HOWEDY dolysods,
"Tracey K" <dolysods@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:e722b039-3f8b-4ed1-9d54-d0a7c9d109c2@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> His thyroid was low.. he is now on medication
> twice a day... patiently waiting to see how it goes
Cu****ng's DIS-EASE a.k.a. Cu****ng's Syndrom a.k.a. The
Puppy Wizard's Syndrome and it's counterpart ADDISON'S
DIS-EASE a.k.a. ADDISON'S Syndrome a.k.a. The Puppy
Wizard's Syndrome are EZily preventable CONditions
CAUSED BY STRESS from ABUSE / MISHANDLING,
SURGICAL ***UAL MUTILATIONS, VACCINOSIS /
TOXIC VETERINARY MALPRACTICES and GARBAGE COMMERCIAL DIETS as recommended
by
your pathetic
miserable stinkin rotten LYIN ANIMAL MURDERIN MENTAL
CASE PALS here <{}: ~ ( >
*ONLY LIARS, DOG ABUSERS, COWARDS, MENTAL
CASES and NEW readers who AIN'T DONE THEIR
RESEARCH post their LIES ABUSE INSANITY and
IDIOTIC QUESTIONS and "answers" here abHOWETS <{}: ~ ( >
In the 1950s Hans Selye MD, the father of endocrinology,
described a pattern of adrenal gland activity called the stress
adaptation response.
He described how chronic stress (physical irritation) causes
the adrenal glands to produce slightly elevated levels of cortisol.
Selye noted that with time, the glands could no longer meet the
demand and ultimately produced insufficient cortisol. This stage
is known as adrenal exhaustion.
When adrenal glands become exhausted, they increase
production of adrenal estrogen. (Adrenal estrogen is
unrelated to ovarian estrogen.) Estrogen is molecularly
very similar to cortisol and is do***ented to cause many
of the same symptoms: fatigue, confusion, depression,
seizures, elevated liver enzymes, etc.
This seems to be an emerging pattern in SARDS dogs.
So a dog in adrenal exhaustion can have a "normal" ACTH
test because even though cortisol levels are declining, they
will still remain within the normal range for a while.
The dog appears to have the symptoms of excess cortisol (similar
to Cu****ng's disease, hence the occasional use of the phrase atypical
Cu****ng's), but it is really the rising levels of adrenal estrogen and
other *** hormones that produce these symptoms.
Returning these levels to normal will usually reduce the symptoms.
Caroline D. Levin RN goes on to illustrate the startling relation****ps
between adrenal exhaustion, atypical Addison's disease and atypical
Cu****ng's disease.
From The Annals Of Human And Animal Behavior Forensic Sciences
Research Laboratory
Risks Associated With Synthetic Thyroid / Prescription Medications
Researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center
published a study in the journal Thyroid proving synthetic
thyroid hormone depletes calcium weakening the skeleton,
increaing risk of osteo****osis and bone loss.
Synthetic thyroid binds with iron, causing anemia and
fatigue, hair loss, brittle nails and general susceptibility
to DIS-EASE. The Freaking Simply Amazing Puppy
Wizard's friend Dr. VonHilseimer recommends eating
chicken necks as a natural source of thyroid (see
Pottinger Price Foundation for more information).
Other researchers re****t many prescription drugs
like antibiotics may deprive the body of folic acid
which can increase homocysteine, an amino acid
linked to heart disease, anemia, fatigue, depression,
insomnia, nerve inflamation and increased risk of
cancers.
Depletion of magnesium can lead to formation
of kidney stones, clotting problems, muscle
spasams, generalized PAIN, constipation,
fatigue, high blood pressure.
Amoxycillin, ciprofloxacin, lansoprazole, cipro,
amoxil, augmentin, flonase, fosamax, zocor, liptor,
glucophage, tri-cyclen, prevacid, prilosec, prozac,
levothyroxine, azithromycin, simvastatin, omeprazole,
pantoprazole may drain the body of specific nutrients
e.g. statin drugs can deplete CoQ10, resulting in
fatigue, weight gain, high blood pressure, reduced
muscle performance and congestive heart failure.
Omega-3 fatty acids are im****tant in the production
of hormones that act in nearly every body system
including the eyes, digestion, liver, stomach, large
intestine, urinary tract, kidney, skin and respiratory
systems. Without fatty acids skin would be dry, flaky,
wounds wouldn't heel pupperly, plaque would form on
arteries, and cause low blood pressure and arythmias.
-----------------
The Thyroid Gland
More than you'll ever need to know about the Thyroid Gland.
The thyroid gland is an im****tant endocrine gland regulating
metabolism in every cell of our body.
1) The Thyroid Gland
2) Estrogen Dominance and Thyroid
3) Hypothyroidism
4) Cretinism
5) Myxedema
6) From Childhood On
7) Hyperthyroidism
8) Iodine
9) Iodine and the Thyroid Gland
10) Iodine Functions in the Body
11) Iodine and Apoptosis
12) Iodine Excretion in the Urine
13) Iodine and Lipids
14) Iodine and Pregnancy
15) Functions of Iodine in the Human Body
16) Other Challenges
17) Mercury Toxicity
18) Thyroid and Mercury
19) Posterior Pituitary Gland
20) Suicide
21) Frequent Urination
22) AdrenalGlands
23) Perchlorates
24) Health Risks of PCBE's
25) Just One Does may be Harmful
26) Nutritional Considerations
27) Basal Temperature Test
Until a little more than one hundred years ago, the single controlling
force for all of the complex processes that go on in the human body
was thought to be the nervous system. But there were too many
phenomena that, when carefully analyzed, seemed to have no
relation****p to the nervous system, too many differences in people--in
size and energy, for example--that could not be accounted for
satisfactorily in terms of nervous activity alone. The explanation was
to be found in certain glands, the endocrines, of which the thyroid is
one and, in fact, one of the first to be discovered. Because commonly
used tests for thyroid function are not accurate particularly when it
comes to mild and even some moderate forms of hypothyroidism, and many
if not most of those with low thyroid function remain undiscovered.
Since the hormones of the thyroid gland regulate metabolism in every
cell of the body, a deficiency of thyroid hormones can affect
virtually all bodily functions. The degree of severity of symptoms in
the adult range from mild deficiency states which are not detectable
with standard blood tests (subclinical hypothyroidism) to severe
deficiency states which can be life-threatening (myxedema). There is
an old medical saying that just a few grains of thyroid hormone can
make the difference between an idiot and an Einstein. It aptly
characterizes the thyroid as a quickener of the tempo of life. All of
the endocrine glands play remarkable roles in the body's economy.
Unlike the many millions of other glands such as the sweat glands in
the skin, the salivary glands in the mouth, the tear glands in the
eyes, which perform only local functions, the endocrine glands pour
their hormone secretions into the bloodstream which carries them to
all parts of the body. From the pea-sized pituitary gland at the base
of the brain come hormones that influence growth, ***ual development,
uterine contraction in childbirth, and milk release afterward. The
adrenals, rising like mushrooms from atop the kidneys, pour out more
than a score of hormones, including hydrocortisone and adrenaline
needed for the body's response to stress and injury. Also in the
endocrine system are the *** glands-ovaries and testes; the pineal
gland in the brain whose hormones play a role in nerve and brain
functioning; the thymus behind the breastbone which appears to be
involved in establi****ng the body's immunity function; and areas in
the pancreas, the islets of Langerhans, which secrete insulin.
A large majority of the thyroid hormone secreted from the thyroid
gland is T4, but T3 is the considerably more active hormone. Although
some T3 is also secreted, the bulk of the T3 is derived by
deiodination of T4 in peripheral tissues, by the enzyme thyroid
peroxidase especially liver and kidney. Deiodination of T4 also yields
reverse T3, a molecule with no known metabolic activity. Deficiency of
thyroid hormone may be due to lack of stimulation by the pituitary
gland, defective hormone synthesis or impaired cellular conversion of
T4 to T3 (often caused by mercury toxicity). The pituitary gland
regulates thyroid activity through the secretion of thyroid-
stimulating hormone (TSH). The combination of low thyroid hormone and
elevated TSH blood levels usually indicates defective thyroid hormone
synthesis, which is defined as primary hypothyroidism. When TSH and
thyroid hormone levels are both low, the pituitary gland is
responsible for the low thyroid function, a situation termed secondary
hypothyroidism. Normal blood thyroid hormone and TSH blood levels
combined with low functional thyroid activity (as defined by a low
basal metabolic rate) suggest cellular hypothyroidism.
Most estimates on the rate of hypothyroidism are based on the levels
of thyroid hormones in the blood. This may result in a large number of
people with mild hypothyroidism going undetected. Before the use of
blood measurements, it was common to diagnose hypothyroidism based on
basal body temperature (the temperature of the body at rest) and
Achilles reflex time (reflexes are slowed in hypothyroidism). With the
advent of sophisticated laboratory measurement of thyroid hormones in
the blood, these "functional" tests of thyroid function fell by the
wayside. However, it is known that the routine blood tests may not be
sensitive enough to diagnose milder forms of hypothyroidism. The
diagnosis of hypothyroidism by laboratory methods is primarily based
on the results of total T4, free T4, T3, and TSH levels. The typical
blood tests measure thyroxine (T4), which accounts for 90% of the
hormone secretion by the thyroid. However, the form that affects the
cells the most is T3 (triiodothyronine) which cells make from T4. If
the cells are not able to convert T4 to the four-times more active T3,
a person can have normal levels of thyroid hormone in the blood, yet
be thyroid-deficient.
The enzyme thyroid peroxidase, converts T4 to T3 and is blocked by
mercury in the body, primarily from dental mercury amalgam fillings
and thimerosol, a mercury preservative found in vaccinations and other
medicines. Genistein and daidzein from soy also inactivate thyroid
peroxidase enzyme. In the case of T4 and T3, more than 99% is normally
protein-bound in the blood. Less than 1% is free. Only the free
hormone exerts biologic activity. The protein-bound hormone is
inactive. The saliva test is a more accurate and sensitive way to
*****s thyroid function because new technology allows for direct
measurement of the free thyroid hormones.
