CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Excess estrogen is one of the most common things we see in our Hashimoto’s patients. It often is a result of an inability to properly metabolize, or detox, estrogen. As a result, estrogen is metabolized into more toxic forms that continue to circulate in the body and promote inflammation.
At RedRiver Health and Wellness Center, we know this constant inflammation and hormone dysregulation primes the body for immune disorders such as Hashimoto’s low thyroid and other autoimmune diseases.
Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys the thyroid gland, is the most common cause of hypothyroidism, accounting for more than 90% of cases.
To combat this, it’s important to have healthy methylation, a crucial biochemical pathway. Methylation is the process of adding a methyl group to a molecule. This process governs the body’s detoxification and other necessary metabolic processes in the body.
Altered methylation is a common genetic variation that is linked to high homocysteine, dementia, depression, poor liver detoxification, birth defects, et cetera.
Supplements that provide methyl donors include the following:
- Methyl folate.
- Methyl B12.
- Trimethylglycine.
- Choline.
- MSM.
- Betaine.
- Pyridoxal 5-Phosphate (active vitamin B6).
- Riboflavin 5-Phosphate (active vitamin B2).
Our favorite supplements to support proper estrogen metabolism are Methyl-SP and Metacrin-DX by Apex Energetics. DIM is another supplement well known for its role in helping support estrogen clearance. Avoid synthetic B vitamins!
It’s also key to follow an anti-inflammatory diet.
Ways to screen for methylation defects include the methylation panel from Genova Diagnostics, 23andMe and DNALife. If your homocysteine level is over 7, this may be another indicator of poor methylation.
When testing hormone levels, work with a doctor that knows the best time to test in your cycle and which tests to run. This includes testing levels of estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, FSH and LH.
If you are perimenopausal or menopausal, be sure to look for an integrative/holistic practitioner who has an established track record specializing in female hormones, as it is a complex, whole-body specialty. You may want to ask your local compounding pharmacy for referrals.
If you take any form of estrogen replacement therapy, such as birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy, it’s a good idea to also take methyl donors.
To learn more about our services and to schedule a free consultation, please visit our website. We work with your prescribing physician for optimal results. Do not discontinue medication or hormone replacement therapy without consulting your prescribing physician.
Written by JOSH REDD, chiropractic physician at RedRiver Health and Wellness Center.
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About Josh Redd
Josh Redd, MS, DABFM, DAAIM, is a chiropractic physician and author of the Amazon bestselling book “The Truth About Low Thyroid.” Redd owns seven functional medicine clinics in the western United States and sees patients from across the country and around the world who are suffering from challenging autoimmune, endocrine and neurological disorders. He studied immunology, virology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins where he is a MaPHB candidate. He also teaches thousands of health care practitioners about functional medicine and immunology, thyroid health, neurology, lab testing and more.
Resources
- RedRiver Health and Wellness Center | Address: 1490 E. Foremaster Drive #130, St. George | Telephone: 435-767-9355 | Email: [email protected] | RedRiver Health and Wellness Center.
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