Rodney Dangerfield, a friend of mine, had a famous line, “I don’t get any respect.”  Same goes for the thyroid.  How many times has a doctor told you “Your thyroid is a little low;” but then it gets ignored.  The thyroid deserves respect.

THE THYROID IS THE “ORCHESTRA LEADER OF THE BODY.”  It’s a major hormone, meaning it regulates the body’s metabolism.  It controls the furnace so to speak.  It is located at the base of the front of your windpipe and produces hormones.

25% of all women develop permanent hypothyroidism with the greatest incidence occurring after age 34 (not coincidently this is when perimenopause usually starts), which makes sense; when we stop ovulating regularly, there is a decrease in ovarian hormones namely progesterone and estrogen.  With this decline, the thyroid has a difficult time doing its job.  So how does it manifest?

When you don’t produce enough thyroid, it weakens the immune system which is why people with low thyroid hormone are so susceptible to colds, flu and other viruses.

Low thyroid…low heart rate

Low thyroid…high cholesterol

Low thyroid…dry skin, cramps, headaches, infertility, menstrual difficulties, constipation, cold hands and feet, enlarged abdomen, fibrocystic breast disease.

Everything from blood pressure to breathing to digestion and nerve function can be impacted by thyroid dysfunction, and the effects are profound.

Many women are diagnosed with autoimmune disease such as fibromyalgia, Lupus and MS when actually they have low thyroid. This is because muscle fibers separate due to swelling and reduced enzyme activity in the muscles.  This build-up of waste causes a jellylike substance to be deposited in the muscles, ligaments and joints causing pain, stiffness and cramping in areas that are affected, usually the neck, back, feet and hands.  The back problems we all get in perimenopause and menopause are symptoms of low thyroid, but most likely your doctor will give you a dangerous drug like prednisone to mask the pain. Natural bioidentical thyroid heals the problem.

When you suspect your thyroid is not functioning properly, you must ask your doctor to check your T4, freeT3, freeT4 and TSH.    It’s the ‘free’ part that is important.   Remember, you are in charge of your health.  You have four times more T4 than T3, but T3 is far more potent and biologically active. Most doctors don’t check for T3; they will simply check for T4 and say,  “Everything’s fine.” The body makes a lot of T4 and is supposed to convert it to T3 when needed. Some people fail to convert enough T4 to T3, which can result in the problems associated with thyroid hormone deficit---even when T4 levels are within normal range.  When T3 and T4 levels drop too low, the pituitary gland responds by making more TSH (thyroid stimulating hormones).  If your TSH is high, it means your thyroid levels are dropping. You need replacement.

Low thyroid function inhibits our ability to make estrogen, creating hormone imbalance which can result in infertility, inability to ovulate and heavy menstrual bleeding.  It can also cause severe cramping and irregular cycles.  Inadequate thyroid and you will experience a lack of sexual desire and function.  About 75% of the iodine in your diet makes its way to your thyroid gland. Iodine is critical in manufacturing both T3 and T4, so iodine deficiency can result in low thyroidism (hypothyroidism).  There are also studies linking breast cancer to iodine deficiency.

You can take supplemental iodine or get it from seafood and seaweed such as nori and kelp. If you have severe breast pain, you can have your doctor prescribe Lugol’s Iodine (liquid) and put it right on the breast.  It will immediately take the painful cysts down and alleviate the pain.  If this is so, it is an indicator that you are severely depleted of Iodine.  You don’t want that. You can test for iodine deficiency through an iodine loading test.  It is a 24 hour urine test which will detect if iodine deficiency is causing thyroid dysfunction.

The best way of assessing your thyroid status is with a comprehensive thyroid blood test profile. Regrettably, few people have the proper thyroid tests done because they rely on their doctor to prescribe the tests and then interpret the results. Conventional doctors interpret anything within the so-called “normal” reference range as being OK. The problem is that the reference ranges for thyroid are far too broad. This means you may be suffering severe symptoms related to thyroid hormone deficit, yet your blood test result may show that you are “normal.” As a general rule of thumb, you want to be in the upper end of reference range for T3 and not higher than 2.0 (mU/L) for TSH. The easiest way to obtain a comprehensive thyroid blood test panel is through the Life Extension Foundation.  Go to the Life Extension link on my web-site. Check out Life Extension Thyroid panel.  They offer a comprehensive thyroid panel that checks your TSH, T4, free T3 and free T4 and they have health advisors available by phone to help you understand the results. The cost is $75.00.   The price at doctors’ offices is usually much higher.