A better way of *****sing thyroid function is to measure its effects
on the body. This is done by measuring a person's resting metabolic
rate, which is controlled by the thyroid gland. Dr. Broda Barnes found
that measuring basal body temperature (description follows) was a good
way of *****sing basal metabolic rate (BMR) and thus the body's
response to thyroid hormones, regardless of their blood levels. As
mild hypothyroidism is the most common form of hypothyroidism, many
people with hypothyroidism are going undiagnosed. The basal body
temperature is the most sensitive functional test of thyroid function.
Nonetheless, using blood levels of thyroid hormones as the criteria,
it is estimated that between 1 and 4% of the adult population have
moderate to severe hypothyroidism, and another 10-12% have mild
hypothyroidism. The rate of hypothyroidism increases steadily with
advancing age. Using only blood tests, thyroid function is commonly
low in older adults. When using medical history, physical examination,
and basal body temperatures along with the blood thyroid levels as the
diagnostic criteria, estimated rates of hypothyroidism approach 90% or
more of the adult population.
The Thyroid Gland
It is the thyroid gland, lying in front of the throat below the Adam's
apple and just above the breastbone, which regulates the rate at which
the body utilizes oxygen and controls the rate at which various organs
function and the speed with which the body utilizes food. Thyroid
secretion is essential for the operation of the cells and, in effect,
determines how hot the fire gets in the cell and the speed of activity
in the cell. The influence of thyroid secretion on body processes and
other organs is incredibly widespread and im****tant. When the thyroid
gland is removed from an otherwise normal animal, all metabolic
activity is reduced. After removal of the thyroid gland, excess
amounts of water, salts, and protein are retained within the body.
Blood cholesterol also goes up.
The thyroid, the body's thermostat, secretes two hormones that
regulate body temperature, energy usage, and calorie burning. The
thyroid has many effects on all the cells in the body, including the
synthesis of RNA protein and consumption of oxygen by cells, affecting
overall bodily metabolism. Thyroid function influences and is
influenced by the pituitary, adrenals, parathyroid, and *** glands,
all of which work together. The pituitary produces TSH (thyroid-
stimulating hormone), which helps regulate thyroid hormone production.
Thyroid malfunctioning is also influenced by abnormal immune responses
and the adrenals. People with type-O blood are said to be genetically
prone to hypothyroidism and low levels of iodine. Approximately 46% of
people are blood Type-O.
The thyroid plays an im****tant role in growth processes. In the human,
growth and maturation fail to take place normally when the thyroid is
absent or functioning far below normal. Children lacking normal
thyroid function may remain small; their stature can be improved
considerably by thyroid supplementation and detoxification started at
an early age. Growth of the skin, hair, and nails may be retarded in
thyroid deficiency and accelerated again by thyroid treatment. Healing
of bone is delayed in thyroid deficiency. A rather severe anemia may
develop in severe hypothyroidism. Thyroid hormone is essential for
normal nervous system functioning and reaction time, and
hypothyroidism may produce slow reactions and mental sluggishness.
Muscle health too is dependent on thyroid secretion and with marked
thyroid deficiency the muscles may become sluggish and infiltrated
with fat. There are interrelation****ps between the thyroid and the
other endocrine glands. When, for example, thyroid deficiency is
marked, the effect on the *** glands is shown by subnormal ***ual
development and function and impairment of libido. In hypothyroid
women, menstrual disturbances are present frequently.
Estrogen Dominance and Thyroid
Estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid hormones are interrelated. The
thyroid is the hormone that regulates metabolic rate. Low thyroid
tends to cause low energy levels, cold intolerance, and weight gain.
Excess thyroid causes higher energy levels, feeling too warm, and
weight loss. The thyroid gland makes two versions of thyroid hormone
from tyrosine and iodine.
Both versions are then enveloped in a relatively large glycoprotein
complex called thyroglobulin and stored in the thyroid gland. To be
released into the bloodstream for circulation throughout the body, the
hormones are separated from thyroglobulin and bound to a much smaller
globulin thyroxin-binding globulin or albumin. However, only 0.5% of
thyroid hormone is "free" to be biologically active. Thyroid's action
in the cell is to increase the biosynthesis of enzymes, resulting in
heat production, oxygen consumption, and elevated metabolic rate.
Thyroid stimulates the oxidation of fatty acids, and reduces
cholesterol by oxidizing it into bile acids. Thyroid also stimulates
enzymes for protein synthesis and, when present in excessive amounts,
can catabolize (destroy) muscle protein. Estrogen causes food calories
to be stored as fat. Thyroid hormone causes fat calories to be turned
into usable energy. Thyroid hormone and estrogen have opposing
actions. Estrogen inhibits thyroid action in the cells, interfering
with the binding of thyroid to its receptor. Both hormones have phenol
rings at a corner of their molecule. The respiratory enzymes of cells
are thyroid-dependent. When thyroid function is low, cellular oxygen
is low (cellular hypoxia). Thus, estrogen-induced thyroid interference
contributes to less-than-optimal brain function. Excess estrogen may
compete with thyroid hormone at the site of its receptor. In so doing,
the thyroid hormone may never complete its mission, creating
hypothyroid symptoms despite normal serum levels of thyroid hormone.
Progesterone, on the other hand, increases the sensitivity of estrogen
receptors for estrogen and yet, at the proper level, inhibits many of
estrogen's side effects. GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is an amino
acid that acts as a neurotransmitter-inhibitor and tends to have a
calming effect. When estrogen interferes with thyroid production and
slows the metabolism of brain cells, it indirectly decreases GABA
production and increases brain cell excitability, a factor in
epilepsy.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism occurs at all ages. Hypothyroidism has been estimated
to affect as many as 90% of people in the United States, 90% of which
are women. In children, mild deficiency may be the cause of behavior
problems, or of a mild degree of mental slowness, which often is not
abnormal enough to be given much consideration. In children of this
type startling results occasionally follow the administration of small
doses of thyroid extract. At puberty and in the early teens diminished
endurance and a tendency to anemia, nervous disorders, problems with
menstrual cycles or digestive disturbances often are explained by a
mild degree of hypothyroidism. Extreme physical and nervous exhaustion
in young adults, the depressions of middle life, and aggravated
symptoms of menopause may be partially explained on the basis of low
thyroid. Late symptoms which simulate senile changes frequently are
distinctly improved by the administraion of thyroid extract or iodine
supplementation. Undiagnosed thyroid problems can be behind many
unidentified symptoms of fatigue, many recurring illnesses, and non-
responsive health problems.
The body systems affected by this disorder are quite variable. A lack
of thyroid hormones leads to a general decrease in the rate of
utilization of fat, protein, and carbohydrate. Moderate weight gain
combined with sensitivity to cold weather (cold hands and feet) is a
common finding. Cholesterol and triglyceride levels are increase in
even the mildest forms of hypothyroidism. This elevation greatly
increases the risk of serious cardiovascular disease. Studies have
shown an increased rate of heart disease due to atherosclerosis in
individuals with hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism also leads to
increases in capillary permeability and slow lymphatic drainage. Often
this will result in swelling of tissues (edema). Circulation symptoms
are referred chiefly to the heart and are caused by myocardial
degeneration. Hypothyroidism predisposes to premature
arteriosclerosis. Hypothyroidism can also cause hypertension, reduce
the function of the heart and reduce heart rate. Nervous disorders,
such as headaches, neurasthenia, mild psychic disturbances, especially
affective disorders (depression), fears, anxieties, poor memory, and
difficult concentration are frequently seen. Gastrointestinal symptoms
are extremely common, including anorexia, distress after eating,
belching of gas, vomiting, obstinate constipation, and occasional
diarrhea.
A variety of hormonal symptoms can exist in hypothyroidism. Perhaps
the most common is a loss of libido (***ual drive) in men and
menstrual abnormalities in women. Women with mild hypothyroidism have
prolonged and heavy menstrual bleeding, with a shorter menstrual
cycle. Every type of disturbance may be seen from amenorrhea (no
period), to profuse menorrhagia (heavy bleeding), especially at
menopause. Infertility may also be a problem. If the hypothyroid woman
does become pregnant, miscarriages, premature deliveries, and
stillbirths are common. Rarely does a pregnancy terminate in normal
labor and delivery in the overtly hypothyroid woman. Muscle weakness
and joint stiffness are predominate features of hypothyroidism. Some
individuals with hypothyroidism may also experience muscle and joint
pain, and tenderness. Dry, rough skin covered with fine superficial
scales is seen in most hypothyroid individuals while the hair is
course, dry, and brittle. Hair loss can be quite severe. The nails
become thin and brittle and typically show transverse grooves. The
brain appears to be quite sensitive to low levels of thyroid hormone.
Depression along with weakness and fatigue are usually the first
symptoms of hypothyroidism. Later, the hypothyroid individual will
have difficulty concentrating and be extremely forgetful.
Frequently, blood tests of hormone levels are normal, but basal body
temperature is abnormally low. Shortness of breath, constipation, and
impaired kidney function are some of the other common features of
hypothyroidism. This condition is often associated with Wilson's
syndrome, physical and emotional stress, and Ha****moto's disease.
Fortunately, cretinism and myxedema, the extreme forms of
hypothyroidism, are relatively rare. Occipital-cervical aching with
radiation to the shoulders or intrascapular area is common. Also
rheumatoid pains may occur in various joints and parts of the body
without evidence of inflammation. Blood cholesterol is often elevated.
If the cholesterol is elevated, it is a presumptive diagnosis of
hypothyroidism. All of these symptoms have been treated with thyroid
extract and iodine supplementation successfully. The only reliable
diagnostic tests worth doing are the basal metabolic rate, saliva
test, and serum cholesterol.
Cretinism
Cretinism is a condition found in infants and children resulting from
a deficiency of thyroid hormone during fetal or early life. The
thyroid gland may be entirely absent or greatly reduced in size. In a
cretin child, the skin is thick, dry, wrinkled, and sallow; the tongue
is enlarged; the lips thickened; the mouth open and drooling; the face
broad; the nose flat; the feet and hands puffy. The child is dull and
apathetic. Although a cretin child may be unusually large at birth,
development is defective and, if the child is untreated, he becomes
small for his age in childhood and a dwarf in adulthood, suffering
mental retardation along with growth failure. With early and adequate
thyroid treatment for cretinism, growth may become normal and mental
status may improve.
