Maelina FeminineCare is a very good product. It containssilver, zinc and copper. phone (800) 284-6263; or (305) 759-9500 or www.galaxymall.com/medical/vaginal

9) Another treatment is adding to yourbathwater a half pound of table salt and 5half-eyedroppers of one of Dr. Ken Seaton’ sClean Zone products called Facial Dip C (hisiodine product). (Or you could try a fewdrops of plain iodine in the bathwater. Iodinekills yeast and many other microbes.) This isan article about the Clean Zone products.phone 888-262-5700

www.mercola.com/article/colds/hygiene_systems.htm

10) Dr. Ralph Golan’ s book Optimal Wellnesslists some other remedies, like a boric acidwash, and inserting a clove of garlic wrappedin gauze.

11) If the doctor does not find an infection, butyou are in pain, then you may havesomething called vulvodynia. If you havevulvodynia, consider using some of the mastcell stabilization treatments that are also usedfor Interstitial Cystitis like magnesium,Atarax, and very low dose Elavil. Make sureyou are not low on copper and/or zinc. (Seesection on bladder pain in the CommonSymptoms chapter of Book 1.) Vulvodynia

www.NAET.com

www.medicinehouse.com/vulvodynia.html

www.galaxymall.com/medical/vaginal

www.mercola.com/article/colds/hygiene_syst


and Interstitial Cystitis (bladder pain) occurmore often in people who have fibromyalgiaor bowel problems. It may be due toincreased allergies or perhaps the release ofhistamine caused by the LPS in the shell ofgram-negative bacteria. (A viral infection ofgram-negative bacteria will release moreLPS.) So work on clearing these otherproblems up and it may help with thevulvodynia. If you have vulvodynia, go to thelibrary, use their computer, and get a copy ofthis excellent and vital article. www.vulvodynia.com/faq.htm. Biofeedbackto strengthen the muscles is sometimeshelpful with vulvodynia.

Ordering Saliva And Blood TestsAmy: Could someone please explain these salivatests? What is the name of them? Where are theysent? I would like to share this information withmy doctor on my next visit. He is always open tonew things and suggestions. Does the lab have awebsite? Thanks in advance.

Polly: Most people don’ t have to go through aphysician to order these saliva tests. Thoseunfortunate souls living in New York can’ t sendspecimens outside their state for testing. Thoseliving in California must at least get permissionfrom a health professional like a pharmacist. Thesaliva tests aren’ t that expensive. Saliva tests forcortisol, testosterone, DHEA, melatonin,progesterone and estrogens are readily available.So if you are worried about your hormone levels,you could order the tests yourself. Then if thetests indicate a hormone imbalance, you canshow the results to your physician. If you havetrouble understanding the jargon on the labresults, some labs like ZRT have physicians onstaff that would be willing to answer a fewquestions. This is the ZRT website.

www.salivatest.com and phone (503) 466-2445and Fax 503 466-1636 e-mail: [email protected] can order the saliva test kits there. Presently,the prices run about $30 for each saliva hormonetested, with a minimum of two tests.

For thyroid testing, the ZRT laboratorysuggests that blood is more accurate than saliva.You can get the thryoid tests without aprofessional blood draw, because all you need isa couple of drops of blood. You don’ t need aprescription. Currently, the free T4, free T3 andTSH tests are each $60. Other thyroid blood spottests are available too. However, you must callthem to order the blood spot tests. The blood spottests currently cannot be ordered through theirwebsite. BIOSAFE carries the home blood spottest kit of TSH for $40. They don’ t have the otherthyroid blood spot tests at this time. Their website is www.ebiosafe.com, and their phone is 1-888-700- TEST (8378).

You can order the Great Smokies hormonetest kits from various places. Here is one. TheHealth and Science Company, phone (888)-222-1415 or (904) 267-9001, www.health-science.com/order.htm They will also answerbasic questions. Your doctor can also use asecond party called BioHealth Diagnostics. Theydon’ t do the actual testing, but they send yourdoctor their interpretation of any test orderedthrough them. www.BioDia.com, or phone(800) 570-2000 or (619) 223-7074.

Be sure to follow directions for the salivacollection time. Usually, the best time for theestrogen and progesterone collection is in themorning on day 19, 20, or 21 of the cycle. If youwant to check the female hormones, you willneed to test at least estradiol and progesterone. Itis the ratio of estrogen to progesterone that is themost important. Dr. John Lee’ s website has somesuggestions on which hormones to test, www.johnleemd.com. The test kit instructionsfrom the ZRT lab also have some suggestions on

www.vulvodynia.com/faq.htm

www.salivatest.com

www.ebiosafe.com

www.health

www.BioDia.com

www.johnleemd.com


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the most pertinent tests to take given yoursymptoms.

Healthchoice.net offers a offers a blood testfor thyroid that includes T3, T4, reverse T3, andTSH for $175. This includes the price of theblood draw and shipping. No prescription isneeded because this is considered a wellnesscheck; however, you probably aren’ t going to getyour insurance to pay for it either.

This particular company has decided to fill aniche market for the educated public. If a personcannot find a doctor to order a test that they feelis desirable/necessary, they can pay for itthemselves through this organization. Theorganization offers liver profiles, amino acidassays, urine organic acids, heavy metal tests,metabolic assessment profile, various hormonetests and more. For an additional charge, theywill send you information on the meaning of theamino acid profile or the organic acid test.However, their main product is an individualizedvitamin/mineral supplement they create based onyour tests results. The lab test prices are at www.healthchoice.net/lab/labtest_menu.html.Phone (877) 339-2444.

It only takes a week or two to get your salivatests back, and according to John Lee, saliva testsare a much more accurate way of testingprogesterone than using blood samples. [17]However, if you have something very unusualgoing on, you might inquire into a urine test forhormones. The 24-hour urine tests offered by theBarnes Foundation will give you and your doctorthe most information, phone (203) 261-2101.However, before ordering a test from them,check on the time it will take to get the resultsback. At times, they have been so backloggedthat it takes forever to get the results back.

Too Much Progesterone AndDHEAMarilyn in Seattle: Just want to post a note here.I went back to my doctor and told him thatPrometrium (pill form of natural progesterone)was not working for me, that I was spot bleedingall through my cycle. So he wrote me out anotherprescription for progesterone cream— this time100 mg of progesterone per CC. Wow. I didn’ tknow they could do this. Anyway, instructionswere to apply 1/2 cc twice a day. 15 cc cost$15.00. This cream is made up by acompounding pharmacy. They use a base of PLOI believe. PLO is a delivery system and all theprogesterone gets “ delivered” through thismedium very quickly.

Well, the first four or five days were okay.After that, that much progesterone made me veryedgy, nervous, and I was getting estrogeniceffects£I believe any excess of progesterone canget turned into estrogen. Breasts got sore, I gotbloating, etc. The doc prescribed this amount onthe theory that I needed more progesterone thanI was getting in the pill form as most of the 100mg of oral progesterone gets destroyed by thestomach acid. I told the doctor it was more likelythat every time my liver has to process somethingit gets screwed up. I have a long history ofhypersensitivity to drugs.