Sometimes the missing piece of the hormonal puzzle is thyroid.  I know it was for me.  Everything shifted into place once I was on thyroid replacement.  Understanding the importance of the thyroid and what can happen when it is too low or too high will help you avoid many unnecessary pharmaceutical drugs.

And, remember, the thyroid is a MAJOR hormone…so important that if it is too low or too high for too long a period of time you will not live very long.  It is that crucial.

I hope this helps. 

Sincerely,

Suzanne Somers

Visit me at SuzanneSomers.com!

1.  Building of the endometrial lining due to static dosing of bioidentical hormones or synthetic hormones.

On bioidentical hormones static dosing is the same amount of estrogen every day, and then for two weeks of the month the same amount of progesterone every day.  For synthetic hormones (please get off of these dangerous drugs) only estrogen (fake drug estrogen) is being poured day in and day out the way it never did in nature.

Static dosing generally works for women who are still making estrogen from their ovaries, which is usually the case of  women in their 40’s, because they still produce estrogen but not enough to feel good and be symptom free.  The little amount of estrogen you are making combined with what you are adding  from taking bioidenticals creates a natural rhythm in you that corresponds with the way your body made them when you were making a full compliment of hormones.  

This worked for me for about 10 years.   Everything was great; I felt great, was sleeping, had a sex drive, my weight was good.  And then it started to fall apart.  My sleep became interrupted; I was hot flashing; my sex drive went away, and I started bleeding….here and there at first and then after about a year of bleeding daily and sometimes heavily, it became unbearable.  At the time my doctor was Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, who would increase my estrogen by little bits, but the problem kept getting worse.   I couldn’t find that ‘sweet spot’ that I had enjoyed for a decade. I kept complaining to my doctor that I wasn’t feeling great.  Then I had a pap smear and it showed hyperplasia, severe hyperplasia.  That meant having my uterus removed.   The continual build-up in the endometrial lining from the static dosing had created hyperplasia which is pre-pre-cancer.  Not cancer, but a prelude, and the thinking is to remove the evidence (uterus).

Shortly after I had my hysterectomy, I discovered ‘rhythmic cycling’ created by T.S. Wiley.  She is a very controversial person because she is not a doctor, but she is a brilliant woman who has invested all of her time, intellect and efforts in molecular biology to understand the entire hormonal system.  It is her theory that nature never poured hormones in a static dose.  We are rhythmic beings, we cycle to the moon and the tides just as early man did and we make hormones in different amounts every day of the month but it follows a ‘rhythm.’

In the beginning of the month we make our lowest amount of estrogen for the first three days, then in the next three days we make a little more until by the time we reach the 12th day, we are making our estrogen ‘peak.’  It is at this point the progesterone starts to pour; and if the estrogen reaches a ‘peak,’ the receptor sites open and receive the progesterone.  

But if you are on a static dose, there is no ‘peak;’ and if you are of an age when you are no longer making any estrogen, then the receptor sites never open so the estrogen and progesterone never meet.  Like a motor on ‘rev,’ the estrogen keeps building lining until the uterus cannot hold it any longer and it starts to leak and bleed,  eventually reaching a point when it can’t be stopped.  Had I known about rhythmic cycling, I would have started taking my hormones in a rhythm and most likely would not have had to have my uterus removed.

My sister had been experiencing the same scenario; and after I had my hysterectomy, I told her about rhythmic and she switched over.  The bleeding stopped, her periods became normal and she is quite a happy women.

2. The second reason for excessive bleeding is low thyroid. The thyroid gland has receptors for estrogen and progesterone and it depends on the cyclic ebb and flow of these hormones throughout your menstrual cycle to function optimally.  Irregular ovulation caused by low thyroid brings heavy periods and excessive bleeding throughout the month.