Myxedema
Myxedema is the reaction in adulthood to lack of thyroid hormone,
either because the thyroid gland wastes away or has to be removed, or
because of failure of the pituitary gland to stimulate thyroid
activity. Myxedema brings with it gradual personality changes along
with marked physical changes. They include a general, progressive
slowing of mental and physical activity, an increase in weight, and a
decrease in appetite. Facial changes occur and may progress steadily
to produce a mask-like appearance, as the skin becomes thick and
somewhat rigid, interfering with expression. The skin also becomes
dry, cold, rough, and scaly; it appears waterlogged and swollen.
Characteristically, the upper eyelids become waterlogged or edematous
and the eyebrows may be elevated because of efforts to keep the eyes
open. The hair becomes coarse, brittle, and falls out; the nails
become brittle and grow slowly; there is sensitivity to cold with
feelings of being chilly in rooms of normal temperature; and
perspiration is decreased or absent even during hot weather.
Many myxedematous patients are troubled by joint pains and stiffness.
Resistance to infection is decreased, wounds heal slowly, and ulcers
may be persistent. The tongue and lips become large and thick and,
because of this and also because of retarded mental reaction and
decreased muscular coordination, the speech becomes slow, thick, and
clumsy and may resemble that of a slightly intoxicated person. A
myxedema victim generally appears slow, drowsy, and placid. Normal
mental effort cannot be maintained. A tendency to drop off to sleep
during the day may be present. Anemia is usually present in some form;
constipation is nearly always present; depression is common as is
decline in libido and ***ual function. Yet, all of these
manifestations are dramatically controllable when thyroid treatment is
administered in suitable form. Virtually no system of the body may
escape the effects of severe lack or complete absence of thyroid
hormone secretions. Yet, even in extreme forms of hypothyroidism,
there are variations in manifestations, some being more overt and
troublesome than others. Hypothyroidism of milder degree can be far
more subtle. It, too, may affect many systems of the body but not all
to the same degree. One patient may have manifestations that another
does not. There are variations among individuals in organs and systems
which are most susceptible to thyroid deficiency. Such varying
susceptibility is well known in allergy. In the allergic person, a
food, pollen, or other material to which there is sensitivity may
produce varying symptoms depending upon the "target" organs affected--
the organs with greater allergic susceptibility.
>From Childhood On
Relatively mild thyroid deficiency in a newborn may not be readily
apparent. Such a child may be quieter than others and may sleep more.
Sometimes, the face may be broader than normal and may rarely change
expression, breathing may be somewhat noisy, and the baby may appear
to have a cold much or all of the time. Preschool children with low
thyroid function may have a somewhat dull and apathetic appearance and
be less active than normal youngsters. Yet, paradoxically, a few will
be very nervous, hyperactive, and unusually aggressive. Emotional
problems are frequent. A low thyroid child may cry for no apparent
reason and object vigorously to any restrictions. Temper tantrums are
common, probably related to undue fatigue. The child may sleep longer
than other youngsters of his or her age, be a slow starter in the
morning, have a short attention span, and flit from one activity to
another. And infections are common. Once a low-thyroid child starts to
school, other problems may arise. With low energy endowment, the child
may lack self-confidence and have difficulties in associating
successfully with other children. He may be unable to sit quietly and
study and his progress in school may be slow. His susceptibility to
respiratory infections from other youngsters has increased and with
his resistance weakened by low thyroid function he acquires far more
than his fair share. Removal of tonsils may end repeated resistance to
other respiratory infections, sore throats, earaches, and the like.
With puberty, other problems may develop. S****ts may further deplete
low energy endowment; so may any part-time jobs; and school failure
may occur. Girls beginning the menstrual cycle may develop low-grade
anemia as the result of periodic blood loss, and this further depletes
their energy. Although in childhood growth may be stunted by a marked
thyroid deficiency, there may be a seemingly paradoxical effect of a
minor deficiency at puberty. The individual may become unusually tall.
Growth stops with the closing of the growth centers at the end of each
long bone. Thyroid hormone plays a part in causing these centers to
close normally. With thyroid deficiency, growth may continue for some
time. In adulthood, many of the effects of low thyroid function
experienced in childhood may be carried over and new ones may emerge.
The "problem" child--who was experiencing the effects of low thyroid
function--may become an adult who all too easily may be mislabeled a
-"neurotic-" or "hypochondriac" because of persistent or even
accentuated fatigue, headaches, circulatory disturbances, and other
manifestations of low thyroid function.
Hyperthyroidism
In a person with normal thyroid function, when there is a need for
more thyroid secretion, a signal is received by the pituitary gland
which then releases a substance to stimulate thyroid function. As soon
as the needed amount of thyroid secretion has then been released into
the bloodstream, the pituitary gland gets the message, stops releasing
its thyroid-stimulating substance, and less thyroid hormone is
produced. Through this sensitive "feedback" mechanism, the amount of
thyroid hormone in the bloodstream is maintained in an effective,
narrow range. When thyroid function is deficient, the gland cannot
respond adequately to the stimulus from the pituitary. If the
pituitary gland is toxic from mercury or other heavy metals, it can
lose its sensitivity to thyroid hormone in the blood and the body's
precise control of thyroid level in the bloodstream is thwarted; and
it is possible that the patient may even have too much hormone in the
blood and may develop some or many of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism.
Symptoms of overproduction of thyroid hormone include: weight loss,
fatigue, nervousness, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, tremors, difficulty
sleeping, moist skin, excessive sweating, sensitivity to heat,
elevated temperature, bulging eyes, goiter, diarrhea, other
gastrointestinal disturbances, and chest pain. This condition is often
called Graves' disease.
Iodine
Iodine-containing compounds are found in ashes of burnt seaweed, salty
oil-well brines and Chilean saltpeter, which is sodium iodate (NaIO3).
Iodine is extracted in huge amounts by Japanese seaweed farming.
Originally, during the formation of the earth, iodine dispersed
throughout rock formations. Much later ocean water, plants and animals
also contained iodine in low amounts. It was abundant, however, in
seaweeds. Detoxified Iodine can be supplemented by placing a few drops
in water daily to provide adequate amounts to the body.
Iodine is widely dispersed in rocks but the concentration is extremely
low and even the leeching of iodine from soil over ages did not raise
the ocean's concentration significantly. Early development of single
celled organisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa arose
without iodine. Because of iodine's low concentrations everywhere on
the planet, almost without exception single celled micro-organisms did
not use iodine for any purpose. Erosion of the rocks by rain,
glaciers, ice age, and later melting, leeched these small amounts of
iodine out of the soil and rocks and washed them into the oceans where
concentrations of sea salt is so low it does not prevent goiter in
humans. The earliest signs of iodine use are in diatoms (algae), but
significant iodine concentration occurred in seaweeds.
Because rains containing iodine from the ocean, older soils seen in
New Mexico, contain more iodine than younger soils. Also, soil areas
stripped of topsoil by glaciers, such as the North American Great
Lakes regions, became endemic goiter areas. Dogs, humans, fish and
likely other animals were iodine deficient and had goiters
(enlargement of thyroid gland) . In humans, goiter incidence fell
below 1% because of iodine salt supplementation, but fish of the great
lakes still show goiter formation. Iodine replacement of soil depleted
by rain is a slow process. Soils depleted of iodine by the last ice
age are still deficient in iodine.
The most significant evolutionary event for eukaryotes (nucleated
celled organisms), including humans, occurred when seaweeds
concentrated iodine. From this process came multicellular organisms,
vertebrates and humans. Because iodine was not available in
significant concentrations for much of evolution, single-celled
organisms reproduced themselves with structural membrane proteins
having the amino acids tyrosine or histidine exposed to the
surrounding medium or extra-cellular fluids. Iodine kills single
celled organisms by combining with these same two amino acids. All
single celled organisms showing tyrosine (tyrosyl) linkages exposed in
the membrane proteins are killed by this simple chemical reaction that
denatures proteins and destroys enzymes, killing the cells.
Seaweed was the first to start capturing iodine from ocean water by a
membrane trans****t mechanism that today still concentrates iodine to
20,000 times the ocean's concentration. What is not generally
appreciated, and perhaps not thought of in this light, was that the
high concentrations of iodine in seaweed, whether the seaweed was dead
or alive, gave birth to a brand new environment chemically different
from the rest of the planet up to that time. This was the world of
high iodine. Never before had such an environment been created. For
the first time there were no bacteria, fungi, viruses, or protozoa
present. Archea are a different form of bacteria capable of growing in
harsh environments and might have been the type of organism to
colonize this niche. However, any new microorganism trying to grow
here would be under the influence of iodine and thyroxine. As
iodination of proteins is a simple easy and predictable chemical
reaction, which automatically produces thyoxine within the protein, so
intracellular iodination of proteins likely was an original source of
thryoxine to these early developing cells. These cells did not need to
have an outside source of thyroxine.
Soon, in evolutionary time, the precursor of the thyroid, the
endostyle or thyroid-hormone-making site in the pre-vertebrate animals
arrived. This organ, in the back of the pharynx of primitive pre-
vertebrates, excreted protein bound thyroxine into the gut and there
it was hydrolyzed, absorbed and delivered all over the body. Later, in
early vertebrates, at a site close by to where the endostyle was, the
first thyroid gland follicles can be discerned. By then thyroid
hormone was being secreted internally into the blood. At this point,
there was no brain, pituitary or hypothalamus control mechanisms to
influence the thyroid function. Thyroid hormone is the first endocrine
hormone to arrive in evolution and it is the first to arrive during
fetal life. But almost simultaneously with the development of the
thyroid gland, the central nervous system started to develop since the
nerve cells were assured of a constant supply of thyroxine and this in
turn depended upon a constant supply of iodine.
Thyroxine controls all endocrine organs which is what we would expect
if the thyroid controls the genome and also was the first to arrive in
evolution and in fetal development. Later the brain evolved into our
present system of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid system giving the
hypothalamus overall control of the output of the thyroid gland. It
appears that the most im****tant event in the life of the pituitary/
thyroid system occurs at birth. Because the hypothalamus and the
thyroid hormone controls the body temperature at birth there is a
surge in TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) which greatly increases the
thyroid hormone excreted into the blood at birth. This relates to
metamorphic changes in the lungs and other systems as the baby
switches over to air breathing.
