Category:Hormonal Problems

From DoctorMyhill
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The commonest hormonal problems I see in everyday clinical practice are thyroid disorders and adrenal problems. Using a car analogy, if the body represents a car, the thyroid gland is the accelerator pedal and the adrenal gland the gearbox.

We are seeing an epidemic of hypothyroidism, which I guess is a combination of iodine deficiency and toxic stress (from fluorides, bromides, pesticide, heavy metal accumulations and possibly radiation). The endocrine disrupting effects of chemicals have been detailed in a 2012 World Health Organisation report which can be seen at [[1]]. Borderline hypothyroidism is treated very badly in UK for a very simple reason. The population reference range as established by laboratories is not the same thing as one's personal normal range. Once this idea is accepted then the rationale for using thyroid hormones as I do falls into place and the scientific evidence underpinning this is given in the Position statement for prescribing thyroid hormones (to be finalised and published by the British Society for Ecological Medicine BSEM).

The adrenal gland represents the gearbox of our car. Western lifestyles, particularly a chronic lack of sleep, together with diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrate, result in a chronic stress of the adrenal gland. No wonder it eventually becomes exhausted so that our ability to deal with stress declines.

I am often asked about female sex hormones, particularly oestrogen and progesterone. Both of these hormones are growth promoters and immune disregulators and use of these hormones can result in cancer, arterial disease, susceptibility to infections, allergies and autoimmunity. I do not prescribe female sex hormones, except in a few exceptional clinical situations, because of these long term risks.

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