On the other end of thyroid meds. What to do to reverse bone loss?
Posted , 2 users are following.
Hello folks, I'm wondering if anyone's had success in reversing the bone loss caused by thyroid medications.
I've got really severe bone damage that's resulting in repeated broken bones in my hands and feet. I've tried strengthening with gentle exercise and swimming, gradually working up to low impact cardio exercise, only to rebreak my foot after only a few months of the cardio.
I have given up on trying to get any sort if useful help from the doctors, as the medical system here is near to useless, taking months for referrals that turn out to be useless.
Anyone have experience in reversing bone loss through supplements, diet or other means?
0 likes, 7 replies
dana18818 MtViewCatherine
Posted
Yes Katherine, I'm having a similar experience. Been on thyroid hormone replacement since my thyroidectomy in 2005. Now I have osteopenia (at 40) and my neck injury (7 months) ago still hasn't healed resulting in chronic nerve pain, spondylosis, spondylothisthesis, and degerative arthritis.
I saw this coming and had been trying to get calcitonin replacement for the past few years. The thyroid gland also produces calcitonin, which increases bone density. I believe that it's not so much thyroid hormone replacement that causes ostoporosis in people with low thyroid function but the loss of calcitonin. Pro-calcitonin is even used as a marker for severe inflammation, which hints that calcitonin could play an anti-inflammatory role. It's also been shown to act as a satiety inducer in animal studies.
Calcitonin research has been buried as soon as the bisphosphonates came on the market so getting a doctor to even consider ordering it has been a huge ordeal. I finally found one (did a literature review to make a case for a possible need and good safety record) but now I'm not able to exercise:( Also, I have a vitamin D receptor defect (VDR 1 & 2) and take high does of vit D.
I'm not giving medical advice but I think Standard Process makes excellent bone and ligament support and I know that boron, strontium, and K2 as well as calcium are all important .....along with exercise.
dana18818 MtViewCatherine
Posted
Yes Katherine, I'm having a similar experience. Been on thyroid hormone replacement since my thyroidectomy in 2005. Now I have osteopenia (at 40) and my neck injury (7 months) ago still hasn't healed resulting in chronic nerve pain, spondylosis, spondylothisthesis, and degerative arthritis.
I saw this coming and had been trying to get calcitonin replacement for the past few years. The thyroid gland also produces calcitonin, which increases bone density. I believe that it's not so much thyroid hormone replacement that causes ostoporosis in people with low thyroid function but the loss of calcitonin. Pro-calcitonin is even used as a marker for severe inflammation, which hints that calcitonin could play an anti-inflammatory role. It's also been shown to act as a satiety inducer in animal studies.
Calcitonin research has been buried as soon as the bisphosphonates came on the market so getting a doctor to even consider ordering it has been a huge ordeal. I finally found one (did a literature review to make a case for a possible need and good safety record) but now I'm not able to exercise:( Also, I have a vitamin D receptor defect (VDR 1 & 2) and take high does of vit D.
I'm not giving medical advice but I think Standard Process makes excellent bone and ligament support and I know that boron, strontium, and K2 as well as calcium are all important .....along with exercise.
MtViewCatherine dana18818
Posted
Ah, thank you, I'll check out the standard process. My gut tells me that weight training might be a good effort towards helping bones.
I agree that bone loss can result from hypothyroid disease. However, my feeling is that the synthetic meds accellerated the bone loss.
Isn't it lovely that they call it ostepenia rather than osteoperosis? Like they're making it sound better by changing the name, when really, I suspect osteopenia means premature osteoperosis.
Oh, and I use essential amino acid supplements. I find they're also helpful for my mother along with ThyroGold, as she's had her thyroid removed.
I actually eotked with a woman tears ago who did research on osteocalcin. It was really obscure back in the day. Weightlessness if space travel caused decreased levels of osteocalcin, which was believed to result in bone loss. This was back in the late 1980s.
MtViewCatherine dana18818
Posted
Just looked up osteocalcin and calcitonin. both are proteins. Osteocalcin requires vitamin K.
I had tapered off the amino acids, but maybe I'll go back to them and add some vitamin K to the mix.
I'm pretty sure calcitonin medication isn't available. Maybe there are other supplements that help.
dana18818 MtViewCatherine
Posted
Sounds good! Also, the activation of vitamin K relies on a healthy microbiome. You may want to consider a high quality probiotic, Kombucha, Kimchi, Kephir (can't spell) but you get the idea. There may be a benefit to good old fashioned bone broth and collagen supplements. Collagen requires vitamin C for crosslinking....well wishes-have to go to work.
dana18818 MtViewCatherine
Posted
Some medications (corticosteroids for example), chronically high cortisol (high stress), and chronically high insulin levels can all negatively impact bone density.
MtViewCatherine dana18818
Posted
I do take vitamin C and find it helpful. Vitamin K in the past has been helpful, so I'll add that in.
Haven't had luck with probiotics with the exception of kombucha- love it! But still need to limit for now due to leaky gut.