After birth, the thyroid starts putting out a fairly constant supply
of thyroid hormone for the rest of the human's life. The reserve of
the thyroid gland to stress and its ability to respond appear related
to adequate iodine intake before the age of puberty, which is the
first real test of the thyroid's reserve abilities. Stress on the
thyroid can be detected and the size of the thyroid gland measured
accurately by ultrasound. The thyroid enlargement from physiological
stress found in areas of borderline low iodine intake, occur during
adolescence, pregnancies and menopause. These enlargements are good
indicators of borderline iodine supplementation indicating a degree of
iodine deficiency, but at the same time this illustrates the increased
needs for thyroid hormone during period of physiological stress during
life.
Disturbance of the thyroid system relates to disease. A low output of
thyroid hormone will not provide the cellular DNA with adequate
thyroid hormone for proper maintenance. Also as each tissue controls
its own thyroid metabolism, the same levels of thyroid in the blood
may not be adequate for the tissue adaptation mechanisms in another.
There is no feedback system from individual tissues to tell the
thyroid TSH system to rise higher because one tissue is not getting
enough. The brain seems to have the highest priority for maintenance
of thyroid hormone levels. For example, if the patient has a thyroid
gland that by lab tests is normal, but the patient has a low thyroid
dependent depression, the depression will continue until somehow the
level of thyroid hormone is raised above its current levels. Although
cretinism and related goiters have been noted throughout all ages, it
wasn't until the discovery of iodine that some progress was made in
the understanding of the thyroid gland.
But clinically the most historic do***ent on thyroid occurred in 1888.
This committee described a variable syndrome in persons whose thyroid
had been removed or were suffering from a completely failed thyroid.
To this was given the name myxedema to stand for the presence of a
peculiar type of mucin that gathered in almost all the connective
tissues of the body. One of the characteristics of extreme low thyroid
is to find this mucin in virtually every organ of the body. With the
realization that there are receptors for thyroid hormones in the cell
membrane, the cytosol (intracellular fluid), the mitochondria and the
nucleus, we begin to understand how im****tant this thyroid control
system is.
Iodine and the Thyroid Gland
The thyroid gland is a factory. To produce its secretions it must have
raw material. If it lacks adequate raw materials, its production
slumps. When this happens, when the slump is great enough, there may
be signals from elsewhere in the body that amount to exhortations for
the gland to increase its output. Trying to oblige, the gland may
increase in size in a kind of blind effort to add to its output even
though it cannot increase production for lack of raw material. The
gland may enlarge until a noticeable lump may appear in the throat.
And the swelling, or goiter, may become large enough to interfere with
breathing or swallowing. The cause of goiter is lack of sufficient
iodine in the soil and drinking water, or from inability to utilize
iodine because of mercury toxicity from amalgam dental fillings and
from mercury in immunizations.
The thyroid gland is the principle user of iodine in the body. Two-
thirds of the body's store of iodine is located in the thyroid gland.
In a normal person, dietary iodine is absorbed from the gut into the
blood and then, in the thyroid, it is removed from the blood,
"trapped" in the gland, and incor****ated there into compounds, which
in turn are assembled into thyroid hormone secretions. The average
iodine intake of a normal adult on an ordinary diet in a non-goiter
region is about 0.03 milligrams, a day. This tiny amount is only about
one-seventh of what is needed for daily thyroid hormone production,
but the body practices great economy and re-uses much of its iodine
store repeatedly in producing hormone secretions. In goiter regions,
not even the 0.03 milligram per day is available in the food and
water. Goiter regions are to be found all over the world. No continent
is free of them. Generally they are the mountainous and inland areas
of the globe. A high incidence of goiter is found in the Himalayas in
Asia, in the regions of the Alps and the Carpathian and Pyrenees
mountains in Europe, and in the high plateaus of the Andes in South
America. In North America, the goiter zone is the Great Lakes basin
and the area of the St. Lawrence River, extending westward through
Minnesota, the Dakotas, and the neighboring Canadian territory as far
as the northwest and including Oregon, Wa****ngton, and British
Columbia. This great belt extends an arm southward in the rocky
Mountain area and another in the Appalachian area.
It is in such high and inland areas that, through the ages, the soil
has yielded most or all of its soluble iodine content to water on the
way to the sea. In areas close to the sea, the soil as well as
drinking water is usually rich in iodine. Fruits and vegetables grown
in such soil contain iodine in abundance and this is equally true of
sea food and sea vegetables. The incidence of goiter in high and
inland areas in the past was extremely great. In some Alpine areas,
for example, the incidence approached 100%. The most im****tant
discovery in relation to goiter was that the disorder could be
prevented by administration of iodine. The iodine could be added to
community water supplies in goiter regions, or it could be
administered in the form of tablets or drops, or it could be taken in
the form of iodized salt. Today, the use of iodized salt is the most
widely accepted method of goiter prevention. But even though goiter is
now far less of a problem, it is not so with hypothyroidism. For low
thyroid function can be--and commonly is--present in the absence of
goiter, especially with the "fear of salt" introduced by the medical
establishment.
The basic unit of the thyroid gland is the follicle. The thyroid gland
captures dietary iodine, synthesizes thyroid hormone from it, and
stores thyroid hormone until it is needed. Colloid, the material in
the center of the follicles, stores thyroid hormone in a large protein
called thyroglobulin. Hydrolysis (digestion) of thyroglobulin releases
thyroid hormone into the circulation in the form of thyroxine (T4) and
triiodothyronine (T3). Iodination of almost any large protein results
in the formation of thyroxine (T4). Iodide, which is ingested in food
and water, is actively concentrated by the thyroid gland, converted to
organic iodine by thyroid peroxidase, and incor****ated into tyrosine
in thyroglobulin within the thyroid follicular cell. The tyrosines are
iodinated at one (monoiodotyrosine) or two (diiodotyrosine) sites and
then coupled to form the active hormones (diiodotyrosine +
diiodotyrosine = tetraiodothyronine (thyroxine, T4); diiodotyrosine +
monoiodotyrosine = triiodothyronine (T3).
Radioactive tracing of iodine shows that much of the iodine goes to
the thyroid gland, nasal secretions, gut, breast, stomach, bone and in
the extracellular fluids and connective tissue of almost all organs.
Iodine can be found everywhere, for example, iodine appears in the
cervical mucus within two minutes after injection. In evolution the
gut served as the source of iodine before the thyroid gland appeared
and now the gut serves as a reservoir of iodine for immediate needs of
the body.
Iodine Functions in the Body
The main function of the iodine is synthesis, storage and secretion of
thyroid hormone. What iodine is left over is taken up in other tissues
especially extracellular fluids and excreted in the urine. From
extracellular fluids iodine travels in the lymphatics and re-enters
the blood stream via the main lymphatic channel, the thoracic duct. In
the 1960s it was established that if the daily dose of iodine was
increased to over 2-3 mgs of iodine per day, within two weeks, the
thyroid became saturated and no longer took up iodine in significant
amounts. So a normal person who raised their daily dose of iodine
above, say 3 mgs, within two weeks their thyroid was almost completely
stop taking up iodine as it became saturated, but more im****tant to
the body, all of the dietary iodine now went to perform other body
functions.
Iodine and Apoptosis
In areas of the body, where many cells die, (apoptosis) there is
always an endless source of iodine. All the sites in the body of high
apoptosis (natural death of cells on a regular and predictable
schedule) find iodine in plentiful supply. The secretions into the
nasal passages and lumen of the stomach, for instance, have both a
high death rate and an endless supply of iodine. Not only is iodine an
antiseptic against bacteria, it also is an anticancer agent.
Iodine Excretion in the Urine
Iodine has an unusual excretion pattern in the urine. There are no
reabsorption mechanisms or preservation mechanisms in the urinary
tract to keep this element from excretion in the urine and hence loss
from the body. Iodine is the trigger mechanism for apoptosis and it is
imperative that a constant source of iodine in the urine be available.
If the body was capable, and it is not, of holding the iodine inside
and therefore allowing urine with no iodine to flow through the renal
system, then the renal system would be deprived of iodine. This would
immediately lead to abnormal cells and cancer. The Western diet
contains nowhere near the levels of iodine needed to saturate the
thyroid. An increase of at least 10 times would be helpful, but more
effective would be levels that are comparable to the Japanese, having
the highest daily intake of iodine and the lowest rates of cancer in
the world.
Iodine and Lipids
One of the ways to measure the number of double bonds in fat is to
measure the amount of iodine 100 grams of fat will take up. This is
called the iodine number or value. The most unsaturated fat has the
highest iodine value. Dietary fat removes iodine from the diet. Iodine
protects double bonds while they are being trans****ted to the sites
where they are needed such as blood vessels and synaptic membranes of
the central nervous system.
Iodine and Pregnancy
During pregnancy the placenta captures iodine to the point of raising
the levels in the fetal circulation to five times the mother's level.
As there are a huge number of cells dying by apoptosis during fetal
growth, so iodine is of im****tance to the fetal development. The brain
has more apoptosis going on during development than most other organs,
so it follows that low iodine can cause abnormal brain development.
Early fetal development is partly under the guidance of maternal
thyroid hormones that have crossed the placenta, but it is theorized
that the primitive cells at the beginning of fetal development still
have the ability to make thyroid hormone themselves for their own use
as in the early evolution of eukaryotes.
In 1912 it was shown that thyroid hormones would change a tadpole into
a frog. This metamorphosis is complex at all levels. The tails
dissolve away, legs are developed on the side, the lungs are changed
over to air breathing, and the liver, without any detectable change in
the DNA or cellular morphology, changes over biochemical mechanisms
from an ocean water animal to a land animal. Although the effects of
thyroid hormone appear to be systemic in the tadpole, in fact, thyroid
hormone is affecting each cell individually. But more im****tantly, if
the thyroid gland is removed and iodine is given in any form--
injection, orally or in the bathing solution--metamorphosis will carry
along at the same rate as if thyroid hormone was present. This
suggests that the ability of tadpoles to synthesize thyroid hormone
from iodine alone is retained inside every cell. If these phenomena of
intracellular synthesis of thyroxine have been carried over from the
first days of eukaryote genesis, it is likely that human fetal
development, also in its early stages, is dependent on thyroxine
manufactured from iodine within the cells. The only factor which
completely eliminates cretinism, hypothyroidism in the fetus, and
mental retardation is iodine, given by any means, as long as it is
adequate--before conception.