However, just the other day I read on theAAAMSM website that MSM can reducehypersensitivity to drugs and I thought BINGO!!!I am so low in sulfur that I bet deficiency insulfur can cause hypersensitivity to drugs. Maybelack of sulfur is why I get totally exaggeratedside-effects any time I try to put a pharmaceuticalinto my body. The neurologist said my reactionto Baclofen was very rare£it is an anti-spasticitydrug and it me it creates “ paradoxicalspasticity”£makes me stiffer when it issupposed to relieve stiffness.

www.healthchoice.net/lab/labtest_menu.html


Anyway, from my 100 mg/day progesteroneexperience, I would say it is possible to get toomuch progesterone that goes estrogenic. I hadthis trouble with DHEA, also in prescribed form.It turned to estrogen in my system, as didpregnenolone. Some of us must be more“ estrogen” prone, and maybe we are moresensitive to endocrine disrupters like mercury andorganophosphates.

I know a couple of people that had wonderfulreactions to DHEA. I tried it£got it prescribedby an HMO doc. I had to convince him that Iwouldn’ t sue him. For me, DHEA was horrible.It turned totally estrogenic in my system. Thefirst two days, it gave me this “ rosy” feeling, likeCole’ s What a Wonderful World. I was taking 1mg drops, 2 times per day. Each drop contained1mg DHEA. By the 3rd day, I started to developincredibly sore breasts, a kind of torso stiffnessthat is hard to describe...andMOODINESS...needless to say, I backed off. Itried smaller dosages, but the same thinghappened. My suspicion is that some of us aremore likely to turn hormones into estrogen. I hadthe same type of reaction to pregnenolone£estrogenic effects£but have reacted totallypositively to progesterone. Just thought I wouldrelate my experience. One woman I know usesDHEA to put her multiple sclerosis symptomsinto remission— we are all different.

Shelley: Thank you Marilyn. I am not takingprogesterone but am pondering the wholesituation and know that I am, like you, supersensitive to drugs. DHEA was a disaster and sowas pregnenolone. I am going to look at my hairanalysis chart from a few months ago and see ifI can figure out if I am low on sulfur. And alsojust try MSM, first.

Sarah H: Shelley, why was DHEA a disaster?

Shelley: It gave me acne that didn’ t clear up formonths and months£all over my chin. I neverhad acne before. Now the doctor wants to try itagain. I don’ t know. The acne didn’ t seem like agood sign. Wish I knew more. Sometimes I wishI had studied something more “ useful” than art.

Marilyn in Seattle: DHEA was a disaster for metoo. Really bad signs of estrogen dominance.Same with the pregnenolone. My MD said thatwas why it was better to useprogesterone£because the DHEA pathways andpregnenolone are more likely to be convertedinto estrogen.

I call progesterone cream my miraclecream£no more PMS from hell. But I think 100mg a day was overkill. Looks like my liver maybe involved here too.

Polly: Shelley, DHEA can also convert intotestosterone. An increase in testosterone isassociated with acne. The effect may go awayafter you have been on it for a while. However,that was a long time that you had problems.

Marilyn in Seattle, your doctor gave you avery large dose of progesterone. The dose forcreams and the dose for pills should be a lotdifferent. Typical doses of the micronizedprogesterone are 100 mg to 200 mg. Typicaldoses of the cream are 15 mg to 30 mg£not the100 mg that your doctor gave you.

Your doctor said that the stomach acid wasdestroying the oral progesterone. That doesn’ tmake sense. Progesterone is made by boiling itssteroid precursor in hydrochloric acid. So a littlestomach acid shouldn’ t hurt it. What happenswhen you take progesterone orally is that about85% to 90% of the natural progesterone isquickly destroyed by the liver. Potentiallyharmful metabolites are circulated too. In order toprevent so much of the progesterone from beingdestroyed, some pharmacies put the micronized


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progesterone in oil. This may help a little.However, Raymond Peat’ s company thoroughlymixes the natural progesterone in vitamin E andoil, and this avoids the problem with the liverimmediately destroying it, even if theprogesterone is ingested orally.

Christine: I was mercury poisoned, but after afull chelation program, I was doing wonderfully.I should have left well alone, but I felt on a rolland wanted to sort out minor remainingproblems, such as low body temperature, weightgain, etc. (The low body temperature is definitelynot due to my thyroid because my TSH isnormal.) A doctor looked at my temperature chartfor the month, and concluded that as it was lowin significant places, I was low in progesterone.I said straight away that I couldn’ t takeprogesterone. All of my candida problems startedten years’ ago when my doctor put me on theprogestin-only contraceptive pill. The doctorexplained that ‘natural’ progesterone cream wascompletely different from artificial progestins.

So I tried the natural progesterone cream, butit was disastrous for me. Within hours I startedmy ‘period,’ so I stopped the cream. The ‘period’stopped and I came on a few days later, when Iwas due. After the period, I started rubbing in thecream again, and I started bleeding straight away.The bleeding got heavier and heavier. After a fewdays, I rang the doctor who told me to stop usingthe cream immediately. She explained that mybody was converting it to estrogen, but accordingto the doctrine as put out by the Californianadvocates of ‘natural’ progesterone cream, thismeant that my body really needed progesterone.

A month later, I restarted the cream, and allwent well for three months. After that point, Ithink I just had too much progesterone— in facttoo much of every hormone as I now know. Adownwards spiral set in— muggy heads everyday, migraines and sickness with periods,

drugged feeling for three days when I ovulated,huge weight gain, the candida came back (afteran absence of six years!) gum and teeth troubles,etc. Worst of all, I had sharp pains in theabdomen. This pain was eventually diagnosed asdue to a nasty ovarian cyst. In fact scanningshowed that I have six cysts. As I had three goodmonths with the natural progesterone, I didn’ tconnect these symptoms to the cream.

It was my alternative doctor who realizedwhat was going on and told me to get off thecream that she had recommended I use. Salivatesting showed that I had sky-high progesteroneduring my period (hence the migraines) thennormal the rest of the month; sky-high estrogen(and a blood test showed the same for luteinizinghormone) when I ovulated hence the druggedfeeling; and sky-high testosterone all the time.

That’ s the thing about this blasted ‘natural’progesterone cream. Advocates say thatprogestins are synthetic and so can’ t convert toother hormones if you need them. Wellprogesterone may be able to convert, but thedownside is that it will convert, so you can endup with too much of every hormone. Whenwomen experience hormonal problems theyshouldn’ t guess what their hormones might bedoing. They can do the 28-day saliva test to findout what the hormones are doing over the wholemonth. If they do need to balance their hormonesthere are plenty of herbs and foods which do thiswhich they could try. Hormonal creams reallyshould be a last resort because once lodged in thesystem, it doesn’ t seem easy to get them out, andno women should have unnecessarily high levelsof hormones.

Polly: Your initial symptoms from using theprogesterone could have been caused by the bodyreleasing estrogen from the tissue. However, yoursequence of events starting several months laterleaves me puzzled. It certainly sounds like you


had an overload of many of your hormones, as ifyour body couldn’ t dispose of them. Why wouldyour regulation of hormones be so far off? Andwhy would the ovarian cyst show up? Your caseis a strong warning to others to be careful withthe progesterone cream.

Marilyn: Look at the article by Dean Raffelock,DC, in Dr. John Lee's September 1999newsletter. It is about DHEA and progesteroneintolerance.