Check out my blog for an in-depth article about the thyroid and how to check if you feel you may be experiencing low thyroid.  Click on Life Extension on my website.  They offer a complete hormone panel blood test including thyroid. 

Sincerely,

Suzanne Somers

Visit me at SuzanneSomers.com!

While I know many of you have specific medical questions, only qualified experts can advise on individual cases. Use my advice to arm yourself with knowledge to pass along to your doctors. The more informed you are, the better questions you will ask of your health care providers. This will help you determine if your doctor is right for you. If you are seeking professional help, please check the Dr. Resource Guide. If you are interested in bio-identical hormone replacement, click on the Life Extension Hormone Panel to get information on low cost blood work and a referral to a physician who can prescribe natural hormones for you.

Dear Friends,

Today was a big day for me; the privilege of appearing on Oprah’s show and then hearing her speak so enthusiastically about this way of treating menopause with bioidentical hormones was one of the thrills of my career. It has taken me 18 books to get this kind of enthusiasm, and my reaction was emotional. I told her, “Thank you for giving me this opportunity to get my message out;” and she said, “You’ve been out there for ten years; they have heard you.” I replied, “Yes, but it’s different through you.” And it is. Oprah is a spectacular person, and her success is because of her compassion and desire to make this world a better place.

Women are suffering. We have been dismissed for so long when complaining about lack of sleep and night sweats and all the rest of the terrible symptoms. We are told these symptoms are something to be “endured.” Dr. Streicher, the opposition on Oprah, claims that the bioidentical hormones I recommend through my doctors are drugs. As I said on the show, “I disagree…if bioidentical hormones are a drug, then why don’t they require a patent?”

Dr. Streicher works at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. A doctor affiliated with a hospital is not allowed to practice anything but allopathic medicine. That is why she was pushing pharmaceutical grade hormones. Her message was confusing to me; she was speaking of synthetic hormones then switched to calling them hormones, claiming that the term ‘bioidentical’ was not recognized (by the FDA).

It is simply semantics; as Oprah said, “Bioidentical is here to stay.” I said, “It is easier for we lay people to refer to them as bioidentical (biologically identical) and we don’t really care if the medical ‘standard of care’ profession recognizes it or not.”

According to Dr. Streicher, the hormones she was talking about (which was not clear) were the same as mine but hers were approved. Hers were pharmaceutical, I presume, bioidentical hormones. The problem with pharmaceutical grade hormones is the lack of individualization. I get mine from a compounding pharmacy where they make them up for my EXACT needs. It’s not enough to “get close” or to do “quite well.” Until you hit the “sweet spot,” as I have called it, it is not acceptable. I have been able to get my hormones in perfect ratio for my body, exactly what I require; and now every day is a good one.

I know all the information is confusing. I know when the doctors speak we feel obliged to listen because they are the experts. But are they? The playing field is level. They did not study this in medical school; and unless they have gone out of their way to go back to school and attend conferences and work with patients, it truly is like going to a plumber for a heart bypass. Doctors are professionals we hire to help us keep our bodies healthy. They are not gods and they do not have all the answers. We must do our homework and be informed and in tune with our bodies and our needs.

What I offer to you through my books are interviews with doctors who have chosen to specialize in bioidentical hormones. These doctors know their stuff, and I have spent countless hours interviewing them. It has been quite an education and I pass that knowledge along to you.

I feel great every day. I want you to have the same quality of life and you can if you are willing to make a few changes in your lifestyle.

By the way, if you go to Life Extension on my website, they will provide a very reasonably priced blood test for all my ladies and men to determine your hormonal needs. Once they get the results, they will refer you to a qualified physician in your area. It’s as simple as that. And then you are on your way.

Information is power. Replacing hormones is about restoring your body to balance. The choice is restoration vs deterioration.

You have to replace your endocrine system daily to have quality of life once you start to decline in hormonal production or accept the deterioration that is the present template of aging. You do not have to suffer with symptoms with real natural replacement. You can kiss the Seven Dwarves away; “ Itchy, Bitchy, Sleepy, Sweaty, Bloated , Forgetful, and All Dried -Up!”