Japanese women, who consume the highest amounts of dietary iodine per
woman in the world, have the lowest rate of stillbirth and perinatal
and infant mortality in the world. Among the folklore of Japanese
mothers is the interesting concept that seaweed will prevent cancer.
Functions of Iodine in the Human Body
Used to make thyroid hormone in the thyroid gland.
Main body surveillance mechanism for abnormal cells in the body.
Triggers apoptosis (programmed death of cells) in normal cells and
abnormal cells.
Detoxifies chemicals.
Reacts with tyrosine and histidine to inactivate enzymes and denature
proteins.
Antiseptic to bacteria, algae, fungi viruses and protozoa.
Detoxifies biological toxins food poisoning, s**** venoms etc.
Anti allergic process. Makes external proteins non-allergic.
Anti-autoimmune mechanism by making intracellular proteins spilled
into blood non-allergic.
Protection of double bonds in lipids for delivery to cardiovascular
system and synaptic membranes in brain and retina.
Fetal source of apoptotic mechanisms during development in fetus and
breast-fed children.
Protection from apoptotic diseases such as leukemia.
Possible initial source of thyroxine in early fetal development.
Antiseptic activity in stomach against helicobacter pylori.
Other Challenges
Many factors influence thyroid function. Commonly unrecognized causes
of thyroid underproduction have been attributed to excessive
consumption of soybean products. Mercury binds to the sulphur in
thyroglobulin and renders it unavailable for the production of thyroid
hormones. Fluoride in tap water and toothpastes as well as chlorine in
tap water both block iodine receptors in the thyroid gland that result
in lowered thyroid hormone production. Sulfa and antihistamine drugs
aggravate iodine uptake by the thyroid. Synthroid and other synthetic
thyroid drugs can cause as much as a 13% loss of bone mass, according
to a study done at the University of Massachusetts. Underactive
thyroid conditions respond best when supplemented with detoxified
iodine, kelp and dulse, essential fatty acids, thyroid glandulars and
other nutrients that nourish the thyroid gland.
Mercury Toxicity
The affinity of mercury for the pituitary gland was first identified
by Stock in 1940. Autopsy studies in 1975 revealed that, contrary to
accepted belief that the kidney was the prime ac***ulator of inorganic
mercury, the thyroid and pituitary retain and ac***ulate more
inorganic mercury than the kidneys. It has been well do***ented that
mercury is an endocrine system disrupting chemical in animals and
people, disrupting function of the pituitary gland, thyroid gland,
enzyme production processes, and many hormonal functions at low levels
of exposure. People with high mercury levels in their bodies have more
hormonal disturbances, immune disturbances, recurring fungal
infections, hair loss and allergies. Hormones that are most often
affected by mercury are thyroid, insulin, estrogen, testosterone, both
anterior and posterior pituitary, and adrenaline. Almost all hormones
have binding sights capable of connecting to metabolic cofactors, but
mercury can bind here, too. Mercury frequently has a stronger affinity
for these binding sites than the normal activators; even though the
hormone is present in the bloodstream, it may not be able to act as it
is supposed to act.
Mercury (especially mercury va**** or organic mercury) rapidly crosses
the blood-brain barrier and is stored preferentially in the pituitary
gland, thyroid gland, hypothalamus, and occipital cortex in direct
pro****tion to the number and extent of dental amalgam surfaces.
Mercury, through its affects on the endocrine system, is do***ented to
cause other reproductive problems including infertility, low sperm
counts, abnormal sperm, endometritis, PMS, adverse effects on
reproductive organs, etc. In general, immune activation from toxins
such as heavy metals, resulting in cytokine release and abnormalities
of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, can cause changes in the
brain, fatigue, and severe psychological symptoms such as depression,
profound fatigue, muscular-skeletal pain, sleep disturbances,
gastrointestinal and neurological problems as are seen in CFS,
fibromyalgia, and autoimmune thyroiditis. Symptoms usually improve
significantly after amalgam removal. A direct mechanism involving
mercury's inhibition of hormones and cellular enzymatic processes by
binding with the hydroxyl radical (SH) in amino acids, appears to be a
major part of the connection to allergic/immune reactive/autoimmune
conditions such as autism/ADHD, schizophrenia, lupus, scleroderma,
eczema, psoriasis and allergies.
Mercury inhibits the activity of dipeptyl peptidase (DPP IV) which is
required in the digestion of the milk protein casein as well as
xanthine oxidase. Studies involving a large sample of autistic and
schizophrenic patients found that over 90% of those tested had high
levels of the neurotoxic milk protein beta-casomorphine-7 in their
blood and urine and defective enzymatic processes for digesting milk
protein. Elimination of milk products from the diet improves the
condition. ADHD populations have high levels of mercury and recover
after mercury detoxification. As mercury levels are reduced, the
protein binding is reduced and improvement in the enzymatic process
occurs. Additional cellular level enzymatic effects of mercury binding
with proteins include blockage of sulfur oxidation processes,
enzymatic processes involving vitamins B6 and B12, effects on
cytochrome-C energy processes, along with mercury's adverse effects on
mineral levels of calcium, magnesium, zinc, and lithium.
Thyroid and Mercury
Organic mercury causes severe damage to both the endocrine and neural
systems. Studies have do***ented that mercury causes hypothyroidism,
damage of thyroid RNA, autoimmune thyroiditis (inflammation of the
thyroid), and impairment of conversion of thyroid T4 hormone to the
active T3 form. Large percentages of women have elevated levels of
antithyroglobulin (anti-TG) or antithyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-
TP). Slight imbalances of thyroid hormones in expectant mothers can
cause permanent neuropsychiatric damage in the developing fetus.
Hypothyroidism is a well-do***ented cause of mental retardation.
Maternal hypothyroidism appears to play a role in at least 15% of
children whose IQs are more than 1 standard deviation below the mean,
millions of children. Studies have also established a clear
association between the presence of thyroid antibodies and spontaneous
abortions. Hypothyroidism is a risk factor in spontaneous abortions
and infertility.
In pregnant women who suffer from hypothyroidism, there is a four-time
greater risk for miscarriage during the second trimester than in those
who don't. Women with untreated thyroid deficiency are four-times more
likely to have a child with a developmental disability and lower I.Q.
Mercury blocks thyroid hormone production by occupying iodine-binding
sites and inhibiting hormone action even when the measured thyroid
levels appears to be in the proper range. There are several aspects of
iodine deficiency and hypothyroidism-related effects on fetal and
perinatal brain development that can be aggravated or otherwise
affected by the presence of mercury. Mercury has the ability to reduce
cerebellar brain weight through significant reductions in total cell
population of the cerebellum. Reductions of total body weight at birth
are related to maternal exposure to mercury. Lead and mercury also
have a direct effect on neuronal development leading to learning
deficits. These are the same type of birth defects produced by
maternal iodine deficiency and hypothyroidism. Mercury can have a
negative effect on both iodine and thyroid status. A pregnant woman
with a mouthful of mercury amalgam fillings has a much greater chance
of experiencing some degree of hypothyroidism and/or iodine deficiency
during pregnancy than one without amalgam fillings.
Both the pituitary and the thyroid display an affinity for
ac***ulating mercury. The enzymatic effects of mercury intoxication
can be overcome by the administration of the thyroid hormone
thyroxine. Through a feedback loop, the pituitary releases thyrotropin-
releasing hormone, which in effect tells the thyroid how much
thyroxine hormone to release into the blood. Mercury first stimulates
and then suppresses the thyroid function. Chronic intake of mercury
for more than ninety days results in signs of mercury poisoning,
together with decreased uptake of iodine and depression of thyroid
hormonal secretion. The thyroid and hypothalamus regulate body
temperature and many metabolic processes including enzymatic processes
that, when inhibited, result in higher dental decay. Mercury damage
thus commonly results in poor body temperature control, in addition to
many problems caused by hormonal imbalances such as depression. Such
hormonal secretions are affected at levels of mercury exposure much
lower than the acute toxicity effects normally tested. Mercury also
damages the blood brain barrier and facilitates penetration of the
brain by other toxic metals and substances. Hypothyroidism is also a
major factor in cardiovascular disease.
The thyroid gland has four binding sites for iodine. When mercury
attaches to one of these sites, the hormone activity is altered. There
is a relation****p between thyroid function and the nutritional status
of folate, vitamin B12, and methionine. There is also a strong
association between lowered zinc intake, lowered basal metabolic rate,
lowered thyroid hormones and lowered protein utilization. Mercury
affects the nutritional status of folate, vitamin B12, methionine, and
zinc, as well as protein. The thyroid is one of the im****tant glands
influencing dental decay.
There is a fluid flow from the pulp chamber, through the dentin,
through the enamel and into the mouth in people who have no dental
decay. Thyroid is part of the endocrine function that controls the
direction of this fluid flow. Low thyroid hormone production allows
this fluid flow to run in the opposite direction--from the mouth, into
the enamel, dentin, and pulp chamber. This fluid brings bacteria and
debris from the mouth with it, leading to dental decay. When the teeth
are susceptible to decay, the whole body is susceptible to
degenerative disease. The thyroid is involved with maintenance of
proper body temperature. Most mercury toxic patients have lower than
optimum body temperatures. The most toxic persons may have
temperatures as low as 96.2. When the amalgam fillings are removed,
there is a trend for the temperature to approach 98.6, sometimes
within 24 hours of removing all of the amalgams. The thyroid gland is
controlled by the pituitary gland. When the thyroid is influenced by
mercury, there is a high incidence of unexplained depression and
anxiety. A person may have adequate levels of T3 and T4 hormones, but
if the hormones are contaminated, the person is functionally thyroid
deficient. Thyroid imbalances cause chronic conditions such as clogged
arteries and chronic heart failure. People who test hypothyroid
usually have significantly higher homocysteine and cholesterol--
do***ented risk factors in heart disease.