Polly: Interesting. The article says that a lack ofsulfates is quite common in those with intestinalproblems. (A lack of sulfates is also extremelycommon with mercury poisoning.) A lack ofsulfates or other liver detoxification weaknessescould make it difficult for the body to deal withadded hormones. A person may have anintolerance even if their tests showed they neededthe hormones. He suggested using sulfates,coenzyme B6, and magnesium to help the liverdeal with the detoxification of the hormones. Ihave one more thing to add. The body usessulfates to transfer many hormones to and fromcells. So if your hormones aren’ t following thenormal “ rules,” look to low sulfates as a possibleproblem.

Sulfur And The Detoxification OfHormonesMarilyn in Seattle: This lack of sulfur is turningout to be an explanation for a number of thingsthat have baffled me for years.

Polly: Perhaps you are on to something here withthe sulfur. Taking pregnenolone, DHEA, andprogesterone are usually not a problem. Theseimprove liver health, and in general, help yourliver balance out your hormones. However,people like yourself, who have been mercury

poisoned, are much more likely to have sulfationdefects. I’ ve heard that sulfation defects cancause the hormones to be metabolized into toxicby-products.

Marilyn in Seattle: I was talking to a friendyesterday and she mentioned something she hadnever told me before. She developed MS afterhaving her gall bladder out. The neurologists saidwas coincidental, but I am sure the liver isheavily involved in MS. I am going to urge her tostart working with her liver and see ifdetoxification/liver support helps her symptoms.She doesn’ t have mercury poisoning like myself.She has perfect teeth£ never a filling in her life.What a joke it is£the number of things thatneurologists don’ t find to be significant.

Shelley: Marilyn, I am glad that the pieces maybe falling together for you. A couple of things.First, regarding progesterone. I don’ t know whatplanet I’ ve been living on but I have never heardof using this, except for on this forum. Again, Iremember years ago that my Candida symptomswould only clear up during part of my cycle. Ihave no gall bladder either. I blew that out about10 years ago with an unexplainable (andunverifiable) hepatitis...hmmm. I don’ t test forhaving had any hepatitis...My poor liver!

I am going to start my new (IH MD pending)regimen tomorrow with a trip to the health foodstore. (Editor’ s note: IH MD is our little joke. Itstands for In-Home Medical-Degree.) Here is mytentative plan. What I don’ t know is the order inwhich to introduce these or if some arecounterproductive to others...and the all-important which bank to rob.

1) Vitamin C

2) MSM


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3) B-12 - I have all three kinds: sublingual,spray, and injections. Think I’ ll go winjectable unless someone hollers “ stop!”

4) Folic Acid

5) MSM

6) tri-methyl-glycine (TMG)

7) Taurine?

8) P5P or Coenzyme B6 (Dr Cheneyrecommends this for chronic fatiguesyndrome.)

9) CoQ 10 sublingual (Cheneyrecommendation again)£I love this stuff

10) Reduced Glutathione or undenatured whey,Immunocal ?

11) Ultrazyme, a brand of digestive enzymes(Cheney)

12) Silymarin /milk thistle (Cheney)

13) Magnesium Glycinate (Cheney)

14) EFA ( Cheney)

I’ ll continue Lamisil, probiotic, Armour thyroid,and aspirin. Have been trying NADH (coenzymeniacin). I’ m not sure what I’ ll do. I think it helps.

I feel like a light bulb is slowly coming on inmy brain. Maybe the pieces will make moresense soon. Do more women get Candidaproblems than men do? I’ m thinking that mightbe because of hormonal balancing act? (Are bothof you saying “ duh...” ). I wonder. Many morewomen get chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) thanmen. (80% women).

Polly: Yes, more women get candida problemsthan men do. More women get MS, scleroderma,and Lupus than men do too. Hormones are a bigpart of the picture in all of these conditions. Yourliver health has a lot to do with your hormones.

Shelly: Regarding reduced glutathione (orImmunocal like Dr. Cheney uses), Cheney says

that if one cannot tolerate high doses ofglutathione that “ indicates defects in liversulfoxidation” Is that what you are talking aboutwith MSM and building sulfur, Polly? Would thereduced glutathione be counterproductive?

Polly: I’ m not sure why he came to thatconclusion. However, when a supplement ofglutathione is taken, some of it breaks down intoits component parts in the stomach. One of theseis cysteine. The cysteine may reduce to taurinethen sulfite then sulfate. However, some peoplehave a problem converting the cysteine into theseother substances. Perhaps that is why they areintolerant to glutathione supplements. Or it mighthave something to do with the thyroid. Cysteinesuppresses thyroid. I know that even one pill ofglutathione or cysteine use to give me aheadache. (Now, subsequent to getting somethyroid, these don’ t bother me.) Personally, I didbetter with tri-methyl-glycine, MSM, andcoenzyme B6.

Shelley: Cheney says,

“ EFA’s can help regulate menses and reducePMS through its conversion by gut bacteria intoadaptogenic estrogen-like compounds.”

But didn’ t you just say that the liver needs to getrid of estrogen and we need to protect the poorliver from the extra estrogen being recirculatedback to the liver from the gut? Am I lost?

Polly: You are lost, but it isn’ t your fault. Somedoctors still think that phytoestrogens andadaptogenic estrogen-like compounds are goodfor us. If essential fatty acids (EFA) oils or theirlignans can be converted into any estrogen-likecompound, this property would lead me to avoidEFA oils, not take them.


Christine: I was able to stop heavy bleeding bytaking mega-GLA oil for three months. Agynecologist explained to me that the bleedingwas not caused by low progesterone but by myprostaglandins being ‘on the blink.’

Polly: Interesting. Vitamin E and A got rid of myheavy bleeding. I’ ve read articles that claim theseparticular vitamins have helped many womenwith this problem.

references1. Kristian Almstrup, Mariana F. Fernández, Jørgen H.

Petersen, Nicolas Olea, Niels E. Skakkebæk, andHenrik Leffers “ Dual Effects of Phytoestrogens Resultin U-Shaped Dose-Response Curves” EHP Vol. 110,No. 8 [August 2002], pgs. 743-748. (EnvironmentalHealth Perspectives (EHP) is a peer-reviewed journalpublished by the National Institutes of Health.)

2. Estrogens in the Environment (1979); Estrogens in theEnvironment II (1985), Proceedings of symposiaedited by John McLachlan, Elsevier

3. Peat, Raymond, PhD, “ Endocrine System and theCandida Patient” , 1985 lecture tape available from theCandida and Dysbiosis Information Foundation, POBox JF, College Station, Texas 77841-5146

4. Broda O. Barnes, MD, Research Foundation, Inc.,“ Pharmacologic Aspects of Gonadal Hormones,” withWallace L. Simons, R. Ph., 1994

5. Blakely JA. “ The heart and Estrogen/Progestinreplacement study revisited: hormone replacementtherapy produced net harm,consistent with theobservational data.” Arch Intern Med. 2000 Oct23;160(19):2897-900. and Grady D, Wenger NK,Herrington D, Khan S, Furberg C, Hunninghake D,Vittinghoff E, Hulley S, “ Postmenopausal hormonetherapy increases risk for venous thromboembolicdisease. The Heart and Estrogen/progestinReplacement Study.” Ann Intern Med 2000 May2;132(9):689-96 and Hulley S, “ Estrogens should notbe initiated for the secondary prevention of coronaryartery disease: a debate.” Can J Cardiol 2000 Aug;16Suppl E:10E-12E and although this next study was notpart of the HERS study, it shows the same trend.Herrington DM, Reboussin DM, Brosnihan KB, Sharp

PC, Shumaker SA, Snyder TE, Furberg CD,Kowalchuk GJ, Stuckey TD, Rogers WJ, Givens DH,Waters D, “ Effects of estrogen replacement on theprogression of coronary-artery atherosclerosis.” NEngl J Med 2000 Aug 24;343(8):522-9

6. Kassem M. Okazaki R, De Leon D, Harris SA,Robinson JA, Spelsberg TC, Conover CA, Riggs BL,“ Potential mechanism of estrogen-mediated decreasein bone formation: estrogen increases production ofinhibitory insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-4.” Proc Assoc Am Physicians 1996 Mar;108(2):155-64 as mentioned in the June 2001 Ray Peat’ sNewsletter.

