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Thyroid Function May Decline With Age Levothyroxine Or Desiccated Thyroid Which Is Best?Local sales agent with Medicare Advantage plans.I’m Melissa Navarro, a licensed sales agent in San Antonio & Austin, Texas. When it comes to Medicare, it’s important to consider all our options. What works well for your neighbor may not be the best fit for you. I know the ins and outs of Medicare, and I’m ready to answer your questions and help you find a plan that fits your needs.Take advantage of my knowledge and experience to:• Take the confusion out • Receive one-on-one serviceof Medicare• Get help comparing plans• Make enrolling in a plan easierI look forward to helping you explore your Medicare options so you can enroll in a plan with confidence.It’s time to take advantage.Melissa NavarroLicensed Sales Agent 210-243-6394, TTY 711By Dr. Donna Becker#1. “I have been taking the same amount of thyroid for 20 years, I guess it’s ok.”Maybe it is ok, maybe not. The thyroid has a wide range of “normal” and I like to help patients get to 50% of normal, at least. I call this “optimal”. It is best to be in the upper end of normal range, rather than the bottom end.#2. “I asked my doctor to please give me Armour thyroid, but he/she would not.”Levothyroxine is the storage form of thyroid, T4, while Armour, desiccated thyroid from a pig, contains both the active and storage forms, T3 & T4. With increasing age, T4 may not convert very well into T3. It is like having money in the bank, but none in your hands for spending. When taking levothyroxine, your T4 (storage) might be great, while the T3 (active) could be barely above the lowest range. It depends on the blood levels of T3 & T4, and both should be in the mid-range of normal.#3. “My thyroid has been tested many times, and the doctor always says it is normal.” The lower end of normal may not be optimal for you.Of all the hormones which may decline with aging, I think thyroid replacement is the most controversial. Yes, thyroid can be a double-edged sword—too much and your heart pounds, hair eventually falls out, bones crumble into the urine, and you feel shaky and weird! But too little thyroid can have symptoms such as fatigue, depression, coldness, constipation, sluggish energy, and weight gain. Laboratory evaluation and physical findings must guide thyroid dosage.“... therapy with once-daily desiccated thyroid in place of levothyroxine causesmodest weightimprovements in symptoms and mental health without appreciable adverse effects.” (Desiccated Thyroid Extract Compared with Levothyroxine in the Treatment of hypothyroidism: A Randomized, Double Blind, Crossover Study Hoang, T. Olsen, C, Mai, V, Clyde, P., & Shakir, M. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 May ;98(5):1982-90)Endocrinologists treat illnesses of the thyroid, like nodules, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. I am not an endocrinologist, and I properly refer patients to that specialty who have a sickness of their thyroid.Dr. Donna Becker. practicing medicine for over 30 years with focus on hormone replacement for past 20 yrs. Call for free 30m consult.Dr Donna BeckerSpecializes in anti-aging & health maintenance medicine.(210) 545-5224 www.antiagingsa.comloss andpossibleGet Your Life Back with All NaturalHormonesFocus of Treatment:• Weight Loss• Hot Flashes• Vaginal Dryness• Insomnia• Loss of Libido• Thyroid Issues• Erectile Dysfunction• Weakness• Brain Fog• Vitamin Deficiencies• Bone Loss• Men & Women Anti-AgingEnhancement of Life CenterCall to schedule yourFREE consultation!(210) 545-522414603 Huebner Rd., Ste. 2601 (Huebner & NW Military)Dr. Donna BeckerTreatment Plan Includes:• 3 pages of Blood Work• Detailed Analysis• Individualized Treatments.Mother’s Day - continued from page 4unclogging, not even any stuck-zipper zapping.I plan to take a very hot bath and read a very long book. And I will allow myself the luxury of using a brand-new bar of soap. Not once during this glorious bath will anyone interrupt me with “Hey Mom, where’s the sugar?”or“Did I mention I have a science project due tomorrow?”No. 3: After my bath, I want to have control of the television. THE TV. That 52-inch high- definition behemoth in the living room. No ESPN will appear on the TV that day. There will be no Victoria ’s Secret Specials. I will be watching every movie Brad Pitt ever made. I’ll probably also eat some more chocolate.No. 4: I’d like to be taken to dinner at a nice restaurant, one that requires an advance reservation and has no child’s menu. During the meal, I’d like my offspring to conduct themselves admirably. No eating with your fingers, no chewing with your mouth open, no kicking a sibling under the table. And not a single word aboutbodily processes.No. 5: After dinner, I’d like us all to go through family pictures together and reminisce about old times. You are required to look pleasant and appear to be having fun. Not even one teenage eye may roll in disgust. No surreptitious text messages may be sent to friends. And each of you has to say “I love you, Mom,” and you have to mean it.At that, several groans went up. I folded the paper and finished with something my grandma used to say, something ungrammatical but undeniable.“Just remember,”I told my gang.“If Mamma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”Jackie PapendrewSyndicated Humor Columnistwww. jackiepapendrew.comMay 2024www.alamoranchhighlights.com 9