You really will be Sleeping Beauty (a good 8 hours a night) and wake up rested and feeling great. Life is to be enjoyed, but without hormones it just ain’t gonna happen!

Have a great day. 

Sincerely,

Suzanne Somers

Visit me at SuzanneSomers.com!

While I know many of you have specific medical questions, only qualified experts can advise on individual cases. Use my advice to arm yourself with knowledge to pass along to your doctors. The more informed you are, the better questions you will ask of your health care providers. This will help you determine if your doctor is right for you. If you are seeking professional help, please check the Dr. Resource Guide. If you are interested in bio-identical hormone replacement, click on the Life Extension Hormone Panel to get information on low cost blood work and a referral to a physician who can prescribe natural hormones for you.

Saturday night, Dec. 29th, I had the privilege of being interviewed by Larry King for about 40 minutes on his show.  It was a thrilling opportunity for me to have the time to lay out the points made in my latest book, BREAKTHROUGH; and, of course, I like Larry King a lot and have known him for over 20 years.

I have never had such an outpouring of response to any show I have ever done.  People ran to the book stores, to my website SuzanneSomers.com, and to Amazon.com.  This response shows that people are not well and want answers on how to be healthy.

Of course, there were the naysayers, mostly doctors who are threatened by new concepts.  The pharmaceutical companies have such a hold on so many doctors in this country.  The monthly magazine that all doctors receive is published by the pharmaceutical companies, so there is no way we patients are ever going to hear about non-drug alternative remedies and solutions.   

This is where I come in.  I have decided to use my celebrity to get to the best and brightest and most courageous doctors in the world to teach us natural cures that work.  I am not against pharmaceuticals; when we need them we need them, and I have had to use them in my lifetime.  But I only use them as the last resort, when everything else has been done, when there is no other way to deal with the health crisis.

The cumulative effect of chemical build-up is causing severe cognitive decline.  It is evident by the Alzheimer’s epidemic and the overflow of patients entering nursing homes.  It’s a combination… chemicals in our food, coupled with pharmaceutical chemicals…and the result is disastrous for us.  Our livers are groaning from the toxic overload and our brains are suffering; brain tumors, once rare, are now a common occurrence, which is tragic.

Watch the Larry King show on my site in TV/LIVE Appearances.  It is thought provoking and hopeful.  If it interests you, pick up a copy of BREAKTHROUGH and read what all these cutting-edge doctors are trying to teach us about how to stay healthy in this toxic soup of a world we live in.

Have a good day.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Somers

Visit me at SuzanneSomers.com!

While I know many of you have specific medical questions, only qualified experts can advise on individual cases. Use my advice to arm yourself with knowledge to pass along to your doctors. The more informed you are, the better questions you will ask of your health care providers. This will help you determine if your doctor is right for you. If you are seeking professional help, please check the Dr. Resource Guide. If you are interested in bio-identical hormone replacement, click on the Life Extension Hormone Panel to get information on low cost blood work and a referral to a physician who can prescribe natural hormones for you.

This is the first blog I have ever done.  I realize that each day some great breakthrough happens in the changing face of medicine.  

For instance, today Oprah Winfrey called me.  Yes, she called me!  She told me that she has read AGELESS and now BREAKTHROUGH and has gone to one of the recommended doctors in the back of the book and she cannot believe the renewed quality of life she is experiencing as a result.

This is the greatest thing that could have happened for women’s heath.

Women have not been taken care of relative to this passage and hormonal loss.  Oprah said to me, “If you and I, as famous women, have had such difficulty finding a doctor to take us seriously and who understands how  to give us back our quality of life, imagine what is happening with the average American woman.”  I agreed with her wholeheartedly.

The time has come, and I couldn’t be happier.  Through Oprah’s audience and appeal women will now hear about the joys of natural bioidentical hormone replacement and a true approach to health.  

We women deserve to feel well and be healthy.  For me every day is a good one since I have replaced the hormones I have lost in the aging process.  As a result, I am enjoying these years and can honestly say, it’s the best my life has ever been.

I’ll let you know the air date… be sure to watch.