7. Tomsikova, Alena, “ Uncommon Mycoses withImmunodeficiencies,” Mykosen 29(8):363-71,1986.(German)

8. Kinsman OS, Collard AE, “ Hormonal factors invaginal candidiasis in rats.” Infect Immun 1986Sep;53(3):498-504

9. Brown and MacLusky, Mol Cell Neurosci, June 5,1994, (3) 283-90; Medlock, et al., Proc Soc Exp BiolMed Feb, 1994; Okuliez, et al., 1993; Selcer andLeavitt, Gen Comp Endocrinol, December, 1988;72930: 443-52.

10. Peat, Raymond, PhD, “ Progesterone and ideas of‘balance’ in ‘hormone replacement therapy’ : Theimportance in inhibition” , Ray Peat’ s Newsletter,March 2000, Also, in his April 2001 newsletter, hecites some very interesting work by Akerland, Batraand others. They were measuring the tissue levels ofestrogen and progesterone and comparing it to theplasma levels of these hormones throughout the cycle.“ The ratio of tissue to plasma estrogen ranged from1.45 to 20.36, with very high values in early follicularphase and the lowest in mid-luteal phase. … Inpostmenopausal women, the tissue concentration of E2[estradiol] was not significantly lower than inmenstruating women in follicular phase, and the tissueconcentration of P [progesterone] was not significantlylower than in fertile women in any of the phases.Neither in these women nor in menstruating womenwas there a close correlation between tissue andplasma levels. … a certain amount of these steroids isbound to tissue even if plasma levels are low.”Akerlund M, Baltra S, Helm G, “ Plasma andmyometrial tissue concentrations of estradiol-17 beta


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and progesterone in non pregnant women”Contraception 1981 Apr;23(4):447-55

11. Peat, Raymond, PhD, Nutrition for Women, page 22and 23 referring to the work of Katharina Dalton,Premenstrual Syndrome and Progesterone Therapy,Year Book Medical Publishers, Inc., Chicago, 1977.Aside, it is interesting that the peak estrogen levels inthe urine occur at two times— just before ovulation,continuing for 4 to 5 days, and the 3 to 4 days justbefore the menstrual flow— from page 116 of TheCiba Collection of Medical Illustrations, Volume 4,Endocrine System by Frank H. Netter, MD, 1977, CibaPharmaceutical Company.

12. Schairer C, Lubin J, Troisi R, Sturgeon S, Brinton L,Hoover R, “ Menopausal estrogen and estrogen-progestin replacement therapy and breast cancer risk”JAMA, January 26,2000;283:485-491, 534-535.Summarized in Mercola’ s newsletter, Issue 138 atwww.mercola.com and also in a Science News

Article£Science News, “ Progestin adds to breastcancer risk” , Vol. 157, No. 11, March 11, 2000, p. 171

13. Science News, “ Hormone Therapy: Issues of the Heart,March 8, 1997 volume 151 page 140

14. Raymond Peat, PhD, “ Coconut oil,” This paper isavailable on the Internet at his website.www.efn.org/~raypeat/index.html. The paper is alsothe last chapter in his book called PMS to Menopause.

15. Wade, Carlson, Vitamin E, The Rejuvenation Vitamin,Charter, New York, a Grosset and Dunlap Company,1970

16. Peat, Raymond, PhD, “ Diagnosing Porphyria forLabor and Industries Claims,” Townsend Letter forDoctors and Patients, April, 1996, page 80-8

17. Lee, John, MD, “ Is Any Estrogen Too Much?” tapeavailable from Age Management Systems, phone 1-800-525-9487

www.mercola.com


MigrainesPolly: There are many things associated withdysbiosis that make a person more susceptible tomigraines. Often this person has food allergies,hypoglycemia, low magnesium, low taurine andlow coenzyme B6. Sometimes the bowel floracreates substances that either dilate or constrictblood vessels, depending on what we have eaten.For example, Clostridia is a bacteria that is morelikely to take over the bowel environment afteradministration of antibiotics. When Clostridia isgrown in a medium containing casein (a milkprotein), then the Clostridia produces thevasoactive amines of histamine, tyramine,agmatine, serotonine, putrescine and cadaverine.[1] These could cause a migraine. All of thesefactors makes us more susceptible to migraines.Fortunately, there are a few things you can do tohelp yourself.

How A Migraine StartsPolly: A migraine starts with a clumping ofplatelets, and a release of serotonin from theplatelets, which raises the free serotonin in theplasma. This free serotonin causes theconstriction of blood vessels. There is also arelease of polyunsaturated linoleic acid during amigraine. This increases the loss of serotonin

from platelets and adds to the blood vesselconstriction. This initial phase is followed by thepainful rebound phase where the release ofserotonin diminishes, and the blood vesselsexpand. This expansion is believed to be thesource of the pain.

MagnesiumPolly: Additional magnesium is one of the firstthings to try. In people with very low serummagnesium, a simple drip of magnesium sulfatemay eliminate the migraines. [2] Magnesium isvery important in the treatment of migraines.Magnesium inhibits platelet aggregation andstabilizes platelets and mast cells. This keepsthem from dumping their serotonin and initiatinga migraine. Oral magnesium might not beadequate to correct this problem. Intestinalabsorption of magnesium can be impaired byintestinal irritation. Therefore, you may want toask your doctor for a magnesium drip, or perhapstry Epsom salt baths.

However, be wary of treating yourself withoral magnesium during the painful stage of amigraine. Magnesium causes blood vessels torelax. Therefore, although very important to thetreatment of migraines, if taken during the


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painful stage, magnesium may make thingsworse by adding to the expansion of the bloodvessels. In contrast, calcium causes blood vesselsto contract, and one might want to use a littlecalcium during the painful stage of a migraine.

B6 And B2Polly: In general, all the B vitamins can behelpful in the treatment of migraines. However,B6 and B2 seem to be the most important. B6 isneeded to convert tryptophan into serotonin. It isalso needed for many liver functions. One of thereasons that B2 is important is that it helps thebody convert B6 into its active coenzyme form.MSG will often trigger a migraine. If you areparticularly sensitive to MSG (monosodiumglutamate), this is an indication that you might bevery deficient in B6 or coenzyme B6.

Unsaturated OilsPolly: Eating unsaturated oils can trigger amigraine. Unsaturated free fatty acids liberateserotonin from platelets. During a migraine, theomega-6 essential fatty acid called linoleic acidincreases in the blood. Since linoleic acidliberates serotonin from platelets (both invitroand invivo), this is probably a key factor in theetiology of migraines. [3] The increased linoleicacid may also increase the formation ofprostaglandins, which are also a key player inmigraines.

