WELCOME

January 8, 2021 / Liv / 0 Comments

Trykk på “Meny” for norsk

Welcome to my blog on everything thyroid. I want to write about everything I think can help us feel good. Yes, we can feel good even though we are not totally well. But it takes becoming optimal on our thyroid levels and on the medicine that is best for us. Everybody doesn’t have this option. I will do what I can to change this. I will give my take on things like optimal levels, reverse T3, NDT and much more. As well as present studies, and maybe make them easier to understand for those not so familiar with scientific publications. I will also write on other things to do with our health and well being. We are so much more than our thyroid disease. We need to be in good shape on many other parameters, not just our thyroid levels.

The site is bilingual, English and Norwegian. I hope you find something of interest, something that will be of help.

Odds and ends

January 8, 2021 / Liv / 0 Comments

This is a fixed post where I comment on things I read or observe. Where I share some thoughts and maybe recommend some things I like.

Getting and giving advice in Facebook groups, 0801 2021.

Being a member of thyroid Fb groups can be a great help. One can learn a great deal, as well as ask for and give advice on one’s health and well being. One can get help, but one can also be misled. There is a lot of bad advice out there. Many don’t feel they have to know a lot on thyroid issues to advice others. So always keep that in mind. But it’s not always easy to give advice either. As people often don’t understand what info to provide in order to get good advice.

I think that when asking in a thyroid group, almost regardless of what one asks about, it is good to provide info on one’s thyroid status. So often things tie into that. The better your info, the better the answers will be.

These are the things I find very important:

Lab results, as recent as possible

When in the day test is taken

Whether or not you take thyroid meds. If you do, what meds and how much.

Living with disease

December 23, 2020 / Liv / 4 Comments

Living life and feeling good despite having a chronic disease, I am sure everybody is working on that. Still, i would like to share how I have gotten to where I am today.

Where am I today? In Paradise? Not quite, ha ha. But I am sure I could be. But I feel very much better than some years back, physically and mentally. These two are connected of course. But the mental is maybe the most important. It’s very difficult to feel good if you have a way too low FT3. But you can feel good even if your health isn’t 100%. And you can feel bad even if your health is 100%.

Male hormones

November 13, 2020 / Liv / 0 Comments

Abstract

Whilst not being an expert on testosterone treatment for men. I have read a bunch of studies in order to write this post. I have a post on female hormones, and then I must have one about you men as well. Of course This is not meant to be a comprehencive overview of all things testosterone. More as a wake up call to you men with thyroid issues. Low T is a common and natural result of having low or high thyroid levels. Nothing to be embarrassed about! In North-America, I believe there is a lot of focus on sex hormone levels. So for you living there, this post might be of little interest. But in many countries, it’s not like that.

There is a strong connection between thyroid and testosterone levels. For both high and low thyroid levels. It does normalize in most men after thyroid levels are again normal. But not for everybody. An then you have the age related 1 to 2% decrease after age 30.

We thyroid sick already have less energy. Which will lead to lower libido. Even when our thyroid levels are optimal, we are often not as energetic as we were before getting sick. So for us, it’s extra important to be optimal on all parameters.

What are the symptoms of Low T? Click to see.

There are of course things one needs to be aware of before starting on T therapy. As far as I can see from the various studies I have looked at, they no longer think there is an increased risk of cancer in the prostate. There are conflicting findings on cardiovascular health, both negative and positive effects. If one is predisposed, or already suffer from one of these conditions, it’s another matter of course.

HOW IS NDT MADE?

October 7, 2020 / Liv / 4 Comments

I have got to admit, I have been very ignorant about how NDT is made. I have believed that NDT and glandular supplements, like Metavive and Thyrogold, were virtually the same. And I have been telling people that. They are not, glandular is a much weaker product. I could be embarrassed about this. But I choose not to. This only proves my point, that there is so much to learn about this thyroid issue. Let’s try to stay openminded, and just admit when we are mistaken. That is the only way to learn something new.

I have this info from Chris at Pim Pom products, also the photos. Most of it is a direct quote from him. I have just added a little. Thanks, Chris!

Quality of NDT

September 5, 2020 / Liv / 0 Comments

Abstract

There is so much talk of issues with NDT. And I have already written one post about it. I hope to be a sobering voice. I see a lot of stress and worry created, especially in the US. We take it more easy here in Europe.

Is there any need for worry? No, you don’t need to worry. Only people who do not know anything about their optimal levels, or how to monitor them, need to worry. You will learn how to do these things, if you don’t already know it. I will teach you. Then you just adjust your dose as needed.

Because thyroid meds will continue to fluctuate also in the future. And not only NDT, synthetic meds differ in their hormone levels as well. You can read more about that here.

