The thyroid hormone helps the body convert food into energy and heat, regulates body temperature, and impacts many other hormonal systems in the body. Thyroid imbalances can create a wide variety of problems. Thyroid hormone replacement therapy from MD Custom Rx is helping thyroid patients across Wisconsin to lead more normal, comfortable lives. NOW available in Brookfield Dried Urine Testing for Iodine and the Comprehensive Iodine Thyroid Test Kits from ZRT Laboratory CALL 262.373.1050
Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy
Wisconsin’s Source for Desiccated Natural Thyroid
There are currently nationwide shortages of major thyroid hormone supplement products, Armour Thyroid, Nature-Throid and Westhroid. These products all contain Desicated Natural Thyroid, also known as Thyroid USP (porcine.)
Many patients respond better to Desicated Natural Thyroid because of its ratio of T3:T4. Other thyroid supplements work on the theory that the thyroid gland can convert T4 (levothyroxine) to T3 (liothyronine), but as the thyroid gland of a hypothyroid person is already not functioning properly, its ability to convert T4 to T3 may likely be inhibited as well. T3 is not available commercially except as an immediate acting preparation, which often causes undesirable side effects.Currently, compounding pharmacies are the only source of Desicated Natural Thyroid (Thyroid USP-porcine) in the proper ratio of T4:T3 (4.22:1). Our greater Milwaukee Wisconsin compounding pharmacy can also create custom blends of T4 and T3 hormones to meet individual patient needs. MD Custom Rx also has the ability to omit fillers and excipients present in commercially available tablets which may not be well tolerated by some patients. For a perfectly balanced and custom formulated thyroid hormone supplement in Wisconsin, MD Custom Rx is your compounding pharmacy of choice.
Symptoms of hypothyroid (low thyroid) may include:
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Types of Thyroid Hormones
Thyroxine (T4), with four iodine atoms per molecule, is an inactive form that is produced exclusively by the thyroid gland
Triiodothyronine (T3), with three iodine atoms per molecule, is the active form of thyroid hormone. About 20% of T3 is produced by the thyroid gland, with the remainder produced through conversion of T4 in various tissues of the body when more T3 is needed. Some people may transform T4 into a non-usable form called Reverse T3.
The role of prescription compounding in the treatment of the hypothyroid patient:
Many studies suggest that replacement therapy for hypothyroidism with levothyroxine (T4) alone does not ensure normal thyroid hormone levels in all tissues, and that a combination of levothyroxine and T3 may be required for optimal thyroid replacement therapy. However, the only commercially available form of T3 is synthetic liothyronine sodium, an immediate release formulation, which is rapidly absorbed. We can help meet unique individual needs through customized compounded prescriptions. For example:
- Sustained-release T3 preparations
- Customized combinations of sustained-release T3 and T4
- Excipient free thyroid preparations for hypersensitive patients
Now Available – Dried Urine Testing for Iodine!
Iodine plays many different roles in optimizing health and preventing disease. Approximately 2 billion of the world’s population is iodine deficient. In children and adults, iodine deficiency can lead to lower thyroid hormone synthesis and consequent symptoms and conditions of hypothyroidism. Pregnant women who are deficient in iodine are at increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirths, or giving birth to children with cretinism and severe neurological and developmental defects. Children born to mothers who are iodine deficient during pregnancy can have impaired intellectual development and are at increased risk for developing attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders.
While iodine’s role in thyroid hormone synthesis is well recognized, iodine serves many different and protective roles in the body including those of an antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiproliferative, and anti-carcinogen. Tissues other than the thyroid gland that utilize iodine include; white blood cells, salivary and lacrimal gland, ciliary body of the eye, renal cortex, pancreas, liver, stomach, small and large intestinal mucosa, nasopharynx, choroid plexus, skin, adrenal cortex, mammary gland, placenta, uterus, and ovary.
Iodine’s ability to form iodolipids underlies its capacity to serve as an antiproliferative and prevent abnormal benign growths (i.e. thyroid nodules, fibrocystic breasts, uterine fibroids) as well as cancers. As an antimicrobial, it is of relevance that iodine from the bloodstream concentrates in a broad spectrum of tissues that are repeatedly exposed to infectious organisms (i.e. skin, eyes, gastrointestinal tract, salivary gland, nasal and oral mucosa, breast ducts, uterine lining, prostate).
Whereas iodine deficiency poses health problems, elevated iodine levels can be problematic as well. High iodine levels can cause goiter and both hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.
With iodine playing so many different roles in optimizing health and preventing disease in the thyroid and other tissues, it is essential that adequate iodine intake is maintained and problems associated with low or excessive iodine are identified and treated appropriately. To this end, ZRT Laboratory has developed a simple and convenient test to measure an individual’s iodine level in dried urine on a filter strip. This method was developed to circumvent the more cumbersome collection of all urine over a 24 hour period. While measurement of urinary iodine levels may provide useful information on one’s iodine nutritional status, sufficient levels does not always guarantee that adequate amounts of thyroid hormones will be synthesized by the thyroid gland.
ZRT Laboratory has combined the advanced technology of measuring iodine in dried urine, with that of thyroid hormone measurements in finger prick dried blood spots to create the Comprehensive Iodine Thyroid Test. The Iodine-Thyroid Profile is designed to evaluate not only the availability of iodine, but also its capacity to be utilized for thyroid hormone synthesis. The thyroid glands capacity to utilize iodine for thyroid hormone synthesis is determined by measuring thyroglobulin, TSH, total T4, free T4, free T3, and TPO antibodies in finger-prick whole blood dried on filter paper.