Fifty percent of those also have high levels of homocysteine, and 90%
are either hyperhomocystemic or hypercholesterolemic. The major
regulator of adrenocortical growth and secretion activity is the
pituitary hormone ACTH (adreno-cortico-tropic hormone). ACTH attaches
to receptors on the surface of the adrenal cortical cell and activates
an enzymatic action that ultimately produces cyclic adenosine
monophosphate (cAMP). cAMP, in turn, serves as a co-factor in
activating key enzymes in the adrenal cortex. The adrenal cortex is
able to synthesize cholesterol and to also take it up from
circulation. All steroid hormones produced by the adrenal glands are
derived from cholesterol through a series of enzymatic actions, which
are all stimulated initially by ACTH. Steroid biosynthesis involves
the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone, which is then
enzymatically transformed into the major biologically active
corticosteroids. cAMP is produced from adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by
the action of adenylate cyclase. Adenylate cyclase activity in the
brain is inhibited by micromolar concentrations of lead, mercury, and
cadmium. One of the key biochemical steps in the conversion of adrenal
pregnenolone to cortisol and aldosterone involves an enzyme identified
as 21-hydroxylase.
Mercury causes a defect in adrenal steroid biosynthesis by inhibiting
the activity of 21a-hydroxylase. The consequences of this inhibition
include lowered plasma levels of corticosterone and elevated
concentrations of progesterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). DHEA
is an adrenal male hormone. Because patients with 21-hydroxylase
deficiencies are incapable of synthesizing cortisol with normal
efficiency, there's a compensatory rise in ACTH leading to adrenal
hyperplasia and excessive excretion of 17a-hydroxyprogesterone, which,
without the enzyme 21-hydroxylase, cannot be converted to cortisol.
The inhibition of the 21-hydroxylase system may be the mechanism
behind the mercury-induced adrenal hyperplasia. Adrenal hyperplasia
can stress the adrenal glands by their accelerated activity to produce
steroids to the point that production begins to diminish and the
glands will atrophy. The result is a subnormal production of
corticosteroids. Both lead and mercury can precipitate
pathophysiological changes along the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal
and gonadal axis that may seriously affect reproductive function,
organs, and tissues. Leukocyte production, distribution, and function
are markedly altered by glucocorticosteroid administration. In
Addison's disease (hypofunction of adrenal glands), neutrophilia
occurs 4-6 hours after administration of a single dose of
hydrocortisone, prednisone, or dexamethasone. Neutrophilia is an
increase in the number of neutrophils in the blood. Neutrophils are
also called polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). Mercury not only
causes a suppression of adrenocorticosteroids that would normally have
stimulated an increase of PMNs, but at the same time also affect the
ability of existing PMNs to perform immunity by inhibiting a reaction
that destroys foreign substances.
Posterior Pituitary Gland
The pituitary gland controls many of the body's endocrine system
functions and secretes hormones that control most bodily processes,
including the immune system and reproductive systems. One study found
mercury levels in the pituitary gland ranged from 6.3 to 77 ppb, while
another found the mean levels to be 30 ppb, levels found to be
neurotoxic (toxic to nerves) and cytotoxic (kills cells). Amalgam
fillings, nickel and gold crowns are major factors in reducing
pituitary function. The posterior pituitary hormone joins forces with
the thyroid in influencing emotions. Posterior pituitary hormone is
really two hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin. High blood pressure is
related to the function of the posterior pituitary hormone
vasopressin. It is a short trip for mercury va**** to leave a filling,
and travel into the sinus, and then travel an inch through very
****ous, spongy tissues to the pituitary gland. Mercury is detected in
the pituitary gland in less than a minute after placing amalgam in
teeth of test animals.
Suicide
Part of the reason for depression is related to mercury's effect of
reducing the development of posterior pituitary hormone (oxytocin).
Low levels of pituitary function are associated with depression and
suicidal thoughts, and appear to be a major factor in suicide of
teenagers and other vulnerable groups. As a profession, dentists rank
highest in suicide. Autopsy studies in Sweden showed that the
pituitary glands of dentists held 800 times more mercury than people
who were not in dentistry. Suicidal thoughts are not limited to dental
personnel though. Suicide is close to the number-one cause of death in
teenagers. Braces increase the electrical and toxic load people are
carrying if they have amalgam in their mouths. Amalgam can create
suicidal tendencies by itself, but the addition of braces, nickel
crowns, or even gold crowns evidently increases the exit rate of
mercury, and the glands react--or actually stop reacting. Suicidal
tendencies tend to disappear within a few days of supplemental
oxytocin extract, along with dental metal removal. Menstrual cycle
problems, also normalize and fertility increases and endometriosis
symptoms subside.
Frequent Urination
The center that controls the need to get up several times each night
to urinate is the posterior pituitary gland. There is a certain amount
of solid material that must be disposed of daily in the urine. If the
concentration of these solids is high (yield a specific gravity of
1.022 to 1.025) then the proper volume of urine will be excreted in a
day. Should the concentration be half that, or yielding a specific
gravity of 1.012 for instance, then it will take double the amount of
urine to rid yourself of the same amount of solid. In other words, the
solids remain the same. If the concentration of the urine is reduced,
the total volume of urine is increased substantially. This ability of
the kidney is controlled by the posterior pituitary.
Adrenal Glands
Mercury ac***ulates in the adrenal glands and disrupts adrenal gland
function. During stress, the adrenal glands increase in size as a
normal reaction in order to produce more steroids (hormones). Both
physical and physiological stress will stimulate the adrenal glands.
The outer shell of the adrenal gland is called the cortex, and the
inner core of the gland is called the medulla. The cortex produces
three types of steroids called glucocorticoids. Cortisone is a
corticoid essential to life and functions to maintain stress
reactions. Mineral corticoids, such as aldosterone, regulate the
balance of blood electrolytes and also cause the kidneys to retain
sodium and excrete potassium and hydrogen. Mineral corticoids are also
involved in gluconeogenesis, which is the process whereby your body
converts glycogen to glucose (blood sugar).
Small amounts of corticoid *** hormones, both male and female, are
also produced by the adrenal cortex. Two primary nutrients for the
adrenal glands are pantothenic acid and vitamin C. A deficiency of
pantothenic acid can lead to adrenal exhaustion (chronic fatigue) and
ultimately to destruction of the adrenal glands. A deficiency of
pantothenic acid also causes a progressive fall in the level of
adrenal hormones produced. One of the largest tissue stores of vitamin
C is the adrenals; it is exceeded only by the level of vitamin C in
the pituitary.
Physical and mental stress increase the excretion of
adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the pituitary, which is the
hormone that tells the adrenals to increase their activity. The
increased adrenal activity, in turn, depletes both vitamin C and
pantothenic acid from the glands. Humans cannot produce vitamin C.
They therefore attempt to replenish the needs of the adrenals by
taking the vitamin from other storage locations in the body. If your
overall ascorbate status is low, there may be an insufficient amount
available to satisfy the needs of the adrenals. Under this condition,
normal adrenal hormone response may become inadequate, leading to an
inadequate immune function.
Mercury builds up in the pituitary gland and depletes the adrenals of
both pantothenic acid and vitamin C. Stress and the presence of
mercury will have a very negative effect on the adrenal production of
critical steroids. The ability of the adrenal gland to produce
steroids is called steroidogenesis and is dependent upon reactions
mediated by the enzyme cytochrome P-450. Cytochrome P-450 reacts with
cholesterol to produce pregnenolone, which is then converted to
progesterone. Cytochrome P-450 can then convert progesterone to
deoxycorticosterone which is then converted to corticosterone or
aldosterone by other enzymes in the adrenals. These adrenal functions
are also affected by metal ions. Still today, the ADA and other
governmental agencies tell us that the mercury in your mouth, or from
vaccinations, is perfectly safe. Scientists say this is a ridiculous
statement that is in violation of science and common sense.
Perchlorates
Perchlorate, the explosive main ingredient of rocket and missile fuel,
contaminates drinking water supplies, groundwater or soil in hundreds
of locations in at least 43 states, according to Environmental Working
Group's updated analysis of government data. EWG's analysis of the
latest scientific studies, which show harmful health effects from
minute doses, argues that a national standard for perchlorate in
drinking water should be no higher than one-tenth the level the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency currrently recommends as safe.
Perchlorate is a powerful thyroid toxin that can affect the thyroid's
ability to take up the essential nutrient iodide and make thyroid
hormones. Small disruptions in thyroid hormone levels during pregnancy
can cause lowered IQ and larger disruptions cause mental retardation,
loss of hearing and speech, or deficits in motor skills for infants
and children.
Health Risks of PBDEs
As highly flammable synthetic materials have replaced less-combustible
natural materials in consumer products, chemical fire retardants have
become ubiquitous in consumer products. Of the many different kinds of
fire retardants, one of the most common is a class of bromine-based
chemicals known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. A growing
body of research in laboratory animals has linked PBDE exposure to an
array of adverse health effects including thyroid hormone disruption,
permanent learning and memory impairment, behavioral changes, hearing
deficits, delayed puberty onset, fetal malformations and possibly
cancer. Research also shows that exposure to brominated flame
retardants in utero or infancy leads to much more significant harm
than adult exposure, and at much lower levels. Today PBDEs are in
thousands of products, in which they typically comprise 5 to 30
percent of product weight. During manufacturing, PBDEs are simply
mixed in to the plastic or foam product, rather than chemically
binding to the material as some other retardants do, making PBDEs more
likely to leach out. PBDEs are the chemical cousins of PCBs, another
family of persistent and bioac***ulative toxins that came to the
attention of regulators only after millions of pounds had been
released into the environment. Used primarily as electrical
insulators, PCBs were found to be rapidly building up in people and
animals before they were banned in 1977.
Many of the known health effects of PBDEs are thought to stem from
their ability to disrupt the body's thyroid hormone balance, by
depressing levels of the T3 and T4 hormones im****tant to metabolism.