Fish oil is unsaturated, yet a moderate amountof it can help people with their migraines. Fishoil makes the platelets less sticky, so they are lesslikely to clump together and release theirserotonin. Fish oil also helps balance theprostaglandin profile and can reduceinflammation. However, I wouldn’ t use anexcessive amount of fish oil, because any

unsaturated oil in excess could initiate amigraine.

Food And HerbsPolly: Many people have been able to avoidmigraines merely by identifying and avoidingfoods that trigger the attacks. You need to dosome detective work here. However, there areseveral foods that are more likely than others totrigger an attack.

1. Identify and avoid allergenic foods. Foodallergies can initiate a migraine because theycause platelets to clump. This releasesserotonin.

2. Tyramine is an amine that can cause bloodvessels to alternately constrict and expand.Tyramine can raise blood pressure. Manypeople have noticed that tyramine can triggera migraine. Tyramine is high in wine andaged cheese. It is also high in aged, cured orspoiled meat. Some types of bacteria cancreate tyramine from the amino acid tyrosine.

3. Nitrates in cold cuts, hot dogs, sausage andbacon may trigger a migraine.

4. Caffeine constricts blood vessels. Caffeinewithdrawal can precipitate a migraine.However, a little caffeine during the painfulstage of a migraine (when blood vessels areexpanded) may help get rid of a migraine.(My husband uses coffee ice-cream. Thecalcium in ice-cream also constricts bloodvessels.)

5. During the painful stage of a migraine, don’ tdrink or eat food that is high in potassium(bannas, oranges, dried fruit, nuts, tomatojuice). Potassium causes the blood vessels toexpand.

Migraines 71

6. The beta-phenylethylamine in chocolate isthought to precipitate a migraine in somepeople.

7. Avoid MSG (monosodium glutamate) and itscousins of modified food starch andhydrolyzed protein.

8. Alcohol dilates blood vessels and is a triggerfor some people. Of the alcoholic beverages,the most apt to trigger a migraine are redwine, beer, champagne and Scotch. Thephenols, sulfites and tyramine in red wine aresome of the factors that make red wine highon the list of triggers. The estrogen in beermay be a trigger for some.

9. Rapid changes in blood sugar can precipitatea migraine. Eating many small meals mayhelp by reducing the swings in blood sugar.When the blood sugar drops, the bodyincreases the free fatty acids (a form of fat) inthe blood. As mentioned earlier, theunsaturated free fatty acids release serotoninfrom cells, and this may precipitate amigraine. Also, the body will try and stop thedrop in blood sugar by releasing adrenaline(epinephrine). This also affects the bloodvessel constriction and expansion.

10. Often, migraines will occur in the earlymorning hours. If you take some cornstarchbefore bedtime (like diabetics often do) thiswill help keep your blood sugar fromdropping so much in the night.

11. Ginger may help with the nausea associatedwith migraines. 4 to 6 grams. [4]

12. Ginkgo biloba extracts may help by reducingthe formation of platelet-activating factor. [5](Ginkgo biloba is also an anticoagulant.)

13. The leaves from the plant feverfew are usedas a migraine preventative. A component infeverfew, parthenolide, restricts the release ofserotonin. The feverfew may also have some

anti-inflammatory properties. Feverfewshould not be taken with aspirin. A tea maybe more effective, since many of the capsuleson the market may have very little of the herbin them.

14. Butterbur Extract (Petasites Hybridus) is ananti-inflammatory and a vascular anti-spasmodic herb that can prevent migraines.Taken twice a day, it cuts the frequency ofmigraines in about half. [6] One place topurchase is at www.vrp.com, phone (800)877-2447

15. Lemon balm relaxes the nervous system, actsas an antispasmotic and helps with bothmigraines and intestinal upsets. Here is oneplace to purchase it. Phone (800) 780-5902 orhttp://www.rain-tree.com/rtmprod.htm Thiscompany has an excellent reputation for thequality of their herbs.

PST, Sulfates And BioflavonoidsWillis: Dr. Waring states that those with thePST/low sulfation problem have central nervoussystem problems from the toxic amines. [7] Forexample, migraine sufferers usually have lowPST activity, and are readily affected by dietary"triggers", especially those with amines.Compounds such as flavonoids (red wine andcitrus fruits), aged cheese, beers, chocolate, andstrong odors inhibit PST leading to headache inthe less resistant. Apple juice, citrus fruits,chocolate, and paracetamol/acetaminophen(Tylenol) were precisely those substances thatwere known to precipitate migraine attacks insusceptible individuals.

Polly: Thank you Willis. So you’ re saying thatone way to help get rid of migraines is to increaseyour intake of sulfates and to avoid things thatinterfere with the PST enzyme.

www.vrp.com

http://www.rain


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Willis: Sulfates or lack of them will affect thebrain, the pancreas, the digestion, the bowel,everything. If low, sulfates need to besupplemented to restore the liver’ s sulfationpathway and to help the liver remove some of thedietary migraine triggers.

Polly: The sulfation pathway may be importantfor removing migraine amine triggers, but it isalso important for removing excess serotonin. Onone of the autism lists, I read that excessserotonin can cause migraines, especially if itthrows off the ratio of dopamine to serotonin inthe brain. (Dopamine is made fromnorepinephrine/tyramine.)

Some people recommend using bioflavonoidsto reduce the inflammation associated withmigraines, yet you implied that too manybioflavonoids may actually contribute tomigraines in some people?

Willis: Bioflavonoids are valuable antioxidantsin the modest amounts found in most foods, andperhaps are useful for short-termsupplementation (eg. Quercitin for resisting hayfever). However, bioflavonoids can greatlyhinder the liver’ s Phase I detox pathways. Citrusfruit, primarily grapefruit and Grapefruit SeedExtract, hinder this pathway so much that we aretold to never take drugs and these together for thecombination could produce overdose. This PhaseI hindrance can be very detrimental unless thePhase I pathway is overactive initially.

HormonesPolly: Quick changes in estrogen andprogesterone levels seem to be part of theproblem. Estrogen can contribute to theconstriction of blood vessels and can enhance theleaking of serotonin from cells. Hormones canalso change the density of serotonin receptors.

Women who experience migraines during the lasthalf of their cycle usually do better with asupplement of natural progesterone at that time.Women who experience their migraines duringthe first half of their cycle usually do better witha small estrogen supplement at that time. (Seesection on migraines in the Estrogen AndProgesterone chapter.)

TaurinePolly: Correcting a taurine deficit would helpprevent migraines by stabilizing the plateletsagainst aggregation. [8] At 400 mg per day,taurine reduced platelet aggregation by 30%, andat 1600 mg per day, taurine reduced plateletaggregation by 70%. Taurine may also be usefulin the treatment of migraines because it may helpcalm the nervous system and reduce high bloodpressure. Taurine is also needed to retainmagnesium. [9] Magnesium is very important forthe prevention of migraines. Unfortunately, bloodlevels of taurine aren’ t necessarily indicative ofbrain levels of taurine.

AspirinPolly: Aspirin, naproxen (Anaprox) or otherprostaglandin blockers may be helpful becausethey can reduce inflammation. However, if youknow that you are reacting to a food, don’ t takeaspirin. Aspirin will increase the absorption ofthe food and could make your reaction worse.Also, be careful because there can becontaminants in aspirin, and perhaps for thisreason aspirin has been known to induce asthmain some people. Those with autism or mercurypoisoning should be wary of using aspirinbecause salicylates inhibit the PST enzyme.