Last night I pre-taped Larry King for airing this Saturday night.  Of course, that is barring another Wall Street crash, hurricanes, Sarah Palin, Obama or McCain, so I will keep you alerted if the date changes as a result.  These events are the newsmakers at the moment, and rightly so; but I also feel that the heath crisis is equally important.

Nobody feels well these days.  Young and old alike are having trouble sleeping; they are experiencing anxiety, fatigue and body ailments no one seems to know how to resolve.

Last night I had the time with Larry to really explain what is happening to peoples’ health and how we can take steps right now to avoid the fate befalling so many of our seniors, which is a final end in a nursing home.

Why are we unknowingly on this journey to an unfortunate end?  It’s very clear from interviewing all of these incredible, highly credentialed doctors in my latest book, BREAKTHROUGH, that the combination of chemicals in our food, chemicals sprayed on our food, chemicals used in our households, the pesticide-worker who arrives monthly to spray the entire house, coupled with the overuse of pharmaceutical chemicals, is resulting in disaster.

People are being degraded from this onslaught, and the chemicals are stealing our health and our minds.  Alzheimer’s in now an epidemic and it is sneaking up on the unsuspecting young ones.  According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, “We are now seeing Alzheimer’s in 40-, 50- and 60-year-olds.  This is unprecedented.”  Why?  He says it’s from chemicals, starting as early as in the womb from well-meaning mothers drinking diet soda and using artificial sweeteners in trying to do something good for themselves and their growingbabies.  Keeping their weight down was the goal, but the results have been horrible for us and our youth.

We are being bombarded with chemicals; they are linking chemical toxicity directly to hormone imbalances, brain tumors, breast cancers, prostate cancers and pancreatic cancers.  Chemicals are designed to taste scrumptious, and children like the taste of chemicals betterthan the taste of vegetables.  Many children are not consuming any real food.   Where are they going to get their nutrients?  We cannot live a healthy life without nutrients.

My goal with BREAKTHROUGH is to re-educate all of us to the necessity of understanding what real food is and what it can do to turn our health around.  If your children are suffering with ADD, rather than looking to a pharmaceutical for a remedy, why not consider looking into the diet of these children?  Most likely they are consuming a high amount of glutamates (dangerous chemicals like MSG and aspartame) in their food.  Hot dogs are loaded with glutamates.  Studies have shown behavioral differences in children with just one hot dog.  Diet soda given to an infant can alter his or her DNA forever.

Breakthrough medicine looks at natural and common sense ways to deal with health issues and saving pharmaceuticals for the last-ditch in the practitioners’ back pocket.

Here’s what you can do.  Eat real food at every meal.  Buy the highest quality food you can afford, organic being the best.  Grow your own if possible.   Liberally use spices and herbs like turmeric, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, basil, thyme, oregano, sage and many others.  Nature has provided these spices and herbs as natural antioxidants.  Antioxidants ‘eat’ free-radicals, and free-radicals in excess in our bodies are where we are getting our cancers and autoimmune diseases like Lupus, MS, and fibromyalgia.  Free-radicals come into our bodies from the chemicals we eat and live with.  See how it works?

What I am proposing costs less than living a prescription-based life.   These spices and herbs can be purchased at the grocery store.

Watch my appearance on Larry King to hear about having stem cells banked with the NeoStem company.  It’s expensive ($7500), but you can pay it over four or five years. You cannot reject your own stem cells.  By having mine banked, I am assured if my cancer were to come back, or if I am hurt in an automobile accident, or have heart problems, or if I ever need new hips, eyes, teeth, hair or skin, I will have my own stem cells banked to do the job.  It’s bio-insurance for YOU!

Sincerely,

Suzanne Somers

Visit me at SuzanneSomers.com!

While I know many of you have specific medical questions, only qualified experts can advise on individual cases. Use my advice to arm yourself with knowledge to pass along to your doctors. The more informed you are, the better questions you will ask of your health care providers. This will help you determine if your doctor is right for you. If you are seeking professional help, please check the Dr. Resource Guide. If you are interested in bio-identical hormone replacement, click on the Life Extension Hormone Panel to get information on low cost blood work and a referral to a physician who can prescribe natural hormones for you.