In adults, hypothyroidism can cause fatigue, depression, anxiety,
unexplained weight gain, hair loss and low libido. This can lead to
more serious problems if left untreated, but the consequences of
depressed thyroid hormone levels on developing fetuses and infants can
be devastating. One study, for instance, found that women whose levels
of T4 measured in the lowest 10 percent of the population during the
first trimester of pregnancy were more than 2.5 times as likely to
have a child with an IQ of less than 85 (in the lowest 20 percent of
the range of IQs) and five times as likely to have a child with an IQ
of less than 70, meeting the diagnosis of "mild retardation." Even
short-term exposures to commercial PBDE mixes or individual congeners
can alter thyroid hormone levels in animals, and the effects are more
profound in fetuses and offspring than in adults. These results aren't
surprising, but are ominous as data in humans indicate that pregnancy
itself stresses the thyroid, and developing fetuses and infants don't
have the thyroid hormone reserves adults do to help buffer insults to
the system.
Most studies on thyroid hormone disruption by PBDEs have been very
short--with exposures of 14 days or less. The real question is how low
doses over the long term affect the body's thyroid hormone balance.
The answer is im****tant, because the entire U.S. population is exposed
daily to low levels of PBDEs, and studies of other thyroid hormone
disrupters have found that long-term exposures can cause more serious
harm at lower levels of exposure. Although no direct link could be
made, one study found higher rates of hypothyroidism among workers
exposed to brominated flame retardants on the job.
Just One Dose May Be Harmful
Experiments have shown that just one dose of PBDEs at a critical point
in brain development can cause lasting harm. In two different studies
a small dose--as little as 0.8 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight
per day (mg/kg-day)--given to 10-day-old mice caused "deranged
spontaneous behavior," significant deficits in learning and memory and
reduced ability to adapt to new environments, with these problems
often becoming more pronounced with age. The few studies that have
looked at changes in organ structure have found that semi-chronic PBDE
exposure can cause thyroid hyperplasia and enlarged livers at
relatively low doses (10 mg/kg-day) and other adverse effects such as
hyaline degeneration, focal necrosis and deformation in the kidney,
hyperplastic nodules in the liver, decreased hemoglobin and red blood
cell counts at higher doses. Only one PBDE congener has been tested
for causing cancer, in a single study more than 15 years ago. High
doses of deca-BDE given to rats and mice caused liver, thyroid and
pancreas tumors.
Nutritional Considerations
Zinc, vitamin E and vitamin A function together in many body processes
including the manufacture of thyroid hormone. In addition to iodine, a
deficiency of any of these nutrients would result in lower levels of
active thyroid hormone being produced. Low zinc levels are common in
the elderly, as is hypothyroidism. The B vitamins riboflavin (B2),
niacin (B3), and pydidoxine (B6), and vitamin C are also necessary for
normal thyroid hormone manufacture. The trace minerals zinc, copper,
and selenium are the required cofactors for iodothyroinine iodinase,
the enzyme which converts T4 to the far more active T3. There are
several different forms of this enzyme, each requiring a different
trace mineral. Supplementation with zinc (the second most common
mineral deficiency) has been shown to re-establish normal thyroid
function in hypothyroid patients who were zinc-deficient, even though
they had normal serum T4 levels. Dental mercury removal and heavy
metal detoxification will restore many vitamin, mineral and trace
elements to normal levels as well.
Similarly, selenium supplementation may be im****tant, as those living
in areas of the world where selenium is deficient have a greater
incidence of thyroid disease. Of particular significance is the fact
that while a selenium deficiency does not decrease the conversion of
T4 to T3 in the thyroid or the pituitary, it does result in a great
decrease in this conversion in the other cells of the body. People
with a deficiency of selenium have elevated levels of T4 and TSH.
Supplementation with selenium results in a decrease in T4 and TSH and
normalization of thyroid activity. Selenium is deficient in about 50%
of people's diets, which, along with the high incidence of mercury
toxicity, may account for the large number of people with low thyroid
activity. Research demonstrates that a selenium deficiency results in
low thyroid activity in the cells even though hormone levels are
normal or even elevated,and provides some sup****t for Barnes'
contentions.
Basal Temperature Test
The Barnes test or basal temperature test is a simple measurement of
oral temperature--"at rest"--taken with an ordinary oral thermometer.
The basal temperature test is a better index of hypothyroidism and
need for thyroid therapy than the basal metabolic rate test. It costs
nothing. Any patient can self-administer the test at home in ten
minutes. It is done upon waking in the morning while the body is
completely at rest, before engaging in any activity or eating
anything, before getting out of bed, even to urinate. The thermometer
should already have been shaken down the night before so as not to
create heat from the muscle activity of shaking the thermometer. The
thermometer is placed in the mouth for ten minutes by the clock while
resting quietly. Body heat depends upon the amount of foodstuffs
burned. Thyroid hormone is essential for the oxidation or burning of
fuel in the body, and in the thyroid-deficient person body temperature
falls below normal because of inadequate oxidation.
The normal range of basal temperature is between 97.8 and 98.2 degrees
Fahrenheit, if there is no sinus or throat infection present. A
reading below this normal range suggests low thyroid function. If it
is above the normal range, one must be suspicious of some infection or
an overactive thyroid gland. In women of menstruating years, because
temperature can be elevated with ovulation, basal temperature is best
measured on the second and third days of the period after flow starts.
Before the menarche or after the menopause, the basal temperature may
be taken on any day. When symptoms of thyroid deficiency are present,
the basal temperature may be one, two, or even three degrees below
normal. With thyroid therapy, the temperature will start to rise
toward normal.
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The latest research from Ohio University PROVES THE LINK
between Interleukin-6 and STRESS such as in simply tellin
your dog 'NO!' or SCRUFF SHAKIN IT or locking IT in a box
and IGNORING ITS CRIES or jerking and choking or shocking
or spraying aversives in ITS face, as The Puppy Wizard has
been CRITICIZED for TEACHING HERE FOR SIX GODDAMNED YEARS NHOWE.
Current research validates The Puppy Wizard's "WILD ASSED
UNSUBSTANTIATED CLAIMS" that STRESS from MISHANDLING
can cause damned near EVERY health and temperament problem
just short of including freakin hangnails.
IT'S FREAKIN TIME TO ROLL OVER OR END YOUR CAREERS.
The Puppy Wizard has not been playin games and is ready
to bring HIS FINDINGS to the media and scientific community,
at which time such OBSTRUCTIONISTS as professor LYING DOC,
"SCRUFF SHAKE" dermer and his ilk, will be TARGETED and their
universities held liable for MALPRACTICE and ANMIMAL ABUSE.
R&D Systems: IL-6 Everything Cytokine & Beyond ELISAs,
proteins, antibodies & more www.RnDSystems.com
Researchers Find Link Between Stress And Illness
Jun 30, 2003 5:00 pm US/Eastern WA****NGTON (AP) It's no
surprise that constant stress can make people sick, and now a team
of researchers has figured out how.
A study focused on 119 men and women who were taking care of
spouses with dementia. The health of the caregivers was compared
with that of 106 people of similar ages who were not living under
the stress of constant care giving.
Blood tests showed that a chemical called Interleukin-6 sharply
increased in the blood of the stressed caregivers compared with
blood of the others in the test. Previous studies have associated
IL-6 with several diseases, including heart disease, arthritis,
osteo****osis, type-2 diabetes and certain cancers.
The study also found the increase in IL-6 can linger in caregivers
for as long as three years after a caregiver had ceased that role
because of the spouse's death. Of the test group, 78 spouses died
during the survey.
"This really makes a link to why chronic stress can actually kill
people," said Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychology
and psychiatry at Ohio State University. "We haven't had a good
mechanism before."
She explained that people under stress tend to respond by doing
things that can increase their levels of IL-6.
For example, they may smoke or overeat; smoking raises IL-6
levels, and the chemical is secreted by fat cells. Stressed people
also may not get enough exercise or sleep, she added. Exercise
reduces IL-6, she said, and normal sleep helps regulate levels of
the chemical.
It clearly points to the need to control stress better, she said.
The findings by the research group, headed by Kiecolt-Glaser and
her husband, Ronald Glaser, a professor of molecular virology,
immunology and medical genetics at Ohio State, appear in this
week's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
(© 2003 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. )
http://wcbs880.com/siteSearch/health_story_181153905.html
R&D Systems: IL-6 Everything Cytokine & Beyond ELISAs, proteins,
antibodies & more www.RnDSystems.com
MANY of the dog abusing punk thug coward active
acute chronic long term incurable mental cases you're
askin for advice GOT THE SAME PROBLEM <{) : ~ ( >
Stress, Cortisol / Interluken-6, =
The Puppy Wizard's SYNDROME
HOWEDY People,
Here's some interesting stuff all abHOWET HOWE
STRESS causes The Puppy Wizard's SYNDROME:
Veterinarian treats thousands of pets with multiple
illnesses from chronic infections to autoimmune conditions
and finds a common anomaly - adrenal/thyroid
hormonal-imbalances & deficiencies
The adrenals are a pair of ductless glands that sit atop the
kidneys in the lower part of the back. New insights on
metabolism and hormonal balance indicate that the adrenals
and thyroid have a direct role in energy production,
well-being, allergies, immune function and many other areas
of human health.
An article by Alfred J Plechner DVM and M. Zucker
"Unrecognized endocrine-Immune Defects in Multiple
Diseases: An Effective Veterinary model may offer
Therapeutic promise for human conditions. A mutual
friend, Martin Zucker, sparked my interest in Plechners
theories and treatment approach. Zucker stated that
Alfred Plechner has developed a simple protocol for
treating cats, dogs and other pets that have chronic
infections and multiple health problems that do
not resolve on their own.
The protocol involves diagnostic testing for certain
thyroid and adrenal hormones followed by low-dose
adrenal and thyroid replacement hormones that are
used together rather than separately. The result of the
treatment is that Adrenal estrogen production declines
and stops binding to thyroid hormones. The end result
is that thyroxin is freed-up to increase ATP production
in the cells. This normalizes body temperature and cell-
mediated immune functions improve.