However, if you aren’ t sensitive to aspirin, itis very good for you. Aspirin improvesrespiration and energy production of the cell’ s

Migraines 73

mitochondria. Also, aspirin decreases theproduction of estrogen. (Aspirin inhibits therelease of fatty acids from both phospholipidsand triglycerides. This reduces the level ofcirculating free fatty acids. Unsaturated free fattyacids stimulate the enzyme that synthesizesestrogen. Thus aspirin can reduce the productionof estrogen.) [10]

Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) releasestryptophan from storage. Dr. Gedye suggests thatthe best time to try aspirin at the very beginningof the painful stage when the increasedtryptophan has the potential to slow down thedrop in serotonin levels. However, if you take toomuch aspirin at this time, you might induce arebound (medication-induced) headache. [11]

StressPolly: Stress releases fatty acids from storage. Ifthese free fatty acids are unsaturated, this causesserotonin to leak from cells. This keeps the bloodvessels constricted. Constriction followed byrelaxation can cause a migraine. Sometimes it isthe change in stress levels that trigger a migraine.Eg, you are fine during the week, but when theweekend comes and you are able to relax, themigraine shows up. (Migraines are not justconstricted or expanded blood vessels. They area problem with regulating the change in the sizeof the blood vessels.)

HistaminesPolly: Some, but not all migraines involve astrong release of histamines, which expand bloodvessels. Therefore, for some people, anti-histamines can be helpful. Getting yourmagnesium levels up can also help because lowmagnesium leads to high histamine levels.Unfortunately, opiate pain killers increase therelease of histamine. [12]

Migraines And TryptophanPolly: Dr. Gedye [11] has suggested that whenthe migraine pain first starts, it may be helpful totake a combination of blood vessel constrictionagents— caffeine, calcium, anti-histamines,aspirin, tryptophan and niacin. [11] (The niacinwas to help the tryptophan convert into 5-HTP.)It was very important to use the combinationwhen the pain first started. However, if this initialdose isn’ t enough to help, then he suggestsrepeating the dose four hours later. Thiscombination helped 9 out of 12 people to obtain90 to 100% relief in about an hour. Although thiswas a preliminary study, it sounds like it may bea good method for many people. Of course, don’ toverdo the constriction agents. All you want todo is keep the blood vessels from expanding tooquickly. You don’ t want to hit the body so hardwith these constriction agents that you end upwith a rebound headache.

Dr. Gedye used 500 mg of L-tryptophan inhis migraine study. Without a prescription, theonly place that I’ ve seen L-tryptophan availableis for pets. That isn’ t a very reassuring source fora nutrient. 5-HTP can be expected to create amuch stronger increase in serotonin than justtryptophan. Therefore, the dose of 5-HTP shouldbe much much less. However, I don’ t know howmuch to use. The body usually converts onlyabout 1% of its tryptophan into 5-HTP, but understress, more of it is converted to 5-HTP. So it isvery hard to say how much 5-HTP would behelpful during a migraine and not cause arebound effect.

Susan in Olympia: I am convinced that mymigraines were a part of this whole candidacomplex. I started getting migraines last springand was having one to two headaches per week,some lasting as long as three days. They renderedme completely bedridden. I even checked into a


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hotel once because I knew I couldn’ t rest athome. Anyway, when this started happening tome I read everything I could about migraines, didresearch online, etc, in addition to seeing aneurologist and trying various drugs my doctorgave me. The drugs usually made me feel nearlyas bad as the headaches, except that I couldfunction. One of the books that I read mentioned5-hydroxy-tryptophan, which is a precursor toserotonin. I started taking it. I didn’ t noticeanything for weeks, but after about four weeksthe headaches suddenly dropped off in frequency.I went back and read about 5-HTP again, andnoticed that the literature said that results wouldoccur about 30 days after starting the supplement,and would improve after 60 days, and again after90 days. I’ ve been taking 5-HTP ever since, andit is safe to say I never get those insufferablemigraines now. My last bad headache was atleast five months ago.

Polly: Susan, How much 5-HTP were you takingeach day? 5-HTP is not good for you if you don’ tneed it. How did you determine that you weredeficient in it?

Susan in Olympia: I started taking 100-200 mgper day, and kept that up for about six weeks.Now I take about 100 mgs. per day. I doremember reading somewhere that too much 5-HTP isn’ t good, but I can’ t remember where Iread that or what the reason was? I thought Iremembered that it wasn’ t good to take long-term. Anyway, whatever I read didn’ t cause meto think there would be any problem in trying it.Fortunately it has made a big difference for me.However, it looks like I need to do a littleresearch to find out more about it so that I canstop taking it if that is what is indicated now. Iremember that most of the studies I found on 5-HTP had to do with helping people to lose

weight. It has not had that effect on me in anyway.

Polly: Glad you are doing better. I’ ve also heardthat the 5-HTP gets rid of migraines in somepeople. A normal amount of serotonin may makeit easier for the body to control fluctuations.However, you probably don’ t want to take more5-HTP than necessary. If you take too much 5-HTP, it might even contribute to migraines byincreasing serotonin too much.

Dr. Felix Sulman, head of the AppliedPharmacology department at JerusalemUniversity, found many stress-related symptomsin those unable to eliminate serotonin, such asaggression, hot flashes, irritability, sleeplessness,pains around the heart, difficulty in breathing, aworsening of bronchial complaints, irrationaltension, anxiety and nightmares.

Serotonin depresses blood circulation in thebrain when animals are pretreated with estrogenand progesterone. [13] Pancreatic secretionsnormally induced by secretin and acetylcholineare inhibited by serotonin. [14] Serotonin cancause muscle rigidity. Serotonin promotes lipidperoxidation and blood clotting. It suppressesmitochondrial respiration and thus causes fatigue.[15] Besides a well functioning liver andadequate sulfates, natural factors that keepserotonin levels under control are thyroid,protein, magnesium, vitamin B1, loweredtryptophan consumption, progesterone and light.[16]

You will find an excellent interview by MaryShomon of Raymond Peat, PhD, at this site:http://thyroid.about.com/health/thyroid/library/weekly/aa110800a.htm He said,

“ tryptophan excess is significantly antagonisticto thyroid function. The muscle meats contain somuch tryptophan and cysteine (which is bothantithyroid and potentially excitotoxic) that a

http://thyroid.about.com/health/thyroid/library/w

Migraines 75

pure meat diet can cause hypothyroidism. In poorcountries, people have generally eaten all partsof the animal, rather than just the muscles—feet,heads, skin, etc. About half of the protein in ananimal is collagen (gelatin), and collagen isdeficient in tryptophan and cysteine. This meansthat, in the whole animal, the amino acid balanceis similar to the adult’ s requirements.”

Not much tryptophan is needed by the body.However, some is required. Here are a few moreconsiderations when using tryptophan:

1. It is important to keep tryptophan balancedwith tyrosine, phenylalanine and the branchchain amino acids. [17]

2. Children probably need more tryptophan thanadults because they are growing so fast

3. The amino acid alanine is required to usetryptophan and B6 properly. (Yet, don’ t takealanine if you don’ t need it. Alanine willinhibit taurine metabolism. [18] Alanine willalso cause taurine to be lost in the urine.)

4. You also want to be careful about combining5-HTP with drugs, including weight-loss,antidepressant and migraine drugs. Anyonewith poor liver function should be wary too.If you are taking anti-fungals or somethingelse that interferes with the liver, the 5-HTPcould pose a serious health risk.