Synthetic T4 meds like Synthroid and Levo, are legally allowed to vary between 95 and 105 % of the given amount. So your current batch can be 10 % stronger or weaker than your previous batch. NDT and synthetic T3 medicin is allowed to vary between 90 and 110 %. The current recall of Nature Throid and Westhroid is for medicine that might contain 87 % of the given amount. That is 3 % less than what is allowed. OMG!

I started thinking, I wonder if all thyroid issue from pigs is the same. And loe and behold, it is not. Pigs’ thyroid levels vary with age, gender and even breed. So it may be nigh impossible to always guarantee equal hormone content.

This is the world we live in, all thyroid meds vary in hormone content.

FEMALE HORMONES

August 9, 2020 / Liv / 4 Comments

Abstract

Did you know that it’s best to start treatment with estrogen BEFORE 60? The study that scared everybody from taking estrogen 25 years ago had many flaws. I will review them. It’s estrogene in conjunction with synthetic progesterone, gestagen, that can lead to an increased risk for breast cancer and heart issues. And especially if starting after 60. It’s also very important what kind of estrogen you take. Estradiol, which is plantbased, is better for us than conjugated estrogens. Premarin. Premarin is made from the urine from pregnant mares. The mares are being abused in the process; horrible to read about. And transdermal is better than oral.

Nb! When you take ORAL estrogen, the total hormones become higher. The free hormones must be taken.

Natural progesterone is also better than synthetic. It’s also plant based, derived from the same plant as oestradiol, wild yam. It’s only the natural that is called progesterone, synthetic is called things like gestagen and progestins.

If you still have your uterus, it’s very important to take progesterone when you use estrogen. If not, the uterine wall might become thicker. It seems it’s mostly natural progesterone in pillform that has this effect on the uterine wall. Though my progesterone cream kept my uterine wall normal.

One does not find any increased risk of breast cancer when estrogen is combined with natural progesterone, only when combined with synthetic. Natural progesterone also has a beneficial influence on the cardiovascular system.

Testosterone is also very important for us women, not only for men. It’s important for sexual excitement, the ability to orgasm, muscle strength and our bones. And the ability to hold our water! Anyone having issues with that?😜

FOR THE THYROID NEWBIE

July 3, 2020 / Liv / 4 Comments

Basic guide for you who are new to thyroid issues

I wanted to make the guide I wish I had had. Way back when, more than 20 years ago. Knowledge that could have saved me a lot of suffering. Maybe I would have been more healthy today.

So it is my hope, this info will help you. Of course, there is so much info today, compared to earlier. But maybe there is too much info for someone new to this. I hope I can make it,if not easy, then at least possible to understand.

I don’t know how you are feeling at present. If you have just been diagnosed with hypothyroid, with autoimmune thyreoditis, have had your thyroid removed or maybe you are struggling to get a diagnosis. Maybe your doctor is dismissing you, but you feel sick and know something is wrong.

ESTROGENS IN MENOPAUSE, time to change the recommendations?

June 25, 2020 / Liv / 4 Comments

Translation from an article by E.F.Eriksen, M.H.Moen, O.L. Iversen,

This is a translation of an article published in the Norwegian Journal for Physicians, Tidsskriftet, https://tidsskriftet.no/2018/03/kronikk/ostrogener-i-menopausen-p%C3%A5-tide-endre-anbefalingene

New studies show, that treatment with estrogen with start before age 60, are for the most part positive. It’s time to change the recommendations.

REVERSE T3

June 13, 2020 / Liv / 0 Comments

Abstract

Reverse T3 is not the big bad wolf in our thyroid system. It is a necessary brake where FT3 is the gas pedal. We can get too much RT3 when we take more T4 medicine than we are able to convert to T3. Could be just too high dose, or that we don’t convert well. Other conditions can increase RT3 too much as well. It’s a good idea to test RT3 from time to time. But it is not necessary to test all the time.

I will look at myths and misunderstandings around RT3. for one thing, RT3 does not block T3 by occupying T3 receptors. Nor does it hinder T4 to T3 conversion. If there is a big bad wolf, it’s deiodinase 3, D3. It’s D3 who converts T4 to RT3, and who hinders T3 from attaching to the T3 receptors i the cell nucleus.

But there are no “wolves” in our thyroid system. Only participants with their own roles to play. And the better we understand the play, the more can we hopefully optimize our thyroid levels and feel better.

I will look at what causes too high RT3, and what one can do bring it down.

THYROIDBLOG.COM

WELCOME

Odds and ends

Getting and giving advice in Facebook groups, 0801 2021.

Living with disease

Male hormones

Abstract

HOW IS NDT MADE?

Quality of NDT

Abstract

FEMALE HORMONES

Abstract

FOR THE THYROID NEWBIE

Basic guide for you who are new to thyroid issues

ESTROGENS IN MENOPAUSE, time to change the recommendations?

Translation from an article by E.F.Eriksen, M.H.Moen, O.L. Iversen,

REVERSE T3

Abstract

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