According to Zucker, Plechner treated dozens of cats with
FIV infection. Zucker stated that the treatment restored
normal immune function. FIV stands for Feline
Immunodeficiency Virus. The equivalent in humans is HIV. I
asked Zucker if this treatment approach has ever been used
in humans to treat HIV? He said that to his knowledge it has
not. One wonders what Plechner's protocol would do for HIV
and other immune deficiency diseases including CFIDS,
candidiasis, cancer, hepatitis, Lyme disease, lupus, MS,
allergies and autoimmune diseases. Will it bring us closer
to a cure for AIDS or a control that has little or no side
effects?
How and why do deficits and imbalances in endocrine
hormones affect the immune system? We know that
hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) leaves a person
vulnerable to one chronic infection after another.
In Wisconsin, Dennis, a local PWA, HIV since 1983
has had above normal body temperature all his life
and after all these years, still no HIV progression.
Never on drugs his viral load is still under 1000.
In a separate phone call to Alfred Plechner, I asked him
what exactly is his treatment protocol? Here was his reply.
Alfred: The treatment consists of giving low dose thyroid
hormones along with low-dose cortisone.
Mark: You mean low-dose thyroid hormones like Armour
Thyroid that provide the thyroid hormone "thyroxin" and
Cortone that provide one of the adrenal hormones cortisone
or its most active form - hydrocortisone?
Alfred: Yes, the equivalent of these drugs for use in humans
is available by prescription for household pets and other
animals. The amount given varies according to the weight of
the animal and the results of diagnostic tests. If I were
treating an adult human, I would start off with 1/2 grain of
thyroid (about 60 mg) and 5 mg of cortisone twice a day. You
need to monitor blood pressure when giving thyroid as too
much could cause it to rise as well as increase the pulse
rate. The process of increasing thyroid use has to be
gradual. Usually the amount of cortisone used is maintained
at a low level.
Mark: I can understand the role of the thyroid hormone as it
controls cellular metabolism throughout the body, the
production of ATP and will help in normalizing body
temperature that is critical for restoring cell-mediated
immune responses, but cortisone, is it not
immunosuppressive?
Alfred: Absolutely, if you take too much of it. The same is
true for zinc. Research has shown that too little zinc or
too much is immunosuppressive and this has been shown for
other nutrients as well. You absolutely need zinc for your
thymus gland to function properly and mature T cells but you
don't want too much or too little. Experience has shown that
15 to 30 mg daily is a safe and effective dosage range. Now
for cortisone, it is a natural anti-inflammatory hormone and
the normal healthy human body produces about 40 mg daily. It
is well established that too much cortisone is
immunosuppressive, in fact, for this reason alone, cortisone
has a bad reputation. What is not known is that too little
free cortisol is immunosuppressive. There are many people
treated with thyroid hormones that get their body
temperature back to normal and many who do not. One reason
is that part of the Adrenal glands are exhausted and are not
producing enough cortisol and another part of the Adrenal
glands are producing too much estrogen that binds to
thyroxin. The production of cortisol is controlled through a
feedback loop. Note: When cortisone is administered, it is
converted to the active form called cortisol that is also
known as hydrocortisone.
Mark: What is a feedback loop?
Alfred: Cortisol levels are controlled by a classical
feedback loop that involves the hypothalamus-pituitary and
adrenal glands. Cortisol, the primary glucocorticoid, is
produced in the middle Adrenal cortex layer. We have found a
problem in cortisol production that comes from two of three
layers of the adrenal cortex. The defect can be genetic or
due to other causes (nutritional deficiencies or toxins).
Cortisol stimulates several processes that serve to increase
and maintain normal glucose levels in the blood, exert a
potent anti-inflammatory effect and act as a regulating
factor for normal immune function.
Mark: Tell me more about this "loop" and how does
normalizing cortisol and estrogen levels affect the
functioning of the Thyroid gland and help restore normal
body temperature and cell-mediated immune function?
Alfred: "The loop is called the
hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. Cortisol is secreted in
response to a single stimulator: AdrenoCorticoTropic Hormone
(ACTH) that is produced by the Pituitary gland. ACTH is
itself secreted under control of the Hypothalamus and a
hormone it secretes called Corticotropic-Releasing Factor
(CRF). Cortisol secretion is suppressed or stimulated by
classical feedback loops. When blood concentrations rise
above a certain threshold, cortisol inhibits CRF secretion.
This, in turn, inhibits ACTH and less ACTH reduces adrenal
secretion of cortisol.
"However, when the adrenal gland is unable to produce enough
cortisol, or for some reason the cortisol is bound, or
otherwise inactive, and thus not recognized by the system,
the pituitary continues to produce ACTH in order to extract
more cortisol from the adrenals.
"The inner cortical layer, where adrenal estrogen is
produced, also responds to ACTH. The result of constant ACTH
stimulation in a situation where cortisol is bound or
deficient produces a release of adrenal estrogen into the
system. As cortisol levels fail to reach the threshold to
stop the Hypothalamus from secreting CRF, the CRF stimulates
the Pituitary to continue to secrete ACTH. The ACTH tries to
get the Adrenal gland to produce cortisol but the same ACTH
also stimulates the adrenals to secrete estrogen. As a
result of an inability of the adrenals to keep up with
demand for cortisol, adrenal estrogen levels build up and
cause the following:
1. A histamine-like effect on capillaries, leading to
inflammation from blood components spilling into adjacent
tissues
2. Binding thyroid hormone
3. Further deregulation of lymphocytes and antibodies. "
Mark: Elevated histamine levels have been linked to elevated
interluken 6 levels in many studies. If the histamine like
effects are due to actual elevated histamine levels then
should not we also expect IL-6 levels to increase also; and
if that were the case, would we not also expect a ****ft in
cytokine profiles from TH1 to the less effective TH2?
Alfred: That is a good question. I have not investigated
whether or not IL-6 levels are elevated in these conditions
but I have found out that IgA levels are low and these low
levels in the digestive tract lead to food allergies and
sensitivities as well as malabsorption.
Mark: IgA is a TH1 cytokine needed for mucosal immunity.
Bifidobacteria Longum has been found to increase the levels
of IgA as does vitamin A. What are some of the benefits of
supplementing with low-dose thyroid and cortisone you have
observed in your clinical practice?
Alfred: After a trial and error period, I have developed a
testing and treatment strategy that has proved to safe and
highly effective. The central modality is replacement with
physiological doses of cortisone preparations to address the
root issue of cortisol deficiency. The low-dose cortisone
preparations normalize ACTH levels, stop the overproduction
of adrenal estrogen and the accompanying estrogen blockade
of the thyroid hormones and reregulates the immune system.
The use of low dose cortisone long term has also been
re****ted by Jefferies for treating allergies, autoimmune
disorders and chronic fatigue syndrome (1).
The second im****tant modality is the simultaneous use of
thyroid hormone. The thyroid hormone is needed because the
excess adrenal estrogen has bound some of the thyroid
hormone. The low dose thyroid hormone helps increase the
metabolic rate and the liver to detoxify as well as process
the cortisol. By giving cortisol and thyroid replacement
simultaneously, the body is able to effectively utilize and
process the former (cortisol) without developing side
effects.
Once the testing and low-dose hormone therapy is underway,
it is very im****tant to follow a hypoallergenic diet and
remove foods to which the animal or person is sensitive.
After a few weeks, the sensitive foods may be reintroduced
one at a time.
Mark: Have you written and published other articles on this
subject?
Alfred: In the late 1970's, I wrote 4 articles (2, 3, 4 and
5) on my experiences and theories but found no germane
research in veterinary journals to provide guidance.
Mark: As a general guide for someone who has low body
temperature, low cortisol and high estrogen, what would be a
safe dose with which to start?
Alfred: For cortisol, 5 mg twice a day. Take at 8am and 2pm.
Do not take cortisone supplements in the evening or before
bedtime, as it will interfere with the REM state of sleep.
We want cortisol levels higher when we are awake and low
when we are asleep. In normal subjects, cortisol levels are
highest at 8am in the morning. Also, melatonin levels that
help promote restful sleep should be lowest during the day
and increase after dark and before bedtime. A melatonin
spillover in the AM can depress the basal metabolic rate all
day. This can be turned off by exposing the eyes to bright
natural lights for a few minutes or taking a walk outside
without wearing sungl*****.
For thyroid, 1/4 grain (about 15 mg) daily to start and
after a few weeks if blood pressure and pulse are not
elevated to gradually increase the thyroid amount. The
cortisol levels are left the same. The hormonal and immune
benefits will accrue and be maintained as long as the person
stays on the protocol. A physician's prescription is
required for both the cortisol and thyroid hormones. The key
here is low-dose for successful long-term use as adverse
effects may develop from higher doses. Note: Thyroxine is a
strong inducer of IgA, a TH1 cytokine needed for intestinal
and mucosal health.
Ref: 1. Jefferies, w. McK. Mild adrencortical deficiency,
chronic allergies, autoimmune disorders and the chronic
fatigue syndrome: a continuation of the cortisone story.
Medical Hypothesis, 1994; 42;183-189
2. Plechner A. J., Shannon M., Canine Immune Complex
diseases. Modern Veterinary Practice, November 1976; 917
3. Plechner A. J., Shannon M., Epstein A, Goldstein E.,
Howard E. B., Endocrine-immune surveillance. Pulse.
June-July, 1978
4. Plechner A. J., Theory of endocrine-immune surveillance.
California Veterinarian, Jan 1979; 12.
5. Plechner A. J. Preliminary observations on
endocrine-associated immunodeficiencies in dogs? A clinician
explores the relation****p of immunodeficiencies to
endocrinopathy. Modern Veterinary Practice, 1979; 811
Im****tant Highlights from Alfred Plechner's article
35,000 pets treated with this protocol
Alfred Plechner states he has treated over 35000 pets in the
past 20 years with this protocol. Plechner re****ts that low
cortisol and thyroid hormone lowers T cell panels in the
tests. Estrogen can exert a dramatic blocking effect on
cortisol and thyroid hormones, and just a slight variation
out of normal is enough to cause hormonal and immune
complications. In this case, the relation****p is usually low
cortisol, high estrogen and deregulated immune cells.
In female animals that are not neutered, testing is done
when the animals are not in estrus and are not producing
high levels of ovarian estrogen.
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