Susan in Olympia— later: I took 5-HTP formigraines and it was very effective. However, itgave me severe stomach pain... and eventually(after many expensive and inconclusive tests...)I found out that 5-HTP can cause serotoninproduction in the stomach, which is very painful.

Marilyn in Seattle: When I took 5-HTP, Iwanted to sleep 10 hours a day, and I wouldwake unrefreshed. My organics acid test

indicated that there was need for it. My levels of5-hydroxyindolacetate were low and thissupposedly indicates serotonin catabolism. Thetest report suggested 5-HTP, but I didn’ t like thedecrease in energy— I want to sleep a lot as it is.I didn’ t notice the 5-HTP affecting bowelbehavior. Maybe I didn’ t take enough or take itlong enough to affect things.

Branch Chain Amino AcidsPolly: Branch chain amino acids should be keptin balance with tyrosine and tryptophan. All ofthese compete for the same transport system. I’ venot seen anyone else mention this, but it seemslogical that this balance is important in thecontrol of migraines. The branch chain aminoacids could act as a buffer preventing largepercentage swings in tyrosine and tryptophan.Also, branch chain amino acids are a fuel sourcethat is readily converted into glucose to help thebody keep the blood sugar from dropping toolow. Unfortunately, supplementation with branchchain amino acids can increase ammoniaproduction, and reduce taurine. Therefore, youdon’ t want to take more branch chain aminoacids than the body can handle. I suggest that thebranch chain amino acids should be graduallyrestored to normal levels if they are low. Also,taurine levels should be brought up before tryingbranch chain amino acids. Branch chain aminoacids should be taken at a separate time from anytryptophan or tyrosine supplements to improveabsorption.

Other Things To Try1. A sinus infection can irritate nerves that send

messages to the hypothalamus. Spraying theanalgesic lidocaine intranasally may abort amigraine.


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2. Keeping the same bedtime and wakeup timethroughout the week helps.

3. Drink plenty of water. Try ice water or ice-cream to cool the back of the throat.(Assuming you aren’ t sensitive to milk.)

4. Ice packs at the back of the neck or aroundthe eyes may help.

5. MSM lotion rubbed on the back of the neckcan help control muscle spasms and thus mayreduce the pain. MSM (a form of sulfur)when taken consistently, helps some peopleget rid of their headaches. [19]

6. There are some other aspects to migraineslike posture and exercises, which are coveredin the book Migraine What Works, by JosephKandel, MD and David Sudderth, MD.

7. There are headache clinics where you canreceive help too.

references1. Karlsson S, Banhidi ZG, Albertsson AC Detection by

high-performance liquid chromatography ofpolyamines formed by Clostridial putrefaction ofcaseins. J Chromatogr 1988 Jun 17; 442:267-77

2. Mauskop A, Altura BT, Cracco RQ, Altura BM.Intravenous magnesium sulphate relieves migraineattacks in patients with low serum ionized magnesiumlevels: a pilot study. Clin Sci 1995;89:633-6. MedTrib, May 18, 1995, p 7 as referenced in article athttp://www.naturalhealthnotebook.com/Health_Problems/Migraine_Headache.htm

3. Anthony M, “ Role of individual free fatty acids inmigraine” . Res Clin Study Headache 1978;6:110-6 andAnthony M, “ Individual free fatty acids and migraine”Clin Exp Neurol 1978;15;190-6 as referred to in PeatR, “ Tryptophan, serotonin, and aging” Ray Peat’ sNewsletter, January 2002

4. Srivasta KC, Mustafa T. ginger (Zingiber officinale)in migraine headache. J Ethnopharmacol 1992;39:267-73. as referenced in article athttp://www.naturalhealthnotebook.com/Health_Problems/Migraine_Headache.htm

5. Lamant V, Mauco G, et al. Inhibition of themetabolism of platelet activating factor (PAF-acether)by three specific antagonist from Ginkgo biloba.Biochem Pharmacol 1987; 36:2749-52. as referencedin article athttp://www.naturalhealthnotebook.com/Health_Problems/Migraine_Headache.htm

6. Grossmann M, Schmidramsl H. An extract of Petasiteshybridus is effective in the prophylaxis of migraine.Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther 2000 Sep;38(9):430-435

7. Alam Z, Coombes N, Waring RH, Williams AC,Steventon GB. Alam Z, Coombes N, Waring RH,Williams AC, Steventon GB. “ Plateletsulphotransferase activity, plasma sulphate levels andsulphation capacity in patients with migraine andtension headache.” Cephalalgia. 1997 Nov;17(7):761-4

8. Hayes, K.C., et al., “ Taurine modulates plateletaggregation in cats and humans.” Am J Clin Nutr,49(6) 1211-6, 1989 and Seelig M, MD, MPH“ Magnesium taurate and fish oil for prevention ofmigraine. Med Hypotheses (ENGLAND) Dec 1996, 47(6) p461-6

9. Scriver CR and Perry, TL, Chapt 26 in Scriver et aleds, The Metabolic Basis of Inherited Disease 6th edMcGraw-Hill (1989) 765, as referenced by DonPanburn, PhD in an email.

10. Peat, Raymond, “ Aspirin, brain, and cancer” RayPeat’ s Newsletter January 2003

11. Gedye A, “ Hypothesized treatment for migraines usinglow doses of tryptophan, niacin, calcium, caffeine, andacetylsalicylic acid” Medical Hypotheses 200156(1),91-94

12. Peat R, “ Aspirin, brain, and cancer” Ray Peat’ sNewsletter January 2003, page 4

13. Eidelman BH, Mendelow AD, McCalden TA, BloomDS, “ Potentiation of the cerebrovascular response tointra-arterial 5-hydroxytryptamine,” Am J Physiol.1978 Mar;234(3):H300-4 and Mendelow AD,Eidelman BH, McCalden TA, Rosendorff C,“ Cerebrovascular response to infused 5-hydroxytryptamine in the baboon. Part 2,” Stroke 1977May-Jun;8(3):326-8.

14. Suzuki A, Naruse S, Kitagawa M, Ishiguro H,Yoshikawa T, Ko SB, Yamamoto A, Hamada H,

http://www.naturalhealthnotebook.com/Health_Proble



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Hayakawa T. “ 5-hydroxytryptamine strongly inhibitsfluid secretion in guinea pig pancreatic duct cells.” JClin Invest. 2001 Sep;108(5):749-5

15. Peat, Raymond PhD, “ Thought and energy, mood andmetabolism,” Ray Peat’ s Newsletter, October 2001

16. Peat, R, Phd, “ Postpartum, premenstrual, and seasonalserotonin soaks: Hints about aging, insomnia anddiabetes” , Ray Peat’ s Newsletter, November 2001

17. This information came with my amino acid assay fromTyson. (800) 433-9750 or (310) 675-1272 inCalifornia. www.TysonNutraceuticals.com

18. Braverman, Eric R., MD, The Healing NutrientsWithin; Facts, Findings and New Research on AminoAcids, Keats Publishing, Inc. 27 Pine Street (Box 876),New Canaan, Connecticut 06840-0876, date 1997,page 178

19. Jacob, S, MD, Lawrence, R, MD, PhD, Zucker, M,The Miracle of MSM, The Natural Solution for Pain,

The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of PenguinPutnam, Inc.1999.

20. By Volfe Z., Dvilansky A., Nathan I. “ CannabinoidsBlock Release of Serotonin from Platelets Induced byPlasma from Migraine Patients” International Journalof Clinical Pharmacology. Res V (4) 243-246 (1985)also, Anthony M. Some aspects of clinicalpharmacology of serotonin. Agents Actions, 5, 490,1975. Anthony M. Plasma free fatty acids andprostaglandin E in migraine and stress. Headache, 16,58, 1975.

21. Howard Noack, MD, San Diego, CA; and John F.Rothrock, MD, Mobile, AL “ Migraine: Definitions,Mechanisms, and Treatment” SMJ Southern MedicalJournal August1996http://www.sma.org/smj/96aug2.htm

www.TysonNutraceuticals.com

http://www.sma.org/smj/96aug2.htm

Indexacetylcholine, 74acid, alkaline and pH, 60adrenal, 19, 27, 30, 36-45adrenaline, 36, 37, 38alanine, 75allergies, 15, 16, 17, 23, 24,

25, 36, 39, 58, 60aluminum, 31amino acids, 75antibiotics, 23antifungals, 46Armour, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26,

28, 29, 31, 32, 40, 66arthritis, 15, 19, 42, 58asthma, 15, 16, 31, 36autism, 17, 21, 72Balch, Phyllis, 44Barnes, Broda MD, 18, 19,

29, 31, 32, 33, 40Bio-throid, 13, 26, 28, 29birth control pills, 46, 49, 51,

59bladder and urinary, 15, 65blood pressure, 15, 30, 36,

38, 39, 43, 57, 72branch chain amino acids, 75calcium, 13, 17, 28, 31, 50,

56calcium-d-glucarate, 50Candida and Dysbiosis

Information Foundation,45, 67

carbohydrates, 37casein, 69

CFIDS (Chronic FatigueImmune DysfunctionSyndrome), 39, 40, 49, 66

Cheney, 66cholestyramine, 31Clostridium and Clostridia,

69colitis, 18constipation, 15copper, 17, 24, 38, 60cortisol, 24, 28, 30, 36, 37,

39, 40, 41, 43cysteine, 66, 74Cytomel, 13, 24depression, 15, 18, 51DEWS, 38DHEA, 19, 36, 41, 42, 43,

53, 56, 58, 61, 62, 63, 65diabetes, 15Diflucan, 47digestion, 37digestive enzymes, 66dopamine, 72dysbiosis, 12, 15, 24, 46eczema, 14, 16EFA (essential fatty acids),

66endometriosis, 48, 49, 58, 59environmental, 24, 25, 39enzymes, 26, 48, 52estrogen, 16, 23, 24, 41, 42,

46-68exercise, 31fats and oils, 16, 55, 59, 66

coconut, 50, 52, 57olive, 54

primrose, 47, 49fibromyalgia, 15fluoride, 16garlic, 60Ginseng, 48, 49GLA (gamma linolenic

acid), 67gluten, 18Golan, Ralph, MD, 17, 60hydrochloric acid, 63hyperthyroid, 18, 23, 26hypoglycemia, 15, 51hypothalamus, 75hypothyroid, 12, 13, 14, 18,

20, 22, 23, 32, 33, 40IgA, 23IgG, 23immune system, 17, 19, 24,

53Immunocal, 66inflammation, 48iodine, 13, 16, 18, 30, 60ionic, 48iron, 24, 31Jefferies, William McK,

MD, 41Lamisil, 66Lee, John, MD, 41, 48, 51,

52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 59, 61,62

leukemia, 55licorice, 36, 43liver, 19, 23, 24, 42, 43, 49,

50, 52, 62, 63, 65, 66Lyme, 23

Index 79

magnesium, 17, 39, 43, 50,56, 60

MAO, monoamine oxidase,17, 38

Mercola, Joseph, MD, 68mercury, 16, 17, 19, 27, 63,

64, 65migraines, 23, 54, 56, 57, 64,

69-77milk, 31, 47, 66molds, 25MSM (Methyl-Sulfonyl-

Methane), 62, 63, 65, 66multiple sclerosis, 15, 40, 63,

65, 66N.E.E.D.S., 39Naturethroid, 13, 28, 32noradrenaline, 36pantethenic acid, 38, 39Peat, Raymond, PhD, 26, 27,

33, 34, 39, 41, 42, 43, 45,48, 50, 52, 54, 55, 58, 64,67, 68, 74

pesticides, 16, 49phytoestrogen, 47, 48, 54

pituitary, 17, 22, 41potassium, 43progesterone, 26, 27, 28, 39,

41, 46-68prostaglandins, 67Rogers, Sherry, MD, 67saliva, 41, 64salt, 36, 39, 43, 60secretin, 74seizures and epilepsy, 48selenium, 24, 57serotonin, 34, 74, 75sinus and nasal, 18, 57soy, 47stomach acid, 62, 63Synthroid, 13, 14, 23, 24, 25,

31, 39taurine, 38, 66, 75threonine, 38thyroid, 12-35, 37, 39, 40,

41, 42, 43, 46, 50, 52, 53,55, 56, 57, 60, 64, 66, 74

thyroid glandulars, 21thyroiditis, 21, 39

Thyrotropin ReleasingHormone, 22

TMG, 66TRH (thyrotropin releaseing

hormone), 34tri-methyl-glycine. See

TMG. See TMGtryptophan, 74tyramine, 17, 38, 44urine test, 40vaginal, 47, 51, 52, 60, 67vinegar, 49vitamin A, 39, 42, 50, 57, 67vitamin B1, 30, 35vitamin B2, 35vitamin B6, 56, 57, 66vitamin C, 39vitamin D, 28vitamin E, 28, 39, 50, 57, 58,

64, 67, 68Westhroid, 13, 28, 32whey, 66Yersinia, 17, 18zinc, 17, 24, 56, 60

More Health Forum books can be found at www.dysbiosis.com

Book 1: Candida’ s Impact on your Health

Book 2: Candidiasis and Dysbiosis Abatement Techniques

Book 3: Diets for Immune Support and Gut Health

Book 4: Hormones, Dysbiosis and Candidiasis

Book 5: Hope for Autism through Nutrition

Book 6: Cleansing the Body of Mercury

Book 7: Fibromyalgia Treatment Options

About Polly Hattemer, PhD — editor of The Health Forum

Polly Hattemer’ s formal education is a doctorate in System Science Engineering fromUCLA. She has spent over 20 years working in the aerospace industry. Specifically, sheanalyzed and helped to design missile guidance systems, satellite sensors, and radarwaveforms. This background perhaps explains the way she looks at health. Because ofher systems engineering background, she is always looking for the interactions betweendifferent “ systems” in the body. However, her perspective is just one of many that willbe found in the Health Forum books.

Polly Hattemer used to have intestinal yeast overgrowth with the accompanyingsymptoms of migraines, food sensitivities, fatigue, brain-fog, and of course, intestinalupsets. Over many years, she accumulated information on how to get rid of theseailments and how to heal the damage left in its wake. Several years ago, she startedchatting with others on the Internet about this problem. She discovered that the Internetwas a vast resource of technical information and an interesting source of personalexperiences. With the permission of her Internet friends, she recorded their personalexperiences and organized them into the Health Forum books. She also addedreferences to tutorial and technical articles.

www.dysbiosis.com

Polly Hattemer Book 4 Hormones

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